After Xiao Che's words that night, "I grant your secret," the last layer of thin ice between them, born of suspicion, completely melted away. An unprecedented, tacit understanding began to quietly grow between the Emperor and Empress.
Over the next few days, Lin Wanwan rested peacefully in the royal tent to recover from her injuries.
Just as he had said, Xiao Che treated her like a "prisoner," watching over her every step of the way. But beneath his domineering confinement lay clumsy yet meticulous care. He still personally fed her medicine and meals, his movements still stiff, but much more skillful than before, and he no longer embarrassed himself by spilling porridge on the blankets.
Lin Wanwan, initially bewildered, gradually grew accustomed to this awkward tenderness unique to emperors.
Thanks to the imperial physician's meticulous care and her own modern nursing knowledge, Lin Wanwan's shoulder injury healed rapidly. In just a few days, she was already able to lean against the soft couch and read some books to pass the time.
That night, the howling wind outside the tent made the interior feel even warmer and more tranquil.
Xiao Che did not return to his own tent, but instead set up a temporary desk in the main tent to handle the urgent military affairs that had piled up due to the autumn hunt. The candlelight was bright, illuminating his focused profile, and the way he held his pen and reviewed the memorials was both composed and full of imperial majesty.
Lin Wanwan sat on a soft couch not far away, covered with a soft fox fur coat, holding a book in her hands. She would occasionally look up at him, and he would always look up at her between his readings. Their eyes met in the air, and though no words were spoken, they spoke volumes.
A warm and tranquil atmosphere, like a gentle stream, flowed slowly through the tent. This feeling was not like that of an emperor and empress, but rather like that of an ordinary couple in a common household, each busy with their own affairs yet keeping each other company.
Looking at Xiao Che's focused expression, Lin Wanwan knew the time was almost ripe.
She gently closed the book in her hands, and seemingly unintentionally, in a tone tinged with lingering fear and confusion, she softly mentioned:
"His Majesty."
"Hmm?" Xiao Che didn't look up, but made a low response from his nose, indicating that she was listening.
"I've been thinking about this for the past few days," Lin Wanwan said, her voice carrying a perfectly timed hint of confusion, "could the people who tried to assassinate us that day be related to the incident with the startled horse?"
She asked the question with great skill. Instead of directly raising doubts, she used a tone of "reflection afterward" to make a reasonable connection between two seemingly independent events.
Xiao Che paused slightly as he reviewed the memorials.
He finally raised his head and looked at her, a hint of inquiry in his deep eyes: "Why do you say that?"
Lin Wanwan knew that what she was about to say was crucial. She couldn't reveal her special ability, she couldn't say that she had seen the eye contact between Wei Xiao and Su Jinxiu, and she certainly couldn't act like a strategist in the dark.
The role she plays is that of an ordinary wife who is frightened, realizes something is wrong only afterward, and is completely dependent on her husband.
She hugged her knees, rested her chin on them, and pretended to be trying hard to remember, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty:
"I can't really explain it, it's just... a woman's intuition."
She first laid the groundwork with this most shameless yet irrefutable reason.
"Before the archery competition that day, I felt that the atmosphere at the hunting ground was very strange. Those imperial guards... were too tense. It didn't feel like a celebration, but more like a war was about to break out."
"Later, didn't Consort Xian come to deliver soup? At the time, I didn't think much of it, but now that I think about it, it feels a bit strange."
She frowned, as if trying to organize her thoughts and piece together those fragmented, seemingly unrelated details.
“I remember that when she turned to leave, that… that General Wei Xiao of Zhenyuan happened to pass by not far away. There were many people around at the time, and I only glanced at him unintentionally. I think I saw… General Wei nod slightly in the direction of Consort Xian.”
"Perhaps I'm seeing things, after all, the scene was so chaotic at the time." She immediately added a layer of "maybe I'm mistaken" to her observation with an uncertain tone.
"But then, the horse ran away. Looking back now, wasn't it all too coincidental? First, General Wei's men 'mishandled' their horses, then Consort Xian's sister 'accidentally' fell off her horse, and then... we encountered the assassins."
She did not directly name anyone, nor did she draw any conclusions.
She cleverly strung together a series of independent "coincidences" in a tone of "a wife's worries" and "reflection afterward," making it sound exactly like a frightened wife who, in her lingering fear, confided all her anxieties and speculations to her most trusted husband.
After saying that, she fell silent, simply looking at Xiao Che with her eyes, which held a hint of dependence and unease, waiting for his judgment.
After hearing her words, Xiao Che put down the vermilion brush in his hand.
He didn't speak immediately, but looked at her deeply, deeply with his unfathomable eyes.
The atmosphere inside the tent became heavy once again.
Lin Wanwan's heart pounded slightly. She didn't know how much of her "pillow talk" he had believed.
However, in that familiar area above his head, she saw a scene that instantly put her at ease.
A chibi-style figure wearing a detective hat was standing in front of a giant clue board. In his hands were two irregularly shaped puzzle pieces, one depicting "Consort Xian" and the other "Wei Xiao".
The next second, the detective figure perfectly put the two puzzle pieces together!
Below the completed image, a line of bright text appeared:
[Clues match.gif]
Lin Wanwan was completely relieved.
She knew he believed her.
Moreover, these seemingly "unintentional" details she provided precisely confirmed some of his pre-existing suspicions, becoming the last straw that broke the camel's back!
This is the tacit understanding between them now.
She doesn't need to produce any substantial evidence; she only needs to convey the information she "sees" to him in a reasonable way, and he will understand.
Finally, Xiao Che slowly spoke.
He didn't comment on her words, nor did he reveal any of his plans. He simply stood up, walked to her bedside, reached out, and gently pinched her cheek with a touch of approval and affection.
His voice regained its usual coolness, but with an added touch of reassuring warmth.
"Rest assured and recover," he said. "Leave the rest to me."
After saying that, he said no more, turned around, and strode out of the tent.
Looking at his tall and upright back, Lin Wanwan felt a sense of peace. She knew that the long-brewing net of revenge was finally about to tighten.
She subconsciously looked at the emoji above his head again.
The moment he turned and walked out of the tent, the little detective figure had vanished.
Instead, there is a cartoon demon wearing a black headscarf and holding a dagger in its mouth!
The little devil was grinding away vigorously with a large scythe in his hand, sparks flying everywhere, a bloodthirsty yet excited smile on his face.
Beside that image was a line of text filled with murderous intent:
[It's time to close the net.jpg]
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