Chapter 159: Lin Wan Yi

Wan Tang's mind immediately thought of Lady Qi.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Mingshu actually intervened about this matter at this time.

Though troubled inside, she must appear calm and carefree on the surface.

"Since I, the concubine, have safely given birth, I will not pursue further," Wan Tang's voice was weak yet clear, "Consider it only as accumulating blessings for Minghui."

"Accumulating blessings?" Xiao Mingshu sprang up, her phoenix crown and jeweled ornaments shaking violently, "Consort Wan truly has a merciful heart!"

"But can't you see that Lady Qi is deliberately plotting harm?"

"The Empress, motherly to the world," Wan Tang lifted her eyes to stare at her, "Why cling so tightly to a noble lady?"

"Because this palace cannot tolerate traitors!" Xiao Mingshu suddenly leaned forward, "If you ask why this happened."

"It's also your doing!"

Xiao Mingshu's severe, terrifying cold glare.

Her tone was full of warning: "This time, this palace will make you understand."

"Do not think that because the Emperor favors you, you can do as you please within the harem."

Li Ping'er entered at that moment carrying a soup bowl, and upon seeing the Empress, froze on the spot.

Xiao Mingshu glanced at the thick white chicken soup and sneered, "Drink as much as you can while you can. The harem's waters run very deep."

"I want to see how long your flesh can still sway the holy heart."

The Empress turned, "Remember, regarding today's matter, this palace will uncover the truth!"

The hall doors shut heavily, and Wan Tang slowly raised her hand to wipe the chicken soup splashed on the back of her hand.

"Master." Li Ping'er watched Xiao Mingshu walk away, hurriedly closing the door.

With a worried face she looked at Wan Tang, "What does the Empress mean by this?"

Wan Tang's gaze was heavy, "The matter concerning Lady Qi doesn't seem simple."

"We must find a way to protect her."

Li Ping'er listened, and a hint of anger crept into her tone: "Lady Qi as well, you treat her so well, yet she thinks of harming you."

"If it weren't for thinking of Lord Qi..."

Wan Tang gave a glance, and Li Ping'er quickly shut her mouth.

"Just knowing is enough; the Qi Qi family has regarded Lady Qi as a treasure since childhood. This palace didn't rescue Lady Qi..."

At this point, Wan Tang couldn't help but sigh.

【Tangtang, no need to sigh; encountering a pig teammate is like this.】

【Actually this matter is easy to handle; as long as Wan Tang doesn't pursue, the Emperor's minor punishment and major admonition will be settled.】

【The worst is when a fool gets an idea; why did she act? Because the Empress fed the First Prince medicine? Mothers always want to give everything to their children. Though Lady Qi isn't sharp, she ultimately wants to protect the child!】

【Unfortunately, Xiao Mingshu also counted the pig's brain in it. That pill wasn't poison; it was a medicine to develop the First Prince's intellect.】

Upon hearing, Wan Tang's complexion suddenly changed drastically.

"Bad!" Wan Tang shouted.

Li Ping'er jumped in surprise, hurriedly asking, "Master, what's wrong?"

Wan Tang frowned, her tone heavy, "Quick, summon Lady Qi to the West Pond Courtyard, quickly, must be before the Empress."

Though puzzled, Li Ping'er dared not be careless, and hurried away.

The candles in the hall flickered uneasily, casting Wan Tang's pale face in wavering light.

The pearl curtains swung violently, and Li Ping'er stumbled in, her hair bun messy and dusted with grass, "Master! Lady Qi was taken away by the Empress."

"Bai Wei came with ten rough servant maids, saying she wanted to ask a few questions."

Wan Tang suddenly propped herself up, a sharp pain in her abdomen darkening her vision, "Ink! Quickly!"

Li Ping'er hurriedly spread out a sheet of Xuan paper.

She stuffed the blood letter into a bag, "Send Xiao Shunzi immediately."

【It's too late; the Empress has already detained Lady Qi.】

【At this moment, the Empress has arrived with the chief culprit; Tangtang is not easy to handle, be careful!】

【She is the Emperor's new favorite; though the Emperor loves you, men naturally prefer a bit of novelty.】

As soon as the barrage voice ended, a voice came from the doorway.

From outside the hall came a delicate, timid voice, like a spring breeze through willows: "I, Lin Wan Yi, the concubine, have come to plead guilt before Consort Wan."

Li Ping'er's complexion changed abruptly; she clenched her fist tightly, anger flaring in her eyes.

"Master! It's that scoundrel who knocked you down!"

"Let me, the serving woman, tear off her facial skin!"

Wan Tang's abdomen still ached faintly, and in her mind the pair of eyes that seemed innocent yet concealed sharpness surfaced.

She took a deep breath; revenge, of course, must be taken, but not recklessly or impulsively.

Since the barrage had already warned, why let herself fall into a deep pit?

"Ping'er," her voice was weak yet carried unquestionable authority, "Invite Lady Lin inside."

"Remember to be courteous."

Li Ping'er widened her eyes in disbelief, tears welling, "Master! You have suffered such a great injustice, why still show courtesy to that kind of person?"

Wan Tang was full of helplessness.

She smiled wryly, "The Emperor has been favoring lately."

Li Ping'er looked horrified, her voice trembling, "We feared you'd be upset, so we dared not speak."

"I didn't expect you still found out."

She suddenly lowered her voice, with a sob, "If Prince Yan were in the palace, he would never let you endure such grievance in silence."

"Shut up!" Wan Tang coughed abruptly, an abnormal red flush spreading over her pallid face, "Is this the kind of talk you can blurt out?"

"My encounter with Yan Wang was only a single meeting; if I hear such baseless words again, you will go back to Fengdu."

Li Ping'er was so frightened that she fell to her knees on the ground, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Wan Tang looked at her blood‑red eyes, her tone softening a bit: "Go summon someone."

"Remember, the more venomous the snake, the more carefully you must cradle it in your palm."

As Li Ping'er wiped her tears and rose, Wan Tang suddenly added in a low voice, "Serve properly; bring out the fine tea and pastries the Emperor gifted to me."

Li Ping'er felt unwilling, but could only obey each instruction.

While the pearl curtains swayed, Wan Tang stared at her bloodless face in the bronze mirror, slowly inserting the Jīn zān back into her hair. The mirror

The reflection's mouth corner lifted in a cold arc.

Since the other side wants to act out a plea for forgiveness, she does not refuse.

Without offending, without pandering—if someone likes a solo act, let her perform it properly.

The faint footfalls accompanied by the soft jingling of ornaments, a delicate figure timidly slipped into the inner chamber.

Lin Wan Yi, wearing a moon‑white cloud‑patterned ru‑skirt, seemed like a Jiangnan willow enclosed in misty rain, as if a slightly louder scolding would turn her into vanishing dew.

"I, your servant, deserve ten thousand deaths," she fell to her knees with a thud, her forehead pressed against the cold floor.

Her slender shoulders trembled slightly, "I, your servant, was reckless, having collided with the Lady of Grace."

Her voice carried a sob, each word seeming soaked with tears.

Li Ping'er, angry enough for her eyes to redden, couldn't help shouting, "Knowing you're guilty yet you still dare to be an eyesore!"

Wan Tang waved her hand lightly, but her gaze, like a fine needle, fixed on that fragile figure.

She examined closely; the face indeed resembled her by seventy percent, yet it looked like a copy blurred by water.

The same willow‑leaf eyebrows, yet Lin Wan Yi's brow tips always drooped timidly.

The same apricot eyes, but hers always reflected a layer of hazy water light.

The most startling thing to Wan Tang was that aura.

She herself was like tempered jade, bearing a resolute, unbending chill.

Whereas Lin Wan Yi was like freshly melted snow, so fragile that she needed constant cupping in someone's palm.

At this moment she knelt there, even the curve of her bent neck appeared exceedingly fragile, as if a light touch would turn it to dust.

"Lift your head," Wan Tang suddenly said, her hoarse voice bearing an undeniable authority.

As Lin Wan Yi raised her face, a tear happened to roll down her cheek.

That pear‑blossom‑in‑rain appearance, even Wan Tang could not help but acknowledge.

It truly evoked more pity than her own stubborn demeanor.

【Tangtang, never clash head‑on with her; this woman's methods are extremely vicious.】

【When you're in late pregnancy and can't have sex, this woman is the one attending the bed; the Dog Emperor even does it three times a night!】

【She was originally cultivated by the Xiao Family to deal with Wan Tang; not to mention, this woman was also personally trained by Li Defu and the Empress.】

【Today it's clearly intentional. If you even dare scold her once, she can whine and cry for you.】

Wan Tang leaned half against the pile of brocades, lightly instructing, "Give Lady of Grace Lin a seat, move the charcoal basin closer. Li Ping'er, add the newly contributed silver‑thread charcoal, don't let the guest get cold."

The Guanren immediately busied themselves.

Lin Wan Yi had just bent her knee to kneel when four soft cushions were already layered beneath her feet.

She opened her mouth to speak, and the warm ginseng tea was handed to her lips.

Only then did tears glisten at the corner of her eye, and the handkerchief scented with Calming Incense was passed over.

"Your Highness," Lin Wan Yi squeezed the handkerchief, choking, "That day was truly…"

Wan Tang closed her eyes to rest, her fingertips gently patting the swaddling cloth in her arms, as if she hadn't heard at all.

Inside the hall only the infant's cooing and the crackle of the charcoal remained.

Lin Wan Yi's carefully prepared lament choked in her throat, her fingernails silently digging into her palm.

As she grew restless, a sharp, thin voice unique to Li Defu came from outside the hall, "The Emperor has arrived."

A bright yellow figure surged in with the cold wind, Chu Yunzheng didn't even have time to remove his great cloak before lunging to the bedfront: "Tangtang!"

"I have just finished reviewing the documents and came at once."

Chu Yunzheng carefully took the Princess, his eyes brimming with tenderness, "Quickly let Father the Emperor see whether my daughter has been nursing well?"

While coaxing his daughter, he also didn't forget to kiss Wan Tang's forehead.

The scene of the three together truly made onlookers envious.

Lin Wan Yi stood stiffly by the heater, watching the Emperor personally tuck the corner of Wan Tang's blanket and carefully test the temperature of the soup medicine.

That harmonious picture of the three‑person family pierced her eyes like a needle.

Lin Wan Yi exchanged a subtle glance with Li Defu.

The old eunuch suddenly raised his voice, exclaiming dramatically, "Ah! Lady of Grace Jing, why are you lingering here?"

"This newly delivered house is most averse to Yin energy collisions; you should avoid it quickly!"

Lady of Grace Jing immediately lowered her head in compliance, tears spilling like broken pearls, staining dark marks on her garment's collar.

"I, your servant, have no choice; I can only do this," Lin Wan Yi's voice was so delicate it seemed it could drip water.

Chu Yunzheng turned his head at the sound, his gaze meeting Lady of Grace Jing's tear‑filled apricot eyes, and genuine pity rose in his eyes: "Why are you crying like this?"

Immediately, feeling dissatisfied, he said coldly to Li Defu, "Isn't it true that Tangtang is frail, so we shouldn't disturb Wan Yi?"

"Emperor…" Lady of Grace Jing began in a delicate voice.

Wan Tang suddenly let out a light laugh, weakly grasping the Emperor's sleeve, "It's good that you've come."

"Lady of Grace Jing, you came right after you left; I am truly exhausted," she said.

She closed her eyes wearily, "Now that a younger sister is with the Emperor, I can finally rest a while."

Li Ping'er suddenly "Plop" knelt to the ground, muttering in a sobbing voice: "Master just came back from the Underworld Gate, hasn't even had a mouthful of hot soup to feel settled."

"When Lady Jing arrives, everyone in the West Pond Courtyard, fearing they might neglect the Lady of Grace, serves her with utmost care."

Li Ping'er looked at the bowl of chicken soup floating with oil droplets: "Emperor, Master's chicken soup has gone cold…"

Every one of these sentences is a complaint about Lin Wanyi looking for trouble.

If we keep going, Lin Wanyi is actually blameless, merely here to flaunt and provoke Wan Tang.

"How dare you!" Li Defu sharply scolded, "When the Masters speak, you have no right to butt in!"

Li Ping'er actually looked up and retorted: "Chief Li is also a Nubi, isn't he? So is it proper for you to interject?"