Chapter 175: Interrogation

In the courtyard of Palace of Eternal Joy, new peach buds just emerged, two delicate pink spots.

When Wan Tang walked slowly back to the palace, Lady of Grace Liu and Lady of Grace Su were gathered together looking at the new shoot; seeing her arrive, they hurriedly adjusted their robes and offered greetings.

Wan Tang's gaze lightly brushed over their faces, she gave a slight nod, and prepared to leave.

She had taken no more than two steps before suddenly turning back.

She stared at that shy pink hue and paused for a moment.

"I recall that this courtyard originally had no peach trees."

The two hurriedly replied that spring had arrived, and they had specially commissioned someone to bring in a small sapling from outside the palace.

Lady of Grace Su, the youngest, had shallow dimples at her cheeks and a naive, bright demeanor: "I've heard peach blossoms can bring good luck!"

There was a light in her eyes, a pure yearning for the vague rumors beyond the secluded palace.

Wan Tang's lips curled slightly as she fixed her gaze on her: "Oh? Do you wish to be favored?"

Lady of Grace Su's face flushed instantly, her fingers twisted the handkerchief, too embarrassed to utter another word.

Lady of Grace Liu, standing nearby, quickly spoke, her voice reverent and gentle: "Emperor and Empress are deeply attached, a match made by Heaven."

"We, humble women, could never harbor even a hint of such delusion?"

"We only wish to pray for the Empress daily, to remain by her side forever—that is our blessing."

Their words were flawless, leaving no gaps.

Wan Tang said no more, gave a faint smile, turned and entered the main hall.

Xiao Shunzi presented tea and whispered, "Lady of Grace Liu is the more sensible, she knows the limits."

Wan Tang took the cup, her fingertips brushing the warm rim, and sneered, "Not necessarily."

She lowered her eyes, blew the swirling tea steam: "Tell me, does a Lady of Grace have the right to privately transplant flora from outside the palace?"

Xiao Shunzi was startled, then shook her head: "There is absolutely no such rule."

"Then that settles it," Wan Tang set down the cup; the sound was faint, yet it made Xiao Shunzi's heart jump.

Her tone softened, as if casually mentioning: "Think carefully, a while ago Li Ping'er was moving about inside and outside Palace of Eternal Joy; who knows best?"

Xiao Shunzi's complexion suddenly hardened, her voice lowered: "Within the Imperial Palace… naturally the two young mistresses who share the palace are the most perceptive."

Wan Tang said nothing more, only directed her gaze toward the untimely peach pink outside the window.

Xiao Shunzi's expression turned solemn: "Nubi… I'll investigate immediately."

"Now is the time to rescue people; what use is it to keep inquiring about these?"

"With the time we have now, it would be better to hurry and find Li Defu. After all, protecting Li Ping'er's innocence is paramount."

"I think you're all looking in the wrong direction; at this moment shouldn't you be dealing with the Empress? The Empress has already arrived at the gate of Yangxin Hall. Guess what charge the Empress will lay on Wan Tang—treason, or an illicit liaison with Yan Wang?"

Wan Tang grew tense listening to the voices inside.

She dared not linger, rose hurriedly, and went to rescue Li Ping'er.

The eunuch's residence courtyard was remote and desolate, the air thick with stale dust.

Wan Tang kept moving straight into the courtyard; several young eunuchs sweeping at the moment froze in panic at her sight.

They hurriedly knelt: "Virtuous Consort, we pay our respects! How does the Empress dare to set foot in this filthy place?"

"Where is Li Defu?" Wan Tang, unwilling to speak more, scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.

The replying eunuch said weakly, "Your Majesty, Chief Li is naturally attending the Emperor, how could he be here…"

Wan Tang's gaze swept over the courtyard's clutter, then suddenly fixed on a spot.

In the pile of dead branches and rotten leaves at the corner, a familiar glint of pearl light flashed.

She approached, brushed away the filth with her handkerchief, and a hairpin flower came into view, exactly the one Li Ping'er usually wore.

Her complexion turned cold, and she turned toward the tightly shut door.

"Empress! It cannot be done! Inside is dirty and chaotic, it may soil your eyes!"

The young eunuchs hurriedly tried to block, their forced smiles uglier than cries.

Wan Tang's lips formed a cold arc, yet her steps did not cease.

In a panic, a young eunuch reached out to stop her, and Wan Tang snapped a crisp slap back.

"Filthy thing," she said softly, each word like ice, "dare to touch my palace?"

The eunuch covered his face, fell to his knees with a thud, trembling like sifted chaff: "Nubi does not dare! Nubi should die!"

No one dared to block any longer.

Wan Tang shoved the creaking wooden door open with one hand.

The interior was empty, only a whiff of mildew hit her nose.

Scattered on the floor were a few straw stalks, and the corner of the wall still bore wet stains, clearly the marks of someone being locked in recently.

Wan Tang's unease grew, and she shouted sharply, "Where are they?!"

All the eunuchs in the courtyard bowed their heads in silence, pretending deaf and mute.

She turned her gaze back to the slapped eunuch and suddenly seized his wrist.

The eunuch forced out flattery: "Oh dear, Virtuous Consort, your golden and jade‑preciousness, how could you touch this filthy hand of a Nubi…"

Wan Tang ignored him, pulled a silver hairpin from her hair, and swiftly, precisely, pierced his back of the hand.

In the wail, she dragged another stunned eunuch, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

Using the spattering blood beads, she wrote numbers stroke by stroke onto the fabric on his back.

After finishing, she tossed her hand aside and stared at the eunuch clutching his wounded hand, wailing.

Her voice carried undeniable coldness: "Present these characters, unchanged, to Li Defu."

"If you mishandle his affairs, the consequences…" she paused, leaving an endless pressure, "you bear them yourself."

Having said that, she brushed her sleeve, turned, and walked away openly amid a sea of dead silence and fearful gazes.

In the palace wall passage, wind rose.

Wan Tang had not yet stepped into the Palace of Eternal Joy gate when Liu Guiren, holding her skirt, hurriedly rushed out.

She seized her sleeve, voice trembling: "Madam! Quickly, hurry!"

Her complexion drained of color, leaving only panic, she grabbed Wan Tang and tried to lead her to a secluded spot.

Wan Tang's feet seemed nailed to the ground; no matter how she pulled, she did not budge.

Her gaze was calm as she scrutinized the anxious young face before her.

"Accusation?" Wan Tang's voice was steady, as if discussing the weather, "What crime have I committed that requires a frantic escape?"

Liu Guiren, so frantic she was nearly in tears, stammered: "It's true! The Emperor is enraged…"

"They say, they say it's because of you! Those before the throne are probably already on the way; if we don't leave now, it'll be too late!"

Her fingers were icy as she tightly tugged Wan Tang's sleeve, her concern so genuine it seemed about to overflow.

【Liu Guiren really is very kind‑hearted; a daughter raised by the Wang family truly can keep her composure.】

【If she hadn't disclosed Li Ping'er's whereabouts to Li Defu, would Li Ping'er have gotten into trouble?】

【What good person are they playing at now? Let Wan Tang run; the harem is already this small, the whole world belongs to the Emperor, let alone escaping from the harem.】

【It's obvious they're trying to harm Wan Tang!】

Liu Guiren's tearful concern hardened on her face.

Wan Tang's eyes showed no emotion, only a cold scrutiny.

She snorted, her tone low yet as sharp as a needle tempered with ice: "Liu Guiren, you really are… kind‑hearted."

"The Emperor is angry, and you let this palace run?"

She leaned forward slightly, her breath pressing: "If I am innocent, what does this flight become? A thief's guilty conscience? Fleeing out of fear of crime?"

Liu Guiren's eyelashes trembled, she hurriedly lowered her head, voice tinged with grievance: "Madam, you've misunderstood…"

"I merely—merely got frightened, lost my composure for a moment, with no other intent…"

"Frightened?" Wan Tang's cold smile deepened, "A daughter raised by a noble family may be naive, but never ignorant."

Her gaze was like a knife, each inch scraping Liu Guiren's delicate face: "Whether you saved or harmed, you know better than I do what's in your heart."

Liu Guiren suddenly lifted her head, her eyes instantly reddening.

Her voice rose, carrying the wronged sorrow: "Madam! I am wholly sincere to you, heaven and earth can bear witness! How can you doubt me so!"

Wan Tang watched her performance calmly, then gave a faint smile, though the smile didn't reach her eyes: "Whether it's sincerity, I cannot tell."

Her tone was gentle, yet each word weighed a thousand pounds: "But the method you used is wrong."

"Liu Guiren," Wan Tang said, turning before leaving, leaving a final sentence that struck the other's suddenly tense nerves: "If you truly wish to be kind to me, think carefully about what you should actually do."

Having spoken, she did not glance again at the figure frozen in place.

She walked straight through the palace gate, her skirt brushing the threshold without a hint of hesitation.

Inside the main hall of Palace of Eternal Joy, Li Defu stood with his arms crossed, his chin slightly raised, his arrogance nearly spilling from his eyes and brows.

Seeing Wan Tang enter, he hummed from his nostrils, stretching the tone.

In a mocking tone: "Yo, our Wan Pin Madam finally returns? Let us and the Emperor wait so long."

He forced a fake smile, flicking away dust: "Shall we go? The Emperor has summoned."

Wan Tang heard this, and instead of panicking, she gave a slight smile, her demeanor calm: "Grandfather Li, please wait; allow me to adjust my attire so as not to breach decorum before the throne."

"No need!" Li Defu snapped sharply, his gaze scornful as he swept her up and down.

"Madam, now you are dressed so stunning—fish sinking, geese falling, moon hidden, flowers shy—Grandfather won't even have the heart to look today."

"With such skill in serving with beauty, you should think carefully where exactly you went wrong!"

Before his words finished, he gave a signal, and two armed guards behind him stepped forward at once.

Though they did not strike, the pressing "please" stance left no room for refusal.

Wan Tang's gaze swept over the two guards, finally returning to Li Defu's face.

Her smile deepened a few more degrees, but her eyes held a cold gleam: "Grandfather Li, at this moment you are the one urging me to leave."

She paused briefly, her voice gentle yet clear: "When I have passed through this gate, you will be on your knees pleading, and my steps… will no longer be able to stop."

Having said that, she said no more, not even glancing at Li Defu again, turning directly, her steps unhurried as she walked outward, her robes billowing in the wind.

Li Defu felt an inexplicable jolt in his heart from her glance, stared at her upright silhouette, and spat.

He muttered lowly: "Pah! Still thinks she's a favored concubine?"

"What are you so smug about… when we reach the throne, you'll have plenty to cry about!"

Inside Kunning Palace.

The incense was heavy and oppressive, suffocating the breath.

Chu Yunzheng sat upright on the main seat, his fingertips tapping the jade tea cup intermittently, his face as still as water, imperial bearing silently radiating.

Xiao Mingshu stood nearby; seeing Wan Tang enter, she let out a faint sigh.

With a look of anguish: "Virtuous Consort, the Emperor's favor toward you is as heavy as a mountain, yet… how could you betray the Holy Heart?"