Chapter 247: A Counterstrike

Inside Liu Guiren's sleeping palace, the candlelight flickered, and the imperial physician bowed to Wan Tang and reported, "Your Lady, Liu Guiren has been given Qianji San; fortunately the dosage is slight, and there is now no danger to her life."

However, this poison harms the body and requires a month of convalescence to recover.

Wan Tang gently nodded, her gaze sweeping over the drowsy Liu Guiren on the couch, her tone tinged with melancholy: "I truly do not understand why Su Guiren is so attached to the Emperor."

She walked slowly to the window, gazing at the heavy night outside, and said, "A person who dares to poison only in minute amounts—how does such a murderous deep palace suit her?"

A bitter smile flickered at the corner of her mouth.

After the imperial physician withdrew, she signaled for all Guanren to leave.

Liu Guiren slowly regained consciousness and, upon seeing Wan Tang standing by the bedside,

immediately struggled to sit up and cried, "Your Lady, Su Guiren is trying to poison you!"

"Please, Your Lady, be my advocate!"

She clutched Wan Tang's sleeve, her voice wailing, "Such a vile person, if not severely punished, will become a future disaster."

"I humbly beg Your Lady to severely punish the Su family, to set an example!"

Wan Tang listened quietly, and after Liu Guiren finished, she slowly withdrew her sleeve, her tone calm, "According to your view, how should I deal with this?"

A flash of ruthlessness crossed Liu Guiren's eyes: "Naturally, execute Su Guiren and implicate the entire clan! Only then can Your Lady's authority be displayed..."

"Execute Su Guiren and implicate the whole clan?"

Wan Tang suddenly interrupted, a half‑smile curving her lips, "You know the Emperor is about to favor Su Yanci, yet you want me to become this villain and make the Su family hate me to the bone?"

Liu Guiren's complexion changed abruptly, and she hurriedly defended, "I dare not..."

"Not dare?" Wan Tang leaned forward, her fingertip gently lifting Liu Guiren's chin, "Then tell me, why incite me to oppose the Su family?"

The candlelight in the Sleeping Hall flickered, casting uncertain shadows on their faces.

Under this stare, Liu Guiren trembled, and the righteous fury she had moments ago had long vanished.

Liu Guiren's eyes flickered, she stammered to defend, while fine cold sweat already beaded on her forehead.

Wan Tang gave her no time to think, her voice suddenly cold, "Wang Jingyi's niece, how long will you keep pretending?"

The words rang like thunder, and Liu Guiren jerked her head up, her face turning as white as paper.

She opened her mouth but could not utter a sound.

"Do you think changing your identity to enter the palace can fool the heavens?"

Wan Tang rose slowly, looking down from her height, "I am curious, after your aunt's death, you schemed to approach me—what exactly is your purpose?"

Liu Guiren trembled all over, finally collapsing onto the bed, unable to utter another word of defense.

Liu Guiren forced herself to stay calm, her voice trembling slightly, "I... I entered the palace through selection; I do not know what Your Lady is speaking of."

Wan Tang smiled lightly, her laugh tinged with pity, "Wang Ruolan, Wang Jingyi's niece."

"Your father Wang Mingyuan, in order to cling to the powerful, could sacrifice his own sister's life; now he wants to trade your whole life for wealth and honor."

Liu Guiren's complexion turned deathly pale, her fingers clutching the bedding tightly.

"Do you know, after your aunt's death, besides your grandmother, who in the Wang family truly shed a tear for her?"

Wan Tang leaned forward, her voice soft yet each word cutting, "Your father curries favor with the new aristocracy, your elder brother uses your aunt's dowry to arrange his future."

"Now what do they intend to exchange you for?"

Tears glimmered in Liu Guiren's eyes, her lips trembling slightly.

"Can a woman's whole life be destined only to sacrifice for the family?"

Wan Tang's voice grew even softer, "Your aunt has already paid with her life; do you still intend to follow in her footsteps?"

Liu Guiren finally broke down, tears streaming, "But... but what else can I do..."

"Become my servant."

"Help me uncover the truth of the old Mo Family case," Wan Tang said, staring into her eyes.

Liu Guiren raised her tear‑filled eyes, "Then... what can I gain?"

Wan Tang's lips curled slightly, "Do you know that Li Ping'er was once merely a palace maid by my side?"

"Now she is Yuan Bin, living comfortably and with dignity in this deep palace."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Liu Guiren's eyes, then faded.

She suddenly straightened her back, hatred erupting in her eyes, "You are the one who caused my aunt's death; how could I work for you!"

Wan Tang did not anger but laughed, her voice suddenly cold, "Today I can poison you before the Emperor, and tomorrow I can make you regret ever coming into this world."

"Do you think you still have any room to choose?"

Liu Guiren was shaken by the sudden pressure, trembling all over.

Seeing this, Wan Tang softened her tone, gently taking her hand, "But I am willing to give you a way out."

"Your Su family were the ones who adjudicated the Mo Family case; you can give me what I want."

Liu Guiren stared at the delicate crabapple embroidery on the fragrance pouch, her fingertip trembling slightly, "But if my father discovers..."

"Your father is now busy currying favor with the Xiao Family; when has he ever truly cared about your situation?"

Wan Tang gently pressed her trembling hand, "In this deep palace, you must find a way out for yourself."

Liu Guiren lowered her head, silent for a long while, then clenched the fragrance pouch, her voice barely audible, "I can try..."

"Very well," Wan Tang's lips curved with a faint smile, "From now on, you are my eyes placed within the Wang family."

Wan Tang stepped out of Liu Guiren's Sleeping Hall, the night wind brushing her face, carrying the faint scent of crabapple from the courtyard.

Li Ping'er stood in the Langxia waiting, and when she emerged, she hurried forward.

"Sister," Li Ping'er whispered, "Can you really trust her?"

Wan Tang answered without hesitation, "Besides you, I trust no one."

A hint of doubt flashed in Li Ping'er's eyes, "Then why still..."

"Rest assured," Wan Tang lightly brushed the carved crabapple pattern on the corridor railing, a faint smile on her lips, "She cannot deceive me."

"Everyone in this deep palace lives wearing a mask."

"Since I can see through her disguise, I can naturally grasp her soft spot."

Her gaze turns to the distant, heavy palace wall, her voice light as if speaking to herself: "Sometimes, the pieces on the surface are actually the easiest to control."

Hahaha, Wan Tang still hasn't spoken to Li Ping'er, right? The most important thing is that we are here!

The later storyline has already changed; we can only see it when existing characters go to do something.

With us watching, trying to lie is very hard.

Indeed!

As long as there is a barrage, Liu Guiren can't hide it even if she doesn't want to tell her.

It's enough that she knows the truth.

When Wan Tang returns to the sleeping hall, the palace lanterns under the eaves have begun to light up one by one.

She steps into the hall doorway and immediately hears Minghui's yi yi ya ya sounds.

The little princess sits on a brocade rug, her chubby little hand gripping a wolf‑hair brush, drawing on rice paper with a practiced air.

"Your Majesty, look," Xiao Luzi laughs as he approaches, "the princess is so clever; she's just over a year old and already knows how to hold a brush."

He, while attending to Wan Tang's changing, babbles: "First Prince is now being raised in the Prince's Residence, and all he knows is how to crawl…"

"Second Prince's constitution is too weak; the imperial physician is almost living in Jingren Palace."

"Our princess still has the most holy heart; the Emperor this morning specially ordered that he'll come later to see the princess."

Wan Tang leans down, cradles her daughter, and lightly taps the pink cheek with her fingertip: "That's natural; Minghui is so cute."

Xiao Luzi jokes with a smile: "The Emperor likes the princess, but at the end of the day it's because he dotes on Your Majesty."

"He's hoping Your Majesty will try harder, and soon give the Emperor a Little Prince…"

The smile at Wan Tang's lips fades a bit; she merely hums a soft "mm" and says nothing more.

She lowers her head, watching her daughter in her arms, her gaze drifting outward as if through the window lattice she sees something deeper and farther away.

Don't say he's hoping; we're hoping too.

Indeed, in the original work the Third Prince becomes the future emperor; Tangtang's family has an Empress Dowager.

Now in this palace, Tangtang is almost the sole favorite, and the one most likely to become pregnant is Tangtang herself.

A prince?

Is a child of the emperor really that wonderful?

Outside, the rain gradually rises, pattering steadily against the glazed tiles.

Wan Tang awakens startled from a light sleep; the candles in the hall are already half‑burned.

She presses her chest, feeling something blocked, and rises silently, not disturbing the night‑watch palace staff in the outer chambers.

She reaches the window to close it, but her gaze suddenly freezes.

A young boy sits atop the palace wall.

The heavy rain drenches him completely.

He leans against the branches of an old ginkgo tree; mottled shadows conceal most of his figure, only the vague outline of him tilting his head to drink is visible.

Wan Tang furrows her brows.

Su Yanci.

How did he end up here?

Wan Tang, go out and keep him company, it's so pitiful.

Originally he had already bought a swift horse, packed everything, waiting for the moment to arrive, then Su Guiren would leave the Capital.

Who could have thought such a thing would happen.

Just now, he already promised the Emperor that as long as he can keep his sister safe, he will stay by the Emperor's side forever and serve him loyally.

He even says he can forgo any military command; all authority belongs to the Emperor, and he only needs to be the Emperor's knife.

Those who seek freedom in that way ultimately become trapped in the game of power.

Outside, the rain murmurs; Wan Tang watches the solitary, rain‑soaked figure drinking alone on the wall, her heart churning with anxiety.

She lifts a plain white umbrella and steps silently into the rain.

Her footsteps startle the person on the wall; Su Yanci turns his head, rain sliding down his jawline.

"The autumn rain is cool," his voice a little hoarse, "go back."

Wan Tang stops beneath the wall, looks up at him: "Why are you here?"

He remains silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the lattice of her sleeping hall's window: "Sitting here always feels reassuring."

The rain on the umbrella's canopy grows denser.

Wan Tang looks at his rain‑soaked clothes and suddenly whispers, "I'm sorry."

His hand raising the wine jar pauses slightly.

"In this deep palace, everyone wants different things," her voice merges with the rain, so light it's barely audible, "I too have… moments when I'm powerless."

Su Yanci snorts, rain dripping from his jaw onto the palace wall's blue bricks.

"Indeed." He sways the empty wine jar, "When we treat others as chess pieces, how are we not also a piece in someone else's hand?"

Wan Tang's umbrella tilts slightly, rain wetting her cuffs.