What followed was punishment – four hours of kneeling that nearly destroyed her knees. The emperor and empress dowager played chess for half an hour, emerging with brilliant smiles. Then Su Wanli was unexpectedly pardoned. That night, her lover Long Yutian said, “Su Wanli, do not make me protect you repeatedly. Perhaps one day, I cannot protect you.” After that, he never came again.
Conspiracy and Overt Schemes 4
Zhao Changping’s evasive words scared Su Jieyu out of her wits. He would certainly not speak to her directly and candidly, let alone her asking about his shortcomings. Therefore, Su Wanli strongly suspected that Zhao Changping had already figured out her intentions.
In her panic, her hand trembled, and a bowl of hot tea was about to fall. Mu Xiaoxiao saw this and tried to remedy the situation. However, Su Wanli's mind shifted, and in the blink of an eye, she slightly exerted force, and the hot tea flew towards Mu Xiaoxiao.
Her hand was first in pain, then splashed onto her leg, causing Mu Xiaoxiao to jump up from the burn. Su Wanli also stood up and seemingly unintentionally bumped hard into Mu Xiaoxiao's face.
Mu Xiaoxiao covered her nose, wanting to cry but unable to: "My nose wasn't straight to begin with, and you still bumped it! You still bumped it!" She rambled on, and Su Wanli didn't understand, only continuously feigning humility and remorse.
Her expression made Mu Xiaoxiao unable to say anything more, only covering her nose and feeling self-pity.
Zhao Changping laughed: "Su Jieyu, we won't keep you. No need to see you out!"
Su Jieyu looked at Zhao Changping's laugh, her heart suddenly tightening, her chest feeling stuffy and unable to breathe freely.
Entering Ancient Times with a Listening Device
As soon as she left Qibao Palace, Su Jieyu let out a long sigh. Mei’er was also much more relaxed: “Your Highness, isn’t that Mu Cairen usually talkative and good at causing a scene? How come today she seemed so gloomy?”
