When Shen Mingzhu saw Xie Lang appear, she subconsciously heaved a huge sigh of relief. But the next moment, a tinge of annoyance welled up in her heart, and she mentally marked Xie Lang down severely. Bastard! Not saying a word about where he was going!
After waiting for Xie Lang to finish his salute, Shen Mingzhu reached out and pinched his arm hard, then lifted the flesh and twisted it viciously.
Xie Lang's face contorted for a moment. He barely managed to conceal the pain in his eyes and took a slight gasp.
[Ah! Shen Mingzhu, why are you so ruthless! It hurts!]
Shen Mingzhu gave him a cold glance.
[Well, it's my fault for not saying a word about what I was doing. She must be furious. Ouch!]
Seeing Xie Lang return, Shen Mingzhu turned to Shen Mingyuan and said, "Since the imperial consort is back, this princess will take her leave first."
Shen Mingyuan watched the increasing estrangement in Shen Mingzhu's eyes. Finally, he nodded stiffly and watched the person in front of him leave.
As soon as Shen Mingzhu was out of sight, the palace servants beside Shen Mingyuan knelt on the ground in unison, their bodies trembling as they pleaded guilty.
Shen Mingyuan's expression was unreadable. He clenched his fists tightly, and a sharp pain came from his palms.
He took a deep, hard breath to suppress the emotions in his heart, then turned around and walked towards the Queen Mother's palace.
...
After Shen Mingzhu got into the sedan chair, she gave Xie Lang a cold look and then turned her head without saying a word.
Xie Lang knew something was amiss when he saw her expression. But he bit the tip of his tongue and continued, "Your Highness, today..."
"Stop."
Shen Mingzhu frowned, closed her eyes, and leaned against the sedan wall to rest. She said to Xie Lang, "No need to say more."
Xie Lang knew she was extremely angry when he saw Shen Mingzhu like this, so his heart sank heavily.
Shen Mingzhu opened her eyes. Meeting the uneasiness in Xie Lang's eyes, she sneered and said, "Before entering the palace, did you already plan everything? That's why you said you'd wait at the door and not enter with me."
Xie Lang was just about to explain, but when he met Shen Mingzhu's gaze, his heart seemed to be grabbed by a big hand, and he suddenly lost his voice.
"Tell me, did you plan it all?"
Shen Mingzhu looked at him. A hint of coldness appeared in her eyes. She reached out and tucked the stray hair beside Xie Lang's forehead behind his ear. Her fingertips were slightly cold, making Xie Lang's ears burn instantly and tingle faintly.
[Alas, Shen Mingzhu is really too smart. It's impossible to hide anything from her. But I only received the news last night, and I didn't find a suitable opportunity to speak this morning. It's really...]
"Yes."
Xie Lang was silent for a moment. He didn't deny it. Looking into Shen Mingzhu's eyes, he said, "I was indeed in the wrong for today's matter. I only hope Your Highness can forgive my mistake."
"I only received the news last night, but I didn't have time to say anything this morning." Xie Lang sighed as he spoke. Seeing the anger on Shen Mingzhu's face, he continued, "There will absolutely be no next time."
"If there's anything in the future, I will definitely discuss it with Your Highness first."
Shen Mingzhu saw the sincerity in Xie Lang's eyes, but the words he said didn't quite make sense. What did he mean by not having time to say anything?
"Didn't have time? Then what were you doing?"
As Shen Mingzhu spoke, she leaned slightly towards Xie Lang and continued, "Don't try to argue!"
[Alas...]
Xie Lang heaved a long sigh. A hint of resentment appeared on his face. He said to Shen Mingzhu, "At first, I was too sleepy. I planned to say it in the carriage, but I was still too sleepy, so I..."
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Shen Mingzhu didn't quite believe him at first. She always thought Xie Lang was just being glib. But unexpectedly, his inner thoughts were consistent with what he said, showing no intention of deceiving her at all.
Thinking about it carefully, such an unreliable thing was exactly what Xie Lang could do.
Turning her head, Shen Mingzhu sighed to Xie Lang and said, "Forget it. This princess believes you. There must be no next time!"
After Shen Mingzhu finished speaking, she closed her eyes and planned to take a break. But unexpectedly, the person in front of her suddenly leaned towards her.
With her eyes closed, she could feel Xie Lang's warm breath on her face. Shen Mingzhu's long eyelashes trembled slightly, but she still said indifferently, "What is it now?"
"Isn't Your Highness curious about what I was doing today?"
Xie Lang opened his mouth and imitated Shen Mingzhu's previous action, tucking the stray hair on Shen Mingzhu's forehead up.
[Why does Shen Mingzhu always like to tuck my hair? Well, as long as she likes it.]
As he spoke, Xie Lang's gaze fell on Shen Mingzhu's face. He found it hard to look away, so he just stared at her face.
Looking at her face, Xie Lang felt his heart pounding. A faint blush crept onto his face unconsciously, and his ears burned.
Just then, Shen Mingzhu opened her eyes. There was a hint of indescribable emotion in her eyes, and her gaze also fell on his face.
The two were extremely close. Shen Mingzhu could smell the faint floral fragrance on Xie Lang's body again. It gradually enveloped her, and the originally light fragrance inexplicably took on a hint of amorous flavor.
"Not curious."
Shen Mingzhu didn't turn her head away, but she still subconsciously leaned back and continued, "This is your business. What does it matter to this princess?"
Hearing this, Xie Lang was so angry that he laughed. Looking at Shen Mingzhu, he continued, "Is Your Highness so sure that what I'm investigating has nothing to do with you?"
Shen Mingzhu looked at the expression on Xie Lang's face. After a moment of silence, she still continued, "But if you don't say anything, why should this princess bother to ask?"
There was a hint of disappointment in Xie Lang's eyes. Finally, he said to Shen Mingzhu, "Then I will definitely tell you."
Xie Lang opened his mouth and gently leaned into Shen Mingzhu's ear. "Does Your Highness know the origin of Zhaoyan, the maid beside the Queen Mother?"
Shen Mingzhu's heart skipped a beat. She said to Xie Lang, "I know. She's the daughter of a criminal official, a surviving concubine daughter of a certain family. She was just rescued by the queen mother."
Seeing the expression on Shen Mingzhu's face, Xie Lang continued to look at her and said, "Do you know her original surname?"
Shen Mingzhu frowned.
This... Aunt Zhaoyan entered the palace when Shen Mingzhu was about four or five years old. After that, she had been serving beside her mother. But Shen Mingzhu had never thought about her origin at all. So now, when Xie Lang suddenly mentioned it, she knew there was something fishy about Zhaoyan's background.
"I don't know."
After Shen Mingzhu finished speaking, she looked at Xie Lang and said, "Speak."
"She's from the Zhang family, the Zhang family behind Concubine Wei."
Shen Mingzhu never thought in this direction. After hearing this, she took a sharp intake of breath, covered her mouth with her hand, and her face showed an expression of surprise that couldn't be concealed.
The Zhang family!?
How could this be!
Thinking more carefully, the time when Zhaoyan entered the palace seemed to be close to the time when Concubine Wei was bestowed to death. But who would have thought that someone from Concubine Wei's side would be beside the queen mother! What on earth was going on!
"Return to the palace!"
As soon as Shen Mingzhu opened her mouth to the outside, Xie Lang covered her mouth. He gently said in her ear, "Shh, there's no need to go back."