Ye Xinxin intended to cover it up, but it was already too late.
"This person is my half - sister. She came to visit me in the palace these days. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager came so suddenly that she didn't have time to prepare. I'm afraid she might offend you. How about giving her some more time to get ready?"
"Oh? I didn't expect the noble consort to have such a good relationship with her half - sister that they are always together even in the palace. But it doesn't seem like a good relationship to me."
She implied something, and everyone who had followed outside could clearly see what was going on inside.
The young girl was unconscious, with an unseemly scar on her extremely beautiful face.
At first, Ye Xinxin thought she was just a timid girl who couldn't stir up much trouble. But unexpectedly, she was actually a ruthless character in secret. Since that was the case, there was no need to keep her around.
Seeing that she couldn't hide the truth any longer, Ye Xinxin had to come up with other charges and shift all the blame onto Ye Ranran.
"Alas, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager doesn't know. I did this only because my sister has sticky fingers. A few days ago, she took a fancy to a jade bracelet bestowed by the Emperor. I liked it and didn't want to give it to her, and it was a gift from the Emperor. Unexpectedly, my sister bore a grudge and even resorted to theft. I had no choice but to give her a little lesson."
She looked as if it was all out of helplessness, which made Shi Muwǎn find it really ridiculous.
"Can the Ye family really raise such an ill - mannered girl? I'm a bit skeptical. Could it be that you're afraid of my blame and thus came up with an excuse?"
She hit the nail on the head without leaving any face for Ye Xinxin, which made her feel extremely embarrassed.
"Your Majesty, the matter between my sister and me is a family affair. You'd better not worry too much."
She mustn't let Shi Muwǎn wait until Ye Ranran woke up. Otherwise, all her previous efforts would be in vain.
But unfortunately, Shi Muwǎn had no intention of letting her have her way today.
"I've been free recently and like to meddle in other people's business. Since the noble consort has entered the palace, we're a family. Don't be so divided. Servants, today, I intend to help the noble consort sort out this family matter. Take this girl to the Shoukang Palace. I'll interrogate her myself. If she really stole something, she'll be beaten to death with a cane. But if she didn't, the noble consort surely knows the consequence of deceiving me, right?"
As she said this, there was always an unclear arc on Shi Muwǎn's lips, which made Ye Xinxin feel scared. Could it be that the person in front of her knew she was lying?
No, not many outsiders even knew about Ye Ranran's existence. Shi Muwǎn, the Empress Dowager of the Great Liang Dynasty and a very busy person, surely wouldn't know.
Since things had come to this point, she could only bite the bullet and agree.
"I have no objection to Your Majesty's arrangement."
Just like this, when Ye Ranran opened her eyes again, she found herself in a different place. She felt it a little and shock flashed in her eyes.
The texture of this bed was so good that she was sure she was no longer in Ye Xinxin's place. Moreover, judging from the furnishings around, she might have met her benefactor.
Just as she was daydreaming, the "benefactor" walked in.
When she saw the strange person, she almost instinctively became vigilant.
"Who are you? Why am I here? Did that stupid Ye Xinxin send you to deal with me? Let me tell you, I'm not that easy to deal with. If you want to kill me quietly, you have to see if I agree."
Shi Muwǎn blinked her eyes and hadn't yet recovered from the words she had just heard. She seemed to have heard a familiar word, a word that didn't belong to this dynasty.
But to her hometown, the place she had dreamed of countless times at night and had wet her pillow with tears.
She trembled with her hands. Usually, she was quick - witted, but at this moment, she even stammered.
"What... what did you just mean?"
She had an idea in her mind but didn't dare to verify it. After all, if the fact that she had time - traveled was publicized, she would surely be regarded as a soul - usurper by everyone.
By then, almost everyone in the world would want her life. So to put it mildly, she was walking on a tightrope.
At first, Ye Ranran didn't react to what she was asking and just pouted.
"It means exactly what it says. What other meaning could it have? This is the palace, not the Ye family. It shouldn't be that easy to kill someone quietly. Ye Xinxin is stupid, but I'm not."
Now, Shi Muwǎn could be sure that the person in front of her was her "companion". She had never thought that one day she would meet someone who had traveled through time like herself.
Then there was only one last step left: the password.
"Pleasant Goat, Lazy Goat, Slow Goat."
Ye Ranran's mouth was faster than her brain. By the time she realized it, she had already continued the words.
"Don't look at me just as a goat."
Their eyes met, and the surroundings soon fell silent.
Then, the two hugged each other and cried, "We're in the same boat!"
Xiao Xiao heard the noise in the room and looked very confused. What was wrong with her master? Why couldn't she understand what they were saying? Forget it. Anyway, her master had been doing such strange things for more than a day or two.
It took the two of them half an hour to stop crying. They saw a sense of kindred spirit in each other's eyes.
"I really didn't expect that after traveling through time for so long, I could still meet someone on the same path as me."
"Yeah, I thought I would never be able to go back in this lifetime. I miss the snail noodles and everything in my great China. There's so much intrigue here every day. It's still better in our time. The folk customs are simple and honest. You can even lie on the street for a whole night without any problem."
The two chattered on and on. Finally, Shi Muwǎn finally asked about the real matter.
"Why did you enter the palace? And how could you be plotted against by such a brainless person like Ye Xinxin?"
"Alas, mainly after I traveled through time, the original body's mother saved me from trouble several times. I really couldn't leave her alone, so I could only be threatened by that stupid woman all the time. Woohoo, it's still better in modern times. In modern times, there won't be so many vases who only think about plotting against others every day."
After the two of them had a good rant, Shi Muwǎn asked about her next plan.
"Now that things have come to this, you don't still want to be controlled by Ye Xinxin, do you?"
"I trust you, sister. I'm sure you won't let her stay in the palace either. I hope you can do me a favor, even if it's for the sake of us being on the same path. How about it?"
Ye Ranran had had enough of this kind of life. She didn't want to be used by others anymore.
Shi Muwǎn certainly had no problem. The two got along very well and their outlooks on life were very compatible. It was not easy to find someone who could relieve her boredom in this era.
"Sure, of course. You probably just want to save your aunt from trouble. I'll send someone there in person. You can stay in the harem for the time being."