"Your Majesty, I wonder if you'd like to leave the palace. If you do, this humble maid will fight for your escape even at the cost of my life," Qingcao finally voiced the question that had been weighing on her heart.
If it were Su Wan'er in this situation, she might have readily agreed. But the one in this body now was Si Junlin, and he felt a twinge of anger upon hearing Qingcao's words.
As a man, nothing was more intolerable than a woman's betrayal. Although it was just Qingcao's own scheme, in Si Junlin's eyes, it was no different from being cuckolded.
Taking a deep breath, Si Junlin managed to suppress the seething anger within him before answering Qingcao, "Qingcao, since I've married the emperor, I belong to him for life. If I were to leave, wouldn't I be violating the female code?"
"Your Majesty, I remember you once told me that you didn't want to be restricted by the female code. That's why you abandoned needlework and learned martial arts from the old general. Why...?" Qingcao trailed off.
Si Junlin was slightly taken aback. Only then did he recall that Su Wan'er's usual behavior hardly resembled that of a proper boudoir girl. He hadn't paid much attention at first, but now he finally understood why she was different from the other concubines.
So, she didn't like being restricted by the female code?
Although he understood the reason, Si Junlin had no intention of changing his stance. There was a firm thought in his mind: "Su Wan'er must stay in the palace."
He didn't know why he had this thought, but he decided to act on it.
"That was when I was young and naive. After spending so long in the palace, my thoughts have changed," Si Junlin replied.
After hearing Si Junlin's words, Qingcao pondered for a while. Looking at her expression, Si Junlin even wondered if he had given himself away.
Finally, Qingcao spoke up, "Since this is your decision, Your Majesty, I wouldn't dare to interfere. If you ever change your mind, just let me know. I'll be ready at any time."
With that, Qingcao turned around and left. When she returned, she was dressed as a palace maid.
It was hard to associate her current appearance with that of a martial artist before.
A glint of darkness flashed across Si Junlin's eyes. No one could guess what was on his mind.
After casually answering Qingcao, Si Junlin hesitated for a moment before finally making up his mind to ask Qingcao to invite Su Wan'er over.
Worried that Su Wan'er might be angry with him, Si Junlin told Qingcao, "Tell the emperor that this is about the mountain fire and the cloud ghost."
"Ah? Your Majesty, what did you say?" Qingcao didn't think this would persuade the emperor to come here in person.
Si Junlin waved his hand impatiently, "Just go and say it. It doesn't matter if the emperor doesn't come." Although he said so, he was quite confident in his words.
Although Qingcao was full of doubts, thinking that it was her mistress's decision, and knowing that her mistress had always been different, especially in handling matters, she always had her own unique insights. With this in mind, Qingcao didn't ask any more questions and rushed towards the imperial study.
However, when she got there, she found no one.
After searching most of the palace, Qingcao finally found the "emperor" in the courtyard of the Southern Border Saintess.
Su Wan'er was trying to persuade Long Xiaojiu to protect the queen.
After thinking for a long time, Long Xiaojiu suddenly asked Su Wan'er, "Uncle Emperor, if you like Aunt Queen, why did you lock her up in prison?"
Su Wan'er was stunned. How could she know what was on Si Junlin's mind? If she did, she wouldn't be so troubled.
Long Xiaojiu let out a cute snort before continuing, "Uncle Emperor, if you like Aunt Queen, stop hurting her. Otherwise, if you want to court her in the future, you probably won't have a chance."
Su Wan'er couldn't help but feel touched. Xiaojiu was so right. These words should really be heard by Si Junlin. At least it would make her life in the harem a bit easier.
It was a pity that only she could hear these words.
"Your Majesty, Qingcao, the personal maid of the queen, requests an audience," Fang Xi knocked on the door and reported to Su Wan'er outside.
Su Wan'er was slightly taken aback. She didn't expect Qingcao to come at this time. But Qingcao was her most trusted subordinate, so of course she wouldn't refuse to see her.
She said to Fang Xi, "Let her in."
Hearing Su Wan'er's words, Long Xiaojiu quickly bowed respectfully to Su Wan'er and was about to leave to give Su Wan'er some space.
But Su Wan'er grabbed her hand, "This is your room. I'll go out."
In the end, Long Xiaojiu stayed in the room, while Su Wan'er left and met Qingcao in the pavilion in the courtyard.
After hearing what Qingcao had brought, Su Wan'er stared at the lotus pond outside the pavilion for a long time. Finally, she decided to go and see Si Junlin to find out what news he had found about their soul swap.
On the way, Qingcao hesitated for a long time before saying to Su Wan'er, "Your Majesty, there's something I don't know if I should say."
Seeing Qingcao's serious face, Su Wan'er thought she had something important to say, so she nodded, "Go ahead."
Then Qingcao said to Su Wan'er, "Your Majesty, I know you've always been wary of the queen's family background, so you've always been on guard against my mistress. But a couple's love endures for a long time. I still hope that Your Majesty can cherish the days when the queen is still by your side. Don't wait until she's gone to miss her goodness."
After hearing Qingcao's words, Su Wan'er's current mood could only be described as being caught between laughter and tears.
But since she couldn't reveal the matter of their soul swap, Su Wan'er could only silently endure the condemnation from her trusted subordinates.
However, she also remembered the names of these people one by one. Those who were still willing to plead for her in such a situation were definitely trustworthy. In the future, she would focus on using these people.
After returning to the bedroom, Su Wan'er and Si Junlin sat facing each other.
Although they were sitting very close, the atmosphere between them felt as if there was an insurmountable distance.
Si Junlin was very unhappy, but his years of self - cultivation made him put the important matters first. As for his emotions, after taking a deep breath, he managed to suppress them.