Such a person is truly terrifying.
Si Junlin turned to look at Su Wan'er. "You must have a way to deal with this, right?"
Su Wan'er was slightly taken aback, then nodded. "No, at least not until she comes up with her next plan."
"Then we can only respond to changes with constancy," Si Junlin mused.
"Actually, there is a silver lining now," Su Wan'er said, looking at Si Junlin. "Everyone in the palace now knows about Concubine Hua. Many people are now afraid to scheme against Your Majesty. That means, for the time being, we only need to deal with Concubine Mei."
"Your Majesty, what's your opinion on Concubine Mei's family?" The Rong family, which was in charge of water conservancy, was also a major source of trouble.
Si Junlin was slightly taken aback, then immediately understood what Su Wan'er meant. However... He thought for a while and then shook his head. "There's no rush for this. We've already taken down the Hua family. At this moment, all the major families in the Jin Kingdom are on edge. If I were to punish the Rong family now, those major families might band together and stage a rebellion."
Su Wan'er thought it made sense and didn't press on about Concubine Mei's family.
Although Si Junlin had said "leave it be for now," the families behind these concubines had always been thorns in the emperor's side. And these concubines were just pawns used to maintain the balance between the families and the royal family.
If these pawns failed to handle the situation properly, it could lead to the downfall of their families.
Fortunately, the Su family was relatively worry - free. At least they didn't ask her to provide royal intelligence. She didn't have to bother about delving into the royal secrets.
Because she had no desires or demands, even though she was out of favor with the emperor in the palace before, she still lived a relatively peaceful life.
But some concubines were different. They entered the palace just to provide convenience for their families, to figure out the emperor's intentions, and even to use their favor to benefit their families.
"By the way, is there any news from the national advisor?" To change the subject, Su Wan'er brought up a topic that both of them were concerned about.
Hearing this, Si Junlin seemed to remember something. "The national advisor sent a letter back recently."
"Really? What did it say?" Su Wan'er asked nervously.
Si Junlin motioned for her to calm down. Then he continued, "He's already taken care of the matters in the northern border. He's on his way back to the capital. He should be back in the palace in a few days."
"So soon?" Su Wan'er said in surprise.
"Why? Don't you want the national advisor to come back?" Si Junlin asked puzzledly.
Su Wan'er looked at her own face and said helplessly, "I really don't. If we switch back and you treat me badly, I won't be able to punish you."
"You..." Si Junlin was rendered speechless. He stammered for a long time but didn't know what to say.
"I'm just joking," Su Wan'er said with a grin. "Of course I want our bodies to switch back. Although I've gotten used to this body these days, I still feel more comfortable in my own body."
Si Junlin seemed to agree. "Indeed, it is more comfortable to be in one's own body." His eyes flickered, as if he was thinking about something.
Su Wan'er keenly caught his mood. She suddenly got closer to him, pinning him between herself and the wall.
"Your Majesty, are you hiding something from me?" Although Su Wan'er's words were a question, her tone was extremely assertive, even with an air of non - negotiability.
But Si Junlin didn't want to tell her about this. Although he had started to trust her, this was his weakness, even a fatal flaw. How could he tell her?
The national advisor was also rushing back in a hurry for this very matter.
So when Su Wan'er asked, he just shook his head. "You're overthinking. Now that we've switched bodies, what could I possibly hide from you?"
Su Wan'er didn't say a word. She just stared at him. After a long time, realizing that she couldn't make him talk, she dejectedly released him.
"Fine. If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. You'd better take good care of yourself," Su Wan'er said angrily. After all these days, didn't he trust her yet?
Si Junlin watched her walking away. He wanted to say something but finally kept silent. He still lacked the courage to tell her about this matter.
Forget it. He'd wait until the national advisor came back.
After nightfall, Qingcao quietly came to the imperial study and found Su Wan'er staring blankly at a pile of accounts.
Qingcao silently came behind her and gently tapped her. "Miss."
"Ah!" Su Wan'er was lost in thought about Si Junlin. She never expected someone to appear behind her. She was terribly frightened by Qingcao.
When she turned around and saw Qingcao, she said angrily, "Qingcao, what are you doing?"
Qingcao never thought she could startle her usually vigilant and calm master. She quickly knelt down to apologize. "Please forgive me, mistress. I thought you'd noticed my arrival, so I did this."
She always sent a signal to her mistress in advance whenever she came. Who knew that her mistress didn't notice it today?
At this moment, Su Wan'er remembered that she and Qingcao had an agreement about sending signals in advance.
This way, when she was unable to get away, she could make some preparations to avoid exposing their identities.
Qingcao must have sent a signal when she came today, but she just didn't notice...
It was all Si Junlin's fault. If he had told her what he was thinking, she wouldn't be so bothered.
Qingcao was trembling on her knees. She watched as her mistress's expression changed from anger to understanding, and then from understanding to anger again. Such unpredictable expressions... Was her mistress thinking about how to punish her?
To stop being tortured by anxiety, Qingcao finally decided to risk calling out to her mistress.
"Mistress?" Qingcao called out timidly.
Su Wan'er came back to her senses. Seeing Qingcao kneeling on the ground with a timid look, she felt a bit embarrassed. She quickly said to Qingcao, "Get up. I'll let it go this time, but don't let it happen again."
After saying this, she returned to her chair. While reviewing the memorials, she asked Qingcao, "Tell me. What urgent matter brings you here?"
She had privately told Qingcao that in order to ensure that the secret of her body - switch with Si Junlin wouldn't be exposed, Qingcao should only come in case of an emergency.