"I was afraid that since you're always so strong - willed, if you knew the truth, you wouldn't be able to sit still and would surely try to help me." Si Junlin couldn't help but stroke her eyebrows and eyes. It had only been three days, just three days, and he already missed his queen so much. "Although the Mei Concubine's maternal family is not as powerful as the Su family, their status in the capital cannot be underestimated."
"I've made up my mind to root out her and her family this time. So the Mei Concubine and her clan will surely fight to the death. There's even a possibility of rebellion! If you went alone, you'd surely be in danger. Instead of putting you in harm's way, it's better for you to stay in the Cold Palace without knowing anything." Anyway, he had sent more than 300 people there on the pretext of inspection, so he thought it would be all right.
"You could have told me. If you told me not to act, I would have listened." Su Wan'er still felt extremely indignant.
"Would you really stay put?"
"Of course I would..." Su Wan'er hesitated. Maybe in that situation, she would have wanted to kill the Mei Concubine with her own hands, and there might really have been a risk of getting into a fight with her.
Somehow, Si Junlin had come to know her so well.
"This incident has taught me a lesson." Apparently, Si Junlin was starting to lecture her earnestly again.
"Do all you emperors have obsessive - compulsive disorder? Can you draw lessons from everything and sum up a whole bunch of grand theories? Aren't you tired?" Su Wan'er refused to listen to his preaching. Maybe apart from military strategies, there was nothing else in the world that could make her calm down and learn.
"You're not tired at all. Do you know this whole thing started because of you?" Si Junlin really wanted to give her a rap on the head. This woman was so obtuse.
"If it started because of me, then ultimately it started because of you. If you hadn't married me as the queen, if you hadn't married me and then flirted with the Mei Concubine, if you hadn't flirted with her and then neglected her, how could she have tried to harm me?" Whew, she finally got it off her chest.
To be honest, Su Wan'er had long wanted to satirize this emperor who seemed affectionate but was actually cold - hearted and ungrateful.
Facing such a series of fallacies, Si Junlin, as the supreme ruler, for the first time in his life, understood what the word "wronged" meant...
"Do you know there's another person behind this?" Seeing her being stubborn, he thought it was time to deflate her pride.
"Another person? Isn't it just the Mei Concubine and the Mei family?" After venting her grievances, Su Wan'er now felt extremely comfortable. It was quite nice to scold the usually high - and - mighty emperor once in a while.
"The Mei Concubine is indeed cruel, and her family does have a deep foundation in the capital. But this kind of insect is unique to the Southern Border. Do you know where it came from?" Si Junlin decided to tell her. At least she should be careful of Long Xiaojiu in the future and not trust that child unconditionally anymore.
"Yes, it's a unique thing from the Southern Border. How did the Mei Concubine get that insect?" Su Wan'er looked extremely puzzled. But looking at Si Junlin's eyes, it seemed as if he was saying two words to her: stupid.
"Could it be that the Southern Border's forces haven't been completely wiped out?" A wise person is usually like this, feigning ignorance while actually being very smart. Admit what you know and admit what you don't know.
"It's Long Xiaojiu."
"Could it really be Xiaojiu?"
They both exclaimed in unison.
"Is it really Xiaojiu? How could... Xiaojiu promised me that she would no longer use insects to hurt people." The memory of Xiaojiu using insects on her when they first met resurfaced.
She had always known that this child was not simple. Even if Si Junlin hadn't told her today, she knew what kind of existence the Saintess of the Southern Border was. It's just... she was willing to believe in her. At least, at least there was love in her heart.
"She did promise you not to hurt people. And haven't you noticed that the color of the insect this time was so faint that it couldn't hurt anyone at all? And the Empress Dowager was just scared by the insect." In fact, there were so many loopholes in this incident. Long Xiaojiu couldn't have not known that she would eventually be found out. Maybe she was really blinded by the promise of the position of queen from the Mei Concubine.
After all... she wanted to marry her Emperor Uncle.
Looking at the person in front of him, Si Junlin even had a ridiculous thought: He could understand why Long Xiaojiu was like this. A person like this... who gave warmth unconditionally, anyone would be intoxicated by it.
"Yes, now that you mention it, it's really so." Su Wan'er suddenly realized, mercilessly shattering the moment of tenderness in Si Junlin's heart.
Si Junlin pursed his lips and glanced at her sideways. This woman... was good in every way, except that she was a bit stupid.
"If she really wanted to harm the Empress Dowager... was it because Xiaojiu was soft - hearted?"
"Are you still thinking about her kindness? Her soft - heartedness? She gave the insect to the Mei Concubine after all. And I went to see her on your behalf yesterday." Si Junlin began to correct this stupid woman's idea of trusting others unconditionally.
"Do you know what she said when she saw her Emperor Uncle? She said that the Mei Concubine promised her that after I depose the queen, she would propose a marriage alliance between the Southern Border and the Jin Kingdom and then betroth her as the queen." Si Junlin looked helpless.
"What? Xiaojiu... would she really agree?" Su Wan'er was extremely shocked. Xiaojiu had actually participated in this conspiracy with the Mei Concubine.
"So you'd better be careful of her in the future. Although she may be kind, after all, she is the Saintess of the Southern Border. In that kind of environment, she is almost at the center of power in the Southern Border. How could she not have any means and schemes?"
"Maybe Xiaojiu just likes me too much, or rather, she just needs the warmth of her Emperor Uncle too much. You didn't scare her, did you? I want to go and see her." Su Wan'er was extremely excited at this moment.
Stupid. Si Junlin grabbed her.
"Wait. I've already explained the ins and outs to her. You'd better let her be alone. Besides, if you go there now, aren't you exactly the queen she hates to see?" Wouldn't that be walking into a trap? She could just put an insect on you and get rid of you, the queen. Why would she need to go through so much trouble to get me to depose you?
Tsk... it was still his own body now.
After this incident, for some reason, they could switch bodies casually, and everything about their bodies was normal. But Si Junlin still got used to staying in the queen's palace every night, even if he didn't do anything. And the queen still got used to going to the Imperial Study every day to help the emperor deal with military affairs that she was good at.
They seemed to be showing everyone in the palace that the emperor and the queen were in perfect harmony. Even though the Empress Dowager advised them many times, she had no way to stop them because she was in the wrong this time.
However... one day, on a memorial in Su Wan'er's hand, it was actually written that the Southern Border had sent 30,000 troops and had been constantly harassing the residents on the border.
Different from other small countries, the Southern Border had always been more magnanimous than others and never easily harassed the Jin Kingdom.
The brave cavalry general in charge of guarding the Southern Border usually only had 50,000 troops under his command. So he immediately sent an urgent eight - mile memorial, attaching great importance to this matter. With her years of sharp military sense and experience, Su Wan'er also felt that this matter was extraordinary.
But before she could discuss it with Si Junlin, she received another letter.