"Your Majesty, what are you doing here at this late hour?" Si Junlin ignored Lingpin and instead interrogated Su Wan'er.
"What about Your Majesty? Why are you here?" Su Wan'er didn't understand the ridiculous charges these women kept putting on her. What kind of nonsense had Lingpin made up this time? She had to find a way to counter it.
"Your Majesty left the palace at this late hour, isn't it to meet General Gu?" Lingpin shouted, believing she had caught Su Wan'er.
"Shut up! Someone, drag her out." The reason Si Junlin had only brought a group of secret agents was to prevent this woman from spouting nonsense. Moreover, if today was really as Lingpin had said, and Su Wan'er had left the palace to meet someone, then he would kill her first.
"Wait, bring her back to the palace and convict her tomorrow." Lingpin struggled wildly, her mouth stuffed. She didn't recognize this as the Su residence, and didn't understand why Si Junlin hadn't convicted Su Wan'er.
"This subject is guilty. My grandmother suddenly felt an old illness flare up. This subject was anxious and didn't have time to report to Your Majesty before leaving alone." Su Wan'er now understood that Lingpin was trying to use Brother Jingtian as an excuse. Fortunately, she had only sent Qingcao over. Otherwise, wouldn't he have been implicated?
"Your grandmother is ill?" Si Junlin felt a sense of relief in his heart. He had remained silent on the way here to warn himself that if he really saw Su Wan'er with Gu Jingtian... He mustn't lose his composure.
"Yes, this subject only found out just now. However, now that I've seen her, it's only an old illness acting up. It's nothing serious." Su Wan'er blinked her eyes, wondering if her casual lie would be seen through.
"You left the palace at this late hour just to visit your grandmother?" Si Junlin confirmed once again.
"Yes... In my desperation, this subject left the palace. Your Majesty, please forgive me." Su Wan'er performed a proper courtesy.
"It was I who wrongly accused you." Si Junlin was angry with himself for believing someone else's words so easily. At this moment, Lingpin struggled desperately and rammed into Su Wan'er.
"Ahh—" Su Wan'er didn't notice her. Who would have thought that a woman would have such strength in her anger? She was hit by her.
"Wan'er—" Si Junlin went over and pushed Lingpin away.
"How are you?" Seeing Su Wan'er instinctively cover her left arm, Si Junlin pulled up her sleeve.
"Ah... Your Majesty, this subject is fine." Su Wan'er dodged backward while tugging at her sleeve.
"Hahaha—Hahahaha—Su Wan'er—" Lingpin suddenly laughed. At this moment, she was disheveled and looked at Su Wan'er almost crazily. "You dare to swear on the heavens that you left the palace for this?"
"..." Su Wan'er felt that this woman was simply unreasonable. Even if she wasn't for this, who had she offended by leaving the palace? Why was she looking at her so menacingly? She hadn't even settled the score for ramming into her, yet she wanted her to swear...
"Lingpin, are you tired of living?" Si Junlin couldn't bear it anymore and slapped her. He shouldn't have believed her nonsense and brought people with her to find her here.
"Heh heh, tired of living? Your Majesty didn't bring the imperial guards, yet had them bring me here. Whether or not I caught the Empress having an affair, I wouldn't have been able to live, right?" Lingpin didn't care about any etiquette or respect and glared at the two of them.
"Having an affair? Lingpin! Who gave you the courage to slander me, the Empress?" Su Wan'er felt that if she didn't give these women in the harem a taste of her power, they would probably continue to spread rumors and never stop.
"Tomorrow, this palace will demote you to a palace slave for your lack of respect and slander of the central palace, and you will repent in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall in the palace for three days!"
Su Wan'er thought that Si Junlin might want to take her life for the sake of the royal family's dignity. However, although this kind of person deserved to die, death was precisely her relief.
It would be better to punish her properly so that everyone in the palace could see that it wasn't so easy to harm her, the Empress, with just any excuse.
"Wan'er, come back to the palace with me." After Si Junlin admired his Empress's heroic speech, he wanted to take the opportunity to hold her hand and bring her back to the palace. However, he remembered that her left arm seemed to be injured.
"Er..." It would be too boring to go back just after coming out.
"Your Majesty... This subject..." Su Wan'er's mind raced, trying to find an excuse to stay. She was already at her doorstep, and being dragged back to the palace would be too disappointing. She had thought that she could go in and take a look at her grandmother after dealing with the villains. That's right, grandmother!
"This subject feels that grandmother's condition is unstable. How about this subject implores Your Majesty to allow this subject to stay here to attend to her illness for one night." Su Wan'er spoke sincerely and quietly looked up at Si Junlin.
"That's right. If you were willing to show a bit of weakness... How could I bear to not agree to you." Si Junlin looked at her anxious yet gentle appearance and couldn't help but say this.
"Hmm? What?" Su Wan'er was confused.
"Nothing. Since that's the case, you may stay." Si Junlin then added: "Or else, I'll go with you to visit Lady Su?"
"No... There's no need." Su Wan'er quickly refused: "This subject's grandmother is ill and cannot receive Your Majesty." At this time, in the middle of the night, if she and Si Junlin entered the house together, her grandmother would be frightened into illness even if she wasn't ill.
The next day, starting from dawn, Lingpin was stripped of her rank and knelt in front of the Buddha statue in the Ten Thousand Buddha Hall in the palace to repent. This matter had caused quite a stir. It wasn't just about repenting for three days. Lingpin being demoted from the position of the mistress of a palace to a palace slave was extremely rare in the palace.
It was the Empress's order, but it was the Emperor's men who took Lingpin and her maidservants in the palace away. Thus, it spread throughout every palace. It was said that Lingpin had offended Her Majesty the Empress in front of the Emperor, so the Emperor had allowed Her Majesty the Empress to punish her so severely. It could be seen that the Emperor didn't want to see anyone offend Her Majesty the Empress. Otherwise... Lingpin was the example.
As for Su Wan'er, she happily spoke with her grandmother. When Qingcao returned, she urged her to quickly return to the palace. However, Su Wan'er explained that she had received a proper edict to stay, so she should at least accompany her grandmother for breakfast before leaving.
Although Lady Su was happy to see Su Wan'er, she was also very puzzled. Although she had heard the rumors outside that the Emperor doted on the Empress, it wasn't to the extent that he allowed her to return home in the middle of the night, right?
"Wan'er, tell grandmother the truth. Why did you come back this time?"
"It's nothing. Wan'er missed grandmother, so I came back, right?" Su Wan'er replied with a smile while trying to cover it up.
"Nonsense. Although the Emperor dotes on you, you must remember the duties of our Su family." Lady Su never forgot to educate Su Wan'er that everything should be based on loyalty to the Emperor and patriotism. However, she then smiled: "However, since the Emperor treats you so well, I can rest assured." After saying that, she lovingly patted Su Wan'er's head.