Everybody had seen how skilled Leng Shuang was. After all, she reacted so fast. But this time, Infanta Zhaojing was criticizing Infanta Ping who was at the fifth grade of rank and also General Leng’s beloved wife. Everyone kept silent, looking at Infanta Zhaojing who stood out to do silly things.
“So you mean, my maid, Leng Shuang, wears a human-skin mask and disguises as Empress Chen every night to scare Infanta Shuhua? A human-skin mask is extremely precious and rare. You think I can get such a mask merely a month after Empress Chen passed away. Ah, I’m really flattered.” Qin Yunuan turned her head a bit and looked at Infanta Zhaojing with a smile.
Qin Yunuan’s calmness undoubtedly provoked Infanta Zhaojing again. She said loudly, “You can do everything, and this is why you dare to bully Shuhua.”
Princess Jing couldn’t just stand by anymore and scolded in the distance, “Jing, you haven’t recovered from the cold yet. Come here and stop saying nonsense.” Then she ordered two servant girls who had practiced martial arts to bring Infanta Zhaojing to her. However, Infanta Zhaojing kept shouting at Leng Suxin. “The human-skin mask on this ugly woman’s face is the evidence, and you can check it out. It is Qin Yunuan who helps her get this mask.”
“Your Majesty, Zhaojing is out of form, so talks nonsenses now. Please allow me to bring her back home in advance.” For the first time, Princess Jing stepped into such an embarrassing situation. She asked servant girls to grasp Infanta Zhaojing’s arms and implied one of them to hit her mute acupoint. This way, Infanta Zhaojing couldn’t make any sound, although she was saying something, just like a dumb person.
Emperor Zhaoxuan had long wanted her to leave, so he nodded, allowing them to leave the table.
However, everyone started to pay attention to Leng Suxin’s face. She stood rigidly, just letting people look her up and down until Qin Yunuan left the seat and brought her to sit down.
“Suxin, it’s alright. Infanta Zhaojing is not well, so she can’t help behaving like that.” Qin Yunuan comforted Leng Suxin and also reminded her in a low voice. “Trust me. I bring you here, and I won’t let you get hurt.”
Right after Qin Yunuan took Leng Suxin back to seat, Princess Ning sent Moju to see what happened. Not as skilled as Qingzhu, Moju was not used to doing such things.
Taking a look at Princess Ning who sat far away, Qin Yunuan nodded with a smile and answered, “Tell her everything is fine. Now that Suxin is here, just let her attend the feast.”
Emperor Zhaoxuan was still talking to Murong Feng. The feast went on in an awkward way and ended an hour earlier than expected. But Qin Yunuan knew for sure that Leng Suxin had left a good impression on Murong Feng. Besides, she had deployed people to every channel Murong Feng could find to inquire about information about Leng Suxin. If everything went well, Murong would know what Qin Yunuan wanted him to know.
When guests were going to leave, Eunuch You, who served the emperor, suddenly came to Qin Yunuan and Leng Suxin while wearing an amiable smile. After the last assassin incident, the emperor no longer favored him who ran away himself without protecting the emperor when facing dangers.
“Infanta Ping, Fourth Miss, please wait. The Emperor and Imperial Concubine Yun have prepared a small banquet near the lotus pond for you two. Please follow me there.”
Leng Suxin was hesitant, but Qin Yunuan replied in a natural way, “We’ll be right there. Please express our thanks to them.”
Qin Yunuan had largely guessed why they invited Leng Suxin and her to a private banquet. Princess Ning walked towards them from a distance and asked them why Eunuch You came to them. After hearing Qin Yunuan’s answer, she didn’t show any expression and just said that it had been a long time since she paid a visit to Mother Queen last time. She would go to her palace to visit her and then wait for the two to go back to the mansion together.
Seeing that Princess Ning left, Leng Suxin was in a trance.
“What’s wrong?” Qin Yunuan asked while clearing up wrinkles on her dress. No matter why the emperor and the imperial concubine wanted to see her, she had to make sure that she dressed properly.
“I’m scared.” Leng Suxin expressed her panic and worries like a little girl for the first time. She was like a trapped deer, waiting for the hunter to tie her up and kill her.
Qin Yunuan smiled and said, “I thought nothing, and no one could scare you.”
Leng Suxin lowered her head and answered, “You are that bold, not me.”
Qin Yunuan looked tender. “I have Changxi in company, so I’m not afraid of seeing the emperor. Nothing can scare me now, except losing him.”
“I really wish I can fear nothing because of love.” Leng Suxin now viewed Qin Yunuan as her confidant, bearing no resentment anymore, “Just like you.”
Qin Yunuan sighed, “If you are not willing to go to West Xia, tell me. I have plans to help you.”
Leng Suxin put on a self-mocking smile. “I know you are resourceful, so resourceful that you can even fake an identity, the disciple of Xiao Fengxian, for me. But going to West Xia is the only way for me to wake up from a fantasy. Working as an informant there is the only thing I can do for Changxi and you.”
Qin Yunuan said nothing. Shortly, they arrived at the gate of the lotus pond. It was midwinter now, and lotuses in the pond had long withered. The strong cold wind flew over the chilly pond, making people passing by feel cold inside and also outside.
They saw two lines of servant girls standing outside the painted palace near the pond. The emperor and Imperial Concubine Yun must be here. Qin Yunuan led on, and Leng Suxin followed her. Just when they arrived, ready to ask the eunuch near the door to report, a beautiful and charming female voice came to them from inside. “Arrest them two.”
Four or five strong and agile guards encircled them quickly. Before they figured out what happened, their arms were already grasped, and they couldn’t move.
Leng Suxin struggled subconsciously, but she was much weaker than guards. As for Qin Yunuan, she was quite calm because she had already expected this. Even she told Leng Shuang, who hid herself in the dark, not to act rashly.
There was only Imperial Concubine Yun sitting in the middle. The emperor was not here. She wore a dainty smile with complacencies reflected from her enchanting eyes.
Despite that her arms were tied, Qin Yunuan remained unyielding. “Eunuch You said the emperor, and you invited us to a private banquet. So, Your Highness, you just treat your guests in this way? Also, why is the emperor not here? Aren’t you afraid of being censured for asking Eunuch You to make up the emperor’s instruction?”
“Afraid?” Imperial Concubine Yun seemingly thought what Qin Yunuan said was very ridiculous. “If I felt afraid, I would not ask you to come here. I truly have made up an instruction. So what? I did this for the emperor and the royal family. The emperor will understand my good intentions. Dr. Zhang, go and look at Fourth Miss’s face carefully to check whether she really wears a human-skin mask.”
It seemed that Imperial Concubine Yun had taken what Infanta Zhaojing said seriously. The Dr. Zhang, who Imperial Concubine Yun ordered, was Zhang Ruting. Qin Yunuan hadn’t seen him for a long time, and he looked thinner now. Since Fang Ziying got married and moved to the southern region, he had lost his appetite, becoming thinner and thinner. It was really obvious that Zhang Ruting loved Fang Ziying, but the latter just didn’t find out. From the fact that Zhang Ruting was here, Qin Yunuan recognized that he had joined Imperial Concubine Yun’s camp.
After all, people in this palace were like a small boat in the ocean, and they could easily get into trouble if they had no backer.
Zhang Ruting nodded and walked towards Leng Suxin. Qin Yunuan knew Zhang Ruting was peeking at her, but she just squinted, letting him check Leng Suxin’s face carefully with wooden tweezers and needles. Leng Suxin closed her eyes with her heart beating so fast.
“Your Highness, if you really want to verify whether Suxin wears a mask, you can directly say it out. Why bother to do this? If we are proved innocent, I’m afraid that you will ruin your good reputation by retaining an infanta at the fifth grade of rank and an official’s daughter out of no reason.” Qin Yunuan said this calmly. However, the calmer she was, the surer Imperial Concubine Yun felt about her assumption.
“I have the right reason to do so.” Imperial Concubine Yun looked unusually excited. If she was right about this, the emperor would think highly of her later, and then she could easily get promoted to become the empress.
Qin Yunuan sneered in her heart. Imperial Concubine Yun didn’t take into consideration that many people in this palace were willing to see her to make fool of herself. This time, someone must have taken advantage of her eagerness to earn the emperor’s favor and push her to make mistakes. Therefore, the person behind could reap all benefits doing nothing. This person was really cunning.
“Dr. Zhang, what do you find?” Imperial Concubine Yun asked anxiously.
Zhang Ruting paused for a while and then handed all tools to the apprentice near him. He cupped his hands and replied, “Your Highness, there is nothing wrong with Fourth Miss’s face.”
“What?” Imperial Concubine Yun opened her eyes wide and didn’t believe in this result.
Zhang Ruting said in a low voice, “I mean she doesn’t wear a mask. That’s her real face.”
“It’s impossible.” Imperial Concubine Yun pounded on the table and stood up. Her scouts told her that they saw Leng Suxin took off her mask in front of Qin Yunuan, and her real face looked terrible. Their description of her horrible burnt scars sounded so true and real.
“I don’t believe it.” Imperial Concubine Yun shouted at Zhang Ruting, “Check it again and check it carefully.”
Zhang Ruting seemed a bit embarrassed, and he looked at Qin Yunuan subconsciously.
Qin Yunuan scolded, “Dr. Zhang, Your Highness asks you to check it again, and you’d better do as she says. You can’t take the consequences if you make any mistake.”
Right at this time, the eunuch outside said, “Your Majesty arrives.”
