Chapter 120: Chapter 120: Such a Trivial Matter, and You Come Running to Tattle

’Again?’

Song Lianhe didn’t dare to rise, her eyes gazing innocently at the woman on the throne.

“Your Majesty,” she began, “please forgive this humble subject’s ignorance. I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me.”

Chun De looked at her and said, word by word, “You have ruined King Qing’s reputation.”

“?”

Song Lianhe thought she must have misheard.

’Who ruined whose reputation here, exactly?’

Chun De’s face hardened, the full majesty of the nation’s mother on display. “Did you tell outsiders that you belong to King Qing? Is there any truth to this?”

“…”

Song Lianhe sucked in a sharp breath.

’Well… maybe… it seems there might have been something like that…’

’But that can’t be right. She’d only run her mouth yesterday to get rid of Zhou Junlin. How could the Empress possibly know?’

’So, did Zhou Junlin go tattling to Consort Qi first? And then Consort Qi reported it to the Empress?’

’So this morning, before Consort Qi even had a chance to act, the Empress cut her off! And was making her ride that sedan chair through the palace—seeming like special treatment—actually a cover-up to vent frustration on King Qing’s behalf?’

’That has to be it!’

’She was brilliant! She’d figured it all out!’

’That Zhou Junlin, what a blabbermouth! Running to the inner palace to tattle over such a trivial thing?’

“Song Lianhe, you have some nerve. You dare to try and get your claws into King Qing?”

Chun De’s voice remained low and gentle, yet it carried an inexplicable intimidation—the kind of pressure that comes with the power of her high station.

Song Lianhe remained kneeling. As the Empress began her accusations, her mind was already racing, having spun through hundreds of possibilities.

’How should I respond?’

’Um, admit it’s just unrequited love and that King Qing isn’t interested in me?’

’Accuse Prince Ling of starting rumors! Insist I never said it!’

’Or maybe… confess that I just wanted to provoke Prince Ling and used Prince Qing a little…’

None of those answers seemed to offer a way out of this unscathed.

This was King Qing they were talking about—the Holy Emperor’s own brother, a young hero whose fame shook the Da Cheng Dynasty, a man the Empress treated as her own son!

Was he someone a humble subject with a ruined reputation like her could possibly touch?

As if she could read minds, Chun De seemed to grasp Song Lianhe’s calculations in an instant. “Those things you said to Prince Ling,” she demanded, “were you using Prince Qing as a pretext?”

“No! Absolutely not!”

This was a trap question.

A single nod and the crime of slandering the Imperial Family would be set in stone.

The good news: Song Xingfeng’s family would be dragged down with her. They prospered together and would fall together.

The bad news: she would probably implicate the family of Marquis Xuan Chang as well.

Weighing the pros and cons, Song Lianhe denied it decisively.

It never happened!

“No?” Chun De was clearly hesitant. She said slowly, “If you weren’t using King Qing as a pretext, does that mean… what you said was true? Your relationship with him isn’t ordinary?”

“…”

’I’m doomed.’

’How am I supposed to answer this?’

’Am I supposed to confirm the rumors right in front of the Empress?’

She wouldn’t have a problem with it, but would King Qing? If this backfired and they decided to pin a new crime on her, it would be far more serious than her current predicament.

But there was no time to worry about that now. The Empress clearly wasn’t going to let this go. Might as well go for broke!

“Your Majesty,” she confessed, “this humble subject… does indeed admire Prince Qing.”

’Right, why overthink it?’

’Trouble is meant to be passed on to others, anyway.’

Chun De’s eyes flew wide, a flash of wild joy in them that almost broke through her solemn expression.

It was the first time she had ever heard a woman admit to liking Biwu!

As for the rumor-monger herself, Song Lianhe adapted to her new role with startling speed. Having just confessed her feelings for King Qing, she immediately launched into a string of effusive praises.

“From the moment I first laid eyes on Prince Qing, I was utterly captivated by his magnificent presence. I was mesmerized… I couldn’t help myself.”

“King Qing saved me from peril, disregarding his own reputation to do so. I will cherish that memory forever.”

“When I’m with Prince Qing, I feel completely safe… But what I admire most, of course, is his handsome face. You couldn’t find a man as dashing and debonair as King Qing in all of Da Cheng.”

Song Lianhe spoke with passionate fervor, laying the flattery on so thick you could hear it a mile away.

And as it happened, some people were very susceptible to it.

The expression on Chun De’s face visibly softened. She finally pressed her lips together to suppress a smile. “You do have some taste. But in your eyes… is he truly so wise and formidable?”

“Oh no, Your Majesty, ’wise and formidable’ isn’t nearly enough to describe Prince Qing’s excellence…”

She was just building up a head of steam, ready to elaborate, when she heard footsteps behind her.

Song Lianhe glanced over her shoulder and slapped a hand over her mouth—

Zhou Cangyan was strolling in. He was tall, his hair held up by a jade crown. His exquisite face made him one of the most handsome men in all of Da Cheng. His features were so delicate they could have seemed effeminate, but years of campaigning on the battlefield had stained him with the scent of blood, which perfectly neutralized that softness. He was like a beautiful young man possessed by a demon; even a seemingly emotionless glance was like a hook, ready to snatch away one’s soul.

’Before, I just thought he was handsome. How did he get so damn alluring?’

Suddenly realizing what she was thinking, Song Lianhe’s expression changed. She quickly averted her gaze and lowered her head.

It was precisely this shy, demure look—like a young wife seeing her beloved—that made it very hard to claim she was innocent in all this.

Watching from her throne, Chun De grew more and more delighted.

She was a woman of experience who had known true love in her youth. Just by watching this second daughter of the Song Family, she understood most of what was going on.

After greeting the Empress, Zhou Cangyan was immediately offered a seat.

He took his seat, casually flicking his robes aside and crossing his legs. His posture was both commanding and relaxed. Propping his forehead on a hand resting on the table, he watched her with leisurely amusement.

“Go on,” he said. “I’d like to hear it, too.”

“…”

Song Lianhe remained kneeling, so embarrassed she could have dug a new palace complex with her toes.

’Dammit, he must have heard everything I just said!’

He looked at the person kneeling before him, her head nearly buried in her chest. She was so small and delicate, a sight that easily stirred one’s protective instincts. This was especially true when she looked up at him with those large, misty eyes. At that moment, his heart felt as if it were seized by an invisible hand, a hand that cruelly toyed with it—rolling it into a ball, then flattening it out again with her every expression.

He raised an eyebrow.

’How irritating.’

“Get up.”

He didn’t like seeing her kneel, to be honest.

’In his world, she was not someone who should be on her knees!’

Chun De pursed her lips into a smile, turning to whisper to Fang Xiu at her side, “See? He feels sorry for her.”

Her tone held the unmistakable excitement of someone enjoying the show.

Zhou Cangyan: “…”

He could hear them.

Perhaps from kneeling too long, or from waking too early, Song Lianhe felt a wave of dizziness as she stood up, and her body swayed.

Zhou Cangyan’s eyes narrowed. Before a nearby palace maid could react, he was on his feet, holding her steady.

The dizziness lasted only a few seconds. When Song Lianhe’s head cleared, she realized she was in Zhou Cangyan’s arms.

’And in front of the Empress, no less!’

She could have cried. This would surely cement her reputation for being “scheming,” “a deliberate seductress,” and “fickle.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep