Chapter 109 - Art of the Deal (1/2)

The Emperor returned to the room, sat on the bed and watched Lei Xing. Of course, the Emperor did not believe the rumors. First of all, he had already investigated Lei Xing's past. Second, he always had people watching his brothers. Therefore, he would know about said secret affair.

But the rumors still greatly annoyed him. She is to be his Empress so it would not be good to let this sort of false rumor damage her reputation. It was clear that she was the target of the rumors, which meant someone was purposely trying to ruin her.

The Emperor initially suspected his mother but this was not how she handled things. If it were her, she would have waited until a later time and simply dealt Lei Xing directly, she did not need to spread a rumor to get it done. So he turned his suspicion to the other Imperial wives, but it was not like he could torture all of them to get answers, this would just exacerbate the situation.

After a while, Eunuch Li came into the room and informed, ”Your majesty, everything is ready.”

The Emperor then got up and left to make his way to Prince Yi's manor. The best way to handle a rumor was to create an even better story and the easiest method was to create a spectacle out of the event.

So he concluded on paying his brother an official visit to thank him for his efforts, while moving in his full capacity as an Emperor, making a big show that will easily become the talk of the city. The guards had to be deployed in advance to clear the streets and create a human barricade, while the people were to bow as he passed. This sort of movement was a hassle, it was slow and attention-grabbing. Therefore, it was only reserved for official events.

Therefore it was the perfect spectacle.

It was announced that Prince Yi had risked injury to save the Emperor's precious Noble consort from a fall, preventing her from sustaining any serious injuries. The Emperor was greatly relieved and grateful to his brother for protecting her and so decided to pay his brother a visit to express his gratitude, bringing along many gifts.

Prince Yi was also unconscious so the Emperor put on the grateful act for his residents. He quickly went through the motions, wanting to return to the palace, as seeing Prince Yi's unconscious form made him worry about Lei Xing. He happened to arrive when the head physician was there and used the opportunity to stress that he was still waiting for results.

After that, he returned to the palace having accomplished his goal. The rumor was corrected with the truth, although a romanticized version of it. There was also the added bonus that the new topic that completely buried the rumor was about how much the Emperor treasured Noble consort Lei, which uplifted the Emperor's mood as he heard people whispering about it as he left.

He truly did seem to have grown very attached to her. It astonished him how quickly it happened. Thinking back on it, perhaps he may have already liked her from much earlier on. At the very least, he thought her to be amusing even during the competition. But his suspicions and caution must have kept his feelings at bay.

He thought of her a lot and had spent quite a lot of time thinking about how to approach her so they could properly form a relationship. It took him quite a while before his successful tutoring schemes made her comfortable with his presence. She really was not easy to approach, she always seemed to be quietly dismissing him even when she seemed pleased. For example, with the pass and the gold. She accepted them and then closed herself off behind a wall.

She did the same thing last night too. She hugged him and then pushed him away. The Emperor sighed.

{...She's really difficult to understand...}

***

{...*I'm in a bad mood...}

Lei Xing slightly opened her eyes and then closed them back, feeling so weak, she couldn't feel her limbs.

{...And I'm dying -_-)...}

{...*Let me ask you something, do you believe in fate?...}

{...-_-)...I said I'm dying!...}

{...*And I said I'm in a bad mood! Hmph! Can't you just be good and help me feel better?!...}

{...-_-)'...}

Lei Xing was feeling too tired to even think and ignored it, slipping back into sleep.

{...*Don't worry this won't kill you...}

{...}

{...*It usually goes away on its own after a week or two...}

Lei Xing opened her eyes, feeling a sense of renewed hope.

{...Really? Are you sure? O_O)...}

{...*Usually...Hehe~ Well, they probably shouldn't have fed you that brew though...While they have the right idea, that was not the way to use it...It's an easy mistake though...}

{...Then do you know the cure? Tell me!... Please, this is not fun at all...}

{...*Sure!... But let's talk first, I'm in a bad mood...}

{...-_-)'...Can we talk later? I really feel like I'm dying...Cure first...please...}

{...*...}

{...Hey, are you there?... Don't be like this, I'm too tired to argue right now...}

{...*Let's make a deal!...}

{...-_-)'...No...}

{...*What? You don't want the cure?!...}

{...I'll wait it out...}

{...*Hehe~ You'll die though...}

{...You just sa-...}

{...*I said USUALLY that is the case...Your case is now a bit special...Let me clarify, you are only awake right now because I wanted to talk to you...See, aren't I great? ^_^)...}