Chapter 183 - Talented Company (1/2)
Princess Nalan knit her brows but before she could continue to question her, Lei Xing spotted Li Ru enter her palace and immediately waved her over with a smile, ”Li Ru, over here...”
Li Ru walked over and glanced at Princess Nalan and Lei Xing quickly introduced them, ”Princess Nalan, this is Li Ru, Noble consort Li...Li Ru, Princess Nalan.” The two lighty bowed to each other and Lei Xing quickly said, ”Sit, sit....” Xiao Ruo arrived right on time with snacks and tea and Lei Xing went, ”Eat, drink...”
{...Just don't ask me shit -_-)...}
Princess Nalan's expression still looked off, and Li Ru also looked weird, probably uncomfortable with the extra guest. And so Lei Xing quickly leaped to the task of playing the gracious host and tried to rile up the conversation. Before long, she successfully distracted Princess Nalan and even got Li Ru's interest by starting a conversation about the various landscapes and scenery in Zou kingdom.
Princess Nalan happily described all that she had seen and enjoyed while Li Ru listened with avid interest, asking questions along the way. LieXing smiled, she could already see Li Ru drawing out the scenery in her head.
{...It's good to be talented...}
Lei Xing inwardly sighed as her mind wandered off to another talented individual she knew and his many talents. Unfortunately for her, the conversation did not do much in brightening her own mood.
The three had lunch together, with Lei Xing picking at her food again and then Lei Xing and Li Ru escorted Princess Nalan out.
With Princess Nalan gone, Li Ru turned to Lei Xing and worriedly asked, ”Are you alright?”
Lei Xing knit her brows and nodded. Li Ru sighed and then hooked her arm through Lei Xing's and smiled and said, ”Let's go back.” Lei Xing simply nodded and let herself be pulled along and they made their journey to her palace. But as they crossed the entrance into the inner palace, Lei Xing suddenly froze.
Li Ru turned to Lei Xing, wondering why she suddenly stopped and saw her staring fixedly straight ahead with a frown. Li Ru followed her line of sight to see the Emperor and his retinue walking way ahead of them.
Li Ru lightly sighed and quietly stood there with Lei Xing, until the Emperor turned the corner, and the last of his servants disappeared. Then Lei Xing slowly started walking again and they returned to her palace in silence. And Lei Xing immediately resumed her position at the pavilion staring at the wall again.
Li Ru sat across from her, knit her eyebrows and considered how to approach the topic, then she carefully said, ”Xing er'...Is the Emperor very angry with you?”
Lei Xing glanced at her, blinked, and then lowered her head and frowned. Li Ru sighed and then said, ”Chun Hua...Chen You's personal maid came to talk to me that night...she told me everything. She said she was trying to dissuade Chen You from exposing it, but she came to let me know to see if I could find a way...”
Lei Xing blinked up at her with knit eyebrows, ”She did?”
Li Ru nodded, ”En...I went to the Emperor's palace that night but I was not allowed in...I thought since it was because it was late, so I went back in the morning...and saw Eunuch Li, I told him that it had to do with you - I didn't tell him what happened...But he assured me everything would be fine and that the Emperor was handling it....I would have gone to the Empress dowager too but -...”
”It's fine, she wouldn't have listened to you anyway.” Lei Xing quietly said with a sigh, ”It's all a misunderstanding.” That was all she was going to say on the issue and Li Ru understood, but knowing how Lei Xing was, she had to ask, ”Does the Emperor know it is a misunderstanding?”