Chapter 310 - HomeComing (2/2)

So after her meal this morning, Lei Xing made her way to see Princess Nalan, but arrived to be informed that the Princess had gone out for the day. So Lei Xing instructed the servants to inform her as soon as Princess Nalan returned. Then she went over to Li Ru's palace to find her sitting and chatting with Zhao Lan in her front garden.

Lei Xing slightly faltered in her steps, a little annoyed, she did not anticipate a third party here, especially not this recently uncovered ”childhood fre-enemy” of her Emperor's.

Lei Xing was aware that Li Ru and Zhao Lan had become ”friends” recently. Zhao Lan had visited a few times while Lei Xing was having her qin lessons with Li Ru.

Since Lei Xing was naturally a reserved person, Zhao Lan's attempts to try to engage her were received with short and disinterested responses with Lei Xing often leaving shortly after Zhao Lan's arrival.

It was not that Lei Xing was running from Zhao Lan, it was just that she could not bring herself to trust Zhao Lan, it just felt fake. And Lei Xing did not have the interest in tolerating fake and pretending to be interested when it was not necessary.

Lei Xing did enough to be polite and then left. After all, the timing of Zhao Lan's switch in behavior was not lost on Lei Xing. Since their first day in the palace, Zhao Lan had looked at Lei Xing with condescension and given her the cold shoulder.

But then suddenly after the Emperor announces Lei Xing as his choice for Empress, Zhao Lan's attitude did a full 180. She was suddenly warm and friendly with Li Ru, who she had put down and rudely ignored.

Even if Li Ru had forgotten all that, Lei Xing had not. It was blatantly obvious that she was only trying to warm up to Lei Xing because she was to become the Empress and since Lei Xing herself was highly unreceptive and hard to approach, she chose to use Li Ru as a pathway to Lei Xing.

Lei Xing did tell Li Ru to be careful around her, but she could not control what Li Ru did.

But Li Ru could not blatantly be rude and bar Zhao Lan from her palace nor did she have it in her to be subtly dismissive in her behavior as Lei Xing always was. So she had a hard time brushing off a relentless Zhao Lan who lept showing up to visit her.

Regardless of Lei Xing's reservations about Zhao Lan, as the Empress and even as Lei Xing herself, she could not just turn tail and run like a coward because of an awkward encounter, especially not when she had already been seen. So she walked over with a smile as the two girls got up and bowed.

They sat down and Li Ru smiled at Lei Xing as she poured her cup of tea. Lei Xing smiled back and glanced at Zhao Lan as she picked up her teacup, taking a sip before breaking the awkward silence saying, ”I was returning from visiting Princess Nalan so I thought I would stop by...It seems I came at the right time...” Lei Xing said with a calm smile at both girls, playing her part as a proper Empress.

Zhao Lan smiled and quickly spoke up first, ”Your majesty truly came at the right time...We were just discussing our plans for when we leave the palace tomorrow -”

”Oh?” Lei Xing went with raised eyebrows glancing at Li Ru, this was after all the curious reason she had come here, ”Do tell...” Lei Xing added.

Li Ru smiled and then hesistantly said, ”Hmm...Well, I was thinking of maybe going home -”

”Home?” Lei Xing lightly exclaimed with slightly raised eyebrows in surprise, ”I thought - Well, home is good...” She stopped herself from prying, immediately changed her tune, and plastered on a smile.

Zhao Lan was here so they could not discuss as they normally would. She was actually very surprised that Li Ru wanted to return home, she thought she would have chosen to stay. After all, why return to a place where she was maltreated?

{...Well, I guess I can understand wanting to have those who once trampled on you bow at your feet but -... Nevermind, she has time and money so why not get the gratification of groveling payback -_-)'...Can't say that I would bother though but okay...}

”I was just trying to persuade her to stay but she insists that she would like to go to her family home...” Zhao Lan said with a mini pout and Lei Xing looked at Zhao Lan's expression, somewhat put off by her expression.

While Lei Xing thought it would be nice if Zhao Lan and Li Ru had actually developed an honest friendship, she could not help seeing insincerity when Zhao Lan made expressions like these. It always looked as if she was trying too hard.

Lei Xing inwardly sighed and for the sake of politeness, she turned to Zhao Lan and asked, ”What about you? What plans do you have?”

”Oh, I will be going home as well.” Zhao Lan said, her face instantly brightening up with a smile, ”But I live in the capital so I will be sure to visit you in the palace often...”

Lei Xing obviously was not interested in Zhao Lan visiting, but etiquette did not allow her to say her true thoughts, so she maintained her smile and flatly said, ”Do that then...”

Although she was ”free” to come, it will be up to Lei Xing whether to receive her not. And considering that Zhao Lan did not dare to go over to Lei Xing's palace to ”visit” even while she was living right in the palace. She probably feared outright rejection from Lei Xing or worse, even the Emperor himself so Lei Xing doubted that girl would actually come ”visit”.

Already feeling tired of the conversation, Lei Xing went on to say, ”I have other matters to attend to so I will leave you two to your planning...” Then she stood up and the other two followed suit and bowed to her in farewell.

Lei Xing nodded and walked off with a silent sigh, with her plastered smile quickly falling off, feeling a tad depressed again.

{...This is for the best...}