Chapter 9: Chapter 40

Meng Fuying was secretly stunned. Could it be that the Empress Dowager knew her current appearance was a disguise?

How was that possible?

And at this moment, the Empress Dowager wanted Xuanyuan Ye to see her true face! Meng Fuying's body stiffened slightly.

She naturally understood the Empress Dowager's intentions, but her own thoughts were exactly the opposite of the Empress Dowager's; she did not want Xuanyuan Ye to see her true face, especially not now.

"Empress Dowager." Meng Fuying's hand lightly grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, her sudden change in form of address signaling her firm refusal.

The Empress Dowager was slightly taken aback, her eyes widening with a hint of unexpected shock. In her heart, she was even more startled—this girl actually knew...

How perceptive was Xuanyuan Ye? Although he was standing at a distance, he still caught the faint scent of medicine, and at this moment, the subtle movements between the Empress Dowager and Meng Fuying were all clearly visible to him.

His eyes flickered slightly. When his gaze shifted to her face, his brow furrowed momentarily, quickly masking a trace of abnormality.

"Empress Dowager, I have truly been wronged! I did not hit her, she really just suddenly went mad..." Just then, the Empress Queen's wailing suddenly drifted in from outside.

"Empress, the Empress Dowager has ordered that no one is to disturb her," a guard outside said in a low voice, his respectful tone leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly and glanced at Xuanyuan Ye. Seeing the slightly strange expression in his eyes, a faint smile curled at the corner of her lips.

Someone as clever as Ye'er had likely already understood; therefore, there was no need for her to continue.

Upon hearing the Empress's wailing, her eyes suddenly darkened, and she said coldly, "Let her in."

She wanted to see exactly how the Empress intended to continue her sophistry.

Originally, she had thought that Ying'er had truly gone mad again, so some matters could only be left to the Empress's word, making them difficult to investigate clearly.

But now, since Ying'er was faking it, then...

"Empress Dowager, I..." As soon as the Empress heard the Empress Dowager's words, she rushed in hurriedly, still looking disheveled. It was obvious she hadn't had time to change, or perhaps she was intentionally showing the Empress Dowager her miserable state.

However, her wailing came to an abrupt halt when she saw Meng Fuying standing quietly by the Empress Dowager's side.

She had thought that Meng Fuying would be at least insane, but she never expected that Meng Fuying would be standing here perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened.

A few traces of panic and tension appeared in her disheveled eyes.

"What else do you have to say?" Seeing the Empress's expression, the Empress Dowager's face grew even colder. This woman still wanted to deceive her even now!

"I..." The Empress looked toward the calm, motionless Meng Fuying standing to the side, her confidence wavering. For a moment, she did not know how to speak.

On second thought, everything in her palace had just been smashed to pieces, and the bowl containing the soup had long since been broken. Now, it had likely already been cleared away by the palace maids.

Since Meng Fuying was fine now and there was no evidence to be found, what was there to fear?

She steadied herself and spoke again, "I only called Ying'er to chat about the marriage. Everything was fine originally, but I didn't expect that she would suddenly go mad and start smashing things in my palace, breaking all my belongings and even hitting me. Empress Dowager, look at the injuries on my body."

The Empress Dowager's eyes narrowed slightly. She believed that Ying'er would not do such a thing without reason, and she also did not believe the Empress had specifically invited Ying'er just for a casual chat.

"Ying'er, you tell me, what happened?" She did not want to hear any more of the Empress's excuses. Her eyes shifted toward Meng Fuying, and the coldness in them instantly transformed into deep maternal affection, her voice softening immediately.

Meng Fuying lowered her eyes in an extremely submissive manner. Her lips moved slightly as she spoke slowly, "Replying to Imperial Grandmother, it is indeed as the Empress said. The Empress had someone invite Ying'er to chat about matters regarding the marriage."

Her light voice carried little emotion, making it impossible to guess her true thoughts.

The Empress was startled. She quickly raised her eyes to look at Meng Fuying, and seeing her submissive appearance, she felt a secret joy. It seemed the medicine had worked; it must have caused her to lose part of her memory.

Xuanyuan Ye's gaze shifted slightly. Seeing her submissive manner, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. He knew that in such circumstances, her words were usually not finished.

Sure enough, under the Empress's slightly joyful gaze, Meng Fuying spoke again, "Furthermore, the Empress also asked Ying'er to call for ginseng soup. As for what happened after..." Meng Fuying's words paused again, and then she feigned a look of surprise, "The Empress said Ying'er smashed the Empress's things and even hit her? How did that happen?"

She had originally intended to take that soup bowl, but at the moment she pretended to faint, the bowl had disappeared. Originally, she thought it had been hidden by the Empress, but now it didn't seem so, which meant there was only one possibility...

The Empress Dowager's face darkened again. She stared straight at the Empress and spoke sternly once more, "The Empress gave Ying'er ginseng soup?"

The Empress was secretly alarmed, but thinking that Meng Fuying had not produced the bowl and there was currently no evidence, she spoke again, "Yes, I happened to have brewed ginseng soup at the time, so I invited Ying'er to have a bowl as well. I also drank some..."

A cold light flashed in Xuanyuan Ye's eyes, and a sudden chill crossed his face. He slightly raised his hand, pulling a bowl from his sleeve, and spoke slowly, word by word, "Just now, when this Prince went to Fengqi Palace, I happened to pick up this bowl. Tell me, is this the one?"

Xuanyuan Ye's cold words interrupted the Empress, but he did not spare her a glance. Instead, he held the bowl out in front of Meng Fuying and asked in a low voice.

Meng Fuying was secretly amused. This bowl was clearly something she had taken while faking her faint, and she hadn't expected that when he lied, he wouldn't even blush or lose his breath.

However, she truly hadn't expected him to help her like this.

Thus, she cooperated with him, intentionally acting surprised and crying out, "Yes, it is indeed this one! I didn't expect the Seventh Prince to have brought it."

The corners of Xuanyuan Ye's mouth twitched slightly. This woman was certainly putting a lot of effort into her acting.

"Mm, then send it to the Imperial Physician's Bureau to investigate," Xuanyuan Ye said, maintaining his cold expression and speaking as if merely handling official business.

The Empress's face turned deathly pale instantly, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably. Her eyes looked at Xuanyuan Ye in utter disbelief; she could not believe that the bowl had fallen into his hands.

If this bowl was sent to the Imperial Physician's Bureau and investigated, everything would be laid bare. Then she...

At this thought, the Empress's body went limp, and she fainted on the floor.

Because Meng Fuying had just suffered a "fright," the Empress Dowager specifically instructed Xuanyuan Ye to escort Meng Fuying back to her residence.

Outside the palace, the carriage prepared by the Empress Dowager was waiting.

As she walked toward the carriage, Xuanyuan Ye actually reached out, intending to assist her into it.

Meng Fuying was slightly stunned, looking at him with some bewilderment.

There was no need for him to assist her into a carriage, so she instinctively tried to avoid his hand and climb in herself.

However, he was a step faster, grasping her hand and pulling her into the spacious carriage with him.

A hint of slight, suppressed anger seemed to flicker in his narrowed eyes.

Meng Fuying was completely stunned. By the time she reacted, she realized she was being held in his arms, having already sat inside the carriage.

His arm held her tightly; she could clearly feel the warmth of his body. For a moment, Meng Fuying felt a sudden surge of nervousness.

At that moment, he turned his gaze slightly toward her and said, "This Prince has helped you so much; how do you intend to thank me?"

His eyes swept over her face and then landed on her lips, his deep gaze darkening slightly...