HBWnovel Chapter 252: Counterattack
Chapter 252: Counterattack
"We also owe it to Her Majesty's blessings," Lin Rusi took a deep breath before answering.
For some reason, she always felt that the Empress's words had a hidden meaning and didn't seem as innocent as they appeared.
Just as Lin Ru was thinking, the Empress spoke again: "It's nothing, but I wonder how Sisi dealt with the dancer last time?"
"The dancer? It was His Highness who handled it. I have no idea what happened." Lin Rusi blinked innocently, feigning ignorance.
The Empress was seething with hatred, but she still had to smile kindly, and then said, "I see, aren't you afraid that Prince Jinglie will..."
The Empress did not say what came next, but her words were full of implications, enough for Lin Rusi to guess.
Unfortunately, Lin Rusi didn't take it to heart and said casually, "Your Highness, I trust His Highness. Besides, His Highness dealt with that person in front of me."
"I see. What a pity. If we knew where the dancer went, we could have avoided this."
The Empress was still sighing when Lin Rusi looked over with a smile.
"Yes, Your Majesty, being in the palace, should understand this best." She said this while scoffing lightly, but didn't let the Empress see it clearly.
The Empress narrowed her eyes and stared coldly at her: "Yes, I wonder what Sisi means by this?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Rusi smiled again: "It's nothing, I just heard that Your Highness seems to be having some troubles these past few days. It's a pity I can't help Your Highness."
As she spoke, she even shook her head dramatically and sighed heavily.
"Lin Rusi! You!" The Empress naturally knew what he meant, and she stood up abruptly, her face as black as the bottom of a pot.
"What's wrong, Your Highness? Did I say something wrong?" Lin Rusi asked back.
Seeing this, the Empress's face flushed with anger. She clenched her fists and stared at her coldly for a while before she finally calmed down.
"Speak properly, and I will not hold it against you." The Empress took a deep breath and warned firmly.
But Lin Rusi still didn't know what she had said wrong: "Your Majesty, this commoner doesn't understand what you're saying."
Lin Rusi pretended not to understand, but in truth, she already had some suspicions in her mind.
For example, why did the Empress act this way?
She's probably thinking about how to get rid of herself right now!
Thinking of this, Lin Rusi forced herself to calm down.
So much time has passed, and now that she's been reborn, how could she still be afraid of the Empress?
Silently comforting herself, Lin Rusi looked up again and her expression had returned to normal.
"Is that so? You clearly know why I've been troubled these past two days, yet you still say such things. I can tell you're doing this on purpose. Do you even know what crime it is to disobey your superior?"
The Empress's face grew even colder. Seeing this, Lin Rusi subconsciously raised her eyes and stared straight at her.
So that's where he was waiting for her. Such a lame excuse, he couldn't have come up with a better one.
Just as the Empress was about to strike Lin Rusi with her palm, a voice suddenly came from outside the door: "His Majesty has arrived!"
Upon hearing this voice, Lin Rusi reacted even faster. If the Empress punished her for the dancer's matter, she would probably be labeled as jealous first.
The Empress certainly wouldn't dare, and Lin Rusi immediately knelt pitifully on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I am only speaking the truth. I do not know where I have offended Your Majesty. If I have said something wrong, please punish me as you wish."
She knelt heavily on the ground, her eyes resolute, yet as if she had suffered countless injustices.
The emperor happened to see this scene when he walked in.
A hint of doubt crept into his eyes. The emperor recognized Lin Rusi as his wife and knew she was the wife of Prince Jinglie.
Previously, it was because of this woman that Prince Jinglie had repeatedly yielded and was even driven out of his home, so naturally the emperor also had some goodwill towards Lin Rusi.
Upon seeing the Emperor enter, the Empress's expression changed drastically, as if she had suffered endless grievances: "Greetings, Your Majesty."
But her eyes were filled with panic, and she knew very well that she had been preoccupied with the dancer's situation.
The two had already become somewhat unhappy, so how could the emperor not realize that he had gathered the palace concubines to teach the newly arrived noble lady a lesson?
The emperor indeed asked, "What's going on? Why is Princess Jinglie kneeling on the ground?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress turned pale and did not reply, but the nanny beside her reacted very quickly.
"Your Majesty, this servant has something to say. This Princess Consort of Jinglie is abusing her power and has shown great disrespect to Her Majesty the Empress by relying on her status as Prince Jinglie!"
The nanny reacted very quickly and immediately convicted Lin Rusi, who stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
She quickly retorted, "I did say a few words, but I never said anything disrespectful. Besides, Your Majesty helped me."
After she finished speaking, seeing that no one present spoke, Lin Rusi continued, "Previously, because of a dancer, I had some conflict with His Highness. Your Highness kindly guided me, which is why we resolved our conflict."
Lin Rusi's sincere and earnest manner of speaking clearly did not seem like she was lying, which naturally aroused the emperor's suspicion.
Her expression worsened, especially when she mentioned the word "dancer".
It seems she's thinking about what happened with King Jinglie!
If that's the case, it's not surprising; he knew the Empress had some thoughts on her mind.
However, out of consideration for her maternal clan, she never holds grudges over such matters.
Unexpectedly, the Empress subtly sought to cause trouble for Lin Rusi, revealing her narrow-mindedness.
How can someone who acts like this be worthy of the title of "Mother of the Nation"?
The emperor sighed softly and looked up at her: "Empress, is that so? Is it really as Miss Lin said?"
The Empress quickly shook her head and explained in a low voice, "Your Majesty, when have I ever been that kind of person? How could I possibly make things difficult for a young girl over something like this?"
She spoke with righteous indignation, but the emperor knew all too well her jealous nature.
However, given the current situation, we cannot refuse the Empress's request.
Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Lin Rusi understood that he naturally favored the empress, so she immediately said, "In that case, I would like to ask the empress, which of my words was wrong, which of my words was disrespectful to you, and which of my actions was wrong?"
"Of course..." The Empress was only halfway through her sentence when she suddenly realized that she had fallen into Lin Rusi's trap.
For a moment, it was a dilemma whether to speak or not.
Upon seeing this, the emperor's eyes lit up. He had been eager to find an opportunity to punish the women in the harem for the past two days, hoping to extinguish their ambitions. Now, the opportunity had arrived.
"Empress! Why can't you answer?" the Emperor pressed, demanding an explanation.
Upon hearing this, the Empress was even more stunned. She clearly saw the smile in the Emperor's eyes...