Chapter 18: He’s the Emperor, Not a Executioner

Helian Qi was clearly also shocked, his gaze fixed on Ning Wanyin.

“This concubine only loves food…” Under his gaze, Ning Wanyin’s cheeks gradually turned red, a little flustered:

“This concubine… this concubine is overstepping, Your Majesty, please forgive me.”

Helian Qi came back to his senses and couldn’t help but laugh, “I didn’t expect you to be such a foodie. Pass my decree, set up a small kitchen for Lingxue Pavilion.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Ning Wanyin quickly got up and bowed, her smile genuinely sincere.

Seeing her so joyful and delighted, Helian Qi didn’t say anything more.

He said, “I still have memorials to review, I’ll go back first. I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”

“Your Majesty, please take your leave.” Ning Wanyin bowed to see him off.

Today was the fifteenth, according to Dayan’s court rules, on the first and fifteenth of each month, the Emperor and Empress would sleep together. Although Empress Yuanxiao had passed away, on the first and fifteenth, the Emperor would not stay in other concubines’ places, it was against etiquette.

“His Majesty is leaving!” Wang Degui announced loudly.

The Emperor’s procession left Yonghe Palace.

Only then did the maids and eunuchs in Lingxue Pavilion dare to beg for mercy, kowtowing to Ning Wanyin one after another.

“Ning Meiren, please calm down! This servant was scared silly and didn’t react in time! This servant is wholeheartedly loyal to you!” Xiao Guizi knocked his head loudly.

“Mistress, this servant has merits! This servant went to ask His Majesty today…” Danli hurriedly shouted.

If Ning Wanyin had lost favor, leaving Lingxue Pavilion to find another place would be a good thing.

But now she was favored!

The steward of the Internal Affairs Department wouldn’t arrange a good place for them? In order not to offend Ning Wanyin, they would definitely be sent to Xinzeku.

Ning Wanyin picked up her pumpkin porridge and took a sip, calmly saying, “You work in Lingxue Pavilion, you receive a lot of rewards and benefits, but when I had a conflict with others, you didn’t protect me. In this world, how can there be such a thing as receiving rewards without protecting your master?”

Working in a favored concubine’s palace, the rewards received were more than the lifetime allowance of ordinary palace servants.

Walking in the palace, other palace servants would also treat them with respect.

So much money in their hands, yet they didn’t act when things happened, how could there be such a good thing?

“Considering it’s a first offense, each of you will receive twenty lashes. If you dare to disobey orders or betray me again, it will be a capital offense.” Ning Wanyin scanned the palace servants, unhurriedly:

“If you think I’m too harsh, and don’t want to work for me, you can leave after receiving your lashes.”

The palace servants were trembling, silent.

This mistress was truly ruthless.

They had to receive the lashes before they could leave.

Since they had to be punished anyway, who would want to leave? The palace servants driven out by the favored concubine wouldn’t be well-arranged by the Inner Court or Outer Court.

“This servant was negligent in protecting you, almost causing harm to the Mistress’s precious body, this servant is willing to accept the punishment!” Xiao Guizi was quick-witted, the first to speak.

The palace servants also kowtowed and pleaded for punishment.

Danli also breathed a sigh of relief, “This servant will definitely serve the Mistress wholeheartedly in the future!”

“I can’t use you, you can leave after receiving your punishment.” Ning Wanyin looked coldly at Danli.

Danli panicked and hurriedly kowtowed, “Mistress, spare my life! This servant is wholeheartedly loyal to you…”

Lianrui had long been angry with her, immediately saying, “Hurry up and drag her out, after the beating, send her to the Internal Affairs Department!”

“Yes!” Several palace servants, eager to atone for their sins, scrambled to drag Danli out…

In the pavilion, only the mistress and servant remained.

“Thank goodness His Majesty came…” Lianrui felt a deep sense of fear. She was really afraid that she wouldn’t be able to invite the Emperor, and she didn’t know what the Mistress’s situation would be today.

Ning Wanyin looked at her swollen eyes and gently patted her shoulder, “Quickly get a warm towel to put on your eyes, your eyes are swollen like walnuts. I’ll be fine.”

“If the Mistress is fine, this servant will be relieved…” Lianrui rubbed her reddened eyes, looking at Ning Wanyin and said:

“Today, thankfully, Meiren Tang testified for you, that Jieyu Li is truly wicked!”

“Whether there were witnesses or not, the result would be the same. His Majesty didn’t question the palace servants present.” Ning Wanyin said.

If he wanted to find out the truth, the Emperor would send all the palace servants to the Criminal Investigation Department.

But for him, it was just two of his concubines bumping into each other.

Even if Ning Wanyin really pushed Jieyu Li, so what?

He was the Emperor, not an executioner.

He would only choose those who were useful to him.

So he didn’t even ask about the details of the incident, he directly dealt with Jieyu Li.

“That’s right! His Majesty trusts the Mistress very much!” Lianrui nodded in sudden realization, completely misunderstanding, “He wouldn’t believe others’ slander!”

Ning Wanyin: …

In the eyes of outsiders, it would seem so.

But if she really got into serious trouble, the Emperor wouldn’t believe her.

It’s just that this matter, for the Emperor, was insignificant regardless of right or wrong.

That’s why she went to ask for the Emperor’s help in the first place.

Knowing when to use a backer and when not to, that’s very important.

Ning Wanyin lowered her eyes and carefully examined the ointment Tang Miaoling had given her.

No poison.

When the female physician came to apply the medicine, she had specifically shown the ointment to the female physician and asked if her injury was suitable for it.

After checking, the female physician also said that it was a good healing medicine.

Double-checked, it was indeed not poisonous.

Ning Wanyin muttered to herself, “Tang Miaoling has been quite strange lately.”

“This servant has an idea!” Lianrui thought seriously, “Could it be that Tang’s elders wrote a letter to the young lady, asking her to befriend you? If she doesn’t gain favor, having a helper in the palace, she can borrow your reputation?”

This was very common.

Show girls with family ties were natural allies.

“If it’s for the sake of competing for favor, why did she move out?”

“Maybe she felt uncomfortable seeing you favored every day? The young lady isn’t someone with a broad mind.” Lianrui thought more and more that this was the case.

But Ning Wanyin felt that things weren’t that simple, she needed to observe further.

She remembered the favor today.

“Let’s observe this for now, we still need to be cautious and not easily trust her,” Ning Wanyin reminded.

Lianrui nodded in agreement, “Mistress, rest assured. In this palace, besides you, this servant doesn’t trust anyone!”

After a pause, Lianrui remembered the Emperor’s reward just now, and asked doubtfully, “Mistress, why didn’t you want a promotion just now… Of course, the small kitchen is also very good. In the future, this servant can make many small dishes you like!”

“But you also said that rank is real. This is very important.”

Ning Wanyin smiled faintly, “It’s not strange for a favored concubine to break the rules, when she is favored, there is no problem. Once she loses favor, it will be a crime for others to attack her.”

“For example, if it were me who slapped Jieyu Li’s mouth today, His Majesty would still protect me. But hitting someone of a higher rank, in the future, it would be a crime to punish me.”

“Of course, it’s fine now. She’s a Gui Ren.”

Ning Wanyin thought that the Emperor was also a clever person. Jieyu Li took advantage of her higher rank to bully her, so he made Jieyu Li lower than her, the tables had turned.

“The Mistress is indeed thoughtful!” Lianrui nodded in understanding, “The Mistress has the Emperor’s favor, promotion is only a matter of time, there is no need to rush, and it would give people an excuse to attack.”

Even if she didn’t pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, Ning Wanyin had the excuse of being unwell and exempted by the Emperor, there were many concubines who were exempted from paying their respects due to illness throughout the dynasties, this wasn’t a big deal.

But an unprompted promotion would be a blatant violation of the rules.

It’s fine when the Emperor protects her, but once the Emperor doesn’t protect her, it will become her crime.

She had never thought that the Emperor would protect her for a lifetime.