Chapter 12: The Crime of Deceiving the Monarch

“I—I, this humble daughter…” Ning Zhaorou panicked slightly. Her wide eyes accidentally met Yin Mingyu’s gaze, and she hurriedly looked away, fixing her sight on the soft cushion he had patted beside him.

Sitting there… surely wasn’t appropriate, was it?

As she thought this, her gaze drifted to the palace maids fanning him. One after another, they acted as though they hadn’t heard his words at all, their expressions perfectly composed, not a trace of impropriety to be found.

Feeling troubled, she once again glanced toward Yin Mingyu’s expression, only to see him still smiling. He didn’t seem angry—in fact, there was even a touch of idle ease in his demeanor. Propping himself up with one arm, he leaned lazily against the chair back and lightly tapped the tabletop. “Good girl, come here.”

It was as if Ning Zhaorou had been bewitched. She only snapped back to her senses when her leg, having taken a step forward, began to ache. Shaking off her dazed look, she took small steps toward Yin Mingyu.

Once she approached, the attendants on either side quietly withdrew.

Now only the two of them remained in the tent.

Though seated beside the emperor, Ning Zhaorou didn’t dare look around recklessly. She kept her head bowed, eyes fixed on the intricate patterns of the carpet beneath her feet.

“Has the medicine taken effect? Does it still hurt?”

Ning Zhaorou quickly responded with a nod. “Replying to Your Majesty, I’ve taken the medicine. It worked well—it’s not hurting as much now.”

“I came a bit late. How long did you end up kneeling again?”

She shook her head and explained that it hadn’t been too long. “Once Consort Liang heard that visits to the Princess were permitted, she no longer had time to bother with me. But on my way here, I ran into Young General Chu. I explained things to him.”

As she spoke, she nervously stole a glance at Yin Mingyu, carefully trying to gauge his mood.

But he didn’t seem to mind what she had said. He picked up the book he’d set aside earlier and responded casually, “Explained what, exactly?”

Ning Zhaorou didn’t quite understand what he was asking. She tilted her head slightly, pondering how best to respond, when she suddenly heard Yin Mingyu slowly say:

“Did you explain that your attempt to draw him close was nothing more than an act? Or that there was truly nothing between the two of you?”
His amber-like, clear eyes fell upon her, watching her every reaction closely. Then, in an almost leisurely tone, he added, “Or perhaps—both?”

“Your Majesty—” Ning Zhaorou couldn’t help but panic, her face draining of color in an instant.

The idea of feigning closeness with Chu Changfeng—only she and Shuangwu knew about that. Even if Chu Changfeng had figured it out, he surely wouldn’t have spoken of it. So how could His Majesty possibly know?

Yin Mingyu watched her trembling figure beside him, pitiful and helpless. He said nothing, simply placed the book down on the table with a thud.

This matter had come so abruptly that Ning Zhaorou had no way to defend herself. However His Majesty had found out, there was no excuse—being charged with deceiving the emperor could easily cost her her life a hundred times over.

Yin Mingyu watched her shivering as she knelt up again, fear written all over her face as she anxiously begged for forgiveness.

It must have been a hard time for her lately. She looked noticeably more haggard. Knowing she had to visit Consort Liang, she hadn’t even dared to dress up. Her skin was delicate, and who knew what state her knees were in after all that kneeling?

“Stand up. Sit properly.”

Yin Mingyu studied her inch by inch, his fingers itching with an impulse he couldn’t quite place.

“Your circumstances were difficult. I can take what you said that day as words spoken in desperation. As for the matter of deceiving the monarch—we’ll discuss that later. For now, I ask you this: have you changed your mind?”

That day, he’d intended to bring her into the palace. But she had spoken of feelings for Chu Changfeng, right to his face. Now, if she still couldn’t give him a satisfactory answer, he truly would not go easy on her.

Ning Zhaorou clasped her hands in front of her, about to speak, when someone entered from outside the tent. Standing respectfully behind the screen, the servant announced, “Your Majesty, Consort Liang requests an audience.”

Ning Zhaorou’s pupils instantly contracted. In a panic, she looked around, trying to find a place to hide.

Her reaction amused Yin Mingyu, and some of the coldness in his eyes faded. He extended a hand toward her.

“Hm?” Seeing that she still hesitated, his tone rose slightly, sounding a bit displeased.

Ning Zhaorou immediately placed her hand in his. Realizing what she had just done, her face flushed red, but before she could even catch her breath, her wrist was pulled with force and she tumbled right into Yin Mingyu’s arms.

!!!

This—this is unacceptable!

She struggled to get up, but he easily restrained her. A laughing voice sounded above her head, “Enough, don’t move. Just bury your head.”

After that, Yin Mingyu instructed the servant outside the screen, “Let her in. Whatever she wants to say, she can say it from there.”

The servant responded and stepped back.

The chair Yin Mingyu sat on was large, but quite firm. Ning Zhaorou, pulled into his lap, had curled herself up entirely. As long as Consort Liang didn’t step past the screen, she wouldn’t see anyone in his arms. But even so, Ning Zhaorou’s heart was in her throat. She didn’t dare move a muscle, afraid she might be discovered.

With a soft, fragrant beauty in his embrace, Yin Mingyu no longer had any interest in the book from earlier.

Once Consort Liang entered, she knelt respectfully outside the screen. The moment her voice rang out, Ning Zhaorou instinctively trembled and lowered her head even further.

“Don’t squirm.” Yin Mingyu’s hand lightly pinched the back of her neck. The grip wasn’t strong, and his voice was low—so low it felt like he was whispering into her ear.

With her arm shielding her face, Ning Zhaorou could just barely see his lips and jawline through the sliver of light between her fingers.

Consort Liang remained completely unaware of the situation inside. After bowing, she didn’t hear His Majesty tell her to rise. Her heart sank—thinking he was still angry with her, she dared not speak casually.

But she had come today for Yun’er. No matter how much His Majesty disliked her, it didn’t matter—what mattered was Yun’er. The girl couldn’t stay hidden in that tent for days on end, could she?

She had just seen her—Yun’er looked thinner and had burst into tears at the sight of her. Clearly, she was suffering.

So after kneeling for a while, Consort Liang finally spoke: “Your Majesty, this concubine just saw Yun’er. She said she knows she was wrong. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and forgive her this once.”

Yin Mingyu already knew why she had come. He wasn’t surprised to hear her start with a plea. His grip on Ning Zhaorou softened, his voice low but cold: “You think I was too harsh?”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty! I would never dare think such a thing—” Consort Liang quickly bowed lower to the ground, her voice full of panic as she explained, “Yun’er is young, yes, she was unruly, and Your Majesty’s punishment is justified. It’s just that… she’s still a girl, and she—”

“Young?” Yin Mingyu released Ning Zhaorou’s neck and coldly interrupted, “Yes, she’s young—young enough to say whatever she pleases without thinking. I see now it’s because you, Consort Liang, have spoiled her too much and raised her to be lawless.”

“Your Majesty, forgive me! Please forgive me! It’s all my fault!” Consort Liang began crying outside the screen, bowing her head to the floor with two loud thuds.

Ning Zhaorou heard every word clearly. Listening to the woman outside sob and beg, she suddenly felt… conflicted.

This was the same Consort Liang who had humiliated and forced her to kneel, acting high and mighty. Yet now, she was just as humble and fearful.

Maybe… she wasn’t so terrifying after all.

Suddenly, the back of Ning Zhaorou’s neck was gently pinched again. She cautiously peeked out with one eye and caught a glimpse of Yin Mingyu’s calm expression—then immediately ducked her head back down and stayed perfectly still.