Zi'an didn't have time to think, and said directly: "I have met him several times, but we have never spoken. As for why he said I was a bad woman today and wanted to peel my skin and dig out my eyes, I really don't know what's going on."
The emperor called her over and said, "Help me take off my fake face. I feel uncomfortable after wearing this fake face for a long time."
Zi'an walked over, put some water on his fingers, and gently peeled off the skin, revealing a face covered with red spots.
"This face is not breathable, so it's naturally uncomfortable." Zi'an said.
"Well, my health is getting worse and worse, and I need someone to be with me all the time. You can teach me your skills and come to Xiwei Palace to take care of me in the future." The emperor said lightly.
He did not question the assassin again, nor did he delve into the Seventh Prince's words. He just made such arrangements, and everything was just as the Night King had expected. He still needed to rely on Zi'an, so he would not make trouble, but if he became suspicious, he would be on guard. Keeping her by his side to keep an eye on him made him feel much more at ease.
Zi'an knew this was an irreversible decision, so she lowered her eyes and said, "Okay!"
She followed Eunuch Sun's instructions and said nothing or argued, accepting whatever the emperor said.
After hearing her say yes, the emperor asked her to sit down and raised his eyes slightly. "I know you may think that I am suspicious of you, but I want to tell you that I don't think so. The Seventh Prince is fighting outside now. I keep you by my side. First, I want to protect you and second, I want to prevent you from being involved in the dispute over the succession of the imperial court. The Seventh Prince has been by my side for so many years and has always been upright. You are a woman and it is inevitable that you will be used by others. I don't want the Seventh Prince's reputation to be damaged because of you being used and deceived."
This is very clear. Xia Zian, as a woman, you should just stay in the palace and don't go anywhere, so as not to bring bad luck to the Seventh Prince.
"Yes!" Zi'an replied.
The emperor shook his head gently, "Are you very unconvinced in your heart?"
Zi'an raised his head, his eyes clear, staring at the emperor, "No, Your Majesty, I am not dissatisfied, I just feel wronged."
"What are you aggrieved about?" the emperor asked softly, but his tone suddenly became cold.
Zi'an said frankly: "In fact, I know that the emperor thinks that I sent the assassin, and that the Seventh Prince said those things because of what I did to the Seventh Prince, but I know nothing about these things."
"Do you think a seven-year-old child would lie? Or was what he said today instigated by someone? The words can be instigated, but his reaction can't be faked, right?" the emperor said coldly.
Zi'an knew that he had said too much. What Eunuch Sun said made sense, because some things could not be justified, and the more you said, the more mistakes you would make.
As for the matter of the Seventh Prince, how could it be her fault? A child could not be wrong, because how could a seven-year-old child tell such a big lie? In fact, even she felt that the Seventh Prince was not lying today, because his reaction was too real, and his fear was also real.
If a child can act to the level of an award-winning actor, then the Seventh Prince is truly terrifying.
Zi'an lowered his eyes, unable to defend himself, "Yes, the Seventh Prince would not lie, but I certainly did not threaten him."
"Alright, I won't pursue this matter, and you don't have to keep proving your innocence. I keep you by my side to give you a chance. If you have done something wrong, you can correct it. If you have not done it, the truth will eventually come to light." The emperor waved his hand in annoyance.
Zi'an stopped talking. She shouldn't have said what she just said.
"You can go out now. Go back and tell the princess about the things you have to deal with now, and then concentrate on treating me." The emperor sent her away.
Zi'an bowed and took her leave, knowing that saying more would be useless and would make the emperor think she was making excuses.
When she went outside Xiwei Palace, she saw Concubine Yi and the Seventh Prince standing by the lake. The cold wind was blowing. She had put on a fox fur cloak and was looking at the Seventh Prince who was playing with a smile on her face.
Seeing Zi'an coming out, she smiled and said, "The princess is coming out?"
Zi'an looked at the Seventh Prince, and the Seventh Prince also looked up at her. His eyes began to show fear, and he shrank back, covering his mouth, looking like he was about to collapse.
Zian frowned. What's wrong with this child? She was never like this before.
Just as I was guessing, I saw the Seventh Prince burst into laughter. It seemed that in an instant, all his fear and panic faded away. He stepped forward and held Concubine Yi's hand, "Mother, let's go back. This is not fun at all. This woman is very stupid."
Zi'an frowned for a long time, and was horrified. Was the person in front of him really a seven-year-old child? His disguise, his falsehood, his scheming, it was not an exaggeration to say that he was twenty-seven.
Concubine Yi walked past her and sneered, "Don't understand? It doesn't matter, there are still many things you don't understand. Wait, Xia Zian, this world is not something you can play around with alone. Without me, you will be so boring."
After saying this, he laughed wildly and left with the Seventh Prince.
Zi'an looked at the backs of the mother and son, and felt the wind penetrating his skin. He was so cold that he couldn't help shivering.
It seems that I have indeed underestimated Concubine Yi and Concubine Dowager Gui in the palace.
Back at Huiqing Palace, Zhuangzhuang and Prince Liang were anxiously waiting. When they saw her come in, Zhuangzhuang pulled her over and asked anxiously, "Did the emperor say anything? Blame you?"
Zi'an said in a deep voice: "He didn't ask for any punishment, but asked me to put down everything I was doing and go to Xiwei Palace to serve him."
"Really?" Zhuangzhuang's face turned sullen, "He believed the assassin's words."
Zi'an didn't have time to think about this. He pulled Zhuangzhuang to sit down and told him about the Seventh Prince's abnormal behavior just now.
Zhuangzhuang and King Liang were both shocked. Zhuangzhuang asked, "You mean, in front of the emperor, he acted very afraid of you and said you were a bad person?"
Zi'an said, "Yes, he said I was a bad woman and threatened to skin him alive and dig out his eyes."
Zhuangzhuang was shocked. "Could it be that someone pretended to be you and threatened him?"
"No," Zi'an shook his head. "When I came out, I saw them mother and son by the lake. The Seventh Prince also acted very scared of me at first, but later I knew he was pretending. He laughed, and his laugh was... very vicious."
Zi'an really didn't want to use the word vicious to describe a seven-year-old child, but when he thought back to the Seventh Prince's smile now, his head still felt numb.
Zhuangzhuang and King Liang looked at each other, both somewhat unbelieving.
Prince Liang said, "Although Xiao Qi is not a well-behaved child, he is not... vicious, right? Also, you said that his fear of you was fake, but didn't your father see it when he was in the palace? There is no way a seven-year-old child can hide from your father's sharp eyes, right?"
Zi'an smiled bitterly, "Not to mention the emperor, even I, when I saw his appearance in the palace, believed it was real. In fact, I also wondered at the time whether someone had disguised themselves as me to intimidate him, which is why he was so afraid of me."
Prince Liang seemed to find it difficult to accept. After all, the Seventh Prince was his younger brother, and his younger brother was just a child, a seven-year-old child.
(End of this chapter)