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"Brave sir... please, get up first..." And the current posture of the two of them was certainly not conducive to conversation, so she spoke in a low voice.
Wei Tingyu smiled faintly upon hearing this, then with a light flip, he gracefully and neatly got off the bed. The moment the restraints on Xiao Yan were lifted, she immediately sat up and pulled the bed curtains beside her to cover herself. Although there was still a beautiful, half-concealed allure, it was not as exposed as before, with only her most private dudou and inner garment visible!
"Who are you? What is your purpose?" And after Xiao Yan regained a considerable amount of her sense of security, she finally raised her head, looked at Wei Tingyu, and asked directly.
"This one is the Marquis of Jining, Wei Tingyu! I greet Her Majesty, the Empress of Da Wu!" And at this moment, Wei Tingyu naturally had no need to be evasive with Xiao Yan. A very important purpose of his visit today was to form a partnership with her. Since they were to cooperate, he could only reveal his true identity! Besides, he knew that a clever woman like Xiao Yan would absolutely not leak the news of his nighttime intrusion into the palace.
"Marquis of Jining?" Xiao Yan was startled upon hearing this, then she frowned. She had naturally heard the news of Wei Tingyu's arrival in Wuguo as a special envoy from a great central kingdom in the past few days, but being in the inner palace, she had not yet taken control of the court, so she had never actually met Wei Tingyu.
"How dare you, Marquis of Jining!" Thinking of this, Xiao Yan's face reddened again, though she didn't know if it was from anger or shyness. She glared at Wei Tingyu and said directly, "You dare to intrude into the palace at night with ill intentions?!"
"I admit to intruding into the palace at night!" However, Wei Tingyu simply smiled faintly and said, "But as for 'ill intentions'... I am truly wronged!"
"..." Xiao Yan was taken aback, then she furrowed her delicate brows. She looked into Wei Tingyu's eyes, seemingly trying to glean some useful information from them! However, all her efforts were in vain. Xiao Yan was astonished to find that she was almost drawn into the depths of his profound gaze. Xiao Yan could be described as a woman of supreme intelligence, but this was the first time in her life she had encountered a man as inscrutable as Wei Tingyu!
"Your intrusion into the palace at night is already a great crime!" Xiao Yan didn't bother to argue about whether he had ill intentions or not, but instead said directly, "Are you not afraid that I will call for help?"
"Then call!" However, Wei Tingyu wore a carefree expression, looking at Xiao Yan and laughing directly.
"You..." Xiao Yan was stunned and felt helpless. She also knew that calling for help was not an option in this situation. If a large number of people were to rush into the palace and see her with a foreign man, the only one who couldn't explain themselves would be her, the Empress! As for Wei Tingyu, since he could sneak into the palace so silently, he could probably also slip out without the imperial guards being able to stop him. Moreover, this man was wearing a mask! No one could truly see his face, so afterwards, even if she wanted to blame the Marquis of Jining, he could simply deny it. He could claim that the person who broke into the palace was not him, and she would have no other evidence!
Furthermore, this would completely ruin the diplomatic relations between the two countries! Xiao Yan wanted to control the court of Wuguo, not to see Wuguo perish. Otherwise, who would she be scheming to control after going to all this trouble? And the events of tonight would surely be used by King Danyang to create a huge commotion in the court meeting, and he might even doubt that the child she had claimed to be carrying was Emperor Wu's! If that happened, she would be completely out of power! No minister in the court would support her anymore!
Xiao Yan thought through all these things in an instant! She looked at Wei Tingyu again, and saw that his face was also filled with a faint smile, clearly showing that he knew she had no choice! This feeling of being played like a puppet made Xiao Yan very unhappy. After all, for a long time, she was the only one who used schemes to manipulate others, but now, in front of Wei Tingyu, the situation was completely reversed!
"Marquis of Jining, you have calculated well! You knew this Empress would be caught between a rock and a hard place!" Thinking of this, Xiao Yan also raised her head helplessly, looked at Wei Tingyu, and said, "Are all the nobles of your country as cunning as you, Marquis?"
"Of course not!" Wei Tingyu smiled and said, "There are truly not many as cunning as I; I could probably count them on one hand!"
Pah! You heard the word 'cunning' and not only did you not feel ashamed, but you looked quite proud of it? This Marquis of Jining truly seemed to be a wastrel! But how could an ordinary wastrel have such skills? One must know that practicing martial arts takes a lot of time and effort; without the determination to endure hardship, one could never become a master. Wei Tingyu's martial arts were so high that he could enter the imperial palace as if it were an empty land, so how diligent must he have been in his practice! But how could a person with such a mindset be a wastrel?
The more Xiao Yan looked at Wei Tingyu, the more mysterious he seemed, and some of the mysteries even contradicted each other! This made her feel even more that she couldn't see through this man!
"Forget it, forget it." Thinking this, Xiao Yan could only wave her slender jade-like hands, then looked at Wei Tingyu and said, "Since the Marquis has specifically come to the palace to find this Empress, you must have something to discuss?"
"Indeed!" Wei Tingyu naturally had no need to hide. He walked directly over and, under Xiao Yan's wary gaze, sat down beside her. The two sat side by side on the edge of the bed; this scene was indeed extremely ambiguous! The most crucial thing was that the distance between them was less than a fist's width, and as Wei Tingyu sat down, their thighs even touched!
Xiao Yan frowned, then quietly moved her body to the side, slightly increasing the distance. However, it was still too close, which caused Xiao Yan's ears, who had never had such intimate contact with a man before, to turn slightly red again.
"Then what is it? Please say it quickly so the Marquis can leave!" Xiao Yan felt her heartbeat seemingly quicken, then looked at Wei Tingyu and spoke directly. She was now afraid that this man would suddenly be overcome by lust and press her back onto the bed to do unspeakable things! If that happened, it would be all over! Being caught between a rock and a hard place, she would never dare to call for help, and she would have no choice but to give in to this man... The thought of this terrifying outcome made Xiao Yan involuntarily nervous.
"Your Majesty, do not panic!" Wei Tingyu smiled faintly, looked at her, and said, "I merely heard from afar in the capital that the Empress of Da Wu is dignified, beautiful, and alluring, so I came specifically to see if it was true..."
"..." Just for this? Xiao Yan was first stunned upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, then her brows furrowed tightly. If this was truly the reason, then Wei Tingyu was clearly a lecher! Then she was truly in great danger tonight!
"But now that I've seen you..." And when Wei Tingyu saw the expression on Xiao Yan's face, he smiled again and said.
"How?" Although Xiao Yan was unhappy with Wei Tingyu's words, she heard a hint of disappointment in his tone afterwards, and her brows furrowed even more tightly. What woman could tolerate such words? Especially an arrogant woman like Xiao Yan, who now held the title of Empress, who would dare to say such things in front of her? Did Wei Tingyu, after seeing her, think she wasn't dignified, beautiful, or alluring enough?
"Beautiful, you certainly are!" Wei Tingyu naturally couldn't lie with his eyes open; he wasn't blind, how could he say Xiao Yan wasn't beautiful?
"However, this rumor is not entirely accurate!" He continued without a second thought.
"What? Does the Marquis think that besides being dignified, beautiful, and alluring, this Empress has other characteristics?" In terms of beauty, Xiao Yan naturally believed she was second to none! Therefore, she was even more unable to accept being disparaged by Wei Tingyu, and she asked again directly.
"Of course!" However, Wei Tingyu nodded, turned his face to look at Xiao Yan, then slowly lowered his head and leaned close to her face. Xiao Yan hadn't expected the other party to lean in without a word! She subconsciously shrank her neck, but no matter how long and slender her jade-like neck was, there was a limit, and she was soon truly cornered by Wei Tingyu. Their noses were almost touching; she could even feel the warm breath from Wei Tingyu's nose and mouth on her cheeks!
"Besides being dignified, beautiful, and alluring... Your Majesty is also deep-minded, highly cunning, and ruthless!" Wei Tingyu said this in an almost flirtatious tone. And upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was completely dumbfounded! What is happening? Seeing Wei Tingyu's face pressed so close, it was clear he was overcome with lust! He should be flirting with her right now! However, she hadn't expected his words to take a turn, saying that she was deep-minded, highly cunning, and even ruthless? Were these three words used to describe a beautiful woman? Then were Wei Tingyu's actions just now truly meant to flirt with her?
"What do you mean, Marquis of Jining?" After a few breaths, Xiao Yan finally reacted. She frowned, turned her head to the side, and said angrily. One must know that 'dignified and beautiful' was the persona she had always presented to the outside world! Besides her closest female official, no one knew that she harbored so many schemes in her heart! Now that she had been exposed by Wei Tingyu face-to-face, she naturally couldn't keep her composure, but she still put on a pitiful and wronged expression.
"Why did Your Majesty allow Princess Ying to disguise herself as a man to welcome Emperor Wu back?" Wei Tingyu was naturally prepared for this move by Xiao Yan. He simply smiled and asked.
"You saw everything?" Xiao Yan was stunned, and then she realized. So this Wei Tingyu was in the hall all along! Then he must have seen the entire scene of her acting in front of Yang Ying. But if that was the case, when she went to bathe and change after sending Yang Ying away, did he also see all of it? No! There's a more important matter at hand! If this Wei Tingyu were to spread the news that she deliberately sent Yang Ying to be an envoy, then her subsequent plan might truly not succeed!
"What are you talking about, Marquis?" Thinking this, Xiao Yan immediately put on an even more aggrieved expression, as if it were a huge misunderstanding. She frowned and said in a low voice, "Princess Ying insisted on doing so, and even threatened not to get up if I didn't agree..."
"Since the Marquis saw it too, why blame me?"
"Or...?" However, Xiao Yan was a very clever and alert woman; she quickly seized upon a point in the matter and began her counterattack. She turned her head and glared at Wei Tingyu, saying, "Does the Marquis perhaps have feelings for our Da Wu's Princess Ying?"
Good heavens! So you're shifting the focus, are you? Indeed, she was not a simple girl! Wei Tingyu smiled faintly but nodded without hesitation, saying, "Princess Ying is so lovely and innocent, what man wouldn't like her?"
Xiao Yan hadn't expected Wei Tingyu to admit it so readily. She blinked, opened her mouth, but for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"...Princess Ying volunteered to serve as a special envoy in order to earn a great merit and get the right to choose her own husband!"
"Could it be that she did this for the Marquis?"
"Have the Marquis and Princess Ying already made a private promise to each other?"
The more Xiao Yan spoke, the more she felt it was a strong possibility. At this moment, she truly felt that she had inadvertently learned a secret.
"You don't need to worry about the matter between me and Princess Ying!" Wei Tingyu smiled, then looked at the dumbfounded Xiao Yan and said directly, "However, the reason Your Majesty chose Princess Ying is precisely because you saw this characteristic of hers, is it not?"
"Regardless of whether Princess Ying has a beloved in her heart right now, her desire to control her own love is very strong!"
"So as long as she knows that she can receive the reward of three thousand households after bringing Emperor Wu back, she will definitely volunteer!"
"As for the matter between Princess Ying and me, it just happened to coincide!"
Wei Tingyu's words were tantamount to admitting the fact that he and Princess Ying had feelings for each other, and at the same time, he was explaining to Xiao Yan why he would ask her about Princess Ying. Xiao Yan was truly stunned at this moment, because everything Wei Tingyu said was correct! It was precisely because Yang Ying was the only girl among the imperial clan who was likely to fall for the bait! Yang Ying lacked political experience and was easily swayed by her emotions, making her the best candidate for this high-risk mission. She had originally planned to send someone to call Princess Yang Ying to her palace today to perform that play, but she hadn't expected the young woman to come on her own, which saved her some effort.
And at this moment, Xiao Yan also understood that Wei Tingyu had played a part in this! But this was going to be troublesome. If Wei Tingyu truly liked Yang Ying, he would certainly not stand by and watch the young woman fall into her trap!
"What are you talking about, Marquis? Why don't I understand?!" At this moment, Xiao Yan could not maintain her airs in front of Wei Tingyu; she no longer referred to herself as "this Empress" but used "I" instead. At this moment, she naturally had to be stubborn to the end and not reveal all of her plans. She did not believe that Wei Tingyu could know all the details! As long as she denied it, there was still a chance to deceive this Marquis of Jining and make him believe that she was sincere about bringing Emperor Wu back!
Wei Tingyu smiled faintly upon seeing Xiao Yan's expression, then said, "It's alright if Your Majesty doesn't want to say it directly; how about I take a guess?"
"After your country's Emperor was captured, Your Majesty pretended to be pregnant to seize the power to oversee the state, but in reality, there is no child in your womb!"
"Princess Ying's identity, disguised as a man, carries an enormous risk! Once Anguo discovers it, it will lead to the failure of the military camp plan!"
"Even Emperor Wu and Princess Ying could be executed by Anguo in a fit of rage!"
"This move can directly eliminate potential competitors for the throne! Such as King Danyang..."
"After all, such a great oversight would certainly be his responsibility as the one overseeing the state! It's not as if the blame would be placed on a woman in the inner palace, is it?"
"At the same time, it also paves the way for the Empress's fictitious prince!"
Wei Tingyu, with a shallow smile, rattled off a series of words, laying bare all of Xiao Yan's previous plans! Xiao Yan, who had originally wanted to argue a few more points, was now completely dumbfounded, because the plan Wei Tingyu spoke of was exactly the same as her own!
"What are you saying, Marquis... How can anyone know if this matter won't be exposed by Anguo?" But Xiao Yan was not an ordinary person. After being shocked for a few seconds, she immediately composed herself, then smiled and said, "If it actually succeeded, wouldn't all my schemes have been for naught?"
"How could it succeed?" Wei Tingyu looked at Xiao Yan and laughed directly. He stepped forward, grabbed Xiao Yan's wrist, and pretended to take her pulse before letting go.
"Your Majesty has no signs of a pregnancy pulse at all! This was a huge lie from the start!"
"Since you told this lie in court, you never intended for Emperor Wu to return safely, did you? Otherwise, how would you be able to cover up this enormous lie?"
Wei Tingyu currently knew nothing about medicine, but that didn't stop him from putting on a show. Xiao Yan also didn't know that he was just pretending. Seeing that Wei Tingyu had directly exposed her fake pregnancy, she knew that this matter could not be hidden from him.