“Mr…. Mr. Gu Huaian, your brother.” Sha stammered nervously.
“Let him in!” The Empress ordered loudly. Then she stood up and walked towards the main hall. She believed Shen Qianshan wouldn’t make a joke of it. She was also clear that he knew how much she cared about Gu Huaian.
In the main hall, when Shen Qianshan just raised his cup, he saw the Empress walk out in a hurry. At that moment, he felt sorry suddenly since he could do nothing for what she cared about to help her. However, he repressed such a feeling at once. If he sympathized with her, who would sympathize with him? If he hadn’t seen her dairy, he wouldn’t have been like this. In the final analysis, she was to blame.
He put down the cup and said, “Greetings, Your Majesty!”
But he didn’t stand up to salute. Gu Qiang knew he wasn’t respectful to her. Of course, she didn’t care about it now, so she responded, “Don’t bother. What do you want to tell me about my brother?”
She had to emphasize it. She was expectant of what Shen Qianshan would say. If he couldn’t tell her something important, she might break down.
Of course, she wasn’t frightening Shen Qianshan. Any information was extremely important to her now. She could follow up the clue to track Gu Huaian down or send someone to investigate especially. So long as the end could be changed, she would like to have a try.
Thinking he had found her lifeline, Shen Qianshan said slowly, “Your Highness, do you remember the dairy I saw when I entered your room accidentally last time to hunt an assassin?”
Enter her room accidentally to hunt an assassin? He did it on purpose actually. However, it was not the most important now. The Empress nodded.
Shen Qianshan took a deep breath and nerved himself to say, “After reading the diary, I had more memories, including those about your brother.”
The Empress put her hand on her chest. Only in this way can she calm down. After going through thick and thin these years, she could keep calm no matter what happened, except for those about her brother. She told herself to calm down, but she couldn’t.
She wanted to ask Shen Qianshan loudly what it was, but she didn’t. Now her lifeline was in his hand, and she didn’t want to offend him.
Their relationship was less harmonious, so he would probably and had the right to keep silent. If so, she might break down.
“What is it?” The Empress’s hands trembled slightly. So long as Gu Huaian could be brought back to life, she was willing to do anything no matter how tough it was.
She swallowed and then forced a smile. She knew such an expression was less elegant, but she had no choice. She couldn’t help trembling and didn’t know what expression she should have. It’s too difficult.
“I remember the date of your brother’s death was delayed for three days. Do you know what it means?” Shen Qianshan said.
The Empress didn’t expect he would have more memories from the past, but she didn’t take it seriously. Obviously, the diary had different magic towards different people. No matter a person had read it or talked with it, he or she would become different from before. Now the Empress was completely attracted by what Shen Qianshan said.
Delayed for three days? If Shen Qianshan’s memory was all right, the delay would be impossible. Did it mean Gu Qiang’s efforts were rewarded?
However, Gu Huaian still died finally, didn’t he? The Empress felt sad. Was it impossible to make a bigger change?
The top priority is to contact Gu Qiang, wasn’t it? But the Empress couldn’t do it as she wanted. She had never got the initiative. She became more restless and even felt pitiful for herself. Even though she knew her brother would die three days later, she could do nothing. She was close to tears with worry. After Shen Qianshan was done, he raised the cup slowly and drank leisurely. After putting down the cup, he turned around to watch the Empress’s face. Then he was in a trance. Perhaps he thought a cold-blooded woman shouldn’t have such a response. She had never been seen weeping.
Without saying a word, the Empress tried to control her feeling and stop herself from breaking down before Shen Qianshan, but she still couldn’t help shaking.
Shen Qianshan took pity on her. But at the thought that the Empress was to blame, he didn’t feel sorry for her anymore.
“Your Highness, this is the only clue I can tell you. As for how to deal with it, it’s up to you.” Shen Qianshan stood up. When he was about to leave, a woman flew down from the eave. She was in black, and the color was noticeable in the daytime. But caring about nothing, she rushed to the Empress and kneeled.
The Empress was still troubled by what she just knew. Seeing the girl who kneeled before her suddenly, she asked coldly, “Xiang, what’s the rush?”
God knew how terrible she felt now. She had great endurance, but she was already on the verge of a breakdown. A trifle could break her down now.
“Your Majesty, Ling has been caught.” The girl named Xiang paid no attention to the Ninth Duke. Ling was the most capable one among all servant girls. Her being caught demonstrated the rival was well prepared to take measures against the Empress. They must respond to it at once.
The Empress took a deep breath and said helplessly, “Do you know who did it?”
Then Xiang turned around to look at the Ninth Duke. But the Empress waved and said, “Don’t worry. Just tell me what you know.”
Xiang hesitated and answered, “Shen Zhongbai did it.”
Shen Qianshan opened his eyes wide in astonishment and then looked at the Empress confusedly. Did her servant girls all address the Emperor by name? As the Empress, wasn’t she clear about the consequence? Not only her but the Gu Family would be implicated. He didn’t know what the Empress was thinking about. Why didn’t she subject her servant girls to discipline?
The Empress gnashed her teeth. Shen Zhongbai played such a trick at the critical moment. He was clear that she had been developing her followers. She was once worried that she might be targeted by Shen Zhongbai.
It turned out that her worry would become true soon.
Shen Qianshan realized if it was not a show. It meant the relationship between the Empress and Shen Zhongbai might not be so unbreakable as he thought.
He didn’t know why. If he believed the Empress, his former views would be completely refuted. Therefore, he was at a loss what to do next.
“What can we do? If Ling died, I wouldn’t survive either.” Unable to control her emotion, Sha cried nearby, which upset the Empress.
Ling, Sha, and Xiang were all from the Wangyue Family. They were sisters. Since Ling was in danger and even might die, her family members couldn’t accept it, of course.
But the Empress was very calm. Shen Zhongbai was displaying his strength to her. If she went to save Ling, it would prove indirectly that she was not loyal to him anymore, wouldn’t it? However, Ling meant a lot to her, so it would be against her conscience if she didn’t save her. Besides, her servant girls were sisters. What would other girls think if she didn’t save Ling? Even if they couldn’t say anything openly, they would criticize her in the heart. Ling was loyal to her but was abandoned. Even she herself couldn’t accept it in their shoes.
The Empress found herself in a dilemma. Shen Qianshan saw it by accident when he was about to leave, so he paused and asked, “Your Majesty, may I help you?”
Regarding him as a life-saving straw, the Empress rushed to him, grabbed his shoulders, and asked, “You can help me?”
She wasn’t sure at that moment. After all, why would he help her without a good relationship?
When Shen Qianshan turned around and saw her clinging to himself, he had a strange feeling. She used too much strength and hurt him, but he didn’t dodge.
He knew she was very exhausted. But he didn’t like to meddle in others’ business. There were so many things in the world, and there would be no end if he meddled in them. Therefore, he had no reason to give her a hand. He was certain that he was usually pragmatic and cold, but he couldn’t help doing the Empress a favor this time.
Was it because of his memory and the girl like a lily of the valley in his memory?
He had told himself time and time again to stay away from the Empress, but he couldn’t.
“Find where Ling is locked first.”
Shen Qianshan said and winked at Su Ge. Having followed Shen Qianshan for so many years, Su Ge could take the hint easily, so he went out first. Shen Zhongbai suspected Shen Qianshan and the Empress of an affair. If Shen Zhongbai caught them staying together without a reasonable reason, it would be exactly what he wanted to see.
Su Ge gave a safe signal, and then everyone went out of the Weiyang Palace.
In the pavilion before the Weiyang Palace, Shen Zhongbai frowned, and it seemed that he couldn’t help rushing over, but he controlled himself at last. What did the woman and the man want to do?
Shen Qiangwei passed a cup of warm tea to Shen Zhongbai, but he swept it away. Luckily, the tea was not hot, or she would be burned.
She covered her mouth tightly to refrain herself from shouting out, but it still brought tears to her eyes.