บท 156: Wordplay

The Maid became flustered, "I-I-I was...th..." Before she could not find her words the Emperor turned his attention to his mother with a deepening frown, it was clear he was displeased, "So is this the reason you mobilized the Imperial guards? Even if it were true, this is not how you should have handled the matter. Before taking such disruptive actions you should have sought me out, and if I were absent, you should have waited for my return." 

The Empress dowager frowned and barked in her defense, "Wait for you? That would have resulted in a missed opportunity to catch the criminals in the act!" 

"And what have you found now?" The Emperor calmly asked and the Empress dowager scowled. He then turned to Lei Xing and flatly said, "You have been accused of a crime, and so will need to explain yourself to be absolved of any guilt."