Chương 55: Interrogation

Lei Yong knit his brows and was quiet for a while, "Anyway, you can't do as you like in the Imperial Palace, you have to be more careful. Avoid getting into trouble and don't cause trouble. You also shouldn't do anything that will cause people to question or be suspicious of you. Prince Yi is both trouble and suspicious so make sure you stay away from him. Do you know how m-"

"Okay, okay...I understand, trust me I do. Again, it was really just a coincidence, we are not friends or anything, I really do understand." Lei Xing interrupted already tired of Lei Yong's nagging.

{...I've had enough of people's advice today and the last thing I need right now is a nag session -_-)...}

Lei Yong was still looking at Lei Xing skeptically, so she flashed him a forced smile to reassure him, then he sighed, "I hope you do...How does the Emperor treat you?"

Lei Xing inwardly groaned and simply replied, "Good."

{...He gave me this stupid pass, so I guess it's not bad -_-)...}

They walked for a while in silence, and then Lei Yong quietly asked, "Are you happy?"

Lei Xing blinked and turned to look at him, no one had asked her that, and looking at his expression, she really couldn't bring herself to lie.

Seeing Lei Xing's confused face, Lei Yong sighed again and then smiled, "Don't worry, these things take time."

"En, unlike yours." Lei Xing responded with her eyes glancing behind them.

Lei Yong followed her line of sight and caught Tung Mei's eyes, who smiled and waved at him, causing him to jump and immediately face forward.

Lei Xing snorted, "Well you both seem to be getting along great."

{...Yesterday you were behaving as if she were the bane to your existence, and today here you are on a date...Tsundere much hahaha...}

"Her father sent a letter asking for me to look after her...He is an old friend, so I can't decline his request...Plus she is a bit prone to getting in trouble...He treated me well before, so I have to...It's better to keep an eye on her." Lei Yong haphazardly explained.

Lei Xing looked at him skeptically and nodded, "I see...So when is the wedding?"

Lei Yong frowned and Lei Xing laughed, "Since you're already "looking after" her, you might as well just marry to her to prevent her from "getting in trouble", right? How long do you plan to "keep an eye on her" for?"

"Well...It's just until she..." Lei Yong paused and seemed to be thinking.

"Gets married?" Lei Xing suggested.

"No." Lei Yong swiftly responded.

"She shouldn't?" Lei Xing asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes." Lei Yong absentmindedly responded

"Yes?" Lei Xing asked with eyebrows raised.

"No, that's not it!" Lei Yong swiftly defended, "It's just until she decides to go back home." He finally thought up an answer.

"And if she doesn't decide to?" Lei Xing asked with an amused tone.

Lei Yong frowned and didn't respond.

Lei Xing snorted and then cleared her throat and pat Lei Yong on the back, and repeated his "reassuring" words, "Don't worry, these things take time."

While the siblings went ahead and were engaged in their discussion at the front. Tung Mei fell into step beside Ah Jin and nudged her, "Hey, what's he doing here?"

Ah Jin didn't respond, and Tung Mei continued to ask, "Don't tell me he followed Xing jie all the way here too?"

When Ah Jin still didn't respond, Tung Mei cast her a questioning look and then asked, "Don't tell me you're still angry?"

Still no response.

Tung Mei knit her brows and explained, "I panicked...and it all worked out, so just let it go...So tell me why is he here?"

"I don't know." Ah Jin flatly responded and, after a pause added, "Why are you still here?"

"I was told to find an opportunity for myself, and so I did." Tung Mei indignantly responded raising her head.

Ah Jin turned to her wide-eyed, "Then you -"

Tung Mei swiftly interjected, "Don't misunderstand, I just took advantage of an opportunity...I didn't do anything...much." She finished mumbling the last word under her breath.

Ah Jin looked at her suspiciously and then asked, "Does your father know you're here?"

Tung Mei nervously laughed, "Well...no, but this is such a trivial matter, and he's very busy, so let's not bother him, he doesn't need to know." She finished nodding to reaffirm her conclusion.

Ah Jin gave her a blank stare, then Tung Mei sighed, "Look, I'm just here for myself, and I'm not interested in anybody else, so as long as no one messes this up for me, I won't interfere with anyone else either. Really, I mean it."

Ah Jin knit her brows, "And what you did last night?"

"Ah, that...that was just..." Then she nervously laughed, "It won't happen again!" Tung Mei said raising a hand to promise to show her resolution.

"So now we're good?" She asked smiling and blinking at Ah Jin.

"What do I care, it has nothing to do with me." Ah Jin flatly responded.

"Great! Don't worry, I'll make all this up to you in the future." Tung Mei happily said.

"Please don't." Ah Jin quietly said.

"Don't worry, you can trust me." Tung Mei reassuringly said.

"I don't think so..." Ah Jin mumbled shaking her head.

"You'll see..." Tung Mei offhandedly said and then bounced ahead to join Lei Xing and Lei Yong, linking her arms in theirs.

Ah Jin looked at the trio ahead with Lei Yong "politely" trying to rip his arm out of Tung Mei's and asking for her to release him, while she ignored his pleas and happily talked to Lei Xing, who was trying to suppress her laughter looking at Lei Yong's aggrieved face.

Ah Jin sighed and then picked up her pace to catch up to them.

Lei Yong took it upon himself to escort Lei Xing back to the palace, and of course, Tung Mei tagged along as well.

As they approached the palace gates, Lei Yong began imparting some more words of wisdom to Lei Xing, who quickly nodded and sprinted through the gates with Ah Jin, before he could truly begin his lecture.

Lei Yong frowned at the palace gates Lei Xing had disappeared through and then sighed. Tung Mei, who was beside him, waved a hand in front of his face, causing him to flinch and then look at her.

Tung Mei then smiled, "You worry too much, Xing jie will be perfectly fine. Although I don't agree, that guy can be useful, so...she'll be fine."

Lei Yong frowned and scolded, "I told to stop referring to refer to the Emperor like that."

Tung Mei massaged her ear and mumbled under her breath, "Don't you get tired of saying the same thing over and over again...Honestly, it's actually really annoying."

"What's that?" Lei Yong cluelessly asked.

"I'm hungry, let's go eat something." Tung Mei swiftly responded and turned, and walked off.

Lei Yong sighed as he watched her walking off, then he glanced at the palace gates and sighed again, and then turned and followed after her.

As soon as Lei Xing returned to her palace, Xiao Ruo rushed towards her almost in tears and informed her that the Empress dowager sent for her, and urged her to get changed quickly.

As Lei Xing got changed, Xiao Ruo briefed her on the visits she received, and about how Ling mama returned to inform that she was to go see the Empress dowager the moment she returned.

Lei Xing was not concerned about Chen You, as she could guess what she came here for, but she was very concerned about the Empress dowager.

{...What did she want me for? And why today of all days?... Am I in trouble? No, I haven't done anything wrong!...}

Lei Xing took a deep breath to calm her mind and started running through possible scenarios in her head, planning out her lines.

{...Haah, why did she have to call for me today? I mean, every day I just laze around here doing nothing and she never sends for me...Now the one day I choose not to do that, here she comes... I'm definitely one of those unlucky people who always get caught on their first attempt at crime T_T)...

...Wait, I didn't commit any crime, I had permission and if she has a problem with that then she should go meet the judge!... Yes, makes perfect sense...That would be the rational thing to do, BUT if she were rational, then we wouldn't have a problem, now would we? T_T)...}

Lei Xing finished getting dressed and quickly made her way to the Empress dowager's palace.

When she arrived, she was led to the reception hall where the Empress dowager was sitting on the main seat, with Song mama beside her, both staring down at Lei Xing with blank expressions as she walked in.

{...Okay, not awkward at all... She was really waiting for me T_T) Have you been waiting all day like that? This feels like one of those intervention scenes...}

"Your majesty, please forgive my tardiness." Lei Xing apologized as she bowed in greeting.

"I heard you went out of the palace." The Empress dowager calmly said.

"Yes, I did...The Emperor gave me a pass yesterday, so I felt obliged to make use of it so..." Lei Xing answered, lowering her head in the process.

{...Yes, I had to use it because otherwise, it would be an insult to the gifter...An affront to his "immense grace"...Yeah, so it's his fault! Go interrogate him, please T_T)...}

"I see..." The Empress dowager calmly said, then sighed and picked up her cup of tea and leisurely took a sip.

Lei Xing glanced up at her to see her with her eyes closed, seemingly savoring the taste of the tea.

{...So can I go now? Is that it?...}

The Empress dowager opened her eyes, and Lei Xing quickly lowered her head again.

{...This woman's eyes make me feel highly uncomfortable...It's like looking into a bottomless abyss of bitterness and emptiness and...bottom line, I don't like it, not to mention she tried to kill me!...}

"So where did you go?" The Empress dowager asked fixing her gaze back on Lei Xing.

"Ah...I used the opportunity to go visit a doctor. I had met with him before entering the palace, and he was able to help improve my health condition, so I thought to go visit him again..." Lei Xing swiftly responded with her prepared answer.

She had thought about it and it was best to give the truth, well a half-truth.

{...Not to mention if I get caught in a lie, these people can make it a crime...If the dramas got it right, then it's an off with your head kind of crime...Okay, maybe not off with your head, but definitely a demotion + jail sort of crime, if they wanted it to be...Either way, it's trouble!...}

"A doctor?"

"Yes, he is very skilled and famous." Lei Xing rationalized.

{...About him being famous, I honestly have no clue...but he seemed to think so...}

"I see...In that case, you could have sent someone to summon him for you, there was no need to go out of your way to visit him." The Empress dowager calmly advised.

Lei Xing paused and then scraped up an answer, "Um...He is very picky about his work environment, so it was just easier to go to him than to try to accommodate his many requirements....but he is very skilled, so it's worth the journey."

{...He doesn't even seem to like to work in his own shop, so I doubt he'd be so inclined to journey anywhere for anyone -_-)...}

"I see...and who is this famed doctor that is even more skilled than the palace physicians that require such special treatment?" The Empress dowager inquired with a raised eyebrow, it seemed her interest had been piqued.

Lei Xing blinked.

{...Uh, oh...No one really, he's nobody!...}

Lei Xing inwardly sighed and, without a better option, gave the answer, "He is called Doctor Lou."

{...I'm really sorry doc, but it's not like I can say no T_T)...but this should work out for you, right?... Perhaps you will get a promotion in life, that's a good thing, right?...Not sure he wants a promotion though, don't think he can peacefully sleep on the job here, he'll definitely hate me for this, I'm sorry!! T_T)...}