TICIEC Chapter 18.2

“Miss, I’m relieved you’re fine…” Lian Rui rubbed her reddened eyes and looked at Ning Wanyin.

“Thank goodness Tang Meiren testified for you today. That Li Guiren was truly wicked!”

“Whether there were witnesses or not, the result would be the same. His Majesty didn’t interrogate the palace maids present.” Ning Wanyin said.

If the Emperor wants to find out the truth, he will send all the palace servants to the Criminal Court.

But to him, it was just a collision between two of his concubines.

Even if Ning Wanyin had really pushed Li Guiren, so what?

He is the emperor, not a judge.

He would only choose those who were useful to him.

So he didn’t even ask about the details of what happened and directly dealt with Li Guiren.

“Indeed! Your Majesty trusts the Master completely!” Lian Rui nodded in sudden realization, having completely misunderstood.

“Of course, he wouldn’t believe anyone else’s slander!”

Ning Wanyin: …

From an outsider’s perspective, that must be the case.

But if she were truly in serious trouble, it would be strange for the Emperor to trust her.

To the Emperor, right or wrong in this matter wasn’t worth mentioning.

This was also the reason why she went to ask the Emperor for help first.

It is very important to know when to use your backer and when not to use it.

Ning Wanyin lowered her eyes, picked up the ointment that Tang Miaoling had given her on the coffee table, and examined it carefully.

It wasn’t poisonous.

When the female physician came to apply medicine to her just now, she specially showed the ointment to the female physician and asked if it was suitable for her injury.

After checking it out, the female physician also said that it was a very good medicine for healing.

Double verification: it was indeed non-toxic.

Ning Wanyin muttered to herself, “Tang Miaoling has been acting a bit strange lately.”

“I do have an idea!”

Lian Rui pondered seriously, “Could it be that the elders of the Tang family wrote to your cousin, asking her to befriend you? If she falls out of favor, there’s a helper in the palace who could lend a hand to you?”

This is quite common.

The concubines who are related to each other are natural allies.

“If she was trying to win favor, why did she move out?”

“Maybe she feels uncomfortable seeing you being favored every day? The cousin is not a broad-minded person.” The more Lian Rui thought about it, the more she felt that this was the case.

Ning Wanyin, however, felt that the situation wasn’t quite as simple as that. She needed to wait and see.

She also remembered the favor she had received today.

“Let’s wait and see. We still need to be cautious of her and not trust her.” Ning Wanyin warned her.

Lian Rui nodded in agreement, “Don’t worry, Miss. In this palace, I trust no one except you!”

After a pause, Lian Rui recalled the Emperor’s reward and wondered, “Master, why didn’t you ask for a promotion just now… Of course, a small kitchen is also very good. In the future, I can make you many snacks that you like!”

“But you also said that rank is real. That’s very important.”

Ning Wanyin smiled faintly, “It’s not surprising for a favored concubine to break the rules. When she’s in favor, there’s nothing to worry about. But once she loses power in the future, it’ll all be a crime for others to accuse her of.”

“For example, if I were to slap Li Jieyu today, His Majesty would still protect me. But if a lower-ranking official assaults a higher-ranking official, I will be punished for this in the future.”

“Of course, I can now. She is a guiren.”

Ning Wanyin felt that the Emperor was also a wonderful person. Li Jieyu relied on her higher rank to bully her, so he made Li Jieyu just one rank lower than her, and the tide turned.

“Master, you’ve really thought it through!” Lian Rui nodded in understanding.

“Master, you enjoy the Emperor’s great favor, so promotion is only a matter of time. There’s no need to rush and give yourself up to criticism.”

Even if Ning Wanyin hadn’t paid her respects to the Empress Dowager, she could have used the excuse of being unwell, granted special exemption by the Emperor. Many concubines throughout history had been exempted from paying their respects due to illness, so this wasn’t a big deal.

But promotion without justification was a blatant violation of protocol.

While the Emperor protected her, it was fine. But once he stopped, she would be accused of a crime.

She never thought that the Emperor would protect her for the rest of her life.

 

 

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