Lei Yong frowned, "I'm being serious..."

"I'm also being serious." The emperor put on a straight face and asked, "Did she say so?"

"Well, no..." Lei Yong said glancing to the side.

The emperor raised an eyebrow, "So it's your assumption then?"

"Actions speak louder than words..." Lei Yong said looking back at the emperor with conviction.

The emperor scrutinized Lei Yong for a bit.

...True, but they can often have different motivations...

"How so?"

Lei Yong hesitated for a bit and then sighed, "She...she has always been such a proud person, carefree and indifferent with everything...I've never seen her beg or plead with anyone for anything, not even as a child ... I have also never seen her cry like that, she barely even shed tears as a baby...for her to desperately plead like her life depended on it to be allowed to enter this competition, if not love, what other reasons could there be?" Lei Yong said, seriously looking at the emperor.

The emperor knit his eyebrows and looked back at him. The two stayed like that for a while.

The silence in the room was broken when the doors opened, Eunuch Li entered the room and stopped beside Lei Yong and bowed to the emperor, the two of them cast him a glance and then he said, "Your majesty, the empress dowager has requested your presence in her palace."

"En." The emperor stood up and came down the steps and stopped beside Lei Yong and cast him a side glance, but he didn't know what to say and eventually just walked off with Eunuch Li following behind him. Lei Yong sighed as he turned and watched their departing backs.

...I hope I didn't make a mistake...

When the emperor reached the empress dowager's palace, he noticed the servants outside and realized that she was not alone and frowned as he entered. The eunuch at the door announced his arrival and everyone in the room got up and bowed, except the empress dowager. He walked up and stopped in front of the steps and bowed in greeting to his mother, "Mother, you sent for me."

The empress dowager smiled, "Oh, Kai'er you've come. Come up and take a seat first." The emperor walked up the platform and sat on the seat to her left, glanced around the room and then looked back at his mother, the empress dowager's smile brightened, "Ah, I've been having them study on the life of an Imperial wife, they need to be aware of the rules."

"You can all continue reading." The empress dowager said to the girls, who all bowed and sat back down to try to continue reading. The tone in the room had definitely changed with the emperor's arrival, they were no longer able to fully concentrate on the books.

A maid came up and served tea to the emperor, he looked at his mother and asked, "Mother, what did you send for me for?"

The empress dowager's smile froze, "Must there be a reason for me to send for you?" she paused and then said, "You've been working so hard, it's good to take a break once in a while." She said smiling and picking up her cup and sipping her tea. The emperor did not say anything and picked up his teacup and sipped.

Lei Xing was feeling odd, she felt like she was being watched and she lightly glanced around, she covertly glanced up and her eyes met the emperor's eyes, she knit her brows in shock and quickly looked back down.

...What the hell are you glaring at me for?!... Stop it!!...

Lei Xing frowned with her head down, she didn't look up again but she could still feel that scrutinizing glare.

The empress dowager looked at her son and followed his line of sight, saw Lei Xing and frowned. Then she smiled and said, "Kai'er, I called you over to accompany me for lunch along with your wives, that way you can become familiar with yourselves."

On hearing the word, 'lunch', Lei Xing's frown deepened.

...Lunch? I'm not eating anything here without it being tested!...but it's not like I can pull out silver pins and start checking in front of all of them...forget being tagged crazy, I'd be tagged dead for my insolence...but what to do...I can't risk it...Stupid - No, I mean, great ring, please come back soon, Master Lou you must fix it! T_T)...

Lei Xing thought for a while and then her eyes brightened. She put on worn-out expression and waved for Xiao Ruo to come forward, and used Xiao Ruo's arm to support herself and stood up. She bowed to the front and said, "Your majesty, I'm sorry but it seems I have overestimated myself again and am not fully recovered, I don't want to ruin the mood, so I request to leave."

The empress dowager looked at Lei Xing, there was an awkward silence and after a while, she finally said, "Oh, in that case, you should go rest."

Lei Xing inwardly sighed in relief, then bowed again, thanked the empress dowager and left.

The emperor looked at the doors for a while, and then stood up and turned to his mother, "Mother, I have some pressing matters to attend to and cannot stay long. So, I will take my leave now." He finished, bowed and turned to leave.

The empress dowager's frowned as she watched him leave, there were also the disappointed eyes of others in the room following his exit.

When Lei Xing got outside the empress dowager's palace, she sighed and Xiao Ruo stopped her and said, "Your highness, why don't you wait inside, we will prepare a palanquin for you."

Lei Xing shook her head, "No, it's fine for me to walk."

Just as Lei Xing was about to start walking, she saw the emperor exit the empress dowager's palace and froze for a bit and then bowed towards him and turned to leave. The emperor also started walking, and it seemed they were going in the same direction. Lei Xing slowed down her pace, so that he could go ahead, but then he also seemed to slow down. Lei Xing then quickened her pace but he still kept pace, she slowed down again and he was still there, it seemed she couldn't shake him off. Lei Xing glanced to the other side and frowned.

...What the hell is this now? -_-)...okay, maybe I'm being too sensitive, it's not like we're walking side by side, there's enough space in between us to fit at least five people, we're just going the same direction...but what about this pacing crap?...coincidence? Bull**it -_-)...Perhaps he wants to talk? Then why not say something then and about what?... If it's not about my discharge, then I am not INTERESTED!...In that case, we'll ignore it...

Lei Xing put on an indifferent expression and faced forward.

The emperor had been scrutinizing her with a frown the entire time.

...It is doesn't seem to be the case...Yong must have been mistaken...but then why would she plead to enter the palace?...there's also the fact that she asked to leave as well...it doesn't make sense she'd do that if she had feelings for me...she also didn't seem that way at all...but then why would she desperately plead to the point it seemed like her life depended to enter the palace and then ask to leave once she's gotten in?...that's not exactly right, she pleaded like her life depended on it to enter the competition...then maybe her life really depended on it? A threat? but what is there to gain by simply entering the competition?...perhaps she was threatened into entering the palace to do something, and the competition was the best opportunity to gain access, a time-limited access...which explains her request to leave, she must have expected to fail...

...but what could she possibly have been tasked to do, steal something? or do something? Like what though? The candidates were all closely monitored, even if she was a high-level martial expert, which I doubt she is, it would still have been hard to not have been discovered...they may have overestimated the freedom she would have as a candidate...also who could possibly threaten her, she's the defense minister's daughter, she shouldn't have to fear an attempt on her life...could it be blackmail then?...something that she feels is damning enough to end her life if revealed to the public...interesting...but who could it be?... Prince Yi? they did seem to have a weird relationship...but then what could she possibly be able to do for him?...also, I was told I will regret letting her go, which could mean that the key part of their operation depended on her release...so did she take something? that she needed to deliver on her exit?... Could she be in some sort of trouble then... it's not like she would just tell me if I asked...Should I have her tortured then?...hmm, this is just wild speculation though, what if I'm wrong...how do I explain it to Yong...let's leave it for now...

Lei Xing had been facing forward the entire time, ignoring the weird glances she was receiving from the side. Finally, after what felt like a long while, the emperor finally picked up his pace and went ahead. Lei Xing sighed as she watched him and retinue going far away.

...See, it was nothing, we were really just going the same way...and it was just me being too sensitive...that or a sick joke -_-)'...Whatever, it's over...

Lei Xing arrived at her palace and entered her room to find Ah Jin waiting for her. Her face brightened and she sent the other servants away. Ah Jin handed her the box and Lei Xing opened it and happily smiled at the ring. She picked it up and slipped it on, admiring it on her hand.

...Welcome back! I've missed you T_T)...Ah, first things first...

Lei Xing straightened and looked at Ah Jin and asked, "What did he say?"

Ah Jin looked at Lei Xing a bit hesitant, Lei Xing saw her nervousness and said, "It's okay, just say what happened and tell me exactly what he said."

Ah Jin looked at Lei Xing and then nodded, "After I gave him the ring, he looked at it closely and then took out a clean cloth, blew on it and started cleaning it while talking, he said...people do not know how to appreciate a treasure, a precious treasure needs to be treated like a precious treasure...and must be treated with utmost respect and retain the dignity of a precious treasure..." Ah Jin paused.

Lei Xing raised her eyebrows as she listened and sighed.

...What did I expect? -_-)...

Ah Jin was hesitating again, Lei Xing glanced at her, "Continue."

"He said that if you don't treat it well, then it won't treat you well..." She paused again.

Lei Xing pursed her lips, "Go on."

Ah Jin looked a bit puzzled as she said, "I'm not exactly sure the rest of his words have any relevance but..."

"Just say it, I'll decide on the relevance" Lei Xing said a bit annoyed.

"He said...when a person eats, it takes time for the food to digest and then they poop, the same for animals, pooping is the natural cleansing process of the world, he poops, we poop and all things poop but...the pooping process takes time...for some people it takes minutes, others hours...but for him it takes a full day and that it annoys him to no end, but unfortunately that is how his body is, it must be due to old age...he can walk around and probably even run with no problem, the only problem he has is this 24-hour pooping period...other than that he is still perfectly capable, and then asked isn't it worth it? I didn't know how to respond and so remained quiet...then he gave me back the ring, said I should leave and went to sleep on the desk."

Lei Xing knit her brows and stared at Ah Jin, who looked back at her with a helpless expression.

...Poop?...