Chapter 76: A Confession.
’But Host... the mission is still in progress...’
Mini’s voice echoed inside Wang Gege’s mind after it entered its hidden mode.
Qing’er, who was standing quietly beside the table, watched as Wang Gege happily scooped another mouthful of rice into her mouth.
"I need a full stomach before going to war," Wang Gege suddenly replied.
Qing’er blinked in confusion.
"Young Madam?" She looked at Wang Gege with growing concern, "Are... are you planning to go to a battlefield?"
Wang Gege paused halfway through chewing before realizing she had answered Mini aloud again. She slowly swallowed the food in her mouth before giving Qing’er an awkward smile.
"No." She waved her hand dismissively, "I was just making an analogy."
"Analo... what?" Qing’er once again furrowed her eyebrows together, completely lost in understanding her Young Madam at that moment.
"Ah..." Wang Gege immediately corrected herself. "I mean, a comparison."
She pointed toward the bowl in front of her, "I’ve learned something today."
Qing’er tilted her head. "What is it, Young Madam?"
Wang Gege scooped another spoonful of rice into her mouth before answering matter-of-factly. "People should never argue on an empty stomach."
She nodded to herself as though it were the most reasonable conclusion in the world. "If I don’t eat enough first, I won’t even have the strength to think."
Qing’er stared at her for a long while before letting out a helpless smile. "This servant has never heard anyone explain it that way."
Wang Gege smiled proudly, "Well... You’ve heard it now."
Before Qing’er could say another word, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the room.
The next moment, the wooden door was pushed open.
"Young Master." Qing’er quickly bowed.
Still dressed in his court robes, Xie Rong stepped into the room. The familiar black blindfold remained neatly tied over his eyes, yet there was none of his usual unhurried pace today. Even without seeing his expression, everyone present could tell he had returned in haste.
His steps came to an abrupt stop.
The room fell silent.
Wang Gege, who had been halfway through another mouthful of rice, slowly looked up.
The two remained silent for a brief moment and Qing’er already left the room, closing the door.
Xie Rong’s breathing was slightly uneven, as though he had walked much faster than usual after entering the residence.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was lower than usual.
Wang Gege blinked before quickly swallowing the rice in her mouth.
"Hurt?" She instinctively looked down at herself before shaking her head. "No."
A brief silence followed.
Only then did Wang Gege finally realize...
He hadn’t asked out of courtesy. He had rushed back because he had already heard what had happened.
"Oh..." She blinked before pointing her chopsticks toward the courtyard outside. "The blossom tree caught fire."
A trace of regret crossed her face, "Such a pity. I liked that one much more than the blossom tree in my previous courtyard."
As she spoke, she casually picked up another piece of fish, carefully separating the flesh from the tiny bones before placing it into her bowl.
Xie Rong remained standing where he was.
He said nothing. His gaze rested upon her quiet figure as she continued eating as though the incident had been nothing more than a tree catching fire.
There was no grievance upon her face.
No trace of anger or did she appear frightened by the rumors that had spread throughout the residence.
She simply lowered her head and continued picking apart the fish with remarkable patience, occasionally frowning whenever a stubborn fish bone refused to separate cleanly.
Qing’er quietly stood at the side, not daring to utter a single word.
The atmosphere inside the room grew strangely silent. After a long while, Xie Rong finally spoke.
"I heard..." His voice was calm as always, "that Grandmother came."
Wang Gege nodded without looking up, "She did."
"And Madam Liu?"
"She came too." Only then did Wang Gege lift her head. Seeing that Xie Rong was still standing by the doorway, she blinked in confusion.
"Husband..." She gestured toward the empty chair opposite her with the pair of chopsticks still in her hand. "Why are you still standing there? The fish is getting cold."
Xie Rong slowly walked over. The moment he reached her side, he let out a quiet sigh before pulling out the chair and taking a seat beside her. "Are you sure you’re alright?"
"Hmm..." Wang Gege nodded without the slightest hesitation. "I’m perfectly fine."
She picked up another piece of fish and carefully removed the tiny bones, "Nothing happened to me. The only unfortunate thing was the blossom tree."
She sighed softly, "It was blooming so beautifully too."
Xie Rong remained silent. His fingers rested lightly against the edge of the table as he listened to her casual tone.
On his way back from the palace, he had already heard countless versions of what had happened.
Some said the Taoist Master declared her an ominous existence. Some claimed the servants had begun avoiding her. Others even said she had quarreled with Madam Liu in front of the Old Madam.
Yet the woman sitting before him... was only lamenting the loss of a blossom tree.
After a long while, he quietly asked, "They said Grandmother reprimanded you."
Wang Gege blinked before nodding honestly, "She did."
"And?"
"And..." She thought for a moment before smiling sheepishly. "I deserved part of it. I did speak rather sarcastically to Madam Liu."
She shrugged her shoulders, Grandmother was only reminding me that, regardless of what happened, Madam Liu is still an elder."
She looked up at Xie Rong, "I don’t think Grandmother was being unfair."
Xie Rong remained silent for a moment.
Looking at the cheerful smile on her face, the worry that had accompanied him all the way back from the palace gradually eased.
A faint smile finally appeared on his lips. "As long as it doesn’t affect you... then everything is alright."
Wang Gege nodded firmly, "It won’t."
She then looked at him curiously, "Why did Husband suddenly go to the palace?"
Xie Rong paused before replying, "His Majesty summoned Father and me."
Wang Gege blinked. "So suddenly?"
"He said he had yet to congratulate us on our marriage... He bestowed several gifts upon the Xie Residence as his blessing."
Wang Gege’s eyes immediately lit up, "Really?"
Xie Rong nodded. "There are several bolts of brocade, jade ornaments, rare medicinal herbs, and a few other items. Father instructed the servants to send everything to the storeroom first."
Wang Gege quietly blinked.
The Emperor... Actually gave them wedding gifts. She had thought only relatives and friends would do such a thing. After a brief silence, she suddenly tilted her head.
"So... was that the only reason?" Wang Gege put down her chopstick.
Xie Rong gently shook his head, "Since Father and I were already before His Majesty, Father also reported the progress of my poisoning case."
Wang Gege’s expression immediately became serious. " Ah really... And?"
"Actually..." Xie Rong paused briefly, "The servant, Chuntao, has confessed."
The smile on Wang Gege’s face slowly disappeared, "She did?"
She unconsciously swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling dry. "What did she say?"
Xie Rong remained silent for a moment before answering, "She admitted that she had been instructed to monitor Furen’s every move. Apart from that..." He slightly paused, "She insisted she had done nothing else."
Wang Gege’s brows slowly furrowed, "And the poisoning?"
Xie Rong’s voice grew quieter, "She claimed she had nothing to do with it. She said..."
He slowly turned his head toward Wang Gege, "She was framed."