Wen Yating felt the relaxation in her demeanour meant she had already forgiven him so he did not hold back at all. "I know you have heard about the memorial that has been submitted against our army. Your father has been worried sick that the emperor would actually believe those slanderous scholars who want us to perish. You have to do something."
Zhan Yanhui was pulled into a deep thought by his words even though she wasn't willing to help him. She knew that the emperor valued her father very much so he wouldn't depose him in without any major evidence and he would try his best to protect him. The only person that was in true danger here was Wen Yating, the right-hand of her father 's army who had returned from battle victorious. If anything was found against him to collude with the Rudaks in the battle, he would surely lose his head.
"Alright, I will try my best. Is there anything else?" Her nonchalant words made Wen Yating uncomfortable but he still couldn't pinpoint what exactly was wrong with her. He kept trying to read her expressions but there was nothing to see so he pushed those suspicious thoughts to the back of his mind.
"There is indeed one more thing I need you to do for me. I have recieved Intel about Consort Xi being involved in a partnership with one of the factions opposing the Zhan family clan. Her family holds a significant amount of influence in the capital after her brother saved His Majesty's life. She can no longer stay in the palace, Yanhui." He talked to her as of he was giving orders to one of his subordinates.
Zhan Yanhui clenched her fists tightly when she heard his demands. She indeed had an impression of Consort Xi who was a submissive person and always stayed away from harem politics. If she remembered correctly, Consort Xi had been recently favored by the emperor and was currently pregnant. The whole palace had their eyes on her since there were only two princes but there was no son borne from the empress yet. She wondered if Han Yaling was trying to borrow her hand to kill the thorns on her side so no one could challenge her position.
She remembered when she had obeyed him in her past life. Consort Xi had lost the twins she had been carrying and had died during the miscarriage. She had also been discovered by the emperor who was irate by the news and had locked her up in the Cold Palace for almost a year. Even back then, she knew that Yi Wenkui didn't dare demote her status for fear of her being bullied by her enemies when she had fallen from grace. She shook her head thinking she had shed too much innocent blood in her past life, was she going to face retribution in the end?
"What's wrong?" Wen Yating saw her shake her head and thought she was afraid so he tried to reassure her. "Don't worry, I will make sure you don't get caught. My people in the palace will protect you and follow your command. The emperor is muddle headed, we can't let him destroy this country."
"I will do my best. Alright, it's getting late." She looked at the bright moon which stayed in the middle of the dark sky and picked up her lantern. "I should get going before someone notices my absence. Goodnight, Yating."
He opened his mouth to say something but was unable to talk when he saw her walking away without a care in the world. He felt her distant herself from him and he realized that he didn't like it. A female hand came behind him and touched his chest lightly as she said. "Do you now believe me? Yating, I told you she had changed."
Han Yaling had been hiding in the garden listening to their conversation like she had always done since the day the noble consort entered the palace quietly observed the changes she saw and said. "Perhaps she has indeed fallen for the emperor? We have to get rid of her, Yating. A pawn with no use should be properly disposed."
Wen Yating frowned and caught her wondering hand when he heard her words. No matter how reasonable they sounded, it still displeased him to know that Zhan Yanhui was indeed behaving strangely. "Not yet, Your Majesty. She is still angry because of my previous departure and just needs some reassurance. The situation is still within my control."
Han Yaling suppressed the annoyance she felt over his flat refusal but she didn't let it show. There were still many opportunities to get rid of her. "If you say so. We'll follow your plans then."
Meanwhile, Zhan Yanhui was itching to return to see if her ex-lover was really with the empress but before she could turn around she caught a faint shadow on the ground for a brief moment before it disappeared. She quickly looked around before she called out. "Zou Jin, come out."
The whole place was filled with silence before a person walked out of the darkness reluctantly and bowed. "Your Highness, I-"
"You didn't see any danger so you decided to protect me instead, right? I am not angry at you, there is no need to be afraid." Zhan Yanhui tried to reassure her shadow bodyguard even though her eyes glinted with anger under the dim light. She knew this person was also one of Wen Yating's men assigned to report her every moves but she had tried to talk to him this morning in order to give him a second chance but he refused to take it. She was sure he was here to make sure she didn't spy on Wen Yating or something else.
Since he had chosen to stay on Wen Yating's side and ignored her sincerity, she could no longer keep him. They could no longer blame her....for being ruthless. She smiled. "Let's go back. It's getting late."