When Su Ziyuan woke up, she found herself lying in bed. Su Ziyuan raised her head and saw Nangong Jin, whom she had been thinking about, sitting by her bedside. Su Ziyuan said joyfully, "Ah Jin, is that you? When Su Ziyuan tried to get up, she found herself covered in injuries, her limbs weak. Moving even slightly would pull at her wounds, causing unbearable pain. Crimson blood seeped through the white gauze, staining the bedsheet beneath Su Ziyuan.
Nangong Jin looked at Su Ziyuan, who was lying on the bed unable to move, and frowned, asking, "What happened?"
Su Ziyuan endured the intense pain in her body and said with a face full of venom, "Ah Jin, it's Bai Mingli! Bai Mingli is the one who harmed me like this! Ah Jin, you must avenge me!"
Nangong Jin: ...?! His frown deepened. What did this have to do with Bai Mingli?
Nangong Jin stayed in Wanning Palace for a while. Seeing that Su Ziyuan had fallen asleep, he left to continue reviewing memorials.
The next day at noon, Nangong Jin sent someone to the Prime Minister's mansion to summon Mingli to the palace.
When the palace attendants arrived at the Prime Minister's mansion, Mingli was leisurely lying on a chaise lounge, eating grapes, with Cui Zhu massaging her shoulders behind her.
Upon hearing that someone from the palace had arrived, Mingli got up and walked to the front hall.
When Mingli arrived slowly at the front hall, she saw a eunuch, whose face was covered in a thick layer of powder, speaking to the Prime Minister. Seeing Mingli arrive, the eunuch turned his head and addressed Mingli, "Miss Bai, the Consort was injured last night and claims you were the one who injured her. I am here on the Emperor's orders to invite Miss Bai to the palace to give the Emperor an explanation."
After Steward Zhang finished speaking, he saw that the person opposite him remained calm. After listening to his words, he merely uttered a single word, "Oh."
Steward Zhang: ...?! That's it?! Nothing else?! Shouldn't her reaction be panic and distress?! How could she be so calm?!
Mingli: ... Mingli saw the expression on Steward Zhang's face and knew what he was thinking. Hmph! Did he think the big shot would cower? What was he thinking?
The Prime Minister beside her frowned with worry. But finally, meeting his daughter's gaze, he said nothing.
Steward Zhang then brought Mingli into the palace very smoothly, without any incident along the way.
Nangong was reviewing memorials when he heard someone announce that Mingli had been brought in.
Nangong Jin put down the memorial in his hand and looked towards the main door, towards the woman in red who was slowly walking into the hall.
Mingli walked step by step to the center of the grand hall, looking at Nangong Jin, who was wearing a yellow robe and seated in the place of honor, showing no intention of kneeling in greeting.
The hall fell silent.
Seeing that the person below had no intention of performing the ritual, Nangong Jin frowned with displeasure and spoke to Mingli below in a somewhat low voice, "Miss of the Prime Minister's household, do you know why I summoned you to the palace today?"
Mingli: ...?! Is this male lead an idiot?! Or does he think she's a three-year-old child?! The eunuch already said that she was summoned to the palace because of Su Ziyuan's matter, and now he's asking this, is his brain malfunctioning?!
Steward Zhang, standing beside Nangong Jin, saw that Mingli below remained silent for a long time. He then spoke to Mingli in his high-pitched voice, "The Emperor is asking you a question! Are you deaf!"