Repeatedly broken branches

I was wondering why You had been so close to Ying'er, who was by Bai Jiaoyu's side, but had never greeted her directly. Now that I think about it, it turns out she was afraid of being exposed.

This matter must be told to Xiao Mu, otherwise it will be a great disaster. But You is the closest girl to her. If she finds out, will she be too heartbroken, which may be bad for the baby in her womb?

Xie Huai was caught in a dilemma.

On one side was the child in her womb, and on the other was herself.

Of course, he values ​​himself most. Xie Huai only cares about her; he has no time to worry about anything else.

Back at the table, Xie Huai sat in his seat and observed people for a long time. Everyone was drinking tea and chatting, and no one noticed the seat above.

If you rashly step forward, you will definitely attract attention.

Openly whispering to the Empress is too ostentatious. It would be better to tell Yu Yanjing that he is more meticulous than Xiao Mu and has a better mind than her.

So Xie Huai lowered his head and stepped forward to Yu Yanjing's side, saying in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I have something to report. Please follow me to the outside of the palace."

Yu Yanjing got up suspiciously, but Xiao Mu, who was standing next to him, noticed that Xie Huai seemed to be hiding a secret, so she called out to Xie Huai.

"Xie Huai, Yu Yanjing, where are you going?"

Xie Huai was stunned, then turned around and calmly said to her, "It's nothing, it's... something in the palace that I need to discuss with the Emperor. It's too noisy right now, let's go outside to talk."

"Okay, then you guys go ahead." Xiao Mu didn't think much of it.

Finally arriving outside the palace, Yu Yanjing raised an eyebrow slightly and calmly said to Xie Huai, "Do you have something to say to me in private? It must not be about the palace, but something else."

He is indeed incredibly clever.

Xie Huai briefly recounted what he had just seen and heard to Yu Yanjing. Although it sounded nonsensical, Yu Yanjing listened very attentively.

But his expression clearly showed that he was half-believing and half-doubting.

Xie Huai couldn't understand why they didn't believe him; he had no reason to frame a mere palace maid.

"You've had quite a bit to drink, haven't you?" Yu Yanjing asked Xie Huai after first smelling the alcohol on him.

Xie Huai nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty, but everything I said is true. Please believe me."

Yu Yanjing asked doubtfully, "It's true that Bai Jiaoyu is a bit domineering, but has she ever had anything going on with the Empress? Why would You do things for her and harm the Empress? Aren't they sisters?"

With things having come to this point, Xie Huai thought there was no need to hide it anymore.

She then told him everything that had happened in the Western Regions, including how Xiao Mu was mistreated by the King of the Western Regions and how she made up her mind to become the Empress.

Now that things have come to this, there's no need to hide these things anymore.

Yu Yanjing's astonishment was evident, because Xiao Mu had never told him any of this. He only knew that Xiao Mu was often awakened by nightmares, but he had never thought about why she had nightmares.

It turned out that such a horrifying thing had happened during her time in the Western Regions. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her, for facing all of this alone. Now, without even thinking, he could guess what Xiao Mu's nightmares were about.

"I still can't completely believe what you're saying. After all, I've seen the relationship between You and the Empress. Things might not be as you say. We'll have to wait until the banquet is over and confront You face to face."

Xie Huai could understand him. After all, if someone could easily trust everything based on another person's word, then he was not fit to be an emperor.

But he was still very angry. Yu Yanjing doubted himself, even though he really had no reason to frame a palace maid who had no use to him.

Back at the table, Xie Huai sat on pins and needles, wishing the banquet would end immediately so he could summon You to confront her and prove his innocence.

"Shuangru, go and call You here."

After the banquet ended and everyone had left, Yu Yanjing immediately asked Shuangru to summon You.

Although Shuangru had questions, she knew that her mistress was her mistress. She shouldn't ask questions, guess, or try to figure out what her mistress was thinking. She should just do what she was told to do. This was what her former nanny had taught her.

"Why did you call Youlai?" Xiao Mu looked at Yu Yanjing, her face full of confusion.

Yu Yanjing remained silent, his expression very serious.

She looked at Xie Huai again and asked curiously, "Everyone else has left, why aren't you leaving yet?"

Xie Huai remained silent, his expression as serious as Yu Yanjing's, his mind free of any distractions.

Xiao Mu was even more frustrated. What were these two up to? She had never seen Xie Huai so serious and composed before. Had something happened? About You.

Soon after, Shuangru arrived with You. You looked tired, clearly having not slept well. She had obviously been woken up from her sleep.

You Qiang suppressed the unease in his heart. At worst, it would be a fight to the death, but he would struggle for a while longer and not give up easily.

Yu Yanjing glanced sharply at You, but there was not a single flaw in her appearance, expression, or even her eyes.

"You. What is your relationship with Bai Jiaoyu?" Yu Yanjing's voice was cold, carrying a hint of interrogation.

You lowered her eyes and answered softly, "This servant has no relation to Princess Bai."

Perhaps still smelling of alcohol, Xie Huai was extremely agitated. He shouted at You, "Nonsense! I clearly heard Bai Jiaoyu say that you had been with her for many years, and that you had a very close relationship with Ying'er, who was by her side, in the Western Regions Palace. Do you dare to say that's false?"

Xiao Mu looked at Xie Huai in surprise and immediately said, "Xie Huai, don't talk nonsense. What makes you think you're wronging You? I think you're drunk and have misjudged."

"I swear to God, I didn't see wrong!" Xie Huai shouted. "I have no reason to frame her; I heard everything with my own ears!"

"Stop talking, let You talk for herself," Yu Yanjing said gently to Xiao Mu, placing a hand on the back of her hand to signal her not to get agitated.

You said slowly, "Young Master Xie must have misheard and misread. Ying'er and I do have some dealings, but we're not very close. Usually, she's the one who humiliates me. Today was no different. I wasn't feeling well and wanted to go back to rest, but I ran into Princess Bai and Ying'er. Princess Bai insisted that I disturbed her peace and demanded that I apologize. Ying'er then called me to the pavilion in the Imperial Garden and berated me... This happens all the time. They insult me ​​when they don't like me..." As she spoke, You's voice became choked with sobs, and her eyes began to redden.

Xiao Mu knew Bai Jiaoyu's character; she was capable of doing something like this.

Xie Huai was both angry and annoyed. "So everything I saw was fake?"

"This servant does not know," You said in a low voice. "Young Master Xie may have been drunk and misread it. Since I entered the Chaoyang Palace, I have served Her Majesty wholeheartedly, and Her Majesty has been very good to me. This servant has no reason to betray Her Majesty."

Xiao Mu looked at her and said, "I believe you. You wouldn't do such a thing." Then she turned to Xie Huai and said, "You've been drinking, so you might have misjudged her. I'm not saying you're wrong, but you've wronged her. You should apologize to her."

"I didn't see wrong." Xie Huai's eyes were full of disappointment.

Why not trust yourself? He had no reason to lie, and besides, he was sober at the time and couldn't have been wrong.

"That's enough. You've been drinking. Go back and sober up before you apologize to You."

Yu Yanjing's cold gaze seemed to carry dissatisfaction.

Yes, from the very beginning, he and Yu Yanjing were incompatible. If it weren't for Xiao Mu, Xie Huai would never have had the opportunity to enter the palace, nor would he have the status he has today.

All he wanted was trust, just a little trust, why was that so hard?

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am not mistaken. If you do not believe me, you can go and summon Bai Jiaoyu, and you will know."

Xie Huai still refused to give up. Even though no one believed him, he was determined to prove his innocence.

Yu Yanjing's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said sternly, "It's late at night, what do you want with her? Since you've been drinking, you should go back and sober up to avoid causing trouble like this in the future."

Xiao Mu looked at Xie Huai with gentle eyes and said softly, "Xie Huai, you should go back first. We don't blame you. It's normal to have this kind of reaction after drinking. I don't want you to apologize to You anymore. You should go back now." She was afraid that Xie Huai would anger Yu Yanjing and make things irreversible.

But he's so stubborn; he just won't admit he was wrong.

"Since that's the case, there's no need for me to stay here any longer. Whether you live or die is none of my business." Xie Huai looked at her indifferently.

"Xie Huai?" Xiao Mu was puzzled. Why was Xie Huai so stubborn this time? Could it be that what he said was true? But looking at the weak and helpless You beside her, she couldn't believe that what Xie Huai said was true.

If You is Bai Jiaoyu's person, then why hasn't she made any moves while staying by my side for over a year? This doesn't make sense.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the duties in the palace are too troublesome, and I cannot continue to serve. Therefore, I, Xie, must leave the palace to seek another way of life." Xie Huai's gaze was deep, and for a moment Xiao Mu felt that he was a complete stranger.

She really didn't understand why Xie Huai would do this.

"allow."

Yu Yanjing granted Xie Huai's request without hesitation.

And so, Xiao Mu watched Xie Huai leave. Why did she feel a slight, stabbing pain in her heart as she looked at his back?

……

She never expected that she would break with Xie Huai; she never imagined that Xie Huai would leave in this way.

Is it so hard to just say, "I was drunk and I misread it"?

Or was it his inherently arrogant nature that prevented him from bowing down and admitting his mistakes? But she still gave him face and told him that he didn't need to apologize.

Why is he still unwilling to back down?

Yu Yanjing's personality was inherently violent. If Xie Huai were to really upset him, he would be doomed. Xiao Mu was on tenterhooks the whole time.

But Xie Huai kept provoking him.

With the words, "Whether I live or die, what does it matter to me?", they severed their relationship completely.

Looking back on everything she had experienced with Xie Huai, Xiao Mu still felt a little reluctant and sad. They were friends and had a cooperative and mutually supportive relationship. She never thought it would come to this.

For some reason, she suddenly felt uneasy after Xie Huai left.

"What are you thinking about?"

Only then did she realize that she had been staring blankly at the window for a long time, completely ignoring Yu Yanjing behind her.

It's not her fault. Tonight's events happened so suddenly that she wasn't prepared at all. She's only now realizing what happened and can't believe that Xie Huai has already left the palace.

Where is he now?

"Still thinking?" Yu Yanjing's voice was deep as he took Xiao Mu's hand and placed it on his lap, turning her around to face him.

Xiao Mu smiled and shook her head. "No."

"Xie Huai has already told me about your affair with Bai Jiaoyu. Why didn't you tell me sooner? Why did you bear so much alone?"

Xiao Mu frowned. This Xie Huai told Yu Yanjing about her situation without even saying hello. She had just felt bad for him.

I really shouldn’t have done that!

"So all this time, your nightmares have been about those girls who died for you, right?"

Yu Yanjing's words struck a chord deep within her. His analysis was spot on, but it was something Xiao Mu had never dared to think about in detail.

"Hmm." Xiao Mu didn't know what to say for a moment. She knew that keeping secrets from each other was a big taboo between husband and wife. She shouldn't have kept it from Yu Yanjing, but... how could she say it?

These are things she doesn't want to think about.

Layer by layer, it was unveiled right in front of the person you love.

There was an indescribable, but suffocating feeling.

Yu Yanjing held her hand tightly and whispered to her, "Now you don't have to be afraid. If you want revenge, I can help you kill Bai Jiaoyu and leave her body in the wilderness for wild dogs to eat. If you think that's too lenient for her, I can lock her in a water dungeon."

Xiao Mu's eyes were slightly moist, and the tip of her nose began to sting and turn red. She knew, she had known all along, that if she told Yu Yanjing, he would definitely say the same thing to her without hesitation, without even having to think about it.

But she didn't want to do that; she didn't want to use Yu Yanjing's power, nor did she want his hands to be stained with blood.

"No."

Yu Yanjing stared at her in astonishment. "Why? Why can't I? But Xie Huai knows everything?" His dark eyes were filled with disappointment.

Without hesitation, Xiao Mu said, "Bai Jiaoyu is the person my maternal grandfather cares about most. If you kill her, it will definitely cause trouble between the two countries. Jiuguang's matter has already troubled you. I don't want to cause you any more trouble because of this. Do you understand? This is a matter between me and Bai Jiaoyu. It has nothing to do with you."

Seeing that Yu Yanjing remained silent, Xiao Mu continued, "Xie Huai knew about this not because I deliberately told him, but because he was there when it happened. Do you understand?"

He nodded as if he understood, and said gently, "But I don't want you to be in trouble either. We are already husband and wife. No matter what happens, you represent me and I represent you. We are bound together. If you kill someone, I am guilty too. But you can rest assured that your maternal grandfather's side will not dare to do anything, because the Western Regions are not what they used to be."

Xiao Mu couldn't understand what Yu Yanjing was saying at all. Why was the Western Regions different from what it used to be? Why wouldn't her maternal grandfather do anything?

"What do you mean by that?" She frowned, her face full of confusion.

Yu Yanjing said in a calm tone, "The western part of the Western Regions is where the border between Jiuguang and Chaoyang is located, which is its capital. If war really breaks out, do you think your maternal grandfather will consider the peace of the border or send troops to demand an explanation from Chaoyang? Even if he dotes on Bai Jiaoyu, he will not send troops at this time. Besides, even if he sends troops, I am not afraid of him. All his troops combined are not as powerful as Zhou Tingxi's cavalry battalion."

Xiao Mu never imagined that Zhou Tingxi was so powerful, so powerful that the entire Western Regions' military force was not as strong as his single battalion. No wonder Yin Fu'an was wary of him and trapped him in the desert.

After hearing Yu Yanjing's words, Xiao Mu immediately felt confident. With his words, what was there that she wouldn't dare to do?

She was going to torture Bai Jiaoyu thoroughly, using every kind of cruel punishment on her, not letting her die directly. Wasn't she arrogant? Didn't she call everyone a lowly commoner? She was going to make her be humiliated in front of the common people, and she would feel worse than death.

It's her turn now. She has enjoyed the privileges of a princess for twenty-five years, treating human life as worthless. Her good days are coming to an end.

Yu Yanjing issued a detention order overnight. The next morning, the people in the water prison would tie Bai Jiaoyu up and bring her here, where Xiao Mu would deal with her.

The day has finally come. I never thought that the problem I had been thinking about for so long could be solved so easily by Yu Yanjing with just a word.