CHAPTER 13: CHAPTER 13: THE SHADOW BEHIND THE SCREEN

Sunlight streamed through the lattice-like gaps of the window, falling in strands. As it touched the luxurious screen, it twisted abruptly.

"What’s wrong with Xiao Bai?" The voice of Empress Yuan, usually gentle and kind, now struck like thunder.

Tang Xiaobai squeezed her palm, intending to shake her head and say it’s nothing, but then hesitated and stopped in her tracks.

"Behind the screen... there seems to be something..." The little girl pointed with a trembling, delicate pink finger.

Empress Yuan’s face froze for a moment, then she smiled and said, "Perhaps the cats from the Imperial Concubine’s place came to play again. Xiao Bai, don’t be afraid—" She signaled to the palace maid, "Go and check the back!" After that, she extended her hand to Tang Xiaobai, "Come, Xiao Bai."

Tang Xiaobai swallowed and took a step forward, sneaking another glance at the screen.

The palace was vast, and though there were windows on all sides, the lighting was not very good.

The screen behind Empress Yuan was embroidered full of peonies, leaving little space and thus not letting much light pass through.

That flicker of light earlier was so slight, it seemed like a mere illusion.

"Madam, there’s nothing behind the screen. Perhaps the cat ran away," the palace maid reported after returning.

Empress Yuan smiled, pulling Tang Xiaobai to sit beside her, "Those two cats at Yanjia Palace are raised by the Imperial Concubine, always roaming the palace. Sometimes they even come here at night. Did they scare you, Xiao Bai?"

Tang Xiaobai shook her head, "Not that scary..."

Empress Yuan laughed, gently patting her back.

But each pat caused chills to rise on her back, as if a pair of gloomy eyes were staring from behind, impossible to shake off despite the soothing pats.

Suddenly, Zhou Xun’s words from yesterday echoed in Tang Xiaobai’s mind: "You’re tangled in something big!"

...

"...I had a headache a few days ago, and they didn’t tell me. It was only yesterday when I asked casually that I heard about this, and it startled me... How did it get into Duke Yan Mansion? Where are the guards? This won’t do. I’ll request His Majesty to grant you a squad of guards later. Duke Yan is defending the borders for the country, we must protect his family." Empress Yuan’s tone was soft and concerned.

But Tang Xiaobai felt a jolt in her heart.

Why did their words seem more terrifying the gentler they spoke?

Madam Gu was like this, and so was Empress Yuan. Just a few words and they wanted to plant people in Duke Yan Mansion?

"How could I dare accept?" Tang Xiaobai quickly waved her hand, "The Imperial Guards are there to protect His Majesty. If they are given to us, isn’t that—" She tilted her head, thinking, "Isn’t that an abuse of public resources?"

Empress Yuan laughed, "Xiao Bai is so sensible! But His Majesty grants guards to the trusted ministers anyway. Duke Yan is a pillar of the country; it’s only right for the Imperial Guards to protect his family."

Tang Xiaobai felt her judgment was indeed flawed, thinking the Empress to be a good person.

She frowned in thought for a moment, then said, "I don’t understand this, let Madam talk to my mother!" Whether she understood or not, such matters weren’t for a child like her to handle.

Empress Yuan smiled again, pulling her into an embrace and asking, "I heard the assassin was injured. Was it serious?"

Tang Xiaobai knew she would ask this and responded without thinking, "Quite serious, the blood smell almost made me puke! He’s really terrible! Knowing he was injured and couldn’t fight anyone, he targeted me, a child, to bully. Isn’t that right, Madam? A grown man, ignoring all the people in the Duke Yan Mansion, and coming for me, a child, isn’t that shameless?"

Empress Yuan’s face stiffened, her gaze quickly darting behind her, then she smiled as if nothing had happened, "You—"

"Madam!" Suddenly a report came from outside the hall, "The Empress Dowager summons the Second Miss Tang!"

"Swish!"

A faint rustling sound came from behind the screen, like a shoe skidding the floor in a moment of panic.

...

An Empress Dowager’s summons is something even the Emperor cannot easily refuse.

No matter what Empress Yuan thought, she obediently took Tang Xiaobai to the Empress Dowager’s Zhaoren Hall.

Switching from the Empress to the Empress Dowager, Tang Xiaobai did not feel any more at ease.

The Empress Dowager was the real grandmother of the Young Crown Prince from Yongfu Village. Summoning her should also be about the assassin incident.

As long as the concern was about this matter, it might reveal Little Qin’s background, so she had to stay extremely alert—

"I heard this child was held hostage by thugs at home recently?" Predictably, the Empress Dowager brought up the matter.

"Yes!" Empress Yuan said with compassion, "Poor thing, it frightened the child terribly!"

"Since you know the child was frightened, why summon her to the palace again and scare her once more?"

The hall abruptly fell silent.

Tang Xiaobai raised her head in astonishment, meeting the Empress Dowager’s gaze.

The gaze wasn’t sharp or deep, lacking humor, depicting neither warmth nor gentleness, but carried a hint of scrutiny and exploration.

After looking at her for a couple of seconds, the Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze and spoke again, her tone slightly stern, "Merely an innocent child caught up in matters beyond her control, and yet you summon her so ceremoniously, plunging her into further anxiety, forcing her to recall such harrowing events. How could you bear it? Empress, as the mother of all under heaven, don’t you have this bit of compassion?"

The Empress was left speechless, her face alternating between red and white without a word.

Tang Xiaobai was also stunned.

Could the Empress Dowager be her savior from the heavens? What kind of heavenly script is this?

"Send her back," the Empress Dowager instructed calmly.

From beginning to end, she hadn’t uttered a word to Tang Xiaobai, merely observing her with a scrutinizing gaze from above, yet conveying a sense of protection.

Why would the Empress Dowager defend her?

Unable to understand, Tang Xiaobai cautiously modeled herself after the palace attendants leading her away, bowing and retreating.

On the verge of reaching the door, a loud report came from behind: "His Majesty arrives!"

The Emperor came!

The sound of the palace attendants pulling and stepping aside for her to kneel reached Tang Xiaobai.

As the hem of the bright yellow robe swirled into sight, Tang Xiaobai’s heart involuntarily tightened.

The reason for entering the palace this time was as clear as day to her.

The Emperor had his fears, terrified that the Young Crown Prince from Yongfu Village was conspiring with the militarily powerful Prince Changshan, even more afraid of Duke Yan’s military strength getting entangled in it.

Thus, the Emperor could not overlook the assassin incident.

Yet he dared not do it openly, secretly seeking information from a child and even eavesdropped.

Now interrupted by the Empress Dowager, he might as well have come in person.

Today, there was no escape.

As these thoughts passed by, the hem of the robe suddenly hung low.

The Emperor stopped in front of her.

"Is this the youngest daughter of Tang Shigong?" The male voice above her was indistinguishable in mood.

"The Emperor would not have come specifically for this child, would he?" The Empress Dowager asked coldly.

The robe hem moved again as the Emperor left her sight, "I’ve heard both the Empress Dowager and Empress summoned this child, so I came out of curiosity to take a look."

The Empress Dowager noncommittally "oh"-ed, "You’ve seen her now, send her out of the palace!"

The palace attendant was just about to respond "yes" when the Emperor spoke, "Hold on—"