"What's ready?" Xiao Tian asked instinctively.
The emperor was pinching a chess piece between his fingertips, deep in thought. Hearing this, he said nonchalantly, "Mengding Yunwu tea. I had someone rummage for it in the storeroom. I'll have the maidservant brew it later."
"No need. Drinking tea at night will keep me awake."
"As long as it's not strong tea." The emperor said, "I know you don't like to be served. Xiaodezi, tell the tea - making room to brew the tea and then bring it in."
"Yes."
Before long, Xiaodezi came in carrying a red - wood lacquer tray with dragon and phoenix patterns. He respectfully placed two cups of tea beside the emperor and Xiao Tian respectively.
"Your Majesty, General Xiao, the tea is a bit hot."
"It's okay. He likes his tea hot. Xiao Tian, have a taste." As he spoke, the emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip. "I really don't understand why you're so fond of Mengding tea."
"It's just a habit." Xiao Tian also picked up his cup and took a sip. "This tea of yours has been stored for too long. It has a strange taste."
"Impossible." The emperor flatly denied it. "Who would dare to give me something of poor quality? Try it again!"
Xiao Tian smelled it again but didn't take another sip. "It must be off."
As soon as he finished speaking, his face suddenly changed. He glared angrily at the emperor. "You put something in the tea!"
His tone was extremely certain.
The emperor burst out laughing. "Xiao Tian, you never saw this coming, did you? You've fallen into my hands! Now I can do whatever I want with you. Call for help! Let's see if anyone will come to rescue you even if you shout your lungs out."
Xiao Tian felt his strength rapidly draining away. He frowned and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"You'll know soon. Xiaodezi, come and help quickly!"
The emperor and Xiaodezi carried Xiao Tian onto the dragon - bed together, then lowered the bed curtain. "Can't even speak now, right? Hehe, it'll be over soon."
Xiao Tian found that he couldn't move at all, and he really couldn't make a sound either.
"Summon Yi Qing in." The emperor reached out and pulled out the hairpin on his head, then removed the gold crown. His hair fell loose.
Xiao Tian immediately understood. The emperor had said he would listen to him, but in fact, he was determined to test Yi Qing.
He was furious, but there was also an inexplicable, faint anticipation in his heart.
— He had a premonition that Yi Qing would definitely surprise him and shock the emperor.
When Yi Qing came in, her lips were purple from the cold and her movements were stiff. As soon as she entered the imperial bedroom, the wave of heat hit her, and she finally felt alive again.
She woodenly bowed and knelt on the ground. She felt that the ground was warm, which showed how badly she had been frozen outside.
The emperor originally wanted to break her spirit, but seeing her in such a state, he was also worried that Xiao Tian would get angry with him later. So he pretended to be majestic and said, "Rise."
Yi Qing cursed him under her breath but stood up with her head down, saying nothing.
"Do you know why I summoned you to the palace in the middle of the night?"
Yi Qing said coldly, "It can't be that you're coveting my beauty and want to possess this subject's wife, right?"
The emperor was so choked by her words that he almost fainted — this pair was definitely like - minded when it came to retorting him.
"Xu Mao suspects that there's an improper relationship between Xiao Tian and you. What do you have to say?"
"Catch the thief with the stolen goods and catch the adulterer in the act." Yi Qing said calmly. "Let Xu Mao come and confront me. I'll ask him what evidence he has."
"He doesn't have such evidence. But he found the witness from that year who said that Xiao Tian shot a cold arrow at Xiao Jinghan from behind." The emperor stared at Yi Qing's face and said slowly.
When he looked serious, the imperial might was so overwhelming that one couldn't meet his gaze.
Yi Qing didn't say a word. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the imperial bedroom.
"What does that have to do with me?" Yi Qing looked up at the emperor and asked after a while.
The emperor was actually stumped by her question.
On the bed, hearing this, although Xiao Tian knew that Yi Qing must have something else to say, he still felt inexplicably sad.
"Aren't you fond of Xiao Tian?" The emperor said with a half - smile.
"Your Majesty wants to implicate me? It's a pity that no matter how much I like him, I'm not married to him, so you can't implicate me."
"So heartless and eager to distance yourself?" The emperor snorted.
"Friendship of over twenty years can be cast aside, let alone my brief acquaintance with him."
"Are you insinuating about me?" A cold glint flashed in the emperor's eyes.
"No, Your Majesty. I'm not insinuating. I'm speaking my mind."
A smile involuntarily appeared on Xiao Tian's face — this was the Yi Qing he knew.
"If you have evidence, produce it and convict him. Without evidence, stop making baseless speculations." Yi Qing said. "I don't believe that the bond between Your Majesty and Xiao Tian can be completely destroyed by Xu Mao's vague suspicions. So, Your Majesty, if you have something to say, just ask me directly. There's no need to use Xiao Tian as an excuse."
She stood there. Although her figure was delicate, there was an air of inviolability about her.
"I won't beat around the bush with you anymore." The emperor came up with another plan. "Of course, I believe in Xiao Tian. But Xu Mao is a tough nut. Since he suspects something, this matter won't end well. You say that there's no evidence, just baseless speculation, and I can ignore it..."
His tone changed. "But how do you explain the disappearance of the tiger tally? Even if I'm partial to him, how can I silence the gossiping tongues?"
"The tiger tally is missing?"
"Yes." The emperor said without blinking an eye.
This was clearly a peak showdown between two people who could lie without batting an eyelid.
"Xiao Tian told me it wasn't missing. He hid it well."
"That's fake. It was deformed in the fire. The real tiger tally is made of meteorite iron and is fire - resistant."
"Where's the real one?" Yi Qing's mind was racing as she analyzed all the possible situations while talking to the emperor.
"Xiao Tian was originally in charge of it, but now it's gone." The emperor said. "So, if you want to save Xiao Tian, you must find the real one to prove his innocence."
"Then let me see Xiao Tian first." Yi Qing said.
"He's been thrown into the dungeon. You can't see him. I can't let you in now either. If Xiao Tian is suspected of colluding with the outside world, his crime will be aggravated."
Yi Qing fell silent again.
The emperor had said too much, far more than she could digest and analyze in a short time.
"If you want to help him, go back and find the tiger tally."
"Okay." Yi Qing agreed. For now, all she could do was stay calm and sort things out when she got back. The emperor today seemed strange and terrifying to her.
The emperor asked Xiaodezi to see her out, and then he lifted the bed curtain again.
Xiao Tian's eyes were wide open, filled with anger.
"Don't be angry with me for now." The emperor sat down beside the bed and took out a small porcelain bottle from somewhere. "I'm telling the truth. The tiger tally is really missing. What Xu Mao found was indeed fake."
Xiao Tian's face turned pale instantly.
The disappearance of the tiger tally was a crime punishable by death.
Xiao Jinghan was "dead", and people would think that the tiger tally had been taken back by the emperor. Who would have thought it was still in the Xiao Mansion and had been stolen?