Princess Nalan knit her brows but before she could continue to question her, Lei Xing spotted Li Ru enter her palace and immediately waved her over with a smile, "Li Ru, over here..."

Li Ru walked over and glanced at Princess Nalan and Lei Xing quickly introduced them, "Princess Nalan, this is Li Ru, Noble consort Li...Li Ru, Princess Nalan." The two lighty bowed to each other and Lei Xing quickly said, "Sit, sit...." Xiao Ruo arrived right on time with snacks and tea and Lei Xing went, "Eat, drink..."

{...Just don't ask me shit -_-)...}

Princess Nalan's expression still looked off, and Li Ru also looked weird, probably uncomfortable with the extra guest. And so Lei Xing quickly leaped to the task of playing the gracious host and tried to rile up the conversation. Before long, she successfully distracted Princess Nalan and even got Li Ru's interest by starting a conversation about the various landscapes and scenery in Zou kingdom.

Princess Nalan happily described all that she had seen and enjoyed while Li Ru listened with avid interest, asking questions along the way. LieXing smiled, she could already see Li Ru drawing out the scenery in her head.

{...It's good to be talented...}

Lei Xing inwardly sighed as her mind wandered off to another talented individual she knew and his many talents. Unfortunately for her, the conversation did not do much in brightening her own mood.

The three had lunch together, with Lei Xing picking at her food again and then Lei Xing and Li Ru escorted Princess Nalan out.

With Princess Nalan gone, Li Ru turned to Lei Xing and worriedly asked, "Are you alright?"

Lei Xing knit her brows and nodded. Li Ru sighed and then hooked her arm through Lei Xing's and smiled and said, "Let's go back." Lei Xing simply nodded and let herself be pulled along and they made their journey to her palace. But as they crossed the entrance into the inner palace,? Lei Xing suddenly froze.

Li Ru turned to Lei Xing, wondering why she suddenly stopped and saw her staring fixedly straight ahead with a frown. Li Ru followed her line of sight to see the Emperor and his retinue walking way ahead of them.

Li Ru lightly sighed and quietly stood there with Lei Xing, until the Emperor turned the corner, and the last of his servants disappeared. Then Lei Xing slowly started walking again and they returned to her palace in silence. And Lei Xing immediately resumed her position at the pavilion?staring at the wall again.

Li Ru sat across from her, knit her eyebrows and considered how to approach the topic, then she carefully said, "Xing er'...Is the Emperor very angry with you?"

Lei Xing glanced at her, blinked, and then lowered her head and frowned. Li Ru sighed and then said, "Chun Hua...Chen You's personal maid came to talk to me that night...she told me everything. She said she was trying to dissuade Chen You from exposing it, but she came to let me know to see if I could find a way..."

Lei Xing blinked up at her with knit eyebrows, "She did?"

Li Ru nodded, "En...I went to the Emperor's palace that night but I was not allowed in...I thought since it was because it was late, so I went back in the morning...and saw Eunuch Li, I told him that it had to do with you - I didn't tell him what happened...But he assured me everything would be fine and that the Emperor was handling it....I would have gone to the Empress dowager too but -..."

"It's fine, she wouldn't have listened to you anyway." Lei Xing quietly said with a sigh, "It's all a misunderstanding." That was all she was going to say on the issue and Li Ru understood, but knowing how Lei Xing was, she had to ask, "Does the Emperor know it is a misunderstanding?"

Lei Xing bit her lip and hesitated, but then nodded. Li Ru studied Lei Xing's expression and it was clearly obvious she was troubled. But she did not press instead she said, "I heard the Emperor did not stay here last night..."

"He is very busy." Lei Xing quietly responded. Li Ru quietly scrutinized Lei Xing for a bit and then said, "I see...In that case, it's good everything is alright then."

Lei Xing nodded.

The two sat in silence for a while and then Li Ru said, "If you can intercede on Chun Hua's behalf, she sent someone to me this morning asking for help. I thought it best to leave it to you, after all she did try to help you and you're best suited to talk to the Emperor..."

Lei Xing immediately frowned and mumbled, "I don't think I'm in a place to really ask for that..."

{...Or ask for anything really...}

"So it's n-"

"I'm fine, I'm really fine." Lei Xing interjected before Li Ru could say more. She was really not in the mood for conversation, "I'm having a headache, I want to sleep..." Lei Xing said lowering her head with a frown.

Li Ru knit her brows but said, "Then I'll leave you to rest..." She got up and looked at Lei Xing who still had her head lowered. Then she?sighed and went and hugged her

Lei Xing was startled and flinched a bit but she stayed still as Li Ru hugged and pat her head, "Xing er', it's normal for him to be upset over this, but if you get upset too...Then nothing gets resolved. You should go to him and explain properly. I'm sure he'll understand..."

After a while of hugging the still Lei Xing, she released her. Lei Xing cast a quick glance up at her and nodded as she mumbled, "Thank you." Then she immediately averted her eyes and turned back to the wall with a pout and a flushed face.

Li Ru could not help a light chuckle and she pat Lei Xing's head and said, "You're really? cute..."

Lei Xing immediately cast her a quick glare and then turned back to the wall.

{...Who the hell is cute? Do I look like a rat to you? -_-)'...}

Li Ru snorted but held her laughter in, "I'll leave now..." Lei Xing nodded but did not look at her and Li Ru smiled and left her alone to continue to stare at the "beautiful wall", alone with her thoughts.

{...Since she still has the spirit to glare at people, she seems well enough...}