Chapter 134: The Transaction

The moonlight was desolate, and every step Jun Yeli took felt as heavy as a mountain, his heart burning with vexation. She was gone; Hua Rong was not here, and he felt as though he had nowhere left to turn. He longed to go to the imperial prison, but he could not silence the wagging tongues of the court, so he had to grit his teeth and abandon the thought.

He found a pavilion, drinking alone beneath the thick moonlight to soothe his restless, longing heart. Yet, just then, a graceful figure drifted slowly toward him from the distance. At first glance, she bore a striking resemblance to Hua Rong.

Slightly intoxicated, Jun Yeli felt his senses blurring. He couldn't help but murmur, "Consort Rong, why are you here?"

Hearing this, Hua Yue’s expression shifted instantly. She gritted her teeth in frustration, thinking, "How detestable! I spent so much money to find out where the Emperor was, only to serve as a substitute for another?" She realized with dismay that Jun Yeli’s mind was occupied solely by Hua Rong, leaving not a sliver of space for anyone else.

Suppressing her anger, Hua Yue put on a thick-skinned smile. "Your Majesty, you seem drunk. Shall I take you to rest?" She draped her arms gently around his neck, her low, seductive voice like that of a reincarnated vixen, designed to stir the heart.

But as she leaned in, the cloying scent of rouge and powder rushed to his nose. It was like a bucket of cold water; Jun Yeli sobered up instantly and shoved Hua Yue, who had already settled onto his lap, away.

Lacking any shred of tenderness, he roared, "You are not Consort Rong!"

Cast to the ground, Hua Yue wore a look of pitiful fragility. Despite her meticulous dressing, which made her a beauty under the moon, she was treated with such heartless indifference that she felt a crushing sense of grievance with nowhere to voice it. She blinked, her clear eyes shimmering with unshed tears, and a choked sob escaped her lips. "Your Majesty, why are you doing this? Why must you show such favor to a murderess? Is there anything about me that is inferior to her?"

As the eldest daughter of the Hua family, she was second to none in both talent and grace; she was in no way inferior to Hua Rong. Yet, Jun Yeli’s heart was entirely fixed on her foolish younger sister, a slight she found unbearable.

Jun Yeli braced himself against the table, steadying the dizziness in his head, and fixed a cold gaze upon her. "She is she, and you are you. Do you think you have any right to compare yourself to her? Besides, she is not a murderess!"

The air of haughty superiority was suffocating. Hearing him speak this way about her own sister, Jun Yeli let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You speak of her as a sister well enough, but it is a pity that your hypocrisy is sickening!"

Every word pierced like a needle. Hua Yue was stunned, never imagining that her status in the Emperor’s heart was so wretched.

"Your Majesty, how can you say such things to me? Do you not remember the beauty of our times spent beneath the flowers and the moon?" She sniffled. If she had been putting on a show before, these words truly wounded her heart. For a fleeting moment, she wanted to scream and demand an explanation, but she could not defy the majesty of the Emperor. She could only maintain her disingenuous demeanor. Even winning a scrap of his sympathy would have been enough to satisfy her.

Yet, emboldened by his drunkenness and disgusted by her artifice, Jun Yeli could no longer hold his tongue. He extinguished all her illusions with a single sentence: "If it were not for the sake of giving Consort Rong a face-saving gesture, to stir her emotions toward me, do you think you would have been worthy of being a woman to me?"

It was another thunderbolt of a statement, delivered without a shred of mercy, leaving her so choked with emotion that she could not utter a word.

"Haha... so it was all my own wishful thinking. My sister is truly formidable, holding the Emperor’s heart so tightly in her grasp. No wonder the women of the harem hate her so much!"

"What did you say?" Jun Yeli frowned. He hadn't heard her muttering clearly, but he sensed she was speaking ill of Hua Rong.

Hua Yue sniffled, struggling to steady her turbulent thoughts as she pushed herself up from the ground. Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she acted as if nothing had happened and quickly explained, "Your Majesty, there is something I must tell you. It concerns my sister’s innocence!"

This statement, as expected, piqued Jun Yeli’s interest. He frowned, pressing her, "Do you have a way to prove her innocence?"

"I certainly do. I remember my sister prefers delicate, subtle scents, and that incense sachet was certainly not her personal possession. Although I did see her wearing it when she first entered the palace, it must have been planted by a villainous hand. I fear it was Noble Lady Jia..."

The logic was flimsy and far from convincing, but Jun Yeli, in his current state, cared little for scrutiny. "If what you say is true, then Noble Lady Jia must be the culprit, framing Consort Rong out of jealousy for her favor!"

He had convinced himself of his own logic, however far-fetched it might be.

Hua Yue nodded. "Since she is my sister, I know her character; she would never do such a wicked thing. The harem is a treacherous place, and I fear she was framed. As for whether it was Noble Lady Jia, I cannot be certain."

Jun Yeli nodded thoughtfully. "In that case, I shall issue an order to arrest Noble Lady Jia immediately!"

Before he could act, Hua Yue reached out to stop him. "Please, Your Majesty, do not be so hasty. Without concrete evidence, everyone favors Noble Lady Jia. If we alarm the snake in the grass, it would be unwise and would only make her more vigilant."

There was logic in this. Looking at the earnest Hua Yue, Jun Yeli became intrigued. "Then, do you have a better plan?"

"I do, but before I speak, I hope Your Majesty will grant me one request!"

"Speak."

"If I can clear Consort Rong’s name, I wish to be treated as her equal!"

It was an arrogant demand, and one wondered where she found the courage, but drunk and desperate to help Hua Rong, Jun Yeli agreed without hesitation. "Very well. What is your plan?"