After inheriting the original owner’s memories, Lin Anran understood that the Emperor before her was a calm and restrained man—cold-hearted, indifferent to romance, and wholly devoted to state affairs.
He would give the Empress the respect she deserved, but nothing beyond that.
Unfortunately, the original owner had been hopelessly love-struck, yearning for the Emperor’s affection. That was destined to end in tragedy.
A man like Guo Yichen would undoubtedly make an excellent Emperor, but he would never make a good husband. His status and position simply made that impossible.
To the original owner, such a man was a calamity.
But to Lin Anran, he was a blessing.
Because in Lin Anran’s eyes, the Emperor was basically just her boss. And a boss who respected his employees was far better than one who treated them like disposable servants.
Thinking this, Lin Anran smiled, gracefully curtsied to Guo Yichen, and allowed Chunhua to help her to the side chamber to change clothes.
Guo Yichen watched her obediently departing figure, surprise flickering uncontrollably in his eyes, though confusion outweighed it.
The Empress actually didn’t throw a tantrum at him?
…
The moment Lin Anran entered the side hall, her legs gave out and she collapsed into a chair, so exhausted she did not even want to lift a finger.
Normally, she would already be gasping after running just a hundred or two hundred meters lightly dressed. But today, worried sick over Luo Li’s condition, she had carried the child over a thousand meters in one breath without even noticing the exhaustion.
Now that her mind had finally relaxed, every sensation in her body seemed magnified countless times over.
On top of that, she had been soaked through and battered by the cold wind, leaving her utterly drained.
Very quickly, Chunhua led the palace maids in to prepare hot water and helped Lin Anran into the bath.
Wrapped in warm water and drifting steam, Lin Anran finally began to feel somewhat better, and her mind started spinning rapidly again.
“Chunhua, bring Nanny Jian and Xia Mo here.”
Not long after, Chunhua returned with Nanny Jian and Xia Mo, and the two waited outside the screen partition.
In the quiet side chamber, only the sound of splashing water could be heard clearly.
Xia Mo stood properly with her head lowered, not showing the slightest intention of peeking behind the screen.
But Nanny Jian’s heart was pounding anxiously.
Lin Anran had summoned them here, yet said nothing afterward, leaving them standing outside in silence. The invisible pressure made Nanny Jian feel as though she were being roasted over a fire.
Every now and then, she cautiously lifted her eyes toward the screen, unease growing in her heart. Several times she wanted to break the silence, but the words stuck in her throat and were swallowed back down.
The more she thought about it, the more unfathomable the Empress seemed.
When Lin Anran finished bathing and stepped out from behind the screen dressed in fresh clothes, her eyes met Nanny Jian’s furtive gaze directly.
Nanny Jian had only wanted to secretly gauge Lin Anran’s mood first, but being caught red-handed startled her so badly that she hurriedly lowered her head.
Lin Anran said nothing and calmly sat down on a nearby couch.
Chunhua had already prepared tea for her.
Lin Anran leisurely took a sip before finally asking in an unhurried tone:
“How exactly did Little Ah Li fall into the water today?”
Nanny Jian lowered her head and remained silent.
Xia Mo, however, had always been straightforward and impulsive. Seeing that Lin Anran had finally asked, she immediately opened her mouth eagerly to answer.
But Lin Anran interrupted first.
“Nanny Jian, you are one of the senior servants by the Dowager Empress’s side, and you were personally sent by Her Majesty to Fengyi Palace to care for Little Ah Li. I have also trusted you greatly and entrusted Little Ah Li to your care. Is this how you repay the trust of both the Dowager Empress and myself?”
Though Xia Mo was impatient by nature, she was not stupid. She immediately realized Lin Anran intended to pressure Nanny Jian and promptly shut her mouth obediently.
Nanny Jian had originally wanted to stay out of trouble and avoid offending anyone, but she had not expected the Empress to question her directly.
Previously, she had thought the Empress was easygoing and easy to manipulate. She had planned to merely put on a show in Fengyi Palace and use the Dowager Empress’s influence to squeeze more benefits from the Empress.
But now she realized she had been terribly mistaken.
The Empress was definitely not someone easy to fool.
How was she supposed to answer now?