Chapter 200: A Hint of Subtlety In The Air

He stared at the wine splashed onto the table and sighed with what looked like slight regret before moving forward and kneeling on one knee in the hall. “I am a dim-witted official to wonder what crime have I committed.”

Long Yang looked at the pair of siblings with a vague smile on his face. Finally, his gaze fell onto Lu Tingchen. “If I remember correctly, you told me that your sister had made this personally when you presented the dish to me, yet now, your sister is saying that this was bought from a stall. Tell me, what crime have you committed?”

Lu Tingchen, “…”

He looked at Long Yang and then turned to look at Lu Liangwei. Suddenly, he felt a headache.

If he knew Weiwei did not want to admit that she had made it, he would not have mentioned this to His Majesty.

Now, it would seem wrong no matter how he would answer.

If he admitted that Weiwei did not make the glutinous rice dumplings, it meant that he had told the Emperor before was a lie and he would have committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor. If he said that Weiwei had made them, then Weiwei would be the one who had committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor as she had insisted the dumplings were bought from a stall.

It was no joke for someone to be charged with deceiving the Emperor.

Lu Liangwei frowned and was instantly annoyed by this.

She could not understand why Long Yang was acting this way tonight. Was he trying to pick the bones of her and her brother to vent some anger?

Even though she was unwilling, she pulled up her skirt slightly to walk out from behind the table. She kneeled next to Lu Tingchen and explained with a slight gloom, “The dumplings were indeed made by your humble servant. I was just kidding before as I wanted to liven the atmosphere. I plead for Your Majesty not to charge us with any crime.”

When Long Yang saw her suddenly kneeling, he frowned. She hated to kneel, yet now…

The expression on his face softened slightly as he pursed his lips. His voice was a little husky. “Get up.”

Lu Liangwei raised her head to size him up in a glance and noticed he looked a little unhappy. She regretted how she had answered him earlier, and felt that she should have just admitted it right from the start. Not only had she implicated her brother, but she was also forced to kneel in forgiveness.

Now that the Emperor was ordering for her to get up, she was slightly hesitant.

The thoughts of a ruler were the most difficult to fathom.

When Zhao Qian saw his master’s face looking unhappier by the second, he felt anxious. He could not help but walk out from behind Long Yang. “Oh my, Second Miss Lu, why are you kneeling. The floor is cold. You should get up quickly. Master was just joking around with you.”

Most of those present in the hall were gloating and hoping for a scene to happen.

When they saw the Lu siblings had angered the Emperor, they were delighted.

However, Zhao Qian suddenly spoke up on their behalf, and this astonished everyone as it struck them unexpectedly.

Butler Zhao seemed to be trying to get into Lu Liangwei’s good grace.

It was a most basic action for a subordinate to be kneeling in front of the Emperor. Why would Butler Zhao be so anxious about Lu Liangwei kneeling?

Butler Zhao was the Emperor’s confidante. His conduct generally represented the Emperor’s thoughts.

His current attitude toward Lu Liangwei…

Everyone could not help but read into this. The way they looked at Lu Liangwei changed. Instead of being delighted over her troubles, they began to analyze her in-depth.

The Dowager Duchess and Lu Hetian caught each other’s eyes as their expressions turned serious.

What was going on with the Emperor?

It was difficult not to read too much into this when Butler Zhao was acting so anxious.

Naturally, both of them had already thought about what was currently on everyone’s mind.

The thought of the Emperor’s feelings towards Weiwei…

The Dowager Duchess and Lu Hetian could not help frowning.

Even Long Chi’s view of Lu Liangwei started to change.

He could sense clearly something was different about the way his Royal Uncle was treating Lu Liangwei.

He frowned.

The expression on Lu Yunshuang’s face was quite unhappy. Anyone who was not blind could tell something subtle was hinting in the Emperor’s attitude toward Lu Liangwei.

What underhanded tactics did Lu Liangwei use?