Chapter Twenty-Nine: Xiao Yuanchi, Prepare to Die

Yin Jiaojiao felt a surge of both new and old grievances, her brows arching in fury.

"A misunderstanding? That pouch of silver was made from a discarded handkerchief I embroidered. I had never shown it to anyone, save for one time when Gu Xuezhi came to visit me. I invited her into my inner chamber for tea, and that was the day the handkerchief went missing. Furthermore, when Hanyan and Xialan met, beyond handing over a pouch of silver, they spoke at length, and every word was about Gu Xuezhi! Lin Wen, Lin Wu, tell them, what exactly did Hanyan say?"

"This..."

Lin Wen and Lin Wu looked troubled. Qiu Ming, who was kneeling nearby, urged, "Speak up! Tell them what you reported to the Princess!"

The two men exchanged a glance, as if reaching a decision.

Lin Wen cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, Princess, your subordinate heard nothing."

Yin Jiaojiao froze for a moment. "You... what did you say?"

Lin Wen took a breath and reaffirmed, "Princess, my brother and I... heard nothing."

"That is not what you said before."

Lin Wen lowered his eyelids, his voice as stagnant as dead water. "The past is the past. But now, Princess, we can only say that we heard nothing."

Yin Jiaojiao choked.

"Why!" Qiu Ming asked, bewildered. "Why change your story?"

Lin Wen and Lin Wu remained silent with their heads bowed. Master Zhang coughed and said, "Because Lin Wen and Lin Wu were at a distance from the two maids at the time and could not be certain of what they heard. In the presence of such noble company, if one cannot be absolutely certain of the truth, it must be treated as false. Therefore, they heard nothing."

"But they..."

"Master Zhang is truly deserving of the Prince's trust; his conduct is impeccable. I admire it." Lady Gu breathed a great sigh of relief and looked at Yin Jiaojiao with a light, dismissive air. "So, it was merely your own wishful thinking, Princess of Qin. To be so eager to implicate Xuezhi—isn't that a bit too reckless?"

Yin Jiaojiao's eyes turned red, and she glared at her viciously.

"Terrifying, why are you glaring at me?" Lady Gu patted her chest. "Just because you caught a maid who betrayed her mistress, you think you can frame Xuezhi? Even if you didn't harm her, your heart is not much better."

"Master Zhang makes sense. It was likely just a maid acting on her own accord; such things happen often."

"Exactly, exactly. The Emperor is not anxious, yet the eunuchs are. Princess, set your mind at ease; it must be a misunderstanding."

The guests, who had been silent, began to chime in with advice, following Lady Gu's lead. Everyone knew that Master Zhang's actions were undoubtedly at the behest of Xiao Yuanchi. It was clear that Xiao Yuanchi's instruction was to stop while the point had been made and ensure Gu Xuezhi remained untouched.

Yin Jiaojiao realized this faster than anyone. She understood that Lin Wen and Lin Wu would not speak again, nor would they continue to investigate the mysterious wandering Taoist. This matter would end here, categorized as mere bickering between maids.

She bit her lip until it bled, staring at Xiao Yuanchi. Coincidentally, he was looking at her too.

His gaze was as cold as a frozen pool, his brow slightly furrowed, as if annoyed that she still refused to offer a soft word to let today’s events pass as a muddled affair.

Yet, if she were in Gu Xuezhi’s position, he would not let it pass. He would dig to the bottom of it, determined to make her pay the price.

She bit her lip so hard it hurt, tasting the metallic tang of blood, but Yin Jiaojiao was oblivious. She sneered, "If you refuse to speak, fine. I will."

"Yin Jiaojiao!" Xiao Yuanchi said in a deep voice. "Empty words, what do you intend to say?"

"Empty words?" Yin Jiaojiao retorted sharply. "If not for your biased protection, would I be reduced to empty words? Your Highness, a year ago, Gu Xuezhi slandered me in the Qingning Palace. There was no definitive witness, no definitive evidence—it was truly a muddled affair. Did you say her words were empty then?"

"..."

"You did not. You listened only to her side, decided I had harmed her, and had me confined to a remote estate. It took me over a month to return home, and I only arrived in time to see my grandmother for the last time. Is this fair?"

Xiao Yuanchi sneered. "And what do you consider fair?"

"Treat her exactly as you treated me. I do not ask for much—this matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Cough, cough, cough."

As she finished speaking, Gu Xuezhi began to cough repeatedly. Doctor Ji hurriedly said, "Lady, Lady, please stay calm. You cannot afford to get agitated now."

"How can I stay calm?" Gu Xuezhi looked at Yin Jiaojiao with sorrowful eyes. "Princess, I do not blame you for your anger. This was my failure in management; regardless, I cannot escape the blame. Your Highness."

She struggled to stand and, with Doctor Ji’s support, knelt with difficulty.

"Whatever the truth may be inside, I am willing to share the same punishment as Hanyan."

With that, two trails of tears streamed down her cheeks—a truly tragic sight. Lady Ji, who had initially felt that Xiao Yuanchi handled the matter too bluntly and that Yin Jiaojiao had indeed been wronged, felt a surge of pity at the sight of Gu Xuezhi’s tears.

"It was a misunderstanding, how could you share the same punishment? Jiaojiao, today is a banquet. Look, there are guests everywhere. Why not take a step back? Go back and have Yuanchi investigate thoroughly; he will surely give you a result."

Now she remembered there were guests, even though she had been eager to judge Yin Jiaojiao just moments ago.

Yin Jiaojiao stood tall and declared, "I will not step back. If it is to be investigated, do it now!"

She scanned the surrounding guests, but every person who met her gaze quickly looked away. Finally, only one looked directly back at her. With complex emotions, Yin Jiaojiao stepped forward and gave a small bow. "Your Highness the Crown Prince, what do you think?"

Xiao Yuanchi sighed and said, "I think, Seventh Brother, that one should be fair in dealing with people and matters. No one is born to be wronged, right?"

The Crown Prince's attitude brought a spark of joy to Gu Xuezhi. Though inviting him had been a mistake, who could have guessed that—Heaven be praised—Yin Jiaojiao would lose her composure in her rage and seek his help? Xiao Yuanchi, even if he felt pity, would not listen to him due to their opposing stances.

Xiao Yuanchi, who had been half-kneeling to care for Gu Xuezhi, rose at these words. "How does Eldest Brother think it should be fair?"

The Crown Prince frowned. The Crown Princess, Yin Ruyu, who had been silent throughout, suddenly interjected, "It should be treated with equality. Seventh Brother, my cousin may have this or that shortcoming, but her nature is simple, and her devotion to you is sincere. This is something no one present can deny. Seventh Brother, she has a heart, too. Her heart can ache, and if it aches for too long, it will die. And once it is dead..."

Yin Ruyu’s voice suddenly turned icy. "Once it is dead, it is gone forever."

Yin Jiaojiao looked at Yin Ruyu in surprise. This cousin, whom she had only met twice, spoke words that pierced straight to her core. The tears she had held back for so long fell uncontrollably.

"Your sister-in-law has been ill for a long time and is easily sentimental; she spoke too harshly. Do not mind her, Seventh Brother." Xiao Yuanchi gently pulled Yin Ruyu’s shoulder. "But in the end, we still hope you will consider carefully how to balance the scales."

Xiao Yuanchi was silent for a moment before saying, "Fairness, very well." He fixed his eyes on Yin Jiaojiao. "Xuezhi and Hanyan share the same punishment; you and Xialan share the same punishment. How is that?"

The crowd was in an uproar at these words; even the Crown Prince and his wife looked astonished.

At first glance, it seemed fair, but given the current situation, if Gu Xuezhi were truly the mastermind, then Yin Jiaojiao had only been forced to retaliate. For Gu Xuezhi and Hanyan to share the same punishment was one thing, but for the victim to also have to face punishment was unfair to the extreme.

"However, the Gu family has an iron certificate of immunity. Of course, the Yin family has one too, but your father would not intervene in such a small matter. So, are you sure you want to continue this dispute?"

Hearing this, Lady Gu smiled, and Gu Xuezhi breathed a sigh of relief. The gamble had paid off: Xiao Yuanchi was determined to protect her to the end, and Yin Jiaojiao was bound to lose.

Yin Jiaojiao’s tears rolled down in large drops. She knew the Gu family had the iron certificate and never expected to use it to send Gu Xuezhi to her death. But why, even at this point, was Xiao Yuanchi still blind and deaf, refusing to offer even a fake gesture of support?

Why did he hate her so much and love Gu Xuezhi so deeply?

A voice in her heart was screaming in desperation, but just like her, it found no answer from the heavens.

Lady Ji, standing by, felt a pang of sympathy. For the first time, she felt Xiao Yuanchi had gone too far. After all, she was his legitimately wedded wife; why could he not offer a single soft word of comfort? Even the imperial marriage had been his doing...

"I... will not investigate further."

Yin Jiaojiao lowered her head.

Almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Lady Gu clapped her hands. "That is the right way to think! Such a trivial matter, wasting half the day—and Xuezhi’s poison hasn't been neutralized yet."

The storm vanished in an instant.

The onlookers dispersed, and the surroundings gradually grew noisy again.

Yin Jiaojiao did not move, nor did she say anything else. Her mind was filled with only one thought: *Even if I die today, I must make the assassin do something big!*

With this in mind, she lifted her gaze and glared at Xiao Yuanchi, who also remained still.

*If I do not kill him, I, Yin Jiaojiao, am not a Yin!*

Perhaps the heavens heard her cry.

Amidst the noisy crowd, a sudden, thunderous roar erupted.

"Xiao Yuanchi, pay with your life!!!"