Jiang Henian knew that Lu Huai had already begun to suspect her.
"Your Highness's question is somewhat off the mark. Had it not been for yesterday's incident, how could this humble woman have come to 'know' the Crown Prince at all?"
Lu Huai clearly did not believe Jiang Henian's words. "But your hatred toward Lu Huan doesn't seem like the hatred of someone who doesn't know him."
Jiang Henian looked seriously at Lu Huai. "In Your Highness's view, if a person uses despicable means to force a woman to marry him by compromising her chastity, and she cannot even hate him for it—would that not make her excessively magnanimous?"
Lu Huai was stunned.
He knew that every word Jiang Henian spoke was true, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that this young woman's hatred ran far deeper than this single matter alone.
To make Lu Huai believe her more, Jiang Henian suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"So, as long as the Crown Prince didn't get his way—had it not been Your Highness last night, this humble woman would have chosen another man."
"Your Highness may think me fickle and shameless, but I hope that in consideration of my grandfather's lifelong toil, you would not add to his worries."
Lu Huai fell silent.
To be precise, his mood was far from good.
He couldn't quite say whether it was because of Lu Huan's scheming, or because of Jiang Henian's 'indifference.'
"You are quite the rebellious one—not at all like how the rumors describe you."
Jiang Henian did not yield. "This humble woman will say it again: rumors from the streets should not be fully trusted."
Here was a powerful minister, and yet he kept bringing up rumors?
Lu Huai did not dwell on it, nor did he make things difficult for Jiang Henian over her concerns. "Rest assured, I am not so base as that."
Jiang Henian followed smoothly. "Thank you for Your Highness's understanding."
But just as she began to relax slightly, Lu Huai's next question came.
"You clearly harbor such deep hatred for the Crown Prince, yet you've done nothing about it?"
Jiang Henian gave a bitter smile. "This humble woman's status is lowly. If I were to speak of this matter, not only would I fail to obtain any justice, but the entire Jiang family would be disgraced and suffer along with me."
"Knowing that something cannot be done, I naturally would not do things I shouldn't or couldn't do."
Lu Huai's gaze turned sharp. "If that's the case, then perhaps Miss Jiang could explain how you knew about the secret chamber behind the rockery in the Donggong?"
On the carriage ride over, Jiang Henian had rehearsed many 'answers' to this question.
But no matter which explanation she considered, none seemed to adequately account for this matter.
So, she decided to tell the 'truth'—the truth she had witnessed in her previous life.
"The last time I came to the Donggong, I personally witnessed a woman being led into the rockery by the Crown Prince's guards."
"But after waiting for a long while, only the guards came out—that young woman never did. I knew then that there must be a secret behind that rockery."
Lu Huai raised an eyebrow. "So it was because of that woman that you didn't trust the Crown Prince's character, and therefore refused to become Lu Huan's Side Consort?"
So he had heard everything.
Jiang Henian steadied her breathing, then nodded.
"That's right! Even if an ordinary person did such a thing, they deserve retribution! Let alone the Crown Heir—he should be punished even more severely!"
"Though some things cannot be done, when there is no risk involved, I am still willing to try."
Lu Huai regarded her with interest. "And the result? Did your 'attempt at the impossible' yield a satisfactory outcome?"
Jiang Henian shook her head. "I did not find that young woman in the secret chamber…"
This was also the truth.
Lu Huai slowly sat up straight.
"You should be grateful that you didn't find that woman in the secret chamber. Otherwise, not only would you have failed to use this to resist the Crown Prince, but you would have trapped yourself in a situation from which there was no turning back."
Did Jiang Henian not understand this reasoning? She was simply playing the fool to win Lu Huai's trust.
Because she had only one goal.
And Lu Huai's next words directly confirmed that her goal seemed to have been achieved.
"Yesterday's matter is not only your grievance—it is mine as well."
"Since I entered the court, it has been a long time since I've seen someone so eager to court death."
Jiang Henian looked up at Lu Huai, appearing surprised, but what showed through was genuine wariness.
She had always known that Lu Huai was no simple man, but it was only at this moment that she truly felt the pressure he exuded at all times.
Lu Huai was amused by Jiang Henian's expression.
"What, you don't believe I would sever ties with my own kin over this matter?"
Jiang Henian shook her head seriously. "Your Highness holds a noble status—even His Majesty treats you with great respect, let alone the Crown Prince. Moreover, the Crown Prince erred first and should be held accountable for his actions."
"Since you trust me, why not consider what price you would like Lu Huan to pay for this."
Jiang Henian's brows furrowed slightly.
She merely wanted to use this matter to make Lu Huai seek revenge against Lu Huan, then quietly wait for the results.
But now it seemed that Lu Huai wanted to pull her into this together.
Jiang Henian hesitated for a moment before lowering her head to look at the handkerchief she was gently twisting in her hands.
"My grandfather is an upright man who dislikes nothing more than his family growing too close to the imperial household. If I were to agree to Your Highness's proposal, I could avenge myself, but it would also violate the rules my grandfather set down."
Lu Huai let out a cold laugh, his lazy gaze mercilessly exposing her lie.
"There's no need for such empty words before me. If you were truly so rule-abiding, you wouldn't have risked so much to enter the secret chamber beneath the rockery in the Donggong."
"Tell me, why do you dare not agree?"
Jiang Henian looked up at him. "Without my involvement, Your Highness would likely find it smoother to avenge yesterday's grievance."
"I am foolish and dull, and truly of little use to you."
Lu Huai's eyes fixed intently on Jiang Henian.
"You already know to use Su Ruo to drive a wedge between her and the Crown Prince. With such skill, you shouldn't sell yourself short."
"Moreover, having survived last night safely, does Miss Jiang intend to draw a clear line between us now?"
Jiang Henian's palm suddenly tightened.
The Lu Huai before her seemed far more formidable than she had imagined—after only two brief encounters, he could already guess what she intended to do.
What's more, with this unspeakable relationship now between them, Jiang Henian understood that allying with him would be no different from seeking a tiger's skin.
"I may have been outmaneuvered by Lu Huan, but I won't be outmaneuvered by you as well."
Lu Huai's gaze swept lightly over Jiang Henian's head, and she clearly felt the immense pressure bearing down on her.
"If you want revenge, you must take it yourself. I have a grudge against him—and perhaps not only against him, but against you as well."