Yun Zhao watched coldly as these people colluded with one another, her heart turning to ice.
Setting aside the fact that the Princess Royal’s pulse should have revealed the poisoning, even the painting itself—any physician summoned from the street could have examined it and detected the problem within.
Yet when the Crown Prince of the realm openly vouched for its innocence, who would dare to question it?
Even the Princess Royal only darkened her expression slightly, without openly confronting the matter at once.
Yun Zhao’s gaze drifted to the Crown Prince, gentle and refined as polished jade.
In her previous life, hidden in a secret chamber, she had overheard Jiang Heng whispering to a shadowy figure beside him, and only then learned the truth.
What they wanted was the jade pendant that had hung at her side since childhood;
And the Jiang family’s legitimate daughter whom the Crown Prince was originally to wed—that should have been her.
The pendant should have been hers, the fiancé should have been hers, her life should have been hers… yet Jiang Wanxin had stolen it all, and Jiang Heng, that piece of trash, had defended her to the death!
She cared nothing for the position of Crown Princess, but seeing how the Crown Prince shielded Jiang Wanxin at every turn today, she knew—if she wanted to raze the Jiang family to the ground, demand justice, and expose the truth of Qingwei Valley’s massacre to the world in this life—
Then Jiang Wanxin’s marriage to the Crown Prince must come to nothing!
“Even if the painting is destroyed, it matters not. So long as Your Highness’s noble person remains in good health, this humble daughter would gladly paint ten more.” Jiang Wanxin bit her lip and blossomed into a delicate, charming smile. “I only beg Your Highness not to heed slanderous words and misunderstand this humble daughter’s filial devotion.”
A faint smile curved at the corner of the Princess Royal’s lips. “His Highness the Crown Prince sees all with keen perception, and his words carry the weight of gold. Since he declares the painting free of poison, how could I not believe it?”
Jiang Wanxin’s face lit up with joy at these words, and she was about to speak when the Princess Royal shifted her tone.
“And yet—Nanny Zhou’s deranged outburst was ultimately triggered by her contact with your painting. Not to mention that earlier, you committed a breach of decorum before His Highness, using the Empress Dowager’s bestowed fan to injure the face of a maidservant in my household.”
The Princess Royal’s long eyes narrowed slightly, her authority pressing down like a mountain. “Jiang Wanxin, do you know your crime?”
Jiang Wanxin trembled all over, lifting her head in disbelief, tears instantly flooding her eyes. “Your Highness!”
It wasn’t just Jiang Wanxin—many noble ladies present wore expressions of shock, unable to fathom why the Princess Royal, who had not raised the matter before, was suddenly dredging up old grievances.
Yun Zhao clearly saw the anger in the Princess Royal’s eyes and knew she had already perceived the truth. She simply couldn’t expose it openly for the Crown Prince’s sake, so she raised the old matter before the crowd instead—a warning meant for Jiang Wanxin.
“Aunt, please calm your anger.” The Crown Prince spoke in gentle tones. “Today is Aunt’s birthday…”
The Princess Royal let out a light laugh. “Today is my birthday, and I wish to stand up for a maidservant in my household and reclaim my mother’s bestowed gift. Is there anything wrong with that?”
She raised her hand slightly. “Nanny Zhou.”
“Your Highness!” Jiang Wanxin choked out, her delicate face, frail as a young lotus, streaked with tears. “This humble daughter truly knows her mistake.”
At a palace banquet last year, she had happened to save the Empress Dowager’s favorite parrot, and this bestowed folding fan was a reward she had obtained with great difficulty.
Among all the noble ladies in the capital, this was a distinction held by her alone.
Even Song Baiyu, the graceful and resplendent daughter of the Grand Chancellor, was left far behind in this regard.
It was also because of this tale praised by all that, for the past half year, everyone in the capital sang her praises—not only as a young lady of exquisite intelligence and pure heart, but one blessed with fortune.
If not for fortune, how could she have saved the Empress Dowager’s beloved parrot? If not for abundant luck, how could she have so easily won the favor of Her Elderly Highness?
If the fan were taken away over such a trivial matter today, she simply could not accept it!
The Princess Royal furrowed her brows. “I am not a man. Who are you crying like that for?”
With that, she cast a light glance at the Crown Prince, who sat below in silence.
She had indeed heard some rumors lately, but so what? Royal marriages were ever-changing.
If Jiang Wanxin lacked the ability to climb into the Eastern Palace, she was merely the legitimate daughter of Minister Jiang.
Moreover, as the sole Princess Royal of the dynasty, even if she couldn’t immediately uncover the mastermind behind this painting affair, could she not still deal with a Jiang Wanxin?
Two nimble nannies stepped forward at the summons—one pinned her arms back while the other deftly rolled up her sleeve, quickly retrieving the coral fan and presenting it to the Princess Royal.
The Princess Royal swept a cold gaze over it. “I shall keep this in safekeeping for now. Should my mother inquire in the future, I will explain today’s circumstances to Her Elderly Highness properly.”
Jiang Wanxin collapsed limply to the ground, hair in disarray, only one thought remaining in her mind: It’s over.
She instinctively looked up and met Yun Zhao’s gaze.
Yun Zhao was silently watching her in return, her eyes calm and unruffled, as if looking at a dead woman.
Jiang Wanxin couldn’t help but shiver.
At that moment, a steady male voice rang out: “My daughter has been ill-mannered and offended Your Highness. It is entirely due to my failure in discipline. I beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”
A handsome, bearded man in a purple official robe stepped out from behind the Crown Prince and bowed in salute—
It was none other than Minister of Rites, Jiang Shian.
He wore his court robes and bore a look of haste, clearly having rushed over upon hearing of the events at the Princess Royal’s residence.
“Minister Jiang has come as well.” The Princess Royal’s tone was distant and cool. “Minister Jiang is a key minister of the court and a favored figure before His Majesty. I dare not accept such a grand salute from you.”
Yun Zhao’s gaze fixed steadily on Jiang Shian’s face—so this was her birth father?
He had raised a false daughter of unknown origins in his household, pampering her with the sole ambition of installing her in the Eastern Palace, while ignoring his own flesh and blood for sixteen years!
Why?!
At the same moment, Jiang Shian’s gaze also swept past the crowd and settled heavily upon Yun Zhao’s features.
His expression tightened slightly, a flicker of surprise passing through his eyes. Involuntarily, he studied the contours of her brow and eyes several times over.
Then, composing himself, he bowed deeply to the Princess Royal.
“Your Highness’s stern rebuke today, reclaiming my daughter’s bestowed gifts, may appear harsh on the surface, but in truth it is a profound lesson and a mark of great expectation. Xin’er is young and inexperienced; to receive Your Highness’s personal correction is her fortune.”
He turned his head toward Jiang Wanxin. “Xin’er, why not thank Your Highness for the grace of her admonishment?”
Jiang Wanxin hastily kowtowed, her voice choked with tears. “Xin’er knows she was wrong! Thank you for your teachings, Your Highness. Xin’er will reflect deeply and, in the future, speak and act with caution, never again betray the pains Your Highness has taken today!”
Father and daughter played off each other in perfect harmony, and in an instant, they had deftly recast a public humiliation into a display of the Princess Royal’s devoted mentorship and special favor toward a junior.
Yun Zhao stood quietly to the side, watching with cold eyes, and thought to herself: What a fine Minister of Rites, the arbiter of the realm’s laws and propriety!
Retreating to advance, a silver tongue that could turn black into white in an instant—no wonder he had raised a legitimate son like Jiang Heng!
Her birth father was, in truth, such a sanctimonious hypocrite!
And what of her mother? Did she too favor Jiang Wanxin, recognizing only Jiang Wanxin as her daughter?