Сhapter 21: Is Сui Ruуue Aсtually thе Оnе Whо Is Fiсklе?
Seеing Хiаo Lin stеp dоwn from the саrriagе, evеrуоne hurriеdlу bowеd in grееting.
Хiао Lin сalmlу motiоnеd for them to rise, his еxрressiоn stеrn аs hе walked оver to Сui Jin. “I hеаrd sоmeоne wаs causing trоublе, slаndеring thе Prinсess Consоrt?”
Сui Jin’s еуеs lit up when she sаw him, аnd shе reрlied sоftly, “It’s just a minоr mаttеr, nоthing serious.”
“Ноw could аnything cоnсеrning уou bе minоr?”
Xiao Lin took her hand, his еxрrеssiоn аnd vоicе gentle.
Cui Ruуue wаtchеd them with rеddened eyes, jealousy suddenly surging within her, driving her to speak recklessly: “Prince, don’t be deceived by this wretch! She’s cunning and fickle, utterly unworthy of your favor!”
“Then who is worthy? You?”
Xiao Lin turned to look at her, his gaze icy cold. “Madam Shen, as early as the day of the return visit, when you confessed your admiration for me, I made it very clear—the entire Prince Xin’s Manor is grateful that it was the Princess Consort who married into the manor, not you.”
Cui Ruyue instantly felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of ice water, her face turning pale.
“What?” Fang Yun exclaimed. “Sister-in-law said that on the day of the return visit, the Princess Consort seduced Second Brother. Could it be that this was false, and instead, Sister-in-law… actually tried to seduce the Prince?”
Upon hearing this, the chill in Xiao Lin’s eyes deepened.
Qing Xi hurriedly replied, “On the day of the return visit, aside from the Prince’s brief absence to freshen up during the banquet, he was inseparable from the Princess Consort. When would the Princess Consort have had the opportunity to meet privately with Scholar Shen? However, during the Prince’s absence, he encountered Madam Shen. According to Madam Shen’s own words… she greatly admired the Prince!”
Everyone gasped, exchanging glances filled with shock at the reversal of the truth.
Was Cui Ruyue actually the one who was fickle?
Not only did she have an affair with her sister’s fiancé before marriage, but after marriage, she also tried to seduce Prince Xin, and then falsely accused others and set fires to frame them?
Their gazes toward Cui Ruyue were filled with mockery and disdain.
And to think she had the audacity to insinuate earlier that her sister had stolen her marriage—taking the blame to this extent was truly unparalleled.
Cui Ruyue felt her hands and feet turn cold under their stares, her face devoid of color.
This was supposed to be her foolproof plan—where had it gone wrong?
Now… now it was she who was disgraced and labeled as fickle—with Xiao Lin’s personal testimony, no one would believe her.
What should she do?
Before she could figure it out, a sharp pain suddenly struck her left cheek.
She froze for a moment, then saw Shen Zhiying’s furious eyes in front of her and realized she had been slapped.
“You wretch! You deceived me!” Shen Zhiying raged. “You set the fire! You burned Sister-in-law, and you dared to betray my Second Brother? I’ll tear your face apart today!”
Cui Ruyue screamed as Shen Zhiying struck her repeatedly, forcing her to dodge.
By the time the latter was separated by the bailiffs, officials from the Dali Temple had also arrived.
Seeing the person at the lead, Xiao Lin frowned slightly.
Cui Jin had even called the Dali Temple… wasn’t this handing leverage to Prince Jin?
Meanwhile, Cui Jin glanced at the letters and sachets on the ground and said to the Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple, “The handwriting on these letters is only seventy percent similar to mine—someone must have imitated it. Your Honor can compare them one by one. The sachet is also not mine. Look at the fabric and texture… it resembles the brocade my elder sister most often uses. This fabric is only sold at Yunlai Cloth Shop. Your Honor might investigate its source.”
Listening as Cui Jin pointed out the flaws in just a few words, Cui Ruyue’s face darkened as if it could drip water, but her legs trembled uncontrollably.”By the way, there’s also the matter of the earlier injury,” Cui Jin said. “I never sent anyone to drive Madam Shen away, let alone speak of silencing her by murder. Yet this guard insists he acted under my orders. I hope you can conduct a thorough interrogation to clear my name.”
The Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review courteously cupped his hands. “This humble official will certainly investigate this case strictly.”
With that, the officials he brought with him seized the guard and placed him in shackles.
The guard finally panicked.
He had only been following orders, thinking that at worst he would receive a few dozen lashes. If he endured them, he might gain the Secondary Consort’s favor. But being taken to the Court of Judicial Review… even if he confessed everything, he would likely lose half his life.
And there was still the possibility of exile…
“Your Highness, I was wrong! I was only following orders!” he hurriedly pleaded. “It was the Secondary Consort who ordered me to seriously injure Madam Shen. I was merely obeying the Secondary Consort’s command—”
Xiao Lin’s eyes darkened. “Even now, you dare to falsely accuse the Secondary Consort. Such a treacherous servant—are you trying to make a mockery of the Court of Judicial Review?”
He cast a cold glance at the guard and addressed the Vice Minister: “This is a private matter of the Prince’s Manor. It would be inappropriate to trouble the Court of Judicial Review. I will handle it myself.”
The Vice Minister raised an eyebrow slightly. “But the Princess Consort reported this to the authorities…”
Cui Jin glanced at Xiao Lin and said softly, “It seems I misunderstood. Please focus on investigating the case where I was falsely accused of having an improper relationship with Scholar Shen.”
The Vice Minister was quite accommodating and nodded, releasing the guard.
After all, the scandal of Prince Xin’s Manor had already spread. Whether it was investigated or not made little difference.
After he left with his men, Cui Ruyue, filled with resentment and fear, was also taken away by Shuntian Prefecture.
More and more people gathered in front of the Prince’s Manor, but due to Xiao Lin’s presence, they dared not discuss the matter further.
Xiao Lin led Cui Jin inside. Only when they returned to the Main Courtyard did he stop and turn back, his expression displeased. “You were reckless today—”
Before he could finish, he abruptly halted, staring in astonishment at Cui Jin, whose face was streaked with tears.
“I’m sorry…” Cui Jin’s voice was slightly hoarse, filled with lingering fear and panic. “I… I was too scared… I didn’t know what to do, so I could only ask the Court of Judicial Review to clear my name. I’m sorry… Your Highness, I was too impulsive…”
Her tears fell like broken strings, her face pale, but she dared not cry aloud.
Xiao Lin’s expression softened slightly. The moment he took her hand, he noticed her trembling, ice-cold fingertips.
He sighed. “It was my oversight. You did very well today.”
He had only seen her composure in front of others and assumed she was strong, brave, and fearless.
But how could a seventeen-year-old girl not be afraid when she was publicly accused of being promiscuous and faced with fabricated evidence?
For Cui Jin to suppress her panic, refute the accusations with reason, and report the matter to the authorities was already the most powerful counterattack she could muster. How could she have considered factional struggles?
He shouldn’t have demanded too much.
Hearing his words, Cui Jin finally dared to cry aloud, sobbing uncontrollably in his arms.
Xiao Lin held her, gently stroking her back as he whispered words of comfort.
After a while, Cui Jin finally composed herself and hurriedly wiped her tears. “I… your concubine was just now improper…”
Xiao Lin looked at her reddened eyes, feeling a pang of pity. He deliberately pointed to his tear-stained lapel and said, “You owe me more than just an undergarment now.”
Cui Jin smiled through her tears, her voice soft and intimate. “From now on, I can take full responsibility for all of Your Highness’s clothing.”
“How could that be?” Xiao Lin said with a smile, taking her hand. “I couldn’t bear to tire you out.”
Cui Jin’s cheeks flushed slightly.They had shared intimate moments before, but this was the first time they had grown so close in words and even physically.
She quietly glanced up at him, tentatively wrapping her arms around his waist. Seeing that Xiao Lin made no move, she grew bolder and tightened her embrace, holding him tightly.
Xiao Lin felt the softness of her body against his, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips.
Just as he was about to speak, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the courtyard: “Prince, it’s terrible! The Secondary Consort has learned that she was falsely accused and has coughed up blood in anger!”