Among those pedestrians were the prince’s personal guards, all disguised as commoners.
Fortunately, Qingyao still cared about him and didn’t think of escaping, otherwise he would truly be doomed.
Who knows what useful excuses she had come up with.
Shen Qingyao sat behind the desk, waiting for Liu Hui to arrive. She appeared calm, but her hands resting on the table were tightly clenched.
She hadn’t eaten, couldn’t eat, had no appetite.
“Qingyao?”
At that moment, Liu Hui’s voice came through, and a figure emerged from behind the screen.
Shen Qingyao looked at him. Uncle was wearing his official robe tonight!
She slowly rose to offer him the seat. “Uncle.”
Liu Hui appeared wearing his black gauze cap, his face full of anticipation and curiosity. He urgently asked her, “Have you thought it through? Tell your uncle first.”
Shen Qingyao waited until he sat down, then fell silent for a moment before saying, “Uncle, the best approach is to be open and honest, to tell the truth. The fact that he discovered my lie so quickly shows that his way of thinking is beyond my comprehension. I can only adapt on the spot, but I have a rough idea of the outcome.”
“What outcome?”
Liu Hui immediately asked, already agreeing with her words. Indeed, no amount of preparation could compare to improvisation in the moment.
No one could fathom the prince’s train of thought.
Shen Qingyao hesitated for a moment. “I will lose everything, and you, although you won’t be completely dismissed, a demotion is unavoidable. I estimate you’ll be demoted three levels.
Of course, if the prince presents conditions for me to choose from, I will agree to anything to preserve your official position. But I’m afraid he won’t.”
After hearing this, the last glimmer of hope in Liu Hui’s expression completely faded. He blinked, turned his head, and his gaze fell on the table.
His hands, hidden in his sleeves, trembled.
“Uncle, I’m sorry.” Shen Qingyao bowed deeply to him.
She knew that in the ancient bureaucratic system, advancing even one rank was as difficult as a carp leaping over the dragon gate, far more complex than modern workplaces.
Dismissal or demotion was no less than a death sentence for officials.
So she felt deeply guilty.
If possible, even if it meant becoming a slave to preserve Liu Hui’s official position, she would be willing.
However, Liu Hui shook his head with a bitter smile and sighed. “Ah!”
“Actually, I can’t blame you for this outcome. After all, we aren’t related by blood. If I hadn’t recklessly involved myself, pressed you harshly, learned the truth, and chosen to conceal it, I could have avoided this entirely.
That’s the reality. It’s not as if you deliberately dragged me into this. So, preserving my fourth-rank official position would already be good enough. Let’s go, we’ll properly confess our crimes to the prince.”
Shen Qingyao felt her nose sting with emotion, deeply moved. Her uncle was a reasonable man.
Let’s go!
What needed to be said had been said. They boarded Liu Hui’s carriage, both filled with unease, and headed together to the prince’s residence.
The guards hidden in the shadows quietly followed, with some already galloping ahead to notify the prince’s residence.
Song Jiuchen was currently in the Chief Steward’s office, sitting across from Xiao Che, drinking tea.
“Are you really going to punish Liu Hui?”
Xiao Che asked him. He was aware of Shen Qingyao’s lie and Liu Hui’s concealment, including the ultimatum.
As the Chief Steward, he agreed that Song Jiuchen’s punishment was not excessive.
But Liu Hui had been his friend for many years, and he felt regretful and reluctant.
As for Shen Qingyao, he could only shake his head inwardly. That girl truly had guts!
Song Jiuchen held his teacup, inhaling its aroma, his lowered eyes deep and inscrutable. “Do you think his concealment of this matter from me is a minor offense?”
“No.”
Xiao Che immediately shook his head, “This concerns loyalty. Regardless of the scale, he should not have concealed it.”
“What about Shen Qingyao?”
He then asked another question, “If she comes to confess, how do you plan to deal with her?”
Song Jiuchen rubbed the rim of his cup, then set it down and said, “That depends on how she confesses.”
A glint flashed in Xiao Che’s eyes, and then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, “Oh!”
Song Jiuchen looked up at him, displeased with his all-knowing demeanor.
After a moment of silence, he deliberately said to him, “In two months, my elder sister will return. You should marry her.”
Mentioning Song Jingshu, Xiao Che was momentarily stunned, then his eyes filled with tenderness. But he smiled bitterly as he held his teacup, “I wish I could, but she refuses. She insists on waiting until you are married before she agrees to marry me.”
Song Jiuchen: !!
“Then pretend I never said it.”
“Your Highness, I have something to report.”
At that moment, a voice came from outside the room—one of the personal guards.
Song Jiuchen glanced sideways slightly, then stood up and said to Xiao Che, “I’ll take my leave first.”
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow but did not see him off.
Outside, the personal guard saw Song Jiuchen emerge and hurriedly stepped forward to report, “Your Highness, General Liu has brought Miss Shen.”
Song Jiuchen paused briefly, his dark eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly, then continued down the steps, “When they arrive, bring only Shen Qingyao to the Hall of Heavenly Mandate to see me.”
“Yes.”
About half an hour later, Shen Qingyao and Liu Hui arrived outside the gates of the prince’s residence.
After stepping down from the carriage, Shen Qingyao looked up at the imposing, solemn, and towering gatehouse before her. Her heart raced wildly, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly.
This was her first time at the prince’s residence, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.
At that moment, the vermilion-lacquered gates stood wide open, brightly lit, with armored soldiers standing solemnly on guard.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Shen Qingyao lowered her head and followed Liu Hui directly through the gates of the prince’s residence.
A personal guard stationed inside stepped forward to stop them, first nodding to Liu Hui, then glancing at Shen Qingyao and saying, “His Highness currently wishes to see only Miss Shen. General Liu, please wait in the West Flower Hall.”
Hearing this, Liu Hui was slightly taken aback, then looked at Shen Qingyao.
Shen Qingyao nodded to him, signaling that he need not worry. Interrogating a prisoner naturally required a private session.
Liu Hui fell silent for a moment before reluctantly leaving.
Shen Qingyao followed the personal guard away. Despite her nervousness, she couldn’t help but feel curious, looking around as she walked.
The prince’s residence was even more magnificent than she had imagined, with guards stationed everywhere and maids and matrons moving about in groups.
A quarter of an hour later, she was led to the front of a grand and imposing hall.
Hall of Heavenly Mandate?
Her heart tightened. Wasn’t this where the prince held morning meetings and discussed political affairs?
Meeting her here—was he treating her as a political prisoner?
Arriving at the foot of the hall’s steps, the personal guard signaled for her to wait, then announced, “Your Highness, she has been brought.”
“Come in.” A voice came from inside the hall, but it wasn’t Song Jiuchen’s.
Shen Qingyao recognized it—it was the man who had tricked her into going to the Xiao residence.
“Go in!”
“Yes.”
Shen Qingyao lowered her head, her heart racing again, no less intense than if she were heading to an execution ground.
Climbing the steps and crossing the threshold, each step filled her with immense tension.
As she entered the hall and turned to look straight ahead, her gaze met the man seated on the high platform. She quickly lowered her head.
Thump… thump… thump…
The clear sound of her heartbeat echoed in her chest like thunderous drumbeats.
He was watching her, his gaze still as deep and inscrutable as ever, his entire demeanor still so dignified and imposing.
It was overwhelming.
She quietly took a deep breath, trying to maintain her composure as she walked toward the center of the hall.
On the high seat, Song Jiuchen silently watched the woman approaching him, a faint flicker in his dark eyes as he observed her from head to toe.
One hand rested casually on the armrest, while the other lay on his knee, his fingertips almost imperceptibly tapping.
He couldn’t help but sneer inwardly.
Now you know fear?
Shen Qingyao had already reached the center of the hall. She then lifted her skirt and performed a deep bow of reverence. “This humble woman, Shen Qingyao, has come to confess her crimes to Your Highness.”