Tang Ruyan felt her heart slam wildly against her ribs, loud enough that she feared the entire hall might hear it. The grand chamber was painfully silent- so silent that even the flutter of a moth's wings would've sounded like thunder. No one dared to move. No one dared to breathe. Every gaze was fixed on her, like sharpened arrows waiting for the order to strike.
Xu Yulan, gently set down the porcelain tea cup on the lacquered table before her. The sound was soft, but in the tense air it felt like a hammer falling. She lifted her chin, eyes sharp and cold, and her piercing gaze swept over the two figures kneeling below.
"You are the youngest granddaughter of the Tang Family?" Her tone was smooth, yet it sliced cleanly- no warmth, no mercy, not even curiosity. Merely accusation dressed as a question.
A wave of whispers swept across the hall like a gust of wind- astonishment, pity. All directed at her.
Tang Ruyan lifted her head just slightly and forced out a barely audible, "Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hm."
Xu Yulan only nodded, though her thin, meticulously shaped eyebrows creased by a hair's breadth. It was a tiny shift- but enough for Ruyan to see it. Enough to know this woman was sharp, not one to simply accept what she was told.
Good… or bad? Ruyan didn't know. But she had to try something. Anything.
Besides, if she was going to die anyway… she might as well die fighting.
Think… think… come on, Ruyan!
She needed proof. Actual proof that she wasn't there during the murder.
And she had it- technically. She wasn't even at the scene when Feng Huiwui died.
Her eyes lit up at the realization… only for that spark to die instantly.
There was no way- absolutely NO WAY- she could say she was locked in a dusty storage room with a man, and that man was a Prince! She would rather die and be reborn as a mosquito than confess that.
"Miss Tang, do you have anything to say?" Eunuch Liu's cold voice snapped her spiraling thoughts.
"I…" Ruyan shivered. Her fingers trembled against her skirt. Say something. Anything. But before words could form—
"Y-your Majesty! It's her! It's definitely her!"
The kneeling maid shrieked, pointing a shaking yet somehow determined finger at Ruyan.
Ruyan stared, stunned.
Why is this maid so sure it was me?
Her irritation fizzed. Then a sharp thought struck her.
Is she being used? Guided? Told what to say?
She swept her gaze to the two other young ladies present.
Chen Xiuzhen looked genuinely startled, confused, then quickly turned her face away, her expression twisting with dislike. Not her.
Then Ruyan's eyes locked onto Mu Lingling.
Mu Lingling stared back at her—the exact same way the maid had earlier. The same jittery fear mixed with something else. Something rehearsed.
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
But why would Mu Lingling target her? They had never even met, let alone quarreled.
With a deep breath to steady herself, Ruyan faced the Empress again- head lowered, but voice steady. "Your Majesty. Please grant me the chance to prove my innocence."
Her tone was gentle, confident… deceptively so. Inside, she was trembling like a leaf in a storm.
Xu Yulan's brows twitched again. This girl… had guts. Or stupidity. Maybe both.
Before Eunuch Liu could begin another tirade, the Empress raised a hand. "Fine. I will give you a chance."
Her gaze drifted toward the long table, to the incense stick burning delicately at the far end.
"But you must prove your innocence before that incense burns out."
Ruyan followed the Empress' gaze and nearly choked.
Half an incense stick. That was barely enough time to blink.
Hurry, Ruyan, hurry! Think!
Her mind raced so fast she could hardly breathe.
Then, she stood. Abruptly.
Gasps erupted.
"You! Who permitted you to stand-" Eunuch Liu began, but Xu Yulan waved him silent with a lazy flick of the wrist.
Ruyan took a shaky step toward the maid who accused her. The maid scanned Ruyan up and down, her face twitching with worry… and something else Ruyan couldn't identify. But there was no time to decipher it.
"How do you know I am the one who killed her?" Ruyan asked plainly.
She knew full well this was foolish. If the maid was coached, of course she wouldn't stutter now. But Ruyan had no other options.
"I—I have evidence!" the maid cried.
Ruyan blinked.
Evidence? Evidence???
Whispers exploded everywhere.
Eunuch Liu puffed up with pride and signaled for guards to bring in the prepared items. A second maid followed them, carrying a tray.
When the object came into view, Ruyan's eyes widened.
The hairpin.
Of course she recognized it instantly. Feng Huiwui had been wearing it the night she-
Ruyan swallowed.
Bad. This was very, very bad.
Xu Yulan leaned slightly forward to inspect it. It looked like just an ordinary, shiny hairpin. Nothing special.
"This…"
Mu Lingling opened her mouth, then slapped a hand over it as though she had revealed too much. Her eyes widened theatrically.
Eunuch Liu pounced. "What do you know?"
"I- I saw Huiwui wearing it last night…" she whispered, head ducked, shoulders hunched.
Every eye snapped toward her. Including Ruyan's, who stared so sharply that Lingling nearly shrank into the floor.
"Your Majesty, we found this in Young Miss Tang's belongings." Eunuch Liu bowed and revealed.
A witness. And evidence.
The hall filled with whispers of certainty. It was over. Case closed.
Ruyan scoffed silently. So they really prepared everything. How meticulous.
"And now, Young Miss Tang, what else do you have to say?" Eunuch Liu sneered.
Ruyan kept her expression calm. I am innocent. I have nothing to fear.
Lies. All lies. She was terrified.
Worse, this proved someone had searched her belongings. Meaning they may have also found out about her sneaking out…and
And meeting that shameless prince!
Her gaze flitted toward the incense. Only an inch remained.
NO! No no no- I'm running out of time!
Desperation surged. She spun toward the Empress and bowed.
But before she could speak—
"Your Majesty."
Chen Xiuzhen stepped forward. Ruyan froze.
"Young Miss Tang was indeed not in the room last night."
Ruyan's head whipped toward her.
Xiuzhen had no choice. She was already caught up in her thoughts on how to reveal her lose in the selection to her family. If the rumours of her hiding a truth spread, it will only worsen her situation. She didn't want anything to do with Ruyan if she had really killed the young miss of Feng family. But deep inside her heart, she felt Ruyan could not be such a person.
Xiuzhen looked away instantly, unable to meet her gaze.
Why did she have to say that?! Ruyan bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood. So she did the only thing she could.
"Your Majesty, I admit- I was outside last night." She blurted it out. No choice left.
Gasps. Even Xuizhen flinched.
The Empress leaned back in her throne, observing Ruyan up and down. Despite everything, despite the shaky breath and sweat gathering on her brow… Ruyan did not look like a murderer.
But the Empress didn't care who killed whom. She just wanted this nuisance gone so she could announce her son's marriage. This petty little corpse was delaying her grand plans—and that irritated her far more than the murder itself.
"Your Majesty, but I did not kill her," Ruyan insisted.
"Oh?"
Xu Yulan lifted a brow, intrigued despite herself. The girl was persistent.
Ruyan inhaled shakily. "Last night, I went out for some air… and saw two men carrying something away. After they left, I found this hairpin on the ground. It looked… expensive, so I picked it up and returned to my room."
She left out everything else, of course- the dark shabby room, the panic, the prince.
"Hmf! Nonsense!" Eunuch Liu barked.
Ruyan flinched.
"I heard someone saw you lurking near the palace walls with an unknown man. Was he your accomplice?"
Her stomach plunged.
"I… I did not…" she whispered, shifting nervously.
Then- salvation struck.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should ask Young Miss Mu? She was the one with Feng Huiwui before her disappearance."
Please work. Please work. She internally clasped her hands in prayer.
Xu Yulan smirked faintly and lifted a hand. A maid promptly placed a warm cup of tea in it. The Empress inhaled its fragrance, eyes half-lidded.
Then she said leisurely,
"Since things are unclear, both Young Miss Tang and Young Miss Mu shall remain here."
The guards moved instantly- far more violently than her calm tone implied.
Mu Lingling backed away in terror. "No- no, I don't know anything! Please!"
Ruyan's stomach twisted. This wasn't justice. This was convenience. The incense still burned—there was still time! It wasn't fair.
Just as she opened her mouth-
"I can prove her innocence!"
A deep, bold voice boomed through the hall as the doors slammed open.
Silence crashed over the room. Everyone turned.
Xu Yulan's expression twitched in annoyance.
Ruyan froze. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew that voice. She didn't even have to turn.
She already knew who stood behind her.