Chapter 061: Could It Be... Silencing a Witness?

"Mother!" Princess Lin'an cried out in panic, her voice trembling as she protested loudly, "Mother, I have never seen such a letter, nor do I know how such a thing could exist. I—"

In her desperation, she suddenly turned to look at Wu Qinglin, her eyes brimmed with tears, both furious and mortified.

Wu Qinglin stared straight ahead, refusing to say another word.

"This is simply... simply..." Consort Zhao Xian felt utterly shaken by the sudden appearance of this love letter. It took her a long moment to recover, but her anger and distress left her grasping for words, trembling as she clutched the letter. Unable to vent her fury, she was about to tear the paper to pieces.

Seated beside Empress Jiang, Xiao Yun suddenly rose and stepped forward, seizing her wrist.

Consort Zhao Xian grew anxious, "Your Highness, this is groundless nonsense..."

"Precisely because it is nonsense, it must be thoroughly investigated!" Xiao Yun interrupted her coldly.

Consort Zhao Xian was unable to comprehend, feeling as though the letter was a brand burned into her daughter's reputation. Destroying it seemed the only way to relieve her wrath.

Xiao Yun swept his gaze across the room, his tone icy, "Mother, please calm yourself. Both I and the Empress believe in Lin'an's character and are certain she would never engage in such clandestine exchanges or write private love letters. Now that such a scandal has erupted, not only you, but the entire royal family is shamed. We cannot simply cover our ears and pretend nothing happened."

He snatched the letter from Consort Zhao Xian's hand, tossing it to Lady Fang. "Check the handwriting!"

Lady Fang took the letter, but glanced to Empress Jiang for guidance.

Empress Jiang nodded slightly, prompting Lady Fang to reply to Xiao Yun, "Handwriting verification is indeed possible, but it is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Your Highness, where should the investigation begin?"

At this moment, Huo Yunhua was drenched in cold sweat. Since entering the main hall, she had been contemplating whether Xiao Yun might help resolve the matter. Yet today, Xiao Yun acted abnormally—he neither defended her nor showed any intention of intervening. She had not dared to speak rashly, but now he suddenly launched an attack—and worse, it seemed he had accepted the accusations made by the Wu siblings against her family!

Huo Yunhua bit her lip, forcing herself not to meet Xiao Yun's eyes, inwardly furious—everything had been meticulously arranged. The fire in the princess's quarters was meant to allow her agents to expose the hidden letters during the chaos, humiliating Princess Lin'an and Consort Xian in public, leaving them no choice but to resolve the scandal through marriage. It should have worked. Yet, due to a jar of lamp oil placed by a maid on the windowsill, her perfect plan unraveled.

If the letters hidden in Huayang Palace had all burned, it would have been fine. But by some misfortune, Wu Qinglin happened to retrieve one. The handwriting belonged to her third brother! This was undeniable—if they brought his previous writing samples from the Huo residence for comparison, no amount of arguing could refute the evidence.

Now, the uncontrolled fire had brought a private scandal into the open, escalating it into a case that nearly cost several lives.

Huo Yunhua felt as if her heart were stuck in her throat, making it hard to breathe; she was on the verge of fainting.

Xiao Yun hesitated briefly, but did not linger. His command was cold and decisive: "Since Miss Wu has made her accusation in person, the investigation will begin with the Huo family."

Huo Yunhua was struck as if by lightning, her mind blank. She turned to Xiao Yun in disbelief, stammering, "Your Highness..."

Xiao Yun ignored her, continuing, "Today is Father's birthday banquet. Such disgraceful matters should not be exposed at the festivities. Do not apprehend anyone at the banquet. Instead, send someone immediately to the Huo residence, collect writing samples from all the men there, and compare them."

"Yes!" Lady Fang accepted the order and prepared to leave, but Consort Zhao Xian, still angry and anxious, blocked her path, pleading, "Empress, this concerns Lin'an's reputation..."

Empress Jiang was not one to disregard the lives of her stepdaughters, but at this moment, she grew annoyed at Consort Zhao Xian's excessive protectiveness, her face cold: "Consort Xian! This matter concerns not only Lin'an's reputation but nearly cost the lives of five young ladies. I will seek the truth. If Lin'an is innocent, she will not be punished. Do you intend to conceal the matter and pretend nothing happened?"

Consort Zhao Xian, desperate to protect her daughter, valued her daughter's reputation above all else.

"Empress..." She gritted her teeth, about to kneel and plead.

Wu Tan saw this and felt a surge of anger at Consort Zhao Xian's selfishness.

But the other woman was a royal consort and could not be confronted. Wu Tan averted her gaze, choosing not to see.

Wu Qinglin, never one for ambiguity, stepped forward and said, "If Consort Xian and Princess Lin'an insist on concealing this matter, the Wu siblings will keep silent about today's events. Once we leave this hall, we will never speak of it to a third party. As for my sister's accusation against Miss Huo—so long as the Empress judges clearly, my sister need not bear the blame. All disputes can be attributed to a personal feud between the Wu and Huo families."

He had not rushed into the fire for glory, but to save his sister, whom he thought trapped. Upon discovering several young women in peril, he could not ignore them and thus ended up saving them heroically. Though the Wu family served the royal house, they would not volunteer for thankless tasks. They did not mind a public conflict with the Huo family, but would not act without clarity. Wu Qinglin’s words were blunt.

Princess Lin'an, who had been quietly sobbing, looked up in surprise.

Consort Zhao Xian cared little for Wu Qinglin’s words, relieved and ready to accept the compromise.

"Consort Xian!" But Xiao Yun intervened once more, his tone impatient: "If the matter remains unresolved, even if you destroy the letter, the knot will persist in my heart. Mother brought the relevant parties here to protect my sister, and if you refuse her efforts, I will pursue this case as an attempted murder. Four other young ladies nearly lost their lives—each is the daughter of a high official, and their lives are no less valuable than my sister's! You are my sister's mother; protecting her is your duty. I, as the Crown Prince, am bound to seek justice for all victims!"

The twelve-year-old prince, delivering these words with solemn precision, exuded an unexpected aura of authority.

Wu Tan found it remarkable and glanced at him briefly.

Huo Yunhua, who had long stared at him in apprehension, grew even paler at his words, until her face was devoid of color. She looked at the stubborn, ruthless prince as if she were seeing a ghost.

Xiao Yun ignored everyone, pushing aside Consort Zhao Xian’s hand from Lady Fang’s path. "Go at once!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" Lady Fang lowered her head and hurried out of the hall.

Consort Zhao Xian, defeated, slumped onto a nearby chair.

With the hall door closed again, Huo Yunhua could hardly endure it. She reconsidered the events and the current situation, finally realizing she could not wait passively. She gathered herself, stepped forward, and knelt before Empress Jiang and the others, her face full of grievance as she spoke in a small voice, "Empress, Crown Prince, Young Master Wu and Miss Wu are so resolute in their accusations that I am left speechless. But with their relentless pursuit, will you truly believe their slander against the Huo family?"

Empress Jiang had no patience for her.

Xiao Yun, acting as if transformed today, did not leave her waiting, replying, "If you have proof of your innocence, you may present it now. Who is holding you back?"

To Huo Yunhua, his tone was decidedly unfriendly.

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, her lips pressed tight. After several attempts to restrain herself, she finally bit back and retorted, "Even if the handwriting on the letter is proven to be that of a Huo family member, is it not possible that Young Master Wu deliberately brought it into the fire to frame us?"

Now, she could only gamble—gamble that the nursemaid she bribed would withstand torture and keep her secret.

If there were only physical evidence, lacking a witness, she might still argue her way out.

Despite her words, Huo Yunhua trembled inside, for she knew the odds of the nursemaid enduring the tortures of the Judicial Office and remaining silent for her were slim. She was still anxious when someone knocked on the hall door. It was Lady Qi's voice: "Empress, I have urgent news!"

Consort Zhao Xian, preoccupied with her daughter, ignored it.

Empress Jiang called out, "Enter!"

Lady Qi opened the door, closed it behind her, knelt, and reported, "Empress, I have questioned the guards stationed at the gate this afternoon. It is confirmed, as Miss Wu stated, that after Miss Huo left, the princess's nursemaid, Gui, followed her out briefly, but returned soon after."

Huo Yunhua’s mind went blank again, nearly fainting.

"Where is she? Bring her in," said Empress Jiang.

"Well..." Lady Qi glanced up at her, her expression grave and anxious. "She was found—floating in the lake outside the palace. When retrieved, she was already... dead!"

——Side Note——

This chapter is nearly a thousand words longer than usual. Praise me, please →_→

PS: Huo Yunhua was at least an important supporting female character in her previous life. If I ruin her before the book is even released, isn't the torment a bit lacking?

This book is exclusively first published; please do not repost!