As soon as these words left his mouth, the Palace Audience Hall erupted in chaos once more.

Zhu Minda roared in fury, “Su Jin! Thirteen has treated you well!”

Su Jin fell silent for a moment, then said softly, “This subject speaks only the truth. This subject also saw the young prince take a date-flower pastry and try to hide it in his inner garment, but… it was the Thirteenth Prince who stopped him.”

Imperial Noble Consort sternly declared, “Zhu Shisan, what more do you have to say this time!”

Zhu Nanxian’s expression turned somber. After a moment, he suddenly turned his face to glance at Su Jin, though his expression remained unreadable.

Then he walked to the center of the hall, lifted his robes, and knelt before Zhu Minda, saying in a low voice, “Imperial Brother, I grew up by your side. Whether this matter was my doing or not—do you truly not know in your heart?”

A trace of reluctance flashed through Zhu Minda’s eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Zhu Zhaowei’s voice rang out: “Thirteen, we all know your deep bond with the Crown Prince, but surely you cannot expect him to disregard your crime of harming the imperial heir out of brotherhood? Moreover, the one you harmed is the Crown Prince’s own flesh and blood—the legitimate imperial grandson of this dynasty!”

As he spoke, he suddenly bowed toward Zhu Minda at the head of the hall, saying earnestly, “We implore the Crown Prince to handle this matter with impartiality!”

Zhu Zhaowei set the precedent, and the remaining princes—the Third, Ninth, Tenth, and Fourteenth—all bowed in unison toward Zhu Minda: “We implore the Crown Prince to handle this matter with impartiality!”

Zhu Minda gazed at Zhu Nanxian, lowered his eyelids, and let out a low sigh. However, when he raised his eyes again, the sorrow in them dissipated in an instant, and he once more became that stern-browed, ruthlessly decisive heir apparent.

Zhu Minda called out loudly, “Feathered Forest Guards!”

“Present!”

His throat moved slightly, and finally he said, “Seize the Thirteenth Prince.”

“Your Highness!” Before the Feathered Forest Guards could move, Shen Jing suddenly lifted her skirts and knelt beside Zhu Nanxian, saying firmly, “Your Highness, this subject-consort believes in Thirteen.”

Imperial Noble Consort sneered coldly, “What does the Crown Princess intend to do? For the sake of a brother-in-law, she disregards even her own flesh and blood’s life—”

“Lin’er is still perfectly alive!” Hearing these words, Shen Jing finally could not restrain herself and said word by word, “He simply has not yet awakened.” Then she looked toward Zhu Minda and said softly, “Your Highness, let us wait until Lin’er awakens before making any decisions, all right?”

Zhu Minda looked at Shen Jing. Between her exquisitely beautiful features, worry and resilience intertwined. The teardrop mole beneath her right eye shimmered in the lamplight.

Thirteen was his blood brother, yet she risked everything to protect him. Was she afraid that one day he might regret this?

Seeing her like this, Zhu Minda’s heart truly could not bear it. He descended from the dais and personally helped her to her feet, saying softly, “Very well. We shall wait together for Lin’er to awaken.”

Seeing this scene, Zhu Mixiao mocked, “The Crown Prince’s family is truly harmonious and loving. I wonder about the young prince who still lies unconscious on his sickbed—”

“Feathered Forest Guards!” Without turning back, Zhu Minda ordered coldly, “If Zhu Shisi says one more word, seize him for the crime of disturbing the proceedings.”

Just then, the hall doors were suddenly pushed open.

The wind and snow outside had grown even fiercer, with faint howling sounds. Shen Xi stood at the entrance with a cool, composed expression. He glanced around and suddenly smiled with a somewhat flippant air, saying, “Found it.”

Then he lifted his chin, and in moments a soldier presented a tray before Su Jin.

On the tray lay most of a cold, hard date-flower pastry. Su Jin picked it up, examined it carefully, then bowed to Zhu Minda: “Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, it appears to be this piece of date-flower pastry.”

Zhu Minda glanced at Liu Chaoming, who nodded slightly and cast his gaze upon the wet nurse kneeling in the corner. “Have her identify it as well.”

The wet nurse took the pastry, looked at it for a long while, then prostrated herself again: “Reporting to Your Lordship, this slave was too far away to see clearly. Probably… probably it is this piece?”

Liu Chaoming looked toward Shen Xi. “Where was this found?”

Shen Xi had been standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the door. Hearing this, he chuckled dismissively, bent down leisurely, and picked up an exquisitely patterned brocade box with a hooked finger, slowly walking into the hall. “Precisely in this box.”

Liu Chaoming asked Su Jin, “Have you seen this brocade box before?”

Su Jin turned to look, his expression freezing momentarily before he declared firmly, “Reporting to Lord Liu, when this humble subject saw the Thirteenth Prince, he was carrying this very brocade box in his hand. That date-flower pastry was taken from this box.”

Liu Chaoming glanced at a nearby soldier, who acknowledged with cupped hands and brought the box to place before the wet nurse.

Liu Chaoming asked, “Take a look. Is this the box?”

The wet nurse lifted her eyelids to look, saying timidly, “It looks like… like it is.”

Liu Chaoming said coldly, “What do you mean ‘looks like it’?”

The wet nurse couldn’t help but shiver. “This slave is not certain.”

Liu Chaoming frowned. “Such vague testimony—how do we know you are not falsely accusing someone? Guards, apply torture—”

“Reporting to Your Lordship, yes, yes, this is the box.”

Liu Chaoming said flatly, “You are certain?”

The wet nurse lifted her head slightly, glanced at Su Jin, then looked again at the brocade box before her. After a moment of silence, she said firmly, “Reporting to Your Lordship, this is indeed that very brocade box without a doubt.”

As these words fell, Shen Xi raised his eyebrows, Zhu Nanxian’s lips curved upward, and Su Jin shifted his gaze to sweep lightly over the wet nurse.

Liu Chaoming bowed toward the dais. “Your Highness the Crown Prince, the remainder should be investigated by Imperial Censor Su.”

Zhu Minda nodded. “Su Jin, you may rise.”

Su Jin bowed calmly to Zhu Minda, then walked before the wet nurse and said in a deep voice, “You are lying.” Then she said word by word, “There was no box at all!”

Su Jin had known all along that since this wet nurse dared to publicly slander the Thirteenth Prince, she had certainly resigned herself to death. Being so, if questioned in court or even tortured, she would never confess. Therefore, the only option was to use a stratagem to expose her contradictions.

At that time in the great hall, only Shen Xi had the leisure to devise a plan. However, even someone as resourceful as Shen Xi needed time to formulate a foolproof strategy. Thus Su Jin, under the pretext of reviewing external affairs, recited on the spot the audit results of over thirty officials from Nanchang Prefecture to buy him time.

Though there was not much trust between Shen Xi and Su Jin, they both believed the other would never harm Zhu Nanxian.

Therefore, before leaving the hall, Shen Xi’s seemingly inexplicable words—”creating false pretenses to wrong Thirteen”—were in fact hinting that she should fabricate false testimony.

Su Jin’s response of “absolutely will not falsely accuse” told Shen Xi that she understood what to do.

And though Zhu Nanxian did not know Su Jin’s intentions, he trusted her. Since she suddenly wanted to distance herself from him, there must be her reasons. He simply needed to cooperate by showing disappointment.

Hearing Su Jin’s words, the wet nurse’s eyes widened in terror.

But Su Jin paid her no more attention, instead addressing those on the dais: “Reporting to Imperial Noble Consort, reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, from the time this subject arrived at Xuanyuan Terrace until finishing speaking with the Thirteenth Prince, this subject never saw the young prince, nor did this subject ever glimpse any brocade box containing date-flower pastries. This wet nurse’s claim to have seen this box clearly shows she was instructed by someone to frame the Thirteenth Prince.”

Imperial Noble Consort sneered coldly. “Imperial Censor Su switches between severity and leniency at will—exactly what performance are you staging? Must everything be as you say? You claim you never saw this brocade box, but how do you explain this box containing date-flower pastries right before our eyes?”

As her words fell, the princes’ expressions varied. Those who could not conceal their thoughts, like Zhu Shisi, already showed irritation in his eyes. Though Zhu Zhaowei’s face revealed nothing, inwardly he sneered coldly—Imperial Noble Consort truly deserved to be Fourteenth’s mother-consort; the two were equally foolish.

Shen Xi casually bowed toward the dais and said with a grin, “Reporting to Imperial Noble Consort, this humble subject simply picked up this brocade box at random.”

Imperial Noble Consort’s expression stiffened slightly, then she said angrily, “Vice Minister Shen is being far too frivolous!”

But Shen Xi did not answer her. Instead, he bowed toward Zhu Minda.

Seeing Zhu Minda nod, a smile formed at the corner of his lips. He swept his sleeves and turned sideways, calling out in a clear voice, “Summon Feathered Forest Guard Commander Wu Yusheng and Capital Guard Commander Liang Tian!”

The hall doors opened once more. Two military officers wearing leopard armor and long swords at their waists knelt on one knee before Zhu Minda and Imperial Noble Consort.

Shen Xi cupped his hands toward these two men and said, “I must trouble you two generals to testify for me—tell us where exactly this brocade box was obtained?”

Wu Yusheng and Liang Tian exchanged glances, seeming somewhat embarrassed. After a moment, Liang Tian stepped forward and cupped his hands: “Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince and Imperial Noble Consort, though Vice Minister Shen claimed to be searching the palace, he actually led us directly to Fengtian Hall. There, he found a palace attendant and casually requested a brocade box—this very one before us.”

Wu Yusheng added, “Indeed. Eunuch Wu Chang of Fengtian Hall can also testify to this.”

Wu Chang was the most capable attendant by Emperor Jingyuan’s side. Since he could testify to this matter, it must be true.

Imperial Noble Consort’s expression grew somber, and she said no more.

Zhu Minda narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward the four Feathered Forest Guards who had been stationed at the main entrance of the Palace Audience Hall, saying in a deep voice, “Earlier, you saw the young prince exit the hall. Did you see him reach the Thirteenth Prince’s side?”

One of the Feathered Forest Guards replied, “Reporting to Your Highness the Crown Prince, there is only one path from the Palace Audience Hall. Beyond it are ornamental plants and rocks that obscure distant views.”

Zhu Minda then looked at the leading Feathered Forest Guard and asked slowly, “Earlier, it was you who added that the young prince went in the direction of Xuanyuan Terrace?”

That soldier collapsed into a trembling heap, shaking like chaff in a sieve, unable to answer.

However, Zhu Minda asked no more questions and simply ordered flatly, “Drag him out and execute him.”

Then he glanced at the wet nurse, who was also trembling like chaff, and said to Liu Chaoming and Su Jin, “The rest is in your hands, Imperial Censors.”

Liu Chaoming and Su Jin both bowed with joined sleeves toward the dais, then asked Shen Jing, “May we ask the Crown Princess—among those present in the Palace Audience Hall today, besides being willing to accept food from the Thirteenth Prince, from whom else would the young prince accept food?”

Shen Jing replied, “Besides Thirteen, only from the wet nurse and my personal maid, Shuxiang.”

Su Jin said, “Eunuch Zhang, the Palace Audience Hall is an ownerless hall. You should know about the usual meals. Has anyone in the Palace Audience Hall made date-flower pastries recently?”

Eunuch Zhang came forward and knelt in obeisance. “Reporting to Lord Su, no. None of us in the palace care for sweet and greasy foods. Moreover, this servant personally inspects the food at the kitchen every day at the hour of mao.”

Su Jin asked Shen Jing again, “May we ask the Crown Princess—when you brought the young prince to the Palace Audience Hall today, did you bring any food?”

Shen Jing replied, “Some soup was prepared, but there were definitely no date-flower pastries.”

This meant the date-flower pastries must have been deliberately sent in by someone after the hour of mao?

But today, only one person had sent anything to the Palace Audience Hall.

Liu Chaoming turned to look at Consort Qi and said flatly, “This official remembers that earlier when investigating the case of Beauty Li, Consort Qi claimed she had abdominal pain and returned to Yanhe Palace before noon. Later, Imperial Noble Consort sent you lunch, which you could not finish. Thinking that Beauty Li was still at the Palace Audience Hall and had not eaten, you had someone deliver it to her?”