“When did Your Highness learn of these things?”

Wei Yan’s voice was soft, his gentle countenance appearing fractured in the palace lanterns’ light and shadow.

“Honestly, although I had suspicions, I never dared think in this direction. Even when Priest Shen Guang’s half-destroyed ledger contained Uncle’s name, I merely assumed it was for seeking medicine for Aunt.”

“I was indeed seeking medicine for Yue.”

“Yes, perhaps initially it was just for Aunt, but that wouldn’t prevent Uncle from requesting other things.”

“What does Your Highness mean?”

“After Prince Yong was arrested, I always felt the scheme was deliberately arranged, with all evidence and clues ending with Prince Yong, yet I didn’t know who was pulling the strings. It wasn’t until the Double Ninth Festival when I visited to pay respects, and Uncle brought out that lotus jade which didn’t belong to me at all…”

At that time, Zhao Yān could vaguely guess that while she had been indirectly inquiring about the Shen Guang Sect’s elixirs, Uncle had also been testing her with the lotus jade. Beneath the warmth flowed an undercurrent—the beginning of a terrifying suspicion.

“How could someone as knowledgeable as Uncle possibly make such a mistake?”

Zhao Yān steadied herself and continued, “After returning to the Eastern Palace, I reviewed the details of all the incidents and discovered something interesting: whether it was last year’s assassination attempt on the way back from the sacrifice, the collapse at Xingzhi Observatory, or the assassination attempt at my birthday banquet—Uncle was present at all of them.”

…

…

Wei Yan remained composed: “What of it? Many people were present at these events. Surely Your Highness isn’t suggesting they are all suspicious.”

“True, but Uncle forgot one variable in these incidents—Aunt.”

Zhao Yān calmly countered, speaking clearly, “Aunt treats us siblings like her own children. Uncle loves his wife dearly—how could he bear for her to be heartbroken, witnessing my death? The best solution was to ensure her absence from this trap.”

“Has Your Highness forgotten? At the Empress’s birthday celebration when Xingzhi Observatory collapsed, and at Your Highness’s birthday banquet with the assassination attempt, Yue was present. If I were behind everything, why would I risk Yue’s safety on those two occasions?”

“That’s because those two incidents never targeted my life.”

Zhao Yān carefully observed Wei Yan’s subtle changes in expression. “Uncle feared someone would follow the Shen Guang Sect’s trail back to you, so the collapse of Xingzhi Observatory was meant to create chaos to draw away the Imperial Guards. Only then could your people infiltrate the Astronomical Tower to destroy the ledgers. You didn’t anticipate that I would become involved and obtain the other half of the ledger.

As for the birthday banquet, Uncle knew Prince Su’s people would be there, making the assassination attempt impossible to succeed. You turned it to your advantage, directing all evidence and suspicion toward Prince Yong. In other words, the true purpose of the birthday banquet was to make Prince Yong your scapegoat, not to take my life… so when Aunt was not present today, I had an ominous feeling.”

“Your Highness jests. How could I possibly have the ability to mobilize forces from different factions?”

“Of course, Uncle can, because you are ‘Wei Bole.’ Those whom you’ve recognized and recommended aren’t just Confucian scholars and civil officials, but also many eunuchs and alchemists. Uncle, discovering these things wasn’t difficult.”

Wei Yan maintained his most humble composure, revealing not the slightest flaw.

“These are merely Your Highness’s baseless speculations, without any evidence.”

Intelligent people are like this—not only will they never utter a word against their interests, but they can precisely grasp the vital points in their opponent’s reasoning.

Yes, Zhao Yān had no evidence. This confrontation should have reached a deadlock.

Therefore, she could only gamble on the human heart, forcing Uncle to disrupt his defenses and reveal flaws.

And Aunt, as the only variable, was her only breakthrough to turn around this stalemate.

“That day at the Marquis’s mansion, Huo Zhenzhen accidentally discovered the heart-protecting mirror Aunt kept in her box. I learned that Aunt was once engaged to the Wenren family’s eldest son, Wenren Cang, and they were deeply in love…”

“Yue was never in love with him!”

Wei Yan interrupted Zhao Yān’s words with cold gravity.

Zhao Yān pinched the web between her thumb and index finger, steadying her voice.

“But Wenren Cang never received a single letter from Aunt until his death. If Aunt truly felt nothing for Wenren Cang, why would she keep his heart-protecting mirror for nearly ten years and go out every year during the Ghost Festival to pay respects?”

Facing Wei Yan’s cold gaze, Zhao Yān continued word by word, “What is Uncle suspicious of regarding me, what is Uncle hiding from Aunt, what exactly are you concealing, and what are you afraid of?”

The cold wind rustled, with light and shadow dividing Wei Yan’s face into bright and dark halves.

He said, “Your Highness should not use these old matters to wound Yue’s heart.”

Zhao Yān laughed self-mockingly, suppressing a hint of sadness.

“Aunt said she wrote letters, many, many letters, but they all sank like stones into the sea without any response. At that time, she was confined to the inner chambers by her family, and all letters were given to her maid and Uncle to send out… So Aunt wants to ask Uncle what happened to those letters. But without a palace entry token, she could only seek my help.”

Zhao Yān raised her eyes, then gently played her final card, “Now, Uncle might guess who is sitting in my sedan chair?”

From a distance came the hour of You bell, startling birds into flight.

Wei Yan’s pupils trembled for an instant. Without hesitation, he turned and strode toward the palace gate.

“Marquis, the palace banquet has just begun, and you’re leaving already?”

“Marquis Ningyang, the palace gates are strictly guarded at night. Please show your token for verification… Hey! My horse!”

“Marquis Ningyang has seized a cloud rider’s horse and is heading toward the north gate!”

Zhao Yān showed her token to the Imperial Guards and said gravely, “The Marquis’s actions might lead to trouble. Report to His Majesty, quickly!”

The Imperial Guards dared not take responsibility and hurriedly sent someone to report, while the rest followed with their hands on their swords.

Watching Wei Yan’s figure disappear into the night, Zhao Yān slowly leaned against the palace wall, as if all her strength had been drained.

Wei Yan was clear-headed and rational, which is precisely why he could tell the Crown Prince wasn’t lying.

Yue indeed knew about the letters from years ago. She couldn’t hide her feelings, and coming to confront him face-to-face was just like her nature…

Wei Yan knew what it meant for him to rush to the corridor now.

Only the person who set the trap would know where the ambush was laid. If he successfully intercepted the sedan chair and avoided the assassination, it would be tantamount to admitting he was the true culprit behind the scheme.

If he pretended to know nothing and let the sedan chair carrying Yue pass through the corridor, he wouldn’t leave any evidence against himself.

There might be a trap here, but even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he wasn’t willing to gamble—couldn’t afford to gamble.

The fine horse galloped madly, striking out crisp and urgent hoof beats in the long, narrow corridor. The cold wind howled, cutting his face like a knife.

Wei Yan saw the Eastern Palace sedan chair slowly approaching in the distance, and in his peripheral vision, the faint fire of an oil-coated heavy arrow hidden in the pavilion.

“Stop!”

He reined in his horse and shouted, forcing the sedan chair to halt.

Dismounting, he approached the sedan chair with unprecedented haste. As the wind blew, the curtains of the sedan chair fluttered.

It was empty inside.

In the profound silence, Wei Yan stood speechless for a long time, hearing only his own nearly bursting breath.

He had prided himself on his ability to gauge people’s hearts and see through everything, yet in the end, he lost in this gamble of human hearts.

…

Half an hour earlier.

Atop the north gate tower, Wenren Lin had a perfect view of all movements in the corridor.

Listening to Cai Tian’s detailed report, a smile rippled in his eyes. When he saw Wei Yan frantically galloping to intercept the sedan chair, he finally raised his eyebrows and laughed out loud.

Wenren Lin hadn’t laughed so freely in a long time. He never expected the young Highness to be able to force Wei Yan, that fox with a human face but a beast’s heart, to reveal his true nature from such a passive stalemate.

Witnessing this was even more satisfying than seeing him executed by blade and ax!

Unfortunately, this was far from enough to convict him.

Wei Yan was extremely skilled at manipulating people’s hearts. They needed to strike while the iron was hot to solidify his crimes and cut off all his routes of escape.

Wenren Lin’s obsidian eyes rippled with excited laughter as he instructed Cai Tian: “Send word to Zhang Cang to escort Yu Sui and that maid from Prince Yong’s mansion to the palace. Advance the plan.”

Hearing this, Cai Tian was slightly startled.

If Wei Yan fell, he would inevitably drag down a massive hidden network. Currently, Physician Sun has not yet developed an antidote for the Cold Bone Poison. Advancing the plan now was like making a dangerous move…

But he also knew clearly that after returning from the depths of hell, His Highness cared least about his own life.

Cai Tian quickly composed himself and said in a low voice: “This servant accepts the command.”

“Wait. Give the witness to Duke Yingchuan’s grandson, and let Liu handle it on behalf of the Crown Prince.”

Wei Yan was still the Crown Prince’s uncle. To prevent the Emperor from directing his anger at the young Highness, the Eastern Palace had to take the lead in putting righteousness above family ties to make their stance clear.

But the young Highness valued relationships deeply, and personally convicting Wei Yan would be too heavy a burden for her. Therefore, letting Liu Baiwei take the credit was most appropriate. As someone close to the Crown Prince, he represented the Eastern Palace’s position… hmph, that was his only usefulness.

With this thought, Wenren Lin leisurely removed the jade ring from his index finger, gently placed it on the table, then put on an iron finger guard and raised his hand to accept a great bow presented by two attendants.

His gaze turned toward the high building across the corridor, dark and profound.

In a hidden corner of the high building beside the corridor, a man disguised as an Imperial Guard lurked in darkness, binding two copper balls the size of chicken eggs to a heavy arrow, then lighting the oil-wrapped arrowhead with a flame.

In the darkness from afar, he could not identify who had entered the corridor. Only his master’s command could make him cancel the assassination.

Aiming, releasing the string, the oil-fire arrow cut through the air with a fierce sound, blazing a trail of light in the night sky.

Zhao Yān and the Imperial Guards emerged from the north gate, their pupils reflecting the streaking light of the arrow.

So this was Wei Yan’s backup plan!

But Wei Yan was still standing there. He couldn’t die before revealing all the truth!

Almost simultaneously, another whistling sound came from the opposite direction, precisely striking the fire arrow in mid-air. There was a crisp “ding” as the arrowheads collided, the copper balls detonated, and a blinding flash exploded in the air.

An earth-shattering boom followed, with heat waves wrapped in biting wind sweeping over. Zhao Yān raised her sleeve to shield her eyes, and in the explosive light accurately caught sight of the strong figure across the pavilion, poised like one shooting at the sun, drawing a seven-stone hard bow.

The shattered iron fragments fell like fireworks, resembling a meteor shower.

In just an instant, the light extinguished. Those in Yonglin Hall were startled by the sound, the officials looking at each other in fear.

The Emperor put down his cup and asked: “What happened?”

The Imperial Guard reported: “Marquis Ningyang seized a cloud rider’s horse and rushed out of the north gate. That sound came from there, it seems to be… a flying spear with saltpeter.”

There was a commotion in the hall.

In the corridor, Wei Yan was surrounded by Imperial Guards.

“Marquis Ningyang, what exactly are you trying to do?” High-ranking guard Gao Jian couldn’t even attend the banquet and rode over on horseback.

Seeing the empty sedan chair, Wei Yan had already calmed down.

With the assassination attempt having failed, that loyal Imperial Guard captain would immediately take his own life, never allowing himself to be captured alive.

As long as Yue wasn’t present, he had no weakness, and nothing could restrain him anymore.

Wei Yan turned around, still maintaining his gentle and refined demeanor, saying slowly: “My wife is gravely ill and entered the palace. I was too worried about her safety, so I acted somewhat hastily and rashly, disturbing the Imperial Guards and His Majesty.”

Gao Jian held his breath in his chest and said: “The Marquis seized a horse and rushed through the palace gate just to see the Marchioness? Then what was that explosion in the sky?”

“This, I do not know.”

“It couldn’t have been just fireworks?”

Gao Jian said with a complex expression, “It’s useless for the Marquis to explain to me. Please go before His Majesty to admit your fault.”

“As I should.”

Wei Yan appeared cooperative, but his gaze pierced through the crowd toward Zhao Yān.

Zhao Yān felt a chill throughout her body. Uncle knew that even if he confirmed the assassination attempt before her, without witnesses or evidence, it would come to nothing.

She couldn’t convict him.

That’s why Wei Yan could be so composed.

Zhao Yān gathered her focus and turned toward the palace tower.

She walked quickly and urgently. Upon reaching the tower, she saw Cai Tian and others bringing a corpse of an Imperial Guard before Wenren Lin.

Seeing the stunned Zhao Yān, Wenren Lin’s expression tightened slightly. He walked over and covered her eyes, signaling Cai Tian to clean up the mess.

His palm was long, wide, and cool like jade.

Zhao Yān heard the muffled sound of cloth and flesh being dragged along the ground. She frowned slightly, then raised her delicate white fingertips to gently touch the back of Wenren Lin’s hand, pulling it down slightly.

“I’m not that fragile,” she said, breathing softly.

Wenren Lin didn’t loosen his grip, but instead pulled her into his embrace, gently stroking her slightly rigid back, soothing the heavy pain hidden deep in her heart—the pain of confronting a blood relative as an enemy.

Only after the tower was cleaned did Wenren Lin say “Mm” and continue: “The young Highness has grown up.”

Zhao Yān’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she raised her hand to clutch Wenren Lin’s collar and said, “I know the murderer is him. He has nowhere to hide from me… but I cannot sentence him to death.”

“You’ve already done very well.”

Wenren Lin slowly stroked her head, his low, mellow voice carrying a convincing power: “Leave the rest to this Prince.”

Zhao Yān suddenly looked up from his embrace, the red mole beneath her eye glowing as she murmured: “You have a way?”

Wenren Lin smiled softly, beautiful laughter swirling in his obsidian eyes.

Straight as a bowstring leads to death; curved as a hook leads to ennoblement.

What he wanted wasn’t just a few lives, but to see them disgraced and cursed by all people.

The Marquis of Ningyang was brought to trial, abruptly ending the night banquet.

Breaking the night’s silence was the distant, thunderous drumming sound.

The Emperor pressed his temples and asked: “What now?”

After a long while, the Chief Eunuch crawled into the hall on his knees, inching forward to report: “Your Majesty! Someone at the palace gate is beating the grievance drum to appeal for justice!”

At the palace gate, the grievance drum was used by those with great injustices to reach the Emperor’s ears.

The Emperor had been seeking immortality from Daoist priests and neglecting state affairs. How many years had it been since that drum was last struck? And in the middle of the night!

This must be a matter that would shock the entire court!

The Emperor asked steadily: “Who is beating the drum?”

“It’s… It’s an old monk with a lame leg, who claims to be Wenren Cang’s deputy, named Yu Sui.”

The trembling eunuch prostrated himself and continued: “He… he says he’s here for the truth about Wenren Cang’s tragic death.”