“It won’t be useless, I…” Before Yunyi could finish, Ruyi was already shedding tears, “This servant will go see the Prince of Tang now and tell him that it was this servant who, unwilling to see the Princess punished by His Majesty and acting protectively in a moment of urgency, killed His Majesty. This way, Second Young Master will be safe.”

Upon hearing this, Jixiang immediately cried out in alarm, “No, Ruyi, don’t!” Ever since entering the palace, she and Ruyi had eaten and lived together, never separating. Their bond was closer than blood sisters. Now hearing that Ruyi wanted to take responsibility for murdering Yang You, she was naturally panic-stricken.

Ruyi closed her eyes, choking out, “This is the only way to save Second Young Master. In any case, I was also in the hall at that time. As long as I insist that I was the killer, even if others have suspicions, they can do nothing about it.”

Jixiang said urgently, “But this way, you’ll die!”

“I know.” Ruyi’s answer was simple and sorrowful. She was only twenty years old and had never married. She didn’t want to die, didn’t want to be beheaded, but she even less wanted the Princess she had served since childhood to live in pain for the rest of her life. She even doubted whether the Princess would have the courage to continue living after Second Young Master’s death.

Jixiang’s mind was in chaos, not knowing what to say. She only gripped Ruyi tightly, repeatedly saying the same three words, “You cannot, you cannot!”

Ruyi tried hard to stop her tears and said to Yunyi, “This servant will go see the Prince of Tang now. I believe the Prince of Tang also doesn’t want to see Second Young Master beheaded. It’s just that this servant can no longer serve the Princess in the future. Princess, you must take care of yourself.” After saying this, she slowly but firmly brushed away Jixiang’s hand.

The moment her fingers loosened, Jixiang grasped them tightly again, saying hoarsely, “I have an impetuous temperament and always say the wrong things. Even the Princess says I’m not as steady-tempered as you. So… it would be better for me to go see the Prince of Tang instead. You should properly serve the Princess.”

“No!” Ruyi quickly said, “This is a capital offense—you cannot go!”

Jixiang forced out a smile that looked worse than crying, “On one hand telling me I cannot go, while planning to go yourself—isn’t this what they call speaking with a divided heart?” Wiping away her tears, she continued, “Besides, with your temperament, how could you kill someone? No one in this palace would believe it, let alone fool the Prince of Tang.”

“Jixiang…” Before Ruyi could continue, Jixiang had already said, “This matter is settled. No more objections.” Speaking thus, she knelt before Yunyi, “Princess, this servant…”

Yunyi interrupted her words, “Do you think that if you take responsibility for killing someone like this, I would be happy? No, I don’t want Shimin to be harmed, and likewise, I don’t want either of you to be harmed.” With these words, the tears she had held back for so long finally fell.

Jixiang raised her hand to wipe away the winding tear track on Yunyi’s face, saying softly, “This servant knows, this servant knows everything. But this servant cannot give the Princess a lifetime of happiness, so I can only entrust it to Second Young Master. Promise this servant that you will surely be happy and healthy in the future, growing old together with Second Young Master.”

Yunyi looked at her through tears, then in the next moment tightly grasped Jixiang, just as the latter had previously gripped Ruyi, “You’re not allowed to go!”

Just as Jixiang was about to persuade her again, a grating voice sounded in their ears, “Oh my, what’s going on here?”

Hearing this voice, both Ruyi and Jixiang felt their teeth itch with hatred. It was this woman who had caused Second Young Master to be on the verge of execution, and she still had the face to come here.

Seeing no one acknowledge her, Xin’an turned to Luli beside her, “Did you see that? This is what our Grand Princess’s palace servants are like—no manners at all, not even knowing how to pay proper respects.”

Jixiang wiped her tears, stood up, and said coldly, “Of course I know how to pay respects, but only to people, not to beasts!”

Hearing herself compared to a beast, Xin’an’s face immediately turned extremely ugly. Luli beside her also changed color and scolded, “How dare you be so insolent! How dare you speak to my Princess like this!”

Jixiang said mercilessly, “I’m only speaking the truth. Who told your mistress to refuse to be a proper person and insist on being a beast?” Having already resolved to die, how could she fear Xin’an?

“Good! The palace servants taught by Seventh Sister are truly excellent!” Xin’an spat these words through gritted teeth. The next moment, she suddenly said, “Someone come! Drag this dead girl out and beat her severely—beat her until she stops breathing!”

The palace servants outside looked at each other, none responding to Xin’an. Though they didn’t share the deep bond with Yunyi that Ruyi and Jixiang did, they had no favorable feelings toward Xin’an either.

Seeing no response, Xin’an’s expression grew even uglier, saying coldly, “It seems today I truly need to establish proper rules, or these people will rebel sooner or later!” Speaking thus, she said to Luli, “Go immediately and summon guards to carry out the punishment!”

Just as Luli was about to agree, Yunyi, who had remained silent, said coldly, “Xin’an, I haven’t yet settled accounts with you for harming Shimin and me, and now you want to punish my palace servants. Isn’t this going too far?”

“Too far?” Xin’an laughed shrilly, “More than you? From childhood, you’ve opposed me at every turn. That was bad enough, but when I finally traveled thousands of li from Jiangdu to Chang’an, you heartlessly and cruelly drove me away. If not for my deep fortune, I don’t know where I’d have ended up today.”

Yunyi was tired of looking at that face, “I don’t want to rehash these old grievances with you. In any case, this is my place, and Ruyi and the others are my people. You have no authority to punish them. Please leave!”

Xin’an’s face turned cold, “Jixiang, as a palace servant, committed the offense of insulting a superior, calling me a beast. Such a crime absolutely cannot be forgiven. If there’s wrongdoing, there must be punishment. Seventh Sister, surely you understand this principle?”

“What about you?” This question stirred up the hatred Yunyi had barely suppressed, “You colluded with others to frame Shimin and me. How should you be punished?”

Hearing this, Xin’an immediately covered her mouth and laughed. The twisted gold bracelet on her wrist jingled as she moved. After stopping her laughter, she stared at Yunyi, “You say I harmed you—where’s the evidence? Show me the evidence!” Without waiting for Yunyi to speak, her expression turned cold as she said sternly, “If you have no evidence, then shut up!”

Yunyi didn’t speak, only silently stared at the twisted gold bracelet on Xin’an’s wrist. That day when Xin’an had rushed in, she had also been wearing this bracelet. For Xin’an, who usually loved novelty and tired of old things quickly, this was truly rare. It seemed she was very fond of this bracelet.

Seeing Yunyi’s silence, Xin’an thought she had been rendered speechless and became even more pleased. She also remembered her purpose for coming today, “Oh yes, I heard that the Prince of Tang has already ordered Li Shimin’s execution tomorrow at noon, is that right? His Majesty’s spirit in heaven can finally rest in peace.”

Jixiang said hatefully, “Those who truly know who killed His Majesty should be careful that His Majesty doesn’t come to claim their lives at midnight!”

Xin’an’s smile faded, and her eyes turned vicious, “Jixiang, how dare you curse me!”

“I’m not cursing you,” Jixiang replied fearlessly, “I’m just stating a fact. Murderers always get their comeuppance.”

“You little wretch!” Xin’an was furious, “Since you want to die so badly, I’ll fulfill your wish! Guards! Guards!”

This time, several guards did appear at the door, but they hesitated, looking between Xin’an and Yunyi, clearly unsure whom to obey.

Yunyi stepped forward, her voice cold and authoritative, “This is Mingse Hall. I am the master here. Anyone who dares to harm my people will answer to me!”

The guards immediately bowed to Yunyi, “We obey the Princess’s orders.”

Xin’an’s face turned purple with rage, “You… you’re all rebelling!”

“I’m not rebelling,” Yunyi said calmly, “I’m simply protecting what’s mine. Xin’an, you’ve said what you came to say. Now leave my hall.”

Xin’an glared at her with venom, “Fine, very fine! Yunyi, enjoy your little moment of triumph. Tomorrow at noon, when Li Shimin’s head rolls, we’ll see if you can still be so arrogant!”

With that, she whirled around and stormed out, Luli hurrying after her.

After they left, Yunyi sank to the floor, the brief moment of strength leaving her. Ruyi and Jixiang immediately rushed to support her.

“Princess,” Ruyi said softly, “we still have tonight. Perhaps we can still find a way…”

But even as she spoke, they all knew how slim their chances were. Tomorrow’s execution was approaching like an unstoppable tide, and they were running out of time.