The two on the rooftop exchanged a glance. Feng Jiu’er pressed down lightly on the back of Mu Mu’s hand, then jumped down from above on her own.

Outside, guards immediately moved to intercept.

From within the room, the voice of His Highness the Crown Prince — still hoarse — could be heard: “No one is to harm her.”

The guards in the courtyard hesitated for only a moment, then retreated to their positions — behaving as though they had never laid eyes on Feng Jiu’er.

Although the rumor going around outside was that Feng Jiu’er had been the one to poison His Highness — the undeniable truth was that it was Jiu’er who had saved His Highness’s life beforehand.

Back when His Highness had been ambushed outside the palace, there had been several guards present when Feng Jiu’er carried out the rescue.

For someone to save a life and then administer poison afterward? That plainly made no sense at all. This had to be a wrongful accusation.

Moreover, His Highness had just summoned her inside — which meant Jiu’er was absolutely being wrongly accused.

And so with that in mind, letting her pass felt perfectly at ease.

As for whether there might still be someone on the rooftop — since Feng Jiu’er had jumped down herself, the guards had not even thought to suspect there was anyone else up there.

Jiu’er pushed open the door and walked inside, going directly to the inner chamber.

Zhan Yuheng was still seated at the head of the bed, his complexion pale, his expression dim, tinged with a deep despondency.

With a Mother Empress like that — it would be difficult for anyone to feel otherwise.

Jiu’er had heard everything that transpired below clearly. Even as an outsider, she had wanted nothing more than to tear the Empress apart with her own hands — which said everything about how excessive what the Empress had done to Noble Consort Jing truly was.

“Why have you returned?” Zhan Yuheng asked, his gaze soft as he looked at her. “Come here — let me see whether you have been injured.”

“This commoner woman is grateful for His Highness’s concern — but I have not been injured.” Feng Jiu’er replied calmly, and did not go over.

“You… are you angry with me again?”

“Your Highness, there is no unusual relationship of any kind between this commoner woman and Your Highness. Therefore the word ‘again’ is likely being used incorrectly.”

Her expression was so cold — and she still claimed she was not angry? In this moment, however, Zhan Yuheng had little warmth or energy left to offer in the way of comfort.

He stared at some undetermined corner of the room. There was very little light in his eyes. “With a Mother Empress like this — even you find me detestable now, do you?”

“This commoner woman would not dare.” Nanmeng Rong had committed countless wrongs — that was her own affair, and had nothing to do with anyone else.

Not even her own son. After all, those matters had not been done by Zhan Yuheng.

Seeing Zhan Yuheng protect Noble Consort Jing today, Feng Jiu’er could at least see one thing clearly — this Crown Prince was not a bad person.

Toward someone whose heart was not bad — and who was now a patient besides — Feng Jiu’er harbored no ill will.

“Your Highness, the reason I have come back this time is to ask you to clear my name. Back then outside the palace, had I not administered the rescue in time, Your Highness would very likely not have survived. You could say that Your Highness’s life, at least in that moment, was saved by me. So I have no reason whatsoever, and no motive, to administer poison after saving Your Highness’s life.”

Zhan Yuheng looked at her — looked in quiet stillness, without saying anything.

She could tell that this man, at the very least, was not the blindly unreasonable kind. He believed her.

But the current situation had once again exceeded Feng Jiu’er’s expectations. What mattered most of all was that her name was cleared — yet what then of the Seventh Princess and her mother?

Before returning, she had genuinely not known that the Seventh Princess had gone and confessed.

Now, with Noble Consort Jing also having come forward to confess, it seemed — perhaps the one who had truly administered the poison had been Noble Consort Jing all along.

As for the Seventh Princess — she had likely learned of her mother’s crime, and chosen to take the blame on her behalf.

And then there was that assassination order — she had not expected it to be Noble Consort Jing’s doing. Going forward, what on earth would become of Noble Consort Jing and the Seventh Princess?

“You are troubled now too, are you not?” Having someone to worry alongside him, Zhan Yuheng’s mood seemed to lift somewhat — at the very least, he was no longer so alone in his distress.

“I can prove you innocent — Imperial Father will listen to me. But for this matter to be settled, it will likely have to be brought before Imperial Father. What then of Noble Consort Jing and the Seventh Imperial Sister?”

His question made Feng Jiu’er lift her gaze to look at him, studying him for a long, quiet moment.

That gaze made Zhan Yuheng a little uncomfortable. “What is it? Do I have something on my face? Or is there something wrong with what I said?”

“Does Your Highness truly wish to help Noble Consort Jing and the Seventh Princess?” She had not expected it. Noble Consort Jing had poisoned him, had issued an assassination order against him, had nearly gotten him killed by the sword of Juéyàn — and even now, at this point, he was still willing to consider how to protect Noble Consort Jing.

This Crown Prince was truly not a wicked person. It was simply that his past fixation on her had caused her to develop a certain degree of distaste for him.

Objectively speaking, he had not done anything truly wrong. It was only that with a Mother Empress like his, people’s impressions of him inevitably carried a slight tinge of bias.

A Crown Prince who was magnanimous enough to accommodate others, who possessed the breadth of spirit to forgive — that was a blessing for all the people under heaven!

“On behalf of the Seventh Princess and Noble Consort Jing — Jiu’er gives her sincere thanks to the Crown Prince!” These words came from the heart.

“Then, can you help me devise a plan — one that can both protect you, and protect the Seventh Imperial Sister and her mother?”

This time, Feng Jiu’er returned with the Crown Prince’s token. When everyone saw her come back safe and sound, the joy was immeasurable.

Feng Jiu’er coming to the dungeons of the Jiantian Bureau was as comfortable as coming home — each and every one of them greeting her with the warmest enthusiasm.

Not even returning to Feng Manor would have earned her treatment this good.

“Jiu’er, does this mean you have been released without charges?” A’Yang and A’Biao followed at her heels all the way.

“If I were guilty, would I be walking freely like this? Shouldn’t I be the one being escorted here by guards?”

This time it was guards who had come with her — and walking at the head of the guard formation was none other than Qing Yun.

Last time the two of them had been marched in together under custody. Now Feng Jiu’er came bearing a token, with Qing Yun assigned to protect her. It was nothing short of a triumphant return.

“That’s right, that’s right — since Jiu’er has done nothing wrong, of course it’s a release without charges.” A’Biao shot A’Yang a look. This fellow — did he have any idea how to talk?

“But, Jiu’er, we are still very curious — we heard that you were about to be executed at the time. So how is it that now…”

They had been stuck in the prison cells the whole time and had only limited access to news. They knew only that the Seventh Princess had helped Jiu’er — though naturally no one knew the Seventh Princess had been placed here after confessing.

That sort of thing was a matter for the imperial family, after all. Who would dare speak carelessly about it?

But Jiu’er going away and coming back like this — and returning in such triumph — who wouldn’t be curious? What on earth had happened?

“Nothing much — His Highness regained consciousness, proved my innocence, and His Majesty the Emperor, in his great wisdom, granted a special pardon clearing me of all charges. That’s all there is to it.”

She came to a stop before one of the prison cells. Her gaze passed through the iron bars of the cell and settled upon the person sitting on the ground within.

No young lady sat like that — just sitting directly on the ground, two long legs bent apart at the knees.

Nothing about it had anything to do with refinement or elegance. What it had to do with was — a striking, dashing boldness.

She had always said it: this Seventh Princess, from head to toe, did not have a single thing about her that resembled a young lady. Not even slightly.

If she were a young man — with a bearing like that, she would absolutely be the kind of existence that could bewitch without consequence.