Shaoshang returned to Changqiu Palace with a heavy heart about treating human life so carelessly. Sure enough, the Crown Prince had been waiting beside the Empress the whole time. Seeing mother and son looking over with expectant gazes, she felt somewhat unable to bear it. Still, Ling Buyi remained composed, calmly giving a brief account of the murder case at the Liang residence. His tone was so bland, as if he were talking about the neighbor’s calico cat having given birth to two more kittens.

After hearing it, the Empress was somewhat confused: “…Apart from Lingjun, no one entered or left the study pavilion, yet Lingjun adamantly denies killing her husband. Then who exactly killed Liang Shang?”

The Crown Prince was both shocked and bewildered, his facial expression changing several times before he finally said: “Zicheng, that is to say, Liang Shang should have been killed earlier than the shen hour?”

Ling Buyi looked at him deeply but did not answer.

The Crown Prince turned to ask again: “Shaoshang, you tell me.”

Shaoshang looked at her fiancé strangely, then quickly answered: “In response to Your Highness, this concubine asked everyone—the brazier in that study pavilion wasn’t burning vigorously. Regardless of whether the person who delivered lunch at noon killed Liang Shang, since the corpse was so cold, Liang Shang absolutely could not have been killed at the shen hour… Mm, according to the coroner, Liang Shang had been dead for at least over an hour.”

The Crown Prince closed his eyes, as if making some great resolution. He solemnly bowed to the Empress: “Mother Empress, your son has a thought to report to Mother Empress.”

“Crown Prince, this subject does not approve.” Ling Buyi suddenly said.

Shaoshang looked at him in surprise—the Crown Prince hadn’t said anything yet.

The Empress looked at Ling Buyi, then at the Crown Prince: “You speak first.”

The Crown Prince said: “Your son wishes to clear Lingjun’s grievance…”

Shaoshang was startled. Ling Buyi’s voice came flatly: “This subject still does not approve.”

Ignoring the two of them, the Crown Prince continued: “Mother Empress, Liang Shang absolutely could not have been killed by Lingjun, because, because…” His face showed embarrassment. “Because yesterday your son met with Lingjun at the Purple Osmanthus Villa outside the city!”

The Empress cried out in shock. Shaoshang looked at Ling Buyi, exclaiming: “You knew about this all along?”

“Ever since Madam Qu came to the capital, this subject has been on guard day and night, worried Your Highness would go see Madam Qu.” Ling Buyi’s tone was bland. “The morning before yesterday, when this subject heard Your Highness had someone prepare a carriage suitable for mountain roads, I knew what Your Highness intended to do. So I tampered with that carriage, hoping the axle would break midway and give Your Highness a tumble…”

Shaoshang’s face was full of dark lines: “You could actually think up such a rotten idea?”

“Unfortunately, Your Highness was anxious and decided to ride a horse before departing, so this subject arranged some men to pose as bandits midway to frighten Your Highness back to the city…”

“So those people were arranged by you, Zicheng!” The Crown Prince was incredulous.

“Who knew we’d have bad luck and run into General Han’s troops returning from patrol. If not for my subordinates running fast, they would have been captured alive by General Han, and then I’d have had to go bail them out.”

The Crown Prince was both angry and amused: “Zicheng, you… how could you… Aih, this is people’s plans failing before heaven’s will.”

Finally, Ling Buyi made a darkly humorous summary: “Your Highness speaks correctly. This subject sensed heaven’s intent—in any case, from now on if this subject opposes Your Highness’s actions, I absolutely won’t beat around the bush anymore. If the day before yesterday this subject had challenged Your Highness to combat and seized the opportunity to break one of your arms, perhaps none of this would have happened.”

Regarding this spectacular statement, the Empress kept shaking her head while Shaoshang was speechless.

The Crown Prince touched his intact arm and imperceptibly moved farther from Ling Buyi. Turning his head to continue addressing the Empress: “That villa is quite far from the Liang residence—even riding at full gallop takes over an hour. Lingjun left early in the morning. After we met hastily and parted, it was already the first quarter of the wu hour. Mother Empress, please think—no matter what, Lingjun wouldn’t return home until the shen hour. How could she kill Liang Shang?!” Having thrown caution to the wind, he said everything in one breath.

The Empress placed one hand over her chest, breathing lightly: “You, you… shouldn’t have met her again, and in private! Are you trying to commit adultery with a subject’s wife?!”

The Crown Prince kowtowed tearfully: “Mother Empress, forgive this transgression! Your son absolutely wouldn’t dare commit such a rebellious act. Since parting with Lingjun ten years ago, your son long resolved to forget all past matters… But, but… but your son accidentally learned that Lingjun’s days have been truly bitter! That beast Liang Shang has beaten her for many years…”

“This this this is true!” Shaoshang quickly spoke for the Crown Prince. “This concubine saw with her own eyes—Madam Qu’s body has injuries from pinching, from beating, and even whip marks! I heard some injuries are years old!”

The Empress sat down in a daze, her face gradually showing unbearable sorrow.

“However, this is worse than not saying anything.” Shaoshang muttered. “Saying this makes Madam Qu look even more like she had reason to kill her husband.”

“My child.” The Empress said weakly. “Don’t you know that if you open this mouth, you can hardly escape the terror of public opinion? Your reputation, your virtue—none can be explained clearly…”

The Crown Prince wept: “The innocent are self-clearing. Father Emperor will understand your son. Lingjun won’t clear her own grievance because she doesn’t want to implicate your son. If your son protects his own reputation wisely and watches Lingjun suffer injustice with open eyes, what kind of person would your son become!”

Shaoshang was somewhat moved. No matter when or where, those who harbor good intentions can always make people feel warm.

“Even so, this subject still does not approve.” Ling Buyi continued coolly.

Shaoshang’s emotion was interrupted. Displeased, she said: “Apart from these three words ‘do not approve,’ can you say anything else?!”

The Crown Prince turned around and gave Shaoshang a miserable smile: “The Crown Princess and Lingjun are as different as heaven and earth as people, yet their current situations are completely opposite. I abandoned pearls and jade for broken tiles—you must have been secretly cursing me as a muddle-head in your heart.”

Shaoshang thought: It’s good you know.

The Crown Prince said in a low voice: “Ten years ago, I didn’t know about the betrothal between the Qu and Liang families. I thought Lingjun could marry well with a harmonious marriage, which is why I endured the pain of parting. Who knew she would meet an unworthy person, encountering a scoundrel like Liang Shang, living days worse than death… Thinking carefully, it’s all my fault. Now consider this my repaying that debt.”

Shaoshang sighed softly.

The Crown Prince said to Ling Buyi again: “Though Zicheng is younger than me, from childhood you’ve been wise and decisive, able to infer ten things from hearing one. Back then you advised me to break the betrothal and marry Lingjun—’long pain is worse than short pain’—but I didn’t listen to you. Now I regret it too late. Now, I’m going to ignore your loyal advice again.”

Shaoshang was increasingly moved, but Ling Buyi was like a numb and unfeeling repeating machine: “Your Highness speaks very well, but this subject still does not approve.”

Shaoshang glared at him: …

The Crown Prince shook his head with a bitter smile and stopped arguing. The Empress also turned her head without speaking, which counted as acquiescence.

Coming out of Changqiu Palace, Shaoshang sighed with emotion: “Actually I’m quite good at judging people. When I first saw the Crown Princess, I felt she wasn’t any kind of good person—as it turns out, exactly so. When I first saw the Crown Prince, I felt he was a benevolent gentleman. Aih, also exactly so.”

Ling Buyi was silent.

Shaoshang: “Why aren’t you speaking?”

Ling Buyi’s ice-carved frost-frozen countenance remained motionless: “I only want to know how the Crown Prince ‘accidentally learned’ that Qu Lingjun had been abused by Liang Shang for years.”

Shaoshang laughed carelessly: “I know there are many twists and turns behind this, but why worry about all that? As long as Madam Qu wasn’t at the study pavilion at the time, then the killer isn’t her. Isn’t that settled?”

Ling Buyi thought of something and stopped beside a plum tree. He gently touched the girl’s head—her soft hair braided into a charmingly clumsy little bun hanging to her cheeks. He smiled: “Actually, being this dull-witted is quite endearing too.”

Shaoshang immediately turned hostile, slapping away his hand with a smack. Staring with big round eyes, she said angrily: “You’re calling me stupid!” In the long years of being scolded openly and subtly, this method was still relatively novel.

“Why don’t you go home and ask your father and mother, see what they say?” Standing under this white plum tree with scattered falling blossoms, Ling Buyi’s smile was refined and bright.

“I’ll ask then!” Shaoshang said loudly.

Returning home, Shaoshang headed straight for her parents’ inner chamber. She saw Father Cheng pillowed on Madam Xiao’s lap, having his wife clean his ears—cleaning ears is one thing, but they were also exchanging glances and touching hands and feet… truly unbearable to watch. Shaoshang could only retreat behind the screen, coughing loudly twice before stepping into the room.

After simply explaining the whole story, Shaoshang asked: “Father, Mother, tell me—should the Crown Prince testify for Madam Qu?”

Father Cheng thought for a moment, then asked in return: “What does Zicheng say?”

Shaoshang said discontentedly: “Why are you asking about him?!… He doesn’t approve.”

“Then the Crown Prince shouldn’t go testify!” Father Cheng’s answer was simple and brutal.

“How can Father be like this! Whatever Ling Zicheng says goes? You aren’t even willing to dine with him!”

Cheng Shi said righteously: “Whether I’m willing to dine with Zicheng has what connection to whether I trust his abilities! I rush home every evening to eat with you, this little pest—does that mean I really trust you?!”

“Father actually doesn’t trust your daughter?!” Shaoshang was very hurt. “Father, go ask around the entire capital—how many are as capable and clever as your daughter? I can even get along in the palace court…”

Cheng Shi shook his head: “That depends on who you’re comparing with. Compared to Ling Buyi, your father definitely trusts him.”

“Father…!”

“Enough!” Madam Xiao scolded in a low voice. “Where have you father and daughter gone off to?” After glaring at her husband, she said solemnly to her daughter: “After all, we come from humble origins. We don’t understand the twists and turns in those aristocratic clans, and we may not understand the Crown Prince’s current situation as well as Zicheng does. When you encounter matters, you should still listen more to Zicheng. He’s older than you with more experience. If he doesn’t approve, naturally he has his reasons.”

Cheng Shi said: “Your mother is right. Being careful is never wrong.”

Shaoshang lowered her head to think, then said: “Parents’ teaching is correct—your daughter will remember. But it’s too late now. While we’ve been talking, the Crown Prince has already gone before His Majesty. Looking on the bright side, when His Majesty sees the Crown Prince is magnanimous and forthright, perhaps he’ll think he’s sincere and honest instead? Father, Mother, then your daughter will take her leave. Mother, don’t come wake me tomorrow morning. The Empress said I worked hard at the Liang residence today and allows me to enter the palace later tomorrow—I want to sleep until the sun is high.”

Watching their younger daughter leave, Cheng Shi smiled at his wife: “See how Niaoniao has grown up—much more magnanimous than before. If it were when we just returned, she’d definitely mock the Crown Prince for meddling in others’ business.”

Madam Xiao gazed in the direction her daughter left. After a long while she said: “…It’s not that she’s grown up, it’s that Empress has treated her well. The Empress is gentle and kind, tolerant of her self-righteousness, appreciative of her cleverness and quick wit. Over time, the hostile energy in Niaoniao naturally dissipated. When others treat her with tolerance, she naturally views her surroundings tolerantly too.”

Cheng Shi knew his wife’s thoughts and sighed: “Don’t overthink it. That Niaoniao can win the Empress’s favor is her good fortune.”

Madam Xiao’s heart was clear as a mirror. But some things, once past, are past.

…

The next day, Shaoshang indeed slept until the sun warmed her backside. Contentedly crawling out of the warm bedding, she washed, dressed, and tidied herself. A’Zhu couldn’t help saying: “It’s already this hour—why doesn’t the young mistress have lunch at home before entering the palace?”

Shaoshang walked out while laughing: “I’m saving some rations for the family.”

Who knew little A’Mei at her side would expose her: “Sister Sangguo already told me. Today at Changqiu Palace there’s salt-roasted roe deer meat. The young mistress has been craving it for ages and even instructed the kitchen to save her several pieces to bring home tonight for everyone to taste.”

Shaoshang made a face at A’Mei: “You little tattletale—daring to expose me! Watch out or the roe deer meat won’t have your share!”

Leaving amid the laughter of the courtyard full of maids, Shaoshang didn’t forget to scold Sangguo in the carriage: “I thought you were honest and tight-lipped. You told A’Mei, which is the same as telling A’Zhu. Telling A’Zhu is the same as telling Mother. Once Mother knows, won’t Father come laugh at me for being greedy?!”

Sangguo said shamefacedly: “It’s all this slave’s fault. Last night when this slave told the front courtyard kitchen that the young mistress wanted to bring fresh roe deer meat home today and asked if he knew how to prepare it, A’Mei overheard.”

Lian Fang laughed: “Actually it’s about the same. Once the kitchen knows, Madam Qing knows, then naturally the Mistress can know too.” Meaning Shaoshang couldn’t escape no matter what.

The master and two servants were talking when passing through the market district. Shaoshang felt it was especially noisy outside today, not knowing what all the clamor was about. Feeling uneasy, she sent a house servant to inquire. The information he brought back shocked her greatly.

“…The common people are all privately discussing that His Highness the Crown Prince killed the son of Governor Liang’s household!”

Shaoshang was extremely alarmed. Not daring to delay any longer, she quickly drove toward the palace. Getting off the carriage at the West Gate, she ran all the way to Changqiu Palace, only then discovering that from the palace gate guards to the maids sweeping along the way, all wore expressions of fearful caution, afraid of inviting disaster upon themselves.

Nanny Zhai came forward and told her in a low voice that the Crown Prince was inside receiving the Emperor’s scolding. She didn’t know the specific details either. Shaoshang nodded and carefully stepped into the hall, walking along the palace corridor toward the interior. Seeing Cen Anzhi guarding at the inner hall entrance, she clasped her hands in a gesture asking him not to announce her. Cen Anzhi smiled bitterly and nodded.

Waves of the Emperor’s angry scolding came from the inner hall. Shaoshang faintly heard “muddled and ignorant,” “acting on one’s own,” “stupid beyond measure,” and so on. Shaoshang had always greatly respected the Crown Prince, feeling he possessed very simple upright character, compassionate kindness, and the courage to help when seeing injustice… Then she quietly withdrew.

“Aren’t you going in to say a few good words for His Highness?” A voice suddenly came from behind, nearly making Shaoshang scream.

She turned and forcefully patted Ling Buyi, saying in a suppressed voice: “Am I crazy? Normally His Majesty scolds me for no reason—if I go in now, there’s death with no return!”

Seeing the girl so frightened her small face was taut, Ling Buyi pulled her out, dragging her all the way to a side hall to have lunch. He placed the most tender bowl of roe deer meat before her, looking at the girl with the loving gaze one might use to encourage a kitten licking milk.

Shaoshang asked what exactly had happened. After Ling Buyi ordered her to eat while listening, he explained in detail—

Yesterday afternoon the Crown Prince went to confess to the Emperor about privately meeting with Qu Lingjun, hoping to thereby clear her of injustice. The result was being scolded harshly by the Emperor, who then told the Crown Prince not to act rashly—Father Emperor had his own plans. Who knew the Crown Prince worried that the longer things dragged on, the more Qu Lingjun would suffer? What if she couldn’t think straight and sought death? So he went on his own to the Court of Judicial Review to find Ji Zun and confess. It’s said Old Man Ji’s face turned deathly pale with anger. He glared at the Crown Prince quite impolitely, and at the Crown Prince’s repeated requests, personally went to notify the Liang residence.

Old Madam Liang naturally flew into a rage, harshly cursing Qu Lingjun for not observing wifely virtue, wishing she could flay her skin. But Governor Liang paid no mind to her feelings and directly announced to several core family elders that regardless of who the murderer was, it definitely wasn’t Qu Lingjun, and this matter should stop here—it wasn’t appropriate to continue investigating. At this point, everyone also breathed a sigh of relief. If Qu Lingjun had truly killed her husband because she couldn’t bear the abuse, the Liang family wouldn’t be able to answer to the Qu family either. Never mind that everyone trusted Qu Lingjun’s usual character and didn’t believe the Crown Prince and Madam Qu had an affair—even if they did, so what? There were plenty of unclear matters in high-ranking households.

Having reached this point, Liang Shang’s corpse could finally be collected and prepared for burial rites with washing and dressing. Because Liang Shang’s fatal injuries were too obvious, Ji Zun had been remiss in a hundred precautions and actually hadn’t examined the corpse. Then things went bad.

“Inside Liang Shang’s mouth was a jade cicada carved with the two characters ‘Zikun.'” Ling Buyi said blandly.

Shaoshang knew this was the Crown Prince’s style name: “…Could it be a mistake? Maybe someone counterfeited it—carving characters isn’t difficult.”

“Lord Ji was still at the Liang residence at the time, having dinner with Governor Liang. He often enters the palace for imperial audiences and recognized it as something the Crown Prince usually wore.” Ling Buyi said casually. “Actually just a few days ago, Lord Ji had seen the Crown Prince wearing this jade cicada at his waist.”

“Also, when they loosened Liang Shang’s hair, several tiny osmanthus flowers were caught in his hair strands… Continue eating, don’t stop. That’s right, those osmanthus flowers were exactly purple.” Ling Buyi continued.

—The specialty of the Crown Prince’s Purple Osmanthus Villa, absolutely unique in the entire capital—purple osmanthus flowers!

“Is there more?” Shaoshang had given up all hope.

“Naturally there’s more.” Ling Buyi said blandly. “Though Old Man Ji is old, his brain isn’t slow. Seeing this situation, he immediately went to examine that chest for delivering ancient books.”

“What about that chest?” Shaoshang asked suspiciously. “I remember that chest was empty. Oh no, that’s not right—inside were several bamboo scrolls with a few more scattered beside them.”

“Old Man Ji took out all the bamboo scrolls from the chest, lifted the oilcloth padding the bottom, and discovered not only bloodstains on the chest walls but also several purple osmanthus flowers.”

“…Such tidy clues.” Shaoshang sneered and slapped down her chopsticks. She could almost imagine what everyone at the Liang residence suspected last night—Qu Lingjun intended to privately meet the Crown Prince but was discovered by Liang Shang, who followed all the way to Purple Osmanthus Villa. Catching his wife with the Crown Prince, he argued angrily and was then killed. Afterward, the Crown Prince concealed this matter by transporting Liang Shang’s corpse to the study pavilion in the book chest. Qu Lingjun then pretended to discover the corpse. Finally the Crown Prince testified, and Qu Lingjun was exonerated.

“Then how did it blow up so big? Even the streets are talking about it!” Shaoshang said angrily. “Could the Liang family really not know better? Never mind that the matter isn’t clear yet—even if the Crown Prince truly lost his virtue, they can’t let this matter out!”

“Smart people wouldn’t do such a thing. Isn’t there a fool in the Liang family?” Ling Buyi said mockingly. “That old woman of the Liang family bears a grudge, convinced that Governor Liang and Lord Ji both intentionally covered for the Crown Prince and Madam Qu. Last night she feigned fainting, then early this morning had her confidants secretly slip out of the Liang residence and made a great show of bringing the case before the Capital Magistrate.”

Shaoshang was angry to the point of chest tightness, looking at Ling Buyi: “With things in such a mess, how can you still be so unconcerned?”

Ling Buyi gave a cold laugh: “Finally knowing what move the opponent will make—isn’t that a good thing? Otherwise we’d always have to worry, not knowing from where, not knowing when, not knowing who would make trouble for us.”

He elegantly raised his slender body and slowly paced around the room: “This line of clues seems tidy but isn’t without flaws. Whether jade cicada or purple osmanthus, both could be someone framing him. The Crown Prince has always been open and informal, not meticulous about details. He even lost the Eastern Palace seal before—what’s a mere accessory?”

“But our upright and virtuous Crown Prince personally admitted to meeting Qu Lingjun at Purple Osmanthus Villa, which makes things somewhat tangled. Yet even if Liang Shang caught the Crown Prince with Qu Lingjun, disposing of a corpse is easy—hmph, why go to such great trouble? This is truly trying to cover up but making things more obvious!”

“This matter still has many flaws, but as long as the truth isn’t clear, even if His Majesty forcibly suppresses it, His Highness the Crown Prince will never escape gossip and sidelong glances for all time. I observe that the person in the shadows also has no intention of pinning the crime of murder and wife-stealing firmly on His Highness the Crown Prince—they just want to fish in troubled waters, slander the Crown Prince’s reputation, plotting for the future…”

Not until this moment did this originally seemingly ordinary husband-killing case slowly tear off its carefully concealed veil, revealing its sinister and treacherous true face before Shaoshang. The mechanisms interlocked layer upon layer, each turn secretly matching human weaknesses. Thinking of someone constantly spying on Changqiu Palace from the shadows like dripping bloody fangs emanating cold menace, Shaoshang suddenly felt chilled to the bone.

When the Emperor had scolded enough, Ling Buyi went to the inner hall to clean up the battlefield and incidentally take in prisoners.

The Empress had fallen ill again—whether from anger or sadness was unclear. However, she didn’t mention a word of it to Shaoshang, instead smiling and telling her to take the roe deer meat home early. If the Cheng family kitchen didn’t know how to prepare roe deer meat, she should have Changqiu Palace’s kitchen make a trip to the Cheng residence.

Shaoshang silently came out from the sleeping quarters and saw the Crown Prince sitting outside the hall in the corridor, staring blankly into space. Under the setting sun’s afterglow, his face seemed to have aged five years in one day, appearing especially helpless. Noticing someone behind him, he asked in a low voice: “Is Mother Empress well?”

“The Empress has taken her medicinal soup and gone to sleep.”

“People outside say I lack conduct and virtue—actually this isn’t wrong. Better to add another line: lack of vision. Back then I misjudged the Crown Princess, causing Lingjun to marry the wrong person. Now I wanted to help Lingjun but instead pushed her into an even more unbearable situation. Hehe, my performance as heir apparent is truly utterly useless.” The Crown Prince mocked himself.

“Your Highness, do you truly feel Madam Qu didn’t kill Liang Shang?” Shaoshang didn’t comfort the Crown Prince but asked sharply instead. “When you misjudged the Crown Princess back then, might you not also be misjudging Madam Qu now? Perhaps she actually plotted to kill her husband along the way, hid the corpse in the book chest, met with you, then transported the corpse back to the study pavilion.”

The Crown Prince was startled, then smiled: “Then what would be her reason for doing this? What benefit is there for her in dragging me into this matter? What benefit for the Liang and Qu families?”

“Your Highness, this concubine doesn’t understand court politics. Do the Liang and Qu families truly have absolutely no intent to frame you?” Shaoshang continued asking.

The Crown Prince laughed: “Though I’m blind and dull, I’m not ignorant to this degree. Even if aristocratic families like the Liang and Qu wanted to frame me, they absolutely wouldn’t personally take the field.”

Shaoshang murmured: “This concubine thinks so too. Right now the Liang family is in complete chaos, their reputation ruined. Where is there such self-sacrificing devotion to framing people? Moreover, it may not be a fatal blow—isn’t this injuring the enemy eight hundred while damaging oneself a thousand? With my family’s mere twenty or thirty years of rising status, Father wouldn’t be willing to take risks—what about the Liang and Qu families?”

“What exactly does Shaoshang want to ask?” The Crown Prince questioned.

Shaoshang came back to herself and smiled: “Earlier Great Master Ling told this concubine that Madam Qu has always had intelligence and strategy. If she truly wanted to kill Liang Shang, there are plenty of methods—she absolutely wouldn’t trap herself in this kind of predicament. Adding Your Highness’s words, this concubine thinks Liang Shang definitely wasn’t killed by Madam Qu.”

“This is natural.”

“And that Liang Shang wouldn’t have committed suicide either, right?”

The Crown Prince laughed: “How could that be?”

“That’s good then.”

Shaoshang sat down beside the Crown Prince, her eyes as pure and flawless as a child’s. She said seriously: “Your Highness, perhaps you made mistakes ten years ago, but ten years later you haven’t made mistakes. Learning that Madam Qu was being abused, if you remained silent out of concern for reputation, that would truly chill people’s hearts. From ancient times there are only thieves for a thousand years, not guarding against thieves for a thousand years. Someone is scheming against you in the shadows. If you don’t dare this and don’t dare that out of such concerns, how boring would life be?”

“However, with this incident as a warning, Your Highness, from now on please consult with Great Master Ling before acting. Liang Shang was a useless waste, a coward, a scoundrel. It wasn’t convenient for you to personally handle his bullying of Madam Qu, but you could have entrusted Great Master Ling! He has at least one hundred eighty methods to deal with him—wouldn’t you say so?”

The Crown Prince was infected by the young girl’s earnest tone and unconsciously revealed a smile: “I’ve noted it—from now on I’ll definitely consult with Zicheng. However, Shaoshang speaks as if the matter is already resolved.”

Shaoshang stood up, straightened her shoulders, and said firmly: “Your Highness, rest assured. Since Madam Qu is innocent, then the true culprit must be someone else. There’s no forest in the world that doesn’t let light through, no river on earth that’s watertight. It’s not a vast sea of people without traces to follow—it’s just one Liang residence. We can definitely find the flaw!”

“You and Madam Qu are both good people. There’s no reason good people should humble themselves while scoundrels get to be smug and pleased. Your Highness, don’t worry about your reputation being ruined now. As long as the true culprit is caught and the matter comes to light, you can certainly be cleared.”

The Crown Prince thought—she was full of vitality, completely different from those frail and pale creatures growing up in the deep palace. Like tough wild vines, even without tree branches to coil around, she could stand upright on her own, growing branches upward to meet the sunlight.

He was genuinely happy for Ling Buyi.