I rose from the golden throne and walked down the steps one by one, slowly pacing to Prince Kang’s front, asking: “Memorizing rosters? Your Highness means that a person impersonating a princess would painstakingly investigate the files of nearly a thousand palace guards and match each face to a name, all just to deceive people when someone exposed her?” As I said this, I seemed amused and laughed. “Prince Kang’s thinking is truly unique.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I restrained my smile and swept my gaze across the civil and military officials. “Do all the ministers think the same?”
The court ministers were somewhat bewildered by my question.
Prince Kang, who had always been dutiful and loyal, was first “falsely accused” today, then questioned by the Crown Prince about whether he had ordered someone to murder the princess. When the princess came to court, he brought a pile of witnesses and evidence insisting the princess was an impostor. After such maneuvers, even a fool could see something was amiss, let alone these officials who had been immersed in court politics for years.
If the regent princess was truly dead and the Crown Prince was still young, they would need to select new ministers to assist in governing. Prince Ruì was thousands of miles away at the border, Prince Lian was pure-hearted and had no interest in politics—who else but Prince Kang could shoulder such responsibility?
At this moment, the civil and military officials still harbored doubts about my identity, but how many truly trusted Prince Kang?
They looked back and forth, glancing at the Crown Prince then at Prince Kang, finally settling their gazes on their respective faction leaders. The two chief ministers of the cabinet stood there like pillars—Chief Minister Zhao lowered his head in thought while Imperial Uncle Li kept staring at me. I asked: “Uncle, surely you don’t think I’m fake too?”
My uncle had always been tactful and diplomatic. If I were truly fake, it would most likely be at the Crown Prince’s instruction, so how could he contradict his own nephew?
Imperial Uncle Li respectfully raised his hands in salute to me. “This minister wouldn’t dare. How could the princess’s precious body be impersonated by ignorant commoners? But the evidence presented by the Ministry of Justice is indeed puzzling. The mysteries within must be investigated thoroughly to clear the princess’s name.”
I walked up to Vice Minister Jiang Feng of the Ministry of Justice and asked, “You investigated this case?”
Jiang Feng looked nervous under my gaze, swallowing hard. “Indeed, this humble minister did.”
But he forgot that if he truly suspected I wasn’t the princess, he shouldn’t be calling himself “humble minister” before me.
I said flatly: “Over a year ago, the cliff female corpse case was an unsolved case tried by the capital magistrate. Since it was unsolved, how did Minister Jiang come to know of it?”
Jiang Feng replied: “The new prefect Shen Rong of the capital magistrate office reopened old cases, discovered clues within, and reported to the Ministry of Justice, so…”
I interrupted: “The case file.”
Jiang Feng was stunned. “Ah?”
I said coldly: “Must this princess repeat herself a second time!”
So under everyone’s watchful eyes, I began reading the case file Jiang Feng presented. After scanning it, I didn’t close it but simply said: “Where is Shen Rong?”
Shen Rong stepped forward with raised sleeves: “This minister is here.”
I held up the case file with one hand and quickened my speech: “According to this file, over a year ago, capital officials led by an elderly couple found a female corpse at the bottom of Ling Mountain cliff. Because the body landed head-first with brain matter splattered and face unrecognizable, with only a hairpin for identification, it became an unsolved case. But Magistrate Shen, you discovered during your reinvestigation that this hairpin’s jade was of rare quality, very likely from the palace, and thus reported to the Ministry of Justice. Is there anything omitted from the above?”
Shen Rong nodded: “Nothing omitted.”
“Then,” I picked up the jade hairpin from the tray and held it flat in my palm, “why don’t Magistrate Shen repeat what type of jade this is?”
“This jade is called glass-type jadeite. Its texture is clear as ice, its color green with blue undertones—a rare blue-flowered ice variety that should be tribute from the southern frontier.”
“Magistrate Shen truly has good eyesight. Indeed, this was part of Princess Xiangyi’s dowry when she married. Not only the palace mammas who served the Empress could recognize it, but probably many maids in the Princess residence could as well. But…” I deliberately paused, turning to look at Prince Kang. His expression had already changed somewhat. I turned back to face all the officials and declared loudly: “I think Magistrate Shen has forgotten—jadeite is hard jade.”
Hearing this, Shen Rong was startled, as if remembering something while looking at the jade hairpin in my hand.
I curved my lips, focusing my gaze on the jade hairpin in my palm. “Hard jade has less toughness than Hetian jade. If it were round in shape that would be one thing, but such a slender hairpin, when it falls…” Before I finished speaking, I opened my hand, letting the jade hairpin drop. Amid everyone’s sharp intake of breath, there was a crack—
I smiled and continued: “…it breaks.”
The jade hairpin shattered into three pieces.
Shen Rong’s face immediately turned ashen, while others were dumbstruck. Prince Kang immediately pointed at me: “Audacious! How dare you destroy evidence in court!”
“This princess’s belongings—how this princess disposes of them is none of others’ concern!”
Prince Kang was speechless with anger: “You!”
I couldn’t be bothered with him and simply turned around, spreading my arms toward everyone: “This precious jade hairpin shattered into pieces merely falling from this palace’s hand, let alone from towering cliffs! Back then the female corpse’s skull was completely crushed, yet the jade hairpin remained intact without even a scratch. Don’t you ministers find this inconceivable? If identity can be determined by a single ornament, should treasures from the Princess residence be stolen and circulate among commoners, would every girl on the street be Princess Xiangyi?”
Hearing this, all the civil and military officials voiced agreement. Seeing the tide turning, Prince Kang said: “Don’t listen to her nonsense! She’s not the real princess at all! Besides physical evidence, there are so many witnesses…”
“Witnesses?” I leisurely cut off his words, bending down to look at the witnesses kneeling on the ground. I smiled, walked to the elderly village couple, crouched down, and had them raise their heads to look at me carefully. “Grandfather, grandmother, don’t be afraid. Think carefully—the woman who fell into the cliff that day, did she look more like me, or more like her?”
That “her” naturally referred to the second witness Prince Kang brought—the woman who looked seventy to eighty percent like me and claimed to have been a double for two years, the “Princess Xiangyi.”
The village farmer first mustered courage to raise his head, looked at her, then back at me, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. “These, these two young ladies look exactly the same! Which one fell into the cliff—how can I tell them apart? Old woman, you come look…”
The entire hall sighed.
I quietly let out a long breath.
Indeed, even if this elderly couple truly saw me being pursued on the day I disappeared, under such dangerous circumstances they would have been scared speechless—where would they have leisure to carefully distinguish people’s appearances? Now nearly two years later, they could barely walk steadily yet dared come to court to testify. Everyone could see this—wouldn’t it be laughable?
And Prince Kang thought finding a second witness would establish my impersonation charge—this move was rather poorly played.
I stood up, looked at Prince Kang, and finally responded to his earlier question: “Your Highness’s so-called witnesses can’t even distinguish between me and that young lady. How can they prove that what they saw that day was definitely Princess Xiangyi?”
Prince Kang’s whole body shook violently. Only now did he realize his flaw. Before he could speak, that “princess”-like witness spoke for her master: “I am the evidence. If you truly are Princess Xiangyi, why has the Prince Consort had me impersonate her this past year?”
At this point, if I revealed the truth—that I had wandered among the common people this past year—how could a princess who hadn’t managed state affairs for over a year be worthy of continuing as regent? Prince Kang could immediately kneel and claim he had no idea the real princess had returned, and ignorance was no crime. He was wholeheartedly loyal to the ruler, so the Crown Prince couldn’t punish him. Conversely, how would the ministers view the Crown Prince for deceiving the world by finding a substitute during the princess’s disappearance?
Worthy of being a girl who slept in my bed at the Princess residence for a year—she seemed infected by my natural cleverness, actually asking such a troublesome question.
I blinked and asked: “What’s your name, miss?”
“Yu Li.”
“Miss Yu Li, you just said ‘the Prince Consort saw you bore great resemblance to the princess, threatened your family, and made you impersonate the princess.’ Is that correct?”
Yu Li said: “Yes.”
I stared at her face so similar to mine, bending down. “Then do you remember what year, month, and day, and where the Prince Consort saw you, and how he threatened your family?”
Yu Li hesitated slightly, then said: “The fifteenth day of the twelfth month two years ago, during peak plum blossom season. This commoner was burning incense at Putuo Temple praying for peace. The Prince Consort was also at the temple. Seeing this commoner from afar, he sent someone to have this commoner enter the Princess residence. He made this commoner impersonate the princess, saying if I didn’t comply, this commoner’s parents would be in mortal danger.”
“I see.” I stood up with my hands on my knees. By now some officials were frowning and whispering, and several officials from the Court of Judicial Review were shaking their heads repeatedly. Court of Judicial Review Vice Minister Xu Ningzhi couldn’t help but say: “You’re lying!”
Yu Li knelt in place, not knowing what she’d said wrong. She turned her head slightly to look back. Xu Ningzhi pointed at her: “Two years ago in the twelfth month, Minister Song and I were investigating cases in Jizhou. How could he possibly appear at Putuo Temple in the capital!”
Song Langsheng and I exchanged glances, both unable to hide our amusement.
When Song Langsheng and I reunited, I had asked him how the fake princess they found to impersonate me was arranged, and whether her exposing everything would be disadvantageous to the Crown Prince.
He said the Crown Prince didn’t appear personally but had someone deceive this girl into the Princess residence under the Prince Consort’s name for veiled conversations. After ten days or half a month, when Song Langsheng returned from Jizhou, he was made to cooperate and continue the charade—precisely to prevent a day like today.
The color instantly drained from Yu Li’s face, her hands clenched in her sleeves. I said: “This princess doesn’t know who sent you here to speak nonsense, but I want to remind you of one thing—if you truly impersonated a princess, the crime equals deceiving the ruler…”
Yu Li suddenly raised her head. I stared calmly into her eyes: “The punishment is beheading.”
Yu Li trembled, looking at me helplessly, tears already falling unknowingly. When she realized the meaning of my last words, she finally kowtowed repeatedly, sobbing: “Princess, spare my life! It was Prince Kang—Prince Kang saw this girl resembled the princess and forced this girl to come to court to give false testimony…”
Prince Kang’s face turned pale as paper, fine sweat appearing on his forehead. Not only had he failed to frame others, but someone had turned the tables on him. He probably never expected events to develop to this point.
But having schemed for years, how could he give up easily?
Prince Kang maintained his composed stance with hands behind his back, looking coldly at Yu Li: “This woman came to me saying she wanted to identify a fake princess. Now hearing about beheading, she immediately changed her story. How can such inconsistent words be trusted?”
He pointed to the people from Chen Village kneeling on the ground and asked me: “Could this prince really bribe an entire village to give false testimony!”
I brazenly lied: “But this princess doesn’t recognize these people. What Chen Village? This princess has never stepped outside the capital, as His Highness the Crown Prince and all the civil and military officials can attest.”
“…You!”
I said calmly: “There are always similar-looking people in the world. This Miss Yu Li here is one example, and perhaps the ‘He Feng’ girl these villagers mentioned is another. Your Highness determines the princess’s authenticity based solely on appearance—isn’t that rather hasty?”
Prince Kang gritted his teeth and laughed coldly several times: “Do all the ministers think so!” His gaze swept the entire scene, as if waiting for someone to speak for him.
Everyone standing in the hall was intelligent—who would dare speak for Prince Kang?
Of course, there might be one more person who could prove I had lived in Chen Village.
Namely, Nie Ran, who had remained silent throughout.
Today’s events were also partly masterminded by Marquis Xia Yang, so Nie Ran wouldn’t just sit by idly.
Sure enough, Nie Ran slightly raised his head and cupped his hands: “This humble minister believes that even Miss Yu Li, upon careful examination, has dissimilarities with the princess…”
“But,” Nie Ran said, “this humble minister once encountered a fisherman during my journey to the capital for official duties who resembled this humble minister so closely as to be nearly indistinguishable…”
“This minister then realized that in this vast world, if villagers truly saw a woman similar in appearance to the princess and mistook her for the princess, that’s not entirely impossible.”
Nie Ran finished speaking.
Though his words didn’t carry much weight in court, those few sentences meant that for Prince Kang, his backing from Marquis Xia Yang was gone.
Prince Kang was stunned, everyone was frozen, including me.
I was surprised, not because he didn’t help Prince Kang.
After all, during the two years when Nie Ran was still Xu Fang, Marquis Xia Yang publicly declared that the heir was bedridden at the residence.
Marquis Xia Yang had more important schemes; Prince Kang was merely a pawn he wanted to use.
If the plan failed, Marquis Xia Yang would abandon the piece.
However, Nie Ran only needed to remain silent—why go the extra mile?
Was he afraid the Chen Village people would recognize him… as Xu Fang?
No, if he buried himself in the crowd, Uncle Niutou and Aunt Niutou kneeling like that wouldn’t notice him at all.
Rather, saying those words might bring unnecessary trouble upon himself.
Could it be… he simply wanted to help me?
I couldn’t see through Nie Ran’s eyes, deep as the sea. At such a time, I shouldn’t overthink.
I peacefully lifted my skirt and walked back up to the golden seat step by step.
Then, at the moment of turning around, I said sternly: “Who else doubts that this palace is an impostor—step forward!”
My voice echoed throughout the great hall. Everyone looked around, but no one responded.
I waited, seeing no movement. “So… none of the ministers have ever doubted this palace?”
The officials mumbled their agreement.
I suddenly slammed the table, making the memorials on it bounce three times: “Then when this princess was being slandered by others just now, what were you all doing! What, seeing Father Emperor bedridden, did you all think to defy his wishes and drive this palace from the regent position!”
All the court officials knelt in unison, crying “We ministers are derelict in duty, we ministers deserve death.”
“Those standing in this hall today—which isn’t high-ranking with generous salary, which hasn’t reached the pinnacle of officialdom? Yet when the Crown Prince faces difficulty and someone deliberately disrupts the court, among all you nobles, not one dares step forward, only knowing to observe the situation before acting, protecting yourselves…” I took a deep breath. “This truly chills this palace’s heart.”
These words directly struck everyone’s hearts. All dared not breathe loudly, bowing their heads in prostration.
One person in the center of the great hall had not knelt.
Prince Kang.
I was no longer gentle in expression. “Uncle, you just said if I were truly Princess, you wouldn’t disregard proper ruler-subject protocol.”
Prince Kang looked miserable. If he knelt now, that would acknowledge my princess identity and admit his own improper plotting and slander. But if he didn’t kneel, when all the civil and military officials had knelt, how could he remain standing?
He finally knelt down: “This minister… pays respects to the princess. Long live the princess, long live, long live.”
“Ministers, rise.”
At this moment, everyone rose except Prince Kang alone.
I said: “Uncle, do you admit your guilt?”
Prince Kang said: “This minister was misled by others, thinking the princess had been harmed by villains. In my grief, I vowed to find the mastermind to avenge the princess, thus being used by others and causing today’s great error. But this minister’s loyalty can face the bright sun and moon…”
“Being used by others?!” Before he could finish his excuse, the Crown Prince couldn’t stand it anymore. “You schemed to harm my royal sister. Imperial Academy student Lu Lingjun’s confession clearly states everything was your doing. The assassins on the pleasure boat and at the Imperial Academy were all sent by you. Now you want to shift blame to others?”
Prince Kang said resolutely: “This minister truly believed the princess had met with misfortune, so I had my disciple secretly investigate her true identity. If this minister knew the princess’s identity yet wanted to kill her, why would this minister publicly accuse the princess in the great hall today?”
The Crown Prince was furious beyond measure. “If that’s the case, then…” He stopped, leaned his head close to me, and whispered: “Royal sister, what if we summon Lu Lingjun to testify?”
I was stunned.
Brother Lu…
Before coming to the palace from the Princess residence today, I had detoured to see him in prison.
He bore numerous wounds from interrogation. When the cell door opened, he was still sleeping. Only after the jailer shouted several times did he groggily open his eyes.
I had the jailer withdraw. Because my elaborate clothes wouldn’t fit through the cell door, I could only stand outside.
When Lu Lingjun saw me, his whole body stiffened. He instantly turned his head away, and because the movement was too sharp, he seemed to have strained his neck and raised his hand to support it, showing me the back of his head: “Since Princess has already obtained the confession she wanted, why come here…”
My heart churned with countless thoughts: “In a while, you’ll probably need to testify against Prince Kang in court.”
Lu Lingjun’s cold laugh was quite exaggerated, still facing away from me: “I absolutely won’t betray Prince Kang…”
My heart felt slightly bitter. Even at this point, he still wanted to deceive me. “Fine.”
Lu Lingjun was surprised instead: “Eh?”
I repeated: “During the court trial, you’ll tell all the officials that you didn’t know my identity. You tried to kill me only because Prince Kang told you I was plotting against the Crown Prince.”
Lu Lingjun listened quietly to my words and asked: “Why?”
I didn’t answer him and lifted my skirt to leave. He tried to stand but stumbled and fell back down. I saw the bloody bandage around his knee—that was where I had A’Zuo and A’You shoot him. I couldn’t imagine how painful it must have been to have the arrowhead removed and still endure interrogation. But after falling, he propped himself up again, supporting himself against the wall and hopping on one leg to the cell door: “You, don’t you want to bring down Prince Kang anymore?”
I shook my head.
Lu Lingjun was somewhat anxious. He wanted to grasp my shoulders but stopped in mid-air because of his dirty hands: “Don’t you know that if he doesn’t fall today, there will be endless trouble in the future?”
“So what?”
“…So, so…”
My nose tingled, and I struggled to suppress wave after wave of anger in my chest: “So you want me to act against my conscience and push you toward death in exchange for temporary peace?”
Seeing me like this, Lu Lingjun was speechless: “You…”
“Do you know how angry I was when my prince consort told me that the position you stabbed wouldn’t kill anyone?” I turned to glare at him, tears in my eyes: “How could you deceive me and use my hands to harm my best friend?!”
Lu Lingjun stared at me blankly, his eyes instantly reddening. Despite his silver tongue, he couldn’t utter a single word of rebuttal.
I said resolutely: “So Brother Lu, even if you go to the great hall and say you indeed received Prince Kang’s orders to kill me, I will do everything in my power to overturn it. Don’t harbor any hopes of self-sacrifice. Such heroic behavior doesn’t suit your face at all—you don’t look the least bit loyal.”
But Lu Lingjun suddenly knelt down before me.
That “thud” startled me tremendously.
Lu Lingjun lowered his head, his voice so hoarse it was completely unlike him: “Prince Kang, Xiao Weiyan, is the enemy who killed my father and mother.”
I suspected I had misheard: “What?”
“Brother Bai, you only know I was once a beggar child, but have you ever wondered why I became a beggar?”
“My father was originally a naval officer fighting pirates along the Jiangzhe coast. He and my mother were childhood sweethearts, originally an enviable couple. Until Xiao Weiyan’s southern tour, when he accidentally saw my mother and took a fancy to her.” Lu Lingjun brushed his eyes with his hand. “Brother Bai, you’re so clever—you can guess the rest of the story without me telling it, right?”
I slowly crouched down: “He… killed your father to get your mother?”
“Just like the official ship that exploded that day, my father didn’t die on the battlefield fighting enemies but was deliberately trapped by his own people on a warship and burned alive.”
I looked at him. He spoke so calmly, yet every word was filled with deep hatred: “The night my father died, I was only six years old. She feared Xiao Weiyan wouldn’t spare me, so she desperately fled with me. But ultimately, to save me…”
He swallowed several times, his breathing trembling, unable to continue.
“Brother Bai, remember when we first met, I said I wanted to be Princess Xiangyi’s male favorite?”
He smiled at me, tears flowing in his eyes: “I always thought Princess Xiangyi was omnipotent. With her help, I could surely avenge my parents. But I never expected to meet you. At that time I didn’t know you were the princess, and I smugly brought you to the Imperial Academy.”
I didn’t smile. The past was truly unbearable to recall.
“I always treated you as my good brother. Once while drinking, you ran to the back mountain of the Imperial Academy while we were sleeping. I secretly followed you and discovered your female identity, also overhearing your conversation with Vice President Nie and Libationer Wei.”
I was speechless: “You…”
“Didn’t you ask when I started knowing your identity? That’s when I realized you were the princess. You had amnesia… no wonder… you didn’t remember me.”
I frowned.
Lu Lingjun shook his head without continuing this topic: “Later, when Prince Kang learned you were at the Imperial Academy, he ordered Su Qiao and me to monitor you. Until the kill order came, though I secretly guarded against it, I ultimately couldn’t save you from falling into the water.”
So… that’s how it was.
“At that time I thought you were dead and couldn’t wait to kill Xiao Weiyan immediately. But when I discovered you were still alive, I made a decision—if I, as Prince Kang’s retainer, assassinated you before many witnesses, perhaps it would be an opportunity.”
Lu Lingjun slowly raised his head, looking steadily at me. Even in tattered clothes with disheveled hair, nothing could dim the light in his eyes: “Though this path has no return, but…”
He broke into a smile: “Brother Bai, if you truly consider me your best friend…”
He said word by word: “Help me succeed.”