Chapter 18 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

The matron accompanying the Grand Princess stepped forward and opened a wooden chest. Incense ash, signed depositions, a deed of indenture—each item was displayed before the crowd one by one. The clamor outside the gate instantly died down. My father immediately interjected, "These testimonies were all extracted under duress during interrogation."

The Grand Princess looked at him coolly. "Are you implying that I coerced them?"

My father clasped his hands in a deferential salute. "I would not dare, Your Highness. It is only that Your Highness is too trusting of Moonlit Pavilion and has inevitably been misled by her."

Khuong Dung promptly echoed him. "Indeed. Who knows what devious methods she used to bewitch Your Highness?"

I turned my gaze toward Khuong Dung. "Since Miss Khuong believes so firmly in Shen Yuntang, why not stand as her guarantor? If it is proven that she truly used the incense to harm others, you shall go to the Tranquil Heart Convent and transcribe scriptures in her stead for an entire year."

Khuong Dung’s expression shifted instantly. "On what grounds should I do that?"

Qing Xing sneered. "Do you not trust her? Or are you afraid to stake your own standing on that belief?"

A ripple of laughter erupted from the crowd of onlookers. Shamed and incensed, Khuong Dung lashed out, "Shen Zhaoyue, do not get ahead of yourself. You are nothing but a wild waif with no known origin; do you truly believe the Grand Princess will protect you for the rest of your life?"

Just as I prepared to retort, a male voice cut through the murmurs from the edge of the crowd. "Regardless of her origins, it is not your place to disparage her as a wild waif."

The crowd instinctively parted to make way. A young man in a blue robe approached, a medicine chest slung over his shoulder. His expression was languid, yet his words carried a sharp edge. Qing Xing gasped, "Doctor Co?"

He was Co Nghien, a physician from a clinic on the west side of the city who had treated me several times in the past. The members of the Shen household had always looked down upon his low social status, forcing him to enter only through the side gates. Co Nghien walked to my side and bowed to the Grand Princess. "Commoner Co Nghien pays his respects to Your Highness."

The Grand Princess studied him. "What brings you here?"

Co Nghien drew a medical record from his chest. "I have come to provide evidence. Following the incident involving the Second Miss of the Shen family, I was summoned by the household to attend to her. At that time, her throat was not damaged by terror-induced shock; she had been forced to consume a decoction to induce muteness."

My mother turned sharply toward my father. My father roared, "Preposterous!"

Co Nghien handed the medical record to the matron. "The Shen household offered me fifty taels of silver to keep me silent and record her condition as a cold-induced loss of voice. I have not spent a single coin of that money; I have brought it all here today."

He produced a bag of silver and tossed it onto the stone steps. The white metal clattered and rolled across the ground. The crowd erupted into an uproar. Khuong Dung retreated half a step. "This... this could be a fabrication."

Co Nghien cast a sidelong glance at her. "If Miss Khuong does not believe it, perhaps you should stand as guarantor for Master Shen instead. Should the truth be uncovered, you might try drinking a bowl of that silencing medicine yourself."

Several onlookers could not suppress their laughter. Khuong Dung’s face flushed a deep, humiliated crimson. My father glared at Co Nghien. "You are merely a lowly village doctor—how dare you slander an imperial official?"

Co Nghien clicked his medicine chest shut. "I am a coward by nature, which is precisely why I dare to speak now. If I did not speak today, I fear that one day, Master Shen would have me silenced permanently."

The Grand Princess turned to my father. "Minister Shen, does this matter regarding the muteness-inducing potion also fall under the category of a private family affair?"

My father’s face turned ashen. My mother lunged forward, grabbing his sleeve. "Husband, did you also order someone to force her to drink that?"

My father violently shook her off. "Everything I have done has been for the sake of the Shen family!"

My mother staggered back, her eyes finally shattering as she looked at me. "Shen Zhaoyue."

I did not look at her. The sentiment of the crowd gathered outside the gate had shifted entirely. "This Minister Shen is truly cold-blooded."

"Even an adopted daughter is a human being, after all."

"The eldest daughter uses poison, and the father forces a muteness potion to cover it up—truly a wretched family."

Hearing these words, my father’s face turned a sickly shade of gray. He suddenly pointed a trembling finger at me. "Are you satisfied now? The reputation of the Shen family is ruined. What possible benefit does this bring you?"

I replied, "If the reputation of the Shen family can only be maintained by silencing me, then it deserves to be ruined."

The Grand Princess gave a final order. "Minister Shen, you will accompany me to the palace."

As the guards escorted my father down the steps, he leaned toward me and lowered his voice. "Your biological parents were no better than I. Do you truly think continuing your search will lead to something better than staying in the Shen household?"

I raised my eyes to meet his. "That is not a choice you need to make for me."

He was led away. My mother wept and attempted to follow, but was held back by the matron. Khuong Dung tried to slip away unnoticed, but Qing Xing’s sharp eyes caught her. "Miss Khuong, were you not the one demanding evidence? The evidence has been shown; do you not intend to offer an apology?"

Khuong Dung gritted her teeth. "I have done nothing wrong."

Co Nghien interjected lazily, "You just called her a wild waif a moment ago."

The surrounding crowd turned their eyes toward Khuong Dung in unison. Having lost all shred of dignity, she was forced to offer a shallow, grudging bow. "Second Miss Shen, I... I misunderstood you."

Qing Xing was not satisfied. "Speak up. Were you whispering to the mosquitoes?"