Chapter 21 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

The Emperor finished reading the confession and turned his gaze toward my father.

"Shen Hang, was this forbidden incense truly bestowed upon you by Noble Consort To?"

My father lowered his head, pressing his forehead to the cold floor. "Your Majesty, the Noble Consort, noticing that my wife had been unable to sleep, graciously gifted her a sedative incense. I would never dare to harbor such malicious intent."

Noble Consort To sighed, a delicate sound that seemed to ripple through the room. "I bestowed that fragrance out of pure kindness; how could I have known it would lead to such a calamity?"

The Grand Princess let out a sharp, frigid laugh. "A forbidden incense within the palace walls, yet the Noble Consort bestows it with such ease."

The Noble Consort turned her gaze upon her. "Does the Grand Princess mean to imply that I sought to harm the young heir of the Xie clan?"

Xie Linchu spoke up instantly. "My aunt would never do such a thing." I lowered my eyes. So, he addressed her as aunt as well. In my previous life, I had never paid attention to such trivial details. The Emperor interrupted the exchange, his voice heavy. "Where is Shen Yuntang?" A heavy silence descended upon the hall. Xie Linchu knelt, his posture rigid. "Your Majesty, Yuntang was abducted by the rebels of the Northern Borders. I have been dispatching men to track them down."

The Noble Consort softened her tone, her voice dripping with artificial pity. "How tragic. A young woman falling into the hands of barbarians; one can only imagine the horrors she must be enduring." She turned her eyes toward me. "Second Miss Shen, I heard this entire affair began because of you?"

Qing Xing had not been permitted to enter the hall and stood outside. If she were here, she would surely have shouted her indignation. I knelt, my voice steady. "Your Highness, this matter stems from the fact that someone planted a poison to harm others."

The Noble Consort let out a faint, mocking sigh. "This child, her tongue is indeed as sharp as a blade."

The Grand Princess retorted instantly, "If one is being targeted, one must have a sharp tongue, or else they would have been devoured long ago."

The Emperor frowned, his patience thinning. "That is enough."

The Noble Consort fell silent. Suddenly, my father spoke, his voice trembling with forced gravity. "Your Majesty, I am guilty. I should not have shielded my daughter out of a sense of family shame. But Shen Zhaoyue is not of the Shen bloodline; she harbors resentment in her heart and has intentionally blown this matter out of proportion. I suspect she is in league with the Northern rebels."

The Grand Princess roared in fury, "Shen Hang!"

My father pulled a letter from his sleeve. "Your Majesty, I found this in Zhaoyue's old courtyard last night. It bears the wolf seal of the Northern tribes and explicitly mentions the wooden plaque. I dared not keep this hidden."

I looked at the letter. That courtyard had been sealed by my father for months; planting evidence there would have been effortless for him. The Emperor signaled for a eunuch to present the letter. Noble Consort To glanced at it, her expression shifting almost imperceptibly. "Your Majesty, the Northern wolf seal is no trivial matter."

Xie Linchu looked at me. A flicker of suspicion ignited in his eyes once more. I looked back at him and asked, "Does the young heir believe this now?"

He did not answer. I smiled faintly. Suddenly, Co Nghien knelt. "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

The Emperor looked down at him. "Who are you?"

"I am Co Nghien, the physician treating the Second Miss of the Shen household." Co Nghien continued, "Lord Shen claims this letter was found in her old courtyard, but three days ago, when I visited the estate to collect medicinal dregs, my father's men had already ransacked the courtyard. There was no such letter there at the time."

My father shouted, "You are lying!"

Co Nghien retrieved a slip of paper from his medical kit. "This is the entry pass signed by the Shen estate guards, clearly recording the times I came and went. I am a cautious man; I keep records of all my visits to powerful households."

The Noble Consort said coolly, "A mere scrap of paper from a gatekeeper—what does that prove?"

Co Nghien reached back into his kit and pulled out a muddied shoe. A ripple of shock went through the Imperial Study. He continued, "I found this shoe beneath the window of the Second Miss's old courtyard. The soles are caked with cinnabar clay, a type used only for the wall repairs at the Western Gate of the Imperial Palace. Such mud does not exist within the Shen estate."

The Noble Consort's face darkened instantly. My father's hands, pressed against the floor, tightened until his knuckles turned white. The Emperor looked at the Noble Consort. "The Western Gate?"

She responded immediately, "The palace is vast and full of common workers; that does not necessarily implicate me."

The Grand Princess laughed coldly. "The incense came from the Noble Consort's palace, the mud came from the Western Gate, and the letter was produced by Lord Shen. What a marvelous collection of coincidences."

The Emperor's face turned ghastly. The look in Xie Linchu's eyes finally shifted, yet I felt no triumph. I knew the true strike had yet to come. Sure enough, a eunuch rushed into the hall, breathless. "Your Majesty, there is someone outside the palace gate beating the drum of grievances, claiming... claiming they have captured the witch who conspired with the Northern rebels."

The Emperor furrowed his brows. "Bring them in."

Moments later, two imperial guards dragged a disheveled woman into the grand hall. She lifted her head. It was Shen Yuntang, missing for three days. Her garments were tattered, and her face was marred with bruises. The moment she saw Xie Linchu, she wept and threw herself toward him.

"Brother Linchu, save me!"

Xie Linchu caught her, his voice softening with concern. "Yuntang, who did this to you?"

Shen Yuntang raised her hand and pointed directly at me. "It was her. It was Shen Zhaoyue who ordered the Northerners to kidnap me, forcing me to reveal the secret of the wooden plaque. When I refused, she had them beat me."

The eyes of everyone in the hall turned toward me. I was not surprised. This was, after all, exactly who Shen Yuntang was.