Chapter 23 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

"The divine maiden admits to possessing the wooden token, but she does not admit to colluding with the Northern Frontier."

The Emperor stared fixedly at the wooden tablet.

"Bring it forward."

Just as the eunuch stepped forward to receive it, the Grand Princess spoke.

"Your Majesty, a wooden token with a crescent moon engraving is not a military seal for mobilizing troops."

Noble Consort To sneered coldly. "Does the Grand Princess know so much about it?"

The Grand Princess turned to gaze at her. "Naturally, I know. Because this wooden token is the identification badge of the orphans of the Shen Military of the Northern Frontier from years ago."

Silence descended upon the great hall. My father suddenly snapped his head up. Noble Consort To's expression turned ghastly. Xie Linchu looked at me, as if he had finally heard a sentence he could not comprehend. The Grand Princess articulated every word with crystal clarity.

"Shen Zhaoyue is no enchantress. If she is indeed the child I suspect her to be, then her father was the Northern Frontier Deputy General Yue Zhongshan, who fell in battle at the Qingzhou courier station sixteen years ago."

The Emperor’s hand slowly rested upon the imperial desk. "Yue Zhongshan?"

The Grand Princess continued, "The couple, the Yues, were traveling to the capital under a secret decree when they were ambushed. Their infant daughter vanished, and she carried a wooden token with a crescent moon engraving. Your Majesty sealed this matter for many years, so pray, Noble Consort To, how did you know that this token could mobilize the remnant forces of the Northern Frontier?"

Noble Consort To’s face drained of color bit by bit. She could not utter a word. I looked down at the token. So, that was it. I did not share the surname Shen. My name was Yue. I was not a stray girl whom no one wanted. I was the orphan of a loyal general. Shen Yuntang suddenly shrieked.

"That is impossible! How could she be the orphan of that general? It is common knowledge that my father picked her up!"

The Grand Princess turned her eyes to my father. "Shen Hang, how exactly did you find this child all those years ago?"

My father collapsed onto the floor. The Emperor’s voice became heavy and dangerous. "Speak."

My father could no longer hold up the pretense. "I... when I arrived at the Qingzhou courier station, it was already engulfed in flames. Madame Yue shoved the child into my arms, begging me to take her to the capital. At that time, I was terrified of being implicated and only wanted to leave quickly. But the lady, having just given birth, held onto my legs and refused to let go. I... I took the child and fled."

"And what of Madame Yue?" the Grand Princess demanded sternly.

My father’s voice trembled. "She perished in the sea of flames."

I looked at him, the wooden token in my hand digging into my palm until it hurt. "She begged you to bring me to the capital, and yet you hid me in the Shen household, forcing me to bear the consequences of your own daughter’s sins?"

Father did not dare to meet my gaze. The Grand Princess asked, "And the demise of the Yue couple—who was involved?"

Father shook his head. "I do not know."

Gu Yan suddenly spoke up. "Lord Shen, please think carefully before you answer. The medical records left behind by my master still contain notes on the old wounds sustained at the Qingzhou courier station sixteen years ago. Among the arsonists, one was missing a finger on his left hand. Just today outside the palace gates, I happened to see the eunuch beside Noble Consort To, and he, too, is missing a finger."

Noble Consort To turned abruptly to look at him. The Emperor’s face underwent a radical transformation. "Seize that eunuch."

Chaos erupted outside the hall. The eunuch with the missing finger tried to flee, but he was pinned to the ground by the imperial guards. Noble Consort To sank to her knees. "Your Majesty, I knew nothing of this."

The maimed eunuch was dragged into the hall, his forehead slamming against the stone floor with sickening thuds. "Your Majesty, have mercy! This servant only acted under orders!"

"Whose orders?" the Emperor demanded.

The eunuch glanced toward Noble Consort To. She roared, "You dare to frame me!"

Terrified, the eunuch immediately changed his story. "It... it was the rebels of the Northern Frontier."

The Grand Princess laughed coldly. "Could the Northern Frontier rebels command a palace eunuch like you for sixteen years?"

The Emperor closed his eyes. "Take him away and interrogate him."

As Noble Consort To was hauled away by the guards, she continued to shriek her innocence. Shen Yuntang sat on the ground, muttering to herself, "Impossible... this is impossible..."

Xie Linchu looked at me. His gaze shifted from astonishment to guilt, and finally into a panic that had come far too late. "Zhaoyue."

I put the token away and did not answer. The Emperor looked toward me. "Yue Zhaoyue, I shall investigate the case of Yue Zhongshan to the very end. For now, you shall reside in the residence of the Grand Princess. Once the truth is brought to light, I shall surely restore justice to the Yue family."

"Yue Zhaoyue."

The name fell into my ears. It felt distant, yet far purer than the name Shen Zhaoyue. I bowed in salute. "I thank Your Majesty."

Upon leaving the Imperial Study, Shen Yuntang lunged toward me. "Sister... Yue Zhaoyue... please, say a word for me. I did not mean it; I truly did not know your background. I thought you were merely an adopted daughter of the Shen house, I thought..."

I stopped in my tracks. "Did you think that because my status was low, the harm you caused me did not count as harm at all?"

Shen Yuntang’s face went white. Xie Linchu’s movement to reach out and support her hung suspended in the air. I looked at the two of them.

"Shen Yuntang, what you truly fear is not the injustice I have suffered. It is this: It turns out my station was never lower than yours."

Shen Yuntang slumped to the ground. Finally, Xie Linchu spoke. "Yuntang, say no more."

She looked at him, unable to believe her ears. "Even you... you blame me?"

Xie Linchu did not respond. I turned and walked away. Behind me, the sound of Shen Yuntang’s shattered sobbing echoed. This time, there was no one left to rush to comfort her.