Chapter 7 — Sacrificed by the Heir: Reborn as Yue Zhaoyue to Avenge Sixteen Years of Injustice

She drew a golden hairpin from her sleeve. My mother gasped in astonishment, crying out, "That is the hairpin I gifted to her for her coming-of-age ceremony!"

Every gaze in the room converged upon me. My father’s expression darkened to a terrifying shade of fury. "Shen Zhaoyue, what else do you have to say for yourself?"

I looked at the golden hairpin. It had vanished three days ago. I turned my attention to Zi Su. "When exactly did I give this to you?"

Zi Su replied promptly, "The night before last."

"At what hour?"

"The Hour of the Bo."

"And where did this take place?"

"Beneath the crabapple tree in the courtyard of the Second Young Mistress."

I gave a curt nod. "The night before last, at the Hour of the Bo, my father ordered the gates to my courtyard locked, stating that I was unwell and forbidden from stepping outside. The crabapple tree is located far beyond those gates. How, then, could you have possibly met me?"

Zi Su froze, her face draining of color. Shen Yuntang immediately interjected, "Perhaps... she simply misremembered the time."

I fixed my gaze upon my older sister. "Why is my esteemed elder sister in such a hurry?"

Shen Yuntang bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes. "I only fear that you are driving a servant to her death."

I retorted, "She was bold enough to swear a blood oath invoking the wrath of the heavens; surely she is not afraid of death."

The tribal elders looked at one another with uneasy expressions. My father held the family rod in his hand, hesitating for a long moment, unable to bring himself to strike. I drew a thin ledger from my sleeve. At the sight of it, my mother’s eyes widened in recognition.

"Is this the register of the courtyard gate logs?" she asked.

I answered, "On the day my father locked my gates, the matrons on duty were required to leave a thumbprint every hour. The night before last, at the Hour of the Bo, the gates never once opened."

My father glared at the ledger. "You had prepared for this?"

"Having been harmed by others once before, I have learned to be a little wiser," I replied.

Zi Su crumpled to the ground, her lips turning a sickly shade of gray. Suddenly, Shen Yuntang clutched at her own chest. "Sister, why must you be so relentless? Zi Su is my maid; if she has committed some wrong, I shall accept the punishment on her behalf."

"What wrong has she committed?" I asked.

Shen Yuntang fell silent. I took a step forward. "Why is it that my esteemed elder sister is so certain she has committed a wrong?"

The ancestral hall fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. A tribal elder holding a tea cup paused, his hand hanging suspended in mid-air. Even my mother, who had been supporting Shen Yuntang, let her grip loosen. My father roared, "Enough! Zi Su has slandered her mistress—drag her out and give her twenty strokes!"

Zi Su scrambled forward, clutching tightly to Shen Yuntang’s skirts. "Eldest Young Mistress, please save me!"

Shen Yuntang’s face turned deathly pale. My father commanded sharply, "Muffle her!"

Two matrons rushed forward. Zi Su struggled, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Eldest Young Mistress, you were the one who told me to say those things! You said the master would protect me!"

A matron shoved a cloth into her mouth. Shen Yuntang swayed as if she were about to faint. "Zi Su has lost her mind... she has gone mad..."

My mother hurried to catch her. My father would not look at me, his voice icy as he stated, "This matter ends here."

I pressed him, "She slandered her mistress—is twenty strokes truly sufficient?"

My father glared at me. "What more do you want?"

"Hand her over to the magistrate," I replied.

Shen Yuntang shrieked, "No!"

Every eye turned to her. Realizing her mistake, she quickly amended, "Zi Su has served me for many years... I simply cannot bear to see her suffer."

"My esteemed elder sister is truly kind-hearted," I said.

The words had barely left my lips when the voice of Xie Linchu echoed from the entrance of the ancestral hall. "Shen Zhaoyue, you have certainly learned the art of sarcasm."

He strode in, trailed by guards from the Prince's manor. My father instantly tucked the family rod away, hurrying forward to greet him. "Why has the Prince’s heir come in person?"

Xie Linchu ignored him, his eyes fixed solely on me. "My mother sent me to retrieve the incense ashes. The Prince’s manor will conduct the investigation into this matter; you need not use this as a pretext to cause further chaos."

I smiled faintly. "The Prince’s heir has arrived at a most opportune moment."

He frowned. "What is it you mean by that?"

Zi Su was still pinned to the floor, her mouth gagged, emitting only muffled, desperate whimpers. I said, "Had you arrived even half a quarter-hour later, she might have already confessed everything."

Xie Linchu glanced at Zi Su. Shen Yuntang immediately rushed to his side. "Brother Linchu, Zi Su has gone mad. She is slandering me, and even my own sister refuses to believe me. I truly do not know what to do."

Xie Linchu raised a hand to steady her. "Do not be afraid." He addressed my father, "A deranged servant belongs in the custody of the Prince’s manor."

"I refuse," I said.

Xie Linchu’s expression darkened instantly. "Shen Zhaoyue, do not push your luck."

I stood my ground. "She slandered and framed me within the Shen household; therefore, the Shen family must turn her over to the authorities."

My father bellowed, "Silence!"

Xie Linchu stepped before me. "Must you drag this until it is beyond all salvation?"

I looked at him calmly. "Does the Prince’s heir fear that matters are beyond salvation... or does he fear that this will touch someone who should remain untouched?"

His face became even more ominous. "I will ask you one last time. Will you hand her over?"

I looked him in the eyes. "And if I refuse?"

Xie Linchu turned his head. "Take her."

The guards lunged forward. Qing Xing threw her arms out to shield Zi Su. Though her legs trembled with obvious terror, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "This is the ancestral hall of the Shen family! You have no right to seize her!"

A guard shoved her aside. I hurried forward to catch her before she could fall.