Chapter 14 — The Heir to the Throne with the Wicked Face

Eyewitness Accounts

The trade meeting at Thông Bảo Trang's main warehouse took place as planned, bringing together more than a dozen large and small business associations in the capital along with the entire Western Liang envoy delegation. Nhược Hi personally led Ứng Bạt Nguyên to visit booths displaying silk, ceramics, and rare medicinal herbs, skillfully integrating interesting stories about the origin of each item to create a friendly and open atmosphere.

While Ứng Bạt Nguyên was engrossed in examining a piece of silk embroidered with delicate patterns, Nhược Hi gently signaled Trường Phong to lead Ứng Diệu Trân to a separate room under the pretense of introducing a rare medicinal herb reserved only for distinguished guests, separating her from the crowd in the most natural way possible.

In the small, quiet room, with only flickering candlelight and the faint scent of incense, Nhược Hi walked in, closed the door gently, and faced Ứng Diệu Trân directly.

"Don't worry, ma'am. I just want to talk privately for a while," Nhược Hi said, her voice gentle but serious. "I know that you were once a member of the Đại Hạ court, before the incident happened three years ago."

Ứng Diệu Trân was stunned, her hands shook slightly, her eyes looked frantically towards the door as if looking for a way out. "What...what do you want from me?"

"I didn't mean to harm you, ma'am," Nhược Hi continued, her voice slow to reassure. "I just want to know the truth about that night, the night the Immortal Emperor and Immortal Empress were murdered. I know you witnessed something important with your own eyes."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ứng Diệu Trân stepped back, her voice trembling but still trying to maintain a tough look. "I'm just an ordinary assistant to the mission."

Nhược Hi looked straight into her eyes, slowly took off the hairpin that hid a small piece of jade pendant - the Immortal Queen's jade pendant that she had kept for the past three years. "Do you recognize this, ma'am?"

When Ứng Diệu Trân saw the jade pendant, her whole body trembled violently, her hands clasped tightly around her mouth to keep from crying out in surprise. "This is... this is the Queen's relic..."

"That's right." Nhược Hi nodded slightly, her voice choked with emotion. "I am Khương Nhược Hi, daughter of the Immortal Emperor and Immortal Empress. For the past three years, I have had to live under a different identity to survive, to find out the truth about my parents' death. I beg my lady, if you know anything about that night, please tell me."

Ứng Diệu Trân stood silently for a long time, tears began to roll down her cheeks, as if a dike that had been holding back for three years could now bear it no longer.

"Your Highness is still alive..." she whispered, her voice choked. "I thought the whole royal family was extinct that night."

"Please tell me, ma'am." Nhược Hi held her hand, her voice earnest. "I need to know the truth, so that I can seek justice for my parents, and for those who have suffered unjustly like you."

Ứng Diệu Trân took a deep breath, as if gathering all her remaining courage to face the horrifying past that she had tried to bury for so many years. "That night, I was on night duty near Empress Dowager Uất Nguyệt Hàn's palace as usual. I overheard a conversation between the Empress Dowager and Deputy Dowager Khưu Bá Trạch, discussing how tonight would be the last night the orthodox family sat on the Đại Hạ throne."

Nhược Hi clenched her hands, trying to suppress her rising emotions to continue listening.

"I didn't dare believe my ears, but right after that, I saw a group of strangers being led into the palace through a secret passage, all carrying short swords, led by Khưu Bá Trạch's confidant," Ứng Diệu Trân continued, her voice trembling because she had to relive that horrifying moment. "I ran away in panic. I happened to witness a group of people killing a strange woman wearing a black cloak and mask in the west hallway. I heard one of them say that she was a notorious thief. After killing them, they would leave her body there to blame her."

"So the Ghost-Faced Witch really died that night," Nhược Hi whispered, all the puzzle pieces finally fitting together in her mind.

"That's right." Ứng Diệu Trân nodded. "I panicked and fled the palace that night, not daring to return, afraid that if I was discovered to have heard that conversation, I would suffer the same fate. I wandered to the border, luckily the envoy Ứng Bạt Nguyên helped me, adopted me, changed my name to avoid being hunted."

Nhược Hi knelt down in front of Ứng Diệu Trân, causing her to panic and try to help her up. "Please, ma'am, help me one more time. I need you to testify before the court, when the time is ripe. Only your direct testimony is enough to make Khưu Bá Trạch irrefutable."

Ứng Diệu Trân was silent for a long time, her inner struggles clearly visible on her face. Finally, she squeezed Nhược Hi's hand, her eyes determined.

"I will testify," she said. "For the past three years, I have lived in fear and humiliation because I did not have the courage to speak up when I still could. If Your Highness gives me a chance to redeem that mistake, I will not refuse, even if it means paying with my own life."

"But you need to understand that the time to testify must be carefully calculated." Trường Phong, standing outside keeping watch throughout the conversation, stepped in to contribute. "If it is revealed too early, Khưu Bá Trạch will definitely find a way to destroy the lady's voice before she can stand before the court. We need to wait for the right time, when there is enough other evidence to support, so that the lady's testimony can exert its greatest power."

"I understand." Ứng Diệu Trân nodded. "During the time the delegation remains in the capital, I will keep everything secret, not revealing any unusual signs. But please, Your Highness, please find a way to discreetly contact me when needed, I am ready to cooperate at any time."

Nhược Hi squeezed her hand, filled with gratitude. "Thank you, ma'am. Your courage today will never be forgotten, no matter the final outcome."

Before leaving the room to return to the party, Ứng Diệu Trân held Nhược Hi's hand, her eyes shining with a rare warm light. "The Fairy Queen used to treat lowly maids like me very well, regardless of status. Seeing Your Highness today, I feel like I see your shadow again, both in appearance and in your kind heart."

When both people returned to the party, no one in the crowd noticed any difference, everything still went smoothly like a normal business meeting. But Nhược Hi alone knows that tonight is the most important turning point since she began her journey to find the truth, three years ago.

After the party ended, Nhược Hi, Trường Phong, and Tang Dịch Phong gathered in the secret room behind the warehouse to review what they had collected. "We now have the three most important pieces of the puzzle," Nhược Hi said, excitement tempered by caution. "Khưu Bá Trạch's payment book, Khấu Đình Ân's testimony, and a living witness who directly confirms the incident."

"But there's still an important link missing," Tang Dịch Phong reminded. "We still have not determined the exact location of the military captain who directly commanded the assassination team. If there is more testimony from him, compared with Mrs. Ung's story, the evidence will be even stronger and irrefutable."

"I will speed up the search for him," Trường Phong said. "With what we have in hand now, I believe the time to finally act is not far away."

Nhược Hi looked out the window, where the moonlight tonight was brighter than usual, shining down on the entire Vân Khánh capital city, which was sleeping peacefully, unaware of the great changes that were about to happen. "Three years of hiding, now step by step, the truth is gradually being completely pieced together. Not much longer, we will reclaim everything we have lost."

Trường Phong stood next to her, following her eyes towards the distant palace. "And I will always be here, with you through that final journey, no matter how difficult it is." His promise rang out firmly in the stillness of the night, like an oath that complemented everything he had wished for at the foot of Lam Phong mountain every year, becoming more and more solid with each challenge that the two of them had overcome together. Nhược Hi smiled slightly, held his hand tightly, both of them silently looked at the late moonlight reflecting on the sleeping capital, never knowing that a storm of justice was about to strike.