Murong Jiu's hands shimmered with golden pollen in the sunlight, dazzlingly bright.
A flash of annoyance passed through the Fifth Princess's eyes; she cursed Murong Jiu's luck for inadvertently providing an excuse for her. Murong Man felt it was a pity but quickly hid the emotion in her eyes.
Both the Empress and the Second Prince maintained their usual composure, a testament to their deep machinations.
Murong Jiu caught every nuance of their expressions and, listening to Consort Yun Pin's lingering fear as she thanked her, said, "Consort Yun Pin, there's no need for courtesy. Saving you was my duty. Moreover, I was tripped by something just now, which caused me to stumble into you and frighten you. However..."
Her tone shifted, and she respectfully turned to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I indeed saw with my own eyes Consort Yun Pin's palace maid push against Consort Yun Pin's lower back, seemingly with sinister intent. For someone to make such a vicious attempt on a consort carrying the imperial heir, there must undoubtedly be someone behind this."
She left it at that, saying no more.
But emperors of past dynasties were always suspicious, and she believed the Emperor would already harbor doubts.
At the time of the incident, she only had Eunuch De by her side, and there were no uneven paths in the Imperial Garden; what could have tripped her? Naturally, suspicion fell on Eunuch De.
Eunuch De felt a glance from the Emperor and his face turned pale in waves.
Yin Xing fell to the ground with a thud, crying out her innocence.
Consort Yun Pin's face was filled with disappointment, unable to believe that the palace maid she trusted the most would betray her, yet someone had indeed pushed her.
"Your Majesty, you must seek justice for your consort!"
Consort Yun Pin clutched her still-flat belly, her delicate face now tear-streaked. She seemed unsteady on her feet, leaning on the Emperor for support.
The Emperor was deeply concerned for the child in her womb and, embracing Consort Yun Pin, ordered in a furious tone for Yin Xing to be tortured severely, to force a confession of the instigator.
Thud, thud, thud!
The muffled sounds of the cudgel struck Yin Xing, and she let out shrieks of agony.
Soon, she lost consciousness from the beating, but was quickly revived with cold water and subjected to even more cruel torture.
Even a strong man could not endure such treatment. Yin Xing's eyes showed a desperate will to live as she struggled.
Without showing any reaction, Murong Jiu glanced at the Empress and the Second Prince, who showed no signs of panic on their faces. Her eyes flickered with thought, pondering a possibility.
"Administer the water torture!"
The Emperor commanded with a cold face.
The so-called water torture involved covering the face with a towel while the victim laid tied from feet to head on a bench, water poured over them, inducing a sensation of suffocation, as if drowning, more painful than being submerged headfirst in water.
Watching water continually poured over Yin Xing's towel-covered face, Murong Jiu's complexion turned a little pale, and her hands trembled slightly.
She had died from drowning in a deep well in the past; seeing this scene felt like revisiting the moments before her death. Hatred surged in her heart, and she quickly bowed her head to calm her inner turmoil.
Thus, she missed the intense probing in Jun Yuyan's gaze as he watched her.
"I confess! I confess everything!"
After a few iterations of the torture, Yin Xing could not take it anymore and shouted out loud.
Out of the corner of her eye, Murong Jiu saw the Empress clutching tightly at her handkerchief inside her sleeve but then quickly let go.
The Empress was in a panic.
The guards lifted Yin Xing from the bench, and she kneeled on the ground, gasping for air, still in shock.
The Emperor's demeanor was imposing, "Tell me, who exactly instructed you to be so cruel to Consort Yun Pin?"
"Yes…" Yin Xing lifted her head, her gaze swiftly sweeping around the room. When her eyes met those of the Second Prince, her face turned even paler, and she stammered, "It was Noble Consort Qi, it was Noble Consort Qi who commanded this servant!"
"What did you say? When have I ever commanded you? Your Majesty, she's framing your consort!"
Noble Consort Qi's face was filled with anger, and she had not expected to become the target once again, as she looked at the Emperor with a sense of injustice.
Suddenly, Yin Xing started screaming frantically,
"That's right, it was Noble Consort Qi! Noble Consort Qi feared losing favor and wanted to harm Consort Yun Pin to death, threatening this servant with the lives of my family. I had no choice but to comply! Your Majesty, I've confessed to everything. My family is innocent, and I'm willing to die to apologize!"
After speaking, she revealed a determined look in her eyes, clenching her teeth fiercely.
"She's going to commit suicide!"
Murong Jiu shouted, quickly springing into action. She had been watching Yin Xing closely and had anticipated her move. However, she had not expected Jun Yuyan to be even quicker. With a swift kick of a pebble, he dislocated Yin Xing's jaw in an instant!
She hadn't time to be surprised as she rushed over, grabbed Yin Xing's mouth, and extracted a poison pill hidden behind her molar.
That was how the Dead Soldiers of the Second Prince had concealed poison in her previous life. When she heard Yin Xing framing Noble Consort Qi, she guessed that the latter would attempt to poison herself, and sure enough, she had guessed correctly.
Everything happened so quickly that by the time everyone else realized what was happening, Murong Jiu had already prevented Yin Xing from biting into the poison pill and committing suicide.
Her coordination with Jun Yuyan was seamless, as if they had worked together hundreds of times before, which even left Noble Consort Qi dumbfounded.
Yin Xing screamed "Ah, ah," struggling furiously, pinned down firmly to the ground by the guards.
The Empress's brows furrowed tightly, her eyes showing a hint of panic, and an unexpected expression flashed in the eyes of the Second Prince, as his gaze landed on Murong Jiu.
Then Jun Yuyan stepped forward, speaking softly, "Father, Ah Jiu went to great lengths to stop Yin Xing from committing suicide by poison. Your son believes there is more to this incident behind the scenes, and I hope you will investigate thoroughly to clear my mother's name."
The Emperor stared at Yin Xing, his eyes seething with anger. Things had come to this point, and it was clear someone was attempting to frame Noble Consort Qi. Should Yin Xing die, there would be no one left to counter the accusations, and the blame would conveniently land on Noble Consort Qi.
To think someone dared play such tricks before him! Both Yin Xing and the person behind her truly deserved death!
To his surprise, the unremarkable youngest daughter of the Yongning Marquis Manor had shown remarkable capability.
His gaze on Murong Jiu held a trace of satisfaction as he nodded and said to Jun Yuyan,
"Yu Yan, you and Ah Jiu reacted promptly. Well done. I will have the Brocade-clad Guards interrogate her under severe torture to vindicate your mother."
If she were left to the Brocade-clad Guards, not even her bones would be spared. How long could a mere girl like Yin Xing hold out?
However, Murong Jiu knew that the Second Prince had already extended his reach into the Brocade-clad Guards. A thousand-household commander named Han Jin would become his right-hand man, gathering countless pieces of intelligence for him and threatening officials of the Imperial Court.
Therefore, it was impossible for Yin Xing to reveal who was behind the plot. In the end, she faced nothing but a dead end.
The difference now was that to kill Yin Xing, Han Jin would inevitably be exposed, becoming a dead end himself, and he too would be silenced.
Consequently, the Emperor's wrath would be provoked, compelling him to conduct a thorough investigation of the Brocade-clad Guards. After all, the Brocade-clad Guards had only one master – the Emperor himself, and no one else was to interfere.
As such, the Second Prince's attempts to place his pawns within the Brocade-clad Guards would be thwarted, and his right-hand man would be cut off prematurely.
A simple girl like Yin Xing had wasted an important piece of the Second Prince.
Wasn't this a case of losing the chicken for the sake of the rice?
Murong Jiu looked up at the Second Prince, who was also watching her, his eyes flickering with a complex mix of pain and hatred. But the moment she looked over, he flashed her a warm smile.
Truly, he was someone who knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
Her lips curved up slightly, thinking to herself: Jun Haoze, this is just the beginning!
Little did she know that Jun Yuyan's deep, probing gaze was also fixed upon her.