"What does that matter?"
Wang Xian lifted his head and looked at her calmly. "The Academy's teacher was half a teacher to me. His closest student betrayed him. Do you know what that means?"
Qiu Mingyu fell silent. After all, Prince Duan had never told her about this.
Or rather, even her husband knew nothing about the Academy's teacher.
"Heaven, earth, ruler, kin, teacher!"
Wang Xian continued, "Setting aside heaven, earth, and the emperor, to the second prince, his teacher was like his own parents... The moment he served his teacher poisoned wine, he committed patricide!"
Rumble!
A peal of spring thunder rang across the sky. Qiu Mingyu's fingers clenched, shattering the winecup in her hand.
Wang Xian acted as if he hadn't heard it. He lifted his cup and took a small sip. "This wine is nothing special."
Qiu Mingyu murmured, "This is wine from the palace."
"It could be poisoned wine, too. But I'm not afraid!"
Wang Xian's gaze turned cold. "Can a man who murdered his father sit on that dragon throne?"
Qiu Mingyu shook her head.
Wang Xian drained his cup, then took out a stack of letters and placed them before Qiu Mingyu. "Look. Look closely."
Qiu Mingyu froze. She felt as if she were about to go mad.
She even wondered whether the two princes already knew some of the truth and had deliberately sent her to Jinling Ferry to pry information out of Wang Xian.
But after she unfolded letter after letter and read them over and over...
Rumble, rumble!
Thunder boomed in the highest heavens. Then spring rain began to patter down.
Her heart, however, was colder than this spring night, cold to the bone. She could hardly stop herself from screaming, from drawing her blade and killing someone.
She murmured, "Impossible.