Chapter 16

The aloof crown prince's nemesis (Chapter 16)

A startled cry pierced the still night at the Quiet Reflection Pavilion.

Xiao Heng's expression darkened abruptly. The tender affection in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by the icy severity honed through years of ruthless struggles at court.

He pulled Shen Zhiwei firmly into his embrace, his long arm locking around her waist as he shielded her completely behind his solid back. "Why are you panicking? Report everything clearly!" he commanded coldly.

The maid on duty sank to her knees beneath the corridor, her legs weak and her voice trembling uncontrollably. "Y-your Highness! Just now, this servant drew water to clean the courtyard and discovered that the well water was murky and smelled foul! It used to be clear and sweet, but today it had a faint, dark tinge. When I leaned closer, I caught the slightest poisonous stench!"

The well had been poisoned!

Those words slammed into everyone's hearts.

The Quiet Reflection Pavilion's courtyard was sealed off. Food, pastries, and medicinal decoctions all passed through layers of inspection by trusted servants of the Eastern Palace, leaving no opening to exploit. Driven into a corner, Su Wan had actually turned her vicious designs toward the courtyard's only source of drinking water!

She meant to leave Shen Zhiwei, confined here under house arrest, with nowhere to retreat-to slowly grind her life away within this courtyard!

Leaning against Xiao Heng's warm chest, Shen Zhiwei felt a chill spread through her heart.

Poisoned soup, bribed palace servants, fabricated evidence... Su Wan's methods had grown more venomous and more ruthless with every attempt. She had already staked everything on sending Shen Zhiwei to her death.

"Investigate!"

Xiao Heng's voice was cold enough to pierce bone, an icy gleam surging in his eyes. "Seal off the well immediately. No one is to approach it! Summon the imperial physician to test the water for poison tonight. Then investigate every palace servant who has approached the well or performed maintenance duties recently. Leave no one out. Take them all to the Secret Guard Room for questioning!"

"Yes!" The secret guards outside answered in unison and moved as swiftly as the wind.

The courtyard blazed with light in an instant. Layers of guards sealed off every direction, leaving not a single gap.

The evening wind swept through the corridor, making the candle flames flicker wildly.

The young woman in his arms trembled slightly. Though she said nothing, every tiny shiver caught Xiao Heng's eye.

Pain and fury twisted in his heart. He bent toward her and gently cupped the back of her head, softening every movement. His voice dropped low, tender enough to melt the frost from the night. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

"Every time she harms you, I'll make her pay. This time, I won't leave her the slightest chance of escaping."

Only two brief sentences, yet every word rang with unwavering resolve.

Shen Zhiwei buried her face against his robes, his clean, reassuring scent surrounding her. All the fear, hurt, and exhaustion that had accumulated over the past days surged up at once.

She lifted her hand and lightly clutched the brocade at his waist, her fingertips tightening a little. "Your Highness, I trust you," she whispered.

Gentle moonlight cast the silhouettes of their embracing figures onto the ground, tender yet steadfast. After surviving one brush with death after another, their feelings had long since broken through every veil of restraint, entwining so tightly that nothing could separate them.

Barely half a quarter of an hour later, the imperial physician hurried over. After taking a sample and testing the well water, his expression changed dramatically.

"Your Highness, this well water contains a slow-acting Bone-Eroding Poison! The concentration is extremely low. Once dissolved in the water, it is colorless and odorless, impossible for an ordinary person to detect. Prolonged consumption causes weakness, coughing up blood, and the deterioration of the internal organs. In less than half a month, the victim will die without a sound!"

A slow poison. A drawn-out battle.

What a vicious design.

She sought not a single fatal blow, but a silent death that left no trace. Once Shen Zhiwei died, the world would merely assume that, as the daughter of a disgraced official, she had succumbed to lingering illness brought on by guilt and pent-up sorrow. No one would uncover even the faintest sign of poisoning.

Killing intent seethed in Xiao Heng's eyes, and the oppressive air around him became terrifying.

"What did the questioning reveal?"

A secret guard stepped forward and dropped to one knee, reporting in a low voice, "Your Highness, we discovered that a sweeper approached the well late last night. He was not an established servant of the Eastern Palace, but a low-level servant recently planted here by the Su Residence under the pretext of a staff transfer!"

At last, they had caught a thread that led to Su Wan!

In the previous attempts, every perpetrator had kept their lips sealed, and layer upon layer of separation had prevented them from tracing anything back to Su Wan. This time, however, her haste and panic had left a fatal gap in her otherwise meticulous scheme!

"Bring him here." Xiao Heng's tone was impassive, yet carried the crushing force of thunder.

The servant was dragged into the courtyard, already pale with terror and shaking all over. At first, he tried to argue and deny everything, but faced with the secret guards' irrefutable evidence and relentless questioning, he broke down within moments. He fell to his knees and frantically knocked his head against the ground, confessing his crime.

"Spare my life, Your Highness! I'll confess! Someone from the Su Residence approached me! They gave me a hundred taels of gold and ordered me to secretly poison the well at the Quiet Reflection Pavilion! I was only greedy for money! Miss Su Wan ordered it all. I didn't dare disobey!"

His words struck like thunder splitting stone!

Every concealment, every disguise, every dark intrigue behind the scenes was torn open at that moment!

The evidence stood like a mountain. The witness's testimony was undeniable!

No longer was it empty conjecture. No longer were there accusations without proof! Evidence of Su Wan's repeated attempts at murder, her framing of a court official, and her callous disregard for human life was now firmly in Xiao Heng's grasp!

Shen Zhiwei raised her eyes, her gaze clear. The great stone that had weighed on her heart for days finally crashed to the ground.

Xiao Heng looked down at the young woman resting safely in his arms. Most of the fury in his eyes faded at once, replaced by boundless affection and aching tenderness.

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the moisture that had unwittingly gathered at the corners of her eyes. His voice was slightly hoarse. "Zhiwei, you've suffered through this for so long."

"From today onward, every storm will come to an end."

With those words, he straightened. The chilling authority of the heir to the throne settled over him once more as he issued a low command to the secret guards beside him:

"Immediately apprehend every intermediary who has had dealings with the Su Residence and gather all the evidence. At tomorrow's morning court, present the witnesses and physical evidence before everyone."

"I will personally investigate Su Wan-and make her answer for every crime!"

Deep in the night, the Su Residence glittered with lamplight, a picture of peace and tranquility.

Su Wan sat before her dressing table, her fingertips stroking an exquisite jeweled hairpin, a smile of certain victory on her lips.

Poisoning the well was a deed neither gods nor ghosts could detect. No matter how strict the guards at the Quiet Reflection Pavilion were, they could not guard against the water drunk every day.

She was certain that within half a month, Shen Zhiwei's fragrance would fade and her jade would shatter in death.

Then no one would compete with her for the crown prince. No one would threaten her future position as crown princess.

Yet she had no idea that the deathtrap she had so carefully laid had already become the evidence that would nail her own coffin shut.

Tomorrow, the Golden Throne Hall would be the scene of her final defeat, where her reputation would collapse and every piece on her board would be lost.

The hidden currents had dispersed, and daylight was about to break.

The peace and cherished devotion belonging to Xiao Heng and Shen Zhiwei alone would finally break through every shadow and flourish toward the sun.