Chapter 22

Chapter 22: The Aloof Crown Prince's Nemesis

Sandalwood incense curled through Kunning Palace, where the oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.

Su Wan knelt on the golden floor tiles, her shoulders trembling faintly. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying as she raised them pitifully toward the empress, then secretly cast a vicious sidelong glance at Shen Zhiwei, who stood beside Xiao Heng. An unrelenting jealousy and hatred lurked in her eyes.

The empress sat upright on the Phoenix Throne, fingering a string of prayer beads, her expression grave. Her gaze settled first on her son, Xiao Heng, then slowly shifted to Shen Zhiwei. Her tone held a measure of anger.

"Heng, do you know how much gossip you have stirred up at court by asking His Majesty for permission to marry Shen Zhiwei?" The empress set down her prayer beads. Her voice was quiet, but every word carried weight. "The Shen clan has long since fallen into decline. She has no powerful family to support her now. You and Su Wan have been childhood sweethearts, and the Su family has rendered service to the court. Marrying Su Wan would be the most advantageous choice for securing your position as crown prince."

Silence fell over the hall at those words.

Joy stirred in Su Wan's heart. She hastily wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and choked out softly, "Your Highness, I have loved you since childhood and waited devotedly for you for years. Even if someone else has momentarily bewitched your heart, please think carefully. Do not let romantic attachments ruin your future."

As she spoke, she lowered her head again, looking as though she had suffered every imaginable injustice, hoping their old affection would move Xiao Heng.

Shen Zhiwei stood to one side, her back straight and her expression calm, without offering a single word of argument. She knew all too well that her family background offered little support. Further explanations would only earn her a reputation for stirring up trouble. Everything depended on how Xiao Heng responded.

Xiao Heng stepped forward, firmly shielding Shen Zhiwei behind him. Dressed in his crown prince's python-patterned robe, he radiated authority, his expression icy. He bowed to the empress and answered with neither servility nor arrogance.

"Mother, the woman I marry as my crown princess must be someone I love, not a transaction weighed on the scales of advantage and loss."

"I remember the Su family's contributions, but Su Wan has repeatedly tried to kill Zhiwei. The evidence in the poisoning of the well at the Quiet Reflection Pavilion is conclusive. It was only out of consideration for the Su family's past service that I refrained from presenting all her crimes to Father. I have already shown her mercy."

At his words, the empress's expression jolted. She turned to look at Su Wan, who was kneeling on the floor.

Su Wan shuddered violently, all color draining from her face. She hastily shook her head and protested, "Your Majesty, Your Highness! I have been falsely accused! I did none of those things! Shen Zhiwei framed me!"

Xiao Heng cast a cold glance at Su Wan and gave a chilling laugh. "Even now, you refuse to repent? The palace maids you bribed have already confessed to everything. Both witnesses and physical evidence are at hand. Are you still going to argue your way out of this?"

He raised his hands and clapped. Two guards waiting outside the hall escorted in the matron who had taken part in poisoning the well. Disheveled and bedraggled, she dropped to her knees with a thud the moment she entered the hall and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Spare my life, Your Majesty! Miss Su ordered this old servant to do everything! She gave me gold and silver and commanded me to poison the well at the Quiet Reflection Pavilion to take Miss Shen's life!"

Faced with irrefutable evidence, Su Wan went limp. She swayed to one side and nearly collapsed onto the floor, unable to utter another word of denial.

The empress's heart sank heavily at the sight. She had always known Su Wan was proud and jealous, but she had never imagined that the girl would be so recklessly brazen as to make repeated attempts on someone's life.

Seeing that denial was hopeless, Su Wan burst into a torrent of tears and looked at Xiao Heng, crying, "Your Highness! I only did it because I love you too much! I simply could not bear having another woman by your side! Please show mercy and spare me this once!"

There was not a trace of pity in Xiao Heng's eyes, and his voice was cold. "Love is no excuse to harm others at will. I showed you patience time and again, only for you to press me harder at every turn."

The empress let out a long sigh. Though filled with regret, she could no longer plead for Su Wan. With both witnesses and physical evidence before her, insisting on favoritism would only incur the emperor's displeasure.

"Guards, take Su Wan back to the Su Residence and confine her there. Without an imperial decree, she is not to set so much as a foot outside." The empress waved a weary hand.

The guards stepped forward and dragged the distraught Su Wan away. As she passed through the hall doors, she turned back and glared fiercely at Shen Zhiwei, the hatred in her eyes still refusing to die.

With the turmoil temporarily settled, only the empress, Xiao Heng, and Shen Zhiwei remained in Kunning Palace.

The empress gazed at the young couple before her, her expression softening somewhat. Looking at Shen Zhiwei, she said slowly, "Very well. Since matters have come to this and Heng has made up his mind, I will no longer oppose your marriage. But Shen Zhiwei, once you enter the Eastern Palace, you will have many complicated affairs to manage. Conduct yourself wisely."

Shen Zhiwei bent her knees in a respectful curtsy and replied, "I will keep Your Majesty's teachings firmly in mind."

They left Kunning Palace and stepped through its gates into the warm sunlight. Xiao Heng's tense expression finally relaxed, and he turned to take Shen Zhiwei's hand.

"It is all over. You need not worry anymore."

Shen Zhiwei looked at him, and the great stone weighing on her heart finally fell away. Yet she had a faint premonition: although Su Wan had been confined to the Su Residence, with the Su family's influence, this struggle was far from over.