Chapter 9

The Aloof Crown Prince's Nemesis (Chapter 9)

A warm breeze stirred, peonies blazed in bloom, and splendor filled the grounds, yet hidden currents had already swept silently through the Imperial Garden.

At Su Wan's silent signal to "act," the palace maid concealed in the shadows of the flowering grove immediately bowed and withdrew, her steps light enough that no one noticed anything amiss.

At the banquet, strings and flutes still played sweetly as wine cups passed back and forth.

Everyone was still reeling from the crown prince's public defense of Shen Zhiwei. They kept stealing sidelong glances at the conspicuous pair, their whispered discussions unceasing.

Shen Zhiwei sat upright at her place. The warmth in her heart had not faded, but unease faintly tightened her fingertips.

She kept feeling that Su Wan's gaze upon her was as cold and sinister as ice hidden in a spring breeze, sending a chill down her spine.

Xiao Heng keenly noticed her slight tension. Without drawing attention, he pushed a plate of soft osmanthus cakes toward her and murmured, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Those few words, steady and strong, instantly soothed much of her panic.

Shen Zhiwei lifted her eyes to him and nodded gently, her fingers relaxing a little.

But scarcely a moment later, trouble erupted.

A young palace maid carrying imperial wine stumbled, as though she had caught her foot on a seam in the flagstones. With a shriek, she pitched straight toward Shen Zhiwei.

Amber wine splashed through the air, most of it spilling over Shen Zhiwei's plain, elegant white dress.

Gasps rose from the crowd!

Large wine stains instantly soaked her snow-white skirt, leaving an ugly, conspicuous mess.

But that was not the end of it.

As the maid fell to the ground, her sleeve slipped back, and a lustrous white jade safety pendant, inlaid with gold and pearls, rolled from her bosom. It landed precisely beneath Shen Zhiwei's hem.

The gathering fell silent at once.

The next second, the maid abruptly raised her head, terror filling her eyes. She prostrated herself, weeping as she cried, "Mercy, Your Majesty! Mercy, Your Highness! My personal jade pendant is missing! It was bestowed upon me by the empress dowager. I must not lose it!"

As she finished, she fixed her eyes on Shen Zhiwei, every word steeped in anguish, deliberately drawing everyone's attention toward her.

"I only went near Miss Shen just now! It-it must have been Miss Shen who stole my pendant!"

That single accusation split the silence like thunder shattering stone!

Stealing an item from the palace was a grave crime!

The noble young ladies and titled wives erupted in an uproar. Their appraising looks at Shen Zhiwei instantly turned to disdain, contempt, and disgust.

"She looked so gentle and honest, yet it turns out she has sticky fingers!"

"No wonder she has neither family nor influence. Her character truly is base!"

"To dare steal at the empress's banquet-how utterly brazen!"

Malicious gossip swept toward her, blotting out the sky.

Su Wan rose at just the right moment, her face a picture of pained indignation. Feigning impartiality, she said, "Miss Shen, I thought that despite your lowly birth, you at least knew how to behave. Never did I imagine you would dare commit such a shameful act at an imperial banquet!"

She pressed relentlessly, a sinister smile of triumph hidden in her eyes. "Now the pendant is missing, and everyone knows you were closest to the maid. If you have been wronged, simply stand and let everyone inspect your skirt. Prove your innocence!"

Her words sounded admirable, but their intent was vicious in the extreme.

She had arranged beforehand for the maid to slip that pendant beneath Shen Zhiwei's skirt.

The moment Shen Zhiwei stood, the pendant would fall out. Caught with the stolen goods, she could not defend herself even with a hundred mouths!

Once the charge of stealing palace property was established, the crown prince's favor would be useless. Even the mightiest sovereign in heaven could not save her!

Shen Zhiwei was instantly thrust into the teeth of the storm, countless eyes fixed on her in scrutiny, mockery, and anticipation of a spectacle.

Her fingertips turned icy, but her mind remained perfectly clear.

It was a trap-a trap through and through.

Su Wan meant to ruin her reputation before all these powerful nobles and crush her utterly into the dust.

The empress's expression darkened slightly. "Then let her be inspected, so that everyone's innocence may be established."

Everyone waited to see Shen Zhiwei panic and confess in disgrace.

Shen Zhiwei tightened her grip on her sleeve and was about to rise to prove her innocence.

The next instant, a large, warm, strong hand pressed firmly over hers.

Xiao Heng slowly rose, his black robes stirring in the breeze. An icy aura suddenly swept outward from him, and the face that had been so gentle moments earlier now bore the bitter cold of a thousand miles sealed in ice.

He lowered his eyes, sweeping his gaze over the maid kneeling and wailing on the ground. His voice was cold as frost-tempered steel.

"Prove her innocence?"

"Why should someone under my protection have to prove herself to anyone?"

Those words crushed the uproar into deathly silence!

The crown prince's gaze was sharp as a blade as he stared directly at the maid. Every ringing word carried across the Imperial Garden. "Every item bestowed by the empress dowager bears a distinctive Imperial Household Department mark and is entered into its records. Would a mere wine-serving maid be worthy of a safety pendant personally bestowed by the empress dowager?"

The maid shuddered violently. Her face turned deathly pale, and her panicked eyes darted away, not daring to meet his.

The chill in Xiao Heng's eyes deepened. "Furthermore, when you fell toward her, you deliberately shifted your body. The wine struck Zhiwei precisely, and the pendant landed precisely beneath her skirt. Every move was calculated, every step intended to frame her. Do you take me for blind?"

He had already seen everything.

From the maid's suspicious movements to the falling pendant, every part of the scheme had been perfectly clear to him.

Su Wan's heart sank. She had never imagined Xiao Heng would observe everything so closely!

Before she could think of a way to salvage the situation, Xiao Heng gave a cold command. "Drag her away. Investigate her background thoroughly and interrogate her about who ordered this."

The guards beside them immediately stepped forward and pinned down the maid, who had collapsed in terror.

The maid broke down completely. Trembling all over, she opened her mouth to name Su Wan.

Panic seized Su Wan. Forcing herself to remain composed, she snapped, "How dare you, treacherous servant! To frame and slander someone at an imperial banquet-you deserve ten thousand deaths!"

She wanted to silence the maid first and distance herself from the affair.

But Xiao Heng gave her no opportunity at all.

He turned his eyes toward Su Wan's rigid face. There was not a trace of warmth in his gaze as he spoke indifferently, every word striking at her heart:

"You seem rather anxious, Consort."

"Anxious to force her to prove herself, anxious to pronounce her guilty, anxious to silence the culprit."

"You seem to understand this farce better than anyone."

Those three simple statements instantly pinned every suspicion squarely on Su Wan!

Everyone abruptly understood, their gazes filling with shock and doubt.

Indeed, the whole affair was far too suspicious. From beginning to end, Su Wan had pressed at every turn, every sentence declaring guilt!

Su Wan stiffened, cold sweat instantly soaking her back. Maintaining an injured air with difficulty, she curtsied. "Your Highness! I was merely acting impartially. I had no selfish motives whatsoever!"

"Whether you had selfish motives will become clear after the interrogation."

Xiao Heng no longer looked at her pale, stricken face. Instead, he turned toward the young woman still standing quietly beside him.

In an instant, all that boundless ice melted away, leaving only tenderness and affection reserved for her alone.

He raised his hand and gently brushed the droplets of wine from her skirt. His voice softened, his words meant for her alone:

"You shouldn't have had to suffer this."

Watching that stark transformation, everyone fell utterly silent. No one dared show the slightest contempt or voice another criticism.

The cold, aloof, ruthless crown prince truly protected this Miss Shen, who had neither standing nor title, with a devotion rooted deep in his bones.

Shen Zhiwei raised her eyes to him, warmth and moisture gathering in them. All her fear and unease were soothed by his unwavering favor.

The spring breeze swept over the courtyard's peonies, scattering petals through the air.

Suddenly, she understood.

The world might assail her with countless rumors, laying thorns and obstacles at every step.

But as long as he was there, she need not pretend to be strong, need not abase herself, need not prove her innocence.

He would always be her strongest support, standing behind her without hesitation.

Beside them, Su Wan watched the tenderness between the two and the suspicious looks all around her. Her nails dug viciously into her palms as hatred and resentment grew wildly within her, stronger and stronger.

Shen Zhiwei!

Did you think winning this round meant everything would go smoothly for you?

You and I will not rest until one of us is dead!