Zijuan walked toward him step by step and lowered her voice. "Were you the one who plotted the sinking?"
Hu Xiaotian shrank back in fright and said quietly, "Your Highness, you mustn't make reckless accusations. If anyone else heard that, I couldn't wash myself clean even if I jumped into the Yong River."
Zijuan said, "Hu Xiaotian, there's no need to keep acting in front of me now. You made me put on the princess's clothes because you wanted me to die in her place. You knew all along that something would happen during the crossing, didn't you? That's why you laid this trap-to use my death to pull the wool over everyone's eyes!"
"If that's what Your Highness thinks, there's nothing I can do," Hu Xiaotian said.
Zijuan said bitterly, "Making me stand in for the princess was one thing. When did I ever refuse? But after the ships sank, you sent someone to kill me! If I hadn't been lucky, I would already have died at the hands of a villain like you."
Hu Xiaotian gave a bitter smile. "Heaven and earth bear witness, I never told anyone to do such a thing. I swear it to heaven!" He wondered to himself, Could Brother Zhou and Zhan Peng have done it? Better if they'd killed her. Then there wouldn't be all this trouble.
"What conscience could a cold-blooded, selfish man like you possibly have?" Zijuan said. "You were supposed to be on the same ship as us. Why did you change your mind before boarding?"
"I changed my mind because Wen Boyuan was acting suspiciously," Hu Xiaotian said. "I had no choice but to take precautions to protect the princess. You should know all about him."
"How would I know?" Zijuan demanded angrily.
"You've been exchanging meaningful looks