Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Outside the warm chamber, Xia Ximo quietly found a secluded corner to stand in, keeping away from the crowd as much as possible.

Before long, she saw Emperor Qingkang from a distance, surrounded by a cluster of palace attendants as he walked out.

Though there was some distance between them, Emperor Qingkang seemed to sense something. His gaze drifted over from afar, thoughtful and probing.

Xia Ximo could feel the scrutiny in that look and wondered how exactly Ren Fengjue had explained things to the emperor.

Fortunately, he only glanced at her once and did not call her over for questioning. His figure soon disappeared into the distance.

However, no sooner had Emperor Qingkang left than Prince Yu, Zhao Xing, arrived, followed by Pei Yong, the commanding officer of the Golden Feather Guards.

Xia Ximo recognized Pei Yong at a glance as the man who had blocked her path outside Tianxiang Pavilion that day. That made the identity of the man before him obvious as well.

When the two reached the doorway, Zhao Xing asked a palace maid beside him, “How is Princess Ding’an now?”

The palace maid dipped into a graceful curtsy. “Prince Yu, the princess is currently speaking with the Young Marquis.”

“Oh?”

At that, Zhao Xing actually looked somewhat pleased by their misfortune. “Then we won’t disturb them.”

He made as if to leave, but then his eyes caught Xia Ximo standing in the corner. He asked, “And who is that over there?”

The palace maid replied, “Someone of the Young Marquis’s.”

Zhao Xing nodded, but as he did, he looked the person up and down. A strange feeling suddenly flickered through his heart.

There was something not quite right about this young attendant.

Intent on making trouble, he said, “Call that person over. I have questions.”

Pei Yong immediately accepted the order and strode forward, saying without the slightest courtesy, “Prince Yu is summoning you for questioning!”

Xia Ximo raised her head. Her dark, unfathomable eyes looked over, and Pei Yong felt his chest give an inexplicable jolt.

“It’s you!”

He recognized her.

The person who had opposed Miss Zhuang inside Tianxiang Pavilion that day!

He had truly searched far and wide only to find her without effort.

For some reason, Pei Yong grew excited at once. He turned back and said in a low voice to Prince Yu, “Your Highness, this is the person who offended Miss Zhuang at Tianxiang Pavilion that day.”

“A woman?”

Zhao Xing’s eyes narrowed abruptly. Clearly, his interest had been piqued at once.

He clasped his hands behind his back and walked a few steps closer in Xia Ximo’s direction.

Once he had a clear look at her face, he was quietly startled.

Though the woman before him was dressed as a man, she was undeniably quite beautiful.

At the very least, with looks like hers, she would certainly rank among the noble young ladies of the capital today.

No wonder even someone as upright and immaculate as Ren Fengjue could not resist hiding away a beauty.

If it were him, he might not be able to refuse either…

“Young Marquis Ren really cannot bear to be apart from you for even a step, can he?”

Zhao Xing’s tone was full of mockery as he spoke words tinged with sourness. “Even when attending a princess’s birthday banquet, he still had to bring you along. How deeply devoted.”

Xia Ximo had not intended to pay this man any attention.

But when her gaze swept over him, she noticed that his body was actually shrouded in a faint aura of sinister yin energy.

It was the same as the energy around Princess Ding’an.

So it was not hard to guess that the person who had given away that pearl was him.

Xia Ximo looked at Pei Yong behind him and deliberately asked, “Did you do as I told you that day at Tianxiang Pavilion?”

Pei Yong had not expected her to ask him such a thing in front of Prince Yu, and he froze on the spot.

“What… what did you say?”

Xia Ximo’s voice remained cold. “You didn’t do as I said, so Miss Zhuang was afflicted by evil after she went home, wasn’t she?”

“…”

This time, even Prince Yu’s expression changed.

He glared at Pei Yong, anger faintly visible in his eyes. “There was such a thing?”

“Your Highness, this subordinate would never dare deceive you. It is all this woman… spouting nonsense!”
In truth, looking back on it now, Xia Ximo really had said as much back then.

Pei Yong simply hadn’t taken it seriously.

Now that he thought of it again, a chill began creeping silently up his back. When he looked at Xia Ximo once more, there was even a hint of fear in his eyes.

This was too uncanny!

Xia Ximo’s face was as cold as frost, and the words she spoke were like blades of ice and snow.

“Whether I said it or not, you know perfectly well.”

“But after tonight, your Miss Zhuang should begin to recover.”

“However-”

Her voice was cool and clear, and her gaze suddenly shifted to Zhao Xing, Prince Yu, standing to the side. “You, too, seem to have been tainted by something evil.”

The moment she said this, Zhao Xing looked as if a dark cloud had descended over his head.

Pei Yong’s killing intent surged even more. “If you dare spout any more nonsense, don’t blame me for being rude!”

Though he said that, he had no confidence at all.

He even thought that if what she said was true, Prince Yu would likely be in trouble as well.

And when that time came…

The door to the warm chamber was suddenly opened, and Ren Fengjue appeared at the entrance, tall and graceful.

“Prince Yu.”

His voice broke the deadlock. Then he added, “Your arrival is timely. There are a few matters I was hoping to ask you about in person.”

At that, Zhao Xing’s already grim expression turned even uglier.

In the current imperial court, who would willingly be questioned by Ren Fengjue?

That was practically a sign that misfortune was about to fall on one’s head!

He slowly turned around, wearing his usual smile that never reached his eyes, and said, “Young Marquis, you make it sound so frightening.”

“Those who don’t know better might think I have something to do with some murder case.”

Ren Fengjue smiled faintly and gestured toward the flower hall beside them. “The princess has taken her medicine and gone to sleep. Prince Yu, please step aside with me for a word.”

Though Zhao Xing was unwilling, he had no choice but to cooperate.

After all, the other man had imperial authority backing him, while he himself had yet to gain Imperial Father’s favor.

The two entered the flower hall one after the other, and palace attendants immediately served hot tea.

Ren Fengjue’s manner was courteous. After inviting Prince Yu to take the seat of honor, he placed a luminous pearl on the table.

Amid the curling mist of the tea, the pearl gleamed with a clear, lustrous sheen. One could tell at a glance that it was worth a fortune.

Zhao Xing looked puzzled. “This was the birthday gift I gave Ruozhen. Why is it with you?”

Only after Ren Fengjue slowly took his seat did he say, “To tell you the truth, Princess Ding’an fainted because of this pearl.”

“What?”

Zhao Xing’s temper flared at once. “Utter nonsense! It’s only a pearl! Are you trying to pin this on me too?”

Ren Fengjue, however, remained calm. He picked up the tea on the table and took a small sip before saying, “Why don’t you first explain where this pearl came from, Your Highness?”

Zhao Xing’s expression froze for a moment, but he deliberately maintained his composure. “Naturally, I bought it at great expense…”

After many years in the Ministry of Justice, Ren Fengjue was far too skilled at reading people’s expressions.

Experience told him that Prince Yu was clearly lying.

“Where did you buy it?”

Zhao Xing was very impatient. “I sent a servant to purchase it. How could I know every detail so clearly?”

Ren Fengjue remained unhurried. “Very well. Since Your Highness does not know, I will have someone from the Ministry of Justice visit your estate tomorrow and bring back the servant who bought the pearl for careful questioning.”

Seeing that Prince Yu was about to lose his temper, he continued, “This matter concerns Princess Ding’an’s safety. Naturally, I will first report it to His Majesty before taking action…”

Zhao Xing was so furious that his face alternated between green and white. “Well done, Ren Fengjue. You dare use Imperial Father to pressure me?!”

A smile rose at the corners of Ren Fengjue’s mouth. “I would not dare. Getting to the bottom of this matter is not only for the princess’s sake, but also for yours, Prince Yu.”