The Vicious Woman and the White Moonlight are both me - Chapter 20

“Your Majesty, this servant found this bamboo tube inside the Qingfeng Pavilion. It has already been examined by the imperial physicians. It appears nothing was ever stored inside it. However, a fragment of a garment was discovered snagged on a tree branch nearby.”

After speaking, Jiang Rutai offered no further opinion.

As the emperor’s close attendant, any evidence he produced naturally carried great credibility.

Song Zhaoyan’s expression remained calm, but inwardly she was not without tension. Still, when she heard that nothing had been identified inside the bamboo tube, her nerves finally eased somewhat.

At this moment, all eyes were fixed on Song Zhaoyan. The Empress had already risen to her feet, looking down at her from above, barely able to suppress the triumphant curve of her lips.

“In my opinion, the fabric is Yun brocade from this year’s tribute. His Majesty bestowed upon the Empress Dowager, myself, and you, Princess Zhaohua. The Empress Dowager did not attend the banquet today, so it could not be hers. To reassure everyone, I can present the palace records detailing the use of yun brocade. Princess Zhaohua, I believe you are innocent—but words alone can sway minds. For the sake of your own innocence, you wouldn’t mind producing the usage records from your palace as well, would you?”

As soon as the Empress took the lead, the Sixth Princess and Seventh Princess followed close behind.

They had thought the one who set them up was the Empress—never did they expect it to be that detestable Song Zhaoyan instead.

Although the imperial physicians had found nothing in the bamboo tube, they were certain that the burst of white smoke in the pavilion had been the culprit that caused them to lose their senses and come to blows.

And the appearance of yun brocade near the pavilion was proof that Song Zhaoyan had been there.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—an advantageous position from which to strike at Song Zhaoyan. After all, moments ago, the matter had already been raised to the level of a plotted assassination.

“Father Emperor, please seek justice for your son! I know I am not as favored by you as Sister Zhaohua, but for Sister Zhaohua to frame me so… I feel so wronged. If I had offended her in the past, I would have apologized—but why set a trap for all four of us siblings like this?”

“Yes! Doesn’t Sister Zhaohua like Fifth Brother the most? Why frame him too? Is it meant so that others will think she couldn’t possibly be behind it and thus eliminate suspicion from her?”

The Sixth Princess and Seventh Princess broke down in tears, offering apologies and pleading only that Song Zhaoyan would refrain from causing such incidents in the future so their father, burdened with governing the empire, would not have to worry about their matters.

By lowering themselves in this way, speaking earnestly, they made it clear: no matter whether Song Zhaoyan loudly defended herself or calmly admitted to it, their own reputations would suffer further.

After the two princesses finished, Pei Chengxuan joined in the accusations, and although Pei Chengyun spoke little, he added a few confirming remarks.

Seeing Song Zhaoyan being attacked from all sides, the Empress felt quietly triumphant.

“Princess Zhaohua, do you have anything to say?”

Finally, Song Zhaoyan stood and spoke.

“Reporting to Father Emperor, although I attended the banquet today, when Her Majesty the Empress announced that everyone could freely play games, I felt a bit tired and went to rest in the side hall. I only left the side hall when Your Majesty ordered the summons. This can be attested by my own attendants, and I believe many of the servants in Penglai Pavilion can also verify it. Therefore, this fabric does not belong to me.”

Hearing Song Zhaoyan’s calm explanation, the emperor only tilted his head slightly and asked the Empress, “Is that so?”

The Empress hesitated for a moment—after all, she had not been watching Song Zhaoyan the whole time—but Qiushui, by her side, immediately responded, “Reporting to Your Majesty, that is indeed the case.”

This matter was not easy to lie about—after all, it wasn’t only Song Zhaoyan’s attendants around the side hall who could testify.

Hearing Qiushui’s confirmation, the Empress let out a deep sigh, clearly a little disappointed.

The two princesses shared the same sentiment, though Pei Yayu quickly seized the key point and turned her accusations toward Pei Shen.

“Father Emperor, even if Sister Zhaohua didn’t personally go to the garden, that doesn’t mean she didn’t send someone!”

Although Pei Shen sat far away, he had followed Song Zhaoyan in person. Naturally, everyone had already noticed the clothes he was wearing.

The emperor did not interrupt Pei Yayu, as if waiting for her to continue.

“Recently, Ninth Brother and Sister Zhaohua have been very close, even living in her Chaoyang Palace. The clothes he is wearing now—that is yun brocade. They are the same as those at the banquet, clearly not changed. If someone is sent to inspect them immediately, they will surely find a clue and be able to confirm that he also went to the garden!”

Pei Yayu spoke with righteous indignation. Thinking of the events in the garden, she wished the emperor would immediately order punishment for him.

The Empress, watching the situation unfold, spoke calmly and deliberately. “Actually, going to the garden itself wouldn’t be a problem. After all, everyone was wandering freely at that time. But with what happened there and the Ninth Prince hiding that he had been there, it looks suspicious. Your Majesty, to prove Ninth Prince’s innocence, it may be necessary to inspect his clothing.”

Ever since Jiang Rutai presented the evidence, Song Zhaoyan had not looked at Pei Shen even once, nor had she said a word in his defense.

Pei Shen, uneasy, cast a glance toward her, only to see her eyes filled with concern for Pei Chengyun.

Naturally, he despised Song Zhaoyan in his heart and knew she had only ever humiliated him. Yet now, in the midst of a real crisis, he could not help but look at her with a flicker of hope.

Realizing that Song Zhaoyan was utterly indifferent to him at this moment, Pei Shen mentally scolded himself: How pathetic. What am I even hoping for? Am I depending on her? He felt utterly insane.

Just as Pei Shen’s spirits sank further, the Empress finished speaking, and the emperor gave no reaction. His gaze, cold and indifferent, fell on Pei Shen. At that moment, Song Zhaoyan finally spoke.

“Father Emperor, it’s just a scrap of cloth. Even if it proves that Ninth Brother really went to the garden, so what? In a place with so many people coming and going, perhaps someone deliberately bumped into Ninth Brother, tore his clothes, and left the fragment in the garden to frame him!”

Pei Chengxuan sneered. “Princess Zhaohua’s explanation is rather far-fetched. But then again, it makes sense—before, you had no backing, and now with support, things are naturally different. A dog will always obey its master. When the master wants it to bark at someone, the dog barks at that person. That’s how it wins the master’s favor!”

With his words, Pei Chengxuan openly and subtly insulted Pei Shen, insisting that today’s incident had happened under Song Zhaoyan’s orders.

Pei Shen sat silently, head lowered, biting his lip tightly.

Suddenly, he felt that, compared to the humiliation from Pei Chengxuan and the others, everything Song Zhaoyan had done to him was nothing.

Hearing Pei Chengxuan’s words, however, Song Zhaoyan’s anger flared. She snapped, “Third Prince, isn’t what you just said far too much? We are all the emperor’s children. That one word—’dog’—who exactly were you insulting?”

At that, Pei Chengxuan felt a chill run down his spine, the weight of an oppressive gaze pressing down on him from above.

Even if Pei Shen was out of favor, he was still a genuine scion of the imperial bloodline. To speak such words in front of the emperor was truly an act of great disrespect.

“Father Emperor, forgive me, it is your son who misspoke!”

Song Zhaoyan was in no mood to let Pei Chengxuan off easily and continued sharply, “I think it wasn’t a slip of the tongue. What you just said came straight from your heart.”

Then she turned back to the emperor. “Father Emperor, there’s a saying: ‘catch the thief with the stolen goods.’ But a mere scrap of cloth can only prove that Ninth Brother went to the garden. What else can it prove? Are you suggesting that the white smoke in the pavilion was caused by Ninth Brother, and the bamboo tube is the evidence? Yet the imperial physicians have already examined it—there was nothing inside. He rarely participates in these kinds of banquets and isn’t close to everyone. I only brought him along because he seldom shows up.”

“Since no one accompanied him to join in the games, he had no choice but to avoid the crowd and go to the less populated garden. When he saw Third Brother and the others there, he panicked and tried to leave quickly, accidentally tearing his clothes. Later, when he heard what had happened in the garden, his first reaction—since he is not often treated well—was fear, and that is why he did not tell anyone. Father Emperor, I beg you to investigate thoroughly!”

Hearing Song Zhaoyan’s eloquent defense, the Empress realized that with the emperor so quick to side with her, if Song Zhaoyan spoke just a little more, this matter could very well end right there.

So the Empress hurriedly interjected, “Your Majesty, what Princess Zhaohua says is only hypothetical. The suspicion on Ninth Prince cannot yet be dismissed.”

“Empress, you are so eager to convict Ninth Brother. Do you truly believe he is guilty, or are you trying to imply that this matter was orchestrated by me? Consider that today’s incident occurred at the banquet you hosted. If someone truly had ill intentions, the greatest suspect should be you, should it not?”

As she spoke, Song Zhaoyan’s pace slowed, and she would occasionally glance at the Empress and then at Pei Chengxuan and the others.

“After all, when the two elder brothers make mistakes and anger Father Emperor, the comparison naturally makes the Crown Prince appear more favorable…”

It was no secret that the Crown Prince had not won the emperor’s full favor. Were it not for the constant threats at the borders from enemy states and the Crown Prince’s brave and capable maternal grandfather, the Empress and the Crown Prince’s position might already have been in jeopardy.

Although their position was temporarily secure, it would not be impossible for the Empress to manipulate the other princes to ensure the Crown Prince’s standing was further protected.

In just a few words, Song Zhaoyan had managed to link today’s incident to the succession of the Crown Prince.

When the fragment of yun brocade was discovered, Pei Chengxuan, the others, and the Empress had wanted to destroy Song Zhaoyan. She had no choice but to drive a wedge between them.

Confronting her, Song Zhaoyan could only make Pei Chengxuan and the others feel a measure of satisfaction.

But confronting the Empress and the Crown Prince had a much higher chance of elevating their positions in the future.

How to act? As long as Pei Chengxuan wasn’t a fool, he knew exactly what to do.

Sure enough, the next moment, Pei Chengxuan’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the Empress.

“Impossible! Father Emperor, please find out the truth and render justice for us! That white smoke made us lose our senses—what if next time it’s poison? Then I would not be able to fulfill my filial duties before you!”

At that, Pei Chengxuan broke down as if his life were truly at risk.

The accusation turned again toward the Empress. She was filled with anger, but her most pressing concern was no longer to blame Song Zhaoyan—it was to dispel any suspicion in the emperor’s mind.

“Your Majesty, I have managed the imperial harem for many years and have never allowed such a lapse. This must be the work of someone seeking to frame me.”

So, who was the real culprit behind this scheme?

Each of the three parties stuck firmly to their own story. The emperor remained silent for a long time, his face full of impatience.

He closed his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and when he opened them again, his gaze fell on Pei Shen, sitting quietly in the corner.

“Guards, go and inspect Ninth Prince’s clothing!”

At these words, Song Zhaoyan, Pei Chengxuan, and the Empress were all momentarily stunned. The Empress was the first to recover—she said nothing but let out a relieved breath and returned to her seat.

While it would have been satisfying to punish Pei Shen along with Song Zhaoyan, it could never compare to the satisfaction of seeing the Empress herself called to account.

Pei Chengxuan opened his mouth to speak but froze under the emperor’s icy gaze and fell silent again.

“Father Emperor—” Song Zhaoyan started, but the emperor raised his hand to stop her.

Seeing this, Pei Shen stepped forward voluntarily and knelt in the hall.

Though he harbored resentment toward Song Zhaoyan, he had to admit that when all hope seemed lost, she had still spoken on his behalf. His heart lifted with quiet joy.

Before Jiang Rutai could say anything, Pei Shen bowed his head slightly and spoke. “Your Majesty, the scrap of cloth is mine. Everything is as Princess Zhaohua has said. But the incident involving my elder brothers and sisters has nothing to do with me. I beg you to investigate with discernment!”

Song Zhaoyan had already covered for him, and Pei Shen naturally would not ruin the story by mentioning he had encountered Zhan Xinyue.

Hearing this, the emperor said, “Since you admit it, then seeing your elder brothers and sisters drunk and not offering care but wandering off alone is a lapse in judgment. You shall receive thirty blows. Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Princes—each of you shall be confined for three months for drinking and causing a disturbance. As for the Empress, she bears some responsibility for this banquet; she remain in Fengyi Palace to reflect, and the affairs of the harem shall temporarily be entrusted to Noble Consort and Virtuous Consort. Those young nobles who witnessed the fighting shall also be reprimanded by the Empress. That shall be all!”

With that, the emperor rose and left Penglai Pavilion.

Song Zhaoyan wanted to follow, hoping, as before, to personally mete out punishment to Pei Shen. But after a few steps, Jiang Rutai stopped her.

“Your Highness, do not trouble His Majesty further. Return to Chaoyang Palace to rest.”

With that, Jiang Rutai departed.

Inside the inner hall of Penglai Pavilion, Pei Chengyun, Pei Chengxuan, and the others who had knelt for so long finally rose. Pei Shen, who had only just knelt, was already being grabbed and led forward to receive the thirty blows.