The Vicious Woman and the White Moonlight are both me - Chapter 28

In her heart, Zhan Xinyue had hoped that Song Zhaoyan would help her, but she also knew the likelihood was slim. After stealing a glance at Song Zhaoyan, she was already thinking of ways to save herself.

Yet the moment Consort Chen ordered her guards to seize Zhan Xinyue, Song Zhaoyan spoke with overwhelming authority to protect her. Zhan Xinyue felt deeply moved, her eyes full of surprise and delight as they met Song Zhaoyan’s.

At first, she had thought that perhaps this Princess Zhaohua, being an orphan adopted by His Majesty, had not had it easy. Favored by the Emperor and envied by the other princes and princesses, perhaps her cutting words were simply the result of being misunderstood.

After becoming Song Zhaoyan’s study companion and spending time with her, Zhan Xinyue had begun to think that some of the rumors were not entirely untrue. This Princess Zhaohua, spoiled as she was, often acted without regard for others, never seeming to consider the consequences of her actions.

But at this very moment, Zhan Xinyue realized that Song Zhaoyan’s nature was not truly bad.

“Is Princess Zhaohua defending her to shield a criminal?”

“That moment, Consort Chen clearly lunged at Her Highness. Who knows if it was a setup? Now she’s so eager to pin the blame on someone close to Her Highness—surely it’s a case of the thief crying ‘Stop thief!’”

Unable to argue one-on-one, Pei Yayun piped up again, trying to back her up. “Elder Sister Zhaohua, we should still—…”

“We don’t need to waste any more time here. Let’s go before my Father, the Emperor have this sorted out. Until then, anyone who dares lay a hand on those close to me—don’t blame me for being ruthless!”

Pei Yayun had orchestrated the moon-worship scheme, and even as the incident had unfolded, someone had already been sent to inform the Emperor and Empress of what had happened. But those messengers had been acting under Pei Yayun’s orders, so everything they reported was naturally to Song Zhaoyan’s detriment.

If Song Zhaoyan continued to waste time arguing with Pei Yayun, it would not be long before the innocents were painted as guilty, leaving her with no room to maneuver.

So, she ignored Pei Yayun entirely, flicked her sleeve, and turned to leave.

Xuezhi and the others hurried to follow. A few steps later, Song Zhaoyan glanced at Zhan Xinyue and said, “Go change into dry clothes first.”

Zhan Xinyue bowed in thanks, but Pei Yayun and Consort Chen, who had been walking closely behind, saw her heading in a different direction and immediately stepped forward to block her.

“Miss Zhan, where do you think you’re going? Planning to flee and avoid responsibility?”

Song Zhaoyan turned, her expression cold and unreadable, eyes fixed on Pei Yayun. “I’ve merely told her to change her clothes. If the two of you don’t believe me, you may send someone to follow her. But if anyone dares take advantage of the situation to harm my study companion, it has been far too long since my whip drew bl00d!”

Her tone was unlike the sharp fierceness she had displayed earlier. It was unusually calm, almost measured—but it was precisely this calm, unshakable tone that made the palace maids behind Pei Yayun and Consort Chen shiver in fear.

Seeing that Pei Yayun and Consort Chen remained silent, Song Zhaoyan turned again and said, “Zhan Xinyue, go change your clothes!”

This time, no one dared stop her.

On their way to the great hall, they encountered the Chief Eunuch, Kang, who served close to the Emperor. His face was tense, but upon seeing them, he allowed himself a small sigh of relief—though he did not fully relax.

He hurried forward, offered his formal greeting, and then explained the purpose of their summons.

“Your servants pay respects to Consort Chen, Princess Zhaohua, and the Eighth Princess! His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress request that the three of you go to the Eastern Palace.”

They already knew about the Crown Princess Consort falling into the water, and now all had gone to the Eastern Palace.

As they walked, Pei Yayun began to whimper and sob, repeatedly asking about the Crown Princess’s condition.

“Eunuch Kang, is the Crown Princess all right? Did Father Emperor say anything?”

Kang had served before the Emperor for a long time and was, naturally, a shrewd man. He knew that today’s events were far from ordinary, so he carefully avoided giving any rash answers.

“Eighth Princess, do not worry. After the reports sent by the palace officials reached His Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress immediately went to the Eastern Palace. They also sent for the imperial physicians and commanded your servant to summon you three. I do not know the details, but once you arrive at the Eastern Palace, everything will become clear.”

The Eastern Palace, already decorated with lights for the Reunion Festival, should have been full of festive joy—but at this moment, there was not a trace of celebration. Guard stood every five steps and every ten steps, creating a somber and oppressive silence.

As soon as they stepped into the courtyard, they could hear the Crown Princess calling out in pain, intermittently, as if the fall had truly frightened the child she carried.

Once inside the hall, her cries grew even clearer. Song Zhaoyan’s eyes followed the sound, but the heavy curtains blocked her view entirely.

Clearly, it was a false pregnancy—but her cries were so heartrending. Was she really not afraid that the imperial physicians would come and expose her?

Or did the Empress and the others have such confidence that everyone in the imperial medical court could be kept silent?

If that were the case… then surely the Emperor’s position on the dragon throne was already stretched to its limits.

Finally, the Crown Prince caught sight of Song Zhaoyan and the others. Rage flared in his eyes, and he looked ready to demand justice for the Crown Princess—but the Emperor stopped him.

“Outrageous! And this is how the Crown Prince behaves?”

Tears streaking his face, the Crown Prince said, “Father, hearing her cries of pain tore at my heart. I truly cannot control myself.”

When he finished, the Empress spoke as well. “Your Majesty, no matter what, the culprit must be punished severely, to serve as an example.”

“Of course. Do you think I would be biased?”

No one responded. Everyone felt the Emperor’s words were dripping with irony.

Pei Shen stood among the crowd, and hearing about tonight’s events, he could not help but worry for Zhan Xinyue.

A pang of sorrow struck him—she had ended up as the study companion of someone like Song Zhaoyan.

Yet, on the other hand, if she had not become Song Zhaoyan’s companion, they would not have grown so close.

Now, with Song Zhaoyan accused of wrongdoing, the Emperor claimed he would be impartial—but in truth, he was impossibly biased.

Pei Shen could only hope that this time the Emperor’s favoritism remained with Song Zhaoyan. If she emerged unscathed, Zhan Xinyue would avoid being implicated.

Still, a quiet worry lingered in his heart. Song Zhaoyan had acted tonight in pursuit of an opportunity for the Fifth Prince to succeed the throne, believing the rumors and testing whether the Crown Princess was truly pregnant.

If it turned out the Crown Princess’s pregnancy was false, Song Zhaoyan would be innocent—and perhaps even gain merit, earning even greater favor.

But if the Crown Princess really was pregnant, and the Emperor did not wish to punish Song Zhaoyan, then someone close to her would inevitably have to bear the blame.

Servants like Xuezhi or Aunt Tao could not shoulder such a burden—and having served Song Zhaoyan for so long, if their intentions had been ill, they would not have waited until now.

So, the only candidate to take the fall was Zhan Xinyue.

Zhan Xinyue had incited Song Zhaoyan and pushed the Crown Princess.

Thinking this through, Pei Shen grew anxious over Zhan Xinyue’s delayed arrival. Had she already been sent by Song Zhaoyan to the Bureau of Punishments?

“Enough! As Crown Prince, you cannot even control a little temper. How am I to trust you with the realm in the future? Sit down first, and hear them out properly.”

The Emperor finally spoke again. His sharp gaze swept over the three standing before him.

“You insolent brats—kneel!”

Song Zhaoyan, Pei Yayun, and Consort Chen immediately dropped to their knees in a line, and the palace attendants behind them followed suit.

Pei Yayun and Consort Chen continued crying. Pei Yayun tried to speak first, but Song Zhaoyan interrupted her.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, regarding the Crown Princess’s fall into the water, I have an important report. Just now—”

“I also have an urgent matter to report! The situation has already been conveyed by my messengers. Princess Zhaohua’s intentions were malicious—she pushed the Crown Princess into the lake, attempting to harm the imperial heir. Such wickedness is punishable by death! I beg Father Emperor to ensure she is severely punished!”

Pei Yayun, seeing that she hadn’t managed to speak first, could not wait for Song Zhaoyan to finish. She began speaking anyway, and soon their voices overlapped.

She continued in an aggrieved tone, tears welling in her eyes as she pointed at Song Zhaoyan, acting as if she had been utterly distraught over the Crown Princess falling into the water.

Song Zhaoyan ignored Pei Yayun entirely, treating her as if she were invisible, and continued speaking, finishing what she had started.

“Father, just now when my party and I went to worship the moon, Consort Chen suddenly turned and lunged at me. Luckily, my study companion Zhan Xinyue reacted quickly and steadied me, preventing me from falling. Yet the Eighth Princess repeated her usual tricks—I do not understand what they were plotting in tandem. And the next moment, we heard the Crown Princess fall into the water. I did not push her, but the Eighth Princess tried to shift the blame onto me. I am certain that the Eighth Princess is the culprit, which is why I urgently tried to clarify the matter and why I interrupted my own explanation!”

“You’re lying! What do you mean ‘repeated her usual tricks’? I was only trying to support Consort Chen! And you, walking behind the Crown Princess, who knows what you might have done?”

“How laughable! If you were helping someone, you could simply explain what you were doing. Why twist it to accuse me?”

The Emperor and Empress sat high on their thrones, the Emperor’s brows tightly furrowed, clearly irritated by the argument between the two.

“Enough!” the Emperor said sternly. At last, the two fell silent. His gaze lingered on Consort Chen as he asked, “Aman says you suddenly lunged at Princess Zhaohua. Why?”

At being addressed, Consort Chen’s body trembled. She shrank back, too timid even to meet the Emperor’s gaze, yet she dared not remain silent. Lowering her head, she replied, “Your Majesty, because the light was dim and the ground wet with dew, the Eighth Princess and I walked ahead to scout the path. Princess Zhaohua and the Crown Princess were behind us, and then—”

“Do not ramble. I am asking why you lunged at Princess Zhaohua!”

The Consort, who had been standing aside, could no longer hold back. Her gentle voice carried a sharp edge of authority.

Consort Chen shivered at the sound, forcing herself to continue explaining.

“It was because I wanted to speak to the Crown Princess behind me, but the steps were slippery, and I was being careful. I didn’t expect Princess Zhaohua to be standing so close behind me. The sudden sight startled me, and I lunged forward unintentionally.”

“Nonsense!”

The moment Consort Chen finished, Song Zhaoyan’s voice cut sharply through the hall. The sudden words startled not only Consort Chen but everyone present.

Consort Chen clutched her chest and shrank back in fear.

Seeing such impudence, the Empress’s expression darkened, and the Emperor’s was equally displeased. The Empress prepared to intervene preemptively.

But Song Zhaoyan continued, her tone now measured but no less forceful:

“Father, forgive me if I seem disrespectful. I did not act deliberately. As everyone just saw, when someone is startled, their body instinctively recoils. Yet Consort Chen claims that after being startled, she lunged at me—doesn’t that seem odd? Moreover, when I was suddenly pushed, I didn’t even have time to react, stumbling back several steps. If not for Zhan Xinyue catching me, I would have fallen. This shows that her claim of being startled is a lie. And the Eighth Princess’s so-called act of going to help Consort Chen was merely a fabricated excuse!”

Song Zhaoyan’s reasoning was logical and well-structured, leaving Consort Chen momentarily speechless.

“Your Majesty… I… I am innocent! Eighth Princess, you were present! You must testify! There was distance between the Crown Princess Consort and me—how could I have possibly lunged past Princess Zhaohua to push her?”

Pei Yayun, being called upon, opened her mouth to support her, but when her eyes met the Consort’s, who gently shook her head, Pei Yayun closed her mouth and said nothing.

The Consort scrutinized the Emperor’s expression. Seeing that her daughter, Pei Yayun, bore no suspicion, she spoke:

“In that case, Consort Chen does not appear to be guilty herself, but we cannot rule out the possibility that you intended to push Princess Zhaohua, thereby also harming the Crown Princess Consort.”

Thus, the culprit was clearly Consort Chen. This conclusion was the one the Emperor could most readily accept.

Hearing the Consort’s reasoning, Consort Chen panicked. Her carefully applied makeup had already been ruined, and she looked utterly disheveled.

“No, no, Your Majesty, I am innocent! Wait! Zhan Xinyue was the one who caught Princess Zhaoyan. Perhaps Zhan Xinyue’s movements were too forceful and accidentally pushed the Crown Princess into the water!”

At this, Pei Shen, standing in the corner, tensed up immediately.