Shen Muzhou pulled Lin Yanxi behind him. Just as the noble lady kneeling on the ground finished speaking, Shen Muzhou stepped on her fingers.
"This is my wife," he said, his voice laced with killing intent, "and you dare to frame her."
The Empress glanced at him. Wife? Did he still intend for Lin Yanxi to be his main consort?
The noble lady was in too much pain to speak, trembling as she begged, "Ninth Prince, spare me. Everything I said is true. Prince, spare me."
Shen Muzhou's gaze remained fixed on the calm lake in the distance, as if he hadn't heard the woman's wails. His face was devoid of any expression.
It wasn't until the Empress couldn't bear it any longer and called out with a stern face, "Ninth Prince."
Shen Muzhou withdrew his gaze and looked at the woman prone on the ground. "Whose household are you from?"
The noble lady replied, "This humble one, this humble one is the daughter of a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, Wang Jingjing."
Shen Muzhou withdrew his leg, letting it fall to the ground, and said nonchalantly, "A Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, hehe."
"A mere daughter of a Vice Minister of the Six Ministries, to be able to enter the palace is already the Empress's favor. To dare to slander someone of mine, are you tired of living? Or do you wish to doom the entire household of the Vice Minister of the Six Ministries?"
Wang Jingjing flinched. She knew her father's official position was not high. She had intended to step on Lin Yanxi to gain favor with the Third Princess, but unexpectedly, she had gotten herself into trouble.
Tears streaming down her face, she said anxiously, "I wasn't the only one who saw this, they saw it too!"
With that, she pointed at two other noble ladies from prominent families who had come with Shen Huajun to cause trouble for Lin Yanxi.
Shen Muzhou looked at them coldly and asked, "Did you also see it?"
The two noble ladies quickly shook their heads. "No, we didn't see anything."
Their former close friends, now fearing the Ninth Prince, dared not speak up.
Wang Jingjing glared at them angrily and fell silent.
An awkward atmosphere settled in, only to be broken by the announcement of a eunuch.
"Princess Chaoyang arrives."
Luo Jingxin walked in front, with Luo Wanwan following behind her. It was her first time in the Imperial Garden. After a few steps, she saw a man in a black cloak shielding a petite girl behind him. A woman knelt before him, and another woman, dressed even more lavishly, was curled up miserably on the ground.
As she approached and saw clearly, she smiled and said, "Lin Yanxi, you're here."
Lin Yanxi was also surprised to see her and then looked at Luo Jingxin, understanding. They shared the surname Luo, and Wanwan had mentioned coming to the capital to find her elder sister.
She said joyfully, "Wanwan."
Luo Jingxin recognized the woman before her and asked directly, "Jingjing, what's wrong?"
Wang Jingjing, seeing a glimmer of hope, insisted, "I, I told the truth about Miss Lin and the hostage having an affair, and then the Prince threatened me."
Luo Jingxin turned to look at Lin Yanxi, who was hiding behind Shen Muzhou, and then at the Third Princess, asking, "What about the Third Princess?"
The Third Princess, on the ground, was almost in a daze from the pain. Her broken shoulder slumped to the ground. With her one good hand, she struggled to lift it and pointed at Lin Yanxi, her eyes filled with malice. When she saw the hostage standing by, watching with cold detachment, she instinctively lowered her face, not wanting him to see her in such a sorry state.
Wang Jingjing, with no way out, said madly, "She, she hit the Third Princess in the Imperial Garden."
Luo Jingxin and the Empress's gazes fell upon Lin Yanxi. Lin Yanxi hid further behind Shen Muzhou, her voice soft and innocent, "How frightening."
Shen Muzhou took another step forward, blocking everyone's view. Luo Jingxin's gaze darkened.
The Empress spoke, "Your Highness, it is best to investigate. The Third Princess is also a member of our royal family. She has been so humiliated, an explanation is due. Jingxin, I will leave this matter to you to investigate."
Shen Muzhou turned to look at Lin Yanxi and said gently, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
He had always been cold, indifferent to everyone. But now, for the first time, Luo Jingxin saw warmth in his eyes. She knew that Shen Muzhou truly cared about Lin Yanxi.
Luo Jingxin, maintaining a professional demeanor, asked, "Wang Jingjing, you say she had an affair. Do you have any proof?"
Wang Jingjing replied truthfully from her kneeling position, "The maidservant by the Third Princess's side said she saw Prince Dongyang waiting for Lin Yanxi on a small path. They spoke for a few words, and then Prince Dongyang gave her a handkerchief."
Luo Jingxin snorted, "Search her."
A palace maid behind her hesitated and asked, "Should Miss Lin be taken to a side hall to be searched?"
Luo Jingxin glared at her impatiently and repeated, "Search her in public, to prove her innocence."
To be searched in public? For an unmarried young lady to be stripped and searched in the Imperial Garden, was this to prove innocence, or to ruin her?
Everyone was shocked, but then, seeing a woman of noble birth, protected by a prince, about to be so humiliated, a hidden expectation flickered in their eyes.
Only Luo Wanwan whispered from behind Luo Jingxin, "Sister, this..."
Before she could finish, Luo Jingxin shot her a glare, and she fell silent.
Lin Yanxi knew clearly that she was now a thorn in Luo Jingxin's side. The Empress was giving her an opportunity to humiliate herself.
However, she also knew how to inflict more pain on Luo Jingxin.
She tightly gripped Shen Muzhou's arm, like a frightened little rabbit, innocently burrowing into his embrace, and said softly, "Brother Ah Zhou, they are bullying me."
Her clear, innocent eyes were in stark contrast to the ferocity she had displayed while dealing with the Third Princess.
As expected, when she hugged Shen Muzhou, Luo Jingxin's eyes could no longer contain her anger. She glared at Lin Yanxi fiercely, her hands trembling with rage.
Shen Muzhou's heart tightened. He knew that Lin Yanxi usually called him by his full name, and when she needed something from him, she would call him Ninth Prince. When had she ever been so intimate?
She was deliberately using him to retaliate against Luo Jingxin and the Empress.
He could see through Lin Yanxi's small schemes, yet he still felt heartache. When she called him "Brother Ah Zhou," he wrapped his cloak around her, looking at her with affection.
When he looked at Luo Jingxin, the warmth in his eyes disappeared, and he said coldly, "Princess Chaoyang is truly malicious."
Luo Jingxin looked at him with a wronged expression, her footing faltering for a moment, and she almost stumbled.
Malicious? *She* was malicious?
The coldness in his eyes pierced her heart. Soon, she realized she had fallen into this vixen's trap.
She quickly composed herself and explained, "No, Muzhou, I was just trying to scare her into telling the truth. How could I let an unmarried lady be searched in public? Besides, she is the daughter of the Grand Tutor."
A hint of cunning appeared in Lin Yanxi's eyes. Luo Jingxin panicked. To be disliked by the one she cared about, how could she not panic?
She provocatively looked at Luo Jingxin, a cold smile playing on her lips. Her smug expression sent Luo Jingxin's last shred of reason crumbling.
She pointed at Lin Yanxi and said urgently, "She's smiling, Muzhou, look, she's doing it on purpose. She wants to sow discord between us."
The Empress spoke to stop her, "Xin'er."
Luo Jingxin immediately calmed down. She saw that everyone around was looking at her with pity and mockery.
Shen Muzhou couldn't be bothered with her. He merely glanced at her with distant eyes, a hint of disgust in their depths.
When the person she loved looked at Luo Jingxin with such eyes, all her words were stuck in her throat. This look hurt her more than killing her, and it was all Lin Yanxi's fault!
Seeing her affectation in his arms, Luo Jingxin wished she could devour her alive, but even that wouldn't quench the hatred in her heart.
She suppressed herself again and again, managing to force out a seemingly dignified smile. She bowed and said, "I lost my composure. This matter was poorly considered. Please, Your Highness, present the handkerchief to clear my sister's name."
He looked down at the woman in his arms and said in an incredibly gentle voice, as if afraid to startle her, "Be good, give me the handkerchief."
The young lady was obedient. She nodded vigorously and took the handkerchief from his embrace.
He opened the handkerchief in his hand and looked at it. A clear 'Xi' character was embroidered on the corner.
Luo Qizhe opportunely added, "This is Miss Lin's handkerchief. That day at the hairpin ceremony, she dropped it on the ground. I picked it up unintentionally and saw the embroidered character. I inquired and found that among the noble ladies attending the palace that day, only Miss Lin's name contained the character 'Xi'. So, I specifically waited here to return it to its owner. That is all."
After speaking, he bowed, "I have caused trouble for Miss Lin."
Shen Muzhou reached out and supported his arm. "No need. It's just a misunderstanding, let it be resolved."
The Third Princess knew Luo Qizhe's character best. He wouldn't even spare her a second glance on ordinary days, so why would he kindly wait to return a handkerchief? Their relationship was definitely more than that!
"So, she hit me and it's over? I am the Princess of Nanmin. Her hitting me is disrespecting the royal family. Sister Jingxin, Empress, please uphold justice for me." She cried pitifully on the ground.
Luo Jingxin quickly chimed in, "Yes, even if it was a misunderstanding, there's no reason to beat the Third Princess like this. She looks terrible, quite pitiful. If Your Highness insists on protecting her, then..." she sighed.
She put on a look of distress and looked at everyone with a troubled expression.
The Empress spoke slowly, "Little Nine, you don't need to trouble Xin'er. She has always admired and respected you. So, seeing that you dislike it, she wouldn't dare say anything even if she was wronged."
"But this happened in the palace, at my flower banquet. To dare to assault a princess at will is a capital offense! Even if the Grand Tutor came, he couldn't shield her."
The young lady in Shen Muzhou's arms whispered, "It wasn't at will. I *wanted* to hit her."
At these words, the Empress's anger flared, and she raised her voice, "Insolent! How dare you! With Little Nine here, you've become utterly lawless?"
The young lady flinched, shaking her head tearfully, her voice tinged with sobs, "No."
He frowned and said, "Empress, there's no need to frighten her. We can discuss this slowly. You've scared her."
The Empress's expression immediately froze. Scared her? She had harmed so many people, and now she was pretending to be innocent. No wonder Little Nine was so infatuated that he couldn't distinguish right from wrong.
In the end, she should have acted sooner and killed him, sending him to accompany that short-lived ghost in the underworld. Why wait until now to become a nuisance?
Shen Muzhou asked, "Yanxi, speak freely. With me here, no one will dare to make things difficult for you."