Chapter 103: Startled to Death

Lin Baixue glared furiously at Xia Wentao, Xia Yue’er, and Xia Mingxuan. Their cold indifference crushed her spirit. Yet, Lin Baixue herself had once been on their side, and now, witnessing such coldness directed at Xia Jiujing, she found it unbearable when the same treatment was turned on her.

Xia Wentao shouted in shock, “She’s gone mad! The Lin family has lost their mind!”

“Yes, I have gone mad! I can’t even rely on my own flesh and blood. You’re all selfish and ungrateful, tearing down the bridge after crossing it!” Lin Baixue lunged wildly at Xia Wentao.

Chaos erupted at the scene—family against family. Xia Jiujing watched from the side with a mocking smile. “It seems Lady Lin forgets that she herself is just as selfish and self-serving.”

Lin Baixue turned to Xia Jiujing and suddenly laughed bitterly. “So what if I am! If one doesn’t look out for oneself, the heavens and earth will condemn them. Do you dare claim you aren’t selfish?”

Xia Jiujing had no desire to waste words on her. “Looks like you’re not mad after all.”

Lin Baixue roared, “Xia Jiujing, you’re incredible. Ever since you were granted to the Jin King and became his consort, I sensed something was off. I tried everything to scheme against you, but every time you turned danger into safety. How are you so fortunate?”

Xia Jiujing sneered, “Fortune? Do you think I escaped your clutches every time by luck alone?”

Lin Baixue was stunned. “No, you’re not Xia Jiujing. You’re just a woman who looks like her. The real Xia Jiujing, the little wretch I bullied and tormented in the Xia family, how could she ever resist?”

Xia Jiujing smiled naturally. “Whether yes or no, what does it matter? I should thank the matriarch for standing up and admitting she was the true culprit. And now she’s confessed how you all abused and tormented me in the Xia household.”

Lin Baixue trembled all over. “So what if I bullied you? Am I ruthless? I’m not as ruthless as your father. Do you know how your mother Jiang Ruan died...”

Before she could finish, Xia Wentao stormed in front of Lin Baixue and slapped her to the ground, shouting angrily, “Shut up! Shut your mouth, you wretched woman! What nonsense are you spouting?”

Falling to the ground, Lin Baixue laughed desolately. “In the end, your mother and I are both pitiful. How could we ever fall for a man like that—a man who only cares about himself, whose own children can’t be trusted one by one?”

Xia Jiujing knew Jiang Ruan’s death was inseparable from Xia Wentao’s involvement. But even if Lin Baixue now exposed that Xia Wentao had killed Jiang Ruan, he would never admit it. Moreover, Xia Jiujing’s revenge on Xia Wentao had already begun.

Tarnishing the reputation of Xia Wentao, the esteemed prime minister, after Lin Baixue’s arrest was just the beginning of the plan against him.

Xia Wentao shouted at Pei Xingzhi, “Lord Pei, are you just going to watch this criminal run amok?”

Pei Xingzhi responded leisurely, “Guards! Take Lady Lin away.”

Pei Xingzhi’s casual demeanor seemed to imply he even wished Lin Baixue would cause more trouble.

As Lin Baixue was led away, Xia Yue’er and Xia Mingxuan didn’t even glance at her. Their expressions of disgust and disdain suggested they couldn’t wait for her to be gone.

To the common folk watching, this scene was heartbreaking. It seemed that the seemingly pure and serene Xia Yue’er was not as innocent as she appeared. A daughter so cold to her own mother—after today, Xia Yue’er’s reputation would never be the same.

Xia Jiujing declared, “With such solid witness and evidence, the case of the murder of Lady Xia and the matriarch has nothing to do with me. I believe Lord Gao and the Seventh Prince won’t disagree.”

At that moment, Pei Xingzhi’s gaze shifted as he looked at Xia Jiujing. He had thought she was just a noble lady enamored with Jun Bu Wen, but now he realized her calm and dignified demeanor was not that of an ordinary person.

Jun Qianye clenched his fists, initially thinking Xia Jiujing would rely on Jun Bu Wen to escape danger. But from the moment Lin Baixue inexplicably confessed, Jun Qianye knew everything was connected to Xia Jiujing.

The more radiant and cunning she appeared, the more Jun Qianye’s resentment and frustration welled up inside him.

Gao Shanshui replied reluctantly, “No… no objections.”

Gao Shanshui nervously sipped the tea on the low table. His trembling hand barely held the cup steady as he tried to calm his nerves.

Jun Bu Wen looked at Gao Shanshui and said, “Lord Gao, you may have no objections, but I find you rather suspicious.”

Gao Shanshui was taken aback. “What do you mean by suspicious, Your Highness?”

The moment Jun Bu Wen spoke, Gao Shanshui sensed danger. The tea cup slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor. The broken pieces seemed to foretell his grim future, unsettling him further.

Jun Bu Wen said, “Lord Gao, I happen to have a report about you—embezzlement, forcibly taking women from the common folk. Someone has lodged a complaint directly to me. It seems you’ll be accompanying me shortly.”

Gao Shanshui stood and faced Jun Bu Wen. “Jin Wang, what do you mean? Is this because I arrested the Jin King’s consort that you’re targeting me?”

Jun Bu Wen replied solemnly, “You misunderstand. If I were targeting you because you arrested the Jin King’s consort, I would have struck the Zhen’an Division that very day. But I did not. I am investigating the contents of this report. As for taking you now, it’s to avoid disturbing your joint investigation with Lord Pei into Lady Xia’s murder.”

After all this, it was clear it was because Gao Shanshui had offended the Jin King by arresting his consort.

Gao Shanshui sneered, “In the end, I have less power and influence than the Jin King, who commands the Embroidered Uniform Guard and has the right to execute before reporting. But that doesn’t mean I have no backing. If the Jin King targets me so blatantly, he’s courting trouble.”

With the court’s current clear power structure, the Jin King wasn’t worried about the new king turning against him.

Jun Bu Wen’s expression darkened. Was there really someone with more backing than him?

Gao Shanshui just wanted to intimidate Jun Bu Wen and remind him he wasn’t to be trifled with. He thought it wise to retreat now.

But Jun Bu Wen sneered, “I’m eager to see just how powerful Lord Gao’s backing really is.”

Jun Qianye broke out in a cold sweat. Gao Shanshui’s arrest was bad enough; he had nearly dragged Jun Qianye down with him. Jun Bu Wen was no one to be trifled with—Jun Qianye was helpless against him. Gao Shanshui had truly made a grave mistake.

Jun Bu Wen ordered, “Guards! Arrest Gao Shanshui immediately.”

Just as the order was given, Gao Shanshui clutched his throat. His eyes widened in shock, his body stiffened like a fish flopping on the ground, and then he collapsed.

Those nearby panicked at the sight.

Xia Jiujing rushed to Gao Shanshui’s side, feeling his neck and prying open his eyelids. She said, “He’s dead—poisoned. There’s a needle mark on his neck. Someone must have used poison to target Lord Gao.”

Imperial physician Hu, standing beside Xia Jiujing, examined him and confirmed, “As the Jin King’s consort said, Lord Gao was indeed poisoned.”

Jun Bu Wen acted decisively. “Seize everyone from the Zhen’an Division!”

His move was swift and unstoppable.

Jun Bu Wen had said the Zhen’an Division would see upheaval, and sure enough, the coup came at the eleventh hour, striking at the very root.