Chapter 119: Better to Shatter Like Jade Than to Stay Intact Like Tile

Princess Anya, seething with rage, pointed a trembling finger at Yan Wan and demanded, "Speak! Why did you lead me here to rest? What was your ulterior motive?"

Xia Mingxuan chimed in, glaring at Yan Wan as well. "You lured me here to frame me and Princess Anya. Are you not afraid that we would uncover your schemes and refuse to let you off?"

Princess Anya and Xia Mingxuan played their parts in perfect harmony, directing all accusations toward Yan Wan with a performance so convincing it seemed entirely plausible.

Yan Wan knelt on the ground, her face deathly pale and her body trembling, as if terrified that her misdeeds had been exposed. She looked up at Xia Jiujiang, who merely let out a cold laugh. "I find this truly curious. First, Imperial Physician Tang looks at me, and now this little palace maid is doing the same. Tell me, do I even know you?"

Yan Wan looked at Xia Jiujiang in feigned horror, gasping, "Princess Jin, this... this is not what we agreed upon!"

The maid, Yan Wan, was following the instructions of Nanny Chun to the letter. With Princess Anya protecting her from behind the scenes, she had been promised wealth and glory once the deed was done.

Princess Anya spoke with feigned indignation, "Tell me the truth—what did she say to you? If you don't speak, you can expect to be left to rot in the wilderness."

Terrified, Yan Wan blurted out, "Princess Jin promised me that I would be safe! If she hadn't given me such assurance, I would never have dared to follow her orders to lure General Xia and Princess Anya here!"

A flash of triumph crossed Princess Anya’s eyes; the maid was quick-witted indeed. Turning to Xia Jiujiang, she sneered, "What else do you have to say for yourself? You are the mastermind who ruined me and General Xia!"

Xia Jiujiang’s face darkened, her expression one of utter fury.

Xia Mingxuan frowned and shook his head. "Princess Jin, I am your brother. We share the blood of the Xia family. Why would you scheme against me like this? If not for the confessions of Imperial Physician Tang and Yan Wan, I would never have imagined you could be so heartless and vicious."

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes turned icy. To frame her, Princess Anya had clearly gone to great lengths, thinking rapidly to turn the tables. Seeing that her own virtue had been compromised, she had immediately conspired with the very people hired to set the trap, weaving an elaborate story to pin the blame on her.

Xia Mingxuan continued, "I know Mother wronged you in the past, causing you to suffer at the Zhen’an Bureau. Is that why you resent her, and why you are now targeting me? Do you not understand the weight of a woman's reputation?"

Xia Jiujiang said coldly, "I already told you—I did not do this."

*Damn it all,* she thought. They were all sinking their teeth into her. What had she done to deserve this? Was it merely for the title of Princess Jin?

Imperial Physician Tang sneered, "Princess Jin, what else is there to say? Don't tell me you intend to claim that the palace maid and I conspired together to frame you?"

Yan Wan trembled, lacking the shrewdness she had shown earlier when accepting silver from Nanny Chun. "Lord Tang, please do not speak nonsense," she stammered. "This servant has never even spoken to you; how could we conspire? How would I dare frame Princess Jin? Everything I have said is the truth!"

The Third Prince of the Southern Kingdom, Ming Ze, interjected, "Truth, my foot! It is obvious you are all a pack of wolves colluding to frame Princess Jin. You are truly wicked."

Seeing Ming Ze defending Xia Jiujiang, Princess Anya laughed coldly. "The Third Prince of the Southern Kingdom is certainly attentive. On one hand, you seek to marry Princess Jin, and on the other, you defend her. I suspect you and Princess Jin have been intimate for some time."

Ming Ze was incensed. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? A Princess of the Li Kingdom, speaking such shameless words! No wonder you and General Xia ended up in this situation."

Princess Anya’s face turned livid. She turned to Prince Jin and said, "Prince Jin, take a good look at your wife. Not only is she vicious and cruel, but she is also having an affair with the Third Prince of the Southern Kingdom. Why else would he be so intent on defending her?"

Prince Jin frowned with disgust. "Shut your mouth."

His attitude fueled Princess Anya’s rage. All the evidence pointed to Xia Jiujiang, who should have been doomed, yet Prince Jin showed no sign of revulsion toward his wife, instead ordering her to be silent.

Unable to contain her fury, Princess Anya knelt before Emperor Zongkang. "Xia Jiujiang bribed Imperial Physician Tang and the maid Yan Wan to frame me and strip me of my virtue. She dared to strike at a princess! I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice."

As Princess Anya knelt, Xia Mingxuan, Tang Dehai, and Yan Wan all followed suit, pleading with the Emperor and pointing their fingers directly at Xia Jiujiang.

Xia Jiujiang watched them with icy eyes. In the treacherous depths of the palace, it was rarely about the truth; it was about who was more cunning. With all the witnesses standing against her, even if she wasn't the culprit, she would be the perfect scapegoat.

Xia Jiujiang’s gaze seemed to pierce right through them. She said calmly, "Imperial Physician Tang, Yan Wan—I am giving you one final chance. I will ask you once more: did I truly bribe you to frame Princess Anya?"

Princess Anya gave a mocking laugh. "Do you really think you are in a position to give them a chance?"

Emperor Zongkang frowned at Xia Jiujiang. She had remained silent until now, and he had not expected this to be her only question.

For some reason, under Xia Jiujiang’s gaze, Imperial Physician Tang felt a sense of dread. His heart began to pound uncontrollably. After a long pause, he said, "Princess Jin, no matter how many times you ask, my answer will not change. You conspired to frame Princess Anya and dragged me down with you. Do not blame me for exposing you."

Yan Wan added, trembling, "Princess Jin, if you hadn't been so ruthless, I would never have turned on you. Besides, when you ordered me to do this, you didn't tell me I would be framing Princess Anya and the Seventh Prince... I never could have imagined..."

As the maid and the physician continued to press their accusations, Xia Jiujiang’s face grew pale. From outside the room, the Seventh Prince, Jun Qianye, burst in. He knelt beside Princess Anya and said, "Your Majesty, I, too, was led to the last room by this maid."

Xia Jiujiang clenched her fists, grinding her teeth. That maid was truly capable, dragging the Seventh Prince’s affair into the mix and pinning it all on her as well.

Jun Qianye added fuel to the fire: "Whatever happened between me and Xia Yue’er must also be the result of Xia Jiujiang’s machinations behind the scenes. Xia Yue’er lost her virtue today, and Xia Mingxuan touched the Princess—this is clearly a plot against the Xia family. If it isn't Xia Jiujiang, then who could it be?"

*Damn it,* she thought. Jun Qianye was clearly just kicking her while she was down. He must have gotten dressed in the next room, heard the commotion, and rushed in to add to the fire. What a despicable character!

The resentment in Jun Qianye’s heart was twisted and hideous. Since Xia Jiujiang refused to submit to him, he would ensure that if he couldn't have her, neither she nor Prince Jin would have peace.

Xia Jiujiang said indignantly, "You... all of you are the ones who are debauched, yet you dare to slander me with your own filth."

Princess Anya chuckled. "That is only because you truly did it. Otherwise, how could there be so many traces left behind?"