Chapter 19: The Princess Consort of the Prince of Jin Is Truly Not to Be Provoked

Xia Wentao pressed further, “Shouldn't Imperial Physician Hu examine them more thoroughly…”

Imperial Physician Hu replied gravely, “I can vouch for my words with my official hat—there is not a shred of falsehood. If Chancellor Xia still does not believe me, you may summon Director Zhang here directly.”

Such weighty words from Imperial Physician Hu made Xia Wentao’s face drain of color. He knew well that Xia Chan could not possibly have done such a thing with Zhang Fu of her own accord—she must have been drugged. But even Hu could not detect any such thing; though he could not fathom how Xia Jiujiang had achieved it, did she truly have that ability?

The guests in the Anke Hall began to whisper among themselves after hearing the imperial physician’s words. “Who would have thought, Xia Chan is truly malicious—after being caught with Zhang Fu, she turns around and bites the Princess instead.”

“Thank goodness Her Highness called in the imperial physician to prove her innocence; otherwise, she’d never have been able to clear her name.”

“Xia Chan is shameless, to slander the Princess like that.”

“And the Xia family kept insisting Xia Chan was innocent—now they’ve been thoroughly disgraced.”

Xia Jiujiang spoke coldly, “Imperial Physician Hu’s words prove you were not drugged at all—so your claims of unconsciousness are nothing but lies. You clearly went to Anke Hall of your own accord; it was all voluntary. What more is there to say?”

Jun Buwen toyed with the jade thumb ring on his finger, his gaze at Xia Jiujiang growing more inscrutable.

Xia Chan was stupefied. Impossible—how could there not have been any drug? She distinctly remembered nothing, had clearly been unconscious.

Xia Jiujiang looked icily at Zhang Fu. “Zhang Fu, you insisted it was I who drugged you both. Now the imperial physician has cleared my name. Do you know the laws of Li Kingdom? To slander the Princess can mean, at minimum, having your tongue cut out and your hands broken, or at worst, implicating your entire clan. Are you prepared to bear such consequences?”

Zhang Fu had believed that if only the physician found they had been drugged, his help to Xia Chan would be rewarded and Xia Jiujiang would be brought down. But now, after the physician’s words, he stood petrified—he’d been exposed as having framed the Princess, a crime of the gravest kind.

Xia Jiujiang’s eyes were cold and sharp. “Didn’t you claim I told you to go to Anke Hall, that I gave you the drug so you could disgrace Xia Chan?”

Zhang Fu blurted out, “No… it wasn’t—it wasn’t the Princess who made me do it. It was the Third Miss! The Third Miss hired me, the Third Miss told me to wait at Qinlin Court. She wanted me to harm the Princess, to ruin her at the Old Madam’s birthday banquet.”

Xia Wentao roared, “Silence! What nonsense are you spouting? How could the Third Miss do such a thing? Men! Drag Zhang Fu out and beat him to death!”

Xia Wentao was in a panic—he could not let Zhang Fu spew any more wild tales, or the Xia family would become a laughingstock in the capital.

Xia Jiujiang turned to him. “Father, what does this mean?”

With a single look from Jun Buwen, the hidden guards in the shadows immediately blocked the household staff who were about to act.

Xia Wentao stammered, “Jiang’er, don’t listen to the nonsense of a mere servant. He’s just spouting lies after hurting Chan’er.”

Xia Jiujiang sneered, “Whether or not it’s nonsense, when Zhang Fu was accusing me of drugging Chan’er, why didn’t Father step in to silence him? Now you’re eager to stop him when the truth is being revealed.”

Her words left Xia Wentao’s face rigid, and everyone in Anke Hall saw the truth for themselves. Whispers passed through the crowd: “I’ve heard that the Xia family’s eldest daughter lived no better than a maid when she was at home. The Chancellor barely acknowledged her. Looks like it’s true.”

“That’s right. When the Princess was being slandered, the Chancellor stood tall and righteous, never once trying to stop it. Now that the ugly truth is out, he’s frantic.”

Hearing these comments, the Chancellor’s face turned from black to green, his tightly clenched fists trembling.

Jun Buwen realized that the Princess of his household was not to be trifled with. With a single move, she had ruined the Old Madam’s birthday banquet, exposed the Old Madam’s greed, disgraced Xia Chan, destroyed the Xia family’s reputation, and made it clear to all that the Chancellor targeted Xia Jiujiang. Every word and step of hers had been meticulously planned—she had played her hand brilliantly.

Jun Buwen spoke. “Go on, Zhang Fu. I’d like to hear what else you have to say.”

Zhang Fu stammered, “The Third Miss’s plan was for me to ruin the Princess’s reputation. Then she herself would wait in Anke Hall for Your Highness, so she could enter the Prince of Jin’s residence openly, while destroying the Princess.”

Xia Jiujiang gave a contemptuous laugh. “So Xia Chan intended to seduce His Highness in Anke Hall all along. No wonder she was found in the bed there, leading the Xia family to believe the man inside was His Highness.”

Xia Chan erupted in fury. “Shut up! You’re lying! If I was waiting for His Highness, then why were you the one in the bed? Keep up your lies and I’ll rip your mouth apart!”

Zhang Fu glanced at Xia Jiujiang, trembling; he had witnessed her ruthlessness today and dared not mention how she had beaten him and thrown him into Anke Hall. Besides, telling the truth would only enrage her, and no one would believe it anyway.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Fu said, “That’s because I… I didn’t find the Princess at Qinlin Court, so I came to Anke Hall to report to the Third Miss. Unexpectedly, the Third Miss threw herself at me, and I couldn’t resist—so I had relations with her.”

Xia Chan screamed, “You liar! How much did Xia Jiujiang pay you to slander me? Shut your filthy mouth!”

Zhang Fu crawled a few steps closer to Xia Jiujiang, kneeling before her. “I truly had no intention of harming the Princess—it was all the Third Miss’s orders. Please, Your Highness, spare me. The earlier accusation of drugging the Princess was also at the Third Miss’s command. I am but a servant—please have mercy.”

“He’s lying! Lying!”

Zhang Fu snatched up a tattered garment from the floor, producing a few gold hairpins and ornaments from its pocket. “These are the trinkets the Third Miss gave me to buy my silence. If His Highness investigates, he’ll find these are hers. I’ve always served in the rear courtyard and have never set foot in Qinlin Court—this can prove I’m telling the truth.”

It had been too long since Zhang Fu had seen so much silver; after accepting Xia Chan’s bribe, he had kept the valuables by his side at all times. Little did he expect they would now become evidence against her.

Seeing the ornaments, Xia Chan blurted out, “How dare you betray me! You… No… I didn’t bribe him… I meant—”

Xia Jiujiang looked down on her with scorn. “So you’ve confessed without even being pressed, Chan’er. Now the truth is plain for all to see. I wonder if Father and Grandmother are satisfied with this outcome?”

Her defiant gaze seemed to say: you demanded I prove my innocence and produce evidence. Now the scandal has exploded, the Xia family is utterly disgraced, and by tomorrow the whole capital will know that the Third Miss of the Xia family conspired with a servant to disgrace herself at the Old Madam’s birthday banquet and then tried to frame the Princess. This was a scandal of their own making.