Chapter Twenty-Seven: Planting Evidence-Você me obrigou a ser concubina, eu me casei com o príncipe aleijado — por que você está chorando?(Olhando para o oeste, há arroz.)

She bowed respectfully, her eyes cast downward, and spoke in a submissive tone.

"Thank you, Aunt. Niannian will naturally follow your lead in all matters."

The Empress Dowager merely wanted a promise of allegiance. Moreover, if she could bring Gu Shijin into her service, he would prove to be a powerful asset. The Empress Dowager certainly would not let such a useful pawn slip through her fingers. In simpler terms, the Empress Dowager remained a woman who valued interests above all else.

Upon receiving Su Zhinian's promise, the smile in the Empress Dowager's eyes deepened. To her, a mere palace maid was someone she could dispose of with the flick of a finger. If that could secure Su Zhinian's absolute loyalty, it was a deal that promised only profit without risk.

Inside the Yanxi Palace, the Imperial Household Department had begun setting up a funeral hall, hanging white banners. Bai Wanwan lay in the coffin, dressed in clean white robes. Her expression was serene, her eyes tightly shut; from a distance, it seemed as though she were merely sleeping.

Ren Xixi knelt for a while before sneaking away. She had not been able to find Gu Shijin earlier, assuming he could not enter the palace for the time being. Her knees ached from kneeling, and she could no longer bear to stay. With no one paying her any mind, she gathered her courage and headed toward the Imperial Household Department.

As she reached the Imperial Garden, the sound of footsteps behind her filled her with inexplicable panic. Ren Xixi glanced back in haste to see a fierce-looking matron accompanied by two young eunuchs, reaching out toward her.

"Seize this lowly maid!"

Ren Xixi turned pale with fright and instinctively bolted. "Who are you?"

Stumbling on the uneven stone path, she fell heavily to the ground. Her delicate palms scraped against the stones, and beads of blood quickly welled up.

"Audacious wench! How dare you steal from the Empress Dowager!" The matron pulled a pair of emerald jade earrings from her robes and pointed at Ren Xixi, speaking with stern severity.

Ren Xixi’s eyes widened in panic. "You are framing me! I did no such thing!"

There was no one around to save her, and Ren Xixi's shrill cries only made the situation more chaotic.

"Plug her mouth!" the lead matron roared with a twisted face.

The two young eunuchs did not hesitate; they quickly unfastened their own waistbands and shoved them into Ren Xixi’s mouth. A foul, rancid stench assaulted her nostrils, nearly causing her to faint. She bit the tip of her tongue to stay conscious, struggling violently, muffled wails escaping her throat.

It was Su Zhinian. It must be her trying to kill her. Despair washed over her like a tide. Ren Xixi’s eyes were filled with resentment. That wicked Su Zhinian—if she survived this, she would make that woman pay!

"Stop!"

Whether it was a hallucination or not, Ren Xixi thought she heard Gu Shijin’s voice. She turned her head with all her might and looked toward the sound. The sturdy man in black, narrow-sleeved robes standing there—who else could it be but Gu Shijin?

Ren Xixi struggled as if infused with new strength, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.

"Let her go at once!" Gu Shijin’s face was livid; his heart ached to see Ren Xixi in tears. He strode forward, grabbed the eunuch who was pulling at Ren Xixi’s shoulder, and twisted his wrist back.

"Argh!" The young eunuch shrieked in pain.

"How dare you! We are the Empress Dowager’s people!" The matron’s expression shifted, and she scolded him loudly.

To her surprise, Gu Shijin ignored her entirely, his face darkening as he kicked the other eunuch flying.

"Xixi, you have suffered," Gu Shijin whispered, pulling the rag from her mouth with eyes full of pity and tenderness.

Finding her pillar of strength, Ren Xixi buried herself in his arms and wept uncontrollably. "Wuwuwu, Brother Shijin, I thought you had abandoned me. Why did it take you so long to find me?"

Her words, filled with both resentment and grievance, left a bitter taste in Gu Shijin’s heart. "Xixi, I am taking you away."

Gu Shijin held the small woman in his arms tightly, as if he wanted to merge her into his own body. Hearing that he intended to take her away, Ren Xixi hesitated and tilted her head. If she left, there would be no one to help Bai Wanwan, and their ultimate goal had not yet been achieved; she could not just walk away. Furthermore, today's ordeal had only deepened her hatred for Su Zhinian. She would ensure Su Zhinian never recovered!

"How dare you embrace each other like this in the inner palace! Someone, seize them both!"

The commotion had attracted many eunuchs and maids, who were left slack-jawed by the sight. Seeing the matron refusing to let them go, Gu Shijin’s gaze darkened, and he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking.

"Matron Wang, why have you come here while searching for the jade earrings?"

Su Zhinian walked through the crowd, dressed in a goose-yellow dress embroidered with butterflies and flowers, looking vibrant and charming. This was a side of Su Zhinian that Gu Shijin had never seen. He only remembered her in plain, dull clothing, radiating a stiff and uninteresting aura.

Ren Xixi was livid. She had expected Gu Shijin to stand up for her, but instead, he was staring at Su Zhinian in a daze. Infuriated, she pinched Gu Shijin’s waist.

Gu Shijin frowned deeply and looked up at Su Zhinian with displeasure. "Lady Su! Why must you be so intolerant of Xixi, trying to drive her to her death?"

Su Zhinian looked innocent. Her clear, watery eyes swept over Ren Xixi, and she feigned surprise. "Oh? Sister Xixi is here? The person the General has been searching for so desperately was in the palace all along?"

Gu Shijin frowned, wanting to scold Su Zhinian for her pretense. But he suddenly remembered the Empress Dowager’s strict orders not to reveal that they had seen Consort Wan in the palace, so he held his tongue.

"Matron, what is going on here?" Su Zhinian asked, looking at Matron Wang.

Matron Wang understood immediately. She scoffed and pointed at Ren Xixi’s nose. "My Lady, it is this lowly maid. She stole the Empress Dowager’s jade earrings and refused to admit it. I found them on her person, and these people can all bear witness!"

Matron Wang raised the emerald earrings in her hand and gestured toward the young eunuchs, who were still nursing their injuries.

"Yes, we can bear witness! We found them on her!"

Seeing so many people pointing at her, Ren Xixi’s face turned pale as paper. She could only say weakly, "It wasn't me! I didn't do it! They are framing me!"

But with witnesses and physical evidence against her, Ren Xixi’s desperate pleas could not convince the crowd. Gu Shijin, however, believed her completely. He shielded her behind him and glared at Su Zhinian with disgust.

"I believe Xixi. She would never do such a thing! Su Zhinian, you have resorted to these framing tactics again—it truly makes me feel sick!"