“I still have the gold hairpin that the eldest miss gave me in my courtyard, Your Highness can check it!” The words spilled out of Yu Qing’s mouth in her desperate attempt to survive.

Just as her voice trailed off, Zhou Yujie, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family, finally appeared.

Unlike the frail and timid Zhou Manniang, Zhou Yujie was stunningly beautiful.

Among the noble ladies, her attire stood out as exceptional.

She wore a dress made of expensive soft satin in smoky pink, embroidered with intricate floral patterns, and a matching smoky pink glazed hairpin.

Yet, her expression was one of indignation, with a trace of shame from being wrongfully accused.

As soon as she appeared, she furiously exclaimed, “You lowly maid, committing such a vile act and implicating your mistress, and now, seeing the situation turning against you, you push everything onto me. Who gave you the courage?”

She paused for a moment and then turned to Xiao Jin, speaking in a subdued, tearful voice, “Your Highness, Manniang and I are blood sisters. Even if I don’t like her, how could I use such vicious methods to harm her?”

At the moment Zhou Yujie appeared, Zhou Manniang lowered her head.

Her hands, clenched by her side, turned white from the strain.

She told herself to endure.

She could disregard everything, but not her stepmother. Yet, tears had already welled up in her eyes.

Xiao Jin cast a cold glance at her and said, “Whether it’s true or not, we’ll know once we investigate this maid’s living quarters.”

Zhou Yujie’s face stiffened, then her gaze darkened as she looked at the servant behind her.

The servant understood and immediately slapped Yu Qing across the face.

“You ungrateful wretch, daring to frame your mistress with such lies! Even if the princess doesn’t punish you today, the household will never tolerate such a wicked servant!”

The slap was so forceful that it almost left Yu Qing speechless.

“What’s going on here? This is the palace, how dare you, a servant, act so brazenly!” A palace attendant shouted from Xiao Jin’s side.

Nearby palace servants quickly stopped the angry servant.

“Your Highness, this wicked maid has committed such a grave offense, she shouldn’t be allowed to live. However, since she is from the Zhou family, she should be handed over to them for punishment,” Zhou Yujie said.

From the moment she arrived, she had been addressing Xiao Jin as “Your Highness.”

As for her innocent sister, Zhou Manniang, she had no words for her, and Wen Yuesheng was completely ignored.

Zhou Yujie’s plan was simple.

Her father was a high-ranking official in the court, and she was the legitimate daughter of the Zhou family.

Even if it could be proven that she had committed this crime, she would simply insist it was a frame-up, dispose of the maid who couldn’t keep her mouth shut, and Xiao Jin wouldn’t be able to do anything to her.

At most, she would receive a small reprimand, or her father would discipline her.

As for Zhou Manniang, once she returned home, she would suffer enough.

“This maid’s actions show that the Zhou family didn’t manage her properly. Once Second Miss recovers, I’ll bring Manniang to apologize to Second Miss…”

Even now, she wouldn’t let go of Zhou Manniang.

As far as Zhou Yujie was concerned, Zhou Manniang wouldn’t escape the blame, for Yu Qing was her servant.

“Eldest Miss! There’s more you’ve asked me to do! Have you forgotten? Last time, you gave me the blood jade from Fei Yu Hall, a priceless treasure. You said only you in the entire capital had one…” Yu Qing’s eyes widened in anger as she tried to remind Zhou Yujie that she held a trump card over her.

But Zhou Yujie was unfazed and replied directly, “As for that blood jade, it must have been taken by someone from Third Sister’s room who wasn’t careful.”

“Lowly maid, stealing your master’s possessions, and now you dare to slander me?” Zhou Yujie snapped.

Yu Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It turned out that when she had been given the unique blood jade, it was all part of a plan to frame her once the truth came out!

She snarled, her face twisted in rage, “I didn’t steal anything! It’s you, Eldest Miss!”

“At the palace banquet last time, you had me push Second Miss into the water, but unfortunately, with Lord Zhang’s madness, I failed and only caused Second Miss a few minor injuries!”

“Shut up!” Zhou Yujie’s expression changed. “Who told you to fabricate such lies? Was it your mistress?”

“I didn’t!” Zhou Manniang suddenly raised her head.

Her voice was soft, but the words were clear, “What about Yun Cui, who is by your side?”

Zhou Yujie’s face changed.

“Was she not negotiating with the steward of the Princess’s residence and couldn’t get away?”

Zhou Manniang’s words were sharp and direct.

Xiao Jin’s expression darkened as he coldly asked, “Is this how you obtained the Princess’s token?”

The faces of the people in the hall all shifted.

If this were true, then Zhou Yujie’s methods were truly vile.

She had bribed the maid beside Zhou Manniang and involved her own maid with someone from another household to obtain their official token.

Zhou Yujie’s face was now grim, but she still tried to maintain composure: “Zhou Manniang, don’t forget, I am your legitimate sister!”

“If I suffer, neither you nor your stepmother will have it easy.”

Lu Hongying’s eyes turned red with anger.

Seeing Zhou Yujie boldly threaten Zhou Manniang in front of so many people made her realize just how difficult Zhou Manniang’s life had been all these years.

She wanted to rush out and argue with Zhou Yujie, but she overheard someone nearby whispering:

“…But Zhou Yujie is the legitimate daughter of the household, and Madam Zhou’s background is not low. Even if she has schemed against a concubine’s daughter, nothing will likely happen to her.”

In most noble families, illegitimate sons are not considered much, let alone an illegitimate daughter.

“After all, this is a personal matter of his household; it’s not easy to make a judgment.”

“That depends on the prince’s opinion.”

If Wen Yuruo had no involvement this time, in the struggle between the legitimate and illegitimate daughters of the Zhou family, Zhou Manniang wouldn’t have had any advantages.

Leaving aside her status, people in the capital usually wouldn’t intervene in the private affairs of other families.

Looking at it this way, Zhou Yujie’s boldness wasn’t entirely without reason.

Lu Hongying was furious; Zhou Yujie was extremely vicious and had repeatedly tried to take Zhou Manniang’s life.

Such behavior couldn’t just be let go.

At that moment, Wen Yuesheng turned around.

She picked up a bottle of wine that had been examined by the imperial doctor and poured a full glass into an empty cup.

The wine itself was not poisonous, but the hawthorn mixed into it would be harmful to Wen Yurou’s body.

Wen Yuesheng held the wine cup and looked at Zhou Manniang. “Did you bring the medicine today?”

The cold and indifferent gazes around her made Zhou Manniang feel a chill all over.

She knew that she was of low status, and facing Zhou Yujie, she had no chance of winning.

Upon hearing Wen Yuesheng’s words, she was momentarily stunned, then nodded.

“The purple porcelain bottle, give it to me.” Wen Yuesheng spoke.

Without thinking, Zhou Manniang untied the pouch at her waist, took out what she needed, and handed it over.

Wen Yuesheng uncorked the porcelain bottle and, in front of everyone, poured the white powder from the bottle into the wine cup.

She walked up to Zhou Yujie, holding the porcelain bottle.

Zhou Yujie didn’t know what she was doing.

She frowned and said, “Princess, this is a matter of our Zhou family. Even if you are on good terms with my third sister, you shouldn’t act so recklessly.”

There was a hint of impatience in her eyes.

Her words implied that it was Wen Yuesheng’s manipulation that caused Yu Qing to suddenly change her mind.

But before she could finish, her chin was suddenly lifted.

She looked into a pair of cold, dark eyes, void of any emotion, deep and bottomless.

Wen Yuesheng grabbed her chin, and before anyone could react, she poured the entire cup of wine into her mouth.

“Princess!”

“Miss!”

The entire hall erupted into chaos.

The wine flowed down Zhou Yujie’s throat, choking her so badly that she could barely open her eyes.

Realizing something was wrong, she desperately tried to struggle, but the hand gripping her chin was so delicate it seemed like it could break with the slightest force.

Despite using all her strength, she couldn’t shake it off.

In her panic, she heard a cold, flat voice. “Since you like to use such tricks, then taste it yourself.”

The wine in the cup was poured into Zhou Yujie’s mouth without a single drop wasted.

In her panic, Zhou Yujie swallowed most of it.

The wine she coughed up spilled out and nearly splashed onto Wen Yuesheng’s hand.

Wen Yuesheng frowned, released her grip, and threw the wine cup away.

Zhou Yujie gasped violently, tears in her eyes.

She looked at Wen Yuesheng in disbelief and screamed, “What did you make me drink?”

Wen Yuesheng took out a silk handkerchief and wiped her hands.

But no matter how she wiped, it seemed like she couldn’t get them clean.

“Naturally, it’s poisoned wine.” The hand that couldn’t be cleaned made Wen Yuesheng feel some disgust.

She coldly raised her eyes to look at Zhou Yujie. “If you die this time, consider it good luck.”

“If you don’t die, and your life is filled with suffering, don’t come to me for help.” She paused. “Go ask your younger sister.”

“Are you crazy?” Zhou Yujie covered her throat, her voice sharp and disbelieving as she screamed.

Her shrill voice pierced through the entire hall.

The hall was in utter chaos.

Countless people stood frozen, unsure of what to do in the midst of this turmoil.

They originally thought Wen Yuesheng was just scaring Zhou Yujie, but when Zhou Yujie tried to scratch her face, she didn’t struggle for long before vomiting black blood and fainting.

Her condition was a clear sign that she had been poisoned.

So, Wen Yuesheng really poured a cup of poisoned wine for Zhou Yujie in front of everyone in the palace?

Xiao Jin was momentarily stunned, his gaze fixed on her.

She just lowered her head, wiping her hands, which hadn’t even gotten dirty.

Behind her, the entire hall was in complete disarray.

Zhou Manniang stared blankly at her back.

Yes, she suddenly remembered.

The medicine she had given Wen Yuesheng also contained such poison. It was something she had personally concocted, many times considering using it on herself.

She had given it to Wen Yueshen, thinking it might be useful one day.

She had written detailed instructions and placed them in the porcelain bottle, so that it would be easy to see once opened.

But she never expected that the first time Wen Yuesheng used the medicine, it would be on Zhou Yujie.

She suddenly felt her nose tingle, and the humiliations she had thought had faded rushed back into her heart like madness.

In the midst of the chaos in the hall, Wen Yuesheng discarded the handkerchief, stepping on it as she walked towards the door.

Her expression was tinged with impatience.

The setting sun cast its light on her, illuminating the chaos behind her, but she, through the blinding rays, coldly and emotionlessly gazed at the people outside.

Yu Shun’s eyes met hers, finding a pair of cold, emotionless eyes.

They were like the gleaming swordlight on a battlefield, cold and full of murderous intent.