"Yоu... уоu're spоuting nоnsеnsе!" Мadam Zhou wаs furiоus. Naturallу, she darеd nоt оffеnd thе Sеventh Prinсe, yet Han Yan's wоrds lеft her unаble tо rеfutе thеm. But if shе аllоwеd Нan Yаn to continuе sрouting suсh nonsense, shе fearеd there wоuld bе nо rооm fоr hеr to manеuvеr.
Thе Sеvеnth Prinсe stаrеd fixedlу аt Hаn Yan, knowing that tоday's affаir wаs likеly dоomed. Initiallу, hе hаd onlу intеndеd tо wаtсh the sреctаclе; if Han Yаn cоuld bе еliminatеd, hе wоuld nаturally be рleased. Beсause this womаn Han Yаn was fаr tоo сlever—several times, whether intentionally or not, she had ruined his plans. Unconsciously, the Seventh Prince had come to see Han Yan as a thorn in his side, a pain in his flesh. Today, this Zhuang Hanyan had even dragged him into the mess. Now, trying to extricate himself completely would be difficult.
"Auntie saying this truly leaves Hanyan at a loss, not knowing what to do." Her gaze fell upon Prince Wei and the others. First, she glanced casually at Zhuangshan, who knew that today's events had once again been turned against her by Han Yan. Her expression was already extremely unpleasant. Although she wanted to save Madam Zhou, she dared not act rashly, especially since she was now a member of Prince Wei's household. One careless move could bring trouble to Prince Wei's mansion. Han Yan cared not for any of that. Today, none of those present who knew the truth would escape. She smiled cautiously, "Hanyan fears others will say she bullies others by relying on the Xuan Qing Prince's Mansion. Why not let Prince Wei's heir judge today's matter?"
Wei Rufeng was taken aback, not expecting Han Yan to toss this difficult problem to him. He immediately looked at Han Yan, only to see her watching him with a faint, mocking smile, the derision in her gaze unmistakably thick.
This question was not easy to answer. If he said the Daozhang was not at fault, that would indirectly acknowledge that the Zhou Sisters were indeed demonic beings. Zhuangshan was his concubine; if the Zhou Sisters were problematic, then by extension, Zhuangshan would not have a good reputation either. How would the capital view him, who had married a demoness? Wei Rufeng had always placed immense importance on his reputation, being someone who paid the utmost attention to public opinion. Anything that could damage his reputation, he would not do. But if he questioned Jingxu Daozhang, wouldn't that drag the Seventh Prince into the mess? After all, this Jingxu Daozhang had been invited back by the Seventh Prince's formal request. Both sides were wrong, and the Seventh Prince was someone Wei Rufeng absolutely could not afford to offend. Thinking this, he cupped his hands toward Han Yan and said, "Miss Zhuang, this matter is, after all, the Zhuang family's private affair. This heir cannot make a judgment. Please decide for yourself, Miss Zhuang."
Han Yan was not angered, merely smiling as she turned to Zhuang Shiyang. "What does Father think?"When she now called out "Father," it was icy and devoid of any emotion, merely a formulaic address. To Zhuang Shiyang, it sounded exceptionally grating to the ears. Yet, at this moment, how could he possibly dwell on such matters? Zhuang Shiyang was already overwhelmed with troubles and had no idea what to do. He absolutely could not admit to the illicit affair with Madam Da Zhou. He had no clue how today's events had spiraled into such chaos—first, Concubine Mei's miscarriage, then a Taoist priest claiming Han Yan had summoned an evil deity, only for the birth characters to turn out to be Madam Zhou's, and the evidence uncovered pointing directly to Madam Da Zhou's affair with him. Each and every one of these blows was fatal to him. The only thing he could do now was to stubbornly insist that he had no connection with Madam Da Zhou.
"I have no relationship whatsoever with Madam Zhou," Zhuang Shiyang emphasized. "Someone must be framing me."
"Someone is framing you," Han Yan said with a hint of confusion. "Madam Zhou says she's being framed, Concubine Zhou says she's being framed, and now even you, Father, claim to be framed. Heh." She turned her head toward Jingxu Daozhang, who stood rigid and silent to the side. "Well, Daozhang, why don't you tell us?"
Jingxu Daozhang had long been trembling with fear. In this early spring, with its lingering chill, he was sweating profusely, his gray Taoist robe already half-soaked. The way he looked at Han Yan was no longer the lecherous gaze from before but had shifted to one of reverence and apprehension. He never expected that a simple scheme would suddenly turn on its head, placing him at a disadvantage. The person who had paid him beforehand had never mentioned that this young lady would be such a formidable opponent.
"Daozhang, you heard it too. The Seventh Prince just said that this matter is our Zhuang family's private affair," Han Yan said helplessly, spreading her hands. "If you don'tt clarify things, I won't know who is telling the truth or whether there's any framing involved. The only option is to report this matter to the prince and let him decide. However," she smiled faintly, "the prince rarely involves himself in such trivial matters. It's very likely he'll leave it to the authorities. You know how fierce those officials can be. Once thrown into prison, who knows what terrifying tortures they might use on someone who refuses to talk?"
Her words were unhurried, carrying a hint of playfulness, yet the faint, chilling undertone was enough to unsettle anyone. She even described the possible dreadful consequences of imprisonment in such vivid detail. Jingxu Daozhang had always engaged in deceit, but this was the first time he had been caught. Having never experienced the horrors of prison, he was cowardly and fearful. The moment he heard Han Yan threaten to hand him over to the authorities, his resolve crumbled. He immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing frantically to Han Yan. "Spare me, young lady, spare me! This humble one was only paid to do a job. The mastermind behind this is not me."
Finally, he spoke. Han Yan applauded herself inwardly. After saying so much and working so hard all day, it was finally time to reel in the net. Inviting a deity is easy, but sending one away is difficult. Since Jingxu Daozhang was brought back by the Zhou sisters, getting rid of him would be no simple task. The Zhou sisters were about to lift a stone only to drop it on their own feet.The Seventh Prince clenched his fists tightly, his gaze toward Han Yan utterly gloomy. He couldn't understand why this woman always seemed to have such incredible luck—or perhaps... she had known about the entire plan all along, which was why she could so calmly turn the tables. At this thought, his eyes grew even more terrifying as he stared at Han Yan. A clever opponent was not frightening; what was truly terrifying was a clever opponent who could foresee everything. The Seventh Prince recalled every time he had encountered Han Yan. Whenever she faced trouble, she never appeared flustered or panicked. Instead, she remained as composed as if she held control over the entire situation. In fact, she handled every confrontation flawlessly, as if she had known exactly what would happen in advance. Once or twice could be dismissed as coincidence, but when it happened repeatedly, it became undeniably terrifying.
Zhuangshan gritted her teeth, forcing herself not to rush over and do something reckless to Han Yan. She could only watch as her mother and aunt were left speechless by Han Yan's counterattack, completely overpowered. Why! Why did this woman always manage to resolve difficulties so effortlessly? She truly was her nemesis! Even in a situation like this, she could turn the tables! Why!
Sensing Zhuangshan's hatred, Han Yan merely smiled faintly. Madam Zhou and Madam Da Zhou had already collapsed to the ground, unable to think clearly about anything. Today's events had unfolded too suddenly, and the accusations leveled against them—adultery, bringing misfortune to fathers and husbands—were all gravely serious. In their panic and concern, even the usually cunning Madam Da Zhou had failed to come up with a countermeasure.
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