From the moment Yun Shu opened her mouth, Dou Jifei no longer had any right to speak. He knelt prostrate on the floor, his body trembling as if some terrible force had fixed its gaze upon him.
He pressed his forehead to the ground, shivering uncontrollably, wishing he could vanish on the spot.
Yet Yun Shu, unconcerned with his fate, wore an innocent expression as she continued to speak without pause.
"Fake spring examination questions—perhaps Feng Qi could easily fabricate dozens of those on the spot. But the real questions? He lacks the means to acquire them by his own hand.
Of course, if it were only that, with no proof, this daughter would not dare casually suspect Shen Daren. After all, Shen Daren is not only the son of the Right Prime Minister, but also the maternal uncle of the Crown Prince.
With such status and ties, why would Shen Daren go out of his way to harm this daughter?"
Emperor Xuanwu remained silent.
A faint, stifled laugh broke the stillness—someone among the gathered officials had failed to suppress their amusement.
Fortunately, no one paid the culprit much attention. The weight of Yun Shu's words had already shifted the hall's focus to something far more serious.
"Judging from what you said, you hold evidence in your hands?"
"Ma Laxiong!" Yun Shu quickly named the person.
"Father Emperor may recall, when Crown Prince Elder Brother recommended this daughter as chief examiner for the spring examination, he mentioned this man."
"Something about him being one of the four great talents of Jiangnan?" Emperor Xuanwu recalled.
"That's him!" Yun Shu nodded firmly. "On the day Three Years of Imperial Examinations, Five Years of Simulation officially went on sale, this daughter happened to be seated on the second floor of a teahouse opposite the bookstore.
At first, I simply wished to listen in on the examinees' opinions about the book, perhaps for future improvements. But by pure chance, I witnessed Ma Laxiong selling custom questions to other examinees for silver.
I found him to be quite forthright and honorable, so I instructed my people to quietly keep an eye on him. It was then that we discovered some of the questions he sold matched the original spring examination paper.
I found this highly suspicious and had the matter investigated further. The result—"
She drew a slip of paper from her sleeve and respectfully held it up with both hands.
"Father Emperor, please look. These questions were written in Shen Jingyi Daren's own hand.
This daughter suspects that Shen Daren intended to have Ma Laxiong pass the real questions to me, so I might unknowingly commit a grave offense. However, he may have feared that sending a single question would raise suspicion.
And Ma Laxiong, in truth, only accepted their offer in hopes of improving his future prospects. He may not have been willing to take such a great risk.
So Shen Daren wrote several questions, disguising them with clever wording to deceive Ma Laxiong. What he did not expect was that Ma Laxiong, ever cautious, chose not to burn the note as instructed—but kept it."
Li Dehai stepped forward and carefully received the paper, then delivered it to the emperor.
Yun Shu withdrew her hands and pulled out a few more slips of paper from her other sleeve.
"In addition, this daughter discovered that the son-in-law of the Right Prime Minister's steward happens to be a minor official from the Ministry of Rites, responsible for maintaining the examination halls.
He used his position to slip cheat sheets into the room assigned to my cousin, Tang Muzhi."
A long silence fell.
With each trap revealed, the officials in the court turned their gaze toward Yun Shu. Something in their expressions began to shift.
Princess Sheng An, they thought.
Was this not the same girl said to be idle and frivolous, with no talent or discipline?
These layered schemes—any misstep and even the most seasoned court official might have faltered. Yet she had quietly uncovered everything, down to the last thread.
She was hidden strength indeed.
Come to think of it, had not the Crown Prince already stumbled at her hands more than once?
And now even the Right Prime Minister had fallen, dragging his prized son down with him.
Not a whisper stirred the court.
The evidence against Shen Jingyi—his selling of real exam questions and his attempt to frame Princess Sheng An—was nearly irrefutable.
All that remained was for His Majesty to verify Yun Shu's claims, after which punishment could be passed.
Most believed the matter had come to an end. Even Emperor Xuanwu thought so.
But just as he prepared to speak and conclude the affair, Yun Shu—who to everyone else appeared to have already triumphed—suddenly straightened, her youthful face drawn with solemnity.
"Father Emperor, there is one more matter that troubles this daughter. I wish to ask Crown Prince Elder Brother directly."
Someone quietly swallowed.
This was unexpected. She was taking aim at the Crown Prince now?
Just when everyone thought the performance had ended, another act began, no less stunning than the one before.
Emperor Xuanwu's expression stilled. He gave a small nod.
"Ask."
"Yesterday, after the spring examination concluded and I had only just returned to the palace, I learned that Crown Prince Elder Brother had reported me to Father Emperor, accusing me of leaking the questions."
With her Imperial Father's permission secured, Yun Shu wasted no more courtesy.
She turned and locked eyes with the Crown Prince.
"Now that the truth is laid bare, am I to understand that you, Crown Prince Elder Brother, were fully aware of Shen Jingyi's actions?"
"Why would Fifth Younger Sister think such a thing?" The muscles in the Crown Prince's face twitched involuntarily. He forced a smile that did not reach his eyes.
"This prince heard from a member of the palace guard that something had happened at the examination hall. The examinees were causing a commotion, and it seemed to involve you.
I feared the rumors would harm your reputation, so I hurried to inform Father Emperor. I never imagined that guard had misled me on purpose."
"Crown Prince Elder Brother, I fear your words do not align with the truth," Yun Shu countered immediately, her tone sharp.
"Did the guard not say only that there was trouble at the examination hall, without specifying any details?"
The Crown Prince's smirk froze on his lips.
How could she know that?
That guard was clearly one of Yun Shu's men. He had assumed that even if he twisted the guard's original words, she would have no way to refute it.
Yet now—
His sarcasm crumbled in an instant. He clenched his jaw and snapped back.
"Fifth Younger Sister speaks with such certainty. Are you saying that guard is yours?"
"You are absolutely right, Crown Prince Elder Brother. He is."
She admitted it.
The Crown Prince's pupils constricted.
He had never imagined she would go so far as to confess something so brazen.
The initial shock gave way to a surge of hope.
He raised his voice sharply.
"Everyone knows the palace guards answer directly to Father Emperor. How could one of them be yours?
Fifth Younger Sister, have you truly stooped to such lies, just to drag this prince down with you?"
===
I add new chapter "Pictures" at the Auxiliary Volume. If you curious how I imagine them, check that out!!! I still have few of them tho-