"Who said he was part of the Imperial Guards?"
Yun Shu glanced at the Crown Prince as though he were a fool. Her tone was calm, as if stating the obvious.
"From the moment I discovered someone was using my name to secretly sell the Spring Examination questions, I knew someone was trying to frame me. That immediately led me to suspect they might also target my cousin, who happens to be participating in this year's examination.
That is why I requested Father Emperor to lend me the Imperial Guards.
Father Emperor has always taken the Spring Examination seriously, so he agreed without hesitation.
But I was afraid. I felt the Imperial Guards alone might not be enough. Father Emperor saw how anxious I was, so he permitted the Dragon Shadow Guard he assigned to protect me to accompany the Imperial Guards during the inspection of the Examination Institute and the escort of the answer sheets back to the palace.
The man who deliberately spoke in front of you yesterday was that very Dragon Shadow Guard. The remarks about problems at the Examination Institute—I had him say those things in front of you on purpose.
I admit, after discovering Shen Jingyi's involvement, I did begin to suspect you, Imperial Brother. That is why I staged this little test. But I never expected the test would actually succeed."
"Father Emperor gave Yun Shu a Dragon Shadow Guard?"
Even if it was only one, the Dragon Shadow Guard were elite secret guards who answered solely to the Emperor. Not even the Crown Prince had such an honor.
"Could it be that what Empress Mother said was true? That Yun Shu was the one Father Emperor now favored the most?"
The Crown Prince stared at Yun Shu, gaze fixed and unblinking. Perhaps he was too overwhelmed by the implications in her words to respond. Or perhaps he simply did not know how to react, now that Yun Shu had exposed his lies in front of everyone.
Whatever the reason, he stood frozen, unable to speak.
On the Dragon Throne, Emperor Xuanwu's expression grew increasingly unreadable. His eyes darkened, his thoughts hidden beneath an inscrutable calm.
Seeing this, the Right Prime Minister felt a chill run down his spine. Realizing the situation had taken a dire turn, he gritted his teeth and gave Shen Jingyi a discreet look.
Shen Jingyi received the silent signal. He understood—the final sliver of hope was gone.
With a loud thud, he knelt heavily to the floor, his forehead striking the cold ground. The sensation of chill spreading through his skin, he said hoarsely:
"This subject is guilty."
The sudden confession shattered the tension between Yun Shu and the Crown Prince.
Yun Shu slowly turned her gaze. Shen Jingyi remained prostrated, forehead to the floor, and spoke in a dull, hollow voice.
"This subject sold the Spring Examination questions in secret. This subject attempted to frame Princess Sheng An. In order to curry favor, I falsely informed His Highness the Crown Prince that I had uncovered evidence of Princess Sheng An's misconduct and examination fraud, leading His Highness to wrongfully suspect the Princess."
He had already committed more than enough crimes. Adding one more charge of deceiving the Crown Prince hardly mattered now.
To shoulder all the blame alone—this was the last thing he could do for the Shen family, and for the Crown Prince.
Shen Jingyi closed his eyes. When he spoke again, his voice carried a faint quiver:
"This subject's crimes are unforgivable. I humbly beg Your Majesty to pronounce judgment."
…
By the time Yun Shu returned to Fengyang Palace, the sun was already tilting west.
She waved off Ting Xue and the others who came to assist her, peeled off her official robe, and tossed it aside without ceremony. Then she collapsed face-first onto the lounge sofa inside the villa.
By coincidence, Yun Ni was also visiting that day.
Seeing Yun Shu's exhausted face, Yun Ni quickly scooted over, freeing up a wide space for her on the couch. Yun Shu let herself fall back onto it, limbs splayed.
"Why do you look so drained?" Yun Ni blinked at her. "Want a face mask to relax?"
"That sounds amazing."
Yun Shu reached out, fumbled on the coffee table, and grabbed an unopened sheet mask. She tore it open and slapped it on her face without much care.
Yun Ni winced a little and reached over to smooth it out properly. "You look totally deflated. What happened?"
"The Spring Examination is over."
Yun Shu sighed, eyes half-closed as she let the quiet wash over her.
"The Crown Prince really did dig a lot of traps for me. Fortunately, I dodged all of them."
She gave Yun Ni a full account of everything that had transpired.
Although Yun Shu's voice remained level throughout, Yun Ni gasped repeatedly in disbelief.
"Shu Shu, you're incredible! If it had been me, I'd be flattened into dust by now!"
"Incredible? Not really. It's history that deserves the praise."
Yun Shu's voice was quiet, almost wistful.
"Someone once said there is nothing new under the sun. All the schemes we've seen in the Tian Sheng Dynasty have happened before, in one form or another.
I simply used my computer to compile all those past examples, studied them one by one, and came up with responses in advance.
If you want to talk about brilliance, then that goes to the Crown Prince and his faction. Their plotting and manipulation is all original. Their ability to react under pressure and shift blame on the spot? First-rate.
Ordinary people are made of seventy percent water.
These people? Ninety-nine percent scheming.
Dealing with them is mentally exhausting."
"But no matter how you look at it, you still came out on top!" Yun Ni hugged a plush pillow and grinned.
"Think about it. A bunch of old foxes dripping with guile got crushed by a player with a cheat system. Doesn't that feel satisfying?"
"Do you call that a win?"
Yun Shu let out a snort. What truly frustrated her about today wasn't the schemes.
"It's always the same. The ones who set the trap, who cause the chaos, are never the ones punished in the end. The blame always lands on the expendable underlings."
"That kind of thing happens everywhere, doesn't it?" Yun Ni offered gently.
"I mean, even now, interns always get thrown under the bus when something goes wrong."
"Yes, but in Tian Sheng, people don't just lose jobs. They lose their lives."
Yun Ni fell silent.
That much was true.
Her lips pressed into a thin line. She looked a little downcast.
"Shu Shu… are you thinking of giving up?"
"Give up? Let that damn Crown Prince ascend the throne uncontested?"
Just thinking about it made Yun Shu tear off her mask and fling it across the room.
"Not a chance. If only to stop that mangy dog from stepping on my neck, I will fight for the position of heir with everything I've got!"
One moment she had looked like a deflated salted fish, the next, she was brimming with fire. Yun Ni could almost see the bloodlust in her eyes.
She didn't doubt for a second that if a punching bag shaped like the Crown Prince appeared in the room right now, Yun Shu would knock it flat with a single blow.
Clutching her soft pillow a little tighter, Yun Ni peeked at her, curiosity sparking again.
"So… do you have a plan for what to do next?"
"I plan to sleep."
Since the dog of a Crown Prince wasn't here, Yun Shu's rage flared fast and faded just as quickly.
She lay back on the couch, her eyes slightly distant.
"I keep feeling like I forgot something important… but I can't remember what it was."
Oh well.
She could think about it after a nap.