CHAPTER FIFTY‑THREE — WHEN WIT OUTSHINES POWER
The Prime Minister's voice carried a note of reprimand, yet his expression betrayed something entirely different. A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Tang Ke Xin caught it at once.
So the Prime Minister is not as simple as he appears.
Even he was quietly pleased by her boldness.
Before anyone could recover, a low voice drifted across the hall.
"Hm. It truly is not ideal."
The Third Prince—Ye Lan Jue—had spoken.
The hall froze.
His Highness rarely wasted words. When he did speak, it was usually with the weight of thunder. Everyone assumed he was about to defend Imperial Concubine Ming, or at the very least chastise Tang Ke Xin.
After all, that was the Emperor's favoured concubine.
But the next words that left his lips stunned the entire court into petrified silence.
"It affects your image. And it is… unbecoming of you."
He said it with complete seriousness, his gaze fixed on Tang Ke Xin.
A collective gasp rippled through the hall.
He was not scolding her.
He was not defending the concubine.
He was… advising her?
As though she were someone whose reputation mattered to him.
As though he were concerned.
Tang Ke Xin herself was momentarily taken aback. She turned to look at Ye Lan Jue, but her shock quickly gave way to something sharper—observation.
His hand had moved.
A subtle, seemingly careless brush across his cheek.
Then, from the corner of his eye, a fleeting glance toward Liu Ruyue.
Tang Ke Xin's eyes narrowed.
Ah… so that is your intention.
He was signalling her.
A silent message.
A direction.
And then—almost on cue—a palace maid drifted behind Liu Ruyue, unnoticed by the crowd. With a swift, practised motion, she slipped something into the folds of Liu Ruyue's sleeve.
Tang Ke Xin's lips curved.
So that is how you wish to play it, Your Highness.
It was brilliant.
Subtle.
Deadly.
And she understood it instantly.
Of course she did.
She had spent too long studying this man—his cunning, his ruthlessness, his precision. She could read him as easily as she read a book.
Ye Lan Jue's eyes flickered with satisfaction.
She had understood him at once.
Not only clever, but observant—remarkably so.
He was very pleased.
Tang Ke Xin's mind sharpened.
If the Third Prince had laid the groundwork, then she would provide the spark.
She needed only to redirect the fire—gently, naturally—toward Liu Ruyue.
The princess, innocent and honest, would do the rest.
Tang Ke Xin turned to Princess Yi with a bright, dazzling smile.
"Princess, you said earlier that this humble girl stabbed you and stole your secret manual?"
The princess blinked, startled by the sudden question.
"Yes… that is what I saw."
Her tone wavered.
She was clever enough to sense something amiss.
Good.
Tang Ke Xin leaned closer, her voice soft and melodic.
"Princess, did the person who stabbed you look as gentle and charming as I do?"
The hall nearly collapsed.
This woman—this Miss Tang—was truly unmatched in audacity.
To praise herself so boldly, so naturally, in front of the entire court…
Ye Lan Chen's mouth twitched violently.
He was used to her by now.
Ye Lan Jue's lips curved faintly.
The princess frowned thoughtfully.
"No. That person's face had no expression at all. It was stiff… frightening."
Tang Ke Xin nodded sympathetically.
"And did that person smell pleasant? A fragrance that lingered?"
The hall collectively winced.
She was truly addicted to praising herself.
The princess leaned closer, sniffed delicately, and nodded.
"You smell very nice. That person did not."
Tang Ke Xin beamed.
Good child.
"And did that person possess the grace of a noble lady?"
The hall nearly fainted.
Even Ye Lan Chen had to look away, his expression strained.
But he could not deny it—she was beautiful, and her figure was… well, impressive.
Ye Lan Jue's smile deepened.
The princess shook her head.
"No. That person's figure was not as good as yours."
Tang Ke Xin placed a hand over her heart.
"Princess, you have excellent taste."
The princess nodded solemnly.
"Therefore, that person could not have been you. It must have been someone disguised as you."
Tang Ke Xin blinked.
This child is truly delightful.
The hall erupted into murmurs.
In a few simple questions, Tang Ke Xin had cleared her name—and the princess herself had declared it.
Unprecedented.
Unbelievable.
Unforgettable.
Ye Lan Chen's lips curved upward.
He had underestimated her yet again.
The Empress finally allowed herself a smile—warm, proud, relieved.
Imperial Concubine Ming's face twisted with fury.
Old General Li looked as though he might faint.
Tang Ke Xin pressed on, her voice light.
"If the princess did not see the face clearly, but only the figure and bearing… then anyone in the palace with a similar build could be the culprit."
She let her gaze drift—slowly, deliberately—toward Liu Ruyue.
The princess followed her eyes.
Then she pointed.
"She… she looks very similar to the person who attacked me."
Liu Ruyue's face drained of colour.
"P‑Princess, no! I—I would never—"
"How dare you imply that I cannot tell right from wrong?"
The princess's voice cracked like a whip.
Liu Ruyue trembled violently.
Tang Ke Xin nearly applauded.
This princess was magnificent.
The girl stepped closer, scrutinising Liu Ruyue from head to toe.
"Your face is drawn, your expression rather rigid, your posture as stiff as a plank of wood… and, if I may say so, you carry a rather peculiar scent. Exactly like the person who attacked me."
Tang Ke Xin burst into laughter.
She could not help it.
A rigid expression? Stiff posture as a plank of wood?
This child was ruthless.
She had always thought "washboard" was the harshest insult.
Apparently not.
There was something even worse.
And Liu Ruyue had just been compared to it.
Laughter rippled through the hall—soft at first, then swelling as more and more people succumbed to the absurdity of the scene. Even those who tried to maintain decorum found their lips twitching.
Liu Ruyue's face, however, cycled through an entire palette of colours—white, blue, purple, and a rather sickly green. Her expression twisted so violently it was almost impressive. Clearly, her emotions were far too tangled to settle on a single shade.
"What is it?" Princess Yi asked coolly, her young voice carrying the authority of her bloodline. "Are you unconvinced?"
She stepped forward, chin lifted, eyes sharp with indignation.
"You wicked creature. How dare you defy me? You dared to raise a hand against this princess. Such a crime warrants death a thousand times over."
Liu Ruyue trembled, but she forced herself to speak.
"P‑Princess, this humble girl did not assassinate you. I have been wronged. Please investigate thoroughly. Without evidence, this humble girl—"
"Princess," Tang Ke Xin interjected gently, her tone almost sympathetic, "she was found with the dagger that stabbed you."
Princess Yi nodded at once.
"That is correct. Since I have already proven that Miss Tang was not the assailant, the dagger cannot possibly belong to her."
A murmur of agreement swept through the hall.
Indeed, the logic was simple.
If Tang Ke Xin was innocent, then the dagger must belong to someone else.
And that someone else was now standing in the centre of the hall, trembling like a leaf.
Dozens of eyes turned toward Liu Ruyue—eyes filled with disdain, suspicion, and disgust.
Tang Ke Xin's voice floated out again, light as a breeze.
"Princess, perhaps it would be wise to search her. She may have hidden something else."
Princess Yi brightened.
"An excellent idea."
Liu Ruyue's composure shattered.
"Tang Ke Xin, you—you are deliberately misleading the princess! Manipulating a royal is a grave offence!"
Tang Ke Xin blinked at her, expression pure and guileless.
"I am not misleading anyone," she said calmly. "I am merely offering a direct reminder."
The hall fell silent.
Direct was an understatement.
Princess Yi wasted no time.
"Guards," she commanded, her voice ringing with authority, "search her. See if she carries anything else."
Liu Ruyue's knees nearly buckled.
And Tang Ke Xin simply folded her hands behind her back, her expression serene—almost innocent.
As though she were merely an observer.
As though she had not just set the entire hall ablaze.