CHAPTER FIFTY‑FIVE — JEALOUSY, LIES, AND A FOOLISH MAN
"When Young Master Mu questioned you just now," Tang Ke Xin began, her voice calm and unhurried, "you instinctively raised your hand to your face, as though to shield your eyes."
She paused, letting the hall absorb her words.
"When a person does this unconsciously, it reveals shame. Young Master Mu merely asked you a question—one born of concern. Why, then, would you feel ashamed?"
Liu Ruyue stiffened. Her voice trembled.
"I… I don't understand what you are saying."
Tang Ke Xin's gaze sharpened.
"You do not understand? Then allow me to explain. When someone covers their eyes, even briefly, the pupils dilate. Pupils dilate for two reasons—fear or desire. But when you made that gesture, your eyes held no fear."
Her tone dropped, soft as silk, lethal as a blade.
"So your pupils dilated for the other reason. Which leaves only one conclusion: you and that man have been sharing a bed."
The hall fell into a silence so deep it seemed to swallow sound itself.
Ye Lan Jue's fingers tightened around the arm of his chair. His eyes flickered—dark, unreadable—before lifting to Tang Ke Xin.
The Crown Prince froze, stunned. His gaze drifted instinctively toward Ye Lan Jue, narrowing as something complicated stirred behind his eyes.
Ye Lan Chen nearly bit his tongue.
Tang Ke Xin had always been bold, but this—this was outrageous even for her.
Tang Ke Xin herself felt she had already softened her words as much as possible. Yet the phrase "you slept with that man" still struck the hall like a thunderclap.
And her earlier analysis had shocked them even more.
"No… no, I didn't…" Liu Ruyue stammered. Her face drained of colour. Cold sweat beaded on her brow. Her voice shook uncontrollably.
Everyone in the hall was intelligent.
They needed only one look at Liu Ruyue's reaction to know Tang Ke Xin had struck the truth.
At first, many had suspected Tang Ke Xin of bluffing.
Now, they realised she had seen straight through Liu Ruyue.
Every word she had spoken was accurate.
A murmur of awe rippled through the hall.
Could Tang Ke Xin read minds?
How else could she know such things?
It was one thing to detect a lie.
But to deduce an illicit affair from a single gesture?
Unbelievable.
Tang Ke Xin stepped closer, her voice swift and merciless.
"You are short of breath. Your face is flushed. Your voice trembles. Cold sweat runs down your forehead. You are terrified—because I have struck the mark."
Her words came like rapid‑fire arrows, leaving no room to breathe.
In truth, she had not been certain.
Her accusation had been a calculated gamble—one meant to provoke a reaction.
But earlier, she had recalled the matter of the imperial guard and Qiu Ju. A pattern had emerged—too similar to ignore.
What could drive a woman to madness?
To risk everything?
To throw herself into danger like a moth to flame?
A man.
Or more precisely—a man's affection.
Imperial Guard Zhan had shared a scent with Qiu Ju. Even if they had not been lovers, they had certainly held each other.
Qiu Ju had known the consequences of framing Tang Ke Xin, yet she had done so without hesitation. She had protected her lover until her dying breath.
Tang Ke Xin had wondered then—
Had Liu Ruyue fallen into the same trap?
Now, seeing her reaction, she knew she had been right.
The mastermind behind all this clearly favoured the same tactic—
the beauty trap.
What sort of man relied so heavily on seduction as a weapon?
Tang Ke Xin's voice softened, almost pitying.
"You were lonely after being poisoned. Young Master Mu ignored you. It is understandable that you sought comfort. But you did not merely fall for him—you obeyed him. You risked everything for him."
She tilted her head.
"So not only did you see his face clearly, but he must be rather handsome. Judging by your reaction, you are quite besotted."
She shook her head inwardly.
Even for a beauty trap, this was excessive.
To fall into bed so quickly—truly astonishing.
"You are lying!" Liu Ruyue cried, her voice rising sharply. "I did not! I did not! The only man I love is Young Master Mu! I would never betray him!"
Tang Ke Xin's reply was immediate, crisp, and merciless.
"Change in tone. Rise in volume. Repetition of words. Classic signs of falsehood."
Liu Ruyue panicked. She turned desperately toward Mu Shaoyi, tears streaming.
"Brother Mu, you must believe me! She is slandering me! She is slandering me!"
Tang Ke Xin almost laughed.
Even now, she dared to seek Mu Shaoyi's protection.
Tang Ke Xin knew Liu Ruyue had been feeding Mu Shaoyi a slow‑acting amnesia drug. But since Liu Ruyue had been poisoned recently, she likely had no opportunity to continue dosing him.
He should not be fully under her influence.
And yet—
Mu Shaoyi suddenly rounded on Tang Ke Xin, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Tang Ke Xin! You are jealous of Yue'er and deliberately slandering her!"
Tang Ke Xin stared at him.
This man… is truly unbelievable.
The hall erupted in shock.
Mu Shaoyi—blind to everything—was defending Liu Ruyue and accusing Tang Ke Xin?
Tang Ke Xin, his fiancée?
The Empress's chosen bride?
Even if he disliked Tang Ke Xin, Liu Ruyue's betrayal was unforgivable to any man.
Yet he protected her.
The hall watched Tang Ke Xin, waiting.
Would she break down?
Cry?
Rage?
Lose control?
After all, everyone knew how deeply Tang Ke Xin had once adored Mu Shaoyi.
Tang Ke Xin merely glanced at him—one brief, sideways look.
"You've seen through me," she said lightly. "You are far too clever."
Her tone was airy, almost admiring.
But anyone with a functioning mind knew she meant the exact opposite.
The hall fell silent.
Then—
A few people nearly laughed aloud.
They had seen insults before.
But never one delivered with such elegance, such subtlety, such devastating calm.
Tang Ke Xin had not raised her voice.
She had not cursed.
She had not even frowned.
Yet her words cut deeper than any vulgarity.
And the entire hall knew it.
Soft snickers drifted through the hall—barely audible, yet impossible to ignore. Even those who managed to keep their lips pressed together could not hide the faint tremor of amusement tugging at the corners of their mouths.
A moment ago, Mu Shaoyi had practically begged to be humiliated.
Tang Ke Xin's response had been far too restrained, if anything.
Ye Lan Chen's smile was the brightest in the room—sharp, wicked, and utterly delighted. His heart was made of sterner stuff; a single sentence from Tang Ke Xin could make a lesser man cough blood. Mu Shaoyi was never her match. And truthfully, he deserved every blow.
Had the setting been less formal, Ye Lan Chen would likely have marched across the hall and beaten Mu Shaoyi senseless.
Even the Third Prince's eyes glimmered with a faint, unmistakable smile—cool, elegant, and tinged with a quiet satisfaction.
"Tang Ke Xin, you did that on purpose."
Mu Shaoyi's face darkened as he heard the laughter around him. He was not truly defending Liu Ruyue—he was furious that Tang Ke Xin had not spared his dignity. Liu Ruyue was his woman, after all. To have her exposed so publicly was, in his mind, an affront to him.
That Tang Ke Xin did not care for his pride or his feelings only enraged him further.
But he had never once considered her feelings.
Not in the past.
Not now.
Not ever.
How many times had he humiliated her without a second thought?
And now, in this very hall, he had chosen to protect Liu Ruyue over her.
Why should she care for his face?
Tang Ke Xin did not even bother to look at him. She had no intention of quarrelling. This was neither the time nor the place. And frankly, she had already shown him more mercy than he deserved.
Had he not provoked her earlier, she would not have spoken so sharply.
Mu Shaoyi, pampered from birth, had grown into a spoiled tyrant—arrogant, self‑absorbed, and accustomed to being worshipped. The Mu family had raised him like a fragile treasure, and he had become a man who believed the world revolved around him.
Now, feeling his masculine pride wounded, he lashed out like a child denied a toy.
"Tang Ke Xin," he snapped, voice rising with indignation, "don't think I don't know what you're doing. You're jealous of Yue'er because I like her. That's why you're slandering her! Dream on! Behaving like this only makes me feel disgust, loathing, and hatred—"
The hall froze.
Every pair of eyes widened.
This Young Master Mu…
Was he truly this foolish?
Tang Ke Xin's heart sank.
This man would not recognise dignity even if it were handed to him on a golden platter.
The Empress's expression darkened.
The Prime Minister's eyes burned with fury.
Ye Lan Jue's gaze turned glacial—cold enough to freeze the air itself. A dangerous aura rippled from him, sharp and suffocating.
Ye Lan Chen's temper ignited instantly. He shifted, ready to leap to his feet.
But before he could—
"Miss Tang, is he clever? Truly? Is this what you call wit? Are you referring to Young Master Mu?"
The little princess—barely twelve years old—cut through Mu Shaoyi's tirade with a voice as clear as a bell and twice as sharp.
She looked at Mu Shaoyi with open confusion, as though genuinely unable to comprehend how such a man could exist.
The hall erupted into barely contained laughter.
And Mu Shaoyi's face turned the colour of overripe plums.