CHAPTER 77 — THE MOMENT HER DECREE WAS EXPOSED
"No—nothing," Tang Ke Xin replied swiftly.
Of course she would never tell him what she had just imagined. Even if he threatened her with death, she would take that secret to the grave.
The Third Prince, however, was far too perceptive to be fooled. One glance at her expression had already told him that whatever she had been thinking was certainly not flattering to him.
At that moment, the door eased open with a soft, hesitant creak.
The intruder moved slowly, cautiously—aware that in this palace, many possessed martial skill, and even the faintest sound might betray them.
Tang Ke Xin dared not move.
Fortunately, from where she lay, she could see through the narrow gap between the cabinet and the floor.
A figure stepped inside.
Her eyes narrowed.
Just as she had expected—
it was Aunt Xi.
Behind her, Ye Lan Jue watched Tang Ke Xin's reaction with quiet astonishment. She was utterly calm. Too calm. She had anticipated this.
But why Aunt Xi?
Of all people, she was the least likely to harm the Empress.
Why would Tang Ke Xin suspect her?
The longer he knew this woman, the less he understood her.
Tang Ke Xin remained still, waiting.
She needed Aunt Xi to reveal her intentions clearly—only then would the truth be undeniable.
Aunt Xi slipped into the room, glancing around with feigned casualness. She did not close the door—clever. Closing it would arouse suspicion. Leaving it open made her appear innocent, as though she had simply risen early to fetch something.
She searched the room quietly.
Tang Ke Xin had not hidden the dagger too deeply.
Aunt Xi found it quickly.
Her eyes flashed.
She reached for it.
"What is Aunt Xi looking for?"
Tang Ke Xin rose to her feet.
Aunt Xi jolted violently.
The dagger slipped from her fingers and clattered to the floor.
She stumbled back, pale with shock.
She tried to hide the dagger by stepping on it.
"Miss Tang—why… why are you here?" Aunt Xi stammered, her voice trembling.
"I should be the one asking that," Tang Ke Xin replied coldly. Her expression darkened. The Empress had treated Aunt Xi with kindness for years—yet she had betrayed her?
Tang Ke Xin had suspected her from the beginning.
She had set this trap to confirm it.
She had not expected to be right.
"This servant came to find something," Aunt Xi said, regaining a sliver of composure.
"What exactly was Aunt Xi looking for?" Tang Ke Xin asked, smiling faintly—too faintly. The coldness beneath it was unmistakable.
Behind her, Ye Lan Jue watched her with a fox-like smile.
He had no intention of interfering.
He was enjoying himself far too much.
And privately, he was already thinking—
Perhaps I should bring her back to my residence sooner rather than later. Then I can hold her every night…
Tang Ke Xin, of course, had no idea what schemes were forming in the Third Prince's mind.
"This servant merely wished to take some ingredients to prepare soup for the Empress," Aunt Xi said smoothly.
A good excuse—
but Tang Ke Xin would not be fooled.
She remembered clearly how Aunt Xi had reacted yesterday when the palace maid reported Wan Yi's death.
The Empress had been shocked.
Aunt Xi had been terrified.
Not for the Empress—
but for herself.
And only Aunt Xi knew the Empress's movements that day.
Only she could have arranged the timing of the attack.
"Oh? Then why did Aunt Xi pick up that dagger?" Tang Ke Xin asked softly. "His Highness told me yesterday that the Emperor discovered a murderer's fingerprint on it. He placed it here for safekeeping. He feared someone might steal it."
Aunt Xi's face drained of colour.
"This servant… does not understand Miss Tang's meaning."
Tang Ke Xin's disappointment deepened.
Even now, Aunt Xi refused to admit anything.
She stepped forward and kicked Aunt Xi's foot aside, revealing the dagger.
She picked it up.
"Since Aunt Xi is here," she said calmly, "why not test your fingerprint first?"
Aunt Xi trembled violently.
Her lips quivered.
"This servant still has matters to attend to—"
"Does Aunt Xi wish for me to test it," Tang Ke Xin interrupted softly, "or shall we wait for the Emperor to do it?"
Aunt Xi froze.
"If I investigate," Tang Ke Xin continued, "this matter remains private. If the Emperor investigates… Aunt Xi should know the consequences better than I."
It was a bluff.
The Emperor knew nothing.
But Aunt Xi didn't know that.
Aunt Xi hesitated—then her eyes hardened.
"There is no fingerprint on the dagger," she snapped. "This is all your fabrication. Tang Ke Xin, you are clever—but there are matters beyond your reach."
"So?" Tang Ke Xin asked, her smile turning razor-sharp.
"Without evidence, you cannot frame me."
Aunt Xi exhaled in relief.
She truly believed there was no fingerprint.
Tang Ke Xin's smile deepened—cold, chilling.
Before she could speak again, hurried footsteps echoed from the courtyard. Many footsteps.
"Where is the murderer? Bring them out at once!"
Imperial Consort Ming's sharp voice rang out.
Tang Ke Xin stiffened.
Murderer?
Who told Imperial Consort Ming that the culprit was being interrogated in Kunning Palace?
She had only arrived moments ago.
How had the news spread so quickly?
A cold realisation struck her.
Everything she had done—
every step—
had been watched by that man.
A wave of dread washed over her.
If he had seen everything…
had he also seen her sleeping beside the Third Prince?
"The Emperor has arrived!"
The announcement thundered through the courtyard.
Tang Ke Xin's heart lurched.
Yesterday, she had been the one who asked Ye Lan Chen to impersonate the Emperor. She had intended to resolve the matter quietly, discreetly—without alarming the entire palace.
She had never imagined it would escalate into such a spectacle.
Even the Emperor himself had come.
If he discovered she had forged an imperial decree…
Would he simply order her execution on the spot?
No… someone must have orchestrated this.
Someone had deliberately magnified the situation, forcing it into the Emperor's hands.
Aunt Xi glanced at Tang Ke Xin and suddenly smiled—cold, triumphant. Then she turned and walked out of the storeroom.
She believed she was safe.
She believed there were no fingerprints on the dagger.
And without evidence, Tang Ke Xin could do nothing.
Moreover, Aunt Xi had clearly guessed that Tang Ke Xin had been issuing orders in the Emperor's name. She intended to expose her.
Tang Ke Xin did not rush after her.
She cast a quick glance behind the cabinet—
but there was no movement.
Ye Lan Jue had already slipped away.
She exhaled silently and stepped out of the storeroom.
The Empress was awake now, pale but composed.
Aunt Xi entered the courtyard first and bowed deeply.
"Your servant greets Your Majesty, the Empress, and Imperial Concubine Ming."
Her expression was calm—too calm.
"What is going on?" Imperial Concubine Ming demanded, her gaze flicking between Aunt Xi and Tang Ke Xin emerging from the storeroom. "Why are the two of you coming out of there?"
"This servant does not know," Aunt Xi replied smoothly. "This servant merely wished to fetch ingredients to prepare the Empress's morning soup. But Miss Tang was inside the storeroom and accused me of being the murderer. She claimed the dagger bore the killer's fingerprint, and that His Majesty had ordered everyone to press their handprints to identify the culprit."
She delivered the accusation with perfect timing, her tone trembling just enough to appear wronged.
The Empress's brows knitted together.
Those words—fingerprints, decrees—were exactly what Chen'er had said yesterday.
Had Aunt Xi been present then?
Why was she pushing everything onto her son?
A cold suspicion flickered in the Empress's eyes.
"Has His Majesty issued such a decree?" Imperial Concubine Ming asked sharply. "Why was I not informed?"
"I do not recall giving any such order," the Emperor said at last.
His gaze shifted to Tang Ke Xin—slowly, deliberately.
"Little girl, when exactly did I issue this decree you speak of?"
His tone was mild.
His expression was calm.
But beneath it lay a dangerous chill that made the air itself tighten.
The Emperor was angry.
Truly angry.
A forged decree was no trivial matter.
Tang Ke Xin felt her heart sink.