CHAPTER 115 — THE TRUTH BEHIND THE CURTAIN
The Empress exhaled softly, her expression still clouded with worry. "I must go in and see Imperial Concubine Ning," she murmured, already turning toward the chamber. Her steps were quick, almost anxious — the steps of someone who had nearly lost a person dear to her.
But before she could cross the threshold, Tang Ke Xin's voice rang out.
"Your Majesty."
The Empress halted mid‑step. She turned, her brows knitting with concern. "What is it, Xin'er? Is something amiss?"
Tang Ke Xin met her gaze steadily.
"Imperial Concubine Ning… is already dead."
The words fell like a stone into still water.
The Empress froze. Her breath caught. "What? What did you say? But—just now—you said she lived. She handed you the pillow. The maids went in. How—how can she be dead?"
Her voice trembled with disbelief, each question tumbling out faster than the last.
The rest of the courtyard erupted into murmurs. Shock rippled through the crowd like a sudden gust of wind.
Ye Lan Chen stared at Tang Ke Xin, utterly bewildered. "But Xin… I saw her. She handed you the pillow. She spoke."
Imperial Concubine Ming, who had been inching toward the door, recoiled violently. "If she is dead… then what was that? A ghost?" She stumbled backward, pressing herself against the far wall as though expecting a spectre to emerge.
Tang Ke Xin's lips curved faintly.
"That was not Imperial Concubine Ning," she said calmly. "I asked Dong'er to dress up."
She raised her voice slightly. "Dong'er, come out."
The chamber door opened, and a young woman stepped forward. Gasps echoed through the courtyard.
Her profile — the delicate curve of her cheek, the arch of her brow, the shape of her lips — bore a striking resemblance to Imperial Concubine Ning. Not perfect, but enough to deceive at a glance. Enough to terrify a guilty conscience.
But when Dong'er turned fully to face them, the illusion broke. Her features were different — softer, younger, lacking the concubine's refined elegance.
Still, the resemblance was uncanny.
Tang Ke Xin addressed the stunned crowd. "I could only make Dong'er resemble Imperial Concubine Ning at the corners of her eyes and lips. Fortunately, her profile is similar. That was all I needed."
Imperial Concubine Ming sagged with relief. "So it was Dong'er… not Imperial Concubine Ning." She edged closer again, though her face remained pale.
A palace maid stepped forward, her eyes red. "Yes… it was Miss Dong'er. Imperial Concubine Ning… she truly…"
Her voice broke.
The Empress closed her eyes briefly, grief flickering across her features. Ning Cai'er had been with her since childhood — a gentle, loyal girl. Losing her was a blow she had not yet fully absorbed.
The Emperor's voice cut through the silence. "If Imperial Concubine Ning did not return from the dead, then how did you know all those details? Those things only Xiao Xiang and the man involved would know."
His gaze sharpened, filled with astonishment and suspicion.
Tang Ke Xin bowed her head slightly. "Your Majesty, I deduced it from the scene."
"Deduced?" The Emperor blinked. "You mean… everything you said earlier — all those details — were calculated?"
"Yes."
The Emperor stared at her as though seeing her for the first time. "But you described it so precisely. So vividly. As though you had witnessed it yourself."
Tang Ke Xin's expression remained serene. "The truth leaves traces, Your Majesty. One only needs to know where to look."
Ye Lan Jue's eyes narrowed, a faint glimmer of something unreadable flickering within them. Admiration. Wariness. And something darker — something that tightened his jaw and made his gaze linger on her a moment too long.
This woman…
Her mind was a blade.
Sharp enough to cut through any deception.
And yet she walked into danger without hesitation, without fear, without thought for herself.
It infuriated him.
It fascinated him.
It unsettled him in ways he could not name.
The Emperor leaned forward slightly. "Then tell me — how did you deduced it?"
Tang Ke Xin inclined her head. "First, it is impossible for such a scheme to unfold in Ning He Palace without the involvement of someone close to Imperial Concubine Ning. Therefore, I knew there must be a traitor among her personal maids."
She continued, her tone measured and clear.
"The questions I asked earlier were designed to reveal who that traitor was. Their reactions confirmed it — Xiao Xiang."
The Emperor nodded slowly. "Your observation is impressive. But how did you know the details of the assault?"
Tang Ke Xin's voice softened. "I examined Imperial Concubine Ning's body."
A ripple of discomfort passed through the crowd.
Tang Ke Xin continued, unflinching. "There are marks left by pleasure, and marks left by violence. They are not the same. Imperial Concubine Ming should know this well."
Imperial Concubine Ming stiffened. Her face flushed crimson — with embarrassment, anger, and something like humiliation.
The Emperor's gaze darkened.
Imperial Concubine Ming snapped, "Hmph! You speak as though you have experience. How would you know such things if you have never—"
"Enough."
The Emperor's voice cracked like a whip.
Imperial Concubine Ming fell silent instantly, her face twisting with resentment.
The Emperor turned back to Tang Ke Xin, his expression softening. "Continue."
Imperial Concubine Ming's eyes widened. The Emperor's tone toward Tang Ke Xin was gentler — far gentler — than it had ever been toward her. A spark of hatred ignited in her chest.
Tang Ke Xin resumed calmly. "Aside from the marks on her body, there were other clues. The man who assaulted her must have planned this long in advance. He needed the Fourth Prince unconscious, but not for long — so he used a short‑acting drug."
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
"And because His Highness was unconscious, it is impossible for him to have… engaged in such an act."
A few people still looked confused.
Ye Lan Chen, in particular, blinked at her with wide, earnest eyes. "But Xinxin… what evidence? What marks?"
Tang Ke Xin stared at him.
Her expression froze.
Of all people —
Of all possible people —
It was Ye Lan Chen who asked that question.
Her mind blanked for a moment.
Ye Lan Chen's innocence was almost painful.
Ye Lan Jue, standing beside him, closed his eyes briefly as though suppressing the urge to strangle someone.
Tang Ke Xin inhaled slowly, forcing her composure back into place.
She had not expected him to ask.
She had not expected him to be so… oblivious.
Ye Lan Jue's gaze slid toward her, dark and knowing.
He remembered that night.
He remembered every mark he had left on her.
He remembered her breathless voice, her trembling body, the way she had clung to him.
And he remembered the bite mark she had removed — the one piece of evidence that would have exposed her identity.
His lips curved faintly.
"In theory," she had said.
He knew better.
Tang Ke Xin blinked rapidly, her cheeks warming despite herself. She turned her face away, refusing to meet Ye Lan Jue's eyes.
Ye Lan Chen, oblivious to the tension, leaned forward eagerly. "So what evidence—"
Tang Ke Xin cut him off sharply.
"Your Highness does not need to know."
Ye Lan Chen blinked again. "Oh."
The Emperor cleared his throat, hiding a smile.
Tang Ke Xin continued, her tone brisk. "The marks left by the man were deliberate. They were meant to mimic the traces of intimacy — but they were not the same. That is how I knew the Fourth Prince was innocent."
The Emperor nodded slowly. "I see."
But before he could speak further, a sudden thought struck him.
"Who was the man? And who orcehstrated all this?"
The courtyard fell silent.
All eyes turned to Xiao Xiang's lifeless body.
Tang Ke Xin's expression darkened. "We may never know. The poison was administered long ago — dormant, undetectable. It activated at the precise moment she was about to speak."
Ye Lan Jue's jaw tightened. "A poison that even I could not detect."
Tang Ke Xin glanced at him, startled by the quiet fury in his voice.
He was angry.
Not at her.
At the poisoner who had outplayed them.
At the shadow lurking behind the scenes.
The Emperor's face hardened. "Dispose of the body."
Guards dragged Xiao Xiang's corpse away.
The Empress exhaled shakily — a mixture of disappointment and relief. If Xiao Xiang had known more, the consequences could have been catastrophic.
The Crown Prince, who had remained silent throughout, watched Tang Ke Xin with a faint, unreadable smile.
A smile that made her skin prickle.
A smile that promised trouble.