She stood on tiptoe to reach the clothes she had hung out to dry, grumbling helplessly, "Poor me, I don't even have a change of clothes, or I wouldn't have to sleep in the nude. Thank goodness there's no one else in this courtyard..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Yan Weichi spotted a food box on the table.
This... this, this, this?
It hadn't been there last night! What the hell? Had someone been inside?
Yan Weichi hurriedly dressed herself and walked nervously toward the food box.
She extended a finger to nudge the lid open, then quickly retreated two steps.
After confirming there was no immediate danger, she approached timidly. Inside the box sat two plates of delicate snacks.
Yan Weichi couldn't help but swallow hard. She was truly hungry.
But... who had sent this?
Shangguan Xi?
But she had been sleeping in the nude last night!!! Could Shangguan Xi have...
Yan Weichi’s eyes widened. Forgetting about the food, she hurried out of the room and headed toward Shangguan Xi's bedchamber.
"Shangguan Xi, you..."
Yan Weichi pushed open the door, only to find Shangguan Xi still lying peacefully on his bed. His breathing was long and steady, as if he had never woken up.
The words of accusation died in her throat.
She walked slowly to his side and noticed his complexion was strangely flushed, yet his lips were severely chapped. Yan Weichi’s heart skipped a beat as she reached out to test the temperature of his forehead.
His skin was alarmingly hot. As expected, he had a fever!
"How can this be?" Yan Weichi felt puzzled. She had clearly tended to his wounds yesterday. Even the places she hadn't managed to apply medicine to before Shangguan Xi interrupted her, she had at least cleaned. There was no reason for them to be inflamed.
Yan Weichi took his wrist to check his pulse. After a moment, she let out a slight sigh of relief, murmuring, "It’s alright, the situation isn't too serious."
She brought over a bowl of water and carefully fed it to him. "Your Highness, wake up, drink some water!"
In his delirium, Shangguan Xi didn't open his eyes but drank a few sips from her hand.
Yan Weichi then untied his undergarments to inspect his wounds. Sure enough, the area around the knife wound on his shoulder was severely red and swollen. This was the wound he had sustained at Qinghe Palace when he stepped in to block the blade intended for her by the Duke of Anguo.
As she dressed the wound, she cursed indignantly, "That dead old man, the Duke of Anguo—he’s repulsive, and his blade is filthy. You’d better not fall into my hands, or I’ll stab you a hundred or eighty times with your own wretched knife to vent my anger, hmph!"
After tending to the wound, Yan Weichi stood up and said helplessly, "External wounds are easy, but for your fever, you need medicine. I'll go out and see if I can trade some of the Emperor's gifts for some useful herbs. Don't you dare have anything go wrong while you're here alone!"
Shangguan Xi remained unconscious, unable to respond.
Yan Weichi sighed, dug a box of relatively harmless pearl powder out of the pile of poisoned gifts, and turned to leave.
However, the moment she stepped out, she saw trouble waiting for her!
"Yan Weichi! You have a lot of nerve!" The Duke of Anguo shouted, standing there with a group of guards.
Yan Weichi blinked, looked at the crowd in confusion, then toward the gate, and frowned. "You old man, you're truly unreasonable. You barge into my Crown Prince’s Mansion with a mob, and you say I have a lot of nerve? I think your nerve is even bigger!"
Old man? She actually called him an old man?!
The Duke of Anguo gritted his teeth. "Yan Weichi, you impersonated your sister Yan Qingshu to take the position of Crown Princess. Now that the truth is out, what else do you have to say for yourself?"
"Impersonated?" Yan Weichi finally understood the Duke’s purpose.
Who would impersonate someone else just to get thrown in jail? This wasn't something she had wanted at all!
Yan Weichi rolled her eyes at the Duke and said testily, "Duke of Anguo, for it to be an impersonation, there first has to be a 'pretense.' I never once claimed to be Yan Qingshu."
"Stop quibbling with me! You cannot escape the charge of impersonating the Crown Princess today. Men, seize her and throw her into the dungeon!"
Yan Weichi sighed with exhaustion, thinking that this Duke was too troublesome—no wonder even the Emperor gave him three points of leeway. He was truly a nightmare.
As the guards lunged toward her, Yan Weichi subconsciously gripped her own wrist. This small movement went unnoticed by the guards but did not escape the eyes of Ye Tianshu.
Ye Tianshu had been secretly protecting Yan Weichi. Just as he was debating whether or not to intervene, he saw her small gesture.
He said to Yu Feiyan beside him, "Little Feifei, look at her movements."
Yu Feiyan asked in confusion, "What about them? She’s just standing there like a fool; she doesn't even know how to run."
Ye Tianshu rolled his eyes at him and continued, "Don't you find her a bit strange? Ever since she appeared in the dungeon yesterday, she has always been able to pull out specific items at the right moment—silver needles, poison, and the medicinal powder in Fener's hand-washing water."
Yu Feiyan was startled. "Are you saying Fener was framed by her? That she was innocent?"
Ye Tianshu rolled his eyes. "Only a fool like you would believe that something handled seven days ago could still be effective. Fener wasn't 'innocent'—you could tell by how guilty she looked the first time she washed her hands. But she was definitely set up."
Saying this, Ye Tianshu rubbed his chin, his eyes fixed on Yan Weichi’s wrist. "That girl must have something strange hidden in her hands."
Sure enough, just as Ye Tianshu finished speaking, Yan Weichi extended both hands, pretending to be frightened, and waved them before her.
She feigned terror. "Oh my, don't come any closer! You're scaring me!"
The guards ignored her and kept moving in, failing to notice the fine, light powder she had shaken from her palm.
"Achoo!"
One guard couldn't help but sneeze. Then, the others followed, one after another.
"Achoo! Achoo!"
"Achoo!"
In the blink of an eye, all the guards near Yan Weichi were weeping and sniffling, unable to stop sneezing!
Yan Weichi covered her nose and mouth, backing away. "Oh dear, if you're sick, go get treated properly! Why run out here to arrest people? Duke of Anguo, you’re so cold-hearted—you’re like an early-stage capitalist!"
The Duke didn't understand what a "capitalist" was, but he knew it wasn't a compliment!
The Duke roared, "A bunch of useless trash! What are you standing there for? Arrest her!"
Seeing this, the other guards rushed forward.
Yan Weichi scanned the crowd and couldn't help but feel a headache. *I haven't been here long,* she thought. *Even with this strange bracelet helping me, I didn't prepare that much poison. Damn you, Shangguan Xi, are you really not planning to come out and save your beloved wife? And here I was about to go out and buy medicine for you!*
Yan Weichi stepped back until her back hit the door with a clatter.
The Duke knew Shangguan Xi was in the room, but since he hadn't appeared, he assumed the Crown Prince didn't care about Yan Weichi. Or perhaps, now that Shangguan Xi knew she wasn't Yan Qingshu, he had cast her aside?
Thinking this, the Duke sneered and walked toward Yan Weichi, seemingly intending to capture her himself.
Hidden in the shadows, Ye Tianshu rolled his eyes. "This old man is truly petty; he’s throwing away his reputation just to get revenge. He's actually going to lay hands on a delicate young girl!"
Yu Feiyan frowned. "Senior Brother isn't coming out, and we don't know his stance. What should we do?"
Ye Tianshu was pondering this when, before he could reach a conclusion, more visitors arrived at the Crown Prince's Mansion.
"Father, I won't go! I won't go!" It was a girl's voice.
"Shu'er, be good. We’re just going to admit our mistake and apologize. The rice is already cooked—the Crown Prince won't pester you anymore!" This was a middle-aged man speaking.
The two seemed to think the mansion was empty and spoke without restraint. To their surprise, as they turned into the inner courtyard, they were met by a courtyard full of guards.
Yan Weichi saw them and her heart skipped a beat. It was her "cheap father!"
Indeed, the arrivals were Marquis Pingyi, Yan Hanshan, and his legitimate daughter, Yan Qingshu.
Seeing the Duke of Anguo standing there, Yan Hanshan was stunned for a moment, then quickly fawned, "Greetings, Your Grace the Duke. I wasn't aware you were here."
The Duke looked at Yan Hanshan with cold eyes, then glanced at the timid Yan Qingshu, and sneered. "What? Realizing the Crown Prince is dying, you swapped the legitimate daughter for a concubine's daughter. Now that you hear the Crown Prince has made a comeback, you want to swap her back? Yan Hanshan, your schemes are so blatant they’re practically hitting me in the face!"
Yan Hanshan stiffened and hurriedly defended himself, "Your Grace, there’s a misunderstanding... there were reasons for this."
"Oh? Reasons? Do tell, what reasons? Your two daughters don't even look alike. You can't possibly claim you mixed them up on your way out the door?" The Duke then shouted, "This is clearly an act of deceiving the Emperor!"
"That's right, that's right! He is deceiving the Emperor—Your Grace, hurry up and arrest him!" Yan Weichi chimed in with a grin, adding fuel to the fire, not caring how ugly Yan Hanshan’s face turned.
"You brat! What nonsense are you spouting? Deceiving the Emperor is a crime punishable by the extermination of one's entire clan!" Yan Hanshan glared viciously at Yan Weichi.
Yan Qingshu also frowned. "Big sister, stop talking nonsense. If the Marquis estate is accused of deceiving the Emperor, how can you expect to stay out of it?"
Yan Weichi was unimpressed. "Who said I wanted to stay out of it? We’re all going to die anyway, so we might as well die together! Getting the whole family killed is such a rare, golden opportunity!"
"You... what kind of madness is this?!" Yan Hanshan was so angry his mustache quivered.
Yan Weichi shrugged. "Please, it’s not me who’s crazy, it’s this Duke of Anguo who won't let it go."
The Duke immediately retorted, "It is not I who won't let it go, but you two, father and daughter, who are unforgivable! Men, take them all!"
"Wait!" A woman’s voice rang out from behind the crowd.
Yan Weichi looked toward the source and saw the gorgeously dressed Princess Mingyang walking in.
Princess Mingyang, Han Zixuan, was the biological sister of the current Prince Changxin, as well as Yan Hanshan’s wife and Yan Qingshu’s biological mother. In Yan Weichi’s eyes, she was just a wicked stepmother who had usurped her place. Had it not been for her, Yan Weichi’s mother wouldn't have been reduced to a concubine and eventually forced to take her own life, and Yan Weichi wouldn't have fallen from the primary legitimate daughter to a concubine-born daughter.
Thinking of this, Yan Weichi’s eyes lit up. *That’s right,* she thought. *I was the legitimate daughter all along.*
Her eyes darted around, and a plan formed in her mind.
***
On the other side, seeing Princess Mingyang walk in, Yan Qingshu rushed to her like a fledgling bird, acting spoiled. "Mother, you’ve finally come! They say Father is guilty of deceiving the Emperor!"
Mingyang stroked her daughter’s hair dotingly and then looked at the Duke, frowning. "Your Grace, could there be some misunderstanding here? Shall we invite my brother to discuss this with you properly?"
The Duke snorted coldly. The Princess was using her brother, Prince Changxin, to pressure him. Everyone in the court knew that the civil officials followed the Duke of Anguo, while the military officers looked to Prince Changxin. The two men stood in opposition in the court, practically holding the Emperor hostage. That was why Yan Hanshan had the audacity to let a concubine’s daughter impersonate the legitimate one—he had the backing of the Prince Changxin’s Estate!
Sure enough, hearing the Princess mention this, the Duke softened slightly and didn't insist on the charge of deceiving the Emperor. However, he didn't give up either. He said, "How would Prince Changxin know about this? The one who knows the truth best is the Emperor. Since you aren't convinced, let us go to the palace and face the Emperor. Let’s hear what he has to say!"
The Duke believed that even if Prince Changxin didn't care much for Emperor Kangwu, in front of everyone, he would never dare to defy the Emperor. As long as the Emperor acknowledged Yan Hanshan’s scheme, even if Yan Hanshan didn't die, Yan Weichi definitely wouldn't survive!
Princess Mingyang thought for a moment and decided it was fine to let the Emperor decide. Given the reputation of the Prince Changxin’s Estate, the Emperor would never convict Yan Hanshan of deceiving the Emperor; at most, he would make Yan Weichi shoulder all the blame. She didn't have to worry about that little wretch—it would be better if she died!
The Duke and Princess Mingyang reached a tacit agreement to let Yan Weichi take the fall.
Princess Mingyang glared viciously at Yan Weichi and said, "Fine, we shall go to the palace together!"
Yan Weichi was speechless. She hadn't even eaten since she arrived in this world, and now they were going to start bickering again? Ancient people were truly bored!
Yan Weichi looked back at the closed door, wishing she could blame him, but she couldn't. Shangguan Xi was still running a fever and was likely unconscious and delirious.
*Forget it, forget it.* Mountains crumble, people run, she’d better rely on herself!
Yan Weichi walked toward Yan Hanshan, agreeing to go to the palace.
As the crowd headed toward the palace, Ye Tianshu urged, "Little Feifei, aren't you going to the palace yet? Have you forgotten the Senior Brother's instructions from yesterday?"
Yu Feiyan frowned. "I wanted to check on the Senior Brother first thing this morning before seeing the Emperor. I didn't expect to see such a show. Do you think Yan Weichi can get out of this?"
Ye Tianshu shook his head. "Hard to say. But the Senior Brother didn't step in, so he likely has his own considerations. You go ahead to the palace; with your identity as the Prince Xiaoyao’s Heir, you can protect her a bit in front of everyone."
Yu Feiyan nodded and flew off immediately.
However, neither of them knew that Shangguan Xi didn't want to ignore her—he was truly still unconscious. He had been caught in the rain in the courtyard last night, and the water had seeped through the bandages, causing the wound to inflame. He only had himself to blame for seeing a sight of beauty he shouldn't have and choosing a way to "cool off" that he shouldn't have.
***
The group soon arrived at the palace gates, passed on the message, and waited for the Emperor’s summons.
Seeing this, Yan Weichi sidled up to Yan Hanshan with a bright smile. "Father, may I have a word with you in private?"
Yan Hanshan looked at her with a look of disgust that Yan Weichi couldn't understand, nor did she care. He responded testily, "If you have something to say, say it here."
Yan Weichi glanced at Princess Mingyang and Yan Qingshu in the distance. Thinking it didn't matter if they heard, she spoke up, "Father, today's business is going to be troublesome."
"And that’s because you won't stop spouting nonsense! You want to die, fine, but don't drag the whole estate down with you. How can you be so vicious at such a young age?!" Yan Hanshan gritted his teeth as if he wanted to strangle her.
Yan Weichi couldn't understand where her own father’s intense hatred came from, but she had no interest in repairing this worthless father-daughter relationship. She had another goal.
***
Yan Weichi smiled. "Oh, don't get so worked up, it’s bad for your health. I have a way to get the whole estate out of this unscathed. Not only that, I can successfully become the Crown Princess, so that in the future, your political career can rely on both the Prince Changxin’s Estate and the Crown Prince’s Mansion. It’s a win-win, Father. You wouldn't say no to that, would you?"
Yan Hanshan paused, his heart wavering. Princess Mingyang had the backing of the Prince Changxin’s Estate, but for all these years, it had only earned him the title of Marquis. He held a title, but had little power in the six ministries. The Crown Prince was, after all, the Crown Prince—even if he had no power now, who could guarantee he wouldn't become Emperor in the future?
Taking a chance might be harmless. More friends meant more paths, more enemies meant more walls.
Thinking of this, Yan Hanshan walked a few steps away. Seeing this, Yan Weichi hopped after him like a little rabbit.
Once they were distanced from the crowd, Yan Hanshan demanded, "What is your plan?"
Yan Weichi held out her hand. "Five hundred taels!"
Yan Hanshan was stunned, then his eyes widened in disbelief. "You’re talking to me about money?"
Yan Weichi’s eyes widened even more. "What else? Should we talk about feelings? You don't exactly seem like you have any feelings for me!"
"You... Hmph!" Yan Hanshan’s face turned livid, and he turned to leave.
Yan Weichi called out immediately, "Well, if you don't want to, then let’s all sink together. Better the whole family dies than just me. If you’re not willing, I’ll start talking. Those thousands of acres of fertile land on the manor I lived on—I believe you haven't been paying the grain taxes on them? Where has all that money gone over the years? Oh dear, could it be that you’ve been using it to raise private soldiers for Prince Changxin?"
Yan Weichi was just spouting nonsense; after all, if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a reason. But Yan Hanshan’s reaction was intense.
He gasped, "Shut up!"
Yan Weichi jumped. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, but he was just too loud! Everyone around them looked over.
Yan Hanshan scanned the crowd, took a deep breath, and forced a smile to indicate he was fine and just scolding his daughter. Once they were no longer watching, he went back to Yan Weichi and whispered coldly, "You wretch, if you cannot clear us, you will take all the blame yourself. Otherwise, not only will I not give you any money, but I will strip the skin off your back! Do you understand?!"
Yan Weichi ignored his threats and merely confirmed, "So, that’s a yes?"
Yan Hanshan snorted and didn't respond, which she took as his consent.
Just then, the little eunuch came out to announce that the Emperor had summoned them all.
***
In Jiulong Hall.
Emperor Kangwu looked at the large, chaotic group entering and couldn't help but sigh.