Phoenix Cries Return to Court

"you!"

He Guangzheng panicked, tripped, and stumbled back half a step. "Guards! Drag this madwoman away!"

"Your Excellency!" Lin Xi interrupted sharply, "Do you really not know why I'm dressed like this in the wedding hall?"

He Guangzheng avoided her gaze, his tone tinged with guilt, "I...how would I know! It must be your jealousy, deliberately playing tricks to ruin my wedding banquet!"

Lin Xihe's gaze swept over the servants who were trying to dodge and the bewildered guests.

The voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear: "Look at all the servants in this mansion, their faces filled with fear, hiding faster than rabbits. They probably can't even tell whether the person standing before them right now is a human or a ghost, can they?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a crisp "bang" was heard.

In the corner, a timid maid was already terrified. With a tremor, she dropped the copper kettle in her hand and shattered it, spilling tea all over the floor.

Lin Xihe sneered and slowly withdrew her gaze.

Looking at He Guangzheng again, she said, "Am I insane, or is everyone in this Minister's mansion, except for you, He Guangzheng, insane?"

As she spoke, she took a step closer and said solemnly, "Today I woke up in a thin coffin, which was locked alone in a dilapidated courtyard in the corner of the Minister's Mansion."

"If I hadn't been lucky enough to escape, I would probably be poisoned to death in that thin coffin by the old woman who came on orders."

"This funeral garment, this disheveled state—did I choose to be in this state?"

"Your Excellency, you ostensibly intend to marry a concubine as a secondary wife, but in reality, you plan to wait until the new bride enters the household before announcing that I have died suddenly, thus making room for the new bride!"

She raised her hand, displaying her burial clothes to everyone present, "Heaven and earth bear witness, who in this entire Minister's mansion does not know that I, his first wife, have been lying in that thin coffin for three whole days?"

Her gaze swept over the trembling servants in the corner, her eyes carrying an undeniable air of authority. "Yes or no?"

The servants were terrified by her gaze, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to even breathe loudly.

But that deathly silence already said it all.

The guests present were all shrewd individuals. Seeing the servants' reaction and He Guangzheng's flustered and dodging manner, how could they not guess the sordid motives behind it?

Immediately, discussions erupted once again.

Tao Qingqing, who was behind the screen, could no longer sit still. She took a deep breath and was about to lift the red veil to smooth things over when she was interrupted by a sharp, high-pitched voice announcing something.

"His Highness Prince Yu has arrived!"

The guests in the hall fell silent instantly and rose to their feet to pay their respects.

Prince Yu?

Lin Xi was startled. Why did he come back?

As I pondered, I saw a figure in a cloud-patterned brocade robe step across the threshold and slowly enter.

Although the man was somewhat thin, he possessed a commanding presence, and the way he swayed his folding fan could not conceal his noble and elegant air.

"What a spectacle!"

Prince Yu closed his folding fan and casually nodded to the bowing crowd.

Only then did everyone dare to stand up, holding their breath and cautiously observing his expression.

A faint, ambiguous smile played on his lips as his gaze swept over the guests before finally settling on He Guangzheng.

"Your Excellency is celebrating a joyous occasion today, and I have come to offer my congratulations. But as soon as I reached the door, I overheard someone making unfounded remarks about your marriage."

After saying that, he glanced at Lin Xihe, his tone filled with condescending contempt.

"Minister He, in my opinion, the servants in your household are ultimately lacking in thoroughness. Knowing that your wife suffers from hysteria, how could they fail to take good care of her on such a joyous occasion? Their rambling and nonsensical talk has aroused suspicion among all the guests in the mansion, which has not only wronged Princess Ding'an but also spoiled the enjoyment of me and everyone else."

Upon hearing this, He Guangzheng instantly understood, his unease vanished, and he quickly bowed deeply.

He then turned to the butler beside him and shouted angrily, "Useless! Take Madam away to rest at once! On this joyous occasion, you've caused such a huge misunderstanding. You'll regret this!"

The steward shuddered, quickly agreed, and led two female servants toward the "Wen family's" residence.

Lin Xi frowned, looked up at Prince Yu and He Guangzheng who was fawning over him, and her heart sank to the bottom.

When Prince Yu arrived, he immediately accused her of hysteria without any investigation. Such blatant favoritism was no accident.

There must be some shady dealings between the two of them.

Before the maid could touch her, Lin Xihe slightly turned away and said coldly, "Your Highness Prince Yu's words are quite laughable."

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

Everyone was stunned. No one expected that this woman would dare to contradict Prince Yu in public!

He Guangzheng's expression changed drastically, and he shouted angrily, "Insolence! How dare you be disrespectful to His Highness Prince Yu! Shut up now!"

Prince Yu's expression also darkened, and the contempt in his eyes turned into coldness.

"She's just a woman who's lost her mind, yet she dares to be so insolent before me. I'll let it slide today; you'd better behave yourself and leave. If you say another word, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Seeing this, He Guangzheng immediately echoed, and sternly rebuked Lin Xihe, "Did you hear that! His Highness Prince Yu is magnanimous, why don't you kneel down and thank him!"

"You want to argue with me?"

Lin Xihe chuckled and stared directly at Prince Yu without flinching.

"May I ask, Your Highness, what wrong have I done?"

"Your Highness, you keep saying that my wife suffers from hysteria. Then may I ask Your Highness to tell me what kinds of herbal decoctions my wife usually takes, and which pharmacy and doctor have examined her pulse?"

"I am already too busy with state affairs and military matters to concern myself with your personal health issues," Prince Yu said calmly, but the coldness in his eyes grew stronger. "Your disrespectful behavior in front of me is a serious crime based solely on the phrase 'insubordination'."

His voice was not loud, but it carried a heavy weight: "Royal dignity is not something a mere woman like you can disrespect at will."

"Royal majesty?" Lin Xihe raised an eyebrow, her voice firm and resolute. "Everything I said just now was true, with evidence to back it up. How can you call it falsehood? Your Highness, you fail to distinguish right from wrong, aiding and abetting evil, and immediately labeling me as delusional. Is this the majesty of royalty?"

Prince Yu's eyes darkened slightly as he slowly closed the folding fan in his hand and tapped it lightly in his palm.

"What a silver tongue! A single phrase, 'royal dignity,' has forced me into this predicament. But if you claim to have evidence, why can't you produce even a shred of proof? You say I can't distinguish right from wrong, but in the court, the most taboo thing is to use rumors and hearsay to replace the law. If everyone were to arbitrarily accuse their relatives of 'aiding and abetting evil' based solely on their own emotions, that would truly disrupt the order and destroy the royal dignity."

Upon hearing this, Lin Xihe chuckled and said, "Your Highness has a fine tongue, but the truth will be known to all. If I were to reveal all the evidence now, Your Highness could easily dismiss it with a simple 'insufficient evidence, unclear origin.' In that case, not only would I fail to clear my name, but I would also be branded with a complete false accusation."

She stepped forward, her voice clear and concise, "I do not need Your Highness to 'give me justice' today. The duty of the royal family is to investigate injustice and uphold the law, not to protect criminals or use 'hysteria' as a pretext to silence people. As for my evidence, it will be submitted where appropriate. But before that, no one should arbitrarily accuse me, slander me, or prejudge me, nor should anyone try to cover up the truth!"

"Outrageous! A woman of your virtue, instead of knowing her place, dares to argue and defy authority! She merely lost out in the power struggles within the household, and now she's using this as an excuse to play tricks and implicate her own husband!" Prince Yu's face was ashen as he roared, "Today, I will teach Minister He a lesson, to show you what a woman's duty is! And what it means to defy the Emperor's authority! Guards!"

"Wait!" A clear and authoritative male voice suddenly rang out.