Chapter Fourteen: Distorting Right and Wrong

In that instant, the face beneath Lady Jin’s veil stiffened, all tenderness vanishing from her gaze, replaced by venomous malice.

Her face was always her greatest concern, yet this little devil… It must be intentional.

“Lady Jin, has the princess offended you in some way?” Xuexue reached out and drew Xiao Xier back to her side in a protective gesture, an aura of coldness radiating from her as if the very weather had suddenly changed. Lady Jin involuntarily took a step back, her body trembling.

“Your servant… does not dare.”

“Your Majesty, His Highness still awaits you.” The attendant Miao Jian glanced over and whispered a reminder.

“Thank you, Eunuch.” Xuexue inclined her head, her tone calm, her expression unruffled, as though the scene that had just unsettled everyone had been nothing but an illusion.

“Lady Jin, please follow as well. His Highness has instructed that once the Queen arrives, you may enter.” Miao Jian turned back to Lady Jin, bowing as he relayed the king’s words with candid clarity.

“Thank you, Eunuch.” Lady Jin managed a smile, but beneath it, her teeth bit fiercely into her lower lip, drawing blood.

The study was tastefully austere: orderly bookshelves filled with volumes and rolled paintings; carved violet-lacquered tables and chairs; a white jade vase holding a bouquet of blooming caitie flowers, their small green blossoms harmonizing elegantly with the slender vessel.

Seated at the desk was a man in a robe of pale water-blue, a heavy layer of gauze draped over it, giving the fabric a stiff, striking edge wherever it folded. His long hair was gathered at the crown with a jade coronet, the rest cascading over his back like ink spilled across azure silk, creating a living masterpiece.

His features were perfectly sculpted, as enchanting as a lotus pond beneath the night sky—serene and mysterious.

“Your Majesty, the Queen and Lady Jin have arrived.” The group entered quietly, and Miao Jian announced their presence with deference.

“Greetings to Your Majesty.”

“No need for formalities, my beloved. Please, be seated.” Ji Wu Qing spoke gently, yet did not so much as lift his head. Silence settled over the study until, after a long moment, he finally set down his brush and looked up languidly.

“Xier, have you been up to mischief? How did you come to have so many ink stains on your clothes?” He eyed Xiao Xier’s attire with an amused, probing gaze, a captivating sparkle in his eyes.

All present turned to look; sure enough, ink stains marred the sleeves of Xiao Xier’s garment.

“Father, I was punished for my mistake. Mother had me copy The Treatise on Women as discipline.” With Xuexue by her side, Xiao Xier dared not misbehave, answering obediently, though her eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Oh? And what was the cause?”

“Your Majesty, it was nothing serious, only the child’s mischief. I imposed a small punishment to help her remember. But may I ask—why has Your Majesty summoned me today?” Xuexue tilted her head slightly, her snowy complexion clear as a spring, translucent and radiant.

Her hair was coiled into an elegant chignon adorned with a translucent red jade hairpin, from which hung jewels shaped like red lotuses, swaying gently. Several locks of hair fell gracefully across her chest, simple yet refined.

Barely had her words faded when Lady Jin and her entourage suddenly dropped to their knees, weeping.

“I beg Your Majesty to grant me justice!” Lady Jin, arrayed in red, knelt upon the cold floor, her robes spreading out like a pool of blood.

Her voice trembled with tears, plaintive and aggrieved, as though she had suffered some great injustice.

A beauty kneeling in secret tears—enough to stir anyone’s heartstrings.

Yet Ji Wu Qing’s eyes remained lowered, his expression gentle, though a shadow seemed to pass through his gaze.

“What matter compels you to bring such complaints to me, Lady Jin? Do you not know that matters within the inner palace are for the Queen to decide? Or is this some subtle slight against the Queen herself? Have you truly considered your actions?” His voice was soft, almost lazy, yet carried a powerful pressure that made Lady Jin’s heart tremble.

But the more she saw His Majesty defend that blind woman, the more determined she became to bring Xuexue down.

“Your Majesty, the matter concerns the Queen herself. I had no choice but to take this measure.” She lowered her gaze, pitiful and tearful, her eyes shining like exotic gems, arousing sympathy.

Xuexue secretly shook her head. So Lady Jin intended to turn the tables—an act of desperation, but also an opportunity.

“Xue’er, what do you have to say?” Ji Wu Qing’s manner softened, his gaze doting as he looked to Xuexue, as calm as ever, seeking her opinion.

Could it be that His Majesty truly cared so much for this blind woman? Malice flickered in Lady Jin’s downcast eyes.

Xuexue hesitated, then replied respectfully, “Since the matter concerns me, I will listen attentively. Your Majesty, I only ask that you judge fairly.”

“In that case, Lady Jin, speak freely.” The words seemed to show regard for the Queen, making Lady Jin’s face darken further.

“Your Majesty, it was a trifling matter—I did not wish to seem petty and would have let it pass. But look at my maid’s face, and mine as well. The court physician says the wasp stings may leave scars. I can only beg Your Majesty to uphold justice.” Lady Jin wept with apparent restraint, gazing with sorrow at her maid’s face as though deeply pained.

“Xue’er, have your attendants take Xier to play in the courtyard. Let my little princess not be stifled here.” Whether by design or not, Ji Wu Qing showed not the slightest pity for the weeping beauty, but instead looked tenderly toward Xiao Xier, who blinked in confusion.

Xuexue understood, though she still marveled at Ji Wu Qing’s thoughtfulness.

Once Xiao Xier had left, he finally, in an even tone, stoked the fire. “And how does this concern the Queen?”

“Does Your Majesty not wonder how I came to be stung by wasps?” Lady Jin bit her lip, her voice trembling as she sobbed harder. “This morning, I went to pay my respects to the Queen, but happened to cross paths with the princess. Somehow—accidentally, I’m sure—the princess threw a wasp nest onto me...”

She stammered, her description vague, as if recalling something terrifying.

“Is that so? Did such a thing truly happen?”

Ji Wu Qing leaned his head on his hand, lightly tapping the carved bamboo-leaf table with the other, his eyes half-shut as he gazed at the weeping woman, an inscrutable depth within them.

“I dare not deceive Your Majesty.”

Lady Jin hastened to declare her sincerity, bowing so low her head nearly touched the floor—a display of helplessness that only made Xuexue seem more overbearing by contrast.

Silence settled on the study, broken only by Lady Jin’s pitiful sobbing.

“Your Majesty, Lady Yan requests an audience.” The young eunuch at the door entered to announce, his pace measured and unhurried.

At the news, a faint smile touched Lady Jin’s lips, though she continued to sob.

Xuexue idly traced the raised patterns on her sleeve, musing to herself: three women are needed for a proper drama—without a third, how could the play be complete?

The newcomer was dressed all in white, her garments radiant as snow, surrounded by a halo of pristine light. Her long hair flowed down her back, a white ribbon adorning her small chignon, accentuating her delicate refinement. Her lips pressed together in a demure smile, pure as melting snow, a smile so sweet it could enchant all who beheld her.

“Greetings to Your Majesty and to the Queen,” she said, bowing with a gentle, innocent grace, her sweet voice carrying an air of unspoiled naivete.