Chen Hexiang, being the plaintiff, was the first to arrive. Ning Ziyan was also brought to the court well in advance. Xia Yuhang, a reputable young nobleman and the son of Minister Xia, wasn’t arrested and detained. Instead, the officers from the Ministry of Justice only brought him here today.

Ning Xueyan stayed in the carriage, watching Xia Yuhang being herded through the crowd into the court. Someone pushed him just as he noticed her carriage, causing him to nearly fall. He was brought inside the Ministry of Justice, almost pathetically so, and the crowd soon filled the door.

While the trial continued, Xinmei would return from time to time to report the development of the case. It wasn’t an uncommon sight, for there were many people who found it inconvenient to leave their carriages. Many quick-witted servants and maids would run back and forth to deliver the latest news, so Ning Xueyan remained inconspicuous.

Inside the court, Chen Hexiang had already produced her evidence. The poems that Ning Ziying and Xia Yuhang wrote together in the past were full of affection, especially in the former’s verses. There was also a letter from Xia Yuhang to Ning Ziying, inviting her to an outing in the Cold Mountain Temple. It was unknown how the letter ended up in Chen Hexiang’s hands.

And the letter was likely the sweetest letter that Xia Yuhang had ever written. He claimed that it was inconvenient for them to meet in the Lord Protector’s Manor. Even though they were engaged since they were children, the Lord Protector’s Manor was still the Lord Protector’s Manor. It was inconvenient for them to meet, so he invited her to the Cold Mountain Temple.

Hearing the contents of the letter from Xinmei, Ning Xueyan thought for a long time before remembering what happened. Indeed, the past was a lifetime away. Even the things that she once cared deeply about, she could no longer recall them that well.

She ought to care for that letter very much at that time. She had been overjoyed by the clear affection in Xia Yuhang’s letter, so she put it away carefully and came up with an excuse to visit the Cold Mountain Temple. Naturally, Ning Ziyan didn’t come along that time.

But how did Chen Hexiang get her hands on this letter? Was it when Chen Hexiang pushed her into the water, wet her clothes, and put on a show of helping her? This was likely. It seemed that Chen Hexiang had pushed her into the water because of Xia Yuhang’s letter invitation.

Chen Hexiang’s pretentious display of heroism later on, wanting to jump into the water to save her, was stopped by Xia Yuhang. Meanwhile, she nearly died there. Thinking about it now, it must be Chen Hexiang who told Xia Yuhang to write the letter. The affectionate words were, of course, a deliberate act to fool her.

Thus, before she even knew it, Xia Yuhang had already abandoned her and hurt her once. She didn’t even notice anything. How stupid.

The following evidence was a few letter replies from Ning Ziying. They were, of course, addressed to Xia Yuhang. It was a wonder how they ended up with Chen Hexiang again. Chen Hexiang and Xia Yuhang must be deeply in love at that time, so it was natural that those letters would end up with the former.

To think that in her past life, she thought that such a fickle-minded and selfish man was a good man! She must have been blind!

The letters, put forth as evidence, were compared with Xia Yuhang’s letters. The handwriting was found to be the same. There was nothing more that Xia Yuhang could argue. Meanwhile, Ning Ziyan also insisted that Xia Yuhang was aware that she and Madam Ling had killed Ning Ziying.

Ning Ziyan said that it was the intention of both families for her to replace Ning Ziyan and marry Xia Yuhang. She took the wedding sedan to Xia Manor and had her red veil lifted. How could Xia Yuhang’s lack of surprise be explained otherwise? It was apparent that it was a ruse between the two families rather than the Lord Protector’s Manor using their marriage as a plot against Xia Manor.

Ning Ziyan’s words were explosive. Although the wedding didn’t go well because of Madam Ming’s incident, Ning Ziyan’s red veil was removed at the very least. So many people saw her in the bridal chamber. When Xia Yuhang saw that his bride was Ning Ziyan, his expression was calm. It was apparent that he was aware of everything.

Having said and proved as much, the case was nearly irrefutable. Xia Manor and Xia Yuhang couldn’t escape responsibility anymore. Back when he was dating these two women who promised to be with him for life, he probably never thought that they would retaliate against him so badly one day.

Life was mysterious that way. Back then, these two women desperately tried to suppress her, steal her position, and kill her. And Xia Yuhang, wanting to benefit from her, put on an affectionate look and made these two women feel like he was a rare catch. He made it so that they would go all out in harming her.

Now, they were all attacking each other. Even outside, she could hear the yelling and crying inside. She could also hear Xia Yuhang’s angry voice.

Could he no longer maintain his usual confidence and composure? What a pity for the nobleman who always put on a show of calmness and grace in front of others…

Uninterested to hear any more of the trial, Ning Xueyan ordered for the carriage to leave the place. The crowd outside the Ministry of Justice was getting worse. Since she was quite early, the crowd ended up gathering around her, making it hard for them to leave immediately. Moreover, the trial was reaching its climax and the onlookers were getting excited. All of them craned their necks for a better look, neither willing to give way for their carriage.

Seeing this, Ning Xueyan put on her veiled hat and got out of the carriage. She started walking away with Xinmei and Qingyu guarding her, leaving the carriage near the monument.

It was crowded, but fortunately, Xinmei was a martial artist and was able to use her body to force an empty path. Ning Xueyan followed after her, with Qingyu taking up the rear. The three of them walked out together.

Suddenly, Ning Xueyan stopped walking and instinctively looked up. She had the nagging feeling that someone was looking at her, but when she raised her head to look, she didn’t notice anything suspicious. On the other side of the Ministry of Justice was a row of shops. There were quite a lot of people looking down at the court from the windows above.

Sensing that Ning Xueyan had stopped walking, Xinmei raised her guard and asked, “What’s wrong, Master?”

“Nothing. Let’s go.” Ning Xueyan shook her head and continued walking behind Xinmei. There were quite a lot of people like them who couldn’t leave in their carriages because of the crowd. Some impatient ones were also leading their servants out of the crowd. The coming and going of pedestrians were normal, so she didn’t think that she stood out a lot.

In particular, she also saw a young lady walking forward, squeezed between two maids like herself. Unlike her, though, the lady wasn’t wearing a veiled hat.

The latest development of the case made the verdict almost a foregone conclusion. Many shared the same idea as Ning Xueyan, thinking that there was no need to continue watching the trial anymore.

Ning Xueyan continued to squeeze through the crowd behind Xinmei. The crowd was huge and the weather was hot, too. She hadn’t gone very far before she started sweating. Even with Xinmei opening up a path for her, she moved forward with great difficulty. They were being pushed to the side, but they would be able to leave the crowd after walking past several more people.

Wiping her sweat with her hand, she turned her head subconsciously and saw that young lady from earlier almost making out of the crowd. The lady raised her head at the same time. When she saw Ning Xueyan, she smiled. Perhaps it was because both of them were in a similar situation.

Ning Xueyan smiled politely at the lady through the veil before turning around, wanting to continue moving forward. Suddenly, a thought ran through her mind. She stopped abruptly and turned her head in astonishment to look at the lady in white.

The lady in white was beautiful with alluring facial features. Her smile was as gentle as water, but that wasn’t the most striking part about her. It was her sweat-free face. She came out of her carriage and squeezed through the crowd at almost the same time as Ning Xueyan. Ning Xueyan paid extra attention because she was also a young lady like her.

Ning Xueyan was sweating profusely along the way, never mind Qingyu behind her. Only Xinmei seemed untouched because of her martial arts. Yet, this woman was also sweat-free like Xinmei.

How could Ning Xueyan not be shocked?

They were so close that the lady in white would be able to grab Ning Xueyan if she reached out.

Alarm bells rang inside her. She instinctively stepped aside and said anxiously, “Xinmei!” She wanted to draw Xinmei’s attention but in the end, she wasn’t able to say anything.

The lady in white suddenly reached out and clapped the back of Ning Xueyan’s head. Amid Qingyu’s horrified cries, Ning Xueyan went limp…

Ao Chenyi laid on the couch on his side, reading the document that was delivered to him. Of course, his injury wasn’t as bad as people thought. The partial transfer of his authority was also a show for the Emperor’s sake. He also knew that the Emperor wouldn’t take his power now or he would never be able to get rid of suspicion.

However, he was getting frustrated reading the document. He put down the file in his hand heavily as an unreadable emotion crossed his handsome eyes. Right about now, Yan’er should be returning from the trial at the Ministry of Justice, but why wasn’t there any news from her yet?

“Your Highness, the Princess is missing!” Yu Jian cried, rushing up the stairs covered in sweat. He immediately ran upstairs after receiving the coachman’s report. Others might not know how important the Princess was to the Prince, but how could he not?

Sure enough, that handsome face shed its languid expression, turning cold and murderous. He immediately sat up on the couch, his face as dark as an oncoming storm.

“What happened?”

“I heard that a woman took the Princess away just as she was braving the crowd with the maids. The coach tried to get close but the crowd was so huge that the Princess was gone by the time he got there,” a frightened Yu Jian reported, staring at Ao Chenyi’s sharp expression. His master had rarely gotten this angry ever since marrying the Princess.

“Let everyone investigate. Block all the streets and gates. Just say that there are Annan rebels in the hiding. Investigate everyone,” Ao Chenyi said, his face gloomy.

He stood up and added, just as Yu Jian was about to go out, “Investigate the princes and noblemen just as strictly. Tell them they’ll be punished for colluding with Annan otherwise.”

Nearly everyone knew that the King of Annan was about to rebel, so no one dared to get involved with anyone from Annan. It would be a crime of treason otherwise!

“Yes, I understand.” Yu Jian ran out, chasing after Ao Chenyi.