Chapter 78: Thrown into the Heavenly Prison

Since the little palace maid was found with Five Stones Powder on her, her sudden and unprovoked attack on Shen Qianxue must have been caused by a fit of madness after ingesting the substance, which led to her losing her senses. In this way, any suspicion that Shen Qianmo might possess witchcraft is naturally dispelled.

Did this mean her carefully staged act of self-sacrifice had failed? That she had endured the pain of the hairpin for nothing? Shen Qianxue felt a deep unwillingness as she watched Shen Qianmo so easily dissolve the trap she had schemed for so long to lay. Even the Emperor now seemed to be shielding her, not to mention Prince Xuan, who guarded her as if she were a precious jewel—how could she not feel envy, jealousy, and hatred?

Princess Anping, seeing Shen Qianmo so easily extricate herself, and witnessing Meng Yuanheng’s boundless care for her, felt as if her heart was a vessel overflowing with a mixture of sourness and bitterness. In her agitation, she addressed the Emperor: “Your Majesty, as the Lady Heir just mentioned, Prince Xuan encountered assassins on his journey back to the capital. During their interrogation, all it took was for Miss Shen to glance at the assassins, and they confessed everything without reservation. If this is not sorcery, then what is?”

Meng Tianluo’s face showed a fleeting panic upon hearing Princess Anping’s words. The assassin from the Shadowless Sect had not been easily hired; he had spent immense effort and resources orchestrating that attempt on Meng Yuanheng’s life, only for the cripple to escape unscathed. Since Meng Yuanheng had shown no reaction these past days, he had assumed it had passed unnoticed. Yet now, hearing that the assassins had confessed, he realized Meng Yuanheng would eventually trace it back to him.

It seemed his plans needed to be accelerated.

The Emperor of Mingde was skeptical. “How could such a thing exist in this world? Anping, you must not repeat hearsay.”

Shen Qianxue crawled forward and echoed anxiously, “Your Majesty, what Princess Anping says is true. I swear it on my life.”

After a pause, feeling her own life was not persuasive enough, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration. Glancing at Eunuch Li standing by the Emperor’s side, she said urgently, “If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may ask Eunuch Li. He accompanied Prince Xuan all the way on their return to the capital and must have witnessed it with his own eyes.”

Seeing Shen Qianxue’s confident assertion, the Emperor turned to Eunuch Li and asked, “Li Yuan, is this true?”

Eunuch Li dropped to his knees with a thud, wishing the earth would simply open up and swallow him whole, sparing him this impossible dilemma. Prince Xuan’s warning still rang in his ears, but the crime of deceiving the Emperor was one he could not bear. What was he to do?

Sweat beaded on Eunuch Li’s forehead, and he trembled all over, his usual glib tongue utterly failing him. “Your Majesty, it is... it is true. Those assassins would not confess, no matter how severely they were tortured, nor reveal their employer. But when the future Princess Xuan stepped forward and merely looked at them, they confessed everything.”

As he finished, he glanced nervously at Meng Yuanheng, whose face was dark as thunder, and instantly bowed his head, shaking uncontrollably.

Prince Xuan was not one to be trifled with.

Earlier, the others had not fully believed Shen Qianxue’s words, knowing well the sisters’ long-standing discord and expecting nothing good to be said. But now, with even Eunuch Li confirming it, could it be true after all?

A chorus of exclamations arose, and even Ning Hua and Fu Yuechan’s faces betrayed hints of fear.

Was it possible that a person could be controlled just by being looked at? What kind of terrifying sorcery was this?

This daughter of the Shen family was truly uncanny, and to think the Emperor had once looked on her with favor. The Emperor’s face grew stormy with embarrassment and anger as he demanded of Shen Qianmo, “Girl from the Shen family, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Shen Qianmo’s expression remained calm as she knelt before the Emperor and replied in a steady voice, “Your Majesty, as Eunuch Li has just said, that assassin was indeed stubborn. Fearing for Prince Xuan’s safety, I had no choice but to employ the Art of Illumination. This technique is a form of ocular art, a method used in interrogations. It has existed since ancient times and is not witchcraft. I beg Your Majesty to discern the truth.”

This was the plan Meng Yuanheng had prepared for her after the incident with the assassins, in case it was ever brought up again. She had not expected it to be needed so soon.

Ocular art? Though the Emperor had never heard of it, he could hardly deny it without appearing ignorant. He forced a look of solemnity and said, “Even if such an art exists, how could a sheltered young lady like yourself have learned it?”

Shen Qianmo had anticipated this question and answered unhurriedly, “The Bishi Academy has many ancient books. During my visit to Suzhou to celebrate my grandfather’s birthday, I happened upon a volume describing this technique and learned a little out of curiosity.”

Given the academy’s long history, it was entirely plausible it would contain such books, and Shen Qianmo’s intelligence made her learning the art believable enough.

With Meng Yuanheng’s reputation in mind, the Emperor was about to smooth things over, but his thoughts were interrupted by a cold snort from Princess Zhaoren.

“Your Majesty, instead of learning the proper virtues and conduct, this eldest Miss Shen is drawn to strange and unorthodox arts. I’ve heard she is fond of corpses and now dabbles in bizarre techniques. What are her true intentions? Our court forbids anything resembling sorcery. This so-called ocular art is most suspicious, especially now when the palace is unsettled. If this matter is not investigated thoroughly, how can we rest easy?”

This put the Emperor in a difficult position. He could ignore anyone else, but not his imperial elder sister, whose support had been crucial to his survival and eventual accession. She had always protected and supported him, and much of his stability on the throne was owed to her.

Shen Qianxue, still kneeling, seized the moment to add, “Your Majesty, I can attest that since the fire, my elder sister has not been the same. She does things she would never have done before, and her temperament is entirely different. I believe she may have been possessed by an evil spirit in the fire, which would explain her odd behavior.”

Shen Qianmo could only marvel at Shen Qianxue’s imagination—now she was being cast as a witch possessed by spirits.

Yet, with Shen Qianxue’s words, people found her explanation plausible. They had always thought it strange for a sheltered young lady to be skilled in autopsy and dissection, and now with her knowledge of arcane arts, attributing it to possession made sense.

For a moment, the gazes fixed on her grew even more fearful.

The Emperor was no fool. He knew his imperial sister was clinging to this pretext because of the humiliation she suffered last Qixi Festival when Meng Yuanheng had coldly rejected Anping’s proposal. He glanced uneasily at Meng Yuanheng, whose face was growing darker by the moment, then at the ever-calm Shen Qianmo, and asked after some deliberation, “Sister, how do you think this matter should be handled?”

“Hmph, I’ve made my opinion clear. You are the Emperor; the decision is yours,” Princess Zhaoren replied coldly. She had always been domineering, and now, unable to bring even a young girl to heel—especially when that girl was Prince Xuan’s future princess—her anger simmered, recalling last year’s humiliation. She could not believe that, with her status, she could not handle a mere girl. If it weren’t for her daughter’s feelings for Meng Yuanheng, she would have shown the Prince Xuan’s household her displeasure long ago.

The Emperor, recognizing her impatience and anger, had no choice but to comply. He ordered Shen Qianmo to be taken to the Imperial Prison for temporary detention, pending an investigation into the ocular art.

At most, it would be a few days, enough to appease Princess Zhaoren’s anger; the rest could be addressed later.

He felt he was already being generous to his second son, but Meng Yuanheng was clearly not grateful. As a few eunuchs stepped forward to take Shen Qianmo away, he stood protectively before her, cold and unyielding.

“As long as I am here, no one will touch her.”

This was an open challenge to imperial authority.

Some of the unmarried ladies present looked at Shen Qianmo with envy, thinking: This eldest Miss Shen is truly fortunate. To have a man willing to openly defy the Emperor for her sake—what does it matter if he is crippled?

Princess Anping’s usually cool gaze now seemed to blaze with fury. What right did this woman have to move the cold-hearted Prince Xuan to such lengths? In what way was she inferior—by birth, talent, or beauty? Why would Prince Xuan not spare her a glance, yet devote himself so completely to this woman?

“Insolence! Prince Xuan, do you mean to rebel?” Meng Tianluo stood behind the Emperor, rebuking him righteously, though only he knew how fervently he wished Meng Yuanheng would truly rebel, so that he could crush him once and for all.

“I only want her safe.” Meng Yuanheng was unmoved by Meng Tianluo’s provocation, only tightening his grip on Shen Qianmo’s hand, as if to declare to all that, for this woman’s safety, he would not hesitate to rebel.

The Emperor’s heart sank at this sight. His second son’s devotion to the Shen girl ran so deep that he might truly go so far as to rebel.

Shen Qianmo was deeply moved by Meng Yuanheng’s unwavering support and could see through Meng Tianluo’s attempts to fan the flames.

Very well, she thought, let her be the one to extinguish this fire. As Emperor, he would never tolerate a subject willing to risk everything for love; such a threat to his throne could not be overlooked.

She would never allow Meng Yuanheng to be put in such danger, nor give those waiting in the shadows a chance to harm him.

She squeezed Meng Yuanheng’s hand and traced the word “calm” on his rough palm. Then she turned serenely to the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the Imperial Prison. The innocent need not fear. With Your Majesty’s wisdom and discernment, I am certain my innocence will be proven.”