Chapter 202: Evidence?

Nan Xueyin was not surprised by Xiao Youlan's arrangements.

But she still said, "Let's meet with the people from the Supervisory Court before eating; I'm not very hungry right now. The matter over there is more important."

Feihong felt helpless, "Alright."

He paused, then gestured, "Miss Nan, let me lead the way."

"Good."

The East Main Hall was surrounded by quite a few strangers.

Those unfamiliar auras were precisely the source of the wrongness Nan Xueyin had sensed after waking up from her sleep.

As Nan Xueyin walked inside, she could feel many gazes lingering on her; they had likely guessed her identity, and because she was beautiful, they couldn't help but look twice.

Nan Xueyin looked straight ahead and walked inside.

From afar, she was the first to hear a muddy, aged voice: "Your Highness the Crown Prince, today's interrogation is very simple. Out of respect for Your Highness's status, I did not summon people to the Supervisory Court, but came to this Eastern Palace to inquire. You should have called that woman over as early as possible to let me question her clearly; why have you been prevaricating time and again?"

Xiao Youlan's voice was cold: "Dean Lin, if I recall correctly, according to procedure, tomorrow is the time for the formal interrogation. You came to the Eastern Palace ahead of schedule with people without giving any prior notice, and have interrogated several people in succession. Regarding all this, you did not consult me at all. Nan Xueyin is the future Crown Princess, her status is noble and no lower than mine; if she wishes to sleep, then she may sleep. It is currently lunchtime, so she may eat first before coming. Even if I am currently accepting an investigation and have temporarily suspended my court duties, I should still have the authority to put forth these requests."

It would be impossible for Nan Xueyin to say she was not moved inside.

Toward her, Xiao Youlan always had all sorts of partiality; no matter what, he always placed her feelings and experiences in the most important position.

Her footsteps were light and slow as she stepped into the hall while he was speaking.

Xiao Youlan was sitting upright at the head; he saw her at a glance and was somewhat surprised, "Why have you come over?"

Nan Xueyin replied, "I woke up and couldn't really eat, so I decided to just resolve the matter here first."

She turned her head to look at the old man with gray hair and beard below, pondering that this must be the so-and-so Dean from the Supervisory Court. Listening to Xiao Youlan's words just now, was his surname Lin?

"This is Dean Lin of the Supervisory Court," Xiao Youlan informed her in time.

Dean Lin revealed a smile toward Nan Xueyin: "Miss Nan, we finally meet."

Nan Xueyin glanced sideways, "Finally?"

Dean Lin laughed: "Indeed, I have always heard that His Highness the Crown Prince had an iron tree bloom, having a beloved woman. I had always only heard others speak of it; today is finally a chance to see you with my own eyes."

Nan Xueyin nodded, "Is that why the Dean came over a day early?"

Dean Lin paused slightly.

"Not notifying the Eastern Palace in advance was to prevent us from discussing a strategy beforehand, right?" Nan Xueyin's words were not in a questioning tone, but a simple statement.

Xiao Youlan hooked the corner of his lips at the side.

This kind of thing was obvious, but ordinary people would care about saving face and would not say it so bluntly.

But Nan Xueyin's heart was not soft; she was not afraid of offending anyone. For one, she had Xiao Youlan, the Crown Prince, as her backing, and for another, she herself was an indestructible sharp sword.

Such a Nan Xueyin was a tough nut to crack for all the civil and military officials in the court.

Dean Lin finally looked this woman over from head to toe.

"Who is questioning? You, Dean?" Nan Xueyin raised her eyebrows.

The man who had been standing behind Dean Lin was just about to speak, as it had been originally decided that he would be the one to interrogate Nan Xueyin.

However, Dean Lin suddenly raised his hand, stopping him, and said, "I will do it."

Nan Xueyin did not mind and asked again, "Where will the questioning be?"

Dean Lin stood up and gestured, "Miss Nan, please."

The two entered a side room.

Inside the side room were tables and chairs, and a specialized person was sitting to the side with paper and brush spread out before them; this was to record the content of the inquiry and responses at any time to serve as evidence.

"Miss Nan, please sit."

Nan Xueyin was not polite and sat down directly.

Dean Lin sat opposite her. Once seated, he pondered for a moment and then asked, "You are the niece of Qingzhou Chief Clerk Nan Jiyun, but as far as I know, you were lost outside for more than ten years and were only found and brought back to the Nan Family a few months ago. During those ten years, what did you do while outside? I heard that you were once an assassin, killed many people, and that you worked under the Prince."

When saying these words, Dean Lin's gaze was exceptionally sharp.

Nan Xueyin, however, had a calm expression and replied, "I have never been an assassin, nor was I lost for that long."

Dean Lin said, "These things were all confessed by the people around the Prince, and the Prince himself also said that everything is true. It was he who sent you to the Crown Prince's side with the goal of spying on the secrets of the Eastern Palace. With evidence conclusive, it is very difficult for you to lie and escape."

Nan Xueyin instead asked in return, "Evidence? What evidence?"

Although she lived in the Duan Prince Mansion while in Lianzhou, the room she stayed in was no different from those of the other maids; she had never changed the furnishings inside, nor had she left behind any items of her own.

She was an assassin; her name was not written on the internal roster of the Duan Prince Mansion, and the group of assassins in the Prince Mansion would not go so far as to record their names in some booklet—if they did, and the booklet were lost and found by an enemy, wouldn't that mean they could just kill people according to the booklet?

Therefore, while he claimed the evidence was conclusive, he could produce almost no substantive evidence; this was merely to intimidate Nan Xueyin.

Sure enough, Dean Lin was speechless for a moment.

He quickly adjusted his state and said, "An assassin's identity is sensitive; direct evidence is likely very difficult to find, but when you carried out missions in the past, you would always leave traces."

Nan Xueyin almost wanted to laugh.

Carry out missions? She used disguise and changed to a different face every time.

As for killing, everyone she went to kill died; how could a dead person recognize her face?

She said generously, "If Dean Lin has evidence, just bring it out directly; there is no need to say these empty words to scare me. I am still young and cannot withstand this kind of intimidation."

Dean Lin:...

Young?

Cannot withstand being scared?

He didn't see that at all!

Dean Lin frowned and said, "But, Miss Nan, do you know that it was the Prince himself who told me that when you were ten years old, you were picked up by him personally? He thought you were an orphan at the time, so he spent great effort to train you into an assassin."

Nan Xueyin was not surprised that Xiao Mingyu would say these things.

He was also driven to a dead end by Xiao Youlan and had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.

But this also precisely proved that Xiao Mingyu had no backbone at all.

"If he is your former master, I fear it would be very difficult for you to deny his words. Furthermore, whether you have always been with the Qingzhou Nan Family or only returned recently, the truth of the matter can be clearly ascertained by sending someone to Qingzhou to make inquiries."

Dean Lin looked deeply at Nan Xueyin, "I am telling you this now in the hope that you can confess of your own accord. If you admit it yourself, when we are before the Emperor and the civil and military officials, I will be able to put in a good word for you. This would be a good thing for both you and the Crown Prince."