Chapter 203: Questioned into Silence

At first glance, it seemed as if Dean Lin was truly considering things for Nan Xueyin and Xiao Youlan.

But Nan Xueyin had seen many treacherous villains and had witnessed too much hypocrisy; she never believed that such a stranger would inexplicably extend kindness to another stranger.

This was an impossible thing to happen, at least not in the officialdom of Fengdu.

Especially since she had just heard Xiao Youlan's dialogue with him; it was very clear that Xiao Youlan did not like him.

That tone was too cold and distant.

Xiao Youlan would treat a stray dog or cat on the roadside with much more affection than he treated this Dean Lin.

Therefore, Nan Xueyin knew that Dean Lin could not be truly that kind-hearted.

This was merely a rhetorical tactic, guiding Nan Xueyin to give the answer he wanted.

Having been an Assassin for the Prince of Duan and being sent to the Eastern Palace to carry out a mission—these were indeed indisputable facts.

However, if these were determined to be the truth, then Nan Xueyin and Xiao Mingyu could not sever their connection, and even with the identity of Nan Jiyun's niece, it would be very difficult for her to be together with Xiao Youlan.

To the side, the tip of a writing brush scratched across paper, emitting a fine, dense rustling sound.

All of these conversations were being recorded one by one.

Opposite her, Dean Lin gazed at her with eyes full of eagerness.

Nan Xueyin slightly raised one eyebrow: "But Dean, you must make one thing clear."

"What?" Dean Lin revealed a slightly confused expression, not knowing why Nan Xueyin suddenly brought this up.

Nan Xueyin spoke slowly, saying: "First, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Duan are currently both under investigation by the Supervisory Court. Can the words of someone under investigation really be used as evidence? Dean Lin has been in the Supervisory Court for many years; surely a weak woman like me shouldn't have to remind you of this, right?"

Dean Lin was taken aback.

"Secondly, everyone knows that the conflict between the Crown Prince and the Prince of Duan is only partially due to the Emperor's illness and the abnormal celestial phenomena; more importantly, they are competing for the position of Crown Prince. I am a person of the Crown Prince, so naturally, the Prince of Duan would keep speaking ill of me, because that way, he can smear the Crown Prince. The fact that the Crown Prince has fallen in love with a female Assassin is something that could easily cause a stir in the imperial court; once everyone's attention is on the Eastern Palace, wouldn't he be able to escape his own culpability?"

Dean Lin's complexion sank slightly.

"As for just now, when Dean Lin said you could go to Qingzhou at any time to inquire whether I was truly raised in the Qingzhou Nan Family, this move is also not appropriate. Dean Lin should know that the Prince of Duan's fief is in Lianzhou, and Lianzhou is adjacent to Qingzhou. The officials in both Lianzhou and Qingzhou are basically all supporters of the Prince of Duan, following his lead in everything. If the Prince of Duan is determined to frame the Crown Prince, he would surely have already notified the officials there to insist that I was not raised in Qingzhou, but was an Assassin. In that case, even if you really went to ask, what you get might not be the truth."

Dean Lin was somewhat led around by her, actually feeling that these words had a bit of logic to them...

"And one last point, I am truly very curious: Dean Lin, do you support the Crown Prince, or do you support the Prince of Duan? It seems now that you must support the Prince of Duan; after all, you firmly believe in the absurd rumor that a weak woman like me is an Assassin, and you even went so far as to come to the Eastern Palace a day early to interrogate me, even causing the Crown Prince displeasure."

After finishing, Nan Xueyin sighed.

Dean Lin was speechless for a long while.

Nan Xueyin waited patiently for a moment, mainly waiting for them to finish recording her words.

Feeling the brush stop midway, she even turned her head specifically to ask: "Did you not hear a sentence clearly? I can say it again."

That man was startled and inexplicably blushed, "I... I heard it all clearly."

Having said that, he buried his head and continued writing furiously.

"Miss Nan is so sharp-tongued; it doesn't seem like you came from that backwater of Qingzhou." Dean Lin managed to squeeze out this sentence.

Nan Xueyin narrowed her eyes, "Dean Lin thinks Qingzhou is a backwater, but no matter how poor it is, it is still the territory of the Ye Dynasty. Every year, Qingzhou produces a large amount of rice, much of which is sent to Fengdu for the imperial relatives and the civil and military officials to consume. Dean Lin's own rice jar might even contain rice from Qingzhou. If Dean Lin looks down on Qingzhou, why not stop eating that rice?"

Dean Lin frowned tightly, "You..."

He could not come up with a rebuttal; the words "backwater" were indeed not appropriate to say.

Nan Xueyin had said everything she needed to say, and finally asked: "Alright, Dean Lin, is there anything else you would like to ask me? If not, I will head out now to have lunch with the Crown Prince. I truly didn't eat breakfast today, and the Crown Prince is also still hungry."

Dean Lin choked for a long time, feeling deep down that something was definitely wrong—he was of an advanced age and had spent so many years in officialdom, yet he never expected to be rendered speechless by such a young girl; this Nan Xueyin's identity must not be simple, as she did not seem like a woman of her age.

But he did not know where to start for the moment; the information he had obtained so far was basically all from the Prince of Duan's side, and as Nan Xueyin said, the Prince of Duan and the Crown Prince were in a competitive relationship, so his words could not be fully trusted.

Because of this, he could only look sullen and shake his head, "There is nothing else for now..."

Nan Xueyin gave an "en" and stood up, "Then I am leaving. Dean Lin, once you have finished asking what needs to be asked, you should head back early as well."