Chapter 76: Disciple of Meng Xian

Disciple of Meng Xian

The light laughter carried a slightly eerie tone. Hearing this, Yin Fengzhan, who was walking in front, paused, but did not turn around to respond immediately.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan, who was walking beside him, frowned, turned her head, and saw the Crown Prince, Yin Fenghan, walking over from behind.

Narrow eyes, fair skin, and features that were handsome yet carried a hint of arrogance... Crown Prince Yin Fenghan had a face that bore no resemblance to Yin Fengzhan's. Although he was equally noble and imposing, he lacked Yin Fengzhan's steadiness and possessed an indescribable eeriness.

At this moment, seeing Nie Jinxuan turn to look at him, Yin Fenghan curled his lips into a smile.

"Haha~, I presume this must be the Fourth Sister-in-law~!"

With his narrow eyes scanning Nie Jinxuan, Yin Fenghan took a few long strides and arrived directly in front of her.

"Haha~, I didn't pay much attention when the Fourth Brother got married last time, but seeing you today, Fourth Sister-in-law is truly a beauty among a hundred~!"

Yin Fenghan smiled and complimented Nie Jinxuan. As he spoke, after scanning Nie Jinxuan, his gaze shifted to Nie Jinhui, who was standing behind her.

"Uh... but who is this..."

"This is my elder sister."

"Oh, so it is the Second Young Lady of the Nie family. I have heard much about you."

Seeing Yin Fenghan scanning Nie Jinhui, Nie Jinxuan finally spoke. Hearing this, Yin Fenghan showed a look of sudden realization and said with a smile. Hearing this, Nie Jinhui couldn't keep hiding behind her, so she stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Haha, no need, no need, Second Young Lady is too polite."

Yin Fenghan remained amiable throughout. However, Yin Fengzhan, who had been standing beside Nie Jinxuan without a word, glanced at Yin Fenghan, suddenly reached out to wrap his arm around Nie Jinxuan's waist, and said in a low voice,

"Let's go."

As he spoke, Yin Fengzhan turned and pulled Nie Jinxuan away. Seeing Nie Jinxuan being pulled away, Nie Jinhui naturally wouldn't stay where she was; she bowed politely to Yin Fenghan and followed quickly.

Standing where he was, watching Yin Fengzhan and the three of them walk further and further away, Yin Fenghan curled his lips into a light smile after a moment, and a sharp glint flashed deep within his narrow eyes...

From beginning to end, Yin Fengzhan had walked away without saying a single word to the Crown Prince, Yin Fenghan. Nie Jinxuan found this strange, but seeing Yin Fengzhan's gloomy face, she didn't ask anything in the end.

Nie Jinhui was also clever; seeing Nie Jinxuan not asking, she naturally couldn't say anything either.

Yin Fengzhan then brought Nie Jinxuan and Nie Jinhui directly to the Yongxin Palace. Upon entering, they saw the Prince of Gong, Yin Fengxuan.

But this time, Yin Fengxuan did not mock or ridicule Nie Jinxuan as he had last time. Although his attitude was still not friendly, he didn't say anything. However, upon seeing Nie Jinhui, Yin Fengxuan frowned immediately.

"Fourth Brother, who is she? Why did you bring her? If you were going to bring someone, you should have brought Concubine Han!"

Clearly, Yin Fengxuan had mistaken Nie Jinhui for a concubine from the Chen Wangfu. As he spoke, Yin Fengxuan kept scanning Nie Jinhui with disdain. Seeing Yin Fengxuan misunderstand, Yin Fengzhan did not step forward to explain. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan's face darkened.

"Your Highness the Prince of Gong, this is my elder sister. Father ordered her to accompany me, and she has nothing to do with your Fourth Brother!"

Speaking to Yin Fengxuan with displeasure, Nie Jinxuan turned to glance at Yin Fengzhan before turning her gaze back to Yin Fengxuan.

"So, if Your Highness the Prince of Gong wants Concubine Han to enter the palace for the Spring Sacrifice, you can tell your Fourth Brother directly, instead of expressing your dissatisfaction in front of us! Of course, if you think Concubine Han is more suitable for the position of Princess Consort of Chen than I am, you can suggest it to your Fourth Brother as well. If you do that, I will be very grateful to you!"

Standing in the courtyard of the Yongxin Palace, Nie Jinxuan spoke word by word, her stern expression conveying an indescribable seriousness and dignity. Hearing this, Yin Fengxuan was stunned. Before he could speak, Nie Jinxuan pulled the somewhat embarrassed Nie Jinhui and walked away.

Watching the Nie sisters leave, it took Yin Fengxuan a long time to recover. He couldn't help but lean toward Yin Fengzhan and ask in a low voice,

"Fourth Brother, what... what is wrong with her?"

Yin Fengxuan's face was filled with surprise. He tilted his head to look at Nie Jinxuan, who had already walked into the side hall, feeling more and more that something was different from before. But hearing Yin Fengxuan's words, Yin Fengzhan glanced at Nie Jinxuan but said nothing.

After a brief interlude, they entered the side hall to see Noble Consort Zhang. Noble Consort Zhang was naturally happy to see Nie Jinxuan again, but upon seeing Nie Jinhui, she was slightly stunned.

However, Nie Jinhui was a good talker. Although it was her first time in the palace and her first time meeting Noble Consort Zhang, her appropriate behavior, excellent conversation, and beautiful appearance soon delighted Noble Consort Zhang. She even praised Nie Jinhui repeatedly as a good girl.

But as they talked, they brought up the incident at the Rongxin Yuan a few days ago. At the mention of this, Noble Consort Zhang, who had been smiling, sighed, and what she said next left Nie Jinxuan dumbfounded.

It turned out that on the second night after Nie Jinxuan proved Noble Consort Zhang's innocence, Concubine Sun had hanged herself. According to the results of the investigation by Empress Duan, the person who had killed Concubine Lan before the fire at the Rongxin Yuan that night was actually Concubine Sun!

Regarding this result, Zhou Dexing, who had framed Noble Consort Zhang, also confessed that the person who had instigated him to set the fire and frame Noble Consort Zhang was indeed Concubine Sun. That was why, when he was escaping, he had happened to be seen by Concubine Sun; her purpose was to have Zhou Dexing stand out and frame Noble Consort Zhang. At the same time, palace maids from the Rongxin Yuan confirmed that although Concubine Sun appeared to be as close as sisters with Concubine Lan, she secretly harbored great jealousy toward her...

Noble Consort Zhang spoke helplessly. After a brief moment of shock and astonishment, Nie Jinxuan felt a sense of sorrow. After all, she couldn't think of a second person who would do this.

So, Nie Jinxuan wanted to ask, was that the end of it? Concubine Sun was the murderer and committed suicide—although it seemed plausible on the surface, was it actually the same as the previous framing of Noble Consort Zhang?! Could the Emperor really believe such an explanation?

But in the end, Nie Jinxuan didn't speak; she just asked indifferently,

"Then, may I ask, Noble Consort, since Concubine Sun committed suicide out of fear of punishment, what about Zhou Dexing?"

"Sigh, need you ask? The day after Concubine Sun died, when the investigation results were announced, he was executed."

Responding to Nie Jinxuan in a low voice, Noble Consort Zhang, who had been keeping her eyes lowered, looked up at Nie Jinxuan, who was sitting beside her with a solemn expression.

"Moreover, it wasn't just Zhou Dexing; all the palace servants in the Rongxin Yuan were ordered to be executed. Those who served Concubine Lan were punished for failing to protect their master, leading to Concubine Lan's tragic death. Those who served Concubine Sun were punished for being accomplices, so naturally, they could not be spared."

Noble Consort Zhang's voice was soft, but every word she said sounded deeply painful to Nie Jinxuan! Nie Jinxuan couldn't help but raise her hand, clench her fist, and slam it hard onto the square table beside her!

"Bang—"

Instantly, a dull sound echoed in the air. The large side hall of the Yongxin Palace fell into dead silence.

No one spoke, and everyone in the hall turned to look at Nie Jinxuan. Nie Jinxuan, sitting beside Noble Consort Zhang, just kept her head down, eyes lowered, wondering what she was thinking.

Seeing this, Noble Consort Zhang sighed again and placed her well-maintained hand gently on Nie Jinxuan's tightly clenched fist.

"Sigh, Jinxuan, this is the nature of the human heart. As the saying goes, it is easy to draw the skin of a tiger but hard to draw its bones; it is easy to know a person's face but hard to know their heart. Concubine Lan and Concubine Sun were always inseparable, and everyone thought they were as close as sisters, yet there was hidden jealousy that harmed others and themselves."

Noble Consort Zhang spoke in a soothing tone. But upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan, who had been keeping her head down, suddenly looked up, staring at Noble Consort Zhang in shock... But just as Nie Jinxuan wanted to say something, she saw Noble Consort Zhang's hand, which had been gently stroking her fist, tap it twice.

The movement was very light, so light that if Nie Jinxuan hadn't felt the pressure on her hand, she wouldn't have noticed Noble Consort Zhang tapping her. But those two taps made Nie Jinxuan stop the words that were already at the tip of her tongue. After staring at Noble Consort Zhang for a while, she swallowed them back.

Nie Jinxuan stopped speaking, and the side hall fell into silence again. Seeing this, Nie Jinhui, who had been silent, suddenly said with a smile,

"Uh... haha, alright, alright, Jinxuan, Noble Consort is right. It is hard to know a person's heart; that is why they say human hearts are unpredictable! Besides, since the matter is over, don't bring it up again; it's not a good thing anyway~!"

Nie Jinhui spoke to smooth things over, appropriately easing the atmosphere in the side hall. She then continued,

"However, hearing the Noble Consort's meaning just now, I am a bit confused... I heard the Noble Consort say that on the night of the fire at the Rongxin Yuan, it was thanks to Jinxuan's help... what is this all about?"

"Oh, that matter, haha~, that night Jinxuan didn't just help me; she saved me!"

Nie Jinhui was very curious. Hearing this, Noble Consort Zhang smiled gently. Then, in front of everyone, she recounted how Nie Jinxuan had stood up for her that night, how she had questioned Zhou Dexing and Concubine Sun in public, and how she had finally found evidence on the corpse!

Almost everyone in the palace knew about that night's events; even those who weren't there had learned about it through various vivid rumors afterward.

So, at this moment, rather than saying Noble Consort Zhang was answering Nie Jinhui's question, it was more like she was speaking directly to Yin Fengzhan! After all, the reason Nie Jinxuan had stood up for Noble Consort Zhang in front of the Emperor and the concubines was, in the end, because Noble Consort Zhang was Yin Fengzhan's aunt!

Noble Consort Zhang wanted Yin Fengzhan to understand this. So, as soon as she finished speaking, she turned her gentle eyes to glance at Yin Fengzhan. But she found that Yin Fengzhan was still sitting there expressionless, making it impossible to tell if he was happy or angry.

Seeing this, Noble Consort Zhang frowned. At this moment, after hearing the whole story, Nie Jinhui was stunned.

"Uh... what did the Noble Consort just say? Jinxuan... Jinxuan examined a corpse in public? And... and cut, cut open the deceased's neck?"

Perhaps frightened by Noble Consort Zhang's words, the usually gentle and polite Nie Jinhui opened her eyes wide and turned to look at Nie Jinxuan. Seeing Nie Jinhui's dazed look, Noble Consort Zhang couldn't help but laugh.

"Haha, of course, would I lie to you?"

"Uh... that's not what I meant, it's just that..."

At this moment, Nie Jinhui still hadn't recovered. She stared blankly at Nie Jinxuan and continued,

"It's just that I never heard that Jinxuan knew how to examine corpses before she was married... Once, a maid drowned in the back courtyard, and it even frightened Jinxuan. How is it that in the short time since she got married..."

Nie Jinhui's voice was not loud, but in the quiet side hall, everyone heard it clearly. So, as soon as Nie Jinhui finished speaking, everyone in the side hall was stunned and turned to look at Nie Jinxuan.

An eerie atmosphere permeated the side hall again. Nie Jinxuan also suddenly recovered from her thoughts. But looking up to meet the eyes of Nie Jinhui, Yin Fengxuan, and even Noble Consort Zhang—eyes that were filled with confusion, curiosity, or doubt—Nie Jinxuan panicked!

She was a forensic doctor; she knew how to examine corpses, but she didn't know how to lie!

But even so, she couldn't say that she wasn't the former Nie Jinxuan, but a female forensic doctor named Fang Zheng who had transmigrated from the modern world a thousand years later!

Nie Jinxuan didn't know how to answer. Or rather, she couldn't find a reasonable and convincing excuse to prove that it was only natural for her to know how to examine corpses! So, as time passed bit by bit, sweat began to bead on Nie Jinxuan's forehead...

But just then, just as Nie Jinxuan was being forced to the point of madness, she saw Yin Fengzhan, who had been silent, suddenly flash his deep eyes and say in a deep voice,

"Because she is Meng Xian's disciple."

As he spoke, Yin Fengzhan turned to look at Nie Jinhui and continued,

"After we got married, she said she had nothing to do in the residence, so I sent her to Meng Xian. I had hoped to make her more disciplined, but I didn't expect her to actually learn some tricks of the trade."