Chapter 027: Slander? Scoundrel!

"Wu Tan?" Terror flashed in her eyes as she instinctively stepped back.

But behind her, she suddenly collided with something hard, sending a sharp pain through the back of her head.

Huo Yunhua hurriedly turned around, but before she could react, the obstacle that had been so abruptly blocking her path shifted in an instant, appearing before her with ghostly swiftness.

She felt as if something atop her head had suddenly grown lighter, as though a part of her was missing. Instinctively, she raised her hand to feel her hair, but before she could, someone seized her right wrist in a harsh grip.

The person's strength was overwhelming; even through the three layers of sleeves, her wrist went numb from the sudden pressure.

Wu Tan and Wu Qinglin understood each other perfectly.

The moment Wu Qinglin made his move, Wu Tan leapt down from the carriage, swiftly pulling a slip of paper from her sleeve. Before Huo Yunhua could comprehend what was happening, she was dragged to the front of the carriage.

Someone pressed her fingers onto the sheet of rice paper that Wu Tan had quickly unrolled on the carriage shaft, then flung her hand away, finally releasing her and giving her a shove that sent her staggering back.

"Miss—" Huo Yunhua's chief maid, Qiu Ning, was reeling from the sudden chaos. Only now did she snap to her senses, hurrying forward to steady her mistress. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Huo Yunhua was truly frightened, her soul nearly scattered from her body.

"No—" She tried to shake her head, grabbing her maid's hand in panic, only then noticing that something felt odd at her fingertips.

She didn't think much of it at first, but instinctively glanced down at her own hand. Only now did she realize that at some point, her right thumb had been cut. The blood hadn't flowed much at first, so there was no pain, but now droplets were welling up, and a piercing ache spread through her finger.

"Ah! Blood!" her maid cried out, quickly wrapping her finger in a handkerchief, but the blood flowed so fast that the cloth was soon soaked through.

A chill ran through Huo Yunhua's entire body.

She snapped her head up, glaring at Wu Tan with both wariness and fury. "How dare you come to the gates of the Huo residence and commit violence?"

She was thoroughly enraged.

This was her family's domain. Did Wu Tan really think that just because her father was a scholar-official, the gates of the Huo residence were open for anyone to run wild?

Wu Tan, unfazed by her ferocious glare, only laughed, her voice tinkling. "What? Are you angry because you came out to see the Crown Prince's envoy and it turned out to be me?"

She had borrowed Xiao Lingzi's clothes, tied up her hair, and with her naturally refined features, looked every bit the part of a young eunuch in disguise. No wonder the old gatekeeper had believed the tale she spun without a second thought.

To trick Huo Yunhua? All she needed was to invoke Xiao Yun as a pretext—she would surely fall for it.

Although Huo Yunhua had ulterior motives, she was still, after all, a sheltered young lady. To have such a hidden thought exposed to her face by Wu Tan left her both humiliated and furious. "Impersonating the Crown Prince to parade and deceive? Wu Tan, do you know what a crime that is? You must have a death wish!"

Wu Tan, however, was unperturbed by her words. She smiled. "Isn't it just the crime of deceiving the Emperor?"

Huo Yunhua stared at her, truly feeling as if she were seeing a ghost—

Was this girl simply an idiot, or did she not understand the gravity of the world?

The crime of deceiving the Emperor? She could treat that as a joke?

All afternoon, Huo Yunhua had been in a near-frenzy waiting for Huo Wenshan to return home. After learning that the old Madam Wu had fallen into her trap, she had suddenly glimpsed another opportunity that could benefit them even more—

Since she and Wu Tan were already at odds after their last meeting at the palace, why not use this as a pretext to strike? By doing so, not just Wu Tan, but even Wu Xun could be implicated, and she would no longer have to worry about the Wu family discovering her behind-the-scenes schemes and seeking retribution.

Pleased with her own plan, she was so satisfied she had no appetite for dinner.

But before Huo Wenshan returned, the old gatekeeper came to inform her that the Crown Prince had sent a trusted attendant with a letter, to be delivered into her own hands.

She rushed out excitedly, never imagining it would be Wu Tan at her door.

And now, Wu Tan even dared speak to her so insolently? Rage surged within Huo Yunhua; she could wait no longer—

There was no need to wait for the right moment. When her father returned, she would have him contact a familiar censor to impeach the Wu family for the crime of deceiving the Emperor.

Huo Yunhua, ever mindful of her reputation, did not want to quarrel with Wu Tan here. Even though she had suffered at her hands, she merely gave her a fierce glare before turning to leave.

But before she could move, Wu Tan stepped forward and grabbed her wrist.

"What are you doing?" Huo Yunhua instinctively tried to shake her off, but failed.

Wu Tan only smiled at her, raising her brows. "It was you, wasn't it, who secretly urged Wu Qingqiong to swap my birthdate?"

She barely knew Huo Yunhua and did not recognize her handwriting, but given the effort someone had gone through to orchestrate this scheme and sabotage her engagement, the only one with motive and the nerve to use such despicable means was Huo Yunhua.

Wu Tan had not come with absolute certainty, yet she adopted a forceful attitude simply to test her opponent.

Sure enough, at her words, Huo Yunhua's gaze flickered with guilt. Though she quickly masked it, stiffening her neck to feign ignorance, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

But that brief flash of guilt was caught by both Wu Qinglin and Wu Tan.

Only then did the two truly relax—

If this was only Huo Yunhua's trickery, it was better—far easier to handle than an attack from a political enemy.

"You don't understand?" Wu Tan seized Huo Yunhua's wrist and dragged her toward the carriage. "No matter. It's just the crime of deceiving the Emperor, isn't it? Since you want to accuse me, I'll accuse you too. Let's see whose crime is greater—yours, for scheming to deceive Their Majesties, or mine, for borrowing the name of the Crown Prince's attendant!"

Huo Yunhua struggled multiple times to break free, finally realizing Wu Tan was serious.

She could only interpret this as Wu Tan's last desperate act when cornered. Abandoning all pretense of ladylike composure, she hunched down, ready to throw a tantrum on the ground, shrieking in frustration, "What crime of deceiving the Emperor? Don't you dare slander me when you have no proof!"

Wu Tan had little patience to waste on her. At these words, she simply let go.

Huo Yunhua landed hard on her backside, sweat beading on her brow from the pain.

"You're exactly right—I am slandering you. So what? If you don't like it, bite me!" Wu Tan stood over her, exuding a fierce energy as she stretched out her hand. "You want evidence? Brother!"

Wu Qinglin, who had been standing by as if uninvolved, now strode forward and placed an object into Wu Tan's palm.

It was a hair ornament inlaid with rubies, its craftsmanship and materials clearly marking it as a piece from the palace.

Huo Yunhua shuddered violently. Suddenly remembering that something had felt missing from her head, she reached up and found—sure enough—it was her own hairpin.

"Physical evidence!" Wu Tan declared, then waved the slip of paper she had been holding in her left hand. "Witness!"

Once again, Huo Yunhua snapped out of her daze, hurriedly glancing at the wound on her right hand. Only now did she realize that when Wu Qinglin had snatched her hairpin, he had used its tip to cut her finger, and now—

On the paper in Wu Tan's hand, her bloody fingerprint stood out starkly.

This Wu Tan was nothing short of a scoundrel!

This book is an original release. Do not reproduce!