Chapter 004 Innocence!

A group of people came face to face with the Crown Prince… It was impossible to pretend not to see him, especially since he was standing squarely in the middle of the path.

“Greetings, Your Highness!” The eldest of the women leading the group waved her hand, prompting everyone to collect themselves and drop into a curtsy.

Xiao Yun’s expression was grave; he said nothing, walking straight ahead as if no one else existed. As he drew closer, blocking their way, the young ladies grew flustered, unsure of what to do. All they could manage was to shuffle aside, making way for him.

As Xiao Yun passed by Huo Yunhua, Wu Tan noticed that he glanced at her, but said nothing. Then, quickly, he moved to the front of the group.

He had not spoken a word, and though Wu Tan knew he was here because of her, she felt no guilt at all. Like the others, she kept her head bowed and eyes fixed demurely on her shoes, moving aside with the group.

“Kneel!” The Crown Prince’s sudden command made everyone jump.

Wu Tan, already guessing his intention, didn’t bother pretending ignorance. Neatly and without hesitation, she knelt at his feet.

Cheng Cheng, caught off guard, was a heartbeat slower, but quickly prostrated herself as well.

Wu Tan’s swift compliance clearly startled Xiao Yun. The rain was no longer light, growing heavier and the world grew dim and overcast. In weather like this, once your clothes were soaked, the chill was biting.

The scene was awkward—none of the ladies knew what to do. The leading woman stepped forward and said, “Your Highness, I am here by the command of Lady Xian to escort these young ladies from the palace. The weather is worsening…”

Xiao Yun, still unsettled by Wu Tan’s ready submission, regained his composure and replied coldly, “Go.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” She bowed again, then called out, “The sedan chairs are waiting ahead. Please, young ladies, this way!”

Xiao Yun remained standing there, his intention to find fault with the Wu family’s daughter plain for all to see. No one dared invite trouble; the group instinctively gave a wide berth, forming a fan-shaped space around him and Wu Tan, and hurried toward the gate.

Some glanced back—some with worry or sympathy, others with barely concealed schadenfreude.

That gate, grand and solemn, separated the imperial court from the inner palace. Because of the rain, the leading woman, having checked the numbers, quickly handed the girls to the palace guards and hurried back to report.

Passing under the massive archway, Huo Yunhua lingered at the rear, intent on witnessing Wu Tan’s misfortune. Her maid, Green Pearl, held her hand, casting anxious glances behind them. “Miss, the Crown Prince intends to stand up for you. He’ll surely question the Wu girl directly—what if—”

Huo Yunhua’s lips curled in a cold smile. “I say she pushed me, she denies it. In the end, it’s all one-sided claims. Even if the Crown Prince questioned her a hundred times, what would it matter? Who could ever truly untangle the rights and wrongs?”

At fourteen, Huo Yunhua was two years older than both Wu Tan and Xiao Yun. In beauty, she was as striking as Wu Tan, though Wu Tan’s features were lively and radiant, while Huo Yunhua’s held an innate, sultry allure.

She knew the Crown Prince’s tastes. Raised under the Empress Jiang’s influence, he preferred dignified, gentlewomen. Fully aware of her own shortcomings, Huo Yunhua always dressed plainly and abstained from makeup whenever she had the chance to see Xiao Yun, forcing herself into the mold of serene womanhood.

And clearly, it had worked.

At the very least, Xiao Yun was thoroughly convinced she wasn’t the sort to scheme against others.

Green Pearl nodded, convinced, but then anxiously asked, “But what about Her Majesty the Empress?”

“She’s never liked me. What does it matter if she dislikes me a bit more? In the end, she has only the Crown Prince as her own son. If he protects me, there’s nothing she can do.” Huo Yunhua toyed with a string of glass beads at her wrist, her eyes mocking. “Father told me the Emperor has decided to marry the daughter of the Marquis of Distant Peace to the Crown Prince as his principal consort. The Emperor’s health is failing, and once the decision is made, the wedding will be set quickly. At a time like this, I can’t afford to wait. I must act first—at the very least, I can’t let her win the Crown Prince’s heart. With today’s events, even if she tries to recover in the future, it won’t be easy. I grew up with His Highness; I know his temperament best. After living in the palace so long, he despises scheming, narrow-minded women.”

Her own birth was flawed; even if she had the Crown Prince’s affection, she could never be the Crown Princess. But she was nothing if not practical—if she were to be a consort, she’d never let the principal wife surpass her.

Their group soon departed, leaving by sedan chair from the far end of the gate. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Xiao Yun, having blocked Wu Tan’s path, now assumed a lofty air, saying nothing for a long while.

Wu Tan knelt straight and tall before him—he stood, she knelt; the disparity in status was clear, leaving no ground for argument.

With a silent sigh, she took the initiative to break the silence. “Your Highness, you are preventing me from leaving the palace. May I ask why?”

By Xiao Yun’s logic, she should be remorseful, at least offering some explanation for her actions, even if she remained unrepentant.

Yet, seeing her upright and unyielding only enraged him further.

But she was just a young girl. If she wouldn’t bring it up, how could he, as the Crown Prince and a man, stoop to quarreling with her?

“The palace gates will be sealed in two hours. You will kneel here until then—you are not to leave before the time is up!” Xiao Yun huffed, growing more incensed with every glance at Wu Tan’s expression. He added sharply, “As for the reason—you know perfectly well. Don’t think that just because my mother favors you, you can do whatever you please!”

The Empress favored her? Did she? Wasn’t it simply that the Empress saw through Huo Yunhua’s ploy and so acted impartially?

Wu Tan would have explained, but the problem was she didn’t even know what had started all this.

Better to say little.

“I have done no such thing!” she finally managed, forced to defend herself once more.

“The same excuse again? So you still insist your own sister and the Huo girl conspired to frame you?” Xiao Yun had been about to leave, but hearing her, he grew inexplicably animated.

Such was the truth, but he, of course, would never believe it.

Though this was their first real encounter, Wu Tan could see he was deeply prejudiced against her. Since his mind was made up, she didn’t bother to waste more words and simply fell silent.

Xiao Yun, waiting a while, finally lost his patience and barked, “Speak!”

By now, the rain was coming down hard. Wu Tan’s clothes were half-soaked, her hair damp and plastered to her face, making her look increasingly bedraggled.

She was angry herself, but having made up her mind, she pursed her lips and ignored Xiao Yun entirely.

He had come looking for a fight; now, with her giving neither resistance nor response, it was like punching into air—frustrating and unsatisfying, his irritation only grew. He found her more and more infuriating the longer he looked at her.

“If you have nothing to say, then kneel here and reflect!” At last, he flung his sleeves and strode away.

As if being sisters meant one would never frame the other? Was the Crown Prince truly so naive as to believe in the sanctity of sibling affection?

Xiao Yun stormed off toward the palace, so fast that the eunuch holding his umbrella had to trot to keep up.

Wu Tan didn’t look back, only rolled her eyes skyward. “Naive,” she muttered.

She grumbled to herself and shifted her knees, about to settle back into position when, suddenly, a voice sounded behind her, “What did you say?”

—End of Chapter—

[The following is a playful aside:]

Female Lead: [despairing] See, I really did get bitten by a dog this time…

Lan Bao: [banging on the table] Focus! Focus! Focus! Is the highlight of this chapter really that you got bitten by a dog—no, by the Crown Prince?

Faceless Monster: Over here! Over here! The real highlight is that I finally have lines in the bottom right corner! Rejoice! Spread the news! Retire—pah! I haven’t even shown my face; what’s there to retire for? Come, come, amnesty for all! Let’s not go home until we’re drunk!

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