Chapter 059: Tearing Huo Yunhua Apart with Bare Hands

Because Empress Jiang and the others had not returned, Xiao Yun felt uneasy. As the banquet was drawing to a close, he decided to come over himself. He had not expected to walk in on such a scene.

Due to Wu Tan’s accusation, everyone had turned in unison to look at Huo Yunhua. Huo Yunhua had not anticipated that Wu Tan, with nothing in hand, would dare to publicly accuse her. Though she was flustered, she quickly steadied herself, knelt down, and explained, “Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness the Virtuous Consort, this afternoon I indeed visited Huayang Palace, but it was only to return the set of clothes that Princess Lin’an lent me the last time I entered the palace. If you doubt me, you may question the attendants at Huayang Palace; someone can certainly attest to this.”

Naturally, Consort Zhao did not believe Huo Yunhua would have any motive to burn Princess Lin’an alive. She frowned and was about to summon the guards stationed outside the palace that afternoon for questioning when Wu Tan, relentless, spoke again, “I saw you hand a bundle to a maid inside Huayang Palace. Moreover, the princess did not invite you in for a conversation, did she?”

Huo Yunhua had still harbored a faint hope that Wu Tan might be bluffing. Only now did she realize that Wu Tan had indeed seen her visit Huayang Palace. She was about to explain in haste, but Wu Tan gave her no chance, continuing sharply, “After you left Huayang Palace, what did you do? I saw you head to the right. Then an old maid came out of the palace and stayed with you in the passageway for a while before returning. You’re going to say that was just a coincidence, aren’t you?”

Several times Huo Yunhua tried to interject, but Wu Tan’s aggressive manner left her utterly unable to speak. In desperation, she cried out in her own defense, “I didn’t! I never went into any passageway or met anyone. Wu Tan, you’re slandering me with baseless lies!”

Wu Tan sneered, unwilling to waste further words, and turned instead to Consort Zhao: “Your Highness, there’s no need to summon all the old maids for questioning. Simply call in the guards who were on duty at the palace gate this afternoon, and it will be clear who among them left after Miss Huo’s visit to meet her in secret!”

Her merciless insistence made it clear she was determined to oppose Huo Yunhua. Huo Yunhua had not expected her logic to be so sharp, nor that she would leave her no room to react. The defenses Huo Yunhua had so carefully built up were crumbling.

Consort Zhao did not hesitate. She immediately instructed her chief attendant, Madam Qi, “Go and find out which guards were on duty at the main gate this afternoon. Summon them here.”

“Yes!” Madam Qi accepted the command respectfully and departed.

But Huo Yunhua knew she could not just sit and wait for her doom.

The Virtuous Consort, seething with anger over Princess Lin’an’s plight, seemed ready to act without restraint. Fearing what might happen, Huo Yunhua weighed her options, then crawled on her knees to Empress Jiang—who also did not care much for her—and kowtowed, pleading, “Your Majesty, please judge fairly! I truly have done nothing wrong. This is the depths of the palace; as a minister’s daughter, how could I possibly know anyone from the Virtuous Consort’s household? Even if someone did leave after me, it does not prove she met me in secret. All of this is nothing but Wu Tan’s conjecture.”

Empress Jiang averted her gaze coldly, refusing to look at her. “Once the guards have identified the maid, she will be brought here for confrontation. If it has nothing to do with you, then wait in peace. Why defend yourself before this palace has even questioned you?”

Huo Yunhua was left speechless, her face paling slightly. But before Empress Jiang, she could only swallow her anger and bow her head in submission. “Yes, Your Majesty. I was too anxious. I’ve always been upright and have never experienced anything like this, so…”

By now, Li Xun’er had completely recovered from the terror of being trapped by the fire. She suddenly interjected with a sneer, “It’s not as if you’ve never been through anything like this. At Princess Lin’an’s coming-of-age ceremony, didn’t you publicly reprimand Miss Wu? You were far calmer then than now.”

Li Xun’er’s retort left Huo Yunhua once again without words. Her face flushed and paled in turn. She glanced at Li Xun’er, but as a legitimate commandery princess and royal kin, she dared not argue back.

The noblewomen around them all wore mocking expressions, whispering and pointing at her.

Huo Yunhua, truly frightened and angry with nowhere to vent her frustration, could only turn once more to Wu Tan, the root of her troubles, and cried out angrily, “So, this is all because of what happened last time, isn’t it? You failed to frame me and were punished by His Highness, so you’re holding a grudge and now you’re slandering me again! What have I done to offend you, Wu Tan, that you must scheme against me time and again?”

She was truly desperate, and tears slipped down her cheeks.

Wu Tan watched coldly, uncharacteristically confrontational—no longer the silent and composed figure she had been during the previous incident. She shot back, “Last time, I don’t know what madness possessed you to accuse me, but this time you’re right—”

She paused, then continued with added emphasis, “Today, I did witness your actions, even if I have no irrefutable proof. But precisely because of our previous enmity, knowing your character is so lacking, I could not dismiss what I saw as mere coincidence and withhold it from Her Majesty the Empress!”

It was the first time anyone so boldly admitted to personal vendetta before the mother of the nation. Huo Yunhua was so stifled she could barely contain herself.

“You—” she shouted, glaring at Wu Tan for a long moment, but found herself utterly speechless.

Wu Tan’s expression made it clear she was determined to oppose Huo Yunhua, arching her brow as she went on: “Just as Her Majesty said, if you have nothing to hide, why be so nervous? Once we identify the maid who met you in secret, you can confront her face-to-face. If it turns out I misrepresented the facts and wronged you, I am willing to accept punishment for false accusation at the Empress’s discretion. You will not suffer unjustly!”

Wu Tan spoke with such righteousness it was as if she was certain Huo Yunhua would be caught red-handed today.

Consort Zhao and the others were already casting suspicious glances at Huo Yunhua, scrutinizing her intently.

Huo Yunhua felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles. She tried to compose herself but finally lost control, attempting once more to salvage the situation. “Even if you find someone who can testify against me, how do you know you didn’t bribe her in advance to frame me? And you keep insisting I had something to do with the fire at Huayang Palace—why would I set a fire there?”

In her desperation to clear her name, she spared no effort.

Yet it was precisely this frantic, cornered attitude that further exposed her panic and guilt.

Wu Qinglin, who had been kneeling before the Empress for some time to expose Huo Yunhua, had not intended to interfere further. But as the situation escalated, he lost his patience, stepped forward, and drew from his sleeve a half-burned letter. “I believe this may be the reason.”

He shook out the letter. When Huo Yunhua turned and saw it, her face went ashen, panic overtaking her.

This novel was first published here. Please do not reproduce elsewhere.