The Fourth Prince choked on his words. His dealings with Xiao Yan couldn't be revealed openly, so he could only plead with Tangning: "I truly didn’t harm you! I knew nothing about tonight’s events! When my mother spoke to Princess Leyang, it was only to prevent Sun Yi from harassing you. Yinxuan must have misunderstood, she acted out of jealousy because of my feelings for you!"
At this point, he had no choice but to sacrifice his consort.
"I never imagined Yinxuan would be so vicious, using poisoned prayer beads to harm you. It’s my fault for not noticing her malice sooner, for failing to control my emotions in front of her. I nearly put you in danger…"
Rong Yue nearly spat at the sight of the prince’s "devoted" expression.
Tangning listened quietly, her lips pressed tight. "So you’re saying tonight’s scheme was entirely the Fourth Prince’s consort’s doing? You knew nothing?"
The prince nodded eagerly. "Yes, nothing!"
Tangning: "Then how will you deal with her?"
Desperate to distance himself, and seeing his ruined consort as no longer fit to remain in his household, the prince answered without hesitation,
"Naturally, she will be punished severely. As my consort, she incited Princess Leyang, repeatedly plotted against you, and acted with unforgivable cruelty. Once we return to the capital, I will beg His Majesty to condemn her."
Tangning’s voice turned eerily calm. "She is your lawful wife. After losing her virtue tonight, this charge would mean her death. Are you truly willing?"
Seeing her expression soften slightly, the prince seized the chance to prove his loyalty. "A venomous woman like Zhao Yinxuan is unworthy of being a royal consort!"
Tangning studied his righteous fury for a long moment before turning toward a side curtain in the hall.
"Consort Zhao, did you hear that?"
The prince froze.
The curtain was yanked aside, revealing the Fourth Prince’s consort, her face bloodless, hands trembling as she clutched the fabric.
"Yinxuan!"
The prince’s face was drained of color. He hadn’t known she’d woken, she must have heard everything. Panic set in.
The consort swayed on her feet, shoving away the maid trying to support her. Step by step, she walked toward her husband.
"Xie Guogzheng, I must have been blind to believe your lies and to commit every evil deed for you!"
"Yinxuan"
"Don’t call me that!"
Every inch of her body ached, but no pain compared to his betrayal.
When she first awoke and realized what had happened, she nearly lost her mind. She had no idea how she ended up in that prayer hall instead of Tangning. Yet even in her despair, she’d never considered betraying the prince.
Knowing her recklessness had led to this disaster, she’d resolved to shoulder all blame, to protect him and Empress Lu, even at the cost of her life.
But then she heard him.
The man who swore he loved only her, who used their past affection to manipulate her into targeting Tangning, he hadn’t hesitated to abandon her.
Poisonous woman, the words hammered into her, shattering the last illusions of their marriage.
"I’m the venomous one? Xie Guogzheng, if I’m poison, you’re the vilest scum!"
"If not for your pleas about your precarious position at court, would I have schemed against Song Tangning? If not for Empress Lu whispering that securing Tangning would restore your standing, would I have goaded Princess Leyang?"
"You used our marriage to trick me into acting, swearing I was the only one you loved. Now that things went wrong, I’m the villain?"
"Yinxuan!" The prince panicked. "Silence her! She’s gone mad!"
His attendants rushed forward, only for Cang Lang to block them with his sword.
"The consort hasn’t finished speaking. Why the rush, Your Highness?"
The prince glared. "Does your master know what you’re doing?!"
He hoped invoking Xiao Yan’s name would make Cang Lang back down. But the guard only said coldly, "My master is recuperating at home. He knows nothing of tonight’s events. But when he learns someone targeted the County Princess, he will not let it slide." His gaze sharpened. "Unless… Your Highness already knows how the Governor feels about her?"
The prince’s face turned ashen. Of course he knew, that was why he’d schemed to bind Xiao Yan to his side through Tangning. But now…
Regret flooded him. He never should have targeted Song Tangning.
When he turned pleading eyes to his consort, he found only hatred. His earlier words had destroyed any chance of her protecting him.
The consort looked at Tangning, her eyes red. "I gave you the beads. I suggested Lingyun Temple. But I acted on Empress Lu’s orders. She was the one who first planted the idea in Princess Leyang’s mind, who hinted that ruining your virtue could force you into marriage."
"Zhao Yinxuan!"
The prince tried to interrupt, but Cang Lang’s sword hilt smashed into his mouth.
"Ah!"
Blood and teeth spilled onto the floor as the prince howled.
Cang Lang didn’t even blink. "Interfere again, and I won’t be so gentle." To the consort: "Continue."
Seeing the prince’s misery, the consort felt a vicious satisfaction. She had no reason to shield him now.
"The empress knew you were stubborn, that even Princess Leyang’s schemes might not make you submit. And if you discovered her involvement, Governor Xiao would destroy the princess’s household."
"They learned of the male courtesan plan and switched him with Sun Yi. If you were caught with Sun Yi, the prince could ‘chivalrously’ defend you, earning your gratitude. Later, with more manipulation, you’d willingly marry him, handing over Rongsheng Academy in the process."
A bitter laugh escaped her. "We thought of ourselves as the cunning hunters, carefully placing Sun Yi in that prayer hall. Yet look how it ended…"
Tears streamed down her face as she recalled the violation, the humiliating marks on her skin.
But no one in the hall pitied her.
Tangning watched her coldly, unmoved.
She would never resort to such vile methods herself. But the consort had known exactly what would happen to a woman caught in that prayer hall, how even if the plot was later exposed, the victim would be ruined beyond repair.
The moment the consort agreed to the scheme and handed over those beads, she forfeited all sympathy.
Tangning asked, "If you planned for me and Sun Yi, why were you in the prayer hall?"
The consort’s gaze shifted to the crowd. "Ask Lady Pei and the Second Miss Bai."
Two women paled.
The consort’s voice turned icy. "After the ceremony, I feigned a sprained ankle to return to my quarters, both to arrange the next steps and establish an alibi. But on the way, I ran into Lady Pei and Miss Bai."
"Consort, we merely happened upon you—" Lady Pei protested weakly.
"Happened? I took a secluded path. What are the odds? Everyone knows the Second Prince and Fourth Prince are enemies."
The consort’s eyes burned with fury. "The Pei family supports the Second Prince. Miss Bai is his consort’s sister. We’ve never been close, yet you deliberately waylaid me, chatting about nothing for nearly an hour."
She wasn’t stupid, her subtle manipulations of Princess Leyang proved that. Studying their panicked faces, she hissed:
"You stopped me for a cup of tea. After I went back, I was so sleepy that I didn't have the energy to arrange the rest of the things."
"Tonight was a big night. I should have waited in the Buddhist temple, but I couldn't fall asleep. I fell asleep and lost consciousness. The Fourth Prince has been unwilling to sleep with me recently, so no one noticed that I was kidnapped. When I woke up, I was already in the Buddhist temple. I ended up in such a mess."
"By the time I woke, I was already in that prayer hall, defiled."
Her tear-filled eyes locked onto the two women. "I’ve reviewed every moment of tonight. The only people who could’ve drugged me were you."
Lady Pei shook violently. "It wasn’t us! We did nothing!"
Miss Bai echoed frantically, "Don’t falsely accuse us! We only spoke to you!"
They had indeed come to sabotage the Fourth Prince’s plans on the Second Prince’s orders, to ensure his scheme against Tangning was exposed. But they’d barely begun when everything spiraled out of control.
Their chance encounter with the consort had been genuine. They’d only stalled her to gather information, never imagining things would escalate like this.
When the prayer hall doors opened to reveal the consort instead of Tangning, their jaws had nearly hit the floor.
Now, facing her accusations, they felt the weight of an unjust blame crashing down.
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