Chapter 131: Injustice

The woman then removed her veil, lifting her head slightly to reveal her face.

Seeing that face, Lan Wu instinctively frowned.

She glanced down at her own dress, somewhat displeased.

The person below was none other than Pan Xi, the palace maid she had seen last time in Jinghua Palace.

Had Pan Xi defected to Consort Shu?

Or was Noble Consort Li still not giving up? Still trying to present Pan Xi before Chu Mingheng.

Last time, she wore her clothes; this time, she danced the same dance.

Lan Wu kept her gaze fixed, scrutinizing Pan Xi.

Her appearance was quite lovely, her figure not bad either. The dance she had just performed, while not as good as hers, clearly showed effort had been put into it.

If it really was Noble Consort Li, then she had gone to great lengths. Even while being targeted by Consort Shu herself, she still managed to send Pan Xi to learn her dance. She must have made quite a few visits to the Music Bureau.

Chen Kangan was also slightly taken aback when he saw her, then turned to look at the emperor as if seeking his opinion.

But Chu Mingheng’s expression didn’t change at all; in fact, his gaze had already shifted to Lan Wu. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, impossible to read.

Chen Kangan shivered inexplicably and quickly turned back, looking at the person below. Following the precedent of rewarding others earlier, he prepared to give Pan Xi a reward as well.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Pan Xi declined the favor.

“Your Majesty, this servant seeks no reward. I only beg Your Majesty to judge fairly and listen to this servant’s plea of injustice—” Pan Xi spoke these words loudly, trembling like a sieve, as if recalling something terrifying. But after a moment, she gradually calmed down.

This turn of events was truly unexpected. Everyone present turned their attention to the center of the hall, even forgetting that Prince Wei was still kneeling nearby.

Pleading injustice at the New Year’s Eve banquet?

Lan Wu pondered these words, unable to make sense of it. This Pan Xi was truly strange—she didn’t seem like Consort Shu’s person, nor did she seem like Noble Consort Li’s.

But without a doubt, she had indeed captured everyone’s attention at this moment.

Yet today was the New Year’s Eve palace banquet, not a place to hear pleas of injustice. If everyone did this, wouldn’t it break the rules?

Some in attendance frowned disapprovingly, looking at the woman in the hall with displeasure.

But whether to listen to this plea of injustice ultimately depended on what His Majesty said.

Prince Wei felt uneasy, a sense of being plotted against rising in his heart.

Staring at Pan Xi’s figure, he suddenly spoke: “If you have an injustice, why not seek judgment from the palace supervisors instead of coming to this banquet to beg His Majesty for mercy? I have never seen a palace maid as scheming as you.”

“Imperial Brother, today is New Year’s Eve. How can we allow such a lowly servant to disrupt the family banquet?” His words were sharp, a stark contrast to his earlier attitude.

Chu Mingheng smiled faintly, looking at Prince Wei as he spoke: “You seem quite irritable today. I heard that even before the banquet began, your consort was scolded by you. Though it is your family matter, you also know today is a family banquet. What did Lady Lin do to displease you, that you scolded her to the point of weeping in this hall?”

“By that logic, I should have someone drag you out and give you a beating for disrupting the family banquet.”

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly lowered their heads, sighing inwardly—the Lin family was rumored to have rebellious intentions. Although His Majesty had not yet issued an edict, his attitude now made it clear: the Lin family was likely doomed.

Prince Wei opened his mouth to defend himself but was cut off as Chu Mingheng continued:

“Indeed, Fifth Brother has always had a fiery temper since childhood, lacking benevolence and kindness.” He glanced at Prince Wei, his lips curling slightly with a leisurely yet murderous air. “He doesn’t resemble Consort Hui at all—more like Wen Shi.”

The moment the name “Wen Shi” was uttered, the atmosphere in the hall grew tense.

Everyone present knew that Wen Shi, a consort of the Late Emperor, had plotted against the imperial heirs and harmed other concubines. Her crimes were unforgivable, and the entire Wen clan was executed. Though tragic, it was a fate brought upon themselves by the Wen lineage.

Now, for His Majesty to say Prince Wei resembled Wen Shi clearly showed his displeasure with the prince.

Prince Wei’s reaction, however, was not what everyone expected.

Though his face showed shock, his expression seemed to betray not only surprise but also panic.

“Imperial Brother…” Prince Wei swallowed hard, forcing a smile as he tried to change the subject. But before he could, the servant girl in the hall suddenly raised her voice.

“Your Majesty! The injustice this servant wishes to report is related to Prince Wei—”

Pan Xi’s voice rang out like an eagle’s cry, tearing through the invisible silence in the hall and shattering Prince Wei’s forced composure.

Chu Mingheng finally seemed somewhat interested, nodding slightly. “Then speak.”

Outside the hall, the sky had darkened without anyone noticing. The winter sun’s warmth lasted only briefly at noon, and now the gloomy weather inexplicably mirrored the oppressive, storm-laden atmosphere inside.

“This servant entered the palace as a child and, by chance, befriended a palace maid named Huanpei. She was ten years older than me and took pity on me when she saw me stealing pastries from the kitchen out of hunger. Over time, we grew close, and I regarded her as an elder sister, confiding everything in her.”

“But this did not last. Huanpei was transferred to Consort Hui’s palace. Though we saw less of each other, since I worked in Yushan Fang, she would occasionally visit the kitchen, and we could still meet. We had agreed that if either of us had urgent news to share, we would place two stacked stones in a crevice among the rock formations in the Imperial Garden. The other would know to seek them out.”

“At that time, Prince Wei was only twelve and had not yet left the palace to establish his own residence. He occasionally visited Consort Hui’s palace, and Huanpei once told me she had seen him a few times.”

“Then one day, Huanpei came to Yushan Fang looking anxious, yet she deliberately distanced herself from me. I was utterly confused.”

“Before I could ask her what was wrong, I heard that Huanpei had offended Prince Wei and had been executed on the spot.”

At this point, Pan Xi’s hatred for Prince Wei was palpable, her clenched teeth seeming to wish they could tear his flesh apart.

But she remained rational and pressed on.

Prince Wei’s temples bulged with veins, his reaction clearly abnormal. He cut Pan Xi off abruptly, rising to his feet and shouting, “That palace maid poured scalding tea on me! I still bear the scars! Killing her was letting her off lightly! How dare you stand here twisting the truth and slandering me—”

With that, he knelt before Chu Mingheng, sweating profusely, and pleaded anxiously, “Imperial Brother, please see the truth—this matter happened so many years ago and was already dealt with back then. This servant is clearly harboring ill intentions and spouting nonsense! I beg you to arrest her immediately. How can she be allowed to slander your humble brother here—”

“This servant is not slandering anyone! What is Prince Wei so afraid of that he panics like this!?” Pan Xi retorted sharply, her dark eyes fixed on him with a sinister glare. “Why are you so desperate to silence me? Is it because I know the truth Huanpei discovered back then?”

Prince Wei listened to her words, his entire body turning cold.

Kill her—kill her—she must be killed! She cannot be allowed to speak! Absolutely not—!

This single thought consumed his mind, repeating incessantly like a maddening curse, silently whispering in his ear.

Kill her, kill her, kill her!

“Ah—!!!” Several startled cries erupted, and panic spread all around.