Chapter Ninety-Three: The Evidence

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The Third Matriarch, unwilling to offend Madam Xue, stifled her anger and stopped, nodding in agreement, "Sister-in-law speaks truly!"

The Fourth Matriarch snorted dismissively.

Madam Xue invited everyone to sit down. As for Xue Wuniang, being the suspect, she was not allowed to stand behind the screen with the other sisters; instead, she stood beside her grandmother.

With everything arranged, Madam Xue instructed the servant to bring in Xiao Yi.

In a short while, a young man entered the room wearing a long robe patterned with moon-white calamus, a jade belt clasped around his waist.

He was tall and slender, his jade-like face entering the room like a rare orchid or a jade tree—suddenly, the entire world seemed to quiet in elegance.

Behind the screen, Xue Fanzhi and the others observed this scene clearly. Recently, Xue Fanzhi couldn’t help but bring up the fact that this man was once hers. Suddenly, she sighed softly to herself—that was all in the past, and she wondered who this life might bring him to now.

Xue Jiaoyue had no time to watch Xue Fanzhi’s mixture of smile and resentment; she was also secretly scrutinizing Xiao Yi, thinking to herself how foolish she was not to dare approach such a handsome man.

She dared to get close to any of the gentlemen in the family, but not him.

Not only was he handsome, but his status was high. If she could marry the Ninth Prince, she might wake laughing from her dreams.

Actually, the Eighth Prince was equally noble, on par with the Ninth Prince in status. But in terms of appearance, the Eighth Prince was far less striking. He was an ordinary man with a lofty position because he was born into the imperial family, which gave him a slight air of arrogant nobility, but nothing more.

Unfortunately, this Ninth Prince had a problem with his eyes—he couldn’t see her and seemed to have sided with Xue Fanzhi from the very first day he came to the house.

Such a pity, so hateful, so detestable!

Other young ladies and maidservants also secretly admired Xiao Yi, all agreeing that he was as handsome as the autumn moon, his aura remarkable; just one glance seemed to promise longevity.

For Xiao Yi, it was the first time facing so many women. Though the ones he saw were mostly elderly ladies, he felt somewhat uneasy.

He didn’t see Azhi, but since she had come, he knew she must be peeking from behind the screen.

Xue Fanzhi had been hiding well, but suddenly felt a sharp gaze on her back. Peering through the screen, she saw Xiao Yi looking her way. His gaze seemed unimpeded by the screen, locking eyes with her—a pair of eyes bright as stars...

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Xue Fanzhi’s heart skipped a beat. She had to admit, she cared deeply for Xiao Yi’s face. Even though they were an old married couple, every time she looked at him, her face flushed and her heart raced.

What an annoying man, she thought. She didn’t know if he was truly looking at her or if it was unintentional. She didn’t want to do something she didn’t intend—she didn’t want to imagine things.

The atmosphere in the room felt as if enchanted, instantly becoming silent.

Madam Xue and the other ladies lowered their heads, bowing to Xiao Yi.

All of them had strong, sturdy frames, yet they held such an uncomfortable posture for so long—it must be exhausting. Why hadn’t the Ninth Prince spoken yet? Was he doing this deliberately? Couldn’t he show some consideration for the elderly?

Finally, Xiao Yi still hadn’t seen Xue Fanzhi, only sensed her presence. He came back to his senses.

Seeing the solemn posture before him, he felt a bit guilty. He was, after all, a guest who came voluntarily; such formal bows were unnecessary.

Xiao Yi quickly said, “Grandmother, no need for ceremony. Everyone, no need for ceremony. Let’s get to the point—let’s keep it brief.”

Madam Xue straightened her back and nodded, then organized everyone to take their seats.

Xiao Yi said, “No need to sit either. I only want to ask Xue Wuniang one question: was she the mastermind behind this?”

This statement was tantamount to convicting Xue Wuniang as the villain.

Beside her grandmother, Xue Wuniang lifted her head in surprise... locking eyes with a handsome man’s face. She had only seen Xiao Yi from afar before and admired him, felt her heart flutter. But knowing he could even insult Xue Jiaoyue, he was not someone easy to deal with. She was content with Xie Lilang and had no ambitions for any prince. But could this prince really be targeting her just like that?

After a few glances, Xue Wuniang felt deeply wronged.

Before she could say anything, the Third Matriarch, feeling guilty, said, “Your Highness, what do you mean by this? It’s as if our Wuniang really did something wrong. What proof do you have to be so certain?”

Xiao Yi disliked wasting time the most—unless it was on people and things he cared about.

Clearly, judging the Shen family’s case was not among those things.

He directly presented the sworn confession of He Dalang for everyone to see. Seeing the Third Matriarch’s displeased face and her desire to speak, Xiao Yi said, “Third Matriarch, are you suggesting that without physical evidence, the witness testimony alone is not enough to convict Xue Wuniang?”

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Third Matriarch: "..."

Xue Wuniang: "..."

Their planned counterarguments were exposed outright.

Xiao Yi produced half a horseshoe gold ingot from his sleeve and said, “This was found in Jin Dalang’s house by Xiao Yi. Clearly, given Jin Dalang’s skills and status, he could not have obtained such an item on his own. This windfall must have come from a generous benefactor. After studying it overnight, I discovered that the cut on this horseshoe gold is fresh—meaning it was recently separated. So I thought, the matching piece must still be in the mansion. Perseverance paid off, and I found that the matching piece was in the pocket of the Third Matriarch’s attendant!”

He then tilted his head toward the door behind him and said, “Bring the person in!”

At the doorway stood Xiao Yi, holding the Third Matriarch’s attendant, Lin Shi. Hearing the summons, Xiao Yi rolled his eyes internally, thinking, “What research overnight? He clearly slept through the night. I was the one who caught the person last night. The prince seemed to have suddenly figured out this key point.”

After his silent complaint, Xiao Yi led the woman inside.

Lin Shi was a woman in her seventies, already at the age to enjoy retirement. But the Third Matriarch had many tasks for her, and Lin Shi knew many secrets. She had no husband and was lonely; she kept the matriarch company in her chambers.

Seeing Lin Shi brought in bound, the Third Matriarch’s eyes were filled with panic.

In fact, she had started to panic the moment Xiao Yi mentioned the matching horseshoe gold.

She had given the money to hire the assassin for her daughter-in-law. When her daughter-in-law asked for ten gold ingots, the matriarch didn’t count but took two horseshoe gold ingots directly from the cabinet and handed them over.

One of those had been cut slightly and kept by Lin Shi to give to Doctor Li. Recently, the matriarch had suffered from insomnia and had scheduled a visit with Doctor Li, who was very greedy and demanded gold for house calls. She didn’t want to pay, but others couldn’t cure her.

The appointment had not yet arrived; the gold had not been given. The piece given to He Dalang was intact. If it wasn’t from her to He Dalang, how could the complete horseshoe gold be pieced together from her room? Such a fact was even discovered by the Ninth Prince.

The Third Matriarch looked at Xiao Yi as if she had seen a ghost, unsteady and stammering, “This, this...”