Chapter 24: Qingci, Come Here

Chapter 24: Qingci, Come Here

The guards received orders and stepped forward, bowing respectfully: "Mr. Liu, please cooperate."

Xiao Yan looked into Liu Qingci's eyes and instructed, "Go ahead. Say whatever you want."

These words gave Liu Qingci immense confidence and support.

The investigation proceeded smoothly.

Liu Qingci pointed out that he had encountered Xu Ming in the corridor and they had exchanged a few words.

The guards and the imperial physician found an anomaly in the grass by the corridor: a few blades had traces of medicinal powder on them.

Fu'an confirmed that Xu Ming and Liu Qingci had indeed lingered there.

Hearing the physician's report, Xu Ming's face turned pale.

He wasn't experienced in this, so he could only hastily scatter the powder on Liu Qingci's clothes as they brushed past each other.

He hadn't even seen exactly where it had landed.

Now, it seemed some of the powder had accidentally fallen into the grass.

The situation was becoming unfavorable for him, but it was not enough to directly condemn him.

Thinking on his feet, Xu Ming pointed at Liu Qingci and shouted, "Liu Qingci, we only had some old grudges. How could you be so vicious as to set up such a trap to frame me?!"

Clutching at straws, Xu Ming's face contorted with feigned grief and feigned surprise.

"Let everyone bear witness! Liu Qingci and I were once in the Imperial Academy and indeed had some disagreements—nothing more than youthful temper. I've long since put it behind me! Who would have thought... who would have thought he would hold such a grudge that, taking advantage of today's banquet, he obtained this forbidden drug from somewhere, secretly applied it to himself, then deliberately lured me to the corridor to talk, to create a chance to meet, and finally, like a thief crying 'thief,' pinned everything on me!"

He turned to Liu Qingci, his gaze venomous, as if he himself were the wronged party.

"Liu Qingci, what a schemer you are! To take revenge on me, you didn't think twice about dragging Prince Yu into this mess, and even made him get hurt!"

This act of twisting the truth and shifting blame was over-the-top.

Sure enough, some onlookers looked hesitant.

Listening to Xu Ming's almost hysterical accusations, Liu Qingci found it completely ridiculous.

The small spark of hope in his heart at the prospect of the truth being revealed was once again snuffed out by cold reality.

So… same as always.

He pressed his lips together, not immediately refuting.

He remembered the old grudge Xu Ming had brought up.

Three years ago, Xu Ming had done the same thing—turned the tables on him.

During the big exam at the Imperial Academy, Liu Qingci had accidentally caught Xu Ming cheating. They locked eyes, and Xu Ming went pale.

After the exam, Xu Ming found Liu Qingci, hinting and warning him in every way he could. Liu Qingci only said lightly, "I don't stick my nose in other people's business."

He really didn't want to pursue it further—he simply found the man's behavior contemptible and wanted to keep his distance.

He thought that would be the end of it.

But on the day the results were released, the essay that had earned him first place through his own ability became his downfall.

Xu Ming worked behind the scenes, and soon rumors spread that the main idea of Liu Qingci's essay was stolen from offhand remarks made by a staffer in his own household.

Within just two or three days, the rumor spread like wildfire, embellished and twisted, claiming that he had used his father's position as Chancellor to obtain confidential viewpoints in advance, cheating.

Shocked and furious, Liu Qingci immediately tried to confront Mr. Chen in person.

However, that key staffer had "just happened" to take leave three days earlier and disappeared without a trace.

Without physical evidence or the key witness, no matter how he tried to defend himself, his words sounded hollow under everyone's skeptical looks.

In the end, on the grounds that "there were grounds for suspicion but no hard evidence, so to be fair," Liu Qingci's top ranking was quietly dropped.

So the "old grudge" was really just Liu Qingci discovering his dirty secrets and being dragged into the mire.

Three years ago, when his father held a powerful position, nobody believed him.

Three years later, with the Liu family in decline, no one would believe him either.

Liu Qingci's eyelashes trembled. His heart fluttered.

Involuntarily, he turned his gaze back to Xiao Yan.

And him? Would he still believe?

With Xu Ming wildly throwing accusations and everyone else suspicious, why would Xiao Yan believe him?

But just as he was about to sink into utter despair, a cold voice cut through Xu Ming's panicked accusations.

"Enough!"

The voice belonged to Xiao Yan.

His face showed no expression; he didn't even look at Xu Ming, but fixed his gaze on his own fingertips tapping the armrest.

"Xu Ming," Xiao Yan said, not loudly but with unmistakable disgust, "your act is too overdone."

Xu Ming's shouting stopped dead, like a chicken with its neck wrung.

The feigned grief and outrage on his face froze, then turned to sheer terror.

Xiao Yan slowly lifted his gaze, glancing over Xu Ming's pale face, and said sarcastically:

"I'm curious—how could a guy who can't even step foot out of the Listening Bamboo Garden obtain a royal forbidden drug that even the imperial physician needs to scrutinize? And how could he know for sure you'd corner him in the corridor today?"

Each question was a heavy blow, shattering Xu Ming's flimsy story.

Xiao Yan's eyes swept over the crowd and finally settled back on Liu Qingci. His voice was flat but held a strange conviction:

"If Liu Qingci truly had such flawless foresight and skill, I doubt you'd still be sitting here today, Xu Ming."

The meaning was crystal clear.

If Liu Qingci really had that much cunning and skill, Xu Ming would've been dead ages ago.

Liu Qingci snapped his head up, staring at Xiao Yan in disbelief.

He… he actually…

Xiao Yan, however, didn't look at him again. Instead, he ordered the guards, "Continue the search. Search the Xu family's carriage—care-fully, thor-oughly."

The command was sharp and clear, its target clear.

Thoroughly investigate Xu Ming.

Rather than fixating on Liu Qingci’s baseless motive for revenge.

Xu Ming collapsed completely, his lips quivering, unable to utter another word.

He knew that Prince Yu had already concluded it was him.

If the prince were willing to protect him, even the strongest evidence would be useless; but if the prince chose not to, even without evidence, he would still be punished.

The guards soon brought a powder box they had found in the drawer of the Xu family's carriage.

The evidence was conclusive.

Xu Ming’s face turned ashen, and he could no longer speak.

The onlookers exchanged glances, their expressions varied, and they buzzed with discussion.

Only Xiao Yan showed no surprise at this outcome—after all, the system had already told him the answer.

"Any last words?" He raised his eyes to look at Xu Ming.

"Your Highness, I... I confess my wrongdoing. I merely noticed Liu Qingci constantly disrespecting you and wanted to teach him a lesson on your behalf. I never intended to harm you!"

Xu Ming, realizing the situation was lost, abandoning all dignity, scrambled and crawled to Xiao Yan’s feet.

"Your Highness, please see the truth!"

Xiao Yan’s brow did not even twitch at this.

He let out a cold sneer, his voice like ice, each word declaring absolute ownership:

"Liu Qingci is mine. Since when are you entitled to teach him?"

Xu Ming’s cries of pleading caught in his throat.

Xiao Yan’s words were unmistakably protective.

Protecting Liu Qingci?

Liu Qingci had only been at the Prince Yu’s residence for a few days! How could he have already charmed the prince into such a state?!

Xu Ming lay slumped on the ground, speechless.

Xiao Yan paid him no further attention. He simply beckoned to Liu Qingci.

"Come here, Qingci."