Chapter 15: Can Just Any Tom, Dick, or Harry Enter the Prince Jin’s Manor?

The guests outside the Anke Courtyard saw Prince Jin impeccably dressed, his attire perfectly neat, showing not the slightest sign of having engaged in any improper conduct. Moreover, if the person inside the room were truly the prince, how could he have entered from outside? The sudden appearance of Jun Buwen caused a stir among the crowd: “Your Highness, the one in the room is not you!”

“I knew it, the prince has always kept his distance from women. How could he possibly behave indecently with the third Miss Xia at a birthday banquet?”

“It was surprising enough when the prince agreed to marry the eldest Miss Xia. Now it’s clear the prince is innocent and never did anything with the third Miss Xia.”

“The prince has been wronged!”

“The Xia family must have assumed the person inside was the prince from the very beginning.”

With Jun Buwen’s arrival, the Xia family’s scheme to entrap the prince was instantly thwarted.

Xia Jiujiang smiled gracefully. “I told you—the person in the Anke Courtyard is not the prince.”

When Xia Yue’er saw Prince Jin appear, her face turned deathly pale, and she stumbled back a step in shock. How could this be? Wasn’t Xia Chan supposed to be seducing Prince Jin in the Anke Courtyard? Xia Chan’s clothes lay in disarray all over the room—so the one inside was indeed Xia Chan. But how could the prince be standing here?

Lin Baixue quickly supported Xia Yue’er, steadying her. No matter what happened, this was Xia Chan’s own doing and had nothing to do with them. They must not lose their composure.

Jun Buwen strode to Xia Jiujiang’s side, his icy gaze fixed on Xia Wentao. “I never knew the Prime Minister’s family was so high and mighty. To coerce my princess right in front of the guests, and attempt to force your third daughter into my household—when did my residence become a place any stray cat or dog could enter?”

Jun Buwen had always carried himself above all others at court, with good reason. His unparalleled military achievements had made him a god of war feared by enemies, and as commander of the Embroidered Guards, he inspired awe throughout the realm. He was Emperor Zongkang’s favored confidant, and his position in the Li Kingdom was unassailable.

Thus, by referring to Xia Chan as a mere stray, Jun Buwen was also making it clear to Xia Wentao that, in his eyes, the Xia family amounted to little more.

He had also heard of Xia Jiujiang’s treatment in the Xia household. Seeing how everyone dared trample over her, it only confirmed that her alliance with Jun Buwen was real—she truly wished to rely upon him for support.

Xia Wentao trembled as he spoke: “Your Highness, please calm your anger.”

Madam Wei’s face had long since lost all color. She had believed the man in the bed was the prince, yet here he stood, unharmed before her, leaving her utterly bewildered and anxious.

Jun Buwen spoke coldly: “My marriage is mine to decide. Even when Emperor Zongkang himself bestowed the match, he required my consent before admitting the eldest Miss Xia to my household. Does the Prime Minister imagine your word surpasses the emperor’s? If you say I must marry Xia Chan, must I comply?”

The Prime Minister was terrified. Prince Jin was no ordinary noble—he held real power, commanded respect at court, and was someone every faction sought to win over. At his mere words, Xia Wentao felt as though he faced a grave threat.

Xia Wentao said, “Your Highness, please do not be angry. I mistakenly assumed you were in the Anke Courtyard with Chan’er and spoke rashly. I beg your forgiveness.”

Xia Jiujiang gave a soft laugh. “As I said, Madam Wei never even saw who was in the room, yet immediately placed the blame on the prince. With her certainty, I hardly know what to say.”

Stunned, Madam Wei pointed at Xia Jiujiang. “You—you knew all along that the person inside was not the prince!”

Xia Yue’er stared at Xia Jiujiang in astonishment. How could Xia Jiujiang have known the prince wasn’t in the room? If not the prince, then who was it?

Xia Jiujiang replied, “Indeed, I knew from the moment I entered the Anke Courtyard that the one with Xia Chan was not the prince.”

Madam Wei, appalled, accused her, “It was you, wasn’t it? You orchestrated all this, or how else would you know the prince wasn’t inside?”

Xia Jiujiang sneered. “I have nowhere near such power to control everything. I knew it wasn’t the prince because… he was with me the whole time. The prince wished to see where I lived in the Xia household, so we went together to Yiju.”

Xia Yue’er was aghast. “The prince was with you the entire time? How is that possible?”

Xia Jiujiang glanced at her. Since Prince Jin’s appearance, Xia Yue’er had fallen silent, as if nothing had to do with her, but now she finally spoke.

Xia Jiujiang countered, “Why should it be impossible for the prince to be with me? Then, dear sister, who do you think he ought to be with?”

Xia Yue’er muttered, “That’s not what I meant. It’s just, if the prince was with you at Yiju, how did you arrive at the Anke Courtyard first and lead us to believe the person inside was the prince?”

Xia Jiujiang replied logically, “Are you implying that I made you all believe the person inside was the prince?”

Xia Yue’er’s face paled further. Since when had Xia Jiujiang become so clear-headed and eloquent? In the past, she could barely utter a word in a crowd, but now she seemed a different person entirely.

There was a chill in Xia Jiujiang’s tone, a trace of displeasure after being beset by the Xia family. “I found the commotion here suspicious, so I came ahead to investigate. The prince cared little for the matter. Who could have known that you and Madam Wei would insist the people inside were the prince and Chan’er, and that Father would then try to pressure me into allowing Chan’er into the prince’s household?”

Sweat beaded on Xia Wentao’s brow. He had not foreseen this sudden reversal. He had hoped that if Xia Chan entered the prince’s residence, it would provide him with another bargaining chip and greater influence, but now it all seemed a farce.

At that moment, Lin Baixue stepped in to smooth things over. “Your Highness, you misunderstand. Your father only spoke out of concern, believing Chan’er and the prince had overstepped boundaries, which is why he mentioned letting Chan’er enter the prince’s household. Please don’t blame a father’s good intentions.”

A father’s good intentions? How laughable!

To Xia Wentao, Xia Yue’er was his only true daughter. Lin Baixue, skilled in the language of flowers, understood his thoughts better than anyone. Xia Jiujiang and Xia Chan were both little more than stepping stones for Xia Yue’er.

But compared to the merchant’s daughter Xia Jiujiang, who only held the title of legitimate daughter, he found Xia Chan at least more pleasing.

Xia Jiujiang’s sharp gaze swept across her family. “I repeatedly denied that the person in the room was the prince, yet you refused to believe me. Luckily, the truth has come out—otherwise, the prince would have suffered a grave injustice, and Chan’er might have been forced into his household.”

Lin Baixue said awkwardly, “Since it was all a misunderstanding, let’s just put it behind us.”

Jun Buwen let out a cold laugh. “Put it behind us? Has everyone forgotten something? The Anke Courtyard was prepared for the prince and his princess, yet now someone else has used their chambers for unspeakable acts!”

His words brought the Xia family back to reality. Since it wasn’t the prince with Xia Chan, then who was it? If the truth were revealed before everyone, the Xia family’s reputation would be utterly destroyed.