Chapter Forty-Eight: There Is Always Only One Truth

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In this entire scheme, which piece of evidence doesn’t aim to destroy Luo Yunyao utterly?

Luo Yunyao’s pale and helpless appearance suddenly lost all vitality again—without Qin Jinghao, she no longer needed that at all.

Luo Yunyao lifted her head and said heavily, “Princess, Yue Liuxi.” Then she added, “That’s what I suspect.”

Ouyang Jingxu’s sharp and handsome features softened into a smile, tinged with a deadly edge. He spoke casually yet confidently, “No matter who it is, as long as it’s not the person you previously suspected, this matter becomes much easier to handle.” He chuckled lowly and continued, “Although the saying goes ‘Princes are punished like commoners when they commit crimes,’ the reality is that nobility and imperial bloodlines are never so easily exposed. Besides, the Emperor and the Crown Prince seem at odds on the surface, but from what I see, the Emperor’s hopes and favor for this Crown Prince are still immense. It can be said that no one in the entire realm holds a status higher than Crown Prince Xiao Limo.”

Only then did Luo Yunyao realize that Ouyang Jingxu, this seemingly stern and robust Chief Justice of the Court of Justice, was actually a top-notch gossip. Ouyang Jingxu continued, “It’s said that the Crown Prince’s mother, the late Empress, was the Emperor’s most beloved. The late Empress was the sister of Chancellor Lu Kai. Unfortunately, she died in childbirth.”

Luo Yunyao had no expression at first; the wind tousled a few strands of her hair, and only then did she softly utter, “Ah.” But it was just that—nothing more. No sign of emotion, perhaps only a faint surprise or slight regret. Yet, she clearly did not dwell on it.

No wonder the Emperor seemed to dislike Xiao Limo and rarely saw him. It was because he feared looking at the face that resembled the one he loved dearly, feared that seeing Xiao Limo would remind him how his beloved had died in childbirth and how powerless he was as the supreme ruler.

No wonder the Emperor privately treated Xiao Limo so well, sparing no effort to give him the best—because this person was the child of himself and the woman he loved most, destined to be the future sovereign, perhaps out of love for the whole family.

Luo Yunyao did not dwell further on Xiao Limo’s background; instead, she shifted the topic to a more practical matter: “Then what about Yue Liuxi? She is a princess, after all, a member of the imperial clan. Chief Justice, are you certain you have the ability to clear my name?”

Ouyang Jingxu’s handsome face still wore a sunny smile, but a darker shadow deepened behind it, tinged with disdain. “Imperial nobility? Who are you talking about? Yue Liuxi?”

Luo Yunyao thought to herself that he indeed looked down on her, and she had to listen to Ouyang Jingxu’s sarcastic remarks: “Everyone in the capital knows who Yue Liuxi really is. She’s merely descended from founding heroes. Since ancient times, hasn’t every founding hero’s family faced the fate of ‘when the birds have flown, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked’? Yue Liuxi’s position isn’t due to weakness, but simply because her ancestors once held favor. Does she really think her line is an exception?”

Luo Yunyao found this logic sound, but considering Yue Liuxi’s actions in the capital, she asked Ouyang Jingxu curiously, “Isn’t Yue Liuxi, the last of the founding hero’s lineage, still favored by the Emperor? And now she even…”

Ouyang Jingxu listened carefully and prepared to explain, then took over her words: “Even now? Still so arrogant and ungrateful?” He turned his head slightly with a smile and continued, “Actually, Yue Liuxi is quite intelligent. Beneath that feigned innocence and romantic air, she is very aware.” He spoke indifferently of her family’s rise and fall, neither sorrowful nor pleased: “From founding days to now, who doesn’t know that the title of founding hero is no more than an empty honor? Yue Liuxi knows her family has declined. Why is Yue Liuxi kept in the capital while other sons serve as hostages? Because the Emperor looks down on those sons. To destroy a family, using a daughter and sons as pretexts is hardly a problem…”

Luo Yunyao thought that as a clever princess concerned for her family’s survival, Yue Liuxi should be keeping a low profile. How could she still be so arrogant?

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Ouyang Jingxu continued his analysis: “But a daughter is indeed far more useful than sons. Using sons as hostages implies hostility; if you anger the founding family, a rebellion could arise, which is troublesome. Moreover, men usually have ambitions and are harder to control; daughters, even if uncontrollable later, can be married off and dealt with.”

He smiled with admiration: “That’s Yue Liuxi’s cleverness—she has captured the Emperor’s heart. Her innocent and romantic demeanor makes anyone, even the Emperor, think she’s a spoiled, inconsequential girl. And the Emperor, caught between Xiao Limo and the Prime Minister, really has no time to handle this founding family matter. He’ll postpone it. Besides, this foolish princess brings laughter to His Majesty—why not indulge her?”

Luo Yunyao listened and admired this insight, suspecting that her imprisonment might have been orchestrated by Yue Liuxi, her rival.

Yet, despite her admiration, Luo Yunyao sarcastically teased Ouyang Jingxu, who was clearly a fan of Yue Liuxi: “Such a clever princess thriving in officialdom—why haven’t you pursued her?”

Ouyang Jingxu glanced at her with a look that said, “I’m not that foolish.” Perhaps in a good mood discussing a woman he admired, he didn’t bother feigning indifference to Luo Yunyao, who pretended not to admire her rival. He said, “If Yue Liuxi has one flaw, it’s that she’s hopelessly in love with Qin Jinghao.”

Luo Yunyao was surprised by this conclusion and argued, “Falling for Qin Jinghao must be Yue Liuxi’s greatest fortune.”

Ouyang Jingxu disagreed: “A fortune that will cost Yue Liuxi her entire youth—her life as delicate as a rose.”

Luo Yunyao thought that as long as it was Qin Jinghao, no price was too high. Perhaps her rival Yue Liuxi felt the same.

She countered Ouyang Jingxu, “It’s like a moth to a flame—don’t you understand romance?”

Ouyang Jingxu gave her a condescending look. As Luo Yunyao was about to mock him for being perpetually single, he cut her off wisely: “I remember you and Yue Liuxi are rivals, right? As rivals, you think she’s a moth to the flame and you want to fight over Brother Jinghao again?”

Luo Yunyao trusted Qin Jinghao more than herself and answered without hesitation: “Do you think the man I love is some random scoundrel who loses control at the sight of a pretty girl? Qin Jinghao wouldn’t be swayed by any beauty like that!” She paused, then remembered her current predicament and sighed quietly, “But then again, isn’t this all because of your beautiful Princess Yue Liuxi’s moth-to-flame foolishness?”

Ouyang Jingxu played along, pretending to be a fan caught in the frenzy: “Princess Yue Liuxi’s actions this time were indeed fierce—clearly a mutual destruction.”

Luo Yunyao stared at Ouyang Jingxu suspiciously and, under his questioning gaze, coldly said, “Tell me, Chief Justice, can I still trust you to clear my name?”

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Ouyang Jingxu rubbed his nose and coughed a few times, then forced himself to suppress the admiring expression on his handsome face and solemnly promised, “As the most renowned Chief Justice in Western Qin for three centuries, how could I commit such a deed to ruin my reputation?”

Luo Yunyao’s expression clearly conveyed her skepticism toward this so-called ‘reputation.’

But she understood the principle of “under the roof, one must bow.” She no longer wasted time with Ouyang Jingxu’s gossip and fangirl antics and asked a practical question: “How do you plan to investigate?” Suddenly realizing she had forgotten to ask about his stance, she added, “By the way, do you believe in me?”

Ouyang Jingxu lifted his chin, wearing a look of righteous disdain: “I believe in the truth. If Minister Luo is innocent, as Chief Justice, I will clear your name. If he is indeed the murderer, as rumors claim, my court will handle it impartially without mercy.”

He was quite impressed with himself and believed he was very intimidating.

Luo Yunyao fell into silence after hearing this. Just as Ouyang Jingxu wondered if his overwhelming sense of justice had scared this frail woman, Luo Yunyao suddenly spoke: “You’re not just a little fan of Yue Liuxi, but also a fan of Conan.”

Ouyang Jingxu looked at Luo Yunyao in disbelief, unable to comprehend that she seemed utterly unconcerned about being a suspect.

Luo Yunyao lowered her head, pretending to push up her glasses in a classic Conan pose, then boldly extended her palm forward and said firmly in Japanese, “There is always only one truth!”

Ouyang Jingxu: “…”