Palace Coup 59

At such close range, dodging that slap would inevitably require the use of martial arts.

Let us see how she continues to put on a show once her hypocritical facade collapses.

Xie Yuanguang acted with swift reflexes, quickly stepping sideways to pull the young lady into his embrace, spinning around to shield her in front of him.

Xun Cheng’s gaze had remained fixed on Xie Miaoxuan, not leaving her for even a fraction of a second. The moment Xie Yuan moved, Xun Cheng detected his intent immediately. Disgust surged across his brow, and he snapped sharply, "Stop!"

Being just a fraction of a second slower than Xie Yuanguang, he nevertheless lunged forward and firmly grasped Xie Yuan’s hand, which hovered a mere inch away from Xie Yuanguang’s back.

Xie Yuanguang turned his head with a cold sneer, "Clan Head Xie, are you flying into a rage out of humiliation and attempting to strike our young lady again?"

The young girl trembled softly in his arms, as if she had been terribly frightened.

Burying her face deep within Xie Yuanguang’s broad chest, her shoulders shook visibly.

Yet, hidden from view, Xie Miaoxuan had to hold her breath for a long while to suppress the laughter bubbling up in her throat.

Xie Yuanguang lowered his head, his large hand seemingly petting her face in comfort, while actually giving her fair cheek a surreptitious little pinch.

It was a warning for her to rein it in; the play had only just begun.

Slowly, Xie Miaoxuan raised her head. A thin veil of sorrow welled up in her eyes, mist gathering within them.

Seeing Xie Yuan’s hand firmly locked in Xun Cheng’s grip, she murmured in a small voice, "Thank you, Your Highness, for your assistance."

The young lady’s reluctant and lingering expression made Xun Cheng’s heart itch.

She turned her gaze to Xie Yuan, who was still trying to move, "Clan Head Xie, the Imperial Prince and the Elder Clan Members are all right here, yet you still cannot wait to lay a hand on me? This is the second time. Since I am such an eyesore to you, why on earth did you demand that I travel thousands of li to the capital?"

"Sob, sob, sob."

The disappointment and hurt in her eyes were glaringly obvious. Making sure everyone present had a clear view, she could no longer hold back and buried her face once more in Xie Yuanguang’s chest, reaching out to pinch his waist hard. She fought desperately to control her emotions, pressing down the corners of her mouth that kept wanting to turn upward.

Xie Yuanguang’s brow furrowed slightly, but ultimately he remained silent.

Xie Mingde raised a hand to halt Xie Yuan’s actions, "Enough. What has gotten into you today to be so rash? Just state the facts clearly."

He, too, found what Xie Yuan had described utterly preposterous. The earlier doubts he felt upon hearing Xie Yuan claim that Xie Miaoxuan had led a band of retainers to single-handedly slaughter ten and miraculously reverse the tide seemed even more absurd now that he actually saw her.

Xie Miaoxuan’s fragile frame wouldn’t even be enough for a single slap from him; how could she possibly possess the formidable presence to lead ten men in a charge against a hundred, as Xie Yuan claimed?

She was evidently nothing more than a delicate and fragile young lady.

Yet, remembering the purpose of their journey and the immense fortune Xie Yuan had promised, he reserved two points of skepticism. Even though Xie Miaoxuan repeatedly denied it, her overall bearing and aura were not something a humble household could cultivate.

She showed not a shred of fear upon meeting the clan elders and the imperial guards, and even spoke with poised eloquence. Such pampered rearing required the investment of vast financial resources.

Whether this Xie Qi truly possessed a fortune worth ten thousand strings of cash could only be determined after they conducted a thorough search.

For now, the conflicting claims of the two parties had to be temporarily set aside.

Putting on the dignity of a clan elder while concealing his probing thoughts, he questioned her with sharp words, "Since you claim you have done no wrong, why have you persistently addressed Xie Yuan as 'Clan Head' ever since you entered? He is, after all, your own biological uncle, and you are Xie Qi’s legitimate daughter. What reason could you possibly have to show such disrespect to your senior?"

Xie Miaoxuan curtsied gracefully toward Xie Mingde.

"The grievances between myself and the Clan Head have been witnessed by you elders just now. It is not that I am unwilling to call him uncle or wish to distance myself from him; there are reasons for this. I have always believed that I have never committed any atrocious deeds. After my father passed away, it was solely because of a family letter from the Clan Head that I traveled thousands of li to the capital, hoping simply to draw closer to my blood relatives."

"Yet, while I wished to draw close to the Clan Head, he plotted against me and made things difficult for me at every turn. On my way to the capital, he had someone bribe my personal maid, who sought opportunities every single day to rummage through my rooms and search my belongings. Because I was my father’s only child, he practiced strict frugality to buy me a few pearl and jade hairpins, only to have that maid hide them away in secret."

She drew a signed confession from her sleeve, "This is the maid’s confession of guilt. It not only details her greed for my dowry but also clearly outlines step-by-step how the Clan Head plotted it all. I ask the elders to inspect it."

The submitted confession clearly listed the gold and silver jewelry stolen by Cuiyi; the evidence was absolute and irrefutable.

"I believe the elders will certainly seek justice for me, and I also ask that you question the Clan Head to see if he was truly scheming to steal my dowry."

These words caused the expressions of several clan elders present to tighten instantly.

Coveting a young maiden's dowry was inexcusable no matter where one went.

Yet everyone who had come here was drawn by the immense wealth promised by Xie Yuan.

To have their masks ripped off so publicly in front of everyone made even these worldly-wise men feel a burning heat rise to their faces.

After the elders had passed the document around to inspect it.

Xie Miaoxuan observed their varying expressions, her brows and eyes tinged with coldness while inward mockery surged within her. Yet her pale face betrayed not a hint of her true thoughts; instead, it lent her a somewhat shattered, delicate beauty.

Xie Yuan felt as though both his dignity and his reputation had been stripped away by Xie Miaoxuan and thrown onto the ground to be trampled ruthlessly. He was as dejected and wretched now as he had been high-spirited when they set out.

His mind raced for words of defense, but Xie Miaoxuan’s accusations poured forth without end.

"Not only did the Clan Head covet my dowry, but right in front of the elders, he slandered and bullied me, an orphaned girl. Even his own legitimate daughter opened her mouth to show disrespect toward my late father, referring to him as 'that scoundrel.' When even she could so viciously slander my father’s posthumous reputation, one can easily imagine how the Clan Head usually vilified my father at home. Because of this, I never dared to return to the Xie clan, nor was I willing to believe that such a person was my uncle. Overwhelmed by grief, I retreated to an estate in the suburban outskirts of the capital. Yet even then, he refused to let me go, repeatedly bringing people to my doorstep to bully and humiliate me."

"May I ask all of you: like today, when the Clan Head arrives without a visiting card and without prior notice, directly leading men to kick open your front gate—is this considered proper etiquette among guests? Does he truly treat me as his niece and junior?"

Xie Yuan’s complexion grew paler and paler with every word Xie Miaoxuan uttered, until by the end, his entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

He wanted to step forward and slap Xie Miaoxuan hard to shut her mouth, but she had managed to use her face to sway Xun Cheng into taking her side and protecting her. How could he resort to force now? If he rushed forward again, he feared he would only humiliate himself further.

"As the saying goes, a filial child does not flatter their parents, and only when an elder is benevolent will the young show respect. Xie Yuan insulted my deceased father first, and bullied and slandered me second. Such a malicious-hearted person is not someone I deign to associate with."

Xie Miaoxuan’s cold words carried biting mockery, flowing like a string of pearls, "Furthermore, as you all heard earlier, Xie Miaohan does not even address my father as uncle, so it is all the more impossible for me to call her father uncle. That is the very reason for it."