Chapter 472 - Proper Palace Intrigue (11) (2/2)

A group of imperial guards suddenly barged into her palace in the middle of the night.

Shi Sheng paused, bowl in her hand, as she stared in confusion at the sudden intruders. ‘You mean I can summon them by just having my meal?’

“Yun Jie Yu, His Majesty has summoned you for an audience.”

‘What’re you playing at now, Yuwen Xun? Where’s my(lz) sword?! Oh, right! It’s been snatched by an idiot!’

Seeing Shi Sheng continue to eat, the imperial guards couldn’t help but mutter to themselves inwardly, ‘Isn’t this Yun Jie Yu being too calm?’

“Yun Jie Yu…”

Shi Sheng glared fiercely at them. “Even prisoners on death row get a final meal! What’re you clamouring about?”

The imperial guards, “…” ‘But you’re not on death row ah!’

Perhaps because of Shi Sheng’s ferocity, the imperial guards really did wait for her to finish her meal.

Shi Sheng was summoned to the Palace of Proclaimed Peace once more.

When Shi Sheng entered, the originally tense atmosphere grew even heavier, as if the very air itself had trouble flowing.

Yuwen Xun, who was clothed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat at the head seat with a dark expression. His eyes were sharp as he emanated an imposing aura.

Lu Ruo knelt on the ground, a whole host of maids and eunuchs also kneeling beside her.

Shi Sheng raised a brow. ‘What now?’

“Yun Jie Yu, have you left the palace without permission today?” Yuwen Xun had probably already given up on calling out Shi Sheng’s improperness—it was no use even if he did punish her for it.

“Nope.” Shi Sheng denied with a serious expression.

Yuwen Xun stifled the anger in his chest. “There are eyewitnesses—you still dare to deny it?!”

Shi Sheng changed her answer, “Well, I guess I did then.”

Everyone, “…” ‘You’re really too insincere, to change your tone so quickly!’

“And?” ‘Just toss whatever accusation you want at me already—it’s not like I’ve(lz) anything to lose compared to you.’

Yuwen Xun suppressed his anger. “Did you meet Jing’er?”

‘Jing’er? Who?’

The cogs in Shi Sheng’s brain worked a bit, before she finally remembered that the little prince was called Yuwen Jing.

“Yep.”

Yuwen Xun smacked the table at his side. “Why did you poison Jing’er?! Zhuang Qiong, how did you turn into such a wicked woman?!”

“Wicked Woman” Shi Sheng, “…”

She breathed in. “May I ask…which idiot was the one who spread that rumour?”

Though she might be a scumbag, she was one with class. ‘I’ve never done stuff like harming innocent kids, okay? My aspiration is to be a classy human scum!’

“The young prince did not eat anything, and never encountered anyone suspicious apart from Yun Jie Yu outside the academy. He only showed symptoms of poisoning after returning.” Shu Fei spoke. The meaning beneath her words was that Shi Sheng was the culprit.

Shi Sheng scoffed coldly. “I was at least 10 metres away from him. Pray tell, how was I supposed to poison him from that distance?”

Shu Fei was stumped for words for a few seconds. “Well, who knows if you’d entered the academy beforehand?”

Shi Sheng examined Shu Fei. “You sound really sure about that—did you see it with your own eyes?”

“How could I have?”

“Since that’s the case, why did you say it in such a sure tone? I’m beginning to suspect you’re framing me!”

‘Flinging false accusations around like this is illegal in other worlds, y’know?’

“I…” Shu Fei’s face turned red with anger. She turned to Yuwen Xun for help. “Your Majesty.”

Yuwen Xun looked at Lu Ruo. “An Zhao Yi, tell us what happened when you met her.”

Lu Ruo lowered her head. “Yes.”