The young emperor immediately retorted, "But that doesn't prove anything!"
An Xin shrugged and said, "Yes, it doesn't prove anything! Because when two people are fighting, the position of the knife can change in any way! No one knows at what angle it will pierce the skin, but this knife just happened to be perfectly straight and was pierced into the abdomen. Maybe it's a coincidence, or maybe someone deliberately left a flaw!"
"What exactly does this mean! Explain yourself!" someone urged, eager for an answer.
An Xin said calmly, "When two people are fighting fiercely, they won't get wounds like this unless they are face to face without any argument, and one person willingly lets the other stab them in the abdomen! Besides, if one person wants to kill another, how can they stab them once? They would have to stab them at least five, six, seven, or eight times, right? And why stab them in the lower abdomen? They have to hit a vital spot!"
Everyone stared at An Xin with strange expressions. What kind of girl would say such harsh words?!
An Xin smiled slightly and said, "Because the other one was afraid that stabbing too many times would hurt too much, and coincidentally, the other one also knew that stabbing too many times would hurt, so he mercifully stabbed only once! Ah, this murderer is so kind, he not only only stabbed once, but also stabbed very shallowly!"
Someone immediately objected: "What kind of merciful murderer is that?! Can that even be called murder?!"
An Xin praised, "Well said! Is this still considered murder?!" She then smiled and stared at the tall man, whose expression changed. He took a step back and said, "You can't judge me as the murderer just because I'm tall! Why would I kill a stranger? Especially since he was the one who lunged at me with a knife!"
An Xin said, "I didn't say you were the murderer... but..." An Xin tiptoed and pinched his ear, forcing him to bend down. In full view of everyone, An Xin slowly approached his lips...
Some gasped in surprise, some blushed with embarrassment, some cursed angrily, and some turned ashen-faced!
The one with the ashen face was naturally Ling Xiyao!
In full view of everyone, his wife of many years had done such a disgraceful thing!
The young emperor behind the beaded curtain jumped to his feet, exclaiming in surprise, "What is she up to now?!"
"Oh... perhaps she wants to taste that person's lips..." The lazy voice chuckled softly, a hint of interest in it.
---Aside---
It's said that begging for favorites by rolling on the ground is very effective, girls, favorites, please! ╭(╯3╰)╮
Chapter 3 The Truth
The young emperor exclaimed anxiously, "But isn't she the Lady of the Imperial Household Department?! Besides, that man could be the murderer! And he's so ugly!"
He chuckled softly and said lazily, "Perhaps the Lady of the Imperial Household Department has a rather unusual taste. Your Majesty need not be anxious. It is the Imperial Household Department who should be anxious."
Everyone held their breath, and some even stared at Ling Xiyao with strange expressions. Everyone knew that Ling Xiyao was indifferent to his wife, but no matter how indifferent she was, she was still a member of the Ling family! For her to kiss a murderer who was a hundred times uglier than him in front of everyone was simply a slap in the face to Ling Xiyao!
An Xin raised the corners of her lips and said, "Open your mouth."
The tall man was overjoyed. While Lady Zhan Shi's beauty wasn't exactly breathtaking, she was still quite attractive. How could he refuse such a sudden stroke of good fortune? Why was she asking him to open his mouth? Was she going to use her tongue…?
"Have you made enough trouble?!" An Xin felt a sharp pain in her wrist as someone grabbed her arm.
An Xin frowned, only to see Ling Xiyao staring at her with a gloomy face. Suppressing his anger, he turned around and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty of disciplining your children, and Your Majesty has witnessed this! Upon returning to the manor, I will surely punish you according to family rules to uphold the authority of a wife!"
An Xin glanced at Ling Xiyao and sneered, "This person said he drank and ate three hours ago, but there's no smell of alcohol on his breath. Besides, his teeth are sparse, and one of his teeth has a cavity in the middle. If he ate, there must have been a lot of stuff stuck in his mouth, right? It sounds disgusting, but it's enough to show that this person is lying!"
Everyone's expression changed, and the tall man hurriedly covered his mouth and took a step back, saying, "You're talking nonsense! Three hours have passed, the smell of alcohol has long dissipated, and I've already rinsed my mouth!"
An Xin's gaze was sharp and cold: "Oh? You were in the mood to leisurely rinse your mouth at a time like that? You said you were drunk, but three hours can only sober you up at most; the smell of alcohol will never dissipate! As for this Wu Dalang, he's lying too, because he stabbed himself with that dagger!"
The crowd exclaimed in shock: "Stab yourself?! How is that possible?!"
An Xin said calmly, "Only by stabbing yourself can you be more measured, know the depth of the wound, and be careful, afraid of both the pain and the fear of actually killing yourself!"
A voice as clear as jade drifted from behind the beaded curtain: "So, An Youwei misjudged after all?"
An Xin, with her sharp ears, knew that this person was probably the Left Prime Minister who had remained silent until now. She smiled and said, "That's right, Father misjudged, but these two people were in cahoots! It was just a double act of framing each other! The Emperor is extremely discerning. If Father is beheaded because of this, wouldn't that be a huge injustice? When you want to find fault, you can always find a reason!"
The young emperor stammered, "This..."
That jade-like voice came again, seemingly with a smile, saying, "Then, Madam Zhan, tell me, why did these two people frame your father?"
An Xin said calmly, "If we want to investigate, we'll just have to interrogate these two. We'll get some clues out of them eventually..."
"Excellent!" A lazy laugh came from behind the beaded curtain. "Guards, drag these two villains who tried to frame an official of the court out and execute them!"
An Xin's gaze darkened slightly. This Right Chancellor was indeed arrogant, repeatedly issuing orders on behalf of the Emperor. An Youwei's matter was indeed inextricably linked to him!
The imperial court is treacherous and unpredictable; a minor official like An Youwei can only serve as a scapegoat or cannon fodder! If he continues in this lowly position, his life will be in danger one day.
The two people were dragged away before they could reveal the truth.
The Left Prime Minister said calmly, "Buying and selling official positions is strictly prohibited by the court. Your father broke the law and should be punished. However, considering the great injustice he suffered, please grant His Majesty mercy."
The young emperor paused for a moment, then whispered, "Dismiss him from his post and demote him to a commoner, so that he may never serve as an official in the court again!"
This punishment suited An Xin perfectly, so she kowtowed and said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"
Born in the wilderness and returning to the wilderness, free from all constraints, one can live a freer life!
The young emperor said, "Disperse, everyone!"
Everyone bowed respectfully to see her off. An Xin stood up, and Lu Zhu ran over happily, saying, "Miss is so clever! If you hadn't seen through those two bastards' scheme, Master would really have been in mortal danger!"
An Xin sneered and said, "There is only one truth. There are no unsolvable mysteries, and no treacherous schemes that cannot be seen through!"
Someone walked over and said to Ling Xiyao in a sarcastic tone, "The wife of the Grand Tutor is indeed remarkable. Her words and actions are bold and outspoken. The Grand Tutor is very fortunate!"
Bold and outspoken in words and deeds? This must be describing An Xin's behavior as vulgar and despicable!
In short, in Ling Xiyao's view, it was a complete loss of face for him!
An Xin said, "Dewdrop, let's go." She was a person who clearly distinguished between right and wrong; she liked what she liked and disliked what she disliked, and she could never be hypocritical.
An Xin wouldn't care how much this body admired Ling Xiyao. After all, matters of the heart are beyond one's control. She had no feelings for Ling Xiyao, so why should she greet him with a smile?
Dewdrop glanced timidly at Ling Xiyao and asked, "Isn't Miss going with the Grand Tutor?" Miss used to be a completely different person whenever she saw the Grand Tutor. She was extremely gentle and obedient, always greeting him with a smile. How could she be so cold and indifferent?
An Xin said coldly, "Your Excellency should go and apologize to the Emperor. After all, it was a dog bestowed by the Emperor, and the Princess is probably still weeping at its grave. The Princess is delicate, Your Excellency should comfort her properly!"
Ling Xiyao's face darkened, and he said angrily, "You've become increasingly lawless! Why aren't you coming back with me to reflect on your actions?!"
An Xin couldn't help but sneer.
"Reflect on your mistakes?! No interest! Your Excellency, please go to the Privy Council alone. I'm not accompanying you!" This man's arrogance is outrageous. The ancient saying "the husband is heaven" is indeed true, but she's not from that era…
If this relationship is destined to end badly, then let her be the one to end it!
Moreover, this body is no longer her original one. Her reaction speed and resilience are much worse, so she has to start training again.
In unknown spaces, having strong self-defense skills is more important than anything else!
---Aside---
The dolls I collect are all good dolls...
Chapter 4: Divorce
An Youwei was released. He was a pitiful, thin man with a scraggly beard and thin clothes. He had obviously been tortured. He stood there trembling, as if a gust of wind could blow him over.
An Xin watched from afar as he huddled in front of the palace gate. Every time an official passed by, they would strut around arrogantly in front of him. Yes, in a place like the capital, how could his small official position compare with these people! Even though his daughter had married a certain Grand Master of Ceremonies, he was not favored. Now he was even more destitute, never able to enter the court again, and even more looked down upon.
People are naturally inclined to fawn over the powerful and trample on the weak. When you are successful, everyone will flatter and fawn over you; when you are down on your luck, everyone will want to kick you while you're down!
Perhaps this body itself was full of love for her father, which made An Xin feel a little sad. In her opinion, everything in the world can be changed! If someone steps on you today, you can step on them and turn them into mud tomorrow!
Dewdrop wiped away her tears and said, "Miss, shouldn't we go to the Grand Tutor and ask him to make arrangements for the master..."
"Why should I beg him!" An Xin frowned. "Solve your own problems!"
Dewdrop's eyes widened. For some reason, she always felt that her young mistress was different... Before, her young mistress only had eyes for the Grand Tutor, and her originally lively personality had been worn down to caution. But now, her young mistress seemed to have regained her former liveliness, no... it seemed like there was something else...
As An Xin approached An Youwei, a high-ranking official was speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Lord An... Oh, look at my brain! You've even lost the official position you bought. I should call you a lowly commoner. Life in the countryside is tough. Do you want me to find someone to help you? Of course, you can kneel down and beg me, and I'll agree, hahahaha..."
Before the laughter subsided, a foot came flying without hesitation, sending the man flying.
Passersby were stunned.
An Xin tugged at her trouser leg and said, "Sir, it's windy, don't hurt your old back!"
The man scrambled to his feet and roared angrily, "You, you dare to hit someone!"
An Xin said expressionlessly, "I just kicked away a haughty, arrogant dog! Where is anyone else?!"
When An Youwei saw the injury on An Xin's forehead, his expression changed: "Xin'er, how did you get hurt?"
An Xin then remembered the injury on her forehead and hurriedly said weakly, "Dad, I accidentally bumped my forehead and forgot a lot of things." After all, time travel was a bit shocking, so it was better for her to pretend. Besides, her parents were the ones who knew her best, and if she didn't find a good excuse, she was afraid that people would suspect her.
Sure enough, An Youwei burst into tears and said, "It's all my fault, I've dragged you and your mother down with me!"
An Xin smiled slightly and said, "It's all in the past. We can live well even if we don't become officials in the future."
An Youwei smiled with relief, but when he saw the person on the ground with a face full of resentment, he said worriedly, "Xin'er, this person is the prefect..." He had heard that this person was vengeful and treacherous. Once you offend him, your future days will be difficult!
An Xin suddenly narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Look at the venomous and hateful look in the eyes of the Prefect when he looks at us. If we were to die one day, it would definitely be because of the Prefect's assassination!"
"You, you're making false accusations!" The prefect felt a panic as if he had been caught red-handed, his face turning pale instantly after his thoughts were exposed.
An Xin said casually, "I hope I'm just making baseless accusations. Your Excellency, you must take good care of us. Otherwise, the Emperor will be unhappy if he finds out that you are secretly retaliating against us innocent people. Ah, everyone here can testify to that!"
An Xin pointed to everyone in a circle, finally pointing to a rather luxurious carriage. The people in the carriage must be of high status, as everyone bowed respectfully as they passed by. Her casual pointing was simply to intimidate the prefect! After all, once they were restored to their commoner status, they might face retaliation from the prefect, which could be troublesome. It was better to nip his idea in the bud this time!
Sure enough, the prefect's face turned deathly pale when he saw the carriage.
An Xin then said, "Dewdrop, help your father, let's go back."
Dewdrop whispered, "Miss, the Grand Tutor is here."
An Xin couldn't understand why Ling Xiyao would agree to marry the second young lady if he liked her. If he didn't like her, he could have simply refused. Why go through all this trouble and have her marry in his place?
If you don't like each other, why drag things out?
An Xin thought for a moment and stepped forward to block Ling Xiyao, saying, "I think there's no need for us to maintain this hypocritical marital relationship. Since we're tired of each other, there's no need to force it! Today, our marriage is over, and we'll have nothing to do with each other anymore! I swear by my blood that if I ever have even a shred of affection for you, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
Ling Xiyao's body trembled, and his eyes widened in shock!
Her expression was resolute and decisive, almost ruthlessly severing the nominal connection between him and her!
An Youwei stared wide-eyed in disbelief and exclaimed, "Xin'er!"
An Xin couldn't stand Ling Xiyao's gaze. It was just a divorce, why was he looking at her like she was a ghost? Turning away from Ling Xiyao, she said, "Father, my biggest mistake was marrying such a spineless man! Let's go!"
Dewdrop's mouth dropped open. Was this still the same timid young lady who relied on the Grand Tutor? But seeing Ling Xiyao's gloomy face, she dared not say anything and hurriedly helped An Youwei away.