"Your Majesty, Sister really did hand me the disaster relief plan that I submitted." Chen Jinyu said, still insisting that she was framed.
"Chen Jinyu is not going down without a fight." Shen Xiatang said and Chen Wenjin's lips twitched.
"Chen Jinyu!" scolded the Emperor.
"You just said in the presence of everyone here that the disaster relief plan found in Chen Wenjin's living quarters will be identical to the one that you submitted, but now that you have been proven wrong, instead of apologizing to your cousin you are still going further to slander her?" the Emperor asked in disbelief.
"Chen Jinyu would not have pursued this matter if she didn't have evidence." Chen Jinyu said firmly.
"If your Majesty agrees, Chen Jinyu would like to call on Xiao Li, an attendant from the Chen family." Chen Jinyu said and the crowd watched on in entertainment.
"Chen Wenjin passed on the plan to me through her." Chen Jinyu said desperately.
"Fine." the Emperor said, agreeing to her nonsense.
"Anyone there." The Emperor said and a male guard rushed forward.
"Fetch Xiao Li from the Chen Residence." The Emperor said and the guard nodded before disappearing.
"Your Emperor is a kind one." Shen Xiatang said and Chen Wenjin nodded discreetly.
"If it were my emperor, he would have beheaded Chen Jinyu without a second thought and Chen Jinyu would have never gotten the chance to defend herself." Shen Xiatang said as memories of her own execution came to mind.
"But an Emperor is still an Emperor." Shen Xiatang said with a hum.
"He is doing all of this so that someone who isn't him, will take the blame for the lives that were lost in the South." Shen Xiatang said flippantly.
A helpless maid was brought in after ten minutes and the doors were shut behind her.
"Xiao Li," Chen Jinyu said the second the doors were shut.
"Did you give me a disaster relief plan from Chen Wenjin's quarters?" Chen Jinyu questioned Xiao Li.
"Yes." Xiao Li said guiltily and Chen Jinyu smiled as the crowd gasped.
"Chen Wenjin created a faulty disaster relief plan and handed it over to Chen Jinyu to take the fall." a fourth ranked official whispered.
"Are you sure those two stayed under the same roof?" asked a male scholar.
"With animosity like this, it's a surprise the roof of the Chen family residence didn't come down." a noble woman whispered.
"Chen Wenjin, what do you have to say for yourself?" the Emperor asked as he stared at her.
"Go on." Shen Xiatang said as she urged Chen Wenjin to speak.
"Your Majesty," Chen Wenjin said with a bow.
"I didn't instruct Xiao Li to hand over any plan of any sort to Chen Jinyu." Chen Wenjin said and the crowd gasped again.
"How bold." said a man.
"Lying before the Emperor despite the evidence being in the room." another asked in amazement.
"Sister," Chen Jinyu rebuked Chen Wenjin.
"Again with the sister." Shen Xiatang said with a huff.
"The truth is already out and you are still refusing to take the blame for your actions?." Chen Jinyu asked Chen Wenjin.
"It's obvious that you sent Xaio Li to give me the disaster relief plan-" Chen Jinyu tried to say but she was swiftly interrupted by Xiao Li.
"Lies!" Xiao Li said abruptly.
"There it is." Shen Xiatang said with a grin.
"My young Miss never told me to hand over any plan to Chen Jinyu. Chen Jinyu ordered me to steal a disaster relief plan from Chen Wenjin and I did." Xiao Li admitted and the crowd gasped for a third time.
"What- what are you saying?" Chen Jinyu asked in shock.
"Are you surprised or are you surprised, Chen Jinyu?" Shen Xiatang said with a chuckle as she twirled in the air.
"You ordered me to take a disaster relief plan from my young Miss's living quarters and I have been dying in guilt ever since!" Xiao Li yelled at Chen Jinyu.
"Yes, what a loyal servant." Shen Xiatang said and Chen Wenjin laughed quietly as she used her sleeves to block her face.
"Xiao Li, do you think this a joke?" The Emperor asked in anger.
"I wouldn't dare." Xiao Li said as she did a proper kowtow.
"Before Emperor Dowager's Banquet, young Mistress Chen Jinyu ordered me to steal a disaster relief plan from young Miss Chen Wenjin's living quarters and promised to give me a high reward." Xiao Li said shakily.
"When I got into Chen Wenjin's living quarters there were too many scrolls to take from so I took the one with a lot of words on it and ran in order not to get caught." Xiao Li said in fear and the crowd gasped for the fourth time.
"Did you tell her to say that?" Shen Xiatang asked Chen Wenjin in shock.
"I told her to improvise." Chen Wenjin whispered and Shen Xiatang nodded in awe.
"Xiao Li, how can you be so bold to lie in the presence of the Emperor?" asked Chen Jinyu.
"Did she catch on?" Shen Xiatang asked in shock.
"A guard that the Emperor sent to Chen Wenjin living quarters said they only found one scroll hidden in a side drawer but how come your story says they were numerous?" Chen Jinyu asked Xiao Li as she tried to make people doubt Xiao Li.
"Before the Emperor Dowager's Banquet, Chen Wenjin was constantly working on disaster relief plans and her room was filled with them but after the Emperor Dowager's Banquet, the young Miss suddenly burned all of them stating that they were no longer needed." Xiao Li said with her eyes to the ground.
"Amazing." Shen Xiatang said as she clapped in awe.
"Are you sure you didn't teach her what to say?" Shen Xiatang asked and Chen Wenjin shook her head as she also looked at Xiao Li in shock.
"Chen Jinyu!" The Emperor yelled.
"She's lying," Chen Jinyu said desperately.
"She is a Chen family maid so of course she would support her young mistress." Chen Jinyu said, as she tried to find a way to survive.
"Hammer the nail on the head." said Shen Xiatang.
"Chen Jinyu," Chen Wenjin said calmly.
"You were the one that told the emperor to call Xiao Li as a witness!" Chen Wenjin said slowly.
"But now that she is not saying what you wanted, I am suddenly the cause of it?!" Chen Wenjin said in disbelief.
"Chen Jinyu, do you know how ridiculous you sound at the moment?" Chen Wenjin asked and the guests began to mutter in agreement.
"Your Majesty," Chen Jinyu said, ignoring everyone else.
"Chen Jinyu was given this disaster relief plan under the orders of Chen Wenjin. I don't know what she promised this maid to slander me but Chen Jinyu didn't order Xiao Li to steal from Chen Wenjin." Chen Jinyu said vehemently.
"She really doesn't give up." Shen Xiatang said with a shake of her head.
"Xiao Li," the Emperor said calmly.
"Lying to the Emperor is a capital offense that is punishable by execution!" the Emperor yelled.
"I have proof." Xiao Li blurted shakily as she brought out a blue jade hairpin that was worn by Chen Jinyu on the day that both the Liu and the Chen family were invited to the palace and Chen Jinyu's heart leaped to her throat.