...
The tension in the palace had not faded.
If anything—
It had grown worse.
Whispers still followed Xueying everywhere, but now they carried something sharper.
Disrespect.
Suspicion.
Mockery.
—
That morning, the court gathered once again.
Officials stood in neat rows, their expressions serious.
Xueying stood at the side, calm on the outside—
But aware.
Always aware.
Because something felt different today.
—
"Your Majesty," a minister stepped forward.
"There are… concerns regarding Princess Xueying."
The hall grew quiet.
Li Jianhong's gaze hardened slightly.
"Speak."
The minister bowed.
"Rumors have spread throughout the palace regarding improper conduct between the princess and the son of General Gu."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Xueying's fingers tightened slightly.
So this was it.
Public.
Deliberate.
Planned.
—
"We cannot allow such behavior to go unchecked," another official added.
"It brings shame to the royal name."
"Especially from someone who has only recently entered her position," another voice followed.
Subtle.
But cutting.
Xueying said nothing.
She didn't defend herself.
Didn't lower her head either.
She simply stood.
—
"Is there proof?" Li Jianhong asked coldly.
Silence.
Then—
"We have witnesses," the first minister said carefully.
The trap was closing.
Slowly.
Perfectly.
—
Before anyone else could speak—
A voice cut through the hall.
"Then those witnesses should step forward."
All eyes turned.
Gu Yichen stepped out.
Calm.
Unshaken.
But his presence alone shifted the atmosphere.
"Lord Gu," someone muttered.
—
Yichen bowed briefly.
"Your Majesty."
Li Jianhong's gaze lingered on him.
"…You may speak."
Yichen straightened.
Then—
"There is no truth to these rumors."
His voice was clear.
Firm.
Unwavering.
The hall stirred.
"You expect us to simply believe that?" a minister challenged.
Yichen didn't look at him.
"I expect you not to accuse a princess based on nothing."
Silence.
Sharp.
Heavy.
—
The minister frowned. "You were seen with her. Alone."
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
"And?"
The boldness in his tone caught them off guard.
"There was no misconduct," Yichen continued. "Only conversation."
"Conversation?" another scoffed. "Between an unmarried man and a princess?"
Yichen's gaze turned cold.
"Is conversation now a crime?"
No one answered.
—
Xueying stood still.
But inside—
Something was shaking.
Because this—
This had never happened before.
Someone—
Was standing in front of her.
Not watching.
Not staying silent.
But defending her.
—
"If there is further doubt," Yichen added calmly, "then question me—not her."
The room fell completely silent.
Because what he had just done—
Was clear.
He had placed himself—
On her side.
—
Zhao Meilin's nails dug into her palm.
Her expression darkened instantly.
"…So you choose her," she whispered under her breath.
—
Li Jianhong spoke again.
"Enough."
The authority in his voice ended everything.
"There is no evidence. This matter ends here."
No one dared argue.
But the tension—
It didn't disappear.
It shifted.
Into something more dangerous.
—
As the court dismissed, Xueying didn't move immediately.
Her heart was still racing.
Then—
She stepped forward.
"Lord Gu."
Yichen turned.
Their eyes met.
"…Thank you," she said softly.
Simple.
But real.
Yichen held her gaze for a moment.
Then—
"You don't have to thank me."
Her fingers tightened slightly.
"Why?"
A pause.
Then—
"Because I said the truth."
But something in his eyes said more.
Something he didn't say out loud.
—
And for the first time—
Xueying felt something unfamiliar.
Not just gratitude.
But warmth.