A half - burnt incense stick lay quietly in an overly fair palm. The tip was dark gray, clearly showing signs of burning.
"This was found on the windowsill of my room last night."
Qu Yue's straightforward statement was like a gentle breeze, slowly caressing everyone's hearts but leaving ripples that could not be smoothed.
Could there really be someone trying to frame her on purpose?
Mu Yao lifted her chin and disdainfully glanced at Qu Yue. "Who can prove that you didn't put it there yourself?"
It was she who had ordered Xiao Yang to place the incense last night. She had carefully planned it, avoiding everyone, so it was impossible to be discovered!
As long as she insisted that it was Qu Yue's self - directed drama, Qu Yue would surely be disgraced today!
Xiao Yang sobbed loudly, her plaintive sobs heart - wrenching. "Madam, why do you have to frame me like this?"
Qu Yue's eyes were clear and pure. "Whether I framed you or put it there myself, you know better than I do."
Her voice was soft, but the confidence beneath it startled everyone present.
"I didn't!" Xiao Yang shook her head vigorously. Her overly - nourished and shiny hair fluttered wildly. "Madam, I never thought that such a beautiful person like you could have such a vicious heart!"
"I gave you a chance just now." Qu Yue shrugged her slender shoulders slightly. "Since you don't admit it, then we'll report this to the authorities."
"I have the evidence, and I'm not afraid to find out who did it."
At the mention of reporting to the authorities, Xiao Yang panicked completely.
The constables in the Great Yan were well - known for their efficiency. There had never been a wrong case, and every case was thoroughly investigated.
This was no joke. If it was really investigated clearly, it would be a serious crime of murder!
She was greedy for money, but not to the extent of risking her life.
With a thud, she knelt on the ground, her hands and feet icy cold. "Madam, is it really necessary to report to the authorities? Must you force me to admit something I never did?"
Out of fear, her logical thinking was completely shattered. "The reward... Didn't you say yourself that you were willing to share it? Why do you have to push me to this point?"
A solemn look appeared on Qu Yue's face. "But you asked for the reward this morning, while I smelled the clove oil last night. How can these two things be related?"
Xiao Yang had accidentally let the cat out of the bag.
Realizing that she had been caught, she became even more flustered. Her heart was pounding wildly, and her knees on the ground were trembling. "I... I just guessed..."
"Then how did you guess that I could predict you would ask me for a reward today and bet that you would wear a sachet made of cinnamon on you, so I smoked myself with clove oil last night?"
Qu Yue's calm and incisive questions were like sharp arrows, piercing deeply into Xiao Yang's heart.
She looked up at Qu Yue. There was no longer just fragility on the other's overly beautiful face.
More importantly, there was a tenacity that emerged from the bones.
It was this strength that was fiercely shattering her confidence.
Xiao Yang's back was stiff. She turned her neck slowly, trying to seek help from Song Luo.
But before she could see Song Luo, a resounding slap landed hard on her cheek!
The burning pain exploded on her left cheek, followed by a numb and itchy feeling. Xiao Yang suddenly looked up and met Song Luo's sinister eyes.
She shivered in fear, and her teeth chattered.
Song Luo leaned over and grabbed Xiao Yang's hair, pulling it back. "How dare you do such a despicable thing!"
"Madam... don't!" Xiao Yang's face turned deathly pale. She reached out to protect her hair, but it only made Song Luo punish her more severely.
Song Luo's eyes were cold. She leaned close to Xiao Yang's ear. "Don't think that just because you've borne Mu Yuan's child, the Mu Mansion won't dare to deal with you."
Every word was like a poisoned needle, stabbing into Xiao Yang's ear canal. She gasped violently in pain, and tears streamed down her face.
Song Luo's threat made her shiver all over.
Xiao Yang quickly changed her tune. "Madam, I was wrong!"
"I was greedy for the reward, so I came up with this plan to kill Lady Qu! I deserve to die!"
Her quick confession earned a satisfied smile from Song Luo.
Only then did Song Luo let go of Xiao Yang.
Xiao Yang's expression was dull. She sobbed as she tidied up her appearance. Pressing her scalp with her hand, tears fell wildly.
Suddenly, she became the target of everyone's condemnation.
Everyone's spittle rained down on her like drops of water, and some even proposed to expel her from the Great Yan.
But she had no other way out!
Last night, she was recalled to the mansion. She had received a task from Song Luo on short notice: to stop today's funeral ceremony, kill Qu Yue, and retrieve the reward.
Involving harming others, she originally didn't want to participate. But Song Luo threatened her with the matter of her previously colluding with them to deceive Mu Yuan.
If she didn't do as she was told, in the next few days, the Great Yan would be filled with rumors about her scheming to get into Mu Yuan's bed.
By then, Mu Yuan was a noble general, and she would surely be drowned in a pig cage by the masses!
She didn't want to die, so she had to take on the task reluctantly.
Now that the matter was exposed, she had become the perfect scapegoat.
Song Luo let out a sigh of relief and asked sarcastically, "Qu Yue, now that the culprit has been found for you, are you satisfied?"
Qu Yue curtsied. "Thank you, Madam Song."
She glanced at Xiao Yang, who had fallen to the ground, without any sympathy.
If you agreed to do things for Song Luo, you had to be ready to take the blame at any time.
Qu Yue straightened up. Her just and upright eyes looked at the people opposite. "Even if Miss Xiao Yang is suspected of framing me, what about Lord Mu and Madam Song?"
"Why were you so eager to draft the imperial edict and snatch my reward during the time I was unconscious?"
"Were you really concerned about me, or did you have a long - planned scheme?"
Qu Yue pressed on step by step. Her series of questions left them no time to think.
This also showed that she was really angry.
Previously, no matter how the people in the Mu Mansion exploited her, she could face them with a smile and even bear everything with good temper.
But since she knew that they not only didn't regard her as a family member but also wanted her life, all her good temper had vanished.
Mu Qing's eyes turned red with anger. "Qu Yue, who are you shouting at!"
His angry shout was really intimidating. Qu Yue's breath caught for a moment. She clenched her hand hanging by her side and bravely asked in a trembling voice, "Lord Mu, I respect you as Mu Yuan's father. May I ask why you must take away the reward?"
This was what she really wanted to know.
The wrinkles on Mu Qing's face became more prominent under the light, looking eerily strange. His eyes glowed faintly with a greenish light. "Do I need to explain to you what I want?"
"I'm not saying I won't give it." Qu Yue suddenly walked towards Mu Yuan's tomb. The soul - guiding flag hanging beside it fluttered in the wind.
She reached out and took down the flag. For a moment, everyone was in an uproar.
Qu Yue seemed not to hear. She carried the flag back to the crowd. "But I need an explanation.
"Why do you want Mu Yuan's reward, and why do you treat him so badly?
"Even not willing to buy a new soul - guiding flag?
"This is his path to the afterlife! As his father, do you just let him use something that others don't want?"
The veins on her neck bulged. Her angry roar brought a blush to her cheeks. With a wave of her hand, she threw the dirty and old soul - guiding flag hard on the ground!
Everyone looked down, only to see—