Upon hearing this, Shen Jintang's gaze lingered slightly on Shen Huaixu, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, like ripples brushed by the wind, but quickly subsided, returning to calm.
She slowly withdrew her gaze.
"What? You're afraid to investigate?"
Gu Junze's voice suddenly rang out, every word carrying a strong sense of hostility.
The fact that Shen Jintang's identity was questionable was just a clumsy excuse to execute her.
In his view, life and death were entirely in his hands. Once a person died, regardless of whether her identity was real or fake, it was still up to him to decide.
This time, however, he failed at the last hurdle and was filled with resentment.
He already knew that this was a fabricated charge, and he wasn't entirely confident, but when he saw Shen Jintang's hesitant expression, he suddenly felt that he had an 80% chance of winning.
"Your Highness makes it sound so easy."
Shen Jintang looked up at Gu Junze, her tone tinged with helplessness and resentment, yet also revealing determination: "I am an innocent woman, and today a human trafficker appears out of nowhere, and tomorrow an official comes along. Anyone can come and investigate me, saying I'm a fake. With this constant investigation, where will my reputation be? Are you trying to kill me?"
Shen Jintang's words were resounding and powerful, and the officials in the court looked at each other in bewilderment.
She has a point. Even if a person who was originally innocent is eventually exonerated, their reputation has already been trampled to pieces if they are forced to prove their innocence in public.
Gu Junze narrowed his eyes. In his opinion, Shen Jintang's affected manner clearly indicated that she had something to hide.
He lowered his eyelashes, pondered for a moment, and then said to the emperor, "Father, my actions are also to ensure the safety of everyone in the palace. If we were to hide a traitor in the palace, wouldn't that cause a great uproar?"
What if I am not?
Shen Jintang looked directly at Gu Junze, her eyes filled with a hint of questioning.
"If you are not, this matter will never be mentioned again." Gu Junze smiled slightly, but his tone was cold. "If anyone dares to doubt your identity again, I will be the first to object."
"So, do you still have any concerns?" Gu Junze's eyes gradually turned cold, his tone carrying a hint of coercion. "Or rather, you simply don't dare to test it!"
Shen Jintang frowned, lowered his head, and remained silent.
She was filled with resentment and anger, yet there was nothing she could do.
The emperor, already impatient, said hastily, "Guards, take her to the back hall for examination."
As soon as she finished speaking, several palace maids stepped forward to invite Shen Jintang to leave.
Shen Jintang clenched her fingers, her nails digging deep into her palms, as if unwilling or helpless. In the end, she slowly took a step and walked towards the back hall, her back showing a hint of stubbornness.
Before half an incense stick had burned, Shen Jintang and the palace maid who had been inspecting him hurriedly returned.
In the imperial court, everyone's eyes were instantly focused on them, and the atmosphere was heavy and tense.
"Does she have a begonia flower mark on her left shoulder?" Gu Junze asked first, his voice tinged with urgency.
The palace maid trembled slightly, shook her head, and dared not look Gu Junze in the eye.
Gu Junze's face instantly relaxed, and a smug smile appeared on his lips. He then shouted loudly, "Men, seize this traitor!"
"Wait!"
Lu Xiuyuan suddenly stepped forward, his gaze like a sword shooting towards the palace maid, and asked in a deep voice, "Did you see clearly? Are you sure you didn't?"
The palace maid was so frightened by the sudden question that she fell to her knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly: "This servant...this servant didn't see clearly."
The emperor's face grew increasingly grim, and he coldly questioned, "Why can't you see clearly?"
"Lord Siyan's body is covered in scars, so it's impossible to see if there are any marks from the crabapple blossoms," the palace maid explained tremblingly, her voice barely audible.
The court erupted in chaos, with whispers filling the air.
"scar?"
"How come there are scars?"
Is it a new injury or an old one?
The discussions surged like a tidal wave.
"impossible!"
Gu Junze's face was extremely ugly. He stared at Shen Jintang and said through gritted teeth, "How could it be such a coincidence that you have to use the begonia flower on your shoulder to prove your identity, and that you happen to have a scar on your body that covers the location of the mark? How could it be such a coincidence?"
He paused, a sinister glint in his eyes, and pressed on, "Or did you know beforehand that you couldn't fool them, so you created scars on your body to deceive them?"
Shen Jintang lowered her head, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white from the force.
She felt deeply humiliated and angry, as if she were tightly bound by invisible shackles, unable to break free.
The gazes of those around her were like sharp arrows, and doubt and suspicion spread through the air.
Just as everyone was beginning to have doubts, Shen Jintang slowly raised her head, her eyes revealing a resolute and calm expression.
She took a deep breath and spoke slowly, her voice clear and firm, like a frost blade in the cold night, cutting through the clamor of the court.
“Then let’s take a step back and say, according to Your Highness, that scar was faked by me, a tool to cover up the mark.”
She paused slightly, her gaze fixed on Gu Junze, her eyes devoid of warmth yet revealing a chilling sharpness: "But the imperial physician has examined me, and the scars on my body are old wounds, at least five years old. The Xie family's misfortune occurred less than a year ago. If I were truly the young master of the Xie family, my first half of life should have been smooth sailing, so how could I have so many scars?"
Her words were like a thunderclap, instantly exploding in the imperial court.
People around them began to discuss in hushed tones, their voices tinged with both hesitation and agreement.
"yes……"
"What she said makes sense."
Shen Jintang's gaze swept over everyone, finally settling on Gu Junze's face.
She gave a cold smile, as if she saw through all his schemes and plots.
The Crown Prince sneered, his voice laced with mockery: "You're sharp-tongued. No matter what you say, the scars on your body are real. How could a decent young woman have so many scars? Even if you're not Xie Zhaoran, you must be of dubious origin and your identity is questionable."
The officials in the court nodded in agreement.
Ordinary women would not suffer so much and have so many scars on their bodies.
That statement is indeed not without merit.
Shen Jintang smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of self-mockery and helplessness, as if she were mocking her own fate, or perhaps satirizing the prejudices of others.
She said softly, "I did hide something, but now it seems I have no choice but to tell you."
Shen Jintang paused, her voice clear and firm, like a clear sound in the cold wind: "I am indeed not a cousin of the Shen family."
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