Chapter 25: Retribution and Warning

The hall fell deathly silent, all eyes locked on Su Wanrou.

Su Mingli tilted her chin slightly, gazing at her stepsister with a faint, icy smile. "Well, Second Sister? The ledgers are ready for inspection. Will you persist in these lies?" Her voice was calm yet laced with unyielding authority.

Su Wanrou's face paled further, her fingers clawing at her sleeves as panic surged. She had never imagined her carefully laid trap would backfire so catastrophically.

The Marquess' wife glared at her, voice trembling with fury. "Wanrou! Explain yourself!"

Su Wanrou opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, a cool voice interrupted from the doorway.

"Madam, perhaps this will clarify matters."

All turned to see a man in deep gray robes stride into the hall—Han Zheng, commander of the marquis' shadow guards. His expression was grave as he handed a letter to the Marquess' wife.

"Last night, the treasury was indeed breached. We found this hidden in the storeroom."

The Marquess' wife scanned the letter, then erupted. "Wanrou! How dare you collude with outsiders to frame Mingli?!"

Gasps filled the room.

Su Wanrou's eyes widened in horror. "Mother, I didn't—!"

"Read it yourself!" The Marquess' wife hurled the letter at her feet.

Su Wanrou's hands shook as she picked it up. The contents struck her like lightning—detailed correspondence with the Eastern Palace, outlining plans to steal the silver and pin the crime on Su Mingli.

"This… this is forged!" she whispered, her voice breaking.

Su Mingli observed her coldly. "Still denying it, Second Sister?"

Su Wanrou's head snapped up, venom and terror warring in her gaze. Suddenly, she understood—this was Su Mingli's counterstrike, mirroring her own scheme to perfection.

"Disgrace!" The Marquess' wife trembled with rage. "You've shamed this household!"

Su Wanrou staggered back, mind racing. Admission meant exile or death. Denial was impossible—the evidence was damning. Desperation ignited in her eyes.

"She orchestrated this!" She pointed wildly at Su Mingli. "Mother, don't believe her lies!"

The Marquess' wife hesitated, but Su Mingli merely laughed softly. "If I framed you, Sister, why does the handwriting match yours? And how would I know such… intimate details of your plans?"

She gestured to a maid entering with a stack of letters. "These are but a fraction of your correspondences."

Su Wanrou swayed, vision darkening. The game was lost.

"Confine her!" the Marquess' wife ordered. "Her fate rests with the marquis!"

"No!" Su Wanrou screamed as guards seized her. She locked eyes with Su Mingli, hatred boiling in her stare—but her stepsister's gaze held only icy indifference.

In that moment, Su Wanrou realized the truth: the meek eldest daughter she'd once tormented was gone. This Su Mingli… was untouchable.

Nightfall, Side Courtyard

Su Mingli sat by the window, fingertips brushing the forged letter as moonlight bathed her serene face.

"Returning their own tactics upon them… impressive."

She glanced up to find Xiao Jingxuan leaning against the window frame, approval glinting in his eyes.

"Your Highness flatters me," she replied mildly.

He stepped inside, settling beside her. "The Crown Prince won't let this defeat slide."

"Nor do I intend him to," she said, smiling.

Xiao Jingxuan studied her, then chuckled low. "Su Mingli… you're far more ruthless than I imagined."

She met his gaze, smile sharpening. "As are you, Your Highness."

Their laughter intertwined, charged with danger and something darker.

The game had only just begun