“I believe him,” she said, her gaze persistent. “I know he did wrong things and hurt you. But he is still the person I’ve loved, and I believe there’s still a pure land in his heart.”
I gripped her shoulders and shook her, teeth clenched. “Wake up, Yun Qiao… he’s using you…”
“Perhaps now he is,” she said sadly. “But one day, I will enter that pure land in his heart. He will understand.”
“Pure Land?” I laughed bitterly. “Perhaps he had one before, but people change.”
If he truly had a pure land in his heart, he wouldn’t have incited you against me or instructed you to tamper with the golden cup! If I hadn’t reacted quickly, he might have succeeded already!”
She looked shocked. “Tamper with the golden cup?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” I said angrily. “He admitted it.”
Jiang Yun stepped forward, meeting my gaze. “Indeed, he mentioned it to me. But I didn’t do it.”
I didn’t know whether to believe her. The golden cup had been tampered with, An Jin had confirmed it was done on her instructions, and Xia Zhiyuan had admitted it. The evidence was conclusive, yet she denied it.
“Of course you won’t admit it,” I scoffed. “I never thought you would disregard our sisterly bond.”
“It wasn’t me,” she said, equally angry. “Believe it or not. I didn’t arrange for this to happen.”
Could it really not be her? An Jin had always been cautious, and his findings shouldn’t be wrong. If it was her, why pretend not to know?
“Regardless of whether you did it, Xia Zhiyuan cannot stay,” I turned away. “He’s only here to sow discord between us. If you don’t want the Emperor to know you’re hiding him, send him away quickly, and I won’t pursue this matter further.”
She was silent for a moment before answering, “No, I can’t do that.”
“You—” I laughed in anger. “Fine. If you’re so stubborn, I’ll go see the Emperor and let him decide.”
As I made to leave, she grabbed me and said furiously, “You can go, but don’t forget, your An Jin also has an unclear background!”
