Jiang Yun stepped forward, firmly meeting my gaze. “Indeed, he did mention it to me. But I didn’t do it.”
I didn’t know whether to believe her. The golden cup had indeed 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 do something like this, disregarding our sisterly bond.”
“It wasn’t me,” she said, also angry. “Believe it or not. I didn’t arrange for this to happen.”
Could it really not be her? Impossible. An Jin had always been cautious, and his findings shouldn’t be wrong. But if it was her, why pretend not to know now?
“Regardless of whether you did it, Xia Zhiyuan cannot stay,” I turned away. “He’s only by your side to sow discord between us and achieve his own goals. If you don’t want the Emperor to know you’re hiding Xia Zhiyuan in your residence, send him away quickly. If you do that, 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, furiously saying, “You can go, but don’t forget, your An Jin also has an unclear background!”
Her words struck me like thunder. Xia Zhiyuan was a parricide who had fled Qi Kingdom, and An Jin was also a traitor long wanted by Qi Kingdom. If the people of Nan Rui learned of this, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Are you threatening me?” I murmured.
“You threatened me first,” she said, calming down and releasing her grip. “A Yao, if you can unconditionally protect An Jin, why can’t I protect him?”
