Chapter Thirty-Six: Destroying the Evidence

Yan Heqi truly did not disappoint her expectations. After leaving Yan Heru’s residence, she immediately went to find Old Madam Yan. In fact, the first person she had wanted to seek out was her own mother, Madame Lin, but recalling her mother’s usual schemes and manipulations, Yan Heqi instantly abandoned the idea.

She knew that Old Madam Yan had also been involved in the slander against Yan Heru, so she decided to go to the old lady with the news.

“Grandmother! Grandmother!” Yan Heqi rushed anxiously into the old lady’s courtyard.

Seeing her frantic behavior, Nanny Wang’s face showed clear displeasure, and she couldn’t help but compare her to Yan Heru.

This Seventh Miss Yan was truly nothing like the composed Sixth Miss.

“Seventh Miss, at this hour, the old lady has long since retired for the night. If you have something to say, come back tomorrow,” Nanny Wang said, raising her hand to block Yan Heqi’s way.

Yan Heqi had originally wanted to rush straight into the room, but now that she was stopped, she couldn’t force her way in. Yet the incident with Yan Heru just now left her deeply unsettled. Thinking of the “deceased” Yan Hemiao, she couldn’t help but shudder. Grabbing Nanny Wang’s hand, she abandoned all her usual airs as a refined young lady.

“Nanny Wang, please, I beg you, just let Grandmother know! I really have something urgent to tell her!” Yan Heqi was so desperate she was near tears.

Nanny Wang, seeing that she didn’t seem to be causing trouble on purpose, went inside to announce her. Not long after, she returned. “Seventh Miss, whatever it is, the old lady is waiting for you.”

With permission, Yan Heqi hurried into the room, disregarding all propriety. Once inside, she immediately recounted everything she had witnessed to Old Madam Yan.

In the end, the older the ginger, the spicier it is. Although Old Madam Yan listened to her story, she was not nearly as agitated.

Yan Heru committed murder? She did not believe it.

“Are you sure you weren’t half asleep and saw things wrong?” Old Madam Yan asked calmly.

“No, Grandmother! I was there with Eighth Sister! I was present the whole time! And tonight—no, actually, I haven’t slept at all today!” Yan Heqi hastily explained.

Her demeanor made Old Madam Yan hesitate. If Yan Heru truly killed someone, this would be a rare opportunity—a perfect chance to destroy her.

“Let me ask you again: are you absolutely sure you did not see wrongly? She really killed someone by mistake? And threatened you not to tell anyone?”

“Yes, Grandmother!” Yan Heqi nodded repeatedly.

Receiving her confirmation, Old Madam Yan paused only for a moment before rising to her feet. “Nanny Wang, bring me my cane. I’m going out.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Nanny Wang did not ask why.

Instead, it was Yan Heqi who was confused. “Grandmother, it’s so late already. Where are you going?”

Old Madam Yan had already walked halfway to the door before turning back. “You’re coming with me.”

“Ah?” Yan Heqi was still bewildered, but before she knew it, Old Madam Yan was firmly dragging her away.

Old Madam Yan took Yan Heqi straight to the Court of Judicial Review. “Grandmother! Grandmother! Why are we coming here?” Yan Heqi whispered.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

Old Madam Yan announced her name at the gate. The guards immediately led her inside, and she was ushered into the presence of the Assistant Minister.

Meanwhile, Yan Heru was also unable to sleep. Turning restlessly, she finally decided it would be best to retrieve the evidence as soon as possible. That would set her mind at ease.

The sky was already dark. Yan Heru rested one hand lightly on her other arm, where she kept a set of silver needles always by her side. If she encountered any danger, she could defend herself instantly.

Yan Heru made her way to Madame Lin’s residence. Lord Yan was staying in Lady Cheng’s quarters tonight, so there weren’t many servants around Madame Lin.

Quiet as a shadow, Yan Heru used her silver needle to quietly incapacitate the maid at the door, then crept into the room. Madame Lin was sound asleep in bed.

Not knowing exactly where the evidence was hidden, Yan Heru had no choice but to use the same technique as before, taking out a needle she had once used on Madame Lin.

This particular needle, when used a second time on the same person, was far less effective.

Still, it would suffice.

With practiced skill, Yan Heru pricked Madame Lin’s neck with the needle. “Who are you?”

“Lin Yingying.”

As before, once she confirmed the needle’s effectiveness, Yan Heru got to the point.

“Where is the evidence you used to slander Yan Heru hidden?”

“Under my bed, in a very small box. All the evidence is in that box.”

Having gotten the answer, Yan Heru immediately knocked Madame Lin unconscious again, moved her to the other side of the bed, and began searching underneath for the evidence.

It must be said, Madame Lin truly had no talent for hiding things. The box was the cleanest item beneath the bed; everything else was covered in a thin layer of dust.

Yan Heru took out the box and opened it. Inside were signed confessions and two sachets. She recognized one of them—it had belonged to the original host’s mother. But the other…

Examining the second sachet closely, Yan Heru realized it was a crude imitation of the first.

A soft laugh escaped her lips—she already understood the purpose of this sachet.

To frame someone, nothing was more crucial than witnesses and physical evidence. For witnesses, the confessions were enough; for physical evidence, this sachet must be it.

Yan Heru closed the box, moved Madame Lin back to her original position, and woke the maid before leaving.

When the maid awoke, she found nothing amiss, and the two exchanged glances, feigning ignorance.

They assumed they had simply fallen asleep. If Madame Lin found out, they would surely be punished.

Carrying the evidence-filled box, Yan Heru returned to her own quarters and summoned Mo Yi from the shadows.

“Mo Yi, these are all the pieces of evidence used to slander me. Destroy them, and find a way to plant some incriminating evidence against Madame Lin and Old Madam Yan. Can you do it?”

Yan Heru had called upon Mo Yi because, after serving so long at Shen Hezhi’s side, he was sure to have the skills to fabricate evidence.

“Of course, Princess. Leave it to me,” Mo Yi replied with a gentle smile, tucking the box under his arm as he left the Yan estate.

Yan Heru trusted Mo Yi. It was a rare kind of faith—she had hardly trusted anyone in her life, yet Mo Yi was an exception. That was why she dared to entrust something so important to him.

One reason was trust.

The other was that, if she handled the evidence herself, she might easily be discovered in the act, and then she would have no way to clear her name.