She believed Gu Qingyuan couldn't be a cat demon and harbored peculiar yet lingering feelings for him. In this situation, she could only shift her suspicion to Gu Pan'er, the most likely culprit.
Only this person, who was closest to Gu Qingyuan yet hated him the most, could possibly frame him.
Hearing Xue Ji's angry shout, Gu Pan'er's heart leaped in alarm.
However, within her fierce reprimand, Gu Pan'er detected a subtle difference in tone.
Despite her anger, as a princess, why did her voice, when raised, sound somewhat like a man's?
A woman's intuition told her that things were far from simple!
Thus, Gu Pan'er cautiously glanced at Xue Ji's neck and indeed, noticed something unusual for an ordinary woman near her throat. Though not very conspicuous, Gu Pan'er still observed it.
If the princess wasn't the real princess, then framing her was hardly impossible.
Such a thought boosted Gu Pan'er's confidence. She cleared her throat and said, "If I recall correctly, during my brother's lifetime, the person he interacted with the most was you, Your Highness the Princess, wasn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Xue Ji frowned.
"Nothing special, just a suspicion," Gu Pan'er replied.
"Suspicion?" Xue Ji looked at Gu Pan'er before her.
Gu Pan'er smiled faintly, "Yes, suspicion."
After a pause, she spoke, "Everyone says my brother was a cat demon, but no one considers if his peculiarities might have been inflicted upon him by those around him. The most suspected consort of the Regent's mansion has fled, but everyone seems to have forgotten that there's also Your Highness the Princess, who had the most contact with my brother."
Upon hearing this, Xue Ji was taken aback.
She hadn't expected Gu Pan'er to say such a thing.
In this way, Gu Pan'er was pushing the responsibility for Gu Qingyuan's death onto her, even pinning the label of "cat demon" on her.
If she were to go out and convince those around her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
But Xue Ji was a princess, and not one to be trifled with.
Facing Gu Pan'er's triumphant expression of "What can you do to me?", Xue Ji chuckled, "If I were a cat demon, then wouldn't the entire imperial city, all of royalty, be cat demons?"
"What?" Gu Pan'er blinked in surprise.
Xue Ji continued, "I am of legitimate royal blood. If I were, as you say, a cat demon, then your biological mother, the Empress, would also be a monster? And what about His current Majesty? His Highness the Crown Prince? Are they all, as you claim, monsters?"
"This… this…" Gu Pan'er clearly had no room to retort against Xue Ji's words.
"It seems you can no longer slander me," Xue Ji smiled.
Gu Pan'er bit her lip, truly unable to refute her for the moment.
For Gu Pan'er, although the Gu family was immensely wealthy and held a respectable position in the capital, no matter how respectable, they could not contend with royalty.
Even if this princess before her was not a mere woman, but a secret of the royal family, if she were to expose it, the outcome would be death and nothing else. More likely, her entire family would be implicated for her actions.
Xue Ji, however, had no intention of stopping there and prepared to press her advantage.
"However, Gu Pan'er, in my opinion, you are more likely to be the cat demon," she said.
"Me? Your Highness, you mustn't speak such nonsense!" Gu Pan'er immediately became anxious.
She had heard how Gu Qingyuan died, reduced to ashes by fire. If she were truly considered a cat demon and thrown into a fire, how terrifying would that be?
"Nonsense? Since your brother Gu Qingyuan was a cat demon, and you just said that I was close to your brother and should be suspected, then as his own sister, aren't you also a suspect?" Xue Ji pressed.
Gu Pan'er was stumped and instinctively took a step back.
"What, nervous? This suggests your suspicion is indeed high. And you can also consider this: if I were to reveal your identity as a cat demon, might you not suffer the same fate as your brother?" Xue Ji pressed further.
"I am not, I am not…" Gu Pan'er shook her head in denial.
Just then, a shout was heard from outside the mourning hall.
"Miss, the assassination attempt failed. What is the next step?"
Gu Pan'er's face changed drastically.
Xue Ji also heard these words. She looked at Gu Pan'er, and while countless thoughts crossed her mind, her outward demeanor remained composed and collected.
"Oh? An assassination attempt? It seems Miss Gu is not one to be underestimated; she harbors great ambition," Xue Ji remarked.
"This was not arranged by me." Gu Pan'er's heart pounded with guilt, and she retreated further, her back hitting the wall.
A piece of white silk draped down, brushing against her cheek.
Gu Pan'er's face turned so pale that it rivaled the silk.
Xue Ji laughed mockingly, "Miss Gu, you seem terribly frightened. Even if you are not a cat demon, having organized such an assassination attempt, you are clearly no saint. It seems it's time to escort you to the imperial palace and lock you in prison for a thorough interrogation."
"No! Princess, please don't lock me in prison!"
Gu Pan'er, in utter terror, knelt down and grabbed Xue Ji's leg.
"Let go," Xue Ji commanded expressionlessly.
"I won't let go! I won't let go! I know nothing about any assassination!" Gu Pan'er exclaimed.
"I told you to let go!" Xue Ji was about to kick her away, but before she could act, Gu Pan'er released her and suddenly leaned backward.
Xue Ji frowned, then stepped forward and crouched down, checking Gu Pan'er's breathing. To her utter astonishment—
Gu Pan'er was dead!
For a moment, Xue Ji didn't know what to do.
She straightened Gu Pan'er's body on the ground, gazing at her closed eyes and ashen face, and checked her breathing several more times.
But each time, the result was the same.
Could it be that Gu Pan'er had been scared to death?
But how could a woman capable of arranging an assassination be scared to death by the exposure of her assassination plot? There was definitely something fishy about this.
Xue Ji paced back and forth in the mourning hall with her hands behind her back.
Growing tired, she stopped, her gaze fixed on the memorial tablet on the altar. For a long time, she stared blankly at the characters "Gu Qingyuan."
Gu Qingyuan, that interesting man who had kissed her and whom she had teased multiple times, how could he be a cat demon?
Xue Ji refused to believe it.
And him being burned to death, how could such a thing happen?
Xue Ji still refused to believe it.
She furrowed her brow, vowing in her heart that no matter the effort, she would clear his name and restore his justice and innocence.
Just then, Xue Ji heard a rustling sound behind her and instinctively turned her head, her eyes widening in surprise.