“The Crown Princess, that is, the Shen family's cousin, the Second Young Master Shen’s former fiancée, her surname is Yu, and her name is Qingwu."

Xie Jin Yan wasn’t afraid of revealing his identity. These three women weren't fools. Even if it was just to save their own lives, they wouldn't dare to spread rumors outside.

As expected, upon hearing his reminder, the three people kneeling on the ground immediately realized his identity.

Xiao Xi and Xiao Cui were probably too shocked and frightened to speak.

Qin Xiangxiang, on the other hand, couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.

She had long heard that the Shen family's imprisonment was the Crown Prince’s doing, and she also heard that the Crown Prince didn't seem to like Qin Yiliu. Previously, in order to defend the Crown Princess, he had almost forced Qin Yiliu to her death.

Then, this Crown Prince was a friend.

Thinking of this, Qin Xiangxiang became even more excited.

She was, after all, the legitimate daughter of the Duke Ying’s Estate. Even though she had become a shrew in order to survive, her courage was not something a small servant girl could compare to.

Soon, she calmed down, straightened her body, and respectfully replied to Xie Jin Yan, "Your Excellency, now that you mention it, I recall an incident from five years ago. I just don't know if it has anything to do with the Crown Princess."

"Tell me about it," Xie Jin Yan's cold voice came from behind the curtain.

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiangxiang immediately described it vividly, "Five years ago, after that little bitch Qin Yiliu gained my father's trust, she drew a portrait of a woman and asked my father to find her, saying that the woman would destroy the Duke Ying’s Estate and ordered my father to execute her on the spot once she was found. I don't know if that woman is the Crown Princess, but I remember what the portrait looked like."

"If I had paper and a brush now, I could draw a likeness that would be seventy or eighty percent accurate based on my memory."

As Qin Xiangxiang spoke, she looked towards Feng Yuan, hoping that Feng Yuan could untie her.

Feng Yuan looked towards Xie Jin Yan behind the curtain and was about to step forward to ask when Xie Jin Yan's lazy voice came from inside again, instructing, "Give her paper and a brush."

"Yes." Seeing that his master had allowed it, Feng Yuan no longer stepped forward and immediately went to the carriage outside to fetch paper and a brush.

When Qin Xiangxiang was young, she had studied under a master and had a photographic memory, especially when it came to faces. Moreover, the woman in the painting was exceptionally beautiful, so she still had a deep impression of her to this day.

In less than half an incense stick's time, she finished the drawing.

Feng Yuan took the portrait, and when he saw the woman's appearance, he was suddenly shocked. Then, he carefully presented it to Xie Jin Yan.

Xie Jin Yan sat on the chair and lowered his eyes to scan the paper that still emitted the fragrance of ink. With just one glance, he was stunned.

The woman in the portrait was indeed his *shijie* (senior female apprentice), but in the painting, she was wearing phoenix robes, her expression cold and beautiful, and her eyes faintly revealed a bit of sharpness. Although she had been deliberately drawn younger, she was wearing the clothes of the Empress Dowager, and her expression also looked somewhat aged.

His *shijie* had actually become the Empress Dowager?

Could it be that, as Qin said, A-Wu and Xiao Fengyun had rekindled their old feelings and poisoned him?

A trace of doubt arose in Xie Jin Yan's heart, but soon, this suspicion was resolved by the hairpin in the woman's hair.

The *shijie* in the portrait was still wearing the hairpin he had given her. It was the first bit of silver he had earned when he was young and sold it to her to buy it. It wasn't worth much, but she was very happy at the time.

She actually still had it?

In an instant, all the doubts and worries in Xie Jin Yan's heart were dispelled.

His *shijie* had kept it for so many years, which proved that she had absolutely not betrayed him. After so many years, the person in her heart was still him.

On the other hand, Qin Yiliu had actually instigated Duke Ying to hunt down his A-Wu. What audacity!

He stared intently at the portrait, and the knuckles of his fingers holding the paper tightened involuntarily.

After a long while, he said to Qin Xiangxiang in a gloomy voice, "Are you saying that Qin Yiliu has been instigating Duke Ying to hunt down the Crown Princess since five years ago?"

So, the person in the portrait was really the Crown Princess?

Qin Xiangxiang was shocked and even more delighted. She hurriedly added fuel to the fire and replied, "Yes, since five years ago, Qin Yiliu has been constantly instigating my father to hunt down the woman in the painting."

"Later, one day, she said that she would no longer hunt her down, saying something about waiting for that Yu woman!"

"Yes! That's Yu! Once, I secretly went home to get something and heard her and my father saying that Yu would enter the capital in a few years, and then it would not be too late to use the Shen family to take action. Later, she hooked up with the eldest young master of the Shen family, causing Shen Lin, who was originally engaged to my third younger sister, to defy everyone's opinions and break off the engagement to marry her."

"At that time, I didn't understand. There were so many noble young masters in the capital. She was valued by my father at that time, so what kind of marriage could she not get? But she insisted on choosing a Rongguo Duke’s Estate’s heir who was on the decline. Now I understand. She probably wants to use the Shen family's hands to take revenge on the Crown Princess."

"Moreover, I suspect that her hooking up with the Second Young Master Shen was also aimed at the Crown Princess. After all, that Second Young Master Shen was originally the Crown Princess's fiancé. She always liked to do that, always thinking of hooking up with other people's husbands if she hated them. It's really clumsy and despicable..."

Qin Xiangxiang babbled on, revealing all of Qin Yiliu's evil deeds.

Listening to her words, Xie Jin Yan's face became increasingly gloomy...

Damn Qin, not only did she use the Shen family, but she also wanted to use his hand to kill *Shijie*.

Fortunately, he did not easily believe it.

However, if Qin really had been reborn and could foresee the future and use such means to benefit herself, why didn't she help the Shen family avoid imprisonment?

It seems that he had to interrogate Shen Ke again.

Perhaps... Shen Lin should also be interrogated.

"Alright, send them all back." Frowning and staring at the woman in the portrait for a moment, Xie Jin Yan ordered in a cold voice.

Then, he got up and left through the back door.

However, after going out, he did not go to the Heavenly Prison as planned, but returned to the Crown Prince’s residence.

By the time he returned, the sun was setting.

In the Snow Courtyard, dusk was gathering, reflecting a layer of brilliant color on the flowers and plants in the courtyard.

In the warm pavilion, faint medicinal fragrances wafted out.

As he got closer, he also heard laughter coming from inside.

It was Yu Qingwu’s cousin, Yu Zhen’s voice. His voice was pleasant and light, with a hint of relief, "A-Wu *meimei* (younger sister), if the clan leader saw you now with such prospects, he would definitely be very happy. To be honest, when I heard that you became the Crown Princess and that the Crown Prince's harem also housed such a woman, I was very worried about you."

"But yesterday, seeing the way that woman was dragged away, all the worries in my heart disappeared. It seems that this Crown Prince likes you very much. Maybe you will be the Empress in the future, and we will all be relatives of the imperial family."

"Yu Zhen *gege* (older brother), don't talk nonsense." Seeing Yu Zhen's unbridled words, Yu Qingwu quickly interrupted him, frowning slightly, and swept a glance at the crutch he was leaning on, "Don't let the Crown Prince hear these words, otherwise, I'm afraid your other leg will also be crippled."

"Shijie, in your eyes, am I that cruel?" Xie Jin Yan had just entered the door when he heard this sentence. His face darkened, and he pretended to be cold and stern as he asked the woman who was startled on the soft couch, "So, in Shijie’s heart, am I a vicious person who randomly breaks people's legs?"