"How dare you claim that the jade pendant belongs to Yang'er? You're slandering him!" Concubine Zhao was beside herself with rage.
"Whether it's slander or not, the Princess Dowager will know once she takes a look," Feng Linyuan replied calmly.
Feng Jingyang broke out in a cold sweat and felt a chill run down his back. No one knew better than he did whose jade pendant it was.
At that time, he clearly had the jade pendant firmly hanging on his body. He had no idea how it had ended up in Zheng Yan's hands.
After he realized that the jade pendant was missing, he suspected that he might have lost it at the scene.
By then, people were already bustling about at the scene. It was too dangerous to go back and look for it, so he simply sent someone to grab Bai Zheng's jade pendant.
Anyway, they had already planned to frame Bai Zheng for this incident.
All the arrangements were flawless. The appearance of the jade pendant was just an unexpected twist, but it wasn't a big deal.
He was confident that as long as he could explain away the matter of the jade pendant, everything would be fine.
But... But now the two jade pendants looked exactly the same. How could the Princess Dowager tell them apart?
Could there be some other secret hidden in the jade pendant besides the one he knew?
After hearing Qing Shao's account, Princess Pingyang was already trembling with anger. Now, hearing Feng Linyuan say that she could tell the difference, she walked over to the eunuch holding the wooden tray without hesitation and picked up the jade pendant.
Feng Jingyang watched Princess Pingyang carefully examining the jade pendant, feeling as if he were sitting on pins and needles.
The hall was deathly silent. Bai Di nervously watched Princess Pingyang's every move, and Princess Yunxi clenched her fists so tightly that they trembled slightly.
Princess Pingyang's brows knitted tighter and tighter.
After a long while, she said with difficulty, "I really can't tell any difference between these jade pendants..."
"Bai Zheng, do you have anything else to say!" Feng Jingyang immediately shouted.
God knows, this sentence was like a life-saving straw to him. It allowed him, who was almost drowning in the water, to suddenly surface and catch his breath.
But before he could catch his breath for long, he heard Bai Zheng say with a faint smile, "I naturally have something else to say to the Princess Dowager. Please take a look, Princess Dowager."
With that, she pointed at the tassels hanging below the jade pendant.
Princess Pingyang looked at her doubtfully and then carefully rummaged through the thick tassels below the jade pendant again. Before long, her face completely changed!
"This... This is clearly the jade pendant that Yan'er snatched!" Princess Pingyang's voice was hoarse and trembling.
"How is that possible!" Concubine Zhao almost jumped to her feet. She stared at Princess Pingyang fiercely. "Princess Dowager, are you seeing things? What's the difference between these two jade pendants? Besides, you didn't even touch them at that time..."
Before she could finish her sentence, she was frightened by Princess Pingyang's almost ferocious expression.
Princess Pingyang glared at her fiercely, then turned to glare at Feng Jingyang, her eyes bloodshot.
She pinched a tassel with one hand and held it up in front of everyone.
Feng Jingyang took a closer look and suddenly felt as if he had been struck by a sharp sword. He lost his strength to support himself and slumped into his chair.
When it was hidden in the thick tassels, it was impossible to tell. But now that the Princess Dowager had picked it out, everyone could clearly see.
There was a small knot of mutual affection on that tassel.
Moreover, this knot of mutual affection was different from the usual ones. It was more complicated and more exquisite than the ordinary patterns.
Although Marquis Gaochang didn't understand the reason, he could roughly guess it. His body shook violently.
"This knot of mutual affection was a unique pattern created by Yan'er. Even I don't know how to tie it. Almost everything she gave to Feng Jingyang had this knot on it," Princess Pingyang squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.
She looked at Feng Jingyang, her eyes blazing with anger. "Feng Jingyang, how do you explain this!"
Her daughter, her silly daughter. After snatching the jade pendant, she had carefully tied a knot on it, just to leave her mark on it.
She really loved Feng Jingyang to the core.
But what about him! This man, whom her daughter had cherished in the depths of her heart, how did he repay her?
He had stabbed Zheng Yan in the body with such a barbed knife.
He had intended to kill her!
"I... I..." Feng Jingyang's face was as white as a sheet. He stammered and couldn't say a word.
"Yang'er!" Concubine Zhao suddenly spoke up, her expression stern. "I know that when I forced you to thank Yan'er for snatching the jade pendant for you today, you were extremely reluctant and didn't want to admit it even when you went. But now, even if you feel ashamed, you should still admit it."
Feng Jingyang was slightly taken aback, then heard Concubine Zhao grit her teeth and continue, "It's better than being wrongly accused of murder!"
Feng Jingyang looked at his mother in surprise. From the moment the incident happened until now, there had been too many shocks and surprises, which had already broken his tense nerves. At this moment, his mind was in a complete mess.
But in the eyes of others, this expression became one of entanglement and hesitation.
It seemed as if he was thinking about whether he should admit that although he had embarrassed Zheng Yan in front of everyone, he had still gone to see her privately to thank her for snatching the jade pendant for him.
Bai Zheng sneered. She wasn't surprised by Concubine Zhao's self - preservation act at all.
The jade pendant was a crucial piece of evidence to prove the murderer, just like the injuries on Qing Shao.
But to be honest, as long as you could give a reasonable explanation, it alone couldn't convict anyone.
"Is His Highness the Fourth Prince going to retract his testimony?" Feng Linyuan said calmly, with a smile in his eyes that almost made Concubine Zhao explode with anger.
As if stabbed by this smile, Feng Jingyang suddenly shivered, and his mind became clearer than ever.
It was as if he had made a decision. He replied calmly, "Previously, I thought it was very embarrassing to thank someone I had scolded in public, so I didn't want to make this matter public. But now that you're all trying to frame me for murder, I have no choice but to admit it."
"Really?" Feng Linyuan said slowly. "So, at that time, His Highness the Fourth Prince deliberately devised a plan to get Princess Pingyang out of the way in order to thank Miss Zheng, and invited a Miss Zheng with a broken leg to come to the imperial garden alone?"
Feng Linyuan's words hit the nail on the head, making Feng Jingyang's face turn pale for a moment.
For a moment, he really didn't know how to explain why he had invited Zheng Yan to the imperial garden.
The place where Zheng Yan was resting was heavily guarded by soldiers. It wasn't easy for Bai Zheng to get in.
Moreover, the original plan didn't include the part of Zheng Yan breaking her leg. Naturally, the place where Zheng Yan was killed was chosen to be the bustling imperial garden.
Who would have known that Zheng Yan would be so cruel to herself for his sake and break her leg almost to the point of disability.
Why would a person with a broken leg come from the back courtyard of the palace to the imperial garden?
Feng Linyuan sighed softly. "After all, none of us here has the charm of His Highness the Fourth Prince. I imagine that if His Highness the Fourth Prince invited her, even if Miss Zheng had a broken leg or was even completely paralyzed, she would surely find a way to come to the appointment."