"T-then why did you come here?" Hongyue stammered.

ChunHua hmphed loudly, trying to cover up her earlier coward-like display. She leaned in and seized hold of Hongyue's hair, "You despicable sp.a.w.n! What did you do to father?! Why would he want to help you when he never did?"

Hongyue struggled to yank her hair back, "I-I didn't do anything. Father always adored me. What are you saying?"

ChunHua let go with a grim smile on her face, "Always? You must be stupid to believe that. Oh, wait you are," She threw back her head and giggled loudly in Hongyue's face.

Hongyue stood up unhappily, "Second Sister is the stupid one. If father didn't love me, would he kill all these servants who bullied me just because I said so?"

ChunHua stopped, she had overheard about this from gossiping maids, but she hadn't taken it to heart. All she knew was that her father had killed a lot of people including the fourth concubine. For what reason? ChunHua did not know all that clearly. Her father never said anything, but some of the servants that witnessed the killing claimed it was because Hongyue asked him to. Now glimpsing around, ChunHua knew the general wasn't the type to randomly murder people so there could be some truth in Hongyue's words. However, the general also never indulged Hongyue like this before.

"You..." ChunHua trailed off; she couldn't repute Hongyue's words.

Hongyue rubbed her teary eyes in annoyance. She wasn't actually crying; instead, she was drawing out the moisture from the air to fall upon her cheeks as if they were tears. Hongyue had never once produced a single teardrop in her time here within the manor. All of it was acting. Even though it was effortless, it was getting tiresome to spend her energy on this lowly idiot.

This second sister of hers was really wasting her time. Hongyue's eyes gleamed before she asked quietly, "Are you here to see Fourth Madam?"

ChunHua slapped Hongyue again in anger, "You are not allowed to speak of her! You were the one who killed her!"

Ah~ How annoying.

Hongyue felt her cheeks burn in pain. Initially, she was going to play nicely, but her mood was already poor with the third prince leaving without providing her with the information she needed. Now that she was yelled at along with being slapped twice, Hongyue was irritated.

"Not true. YOU killed her!" Hongyue retorted.

ChunHua stood dumbfounded from her words before she gained her voice again, "Nonsense! You were the reason why she died!"

Hongyue walked past her and paused in front of the body of the fourth madam. Hongyue gently patted the hair of the dead concubine before she turned to ChunHua.

"Hongyue isn't speaking nonsense. Father was the one who stabbed her to death, but you were the one who caused her to die," Hongyue spoke calmly.

ChunHua refused to admit it, "You were...the one..."

Hongyue straightened her back, her eyes staring sharply at ChunHua.

"Everyone knows how much father loves me yet Second Sister still tried to poison me. Since the poison came from the fourth madam, father killed her," Hongyue watched ChunHua's face, "But since I survived, Father let you off because he knows you're just a simple p.a.w.n."

ChunHua's brain froze hearing Hongyue speak so cruelly but not only that, it felt uncanny, "Y-you're lying!"

Hongyue sighed, "You, you, you. No wonder the fourth madam died. You're always blaming others. Tell me, are you here to at least apologize to her for killing her?"

ChunHua seemed to blank out. What was Hongyue saying? Why did Hongyue's att.i.tude suddenly change? Who was this? She quickly felt scared of Hongyue's sudden transformation.

Hongyue turned back to the corpse, her finger tracing the cheek, "Fourth Madam, ChunHua is here to see you. It's too bad she doesn't care you died in her place. So unfilial."

"Y-you! Don't speak nonsense!" ChunHua choked out, her voice quaking with fear.

Nearby the shadow guard was more than creeped out. He wouldn't doubt it if Hongyue could speak with the dead. After all, that girl was a ghost herself, or so he believed.

Hongyue raised her eyebrow, "If you think it's nonsense, why don't you come here and apologize to her."

"apologize? Why should I? She was the one who had the poison and told me to poison you. Now that she died why should I apologize?" ChunHua quickly objected.

Hongyue hid a sneer. This second sister of her changed sides fast and conveniently — what a pretentious heart.

"No? The Fourth Concubine had no children of her own so she wouldn't have any need to struggle for power. By killing me, you, my second sister would be at an advantage. Now that she died, you want to terminate ties this quickly? You're quite heartless."

"My...my fault...It was all..my fault..she died...", ChunHua's former arrogance cracked as she appeared to break under the pressure of Hongyue's words. Hongyue observed with delight at ChunHua's misery. The second miss tried to breathe, but the air was so stifling around her. She didn't want to see the appearance of her beloved dead aunt, it was unbearable knowing it was her fault, but she managed to take a glance.

As her eyes met the lifeless ones of her aunt, she shrieked.