Kneel and Pour Tea to Apologize

"Uncle Ernest, what you said makes no sense at all," Grace retorted. "Whether I have a Spirit Root or not isn’t up to me. If I do, great! If I don’t... well, that’s hardly my fault, is it? I’ve never heard of a family kicking out a kid just because they don’t have a Spirit Root!"

Uncle Ernest’s tone turned sour. "...So your affair with Sam Yuan isn’t your fault either?"

"I did not have an affair with him!" Grace protested. "We were set up!"

"Grace, none of us want to believe you’d do such a thing!" This time it was Charles Zhu, Grace’s second uncle, speaking. "But you and Sam Yuan were caught together in the room behind the ancestral hall—everyone saw it! You say you were framed? Who’s going to believe that? Do any of you believe it?"

Everyone shook their heads, one after another.

Uncle Ernest sneered, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "After doing something like that, you still have the nerve to show your face here? If I were you, I’d have found a quiet place to hang myself by now!"

Grace looked at him, silent for a moment, then asked, "Uncle Ernest, elders, ever since Sam Yuan returned from here, he’s been in a daze. I heard the Yuan Manor called for a Spirit Healer, and all of them said he’d been drugged. The truth is obvious—so why are you all pretending not to see it?"

"He’s just faking it!" Uncle Ernest snorted.

"Did you personally ask a doctor to examine him?" Grace pressed. "If you haven’t, how can you be so sure he’s faking it?"

"Do I really need a doctor to check? Anyone with half a brain can tell—he’s just pretending to be dead so he doesn’t have to admit anything!"

"And what if he isn’t faking it?" Grace asked. "What if one day he suddenly recovers, and proves that nothing happened between us? What then?"

"If you and Sam Yuan really are innocent, I’ll kneel down, pour you tea, and apologize!" Uncle Ernest blurted out.

"Deal! Let’s make a vow right here. If I prove my innocence one day, Uncle Ernest, I expect you to keep your word!" Grace looked at the other clan elders. "With so many people here as witnesses, I’m sure you won’t go back on your promise, right?"

"Hmph!" Uncle Ernest snorted. "Of course I won’t go back on my word!"

Just then, a eunuch’s voice rang out from outside: "His Majesty has arrived!"

Everyone jumped in surprise. Why would His Majesty come here?

Minister Zhuo hurried out to greet him, with Grace following close behind.

Sure enough, it was Colin Gu himself.

Behind him came Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu and Mr. Yuan with his son Sam Yuan.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Everyone knelt.

"You may all rise," Colin Gu said. "I’m here to see the Prime Minister. I heard he was here, so I came over."

"Your Majesty, I’m truly anxious—you’ve honored us with your presence! If there’s anything you need, you could have just summoned me!" Minister Zhuo replied nervously.

"Here’s the thing—today, Mr. Yuan brought Sam Yuan to the palace to clear things up." Colin Gu said. "On General Zhu’s Memorial Day, what happened between Sam Yuan and Grace was all a misunderstanding!"

"...Is that so?" Minister Zhuo lowered his eyes, hiding his disappointment.

Colin Gu came in person... obviously not just to see him.

He was here for Grace.

Sure enough, before three sentences had passed, Colin Gu’s gaze landed on Grace. "Grace, I truly wronged you!"

Grace replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for seeing through everything and restoring my and Sam Yuan’s innocence."

Colin Gu nodded slightly. "You’ve suffered."

"Your Majesty, what exactly happened?" Minister Zhuo stepped forward, blocking Grace and asked.

He really couldn’t figure out how Mr. Yuan and his son managed to convince Colin Gu.