TICIEC Chapter 45.1

“This concubine has nothing to say.”

Ning Wanyin looked at Helian Qi with a wronged expression, seemingly unable to defend herself.

“But I have truly been wronged, and I beg Your Majesty to believe me.”

Helian Qi: ???

What I need is evidence; what use is it for me to believe you?

With the evidence irrefutable, even an emperor could not bend the law for personal gain; at most, he could only spare her life and send her to the cold palace.

Helian Qi felt a surge of irritation. His face darkened as he said: “Summon the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Justice to come and carefully review their testimonies. Not a single clue can be overlooked!”

“Yes!” Wang Degui accepted the order.

Wu Mi, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Justice, was skilled in interrogation by torture.

The Emperor could only check if there were any loopholes in these people’s testimonies.

He would give it a try.

Soon, the officials from the Ministry of Justice arrived and interrogated the suspects separately, verifying each other’s statements.

But these men had already colluded, and even under torture, they insisted on implicating Ning Wanyin…

“Your Majesty, the testimonies have been verified, and there are no flaws.” Wu Mi reported.

Helian Qi remained expressionless, revealing no emotion.

Xue Zhaoyi had long anticipated this outcome. She glanced contemptuously at Ning Wanyin, whose face was ashen.

Wu Mi continued, “There’s only one discrepancy. When the servants searched Cai Ye’s room, we found five hundred taels of silver notes hidden under her bed, tucked into the seam. She refused to admit the notes were hers.”

When a criminal is brought to justice, their residence will inevitably be searched to check for any suspicious items.

“This silver note must be the reward money that Ning Meiren gave her, right?” Fang Zhaoyi sneered.

Xue Zhaoyi, however, felt something was amiss.

Where did these silver notes come from?

“After careful examination, this servant found the silver note to be tainted with the scent of Ruyi Incense.” Wu Mi said, presenting a silver note wrapped in cloth.

“According to this servant’s investigation, only Qionghua Garden in the entire palace possesses Ruyi Incense.”

Upon hearing this, the entire palace fell silent.

All eyes turned to Xue Zhaoyi.

Given the noble lineage of the Duke’s mansion, Xue Zhaoyi would certainly not use the incense provided by the Imperial Household Department for a concubine’s allowance, but rather the precious incense that she had prepared since childhood.

This Ruyi Incense was something Xue Zhaoyi had brought from home.

Xue Zhaoyi’s expression changed slightly.

“Nonsense! I have never seen her, nor have I ever given her any money.”

Wang Degui quickly stepped forward and presented the crucial evidence, the silver note, to Helian Qi.

A faint scent of Ruyi Incense lingered.

Helian Qi glanced at the silver notes, understood their significance, and said in a deep voice, “Wang Degui, show the silver notes to Xue Zhaoyi for verification.”

“Yes.”

Wang Degui presented the silver notes to Xue Zhaoyi.

Xue Zhaoyi picked up the silver note; a pleasant fragrance wafted from it—it was indeed the scent of Ruyi Incense!

How could that be!

Xue Zhaoyi stared at Ning Wanyin in disbelief: “You’re framing me!”

She’d been hunting geese all day, and today she’d been pecked by one.

It would be difficult for her to hide evidence in Cai Ye’s residence. The only person who could possibly hide silver notes was Ning Wanyin!

But she couldn’t understand where this Ruyi Incense came from.

“The incense used in Lingxue Pavilion is all supplied by the Imperial Household Department. If this concubine doesn’t have Ruyi Incense, how could I possibly conjure it out of thin air?” Ning Wanyin clarified casually.

Then she looked at Helian Qi with teary eyes: “Your Majesty is wise and discerning! I was almost wronged to death today. Fortunately, Your Majesty is wise and powerful, and the Ministry of Justice is incredibly efficient in its investigations, finding these silver notes and clearing my name.”

“Xue Zhaoyi plotted to harm Zhuang Fei and framed me. I beg Your Majesty to do justice and give me and Zhuang Fei the truth!”

Zhuang Fei had been bewildered since arriving at Tinglan Palace.

One moment, it was Xue Zhaoyi who was instigating it, but the next, it was Ning Wanyin.

Now it was Xue Zhaoyi’s again.

She was completely confused.

 

 

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