TICIEC Chapter 53.1

Helian Qi glanced at the witchcraft doll, then looked at Shu Fei and asked, “What’s going on here?”

Shu Fei pointed to a palace maid kneeling on the ground and said, “Tell His Majesty in detail what you saw.”

“Your Majesty, please understand. This servant is Hongxing, a palace maid from Haitang Residence. Ying Meiren never allows us to approach her bed; it is always her personal maid, Qiu Kui, who cleans it. This morning, while sweeping, I accidentally slipped and fell on the bed, which is how I discovered these two witchcraft dolls… I dare not conceal this and immediately reported it to Shu Fei…”

Hongxing knelt on the ground as she reported.

“Slander! You’re slandering me!” Wei Yingya trembled with anger, glaring at the palace maid.

Helian Qi said expressionlessly, “Summon Wu Mi from the Ministry of Justice.”

Before long, Wu Mi, the chief eunuch of the Ministry of Justice, rushed over and carefully examined the witchcraft doll.

A moment later, the report was submitted: “Your Majesty, this doll appears to have been made in the last few days. The fabric used to make the witchcraft doll is tribute satin and pear blossom brocade. The silver needles are ordinary, but the cinnabar handwriting, compared with the handwriting in Ying Meiren’s poems…is exactly the same.”

After these words, Wei Yingya was completely stunned: “Impossible! It wasn’t me!”

“If this concubine remembers correctly, His Majesty recently bestowed upon Ying Meiren a brocade embroidered with pear blossoms. It was a unique favor throughout the entire palace; no one else received such an honor.”

Shu Fei looked at Wei Yingya, her face filled with heartache.

“His Majesty has treated you with such kindness; how could you repay such a debt of gratitude with such ingratitude?”

The palace maid Hongxing immediately said, “While I was on night watch, I overheard Ying Meiren complaining about His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. She said that if His Majesty hadn’t sent Marquis Weiyong with his troops, and if the Xue family’s army hadn’t been slow to arrive to rescue them, her father wouldn’t have died…”

“How foolish! How could you have such a foolish idea!” Shu Fei exclaimed in astonishment.

Wei Yingya was speechless with anger, tears streaming down her face.

“Your Majesty, I didn’t say such a thing. I’m innocent, I’m truly innocent…”

Helian Qi’s gaze lingered on the witchcraft dolls for a moment before turning to her.

“Then how do you explain the appearance of these two witchcraft dolls on your bed?”

“This… It’s her! She must have framed me!” Wei Yingya pointed angrily at Hongxing.

Hongxing hurriedly kowtowed: “Your Majesty, please investigate! This servant can barely read, but I could never write such beautiful characters…”

Shu Fei continued, “Besides, the tribute silk is in your treasury. How could outsiders obtain it? Did you bestow it upon this palace maid? Where did she get the fabric?”

“This…” Wei Yingya was speechless.

She didn’t bestow the brocade pear blossom upon the palace maid. The key to the treasury was held by her personal maid, Qiu Kui, and outsiders shouldn’t have been able to access it…

Wei Yingya didn’t know how to defend herself and could only look to Helian Qi with hope: “This concubine is innocent! Please believe me, Your Majesty!”

Helian Qi liked her very much and would definitely find evidence to prove her innocence…

“Wei Shi cursed the Empress Dowager and me to death, and should have been executed. However, considering the sacrifices her father and brothers made for the country, Wei Shi is stripped of her titles and ranks and banished to the Cold Palace.” Helian Qi said coldly.

“Your Majesty… This concubine is innocent…” Wei Yingya stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Helian Qi ignored her, simply taking Ning Wanyin’s hand and walking out, no longer concerning himself with the matter.

“Respectfully seeing Your Majesty off.” Shu Fei curtsied respectfully as she saw him off.

Wei Yingya watched helplessly as the Emperor’s entourage disappeared from sight.

She didn’t like the Emperor, but she had always thought that he liked her very much…

Unexpectedly…

She was just being delusional.

“Guards! Send Wei Shi to the Cold Palace!” Shu Fei ordered.

She continued the punishment: “Wei Shi’s personal maid, Qiu Kui, knew about the incident but failed to report it, so she is to be beaten to death. The other palace maids in Haitang Residence failed to supervise, so each of them is to be beaten twenty times. Hongxing is commended for her meritorious report, so she is to be promoted to first-class palace maid and rewarded with one hundred taels of silver.”

“Your Majesty, spare me… Master, save me…” Qiu Kui was so frightened that tears streamed down her face as she hurriedly begged Wei Yingya for help.

But Wei Yingya herself was in dire straits at this moment.

 

 

 

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