Empress Cao frowned slightly and said, "So … the Phoenix Terrace case was really done by this b * tch? But what was up with that ghostly figure? You said that the magic trick needed a prop, but that night, I ordered thousands of Yongchengwei to search the entire Phoenix Terrace, but we couldn't find a single trace of a prop. How do you explain this? "
Ning Shu said, "It's only natural that we couldn't find a prop, because this ghostly shadow magic trick was exactly the same as the miracle just now! It didn't use anything else, but also ice! Were the guards who searched Phoenix Terrace with me that day present? Please describe the scene in Zhai Xing Lou that night where the corpse was found. "
A bold guard immediately stood up and said loudly, "That corpse was found in Zhai Xing Lou, and it was hanging from the beam in the middle of Zhai Xing Lou. Compared to Phoenix Terrace, which was completely burned to ruins, Zhai Xing Lou wasn't that badly damaged. However, the doors and windows had long rotted away, so the place was empty and the wind was leaking everywhere. As soon as we went upstairs, we stepped into a pool of water by the doorstep. The water in the pool was especially cold … and that's all … "
"That's enough." Ning Shu bowed and thanked him. "Thank you, little brother."
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the prop used in this ghostly shadow magic trick was two specially made ice cubes. One side was concave, and the other was convex." As she spoke, she picked up a branch and slowly drew the shape of the two ice cubes on the ground.
"Your Majesty should remember that the ghostly shadow appeared in the evening, and there was only the last trace of the setting sun left in the sky. That trace of setting sun shone through the concave ice cubes, and the light gathered and shone on the corpse hanging in the middle of Zhai Xing Lou. The light then spread through the other convex ice cubes, magnifying the ghostly shadow and casting it on Phoenix Terrace, which was shrouded in the shade of the trees, in front of all of us. When the guards came back to their senses to look for it, the person hiding in Zhai Xing Lou immediately broke the two ice cubes. The large one was taken away, and the small ice cubes gradually melted. When the guards finally found it, it had already turned into a pool of cold water. It mixed with the sudden rainstorm from the day before, and no evidence was left. "
There were people in the crowd who had witnessed the ghostly act that day, and they immediately recalled the entire process. "Yes, yes, that's right. No wonder the ghostly shadow disappeared after the setting sun, so that's it! "
Ning Shu raised her head and sighed, her eyes as bright as the stars. "Your Majesty, if you had a little patience to listen to Lan Xiang speak the truth that night on Phoenix Terrace, instead of directly killing her, it's very likely that things wouldn't have come to this point. Or perhaps, four months ago, if you hadn't been tempted by power and created that miracle to push yourself in front of the people, perhaps Lan Xiang wouldn't have had the chance to recognize you, and none of this would have happened. At this point, are you still not willing to admit your's' crimes? "
Consort Nguyễn stiffly raised her head and looked at Ning Shu, who was questioning her. She also looked at the Emperor, Empress Cao, and the tens of thousands of people who had been bewitched and deceived by her. At this moment, she was still so beautiful, like a blooming white hibiscus. But at the peak of its' blooming, it was withering and rotting.
She suddenly remembered four months ago, when the Buddha's' light appeared, and the tens of thousands of people bowed to her. She also remembered how the Emperor had taken her hand in surprise and joy, and promoted her to 'consort' on the spot. Step by step, she became 'consort'.
Only one step.
In the end, only one step was left.
A shocking series of major cases caused by a lowly courtesan on a pleasure boat ended with the collapse of the Third Prince and Consort Nguyễn. Because Consort Nguyễn was pregnant with an imperial child, the Emperor didn't immediately execute her. Instead, he banished her to the Cold Palace, waiting for her to give birth to a prince before dealing with her. But everyone knew that Consort Nguyễn's reputation had completely collapsed.
The entire Imperial Palace suffered a great purge. The hundreds of palace servants and eunuchs in Consort Nguyễn's Qinghua Palace were all wiped out. Because of their negligence, the Ruan family was all banished to the border, never to return to the capital. As for Yun Ruohui, because he knew the truth, he didn't report it and was sent to prison to await his punishment.
The April wind was warm everywhere, like the most tender stamen in a cluster of flower petals. It gently tickled the tips of the leaves, the blue ripples in the Imperial Garden, and the corners of the golden and glazed roof tiles. But for some reason, when it blew to the Cold Palace, it suddenly froze and became austere.
In the empty Cold Palace, there wasn't a single palace servant. Only Consort Nguyễn was still wearing the golden and pink robe embroidered with white hibiscus. She sat in front of a bronze mirror and drew her eyebrows, each stroke meticulously.
As she drew, she looked at Ning Shu in the bronze mirror and said softly, "Ning Shu, if I knew you were so smart, I would have given you a cup of poisoned wine the day you entered the Palace, to prevent future troubles. That way, I wouldn't have fallen into this situation. "
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