"A group of people?" His Majesty looked at Mother Hui, who was kneeling on the ground like a frightened quail. It was hard for him to imagine that such a huge mystery would be solved by such a woman. Was it not a joke?
Ning Shu met His Majesty's suspicious gaze, neither servile nor overbearing. She straightened her back like a lotus flower, showing her certainty and confidence. "Your Majesty, the inside story of this case is extremely complicated. Every link is intertwined, and it is difficult to pick out one by one to explain clearly. Your Majesty, please allow me to start from a few days ago when the Imperial Astronomer divined the cursed lot and report to you one by one."
The Emperor reluctantly squeezed out some patience and said, "Okay, tell me everything from the beginning to the end."
After Ning Shu bowed in greeting, she raised her head. The Golden Crow above her head had been covered by a dark cloud at some point in time. The surroundings darkened, but her eyes were abnormally bright, like two balls of black mercury immersed in water. She could easily see through the chaotic fog.
"As everyone knows, a few days ago at the Peace Banquet in Weiyang Palace, hosted by the Empress, Concubine Qi, and several old concubines, the Crown Prince of Nanping Prince drew lots to choose his concubine. In the end, the Fourth Young Lady of Qi drew the letter written by the Crown Prince of Xiahou and was chosen as the Crown Princess. At that banquet, the thirteenth princess got into an argument with the Fourth Young Lady of Qi because she did not draw the letter. Then, there was the incident of her falling into the water by the Imperial Garden. After that, the Fourth Young Lady of Qi mysteriously disappeared without a trace in the Fragrant Hall. It was not until a few days later that her trace was found under a bridge where beggars gathered. "
After Ning Shu summarized the matter as briefly as possible, she began to peel off the hidden bud of the lotus petal one by one and showed it to everyone. "Actually, what everyone doesn't know is that the ceremony of drawing lots to choose the consort was not real from the beginning to the end. Because at that time, the box that contained the 24 pieces of paper was all empty. The only piece of paper written by His Highness the Crown Prince had long been put aside in order to fish out the fish that was hidden in the muddy water."
As soon as the first petal of the lotus petal was peeled, it caused a heated discussion. "Ah, so that's it. In that case, the Fourth Miss of the Qi Family is not the rightful Princess Consort … "
There were also people who couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh. However, because Lord Qi was also present, they didn't dare to say it out loud. They only muttered in their hearts, "On the day of the selection, the Qi family was so high-profile. They sent cart after cart of rewards to her residence. When the Qi family received the good news, the sound of firecrackers immediately rang out. Who would have thought that from beginning to end, it was just an illusion. Now, the mirror is broken and the flower is ruined. This is really … absurd. Sigh … "
The Emperor thought of something and suddenly asked, "Why were you there that day?"
"…" Ning Shu choked for a moment, then awkwardly explained, "His Highness the Crown Prince received the imperial edict and entered the palace. When he learned about the curse, he was worried all night. Perhaps it was because my daughter accidentally solved the case last time, which made His Highness think highly of my daughter, so he privately ordered my daughter to assist from the side … "
She tried her best to explain, but the other officials present all revealed some kind of obscure and mysterious look.
Ning Shu was silent.
Ever since that absurd banquet at the Chasing Cloud and Chasing Moon Restaurant, the two enthusiastic officials from the Ministry of Justice had gone back and exaggerated, spreading the unspeakable things between her and Xiao Yunyi, Tan Siwei, and Xiahou Qing like wildfire. In such a large capital, there were more than ten yamens from six provinces and six ministries. Every day, they would meet in the morning court. Since they had nothing to do, they had long spread the unspeakable things to four, five, six, or seven. During the previous two investigations with the Supreme Court, she had more than once heard the officials quietly gossiping about her, describing how Ning Shu's Nine-Tailed Fox Divine Technique had reached a new level.
Now, there was another piece of 'evidence' of her seducing Xiahou Qing. Oh heavens, what the hell is this?
She didn't have time to mourn for her damaged reputation. She coughed a few times and quickly pulled the topic back to the main topic, "In short, His Highness' method was very effective. As expected, the other party made a move. The twenty-four noble ladies present each drew a blank letter. Logically speaking, no one was chosen, but something incredible happened. After the letter in Fourth Miss Qi's hand was opened, there was actually writing on it. After the incident, we immediately investigated and analyzed that the letter in Fourth Miss Qi's hand must have been swapped. At that time, there were five people besides her who touched her letter. They were the personal nanny who helped her with the fire paint, the thirteenth princess who fought with her for the letter, the two palace servants who came on behalf of Concubine Xu to stop her, and Old Consort Yu who persuaded the thirteenth princess. At that time, our attention was attracted to the thirteenth princess who had just quarreled with her, but we ignored the personal nanny who was standing beside her and serving her, whom she regarded as her confidant — Mother Hui! She was the one who had the most opportunity to do something! "
People were the easiest to be blinded by the light.
After the incident, they subconsciously put Mother Hui and Qi Juanyu in the same camp. They suspected Xiao Zhangping, Shen Xing, and Concubine Su. They even suspected that Fourth Miss Qi might be in love with His Highness, so she did it on purpose. However, they didn't take Mother Hui, who was respectful and almost invisible, seriously.
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