Chapter 113

I grant it!

The Emperor's heart is unfathomable; this saying is not false at all.

Just like now, although Emperor Shuncheng's expression was calm, his words made Nie Jinxuan's heart skip a beat! Even Yin Fengzhan beside her pursed his lips, wanting to say something but stopping.

The Imperial Study fell into a brief silence. But after calming herself, Nie Jinxuan bravely lowered her head and replied:

"Reporting to the Emperor, my examination at the time was indeed incorrect!"

Nie Jinxuan would never cover up her own mistakes. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng laughed instead.

"Hehe~, you are quite bold to admit it. How about it, are you not afraid that I will punish you for this?"

"Reporting to the Emperor, I am afraid! But a mistake is a mistake. If the Emperor wishes to punish me for this, I am willing to accept the punishment!"

Lowering her head, Nie Jinxuan said calmly. But she paused, looked up at Emperor Shuncheng, and suddenly changed the subject.

"However, Emperor, even if you wish to punish me, before doing so, I must make things clear... Previously, I did not know the Jade Pool was a cold pool, which led to my previous judgment. Now that I have confirmed Consort Tong's time of death, I dare to say that Bi Yao may have been wronged!"

Even though Bi Yao was already dead, Nie Jinxuan had to say what needed to be said. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng looked at Nie Jinxuan quietly and said:

"But you should also know that the palace maid named Bi Yao is already dead!"

"Emperor, Bi Yao is dead, but the true culprit is still out there! And even if Bi Yao is dead, if Consort Tong's murder has nothing to do with her, then I believe we should still clear her name! Emperor, the living cannot be wronged, and the dead cannot harbor hatred either!"

By the end, Nie Jinxuan's voice was almost a plea. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng's brows twitched, and after a long while, he said:

"So you are now certain that the palace maid Bi Yao was wronged? And that she had nothing to do with this matter?"

"Whether Bi Yao had anything to do with Consort Tong's murder, I cannot guarantee. But I believe that Bi Yao was definitely wronged!"

"Hmph... you seem to know her very well?! How is that? Did you know that Bi Yao before?"

"I did not!"

"Since you didn't know her, why are you so certain that Bi Yao was wronged?"

Raising his voice in question, Emperor Shuncheng scrutinized Nie Jinxuan, his eyes filled with inquiry. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan said without hesitation:

"Reporting to the Emperor, although I do not know Bi Yao, I know what kind of person the true culprit is!"

"Oh? How so?"

Nie Jinxuan's words finally piqued Emperor Shuncheng's curiosity. Nie Jinxuan then recounted how she had accidentally learned the Jade Pool was a cold pool yesterday morning, and how she had carefully inspected the scene and discovered bloodstains!

Nie Jinxuan spoke in great detail and also shared her analysis. After explaining everything, she paused and looked at Emperor Shuncheng with a solemn expression.

"Therefore, Emperor, the culprit damaged Consort Tong's body so severely, yet the scene was very clean. Even if one didn't look carefully, one wouldn't see any traces. This means the culprit must have cleaned up the scene after disposing of the body. Emperor, just imagine, if a person can calmly clean up the scene after killing someone, to the point of being flawless, what kind of person would the culprit be?!"

"Calm, composed, meticulous, unflustered... Emperor, don't you find such a person terrifying?! But what kind of person was Bi Yao? Just a palace maid. Although I have never met this Bi Yao, I believe that for a palace maid, she could absolutely not have done this!"

"Of course, I also know that my judgment is somewhat subjective! But setting that aside, just looking at the fact that Bi Yao confessed immediately after being caught, there is a big problem! After all, the reason the culprit cleaned up the scene was to destroy the evidence and make it hard to detect. If Bi Yao were the true culprit, wouldn't she have argued her case? Otherwise, wouldn't everything she did before have been meaningless?! Therefore, based on this point alone, I believe Bi Yao absolutely cannot be the culprit! There is also the issue of the alibi regarding the time... and so on. Therefore, I believe Bi Yao is innocent!"

Nie Jinxuan's argument was well-founded. Even Emperor Shuncheng couldn't help but nod slightly. He stood up from behind the dragon desk and paced over to Nie Jinxuan.

"So you're saying that the palace maid named Bi Yao was truly wronged? But if she didn't harm Consort Tong, why did she confess herself?"

Emperor Shuncheng said in a low voice. After speaking, he couldn't help but turn to look at Gao Caiyong, who was guarding nearby. Seeing this, Gao Caiyong immediately stepped forward to explain:

"Reporting to the Emperor, this servant swears to heaven, although this servant was ordered to catch the culprit, when I investigated Bi Yao, I only felt she was somewhat suspicious. After all, according to the time of death determined by the Princess Consort of Prince Chen at the time, Consort Tong had not left her room for three days, and it was impossible for her personal maid not to know..."

"Therefore, this servant only interrogated Bi Yao on this point. Of course, this servant admits that I used some punishments, but absolutely no severe torture. But not long after, Bi Yao confessed to the crime herself... Regarding this point, other palace servants present at the time can testify. This servant swears to heaven, there was absolutely no forced confession, I ask the Emperor to investigate!"

Being able to stay by Emperor Shuncheng's side for so long, Gao Caiyong had extraordinary observational skills. So, as soon as he heard Emperor Shuncheng's words, before anyone else could ask, he stood up and explained the matter himself. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng glanced at Gao Caiyong again and then turned his gaze to Nie Jinxuan.

"Since there was no forced confession, yet she confessed to the crime, this point is indeed somewhat suspicious..."

"Yes, Emperor! And I believe what is even more suspicious now is that Bi Yao is dead!"

Following Emperor Shuncheng's words, Nie Jinxuan said, pursing her lips. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng narrowed his eyes.

"Oh? So you think the death of the palace maid Bi Yao is somewhat strange?"

"I dare not assert! But it is truly too coincidental, is it not?"

Nie Jinxuan looked earnest. Meeting her gaze, Emperor Shuncheng turned to Gao Caiyong beside him.

"Gao Caiyong, how did Bi Yao die?"

"Uh... yes, reporting to the Emperor! I heard it was suicide!"

"Suicide? She was locked up properly, how could she commit suicide?"

"Uh... yes, this servant was also very surprised at first. Then I interrogated the guards guarding the dungeon, and according to the guards, during the time Bi Yao was locked up, besides the servant who delivered food, she had no contact with anyone else, so besides suicide... there shouldn't... shouldn't be any other reason..."

Gao Caiyong's voice grew quieter and quieter, and by the end, he couldn't continue. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng's face darkened, but before he could speak, Nie Jinxuan asked first:

"Then may I ask, Eunuch Gao, has Bi Yao's body been brought back to the capital?"

"Uh... yes, it has. Because the case hadn't been finalized, I had people bring her body back when we returned to the capital... However, at the time, I thought Bi Yao committed suicide out of fear of punishment, so I had people bury her hastily..."

Answering Nie Jinxuan's question truthfully, when he heard that the body had been brought back, Nie Jinxuan's eyes lit up, and she immediately petitioned Emperor Shuncheng:

"Emperor, since Bi Yao's body has been brought back, I implore you to allow me to examine the body, to prove whether Bi Yao committed suicide or was murdered!"

"Very well! I grant it!"

Receiving permission from Emperor Shuncheng, Nie Jinxuan, led by Gao Caiyong, came to a very remote corner behind the palace.

This was the place where palace servants who died in the palace were handled. There were no tombstones, no burial mounds, not even a name; all that existed was a small patch of earth.

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan didn't feel fear, but rather heartache. Seeing Nie Jinxuan's dazed expression, Yin Fengzhan, who was behind her, secretly supported her. Feeling the touch on her arm, Nie Jinxuan snapped back to her senses... At this moment, Gao Caiyong, who was leading the way, paused and said to Nie Jinxuan behind him:

"Princess Consort, we have arrived."

"Yes, start digging! But be careful, don't touch the body."

"Yes!"

Responding respectfully, Gao Caiyong directed the few young eunuchs he had brought to start digging up Bi Yao's body, which had been buried just last night!

Although the young eunuchs were not very old, they worked quickly, and in a short while, they dug up Bi Yao's body. But upon seeing the body, Nie Jinxuan frowned.

It turned out that Bi Yao had been buried wrapped in a straw mat, without even a coffin!

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan felt a tightness in her chest, but she couldn't say anything. With the help of Eunuch Gao and the young eunuchs, she cleaned up Bi Yao's body, and only then did she begin the autopsy.

Time passed bit by bit. Nie Jinxuan examined the body with focus, and after an unknown amount of time, she straightened her back and let out a sigh.

Seeing this, Eunuch Gao, who had been watching, hurriedly stepped forward to ask:

"Uh... Princess Consort, have you finished the examination? Are there any results? How did Bi Yao die?"

At this moment, Eunuch Gao was also very curious. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan glanced at him and said, pursing her lips:

"Suicide!"