Chapter 184: Wits: Part Two

Wits: Part Two

Although Noble Consort Zhang and Noble Consort Ning were sisters, Emperor Shuncheng had previously issued an order; therefore, it was not an exaggeration to call Noble Consort Zhang's actions an act of deceiving the Emperor. At the time, although Emperor Shuncheng was in a towering rage and had spoken of casting Noble Consort Zhang into the Cold Palace, he did not issue the order immediately, instead placing her under temporary house arrest in the Yongxin Palace.

Naturally, Emperor Shuncheng was not a muddled man. Reflecting on the matter afterward, he felt his decision at the time had been somewhat rash. Furthermore, it was well known to all that Noble Consort Zhang, having been in the palace for so many years, possessed a gentle and kind nature. Thus, a few days later, as the situation eased slightly, Emperor Shuncheng thought of having Gao Caiyong investigate to see if there had been a mistake... But unexpectedly, before Gao Caiyong could even begin his investigation, someone suddenly discovered a palace maid's corpse in an abandoned well behind the Laundry Bureau last night. Upon identification, it was revealed that the maid was Xiao Qing, a servant from the Yongxin Palace.

Xiao Qing was the person Noble Consort Zhang trusted most, aside from Yuzhu. Yet, at this very moment—while Noble Consort Zhang was under house arrest—Xiao Qing had suddenly died, which could not help but arouse suspicion. More crucially, at the same time Xiao Qing's body was retrieved from the dry well, it was discovered that she was clutching something tightly in her hand: a strange peach-wood awl!

Seeing this, everyone was shocked. At that moment, some of the elderly eunuchs and maids in the palace cried out in alarm; the peach-wood awl was, in fact, a Soul-Nailing Stake!

Xiao Qing was from the Yongxin Palace, yet she held a Soul-Nailing Stake. Combined with the previously discovered spirit tablet of Noble Consort Ning... Emperor Shuncheng was instantly seized by a fit of rage, and on the spot, he intended to kill Noble Consort Zhang with his own sword. Only thanks to the timely intervention of Eunuch Gao did the Emperor stay his hand. After the morning court session, Emperor Shuncheng returned to the Yongxin Palace, swearing he would not spare Noble Consort Zhang...

……

That was the sequence of events. Now, as Gao Caiyong's voice trailed off, Emperor Shuncheng let out a cold snort and cast a gloomy, piercing gaze at Nie Jinxuan.

"Nie Jinxuan, do you understand now! First deceiving the Emperor, then using vicious sorcery to wreak havoc in the inner palace—why should I keep such a person alive?! Furthermore, that I have not yet executed her is already an act of extreme leniency; otherwise, even death by a thousand cuts would not be too harsh!"

Emperor Shuncheng's face was full of fury. Upon hearing this, however, Nie Jinxuan merely blinked, then fell into deep thought.

Nie Jinxuan remained silent. Although everyone else was kneeling with their heads bowed, they were all paying attention to her every move. After a moment, Nie Jinxuan raised her head and said calmly:

"Your Majesty, I believe there is something strange about this matter!"

"Oh? Heh... strange? What is strange about it?"

With another cold laugh, Emperor Shuncheng's expression remained unchanged. Nie Jinxuan did not answer immediately; instead, she looked at the people around her and said slowly:

"Your Majesty, I can explain it point by point, but may I implore Your Majesty to allow everyone to rise first? Especially my father—he is of advanced age, and upon hearing this news, he rushed over immediately, and his health has not yet fully recovered..."

"Very well. Everyone rise! Gao Caiyong, grant the Senior Minister a seat!"

At this moment, Emperor Shuncheng did not bother to haggle with Nie Jinxuan. As his words fell, the people in the courtyard rose one after another. Even Noble Consort Zhang, who had been kneeling on the ground for an unknown amount of time, was helped up, and Senior Minister Nie, supported by Nie Jinxuan, sat on a chair brought by a young eunuch. Once Senior Minister Nie was seated, Nie Jinxuan did not wait for the Emperor to urge her; she stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I have heard what Eunuch Gao just said. While the events seem to be linked, in reality, I find them full of loopholes!"

"Oh?! Loopholes?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Nodding with an unmoving expression, Nie Jinxuan turned her eyes toward Noble Consort Zhang, who stood not far away with her head bowed and eyes lowered.

"First point: according to Eunuch Gao, late on the night of the first day of the sixth lunar month, Your Majesty came to the inner palace alone. You first noticed lights in the Yongxin Palace, thinking the Noble Consort had not yet rested, so you intended to visit. Then, you were attacked. After a moment, when you opened your eyes again, you saw Noble Consort Zhang walking out of the room... But Your Majesty, is this not very strange? Although you did not have Eunuch Gao accompany you that night, when you arrived at the Yongxin Palace, logically, there should have been palace servants on night watch, right?! Even if you did not alert them, when you were attacked, did they not scream or attempt to protect you?!"

Nie Jinxuan raised the first point of doubt. Before Emperor Shuncheng could speak, Gao Caiyong replied on his behalf:

"Third Miss, you need not say it; this old servant has already investigated. According to custom, there are indeed servants on night watch in every palace hall. But that night, there was truly no one in the Yongxin Palace. Upon investigation, it was discovered that someone had dismissed the night-watchers during the night..."

"Someone dismissed them... Could it be that the person was Xiao Qing?!"

"Third Miss is sharp; it was indeed Xiao Qing."

Even Gao Caiyong had to admire Nie Jinxuan's shrewdness. He nodded slightly and continued:

"Furthermore, I heard from the night-watchers that this was not the first time. On several previous occasions, Xiao Qing would occasionally dismiss them in the middle of the night without giving a reason, saying only that it was ordered from above and they were not to ask questions! As Third Miss should know, aside from Yuzhu, Xiao Qing was the most favored by Noble Consort Zhang, so there is no mistake in this matter!"

"So Eunuch Gao believes that because Xiao Qing was the Noble Consort's confidante, her actions were directed by Noble Consort Zhang. And since this was not the first time, it could not have been a deliberate frame-up... leading to the conclusion that Xiao Qing was found dead in the dry well because she knew too much and was silenced, is that correct?"

"Third Miss is correct."

Without refuting Nie Jinxuan's statement, Gao Caiyong nodded. But as soon as he finished speaking, Nie Jinxuan's eyes narrowed.

"But Eunuch Gao, if that is the case, who do you believe attacked the Emperor that night?"

"That would naturally be someone from the Yongxin Palace..."

"So, according to your logic, the events of that night should be... Noble Consort Zhang had Xiao Qing dismiss the night-watchers late at night, then secretly set up a mourning hall and placed Noble Consort Ning's tablet. But just then, Noble Consort Zhang was startled by the Emperor's sudden visit, so she hurriedly extinguished the candles—which explains why Your Majesty saw lights in the Yongxin Palace and then they vanished..."

"And subsequently, Your Majesty arrived in the courtyard of the Yongxin Palace. At that moment, Noble Consort Zhang, in her haste and fearing the Emperor would discover what she had done, immediately thought of a method: have her subordinate knock the Emperor unconscious, take the opportunity to return to the room, and then quickly walk out of the room just as the Emperor woke up... Eunuch Gao, is what I have just said correct?!"

"Yes, that is indeed how it happened!"

Having experienced it once before, Gao Caiyong was already accustomed to Nie Jinxuan's cleverness. But at this moment, Nie Jinxuan shook her head slightly and changed the subject.

"You are wrong, Eunuch Gao. There is still a problem here, and a very big one... Think about it, Eunuch Gao: even if we assume Noble Consort Zhang was doing something improper and heard a noise, knowing the Emperor had arrived, what do you think the first thing she would do would be if you were in her shoes?"

"Uh... this old servant does not understand what Third Miss means..."

Being suddenly asked this by Nie Jinxuan, Gao Caiyong was somewhat bewildered. Before his voice could fade, a low and familiar voice suddenly drifted across the quiet courtyard.

"The first thing to do would be to put away Noble Consort Ning's tablet!"

……

The speaker was Yin Fengzhan. Upon hearing this, everyone present was startled and looked over. Yin Fengzhan instantly raised his eyes and looked at Nie Jinxuan.

Nie Jinxuan also looked over upon hearing the voice, meeting a pair of deep and familiar eyes. At the same time, Prince Qin, Yin Fenglian, who had been standing in the corner with his arms crossed and watching the spectacle, chuckled and raised an eyebrow, saying with a smile:

"Indeed, in that situation, I reckon anyone would think to put away the troublesome tablet first! After all, the Imperial Father was injured, which would surely alert the palace guards, and then a group of people would surround the entire inner palace in layers, and the most important place of all would naturally be the Yongxin Palace..."

Yin Fenglian's voice was neither loud nor soft, but everyone heard it clearly. Having said this, Yin Fenglian laughed even more heartily, then turned his gaze to Noble Consort Zhang and changed the subject.

"Of course, unless Noble Consort Zhang is a fool, and she forgot~!"

Yin Fenglian spoke with a playful expression. Upon hearing this, Prince Gong, Yin Fengxuan, jumped up and shouted:

"Who are you calling a fool? You are the fool!"

Because of Noble Consort Zhang's situation, Yin Fengxuan had been unable to eat or sleep for days. Now that there was finally a turning point, hearing Yin Fenglian call his mother a fool naturally filled him with rage!

However, the simple-minded and momentarily enraged Yin Fengxuan forgot that no one present was a fool. Naturally, they knew Yin Fenglian was speaking ironically—after all, if Noble Consort Zhang were truly a fool, how could she have remained standing in the palace for over twenty years and ascended to the position of Noble Consort, second only to one and above ten thousand?

Therefore, Noble Consort Zhang was not a fool; hidden beneath her gentle exterior was an equally shrewd mind. How could such a person not know how terrifying Noble Consort Ning's tablet was?!

Second update uploaded, see you tomorrow~!