Chapter 185

The Situation Reverses

Things were indeed highly suspicious. Facing Yin Fengxuan's clamor, Yin Fenglian merely raised an eyebrow and glanced at him, then shifted her gaze to Nie Jinxuan beside her. In those uninhibited eyes, a clear look of praise and a smile surfaced in an instant!

Yet at this very moment, no one present cared about Yin Fenglian's expression anymore. Everyone had realized that the situation was truly bizarre. Emperor Shuncheng, in particular, whose face had been gloomy and unsightly, now furrowed his brows slightly, a hint of contemplation appearing on his solemn face.

Yin Fengxuan, who had originally intended to keep going at Yin Fenglian, also shut his mouth under Yin Fengzhan's signal. Then, in the ensuing silence, only Nie Jinxuan's voice was heard again.

"Furthermore, besides the strangeness regarding the spirit tablet, there is another matter that is baffling: when Your Majesty arrived at the courtyard of Yongxin Palace, the surroundings were already pitch black. Then, a black shadow flashed by and instantly struck Your Majesty's head, causing Your Majesty to collapse to the ground... But Your Majesty, you are in the prime of your life. Although it was dark, you were standing in the courtyard, not in some narrow or obstructed corner; your field of vision should have been wide open. Under such circumstances, if someone approached, it would be impossible for Your Majesty not to have noticed!"

"But the fact is, Your Majesty was struck without the slightest warning, and Your Majesty didn't even see the other party's face... Therefore, Jinxuan believes the other party is certainly not an ordinary person, or at the very least, they must possess some martial arts skills. Otherwise, how could Your Majesty have failed to notice them?!"

Nie Jinxuan raised her doubts again and again. Yet at this moment, upon hearing this, Prince Yun, Yin Fengjin, who was standing to the side, instantly raised an eyebrow and interjected.

"So, Third Miss, are you suggesting that someone in this Yongxin Palace knows martial arts?"

Clearly, Yin Fengjin was deliberately twisting Nie Jinxuan's meaning. And how could Nie Jinxuan not know his little scheme?! Immediately, Nie Jinxuan's brows twitched, and she turned her eyes toward Yin Fengjin.

"Why must Your Highness Prince Yun put it so pleasantly? Wouldn't it be better to just say: even if the person who attacked His Majesty knows martial arts, it doesn't guarantee they aren't from Yongxin Palace, right?!"

Piercing through Yin Fengjin's intentions on the spot, Nie Jinxuan did not wait for Yin Fengjin, whose face had instantly turned ugly, to say anything, and gave the answer directly.

"However, Your Highness Prince Yun, rest assured, that person is likely not from Yongxin Palace!"

Nie Jinxuan spoke with certainty. But at this moment, Yin Fengjin, who had looked displeased, smiled.

"Third Miss is so certain?"

"Your Highness Prince Yun, it is not that Jinxuan is certain, but that the facts are indeed so... Because Your Highness and everyone present can think about it: if there really were a capable person in Yongxin Palace who knew martial arts and was even taking orders from Noble Consort Zhang, then everyone, if you were Noble Consort Zhang, how would you arrange things?!"

Nie Jinxuan threw the question out again, and clearly, someone was already impatient. Immediately, Yin Fengjin was heard urging, somewhat through gritted teeth.

"Third Miss, if you have something to say, just say it. Why beat around the bush like this?!"

"Fine, then Jinxuan will not beat around the bush... If Jinxuan were Noble Consort Zhang, I would certainly know how dangerous it is to bring out Noble Consort Ning's spirit tablet. Let alone letting His Majesty know, even if any outsider found out, it would pose a fatal threat to me! And at such a time, if there were a person who knew martial arts by my side, Jinxuan would certainly arrange for this person to be stationed outside! That is to say, whenever Jinxuan had to do this at night, I would have that person who knows martial arts guard outside the palace to prevent anyone from accidentally breaking in or catching a glimpse of the truth!"

"After all, the hearing and eyesight of someone who knows martial arts are far superior to ordinary people; some experts can even hear sounds and movements in the dark from very far away. Since such a person is by one's side, they should naturally be used in the most critical position. In this way, the incident that night would not have happened. Because as soon as His Majesty was heading this way, Noble Consort Zhang would have received the news and immediately packed things up to avoid exposure. How could it have happened that when His Majesty arrived in the courtyard that night, Noble Consort Zhang, having no other choice, let her subordinate injure His Majesty?!"

"Furthermore, after injuring His Majesty, His Majesty would surely be furious and proceed to seal off the palace. As the most critical location, Yongxin Palace would naturally be the focus of the search. In this way, wouldn't it be digging one's own grave?! And how could Noble Consort Zhang not have foreseen such a thing?!"

A series of questions caused the current situation to suddenly reverse. Waiting until she reached this point, Nie Jinxuan took a step forward and walked directly in front of Emperor Shuncheng.

"Your Majesty, once is a coincidence, twice is an accident, but now, these repeated coincidences are too suspicious. Therefore, Jinxuan believes that this matter must be someone deliberately framing Noble Consort Zhang, which is why things have turned out this way. Thus, Jinxuan implores Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter!"

"After all, if the person who secretly schemed did so only to eliminate rivals and strike at Noble Consort Zhang, that would be one thing. But the other party has used one scheme after another; not only are their methods vicious and disrespectful to Noble Consort Ning, who has been dead for many years, but they even dared to injure Your Majesty. Such a villain is not just vicious in their methods, they are completely disregarding the law! If they dare to do such a thing to His Majesty's golden body, what is there that they would not dare to do?! Therefore, I ask Your Majesty to think twice!"

In the current situation, whether Noble Consort Zhang was guilty or not was no longer the main issue. As a ruler with supreme power, nothing was harder for him to accept than someone's contempt for him!

Therefore, upon hearing Nie Jinxuan say this, Emperor Shuncheng's originally slightly eased expression suddenly clouded over again! Only this time, it was no longer directed at Noble Consort Zhang, but at the person who had secretly schemed.

"Good! Since that is the case, I would also like to see who it is that dares to not even hold me in their eyes!"

After speaking, Emperor Shuncheng's gaze shifted instantly, and he looked straight at Nie Jinxuan before him.

"Nie girl, since you have already seen the clues, in your opinion, what should be done next?!"

In front of everyone, Emperor Shuncheng actually said these words. Clearly, Emperor Shuncheng had already believed Nie Jinxuan! So, as soon as these words fell, the expressions of Empress Duan, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan, and others present changed instantly, while Senior Minister Nie and Yin Fenglian breathed a sigh of relief. Even Noble Consort Zhang, who had been keeping her head down without speaking, raised her head to look at Nie Jinxuan, then pursed her lips slightly, revealing a hint of a smile.

Yet among all these people, only Yin Fengzhan remained silent, raising his eyes to look at Nie Jinxuan, but in the depths of his eyes, there was a hidden, unfathomable profundity.

At this moment, feeling his gaze, Nie Jinxuan merely glanced at him, but then shifted her line of sight back.

"Your Majesty, there are many doubts at present, but investigating is not simple. After all, Eunuch Gao should have investigated before, yet found nothing unusual. It can be imagined that the other party must have done things seamlessly; otherwise, given Eunuch Gao's ability, it would be impossible to have no clues... Therefore, Jinxuan believes that if we investigate the previous matters again now, the result will likely be the same. In that case, it would be better to investigate from the back to the front; perhaps there will be unexpected effects!"

"Investigate from the back to the front?... You want to investigate that dead palace maid?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Hearing Nie Jinxuan say this, Emperor Shuncheng also quickly understood her meaning. Subsequently, Nie Jinxuan responded respectfully, then turned her head to look at Gao Caiyong.

"Eunuch Gao, I heard Eunuch Gao mention before that just last night, someone found Xiao Qing's body in the dry well behind the Laundry Bureau. May I ask, who was the person who found the body?"

"It was a young palace maid from the Laundry Bureau."

"Has Eunuch Gao investigated this person?"

"I have investigated. That palace maid has been in the palace for less than a year and has always been in the Laundry Bureau. She is very honest, so there shouldn't be any problems."

How shrewd was Gao Caiyong? As soon as Nie Jinxuan spoke, he knew what she was going to ask. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan nodded, but then added.

"Then could I ask Eunuch Gao to bring that palace maid here? Jinxuan would like to ask her a question."

"Uh... this..."

Hearing Nie Jinxuan's request, Gao Caiyong hesitated slightly, then turned to look at Emperor Shuncheng beside him. Seeing Emperor Shuncheng nod, Gao Caiyong responded and had someone bring her up.

People in the palace were efficient. Not long after, a young palace maid was seen walking in with her head lowered.

The young palace maid had fair skin, some small freckles on her face, and plain features, but she looked like an honest person. Upon entering Yongxin Palace and seeing Emperor Shuncheng, the Empress, and all the concubines and princes present, the young palace maid suddenly became flustered. She stepped forward, trembling slightly, and then fell to her knees with a thud.

"Your... Your servant... Your servant greets His... His Majesty..."

Clearly, having not been in the palace for long, this young palace maid had rarely come into contact with the Emperor, the Empress, and others. Being suddenly summoned, she was inevitably timid. At this moment, looking at the young palace maid, Emperor Shuncheng frowned slightly and turned to look at Nie Jinxuan.

At this time, Nie Jinxuan did not stand on ceremony; she walked directly to the young palace maid's side and asked in a slow voice.

"May I ask what your name is?"

"Uh... Your servant... Your servant's name is Chun, Chun'e..."

"Chun'e, is it~? What a lovely name... However, I would like to ask Chun'e a question now. Please answer truthfully. Of course, you don't need to be afraid; just say whatever you know, there is no need to hide anything."

"Yes, yes... Your... Your servant understands..."

Nie Jinxuan's voice was gentle, and her expression was mild. After a few exchanges, the young palace maid named Chun'e calmed down slightly. When the words fell, she even looked up at Nie Jinxuan with a hint of shyness. Meeting her eyes, Nie Jinxuan smiled kindly and asked slowly.

"May I ask Chun'e, how did you discover the body in the dry well behind the Laundry Bureau last night?"

First update uploaded, there will be another one later~!