"Help Song Wanyi back to her seat. This matter has not yet been concluded. It's disgraceful to act arbitrarily!"
Xie Yanci still spoke up and helped her out.
Wei Shuyi's face burned with pain. Even at the end of her rope, she tried her best to clarify: "Your Majesty, I was chatting with Wang Changzai, and when she was seriously ill and the kitchen was flooded, I sent someone to deliver food. What crime have I committed? Do you want me to watch her starve knowing this?"
The emperor remained silent at first, then asked, "Is there a fire?"
"Exactly! Ever since my two sisters had a fight with the palace servants, Concubine Wang has been plagued by misfortunes! It was during her bout of diarrhea that the small kitchen inexplicably caught fire. Thanks to the servants' timely rescue, no one was hurt." She pointed to the incense burner on the tray. "As for these, Concubine Wang also likes them and asked me to make them! The one on the far left is the Clivia in my palace, and the other two are the Amaryllis she specifically requested. They have similar shapes and colors, making them difficult to distinguish, but because I made them myself, I can tell them apart quickly!"
The Queen remained noncommittal. "Min Xuanshi is truly foolish! Your words have not cleared you of any involvement. Instead, you've told me and His Majesty that you were the one who personally perpetrated the witchcraft and sorcery! You are to blame!"
Wei Shuyi knelt in the center and slowly looked at the veiled Wang Changzai.
Perhaps, only this person can solve all the mysteries.
Her innocence is also in the hands of the other party.
Xie Yanci also understood her intention and asked loudly, "Wang Changzai, do you agree with what Concubine Min said?"
"In reply to Your Majesty, I can only say... half truth and half lie."
It's over! This must be a trap!
From the moment she asked for the amaryllis-style incense burner, it was a setup targeting her alone!
Wang Changzai slowly knelt down and told another "truth" -
"When I first moved to the palace, only Minmin... er, Consort Min was there for me, so we naturally became good friends. As for Song Wanyi, she would often embarrass me in front of everyone, and that's how we became enemies! At first, Wanyi thought I was of low status and unworthy of the hairpin given by the Empress Dowager. We had a disagreement and started a fight with the servants. It was my impulsiveness that led to it. Thinking about it afterwards, I was a little scared, afraid that Wanyi would tell the Empress or the Emperor... But she didn't, so she's still quite loyal!"
At this point, she changed her tone again: "Later, I craved a cold and had a stomachache, lying on the couch, unable to get up. Min Xuanshi sent her personal maid to bring me food, and the taste was still as good as ever. However, after eating, I felt itchy all over. After scratching for a few days, I saw a rapidly spreading red rash. It was really terrifying! Seeing that I was terrified and unable to sleep, she specially sent me two incense burners, the same style I had asked for before. I didn't expect that because of my wrong thoughts, I would harm Song Wanyi!"
When everyone heard the key point, they all looked at him in surprise, not knowing what was going on.
Wang Changzai took a deep breath and said, "Shiqing is telling the truth. That day, I went to the main hall and talked a lot with Wanyi. She thought her time was up, so she cried and apologized to me. I'm not a mean person, so I immediately put aside my prejudice and reconciled. The incense burner that Concubine Min sent me earlier was effective in helping her sleep, so I gave it to her. Who knew it would lead to such a disaster!"
"Logically, you and Song Wanyi should each have an amaryllis-shaped incense burner in your palace," Rong Zhaoyi suddenly questioned, with a hint of a smile, "Why doesn't it match the evidence the attendants found? This pattern doesn't seem right..."
Wei Shuyi glanced in that direction with gratitude: At the beginning, she intended to join Rong Zhaoyi, and although she accepted the token, she was cold and quiet by nature and did not like to make friends with others.
Therefore, there was not much interaction afterwards.
At this moment, she was facing the crime of witchcraft, and Rong Zhaoyi was willing to plead for her, which was truly commendable!
Unexpectedly, the Queen found the perfect opportunity and directly retorted, "Zhaoyi, you are wrong! I naturally took this into consideration and sent people to severely torture the palace maids in Song Wanyi's palace! As a result, I actually got something out of it... Bring the person up here!"
A palace maid covered in blood was dragged here. Her left eye was swollen like a walnut and blood was still oozing from the corner of her mouth. It can be seen how harsh the punishment was by the Ministry of Punishment!
She stared at Wei Shuyi, her face filled with regret: "Master Min, for you, cough cough... I have endured it until cough cough... today. Can you please let this servant go..."
Before he could finish, he vomited blood!
The Queen pretended to be distressed and taught her a lesson: "You little girl, you are just stubborn! Why didn't you tell the truth earlier? I am the mistress of the harem after all, can't I save your family for you?"
Unknowingly, Wei Shuyi was charged with a new crime.
There is no room for argument when facing a dying person!
"Your Majesty, this is the confession of this woman. Please read it!"
Xie Yanci took the blood letter, glanced at it for the first time, and suddenly clenched his right fist.
"Order someone to deliberately swap the incense burners and replace the one containing the cursed object in Song Wanyi's palace?"
"Min Xuanshi, you threatened the palace maid and made her hide a voodoo curse in Song Wanyi's palace. Do you admit your guilt?"
"I don't admit to anything I didn't do." Wei Shuyi met those cold eyes, and her whole body felt cold. "She's not even a personal maid, how could she have hidden the incense burner?"
The emperor didn't answer the question, but recalled that night. "When I stayed at Sangyu Pavilion, I noticed something strange about the incense in your room. It was familiar, yet mingled with a different scent. Thinking carefully, it was none other than Song Wanyi's favorite, Yuelin Incense! The reason I smelled it in Sangyu Pavilion was... because the incense burner wasn't cleaned thoroughly, igniting the incense at the bottom? By then, the cursed object had been successfully replaced, and she was already gravely ill! With all these clues, how can I be convinced?!"
Yes, they have planned their arguments and carefully planned the time. How can they refute it?
Wei Shuyi glanced at the dirt on the handkerchief and suddenly stood up and held it in his palm!
Everyone else was startled. Even the usually gentle Concubine Jin frowned, "What are you doing, Concubine Min?! Those are unlucky and filthy things. Don't hold them in your hands!"
She stroked a few broken hairs, pinched her blackened nails and smelled them, and a smile gradually appeared on her face.
In the eyes of the concubines, this scene was no less than that of a being possessed by a demon!
"Quick! Protect the king! This witch is trying to cheat again!"
The queen exclaimed, and the imperial guards drew their swords and surrounded Wei Shuyi!
She showed no fear, but knelt down again in the direction of Xie Yanci——
"Your Majesty, the evidence is fake! Of the things inside, besides the burnt hair, only this nail remains. Based on the time Your Majesty just calculated, it was kept in a cramped incense burner and should have been stained with the scent of spices over time. However, it hasn't, and it looks more like it was put in there recently!"
"Min Xuanshi, stop spreading rumors and misleading people! Just based on your casual sniff now, what can you prove?!"
"I'm not afraid of ghosts and gods taking my life, and I have no regrets." Wei Shuyi replied coldly, "It's the Empress who repeatedly interrupted me from proving myself. What are you trying to prove?!"
Apart from the favored Concubine Jin, the only one left in the palace was the unruly Concubine Rong, who dared to compete with the Queen Mother.
Now, there is one more person, Wei Shuyi.
The emperor was wavering in his heart, and finally dismissed his guards and gave orders.
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