Outside the hall, the executioners were so quiet that not a single sound could be heard, except for the intermittent sound of a woman's suppressed sobs. At first, it was just a gentle whimper in the air, but later it became a hoarse cry.
The hall fell silent again.
After a long time, the man under the statue finally spoke and broke this torturous situation.
"Where is Lu Songping? I want to hear what he has found out in order to redeem himself from his crimes."
Xu Zhi stood aside without comment, but his eyes would occasionally glance at Xiao Zhun who was not far away.
It is rumored that no one can survive half an hour of execution at the hands of the Supreme Court, so he has plenty of time to watch this good show.
The palace maids outside the hall summoned him layer by layer, and soon Lu Songping appeared in the hall.
He was still wearing the armor of the Black Feather Guard, and when he saluted, the armor made a harsh scraping sound on the hard ground.
"Your Majesty, I, Lu Songping, pay my respects to you."
"Lu Songping, I want to ask you, how did the Bai family escape from the Black Feather Camp?"
"Mrs. Bai claimed that her younger brother, Bai Zhi, had suddenly fallen seriously ill and was in grave danger of his life. Respecting Your Majesty's orders, we dispatched carriages and horses to escort him to the infirmary. Unexpectedly, she exploited the situation, injured several guards, and escaped in disguise."
Xu Zhi snorted coldly upon hearing this: "Each member of the Black Feather Battalion is fighting a hundred enemies at once. Even if she has some martial arts skills, she is unarmed. How can she harm the guards?"
Lu Songping glanced at Xu Zhi, his expression as calm as a mountain.
"Lord Xu seems to be familiar with the Bai family. This is not surprising. After all, the task of guarding the Bai family originally fell on the Ministry of Justice. I don't know why it was eventually given to the Black Feather Battalion guards."
When two treacherous people met each other, Xu Zhi did not gain the upper hand.
However, he was a higher-ranking official after all, and his pushing and pulling tactics were already perfected.
"Lieutenant Lu was willing to take on this hot potato. I guess he had a foolproof plan in mind. I just don't know how this plan turned out to be a foolproof plan."
Lu Songping didn't look at Xu Zhi again, but took something out of his body and presented it to the eunuch beside him.
"I have something, Your Majesty, please take a look."
All eyes in the hall instantly focused on the eunuch's hand. It was vaguely a handkerchief with a wooden hairpin on it.
The eunuch brought the hairpin to the main seat. Shan Jiangfei took it with one hand, examined it carefully, and then handed it to the man in the main seat.
After a moment, the man's voice came slowly.
"Carving a key from a branch is truly a skillful act."
Lu Songping then added, "Your Majesty, please smell the lingering fragrance on that hairpin."
Shan Jiangfei instantly snapped, "How dare you! If there's anything strange about this hairpin and it hurts His Majesty, can you bear the consequences?!"
Lu Songping bowed his head and said, "I guarantee with my own head that the fragrance will not kill anyone."
The emperor looked deeply at the young lieutenant who was kneeling on one knee, then gently placed the hairpin on the tip of his nose and shook it.
"The fragrance is subtle, yet lingers. It must have been specially blended."
"Your Majesty, that's exactly what happened. The Bai family is good at making perfumes, and I previously instructed the camp guards to clear the flowers, plants, and trees in the villa to prevent future troubles. But..."
"But what?"
Lu Songping pondered for a moment, then finally spoke, "But after the incident last night, the Black Feather Battalion searched the annex carefully and found an aphrodisiac incense made from animal horn powder and plum blossom stamens. It matched the scent left on Bai Yun's belongings."
This remark caused some murmurs in the hall.
Many people have already made up their minds that it is not just the Bai family that will be killed in the hall today.
Xiao Nanhui's hands were tied behind his back and twisted tightly together, and he didn't dare to look up for a moment.
She prayed silently in her heart, praying that the man would not ask any more questions. As long as he did not pursue the matter, then...
The clepsydra ticked three times, and her heart just hung there.
However, the emperor's voice still came slowly.
"Where do the animal horns come from? Where do the plum blossoms come from?"
"The horn was fashioned into a ring and has always been carried by the Bai family. Because the white rhino horn is naturally jade-like, the guards previously failed to detect it. As for the plum blossom... I have only uncovered half of the truth and have not been able to grasp the full extent of the matter. Your Majesty, I beg your pardon."
Xiao Nanhui gasped involuntarily, like a fish thrown ashore and briefly back into the water. But the nightmarish voice approached again, as if it was determined to make things difficult for her and kill her.
"Lieutenant Lu, please tell me half of the truth. I will decide the rest myself."
Lu Song hesitated for a moment, as if considering whether to tell the truth, which was only half but extremely dangerous.
Xu Zhi's mouth sank, and he immediately adopted the manners of someone interrogating a serious criminal. "Lu Songping, you haven't cleared your suspicion yet. Don't get carried away just because His Majesty summoned you. If you don't tell me something now, and I find out later, you will be guilty of deceiving His Majesty by concealing something you said today."
Lu Songping didn't look at Xu Zhi, who was constantly pressuring him. He finally said cautiously, "The plum blossoms found at the Bai family's residence are not found in the entire Jiaosong County. The nearest source is dozens of miles away. This matter is of great importance. I ask Your Majesty to allow me to recommend Su Kaisheng, the supervisor of the Lingzhi Garden in the imperial palace, to come to the palace to testify."
The ministers were in an uproar.
There are only two ancient cities in Chizhou that are famous for their plum blossoms: Yucheng and Quecheng. Yucheng is far south of the Di River, and only Quecheng is dozens of miles away from Jiaosong County.
If Mei Rui, the woman Bai used in the rebellion, was from the imperial city, then this matter was likely related to the ministers close to the court. No one could have imagined that what was thought to be an old trouble from far away in Lingxi was actually a hidden drama.
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