"Your Majesty, I did not steal it. This thing was originally mine. It was in the cabinet. I don't know how it ended up under my bed. Please investigate, Your Majesty."
Seeing that she wouldn't admit it, Empress Qi angrily pointed her finger at her.
“Luo Zhiwan, this luminous pearl is no small matter. If it cannot be found, it will directly affect the relationship between the two countries and could trigger a war between them. You cannot bear the responsibility for that.”
She retorted without holding back.
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The matter of the luminous pearl is of great importance, but it has nothing to do with me, and I will not bear any responsibility."
"Hmph, even facing death, you still show no remorse. Guards, bring the torture..."
"Wait a minute."
Leng Chuchen immediately raised her hand to stop her.
"Father, Mother, you cannot convict her and torture her based solely on a single bead. I believe this matter should be thoroughly investigated to determine if someone has framed her."
He even suspected that someone was framing her, and at that moment, she felt very grateful to Leng Chuchen.
The Emperor spoke in a stern tone.
"Hmph, caught red-handed, what else is there to investigate? Chen'er, even if you want to protect her, you should know the consequences. Losing this luminous pearl is no small matter."
"Your subject knows the importance of the luminous pearl, but your subject believes she would not do such a thing."
"Don't judge whether she would do this based on your own assumptions. Trust what everyone saw with their own eyes. Rouge led more than a dozen guards to search her room, and this luminous pearl was found under her bed. More than a dozen pairs of eyes were watching. How could it be wrong?"
Luo Zhiwan's lips curved slightly, and she spoke directly:
"It's true that I found this box under my bed, but what makes Your Majesty so sure that there's a luminous pearl inside?"
When she asked that question, Empress Qi was taken aback.
She did indeed forget to tell Rouge to open the small box and check if the luminous pearl was inside.
However, she entrusted this matter to Xiaomin, who was not as impulsive as Xiaoyue and would definitely do a good job.
Thinking of this, she immediately raised her hand disdainfully.
"This luminous pearl is placed in my Fengyou Palace every day, and I see this box every day. This is the box that holds the luminous pearl. I cannot be mistaken."
Luo Zhiwan also frowned and reminded him.
"I've heard that luminous pearls emit a brilliant light at night. If this luminous pearl is really in this little box, how could it not shine at night? I will not confess until I see the luminous pearl in this little box with my own eyes."
"Hmph, that's the magic of this little box. This luminous pearl would glow anywhere else, but inside this little box, no one outside can see it. Moreover, the key is in my hands. Anyone who wants to get the luminous pearl will have to destroy this little box. I'm afraid you didn't dare to do that, did you? I just didn't expect that even on the verge of death, you're still struggling. Fine, today I'll let you die knowing why."
After speaking, she waved her hand again. Rouge stepped forward, picked up the small box, and took the golden key from Empress Qi. She inserted it into the delicate lock on the small box and slowly turned the keyhole, but the small lock did not budge, and the key could not be turned either...
Rouge looked at her anxiously.
"Your Majesty, this..."
Empress Qi was somewhat surprised. The key and the lock on the small box were a set, so why couldn't it be opened?
Luo Zhiwan smiled slightly and spoke in the quiet hall where everyone was tense:
"Please try this key in my hand, Miss Rouge."
After speaking, she opened her hands, revealing a small silver key that was very different from the key that Empress Qi had.
Rouge glanced at Empress Qi with a puzzled look, and Empress Qi's expression turned extremely ugly at that moment.
Logically speaking, only she should have the key to this small box. Luo Zhiwan's key shouldn't be able to open this lock!
However, seeing everyone staring at her, and even the Emperor looking puzzled, she had no choice but to nod.
"Let's...let's give it a try!"
Rouge then approached Zhiwan, glaring fiercely at her. She took the key from Zhiwan's hand and inserted it into the keyhole of the small box.
At this moment, everyone's eyes were on Rouge's hands, which were trembling slightly.
She personally handed this small box to Yue Xiaomin. If there was a problem with the luminous pearl inside, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to explain it to the Empress.
The small lock clicked open, and Rouge cautiously and timidly opened the lid. Inside, instead of the luminous pearl she had hoped for, she found a pair of delicate little earrings.
"What...what's going on?"
She looked at Empress Qi in astonishment.
"Your Majesty, this isn't a luminous pearl. How could this be?"
Empress Qi's face turned even more unpleasant.
"Luo Zhiwan, where did you put the luminous pearl?"
Luo Zhiwan replied calmly:
“I told you, I don’t know anything about luminous pearls. This is my jewelry box. The jewelry here was a gift from His Highness the Crown Prince. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”
When Leng Chuchen saw what was inside the box, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
These earrings were indeed a gift from him to her, but he had never seen her wear them before. He never expected them to appear in this little box.
He was also puzzled by this, but nodded in confirmation nonetheless.
“She’s right. These earrings were indeed a gift from me. They’re not worth much, but I never expected her to treasure them so much and put them in such a delicate little box.”
"Impossible. Boxes containing luminous pearls are extremely rare. How could she possibly have one?"
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