The banquet was halfway through when the music stopped. The Empress was talking with an elderly princess. Suddenly, a palace maid carrying a tea tray tripped over something as she approached Xin Jiuwei's seat. With a cry of surprise, she fell forward, the tea tray and scalding tea splashing straight at Xin Jiuwei!
Unexpected changes occurred!
Xin Jiuwei was prepared and became alert the moment the palace maid cried out. She reacted swiftly, leaning back sharply and flicking her sleeve to deflect most of the splashing boiling water! Even so, a few drops of scalding water still landed on the back of her hand, instantly causing a burning pain.
"You insolent servant!" Princess Yongjia's sharp voice rang out immediately, filled with deliberate anger and accusation. "How dare you be so clumsy and offend the future princess consort! Guards, drag this lowly servant away!"
Several eunuchs immediately stepped forward and grabbed the palace maid who was terrified, pale-faced, and trembling all over.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! Your Highness, please forgive me! I didn't mean to! Someone tripped me..." the palace maid cried out, her eyes flashing in terror toward Xin Jiuwei.
Just then, as if she had just discovered something, Liu Yiyi pointed to Xin Jiuwei's slightly open sleeve as she dodged the tea and exclaimed, "Oh! Miss Xin, what's that in your sleeve?"
All eyes instantly focused on Xin Jiuwei's sleeve! A glittering, intricately designed hairpin had slipped halfway out of her sleeve pocket due to her earlier movement! The hairpin shimmered with light, its phoenix head held high, and its tail forked into nine slender golden feathers!
Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin!
The hall fell into a deathly silence! You could hear a pin drop!
The Empress's expression changed drastically! A glint flashed in Xiao Zhuo's eyes! Princess Yongjia stood up excitedly, pointing at Xin Jiuwei, her voice shrill and venomous: "Nine-tailed Phoenix Hairpin! Xin Jiuwei! How dare you! The Empress Dowager has just passed away, during the national mourning period, and you dare to secretly possess and wear a phoenix hairpin that exceeds the prescribed design! This is a great disrespect! It is the greatest contempt for the late Empress Dowager and the royal family! Guards! Seize her!"
Several guards immediately stepped forward, ready to take action.
"Wait!" Xin Jiuwei's clear, cold voice rang out, carrying a strange penetrating power that suppressed Yongjia's scream. She did not panic, but instead slowly stood up, tucked the back of her scalded hand back into her sleeve, and calmly swept her gaze over everyone before finally landing on the Empress.
She gave a slight curtsy, her voice clear and steady: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This item does not belong to me, much less is it something I have kept or worn privately." As she spoke, she reached out and took the nine-tailed phoenix hairpin, which had slipped halfway out of her sleeve, completely out of her hand and held it in her palm. The hairpin shone brightly under the lamplight, yet it seemed more like a cold piece of evidence of a crime.
"Oh? If it's not yours, whose is it? Did I, the princess, give it to you?" Princess Yongjia sneered, her eyes filled with undisguised smugness.
Xin Jiuwei ignored Yongjia and turned her gaze to the trembling palace maid who was being held by the eunuch. Her tone was gentle but carried an invisible pressure: "You said someone tripped you? Who tripped you? Did you see clearly?"
The palace maid trembled, her eyes darting around in terror. Finally, as if possessed, she pointed to a young eunuch standing behind Xin Jiuwei: "It was...it was him! He tripped me!"
The young eunuch's face turned deathly pale instantly. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, please see the truth! I am innocent! I did not! I was too far away to touch this lady!" In his panic, an unsigned letter slipped out of his sleeve!
Liu Yiyi reacted quickly, stepping forward to pick up the letter. Feigning surprise, she opened it, then her expression changed drastically. She exclaimed, "This...this letter! This handwriting...it's addressed to Miss Xin! And it's signed...Qi Huaiyu!"
Qi Huaiyu!
The name reappeared like a spark thrown into boiling oil!
"Qi Huaiyu?" Princess Yongjia shrieked immediately, her voice filled with exaggerated shock and disdain. "I remember now! Isn't he Miss Xin's old flame from Yingzhou? Well! Xin Jiuwei! How dare you have an affair with a man outside the palace and exchange love letters during the national mourning period! There are witnesses and physical evidence! What else do you have to say!" She turned to the Empress, tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty! Such a shameless, disrespectful, and utterly disrespectful woman must be severely punished! Otherwise, how can we comfort the spirit of the Empress Dowager in heaven!"
"Affectionate letters," "illicit affair," "disrespect," "contempt for the royal family"... one heavy charge after another crashed down on Xin Jiuwei like boulders! An uproar erupted in the hall! Everyone's eyes were filled with contempt, shock, and the excitement of watching a good show. Even the Empress's gaze towards Xin Jiuwei turned completely cold, filled with disgust and murderous intent.
Xiao Zhuo sighed, stepped forward, and said in a sorrowful tone, "Sixth sister-in-law... Alas! How could you be so foolish! This... What about the face of the sixth brother? What about the face of the royal family?" He seemed heartbroken, but in reality, every word he said was adding fuel to the fire, confirming Xin Jiuwei's guilt, and even dragging Xiao Xun into the mess.
Xin Jiuwei stood isolated in the eye of the storm, bearing the brunt of everyone's condemnation. She looked at Yongjia and Liu Yiyi's undisguised smugness, at Xiao Zhuo's hypocritical face, at the Empress's icy gaze, and felt a chill in her heart, yet no fear. The moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze passing over the noisy crowd and looking directly at Xiao Xun, who had remained silent and seated the entire time. He was also looking at her, his deep, pool-like eyes devoid of any emotion, only an unfathomable darkness.
Xin Jiuwei took a deep breath, her voice not loud, but clearly drowning out the noise in the hall: "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses and Ladies, what Princess Yongjia and Miss Liu said seems reasonable and well-founded, but in fact it is full of loopholes and a frame-up. Their intentions are despicable!"
"You're spouting nonsense!" Princess Yongjia exclaimed angrily.
Xin Jiuwei stopped looking at her and turned to the little eunuch accused of tripping her, her voice carrying a strange soothing power: "You say you didn't trip him. Then tell me, where were you at the time? What were you doing? Are there any witnesses?"
The young eunuch, as if grasping at a straw, hurriedly said, "Reporting to Miss Xin, this servant was in the outer corridor of the palace at the time, responsible for summoning the palace maids to serve tea. Guard Chen... Guard Chen Qing can testify! He was right next to this servant at the time!" He pointed to Chen Qing, who was standing at the palace gate.
All eyes immediately focused on Chen Qing.
Chen Qing remained expressionless, stepped forward, and bowed to the Empress: "Your Majesty, at the time of the incident, this servant was indeed with this little eunuch in the outer corridor of the palace. He was five steps away from the palace door, and there was absolutely no way he could have tripped the palace maid inside the palace."
His words were like a boulder thrown into a lake, instantly changing the expressions of Yongjia and Liu Yiyi!
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