Seeing the Empress's certainty, Lanqin was startled and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, I would like to know why you are so sure that this voodoo doll is not from the Fucha clan? Could it be that Your Majesty is trying to protect the Fucha clan?"
The Empress, holding the witchcraft doll, looked at Lanqin with a mocking expression and said, "If Lady Fucha is guilty, of course I will not protect her. But come and see this witchcraft doll. This is no ordinary witchcraft doll."
Lanqin feigned confusion and said, "I have already looked at it, and there is nothing special about it, except that it says my birth date. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
The Empress pinched a small corner of the witchcraft doll and tossed it to the maid beside her, saying with a look of disgust, "The fabric used to make this thing is a very rare silk satin. Lady Fucha is just a noblewoman, and there is no such thing in her allowance. So this witchcraft doll must have been framed by someone."
Upon hearing this, Empress Fucha, as if grasping at a straw, hurriedly shouted, "That's right! My rank is too low, how could I possibly use silk and satin! Someone must be deliberately framing me! Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly!"
Lanqin panicked, realizing she had overlooked this detail. She had thought of this for a long time, but in the end, she was defeated by a small piece of silk satin.
She hadn't paid attention to the material of the voodoo doll, but she didn't expect that the silk satin was a rare item in the palace. According to the empress, most of the concubines who could use this silk satin were of similar rank to her. If she investigated further, she would be exposed sooner or later.
Indeed, all of this was Lanqin's own plan. To deal with a vicious and ruthless woman like Fucha, special methods had to be used. Lanqin originally intended to take Fucha to the Shenxing Division and force her to confess to poisoning Nian. Then it wouldn't matter whether she had practiced witchcraft or not. So this was the first time she had done something like "framing" someone. However, she did not expect that the Empress would see through such a loophole.
Empress Fucha knew that Lanqin had framed her. She struggled to kowtow to the Empress and said earnestly, "Please, Your Majesty, restore my innocence and find out and punish the person who framed me, making an example of him."
The Empress looked at Lanqin meaningfully and said, "Consort Xi, you and I both know who in this palace can afford silk and satin. Do you think we should continue the investigation?"
Empress Fucha cried out anxiously, "Your Majesty, this..." This was a great opportunity to bring down Consort Xi, how could we give it up like this?
She wanted to speak, but was intimidated by the Empress's gaze, and she shut her mouth in resentment.
Lanqin certainly couldn't let the Empress see that she was guilty. She also guessed that the Empress was deliberately testing her. She smiled and said calmly, "Investigate, of course we must investigate. If such witchcraft is let go, and those who do it become rampant in the future, there will never be peace in this harem."
"You mean you're continuing the investigation?" The Empress looked at Lanqin in surprise, trying to find a clue in her face.
Lanqin changed the subject, saying, "An investigation is necessary, but this matter concerns me, so I won't trouble Your Majesty. I will have someone continue the investigation."
The Empress inwardly scoffed, thinking that Consort Xi was far too disrespectful. With a stern expression, she said, "I am the Empress, and naturally, I am in charge of the entire harem. Since you wish to investigate, then let us investigate!"
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