Young Fang Xun didn't realize that the more he acted this way, the more guilty he felt, and the more it proved that he had something shameful in his pocket.
"If Your Highness has nothing to hide, then show it to Eunuch Liu openly. If you don't dare, His Majesty will punish you," Gu Jiangli reminded him.
The Empress Dowager's face turned pale and then flushed, looking extremely unpleasant.
The emperor coldly shouted, "Liu Feng, take his purse!"
With the emperor issuing the order, Liu Feng now had a reason to take forceful action.
The purse was forcibly pulled off.
Fang Xun was so anxious that he stomped his feet, wishing he could snatch the purse back from Liu Feng.
Liu Feng searched thoroughly, not daring to overlook even the slightest suspicious detail.
Finally, he shouted, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort does indeed have half a feather!"
This statement alone proves that the evidence is conclusive.
"Fang Xun, you have gathered locusts, framed the Imperial Noble Consort, and disrupted the prayer ceremony. What is your punishment?"
The emperor was furious, and Fang Xun immediately fell to the ground.
The Empress Dowager grew anxious, "Emperor, he's just a child. He found some locusts and put them in his purse. What crime has he committed?"
The emperor, enraged, laughed instead, "Does the Empress Dowager think this is just a trivial matter?"
"What's so strange about children playing with insects? Even if the insects were released unintentionally today, it has nothing to do with framing the Imperial Noble Consort!"
"Does the Empress Dowager think I'm a fool? Or does she think everyone here is an idiot?!"
The emperor had never lost his temper like this before, and everyone suddenly knelt down.
Even the Empress Dowager was startled when she saw the ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Your Majesty... are you yelling at me?" the Empress Dowager asked incredulously.
The emperor did not reply, but instead said sharply:
"Fang Xun is so young, how could he come up with such harmful methods? Who exactly gave him these ideas? Should I investigate him again?"
"This priest was personally recommended by the Empress Dowager. He inexplicably said that the child in the Imperial Noble Consort's belly was a demon. Is it really because his divine power was damaged?"
"The locust plague has been incurable for so long that someone suggested this method of praying for blessings. During the blessing ceremony, locusts appeared in the palace. Do you really think I can't understand the intricacies hidden behind this?! Mother Empress!"
He shouted, then walked step by step to the Empress Dowager, bowed slightly, and whispered to her, word by word:
"I warned Chu Tan'er long ago not to harbor any disloyal thoughts. Whatever she did to the Imperial Noble Consort, I will do to her child. The same applies to you."
The Empress Dowager was truly panicked at this moment, because she saw an unprecedented chilling murderous intent in the Emperor's eyes.
"What...what are you going to do?"
"You will find out, Mother."
The emperor sat up and gave the order: "Guards! Fang Xun disrupted the prayer ceremony, framed the Imperial Noble Consort, and attempted to harm the imperial heir. His crimes are heinous and unforgivable! Arrest him immediately and schedule his execution for another day!"
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