Gu Jiangli sneered. The Empress Dowager's talk of thoroughly investigating the matter was nothing more than turning a big issue into a small one, and a small issue into nothing.
Things have come to this point, and she can't let them off so easily.
"Your Majesty, if you want to investigate thoroughly, why wait until later? You can investigate now."
"The outer robes were made overnight by the Imperial Wardrobe. If someone wanted to tamper with them, the palace maids of the Imperial Wardrobe would be the easiest targets. They are naturally the prime suspects."
"All the palace maids and eunuchs who delivered the clothes to Jinghe Palace had the possibility of coming into contact with the clothes, and naturally they were also suspects."
"The eunuchs and maids who guided the palace servants of the Shangyi Bureau in Jinghe Palace are also suspects."
"The Empress Dowager just said that we should investigate thoroughly. Why don't we summon these people over and ask them clearly in front of all the concubines, the priests, and the God of Grain in the heavens?"
The Empress Dowager hurriedly said, "Why go to such lengths! I have my own way of thoroughly investigating."
"What better way is there than to let the God of Grain in the heavens observe in person? Finding the real culprit in front of the God of Grain is such a good opportunity to prove the piety of the people of Yunsheng to him."
The Empress Dowager was speechless.
The Emperor also spoke up, saying, "I also think this method is feasible. If the Empress Dowager finds it troublesome, I am here for you."
If the Empress Dowager was speechless before because of Gu Jiangli's retort, she is now truly speechless.
She looked at Fang Xun with slight nervousness, thinking of a solution.
Gu Jiangli intentionally gathered everyone together, ostensibly to uncover the truth in front of the God of Earth, but in reality, he wanted to have the palace servants identify Fang Xun in front of all the concubines in the harem.
The Empress Dowager frowned, looking somewhat flustered.
At this moment, Xiao Anzi very sensibly stepped forward and reminded him:
"Your Highness, Your Majesty, if we are to find all the people who have come into contact with this robe, then there is one more person who also had the opportunity to come into contact with this garment."
Gu Jiangli smiled and cast an appreciative glance at Xiao Anzi.
The emperor asked, "Who?"
Xiao Anzi replied, "It is indeed Your Highness. This outer robe was personally delivered to Jinghe Palace by Your Highness; this servant saw it with my own eyes."
Lotus hurriedly knelt down as well, “Your Majesty, I saw it with my own eyes. It was indeed His Highness who sent this dress. At that time, I was very surprised. Logically speaking, with His Highness’s noble status, he should not need to do these things that servants should do. So I was very anxious.”
As soon as Lotus finished speaking, palace servants from Jinghe Palace began to speak up: "Your Majesty, this is indeed true. This servant witnessed it with my own eyes."
"Your Majesty, this servant also saw that it was His Highness the Prince who delivered it personally."
...
Gu Jiangli was secretly pleased.
How many people must Fang Xun have offended in secret for these palace servants to point out his crimes at this time?
The emperor feigned surprise and looked at Fang Xun: "You personally delivered the clothes? Is there no one left in the Imperial Wardrobe? How come it's your turn to do something like this?"
Fang Xun shrank back, and in his panic, he could only look at his grandmother.
Seeing the look in his eyes, the emperor asked angrily, "Can't you speak for yourself? Do you have to ask the Empress Dowager to speak for you?"
Fang Xun was just a callow youth. When the emperor roared, he was so frightened that he lowered his head and said, "I...I did indeed send clothes to the Imperial Noble Consort."
The emperor's cold gaze narrowed slightly. "Did you tamper with the clothes?"
"No, no! I didn't!"
His words were vehement, but his denials were weak; he could say nothing more than "no."
For a child to react like that, anyone with a brain can guess that this matter is inextricably linked to him.
Fang Xun could only helplessly plead with the Empress Dowager for help, "Grandmother, please say something!"
The Empress Dowager sighed and then said, "Why is the Emperor being so aggressive? We can't even be sure if it's related to Xun'er yet. Can we convict him just because he came to deliver clothes? Perhaps he just hasn't seen the Imperial Noble Consort in a long time and wants to see her. What's so strange about that?"
Gu Jiangli curled her lips: "Your Majesty, in fact, besides tampering with the clothes, the origin of the locusts is also very important."
"This is the imperial palace after all. The locust plague is far away in Qizhou. Where did the locusts come from?"
"Once we know the origin of these locusts, it won't be hard to figure out who wanted to use this scheme to harm people."
The Empress Dowager looked displeased. "What are you trying to say?"
Gu Jiangli said slowly, "I want to say that Your Highness has a pouch around your waist. The pouch is much larger than a normal pouch. If someone wants to bring locusts to this blessing ceremony, this pouch would be a good choice."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's eyes widened in fury, her anger almost bursting forth: "Imperial Noble Consort! You've gone too far! Based on your mere guess, you think you can say that Xun'er brought locusts into the palace?!"
Seeing her angry only confirmed Gu Jiangli's suspicions.
Her expression turned cold, and her tone became much harsher. "Why is Your Majesty in such a hurry? If you want to know if my guess is right, just look at the little prince's purse."
"With so many locusts crammed into one pouch, it's inevitable that some of their wings or leg hairs will be squeezed off. A quick check will make it clear."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xun immediately and instinctively covered the purse at his waist.
The emperor gave Liu Feng another look, and Liu Feng immediately went up to Fang Xun and asked him for the purse.
But Fang Xun held on tightly with both hands, refusing to hand it over no matter what.
He was the young prince, so Liu Feng couldn't resort to violence, and the two remained locked in a stalemate.
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