Chapter 163 The First Miracle
"Slandering?"
Chen He chuckled softly, and in the dead silent side hall, the laughter was like ice beads falling on a jade plate, crisp, yet with a biting chill.
Far from being frightened by Lu Jiuxiao's crazy counterattack, she met his bloodshot eyes and slowly took a step forward.
Those cold phoenix eyes were as calm as a bottomless cold pond at this moment, yet seemed to be able to reflect the evil spirits in the deepest part of people's hearts.
"Master Lu, please don't rush to cry out for justice."
Her voice remained steady, yet carried an undeniable power.
"Those strange visions you mentioned, the purple air swirling around the top of Changle Palace, lingering for a long time."
"The divine bell rings without wind, its sound resounding through the heavens."
"After the ancient books of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory burned, words appeared for no apparent reason, predicting the coming of the divine heir."
"even……"
Chen He's gaze slowly fell on the purple-black mass of flesh on the ground, and his voice was filled with a hint of amusement and ridicule.
"...And the so-called blood-coagulation fetus."
With every word she spoke, Lu Jiuxiao's face turned paler.
After she finished speaking, Lu Jiuxiao seemed to have grabbed a life-saving straw and immediately agreed loudly.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you have seen all of this!"
He turned to the Emperor and shouted hoarsely.
"This is all true! Absolutely true! How can this be just my opinion? This is clearly... clearly God's will!"
"God willing?"
The curve of Chen He's mouth deepened, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
"Lord Lu, are you sure that this is truly God's will and not man's?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the hall was shocked!
Lu Jiuxiao's pupils suddenly constricted, as if stabbed by something, and blurted out.
"You...what do you mean?!"
"Of course it's God's will!"
He almost shouted, his voice changing in pitch.
"Purple air, the sound of the bell, the blood-stained characters, the condensed fetus! Each and every one of these is a miracle! How could human power fake this?! This is the sign of the coming of the Heir of God!"
"What a sign of the coming of the heir of God."
Chen He nodded slightly, as if agreeing with what he said.
But the next moment, she changed the subject, looked directly at the emperor sitting on the dragon throne, and spoke loudly.
"Your Majesty, I know that in this world, truth and falsehood always have traces to follow."
"I, your humble servant, would like to invite two people to uncover the true nature of these so-called 'visions' for Your Majesty and the Queen Mother."
The emperor's deep eyes were fixed on Shen He.
From the initial inspection to this moment, there has been an indescribable sense of exploration.
He spoke in a deep voice, his majestic voice echoing in the hall.
"Who do you want to invite?"
Chen He was neither humble nor arrogant, and clearly reported the two names.
"The head doctor of the Medical Department is Chu Yue."
"Ministry of Justice, Chief of Investigation, Zhou Yan'an."
As soon as these two names came out, many officials in the hall looked thoughtful.
The emperor's eyebrows raised slightly.
He had an impression of these two people.
After his last conversation with Shen He, the emperor paid special attention to the movements of these two children from poor families.
Chu Yue, it was said, possessed a remarkable skill in acupuncture, and was particularly adept at identifying exotic flowers and herbs, poisons, and pharmacology. Despite his humble origins, his exceptional medical skills had earned him a considerable reputation among the old men in the Imperial Hospital.
Zhou Yan'an is a skilled officer in the Ministry of Justice. He is unsophisticated and stubborn, with a pair of piercing eyes that can detect any disguise.
They all come from humble backgrounds and have no complicated connections, but they are extremely reliable and steady in their work.
The emperor's gaze lingered on Shen He's calm face for a moment, and he had already made up his mind.
He slowly sat up straight, and the imperial pressure once again enveloped the entire place.
"Okay."
His words are of great significance.
"Pass on my order and immediately summon the female doctor Chu Yue and the Chief of the Ministry of Justice Zhou Yan'an to the side hall of Changle Palace for an audience!"
As soon as the imperial edict was issued, everyone's hearts were in their throats, both inside and outside the side hall.
The emperor's gaze was as deep as the ocean, and the empress dowager's furrowed brows revealed suppressed anger. As for Shen Qingyuan, his eyes were extremely complicated as he looked at his daughter, who was once docile but now had a sharp edge.
Time passed in deathly silence, and every breath seemed like a prolonged torture.
Finally, clear and steady footsteps were heard outside the hall.
A man and a woman were walking slowly along the corridor leading to the side hall.
At the moment when everyone's eyes were focused, something strange happened!
"Look! What is that!"
A young eunuch screamed and pointed his finger outside the hall with trembling hands.
I saw a cloud of purple air rising out of thin air behind the man walking behind, Zhou Yan'an, the chief officer of the Ministry of Justice!
The purple light was not strong, but it was extremely clear, like a living mist, following his footsteps closely, like a shadow.
"Purple Qi...Purple Qi again!"
"Oh my God! What...what is going on?"
"Could it be... Could it be that this person is also one who carries the destiny?"
The hall exploded instantly!
Everyone was stunned by this sudden scene. Even the emperor on the dragon throne leaned forward suddenly, his eyes full of disbelief.
Shen Qingyuan's face turned pale in an instant. He looked at Shen He, his eyes filled with surprise and fear.
However, Chen He still stood there, his posture straight as a pine tree, without a trace of panic on his face.
There was even a faint sneer at the corner of her mouth.
His calm and composed appearance formed a stark contrast with the panic of everyone in the hall.
Under the gazes of countless shocked, puzzled, and ecstatic people, Chu Yue and Zhou Yan'an had already walked to the front of the palace gate.
As the two of them stepped into the hall, the strange purple light mist disappeared without a trace in an instant, as if wiped away by an invisible hand.
As if it had never appeared.
"My daughter, Chu Yue from the medical department."
"Your Highness, this is Zhou Yan'an from the Ministry of Justice."
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Queen Mother, Your Highness the Sixth Prince's Consort."
The two men walked into the hall, knelt down and saluted, their voices calm and steady, neither humble nor arrogant.
The emperor's eyes were fixed on Zhou Yan'an, and the pressure from the emperor almost froze the air.
He spoke word by word, his voice carrying the force of thunder.
"Zhou Yan'an."
"What was the reason for the purple light behind you just now?"
Zhou Yan'an was still kneeling on the ground without raising his head, but his voice was clearly heard throughout the side hall.
"Your Majesty, this is just a trivial skill, not worth mentioning."
"That's not some miracle, just a trick of some common mineral powders."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar!
The ecstasy on Lu Jiuxiao's face froze in an instant, as if someone had poured a basin of ice water on his head, chilling him from head to toe.
"You...you're talking nonsense!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs.
Zhou Yan'an then slowly raised his head, and there was a hint of sarcasm on his usually serious face.
He looked at Lu Jiuxiao as if he was looking at a clown.
"Master Lu, what you call auspicious purple air is nothing more than saltpeter and sulfur mixed with some specific mineral powders."
He paused and explained in a steady voice.
"Once these powders are placed in a humid environment, they react with each other and produce a large amount of colored smoke."
"The corridor was just swept by palace servants, so the ground is still damp, but there's not enough moisture, so the smoke only appears briefly."
His eyes swept across the roof of the hall, his tone firm.
"But in the evening, when the air humidity is high and the airflow is relatively stable, a special mechanism can send a large amount of smoke to the roof."
"Then the smoke will gather above Changle Palace and linger for a long time. From afar, won't it look like a purple auspicious cloud?"
Zhou Yan'an's words were like heavy hammers, hitting everyone's heart hard!
He used the calmest tone to expose the most shocking scam!
It turns out that the "Purple Air Circling" that shocked the entire capital and made countless people worship it was such a simple man-made forgery!
Lu Jiuxiao's legs went limp and he collapsed completely to the ground, his eyes unfocused and only unconscious murmurs emanating from his mouth.
The emperor's face was so gloomy that water could drip out of it. He looked at Chen He, and for the first time, there was real scrutiny and fear in his eyes.
How many hidden cards does Shen He, whom he once disdained, have that he doesn't know about?
As for Chen He, he simply met the emperor's gaze, bent his knees slightly, and spoke in a cold but firm voice.
"Your Majesty, this is only the first 'miracle'."
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