Chapter 38 Jiang Nan, are you crazy?
Kangxi sneered inwardly, but remained outwardly calm as he handed the doll to the Empress.
The Empress took the doll and pretended to examine the note carefully, her brows furrowing more and more.
After a long while, she raised her head, her face showing disbelief and extreme shock.
His gaze suddenly shot towards Jiang Nan, his voice trembling with heartache.
"This...this handwriting...Granny, come and take a look, why does this look so much like the handwriting of Consort Jiang from Yongshou Palace?"
Her trusted old nanny immediately stepped forward and took the baby.
He squinted and looked again, then sighed heavily and bowed to Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, this old servant observes that the handwriting... is indeed extremely similar to that of Consort Jiang."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall turned their gazes like sharp arrows, focusing on Jiang Nan.
Shock, doubt, fear, schadenfreude…
Various gazes converged upon him.
If it were an ordinary concubine, she would be accused of the heinous crime of witchcraft, which could harm the imperial heir.
They were probably terrified and collapsed to the ground.
However, Jiang Nan simply picked up the teacup beside her with a calm expression and gently blew away the foam.
It was as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.
That's it? Imitating handwriting? Can't you come up with something more original?
She was even a little disappointed.
Seeing her so calm, the Empress felt a sudden unease.
But with the arrow already on the string, she had no choice but to release it, and immediately shouted sharply.
"Guards! Seize this murderer, the Guarjia clan member, who used witchcraft to murder the Crown Prince!"
Upon hearing the noise, the guards outside the hall sprang into action and prepared to enter.
"Wait a minute!"
Kangxi suddenly raised his hand to stop him, his gaze deep as he looked at Jiang Nan, his tone complex.
"Guarjia Jiangnan, how do you explain the writing on this witchcraft doll?"
He was giving Jiang Nan a chance to defend herself.
Jiang Nan put down her teacup, slowly stood up, and bowed to Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, may I first examine this so-called evidence of guilt with my own eyes?"
Kangxi gave her a deep look and handed her the doll.
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Jiang Nan took the rough rag doll and examined it carefully, turning it over and over in her hands.
He even pinched the stuffing inside with his fingers, his face showing undisguised disgust.
She looked up, her tone slightly teasing.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, look at this doll... it's really ugly. The stitches are crooked, the fabric is rough and cheap, and the stuffing feels prickly to the touch. The craftsmanship... tsk tsk, if I knew which servant in Yongshou Palace was responsible, I would immediately send it back to the Imperial Household Department. It's too shameful and has lowered the status of Yongshou Palace."
Her offhand comment instantly made the tense atmosphere in the hall turn strange.
Even the Empress Dowager couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
The Empress was so angry at her dismissive attitude that her face turned pale, and she rebuked her.
"Guarjia Jiangnan, you are insolent! The evidence is conclusive, yet you still dare to speak so eloquently. The vicious curses on this are your handwriting. What else do you have to say? Could it be that you are malicious and cannot bear to see the young prince doing well, so you deliberately cursed him?"
Jiang Nan then turned her gaze to the Empress, a mocking smile on her face.
"Your Majesty, please don't be in such a hurry to condemn me. I'm watching this closely."
She picked up the doll and shook it.
"Any palace maid who knows needlework could make this, right? As for the handwriting..."
She scoffed.
"The imitation is too crude. It is similar in form but not in spirit. It only captures the surface and not the essence. As long as someone pays a little attention and studies, it is not difficult to imitate my handwriting."
Her gaze swept across the entire room, finally landing on the Empress's face, and her tone suddenly turned sharp.
"According to Your Majesty's wishes, if one day someone uses such crude methods to imitate the Empress Dowager's handwriting and pastes it on this doll, would Your Majesty also assert that it was done by the Empress Dowager herself? And who would she be trying to curse?"
"How dare you!"
The queen was so angry at her analogy that she trembled.
"How dare you, Your Majesty?"
Jiang Nan did not back down at all. Instead, she stepped forward and stared intently at the Empress.
"Your Majesty, I think you are truly audacious. You dare to accuse me of murdering the imperial heir based solely on this flawed and easily made contraption? If that's the case, then one day I could make a doll and write some treasonous words on it in your handwriting, and wouldn't that also prove that you, Your Majesty, are courting death and committing suicide?"
"Enough!"
Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang suddenly spoke up, interrupting the increasingly heated exchange between the two.
She rubbed her increasingly painful temples and said in a deep voice.
"What kind of commotion is this, Your Majesty? If we rely solely on this item, it is indeed difficult to reach a conclusion. Do you have any other evidence? If there is no conclusive proof, let's put this matter aside for now and discuss it again later. I am tired."
The Empress was in a hurry. She hadn't expected to be able to completely defeat Jiang Nan with just a doll; the real killing move was yet to come.
She immediately knelt down, her tone both earnest and resolute.
"Your Majesty, the creation of such an evil object must be a clandestine affair. The necessary materials must still be hidden in the perpetrator's palace. I humbly request Your Majesty and the Emperor's permission to immediately search Yongshou Palace. Any evidence will be readily available. If no evidence is found, I am willing to apologize to Consort Jiang. If evidence is found..."
She didn't say what came next, but the meaning was self-evident.
The Empress Dowager looked at Kangxi: "Xuan Ye, what do you think?"
Kangxi's heart sank.
Search the palace?
Since Hesheli dared to propose searching the palace, she must have made thorough preparations.
It is possible that so-called ironclad evidence was buried in Yongshou Palace.
If something is actually found during the search, it will be under the watchful eyes of everyone, especially with the Empress Dowager present.
Even if he wanted to protect Jiang Nan, there was absolutely no way he could.
He stopped it immediately.
"Grandmother, this matter concerns the peace of the palace and the reputation of the concubines. How can we launch a massive search of the palace based on mere speculation? Such a large-scale operation would likely incur criticism from the previous dynasty and bring shame upon the royal family. In my opinion, it would be better to let Chengrui rest in peace first, and we can discuss this matter later..."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager pondered for a moment, seemingly finding Kangxi's words to be reasonable.
However, just when Kangxi thought he could temporarily suppress the matter—
Jiang Nan panicked. This grand show had just begun; how could this be allowed to continue?
Upon hearing that the Empress wanted to search the palace, she became even more certain of what kind of act the Empress was putting on.
If she doesn't continue this performance, where will she get the MVP award?
"emperor!"
Everyone looked at her in surprise.
Jiang Nan bowed to Emperor Kangxi and the Empress Dowager.
Instead of fear, his face showed indignation at being wronged and an eagerness to prove his innocence.
"Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, I have been unjustly slandered today. If this is not thoroughly investigated and my innocence is not cleared, how will I be able to stand in the palace in the future? What will the people in the harem think of me? I'm afraid everyone will point fingers behind my back and call me a wicked woman who plotted to harm the imperial heir. I refuse to accept this!"
She straightened her back and spoke with unwavering resolve.
“Search! Please issue an order to search the palace. I have acted with integrity and honesty. Yongshou Palace is clean and honest and has nothing to fear from a search. Let the Empress search thoroughly and save her from being suspicious and making unfounded guesses in the future.”
Kangxi was so angry at her words that he almost fainted. He stared at her in astonishment, as if to say, "Nannan, are you crazy?"
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