Feng Guche raised his eyes to look at Mu Chenshuang and said in a deep voice, "What do you mean by those words, Princess Weiyang?"
"What I mean is that there will be evidence to prove that Her Majesty the Empress was framed."
She had barely finished speaking when a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Shen Nanzhi stride into the main hall with an imposing aura. His gaze fell on Consort Li in an instant.
Consort Li noticed Shen Nanzhi's gaze. Although it was only for a brief moment, it felt as if a pair of hands were choking her, making it hard for her to breathe.
Shen Nanzhi walked up to Feng Guche, bowed respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Li framed the Empress in order to cover up the real mastermind."
Feng Guche stared intently at Shen Nanzhi and asked in a stern tone, "General Shen, why do you say that Consort Li framed the Empress?"
Shen Nanzhi suddenly knelt on one knee and pleaded guilty, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. Because of the urgency of the situation, I took the liberty of going to the Imperial Household Department to investigate."
Feng Guche said with a stern face, "I will not pursue General Shen's recklessness and dereliction of duty for the time being. Rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"What did General Shen find out?"
Shen Nanzhi stood up and replied, "Your Majesty, I found no problems with the daily records of the incense delivered to Her Majesty's palace by the Imperial Household Department. However, today the incense in Her Majesty's palace was made of Sang Yunluo, and the scent of incense made from this flower is very similar to the scent of the rose, which is Her Majesty's favorite flower. Therefore, someone must have tampered with it beforehand."
Feng Guche listened to Shen Nanzhi's words and glanced at Qi Zhen.
Qi Zhen replied, "The fragrance of this mulberry vine is indeed extremely similar to that of a rose."
Feng Guche withdrew his gaze and asked in a serious tone, "How can this prove that the Empress did not switch it herself?"
Shen Nanzhi replied, “Your Majesty, the Sangyunluo flower, being an extremely yin flower, is extremely rare. I inquired with the head of the Imperial Household Department, and he said that there are no incense made from this flower in the palace. In other words, this incense needs to be smuggled into the palace from outside. What makes this flower special is that its growth cycle is extremely long, and it can only be found in the Lingbei area. To ensure that the Sangyunluo retains its original fragrance after being made into incense, the process is extremely complex. Therefore, very small quantities of this incense are produced, and it is basically only supplied to the nobles of Lingbei.”
"So, putting aside how Her Majesty the Empress obtained this incense, even if she really wanted it, it would take at least two months to send it to the capital. Consort Rong was diagnosed with pregnancy only a little over half a month ago. Could it be that Her Majesty the Empress knew about Consort Rong's pregnancy in advance?"
With a solemn expression, Feng Guche looked at Qi Zhen and asked, "Sect Leader Qi, is what General Shen said true?"
"indeed."
"Your Majesty, if I remember correctly, Consort Ling is the daughter of a noble family in Lingbei. Why don't we invite Consort Ling to come and ask her questions?"
These words were spoken.
Feng Guche ordered someone to summon Consort Ling.
However, as soon as the eunuch stepped out of the main hall, he saw Consort Ling rushing over.
Everyone noticed the commotion and looked outside the main hall. They saw Consort Ling stride in with a heavy expression and kneel directly in front of Feng Guche.
"Your Majesty, I have come specifically to apologize to Her Majesty the Empress."
When Consort Li heard Consort Ling's words, her eyes widened in disbelief and horror.
Feng Guche stared at her, "Why has Consort Ling come to plead guilty?"
"It was due to my negligence that Her Majesty the Empress was framed."
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