Huaifu knelt on the ground, and the others quickly followed suit. Huaifu trembled as he said, "Your Majesty, it's...it's a doll!"
Voodoo Doll!
Everyone who heard of it turned pale.
Tears streamed down Ye Qingxue's face as she said, "Your Majesty, this thing doesn't belong to me. I know nothing about witchcraft! Just now... just now only the Empress touched me, when I was pulling on the Empress..."
Huaifu placed the doll on a plate and presented it to the emperor. The doll was dressed in a dragon robe, and the emperor's birth date was written on the back!
They actually cursed the emperor!
The emperor was furious and slammed the doll away: "Investigate! I want to see who dares to practice witchcraft in the palace and then frame the Ye family's young lady!"
Empress Shen's face paled slightly: "Your Majesty, is it possible... that Miss Ye prepared this doll herself? She didn't hide it properly and it fell out?"
Ye Qingxue immediately said, "Your Majesty, my father fought for the Great Zhou and for Your Majesty all his life. He is my lifelong faith. Even if it is only for my father, I would never use a curse on you!"
"Besides, if I were to perform this spell, why would I bring the doll into the palace and wait to be discovered, thus losing my head?"
The emperor remained silent, but his expression conveyed a sense of impending doom, and no one dared to utter a sound.
Only Ye Qingxue continued, "Your Majesty, why don't you think about it? Who led you here? And who led me here?"
It's the Empress!
Ye Qingxue asked again, "And who else could easily obtain the fabric to make a dragon robe without arousing suspicion?"
If Empress Shen didn't quite understand why the witchcraft puppets had appeared before, she understood after Ye Qingxue spoke.
This witchcraft puppet is aimed at her!
The emperor's face turned ashen: "Guards, search the Empress's Phoenix Palace!"
Upon receiving the order, Cui Shao, who was waiting outside, responded "Yes" and quickly led his guards to Fengwu Palace!
Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo conspired to frame her, so Fengwu Palace must not be clean. Thinking this, Empress Shen crawled on her knees toward the Emperor and grabbed the hem of his robe on his knees.
"Your Majesty, I have been framed. My heart is as clear as day and night. Please do not be deceived." Empress Shen's tears streamed down her face, making her look pitiful.
The Emperor straightened up slightly and wiped away her tears with his thumb. Empress Shen thought he believed her to some extent, but instead, she heard the Emperor say:
"No one has said that the Empress was responsible for the witchcraft, and there is no evidence pointing to her. Why did she beg for mercy so early? Is she feeling guilty?"
As he spoke the last word, the emperor pressed his thumb heavily on Empress Shen's cheek, dispelling all color and turning her skin deathly pale.
He leaned forward, looking down at her as if he wanted to crush Empress Shen into dust.
Empress Shen was slightly stunned before she realized that, as the Emperor had said, there was currently no one to accuse her, nor any evidence to accuse her... Ye Qingxue and Yun Zhuo had even taken her reaction into account.
"Your Majesty, these are the things I found in Fengwu Palace." Cui Shao quickly returned with his men, carrying a tray, and presented the items.
The emperor slowly straightened up, released Empress Chen's face, and looked at the tray.
There are sachets embroidered with a five-clawed dragon pierced by a thousand arrows.
There were also incantations written with blood and cinnabar mixed together, each sentence pointing to the emperor.
The emperor spilled the plate.
Everyone knelt down, their voices trembling as they cried out in unison, "Your Majesty, please calm
The emperor closed his eyes and twirled the beads. After a long while, he said, "I never knew that such demonic tricks were hidden beneath the Empress's seal!"
His voice was not loud, but it was full of authority, like a poisoned ice blade.
"The Empress has been plagued by nightmares lately, which may be due to offending the Moon God. From this day forward, she shall remain in the palace and recite the 'Admonitions for Women' one hundred times. The Phoenix Seal shall be temporarily entrusted to the Virtuous Consort. Without my personal decree, she shall not step out of the palace gates."
"Anything involving witchcraft or sorcery shall be thoroughly investigated by the Court of Judicial Review. If I find out anyone else has been tainted by these filthy things..." The emperor's gaze swept over the trembling palace servants, "...and they shall not be spared!"
Empress Shen said, "Your Majesty, I have been wronged!"
Yun Chi said, "Father, Mother would never do such a thing. She has been married to you for many years, why would she curse you?"
Fang Bingzhi and other officials said, "We urge Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this case to prevent Her Majesty the Empress from suffering an unjust injustice!"
The emperor listened to their pleas without interrupting, and only said after they had finished speaking: "I have heard your pleas."
But I don't intend to pay any attention to it.
He leaned in again, pinching Empress Shen's chin so hard he almost crushed her jawbone: "I confined you for less than two months last time, and you already harbored resentment towards me, so you resorted to this kind of witchcraft. Your Majesty is quite something."
Ye Qingxue lowered her gaze to the ground. She had actually come up with another reason to give Empress Shen a motive for committing the crime.
As a result, the emperor gave it to him himself.
He shoved Empress Shen's chin away, "Drag her away!"
Empress Shen knew that the situation was hopeless and there was no way to turn things around for the time being, so she glared hatefully at Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue.
She was indeed caught off guard by the witchcraft accusation, but was their purpose merely to frame her with witchcraft?
As Empress Shen was gradually being pulled away, she heard Yun Zhuo say, "Father, Your Majesty the Empress is practicing this witchcraft, which is truly against the virtues of Heaven. It is hard to guarantee that the Great Zhou, which has enjoyed many years of good weather and abundant harvests, will not be struck by disaster from Heaven!"
"If the floods don't come in June, what about the locust plagues in August? What about the frost in the dead of winter? We must always take precautions!"
"Perhaps the fact that Seventh Brother has been bullied to this extent is a warning!"
"Furthermore, reducing the amount of grain sent to the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom by 50,000 shi is a concession that Princess Lingyang should make, and it is a gesture of sincerity that the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom should express!"
The emperor pondered for a long time: "Granted!"
Yun Zhuo and Ye Qingxue remained kneeling on the ground, showing no signs of distress.
They schemed step by step to make Empress Shen lose her voice, to strike at the Prince Ding's faction and silence them, and to reduce the amount of grain sent to the Heavenly Eagle Holy Kingdom!
Victory!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
