The Emperor panicked and immediately stepped forward, saying, "Empress Dowager, this is nothing more than Ye Qingxue deliberately framing the Empress and Chi'er. Don't believe her! She's unhappy about what happened to Prince Jing, so she's trying to take it out on the Empress and Chi'er!"
The Empress Dowager patted his hand, telling him to sit down and calm down.
"This matter concerns the fate of the nation and cannot be taken lightly. Since Ye Qingxue has pointed it out, let her produce evidence. If what she said is true, then we can 'set things right'."
"If she cannot produce any evidence, it can be proven that she is framing the Empress and Prince Ding. She can be dragged away and executed, which would clear the Empress and Prince Ding's name."
"Why should the emperor stop it? It would seem like he's favoring the empress and Prince Ding, or trying to cover it up. It wouldn't be good if word got out."
The emperor pursed his lips, his eyes blazing with fury, but with the Empress Dowager present, he could only suppress his anger.
Ye Qingxue observed the emperor's reaction and found it very strange.
Why did the emperor trust the empress and Prince Ding so much?
Last time, she and Yun Zhuo joined forces to frame the Empress for using witchcraft, and the Emperor was clearly furious. Why is it completely different today?
Could it be that because of witchcraft, he must severely punish the Empress, yet he can still spare her life?
But if it is confirmed today that the Empress is not from the Great Zhou and the Prince is not of Great Zhou blood, they will surely die.
The emperor was deeply in love with the empress and couldn't bear to see her die.
Or was the emperor affected by the "thread-pulling spell" and became delirious?
"Ye Qingxue, what are you still standing there for?" The Empress Dowager suddenly spoke, interrupting Ye Qingxue's thoughts.
Yun Chi finally tensed up and subconsciously looked at Empress Shen.
Empress Shen, however, did not take it to heart and even snorted coldly.
"Very well, I'll await your evidence." Empress Shen casually sat down on another chair, her majesty undiminished.
"I'd like to see how the Shen family can prove that I am not the Consort Shen of the past."
Ye Qingxue and Qiu Shen exchanged a glance.
Qiu Shen spoke to the Shen family, and she had already discussed with them how to expose Empress Shen in the palace.
After all, this requires skill.
It's definitely not acceptable to not communicate in advance.
Ye Qingxue then invited Madam Shen forward: "Madam, Empress Shen was born and raised by you personally. You must know better than anyone else if she has any special birthmarks."
Madam Shen glanced at Empress Shen and their eyes met. Empress Shen's eyes revealed no emotion.
Madam Shen shook her head: "Your Highness has no birthmarks. Birthmarks are often considered an ominous sign. When Your Highness was born, the wet nurse even checked her carefully to make sure she had no birthmarks, and believed that Your Highness was destined for good fortune."
Empress Shen snorted coldly, looking at Ye Qingxue provocatively, as if to say: Is this all the tricks you have?
Ye Qingxue said, "May I ask Madam Shen, what happened during Her Highness's upbringing that only you and your daughter know about, and no one else knows?"
Since Empress Shen was going to replace Shen Hongxiu and live in the harem, she must have learned about Shen Hongxiu's habits and life story in advance.
But what they found out was definitely only what everyone already knew. If there were things that only the mother and daughter knew, they certainly wouldn't have been able to find out.
As if remembering something, Madam Shen's breathing quickened, and she looked at Empress Shen again.
She said, "Does Your Majesty still remember what you were holding in your hand when you were seven years old and were punished to kneel in the ancestral hall? What did you say to me at that time?"
Empress Shen's expression froze for a moment.
Ye Qingxue immediately said, "What, can't Empress Shen answer? I'll count to five. If Empress Shen still doesn't answer, then she can't answer. One, two, three, four, five, okay, Empress Shen can't answer."
The Emperor retorted angrily, "It's perfectly normal for me to forget something from so long ago. Seven years old is a full year, 360 days. Do you really remember what you did every single day?"
Madam Shen's chest heaved violently: "It's normal not to remember daily trivialities. But how could you not remember the first time Your Highness was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall when you were seven years old?"
"The Empress's elder brother died young, and I missed him terribly, so I couldn't help but cry every day. The Empress then stole the jade pendant that was her brother's heirloom. After I discovered this, I was punished by being made to kneel in the ancestral hall."
"At that time, the Empress hugged me and said that she felt that I, as a mother, did not love her but only loved my brother, which was why I did such a foolish thing..."
As Madam Shen spoke, tears began to fall.
“I remember every single detail of that day. If Your Majesty were my daughter, how could you have no recollection of it at all?”
Madam Shen walked up to Empress Shen, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls. She raised her hand to wipe them away, her body swaying precariously, but her expression remained strong.
"If Your Majesty does not remember the past events, then please compose a painting of 'Pine and Crane for Longevity' for the Empress Dowager on the spot!"
"The Empress studied painting from a young age, and in her youth, she became famous in the capital for her painting 'Plum Blossoms and Magpies,' which led to her entering the palace as a concubine."
"As long as Your Highness can prove your painting skills, then you will be the lady of my Shen family."
Empress Shen sat motionless in her chair, her back ramrod straight, truly unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed before her.
The Empress Dowager immediately said, "Someone come and prepare writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone for the Empress."
Before long, the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were presented to Empress Shen.
Everyone was watching her, but she didn't move, and there was no fear on her face.
Even Yun Chi was secretly sweating.
Ye Qingxue said, "What? The Empress, who was once famous throughout the capital for her painting skills, doesn't even dare to pick up a brush now?"
Empress Shen's sharp gaze slid away from Madam Shen and landed on Ye Qingxue.
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