"How could there be poison in your mulberry leaves?!"
Lin Wanwan's exclamation, filled with shock and disbelief, was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples throughout the silkworm-raising ceremony!
Poisonous?!
Consort Hui's mulberry leaves were actually poisonous?!
This realization plunged everyone, who had just recovered from the chaos of the "fire," back into immense shock and panic.
Everyone's gaze instinctively focused on Consort Hui's swollen and red hand, and on the tragically dead silkworm in front of her.
The evidence is irrefutable!
Consort Hui, the person involved, was completely stunned by this sudden turn of events that was entirely beyond her expectations.
She looked at her swollen, red hands, then at the vibrant green mulberry leaf she had thrown away on the ground. Her mind went blank, filled only with endless fear.
how so?
How could this be...? Are my mulberry leaves poisonous?!
That's impossible!
That's absolutely impossible!
Clearly... clearly poisonous mulberry leaves should have been given to that bitch!
"Quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"
Lin Wanwan's voice stood out clearly and calmly amidst the chaos. While showing extreme concern for her "good sister," she immediately issued her first order to the guards beside her.
"Seal off the scene! No one is allowed to move around! Protect... all evidence!"
She deliberately emphasized the word "evidence".
The guards immediately obeyed and quickly surrounded the entire altar area.
Lin Wanwan, however, still held Hui Pin's hand tightly, her face filled with "worry" and "confusion".
She looked at Consort Hui, her clear eyes filled with innocence and bewilderment.
As if she had suddenly discovered something, she pointed to the small bamboo basket in front of Consort Hui and asked in an extremely "confused" tone:
"Oh? My dear sister, look at this mulberry leaf basket of yours, how come... how come it's so similar to the imperial mulberry basket I used when I was worshipping the Silkworm Goddess just now?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's eyes immediately fell on the bamboo basket.
really!
That bamboo basket, in terms of material, size, and even the bright yellow ribbon tied to it, was exactly the same as the "Imperial Mulberry Basket" that the eunuch in charge of ceremonies had just presented to the Empress!
The mulberry baskets in front of the other concubines were just ordinary blue bamboo baskets.
Consort Hui's heart sank!
How could she not know! This mulberry basket was the one they planned to give to Lin Wanwan!
But... how could it appear right in front of me?!
"This...this...I don't know..." Consort Hui's lips began to tremble uncontrollably, and she stammered.
Lin Wanwan, however, seemed oblivious to her panic and continued to ask her "innocent" questions in that "naive" tone.
She looked around, her gaze sweeping over the palace servants who also looked terrified, her brows furrowed as if she were trying to recall something.
"I remember now... There was a fire just now, and the scene was chaotic. I recall... it seemed like someone touched your mulberry basket during the chaos, sister? Sister, do you remember?"
This question was like a sharp knife, piercing straight into Consort Hui's heart!
Of course she remembers!
In the chaos, it was Xiao Luzi, who was in charge of switching the mulberry leaves, who took advantage of the confusion to place the basket of poisonous mulberry leaves in the corner of the altar!
But now, that corner is completely empty!
But the basket of poisonous mulberry leaves, without anyone noticing, had somehow appeared right in front of him!
What on earth is going on?!
"No...no! Nobody touched her!" Consort Hui denied, almost screaming.
She can't admit it!
If it's admitted that someone touched it, wouldn't that mean the mulberry leaf wasn't hers to begin with?
Her vehement denial, however, only made things more... obvious to everyone else.
Lin Wanwan looked at her panicked appearance and sneered inwardly, but her face still showed the same "trying to help think" expression.
Her gaze slowly swept across the crowd.
Then, as if she had suddenly discovered a new continent, her eyes lit up!
She raised her hand and pointed to a shifty-eyed eunuch in the crowd who was desperately trying to shrink back and hide himself.
"I remember now!"
Her voice rose a few decibels, filled with the surprise of "suddenly realizing something".
"That's him!"
"When the fire started just now, I saw with my own eyes that it was this little eunuch who was sneaking around you, my sister!"
"I think he looks... he looks so familiar. He seems... he seems to be someone from your Jingyang Palace, sister?"
"boom--!"
Lin Wanwan's last question was like the heaviest battering ram, smashing open Consort Hui's already crumbling psychological defenses!
It’s over!
It's completely over!
Xiao Luzi, she recognized him!
And she herself just denied it, saying that no one had touched her mulberry leaf basket!
This...this is an inexplicable vicious cycle!
Consort Hui's mind went blank for a moment, as if "buzzing" in her head.
Looking at Lin Wanwan's seemingly "innocent" face, which was actually pressing her relentlessly, she felt, for the first time, a fear that came from the bottom of her heart and penetrated to the bone!
devil!
This woman is a devil!
She...she knew all along?!
She knew everything all along?!
This realization struck Consort Hui like a bolt of lightning.
She finally realized that, from beginning to end, she was just a ridiculous pawn being manipulated!
Overwhelmed by fear, she lost all reason.
Her only thought was... to get her guilty!
She whirled around, pointed at Xiao Luzi, who had been dragged out by the guards and whose face was ashen, and screamed in an almost frantic, hysterical voice:
"It's him! It must be him!"
"He made a mistake! It was that damned lackey who failed in his duty and mistakenly placed the poisoned mulberry leaves here with me!"
She tried to shift all the blame onto the young eunuch.
She thought that if she sacrificed him, she might still have a chance to survive!
However, she was still too naive.
She underestimated the baseness of human nature in the face of death.
They also underestimated the supreme pressure contained in the cold eyes of the emperor who had been sitting on the dragon throne, observing coldly.
The eunuch named Xiao Luzi, who was identified, was being held down by two imperial guards and dragged to the center of the hall. By then, he was shaking so badly that he was a complete mess.
He felt the icy gaze emanating from the dragon throne, a gaze so cold it could tear him to pieces a thousand times. His mental defenses crumbled instantly!
He knew that he was doomed to die today.
But he didn't want to die alone!
He didn't want to be the sole, foolish scapegoat!
Just as Consort Hui was still screaming, trying to shift all the blame onto him.
Xiao Luzi suddenly raised his head!
With all his might, he pointed at the seemingly insane Consort Hui and let out a thunderous and shrill cry of injustice!
"Your Majesty, please see the truth! I'm innocent! This servant is innocent!"
"It's Consort Hui!"
"It was her! She ordered the servants to secretly switch the poisoned mulberry leaves with the Empress! She said that once it was done, she would falsely accuse the Empress of framing her!"
"This servant...this servant was just confused for a moment, I was just following orders! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life! I beg Your Majesty to spare my life!"
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