Even Ji Hong’s pupils contracted sharply.
"Princess Consort, you..."
Nan Shiying didn't give Ji Hong a chance to speak. She plunged the blood-stained hairpin into the gaps between the palace maid's fingers again, and then pried open her fingernails.
Tears and snot mixed on her face. The palace maid was already crying uncontrollably, her face filled with terror as she looked at the smiling Nan Shiying. She felt as if she were standing on a cliff's edge and had seen the face of a demon.
"I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
Just as Nan Shiying was about to pry open her third fingernail, the palace maid could no longer hold back and confessed, "It was the Noble Consort, the Noble Consort ordered me to frame Princess Consort. A first-rank female official by the Noble Consort’s side told me that His Majesty detested the Regent King. The Regent King was absent from today's palace banquet, making it the perfect opportunity to frame Princess Consort. That female official also promised me that if I succeeded in falsely accusing you, she would let me become a first-rank female official in her palace. I, I was blinded by greed and did such a wrong thing. I beg Princess Consort to spare my life in consideration of my confession!"
"You slut, how dare you falsely accuse me?"
Zou Yun'er’s eyes widened in disbelief. When had she ever told this slut to frame Nan Shiying? What had she said to her? This was simply fabrication.
Furious, she stepped forward and slapped the palace maid hard, shouting angrily, "Speak, whose person are you? Not only did you falsely accuse the Princess Consort, but you also tried to frame me?"
As Zou Yun'er spoke, she turned to Nan Shiying and earnestly explained, "Princess Consort, today's incident was absolutely not done by me. I never ordered this slut to do such a thing."
"Moreover, I don't even know her!"
"Your Highness, I was afraid Your Highness might turn on me later, so I stole a handkerchief from that female official," the palace maid said, no longer caring about her bloody hands. She took a handkerchief from her bosom.
Upon seeing the handkerchief, Zou Yun'er's expression immediately changed.
This Yunying cloth handkerchief was made from the scraps of the fine Yunying cloth sent by the Imperial Wardrobe. There were four such handkerchiefs, which she had bestowed upon her four personal attending maids.
Besides those four handkerchiefs, there was likely no fifth one in the entire imperial palace. But… but how could this be? How could her attending maids do something like this behind her back?
Zou Yun'er glanced at Ji Hong. Could it be His Majesty?
Ji Hong’s already furrowed brow twisted even tighter upon meeting Zou Yun'er's gaze. What was that look? Was she suspecting him? But earlier, in the great hall, hadn't she tacitly admitted that this palace maid was her arrangement?
Zou Yun'er naturally thought of this too, her expression changing again. She suddenly felt as if she had fallen into someone else's trap.
Damn it!
Zou Yun'er cursed inwardly.
As everyone watched Zou Yun'er's changing expression, their hearts suddenly trembled. Just a few minutes ago, no one could have imagined that things would have developed to this point. Those who had watched coldly, waiting for Nan Shiying's downfall, could no longer smile.
On the other hand, the military commanders who had previously cursed Nan Shiying now found it difficult to suppress their laughter.
"Noble Consort, you surely recognize this handkerchief, don't you!" the palace maid gritted her teeth, seemingly wanting to bite Zou Yun'er, to tear off a piece of flesh and offer it to Nan Shiying to save her own life.
Zou Yun'er's expression shifted repeatedly. She looked at the palace maid and insisted, "This is just an ordinary handkerchief, how would I possibly recognize it?"
The palace maid let out a cold laugh. Holding up the still blood-stained handkerchief, she said to everyone, "Isn't the dress Your Highness is wearing today made of the same fabric as this handkerchief? I come from the Imperial Wardrobe, how could I not know that this Yunying Luo dress Your Highness is wearing, made of Yunying cloth, is the only one of its kind in the entire capital? Because the Huang Shang only presented this piece of Yunying cloth this year."
"The entire imperial palace, and even the entire capital, only has you, Your Highness, possessing this Yunying cloth."
"Does Your Highness still claim not to recognize it?"
At this point, the Noble Consort Zou calmed down instead. The palace maid's blatant accusation against her clearly indicated it was not His Majesty's doing. If not His Majesty, then today's matter seemed rather peculiar. She couldn't quite figure out if the mastermind was targeting Nan Shiying, or herself, or perhaps trying to kill two birds with one stone.
She couldn't figure out the other party's true intentions for the moment, but she was no longer as angry and panicked.
"So what? Should I remember a mere piece of cloth?"
The palace maid's face instantly became contorted. "Your Majesty, I am willing to confront the first-rank female official by the Noble Consort’s side!"
"Enough!"
Ji Hong abruptly waved his sleeve, stopping the palace maid from further accusing Zou Yun'er.
The palace maid knew well that if she couldn't drag Zou Yun'er down with her today, then even if the Regent Consort was willing to spare her life, her master behind her would absolutely not let her off easily.
She had originally thought that by revealing Nan Shiying's actions today, she would be rewarded with wealth and honor. She never expected that the body that was clearly thrown into a dry well had actually disappeared. However, she also firmly remembered her master's words: if things took a turn, she was to implicate Zou Yun'er. As long as she completed one of these two tasks, she would be considered to have fulfilled her mission.
She bore the Emperor's wrath, her voice hoarse as she shouted, "Your Majesty, please allow me to confront the Noble Consort's palace maid!"
"You..."
Ji Hong was burning with anger. He turned to the guards and shouted, "Why aren't you quickly taking this nonsensical palace maid away!"
The guards obeyed the order, stepping forward and grabbing the palace maid's shoulders.
At this moment, Nan Shiying grabbed the guard's arm. She looked at Ji Hong with a smile that was not a smile, mockingly saying, "Is His Majesty the Emperor enraged by shame? Now that I am being framed, do I not have the right to know the truth of the matter? Or does His Majesty believe that I am merely a woman, and can be bullied as he pleases? If that is the case, I must return to my residence and ask the Prince, is this how Lin Yuan Kingdom treats the families of court officials?"
"Also, Your Majesty wouldn't forget the most important thing, would he!"
"Where is Madam Xunyang?"
"Looking at how confident this palace maid is, I fear she really prepared a corpse, didn't she? Whose corpse was prepared? Was it Madam Xunyang's? If so…"
Nan Shiying's words were left unfinished, but the meaning was clear. Everyone who heard this was slightly stunned, and then their faces all changed greatly.
If that were true, then this was simply, simply… extremely malicious!