Chapter 48: Scapegoating

Chapter 48: Scapegoating

Despite her age, Li Mammy’s eyes were sharp. Upon seeing the figurines wrapped in red cloth, she stepped back in shock and exclaimed, "Witchcraft and cursing technique... Noble Consort Jiang, you dared to curse the Dowager Empress... Your Majesty, you must thoroughly investigate this!"

"Silence!" Xiao Sheng stood up from his chair, staring at the object in Sheng An's hand, his voice eerily calm, "What is written there? Read it out."

"Yes," Sheng An, his sweat suddenly turning cold, swallowed hard and picked up the leftmost figurine. Rotating it to reveal the dark red inscriptions, he slowly read, "Year of Jiyou, Month of Wuyin, Day of Yiwei, Hour of Jichen, Zhao Clan... Zhao Ruyun..."

Sheng An's voice trembled as he read the name "Ruyun." Li Mammy looked frightened, angry, and shocked, trying several times to speak but retreating each time under the Emperor's intimidating glare.

"Continue," Xiao Sheng's voice remained as calm as ever.

Sheng An, having no choice, picked up the second figurine and continued hesitantly, "…Year of Ji Si, Month of Ji Si, Day of Ji You, Hour of Jia Zi, Zhao Clan..."

Sheng An suddenly knelt on the ground, drenched in sweat, too afraid to continue.

Xiao Sheng's eyebrows didn't move, he coldly ordered, "Read."

Sheng An, terrified, glanced up at the Emperor and stammered, "...Zhao Clan... Shuning..."

After reading, Sheng An prostrated himself, not daring to look at the Emperor’s expression.

Li Mammy stepped back, accidentally stepping on the discarded shovel, her skirt getting dirty. She hastily exclaimed, "Your Majesty, the Dowager Empress is in danger! Someone is plotting against her!"

Then, turning to glare at Jiang Hui, her voice sharp, "Noble Consort Jiang, what are your intentions by hiding such things in Yaohua Palace?!"

Jiang Hui pressed her lips together, struggled to stand up using the chair's armrest, knelt before the Emperor, and said coldly, "Your Majesty, this is a frame-up."

Hearing this, Li Mammy wanted to say more, but the Emperor ignored her, helping Jiang Hui back to her chair, still focusing on Sheng An, he slowly instructed, "Sheng An, read."

"…Yes." Sheng An shakily raised his head, picked up the last grey-white figurine, carefully avoiding the area with silver needles, and stuttered, "...Year of Gui Si, Month of Ji Wei, Day of Geng Zi, Hour of Ding Chou, Xiao Clan... Xiao Clan..."

"I deserve to die!" Sheng An deeply bowed his head.

It was the Emperor's birthdate, and Sheng An dared not read any further.

Li Mammy's eyes, however, were fixed on Jiang Hui, she solemnly accused, "Your Majesty, Noble Consort Jiang plotted to curse you and the Dowager Empress, even targeting the pregnant Min Jieyu, intending to use the power of Marquis Ningyuan to ascend her young son to the throne, replicating the precedent of the former dynasty’s Princess Protector. Please, Your Majesty, administer severe punishment!"

With the sole son of the Emperor and the backing of a powerful external family, they had even crafted a motive for Jiang Hui.

Xiao Sheng's brows furrowed deeply, and in a fit of rage, he kicked a chair towards Li Mammy, exclaiming, "Insolence!"

"Your Majesty, please calm down, please calm down!" Sheng An hurriedly stepped forward to hold Xiao Sheng’s leg, "Please don't harm your dragon body!"

Approaching the hour of You, the sun was setting in the west, heavy grey-black clouds pressing overhead. The heatwave continued unabated, the summer cicadas' incessant chirping gradually ceased, making Sheng'an's voice sound particularly sharp and urgent.

"Your Majesty, it looks like a storm is coming. We should take shelter in the hall for now!"

Madam Li, unable to dodge, was struck by a flying armchair, falling to the ground. Yet, she still managed to straighten her back and said loudly, "Would Your Majesty really subvert justice for personal affection?"

"Your Majesty," Jiang Hui, pale-faced but composed, looked directly at Xiao Sheng and calmly said, "I have never believed in spirits, and when writing, I never loop back at the strokes. This puppet is not made by me. Would Your Majesty believe me?"

"Noble Consort Jiang, what if you intentionally carved the words with your left hand or had a maid write them?" Madam Li persisted.

Xiao Sheng, growing more annoyed, said, "Sheng'an, tie her up and gag her!"

He took a few deep breaths before turning back to meet Jiang Hui's gaze, involuntarily tucking her slightly disheveled hair behind her ear.

The gesture was intimate, but his voice was calm, "I will investigate everything thoroughly. For now, Hui'er, you should rest and recuperate in Yaohua Palace."

Having said this, he turned to stare at Hui An, pointing to the puppet in the mahogany box, asking the same question as before, "Master Hui An, are you certain this is the item in question?"

"Amitabha, it is indeed this item," Master Hui An paused from turning his prayer beads, opened his eyes, and after a moment of silence, without looking at the gagged Madam Li, he sighed and changed the subject, "But what I have to say goes beyond this matter."

Madam Li suddenly looked up, making muffled sounds, her eyebrows flashing with surprise and panic.

"This grey-white puppet pierced with silver needles did not target the crucial 'third eye' point. For those of weak constitution, it would cause nothing more than a few days of disturbed sleep," Master Hui An pointed to the magnolia tree mentioned earlier, speaking calmly, "However, another puppet hidden here is the true lethal weapon."

There's another one?

Sheng'an looked up in astonishment, uncertainly at Master Hui An, and then heard the Emperor's grave voice: "Sheng'an, go dig."

"Yes," Sheng An complied, picking up an iron shovel from the ground and resuming his digging.

He dug deeper and deeper, navigating through the thick roots of the magnolia tree, which inevitably slowed his progress.

Suddenly, a thunderclap echoed from the horizon, and the evening breeze turned cool. Large raindrops began to fall one by one, quickly turning into a torrential downpour.

Under the corridor, Xiao Sheng moved to carry Jiang Hui back to the warm pavilion, but she stopped him with a hand.

The woman's delicate hand slid from his arm and rested on the decorative sword at the emperor's waist. Her gaze, however, remained intently fixed on Sheng An, working in the rain, "Your Majesty, if I am to die, let it be with understanding."

"Hui..." Xiao Sheng murmured the name, ultimately fetching clothes from the warm chamber to drape over Jiang Hui.

"Found it, found it!"

Sheng An's voice, tinged with excitement, cut through the rain. Wiping his face, he pried open the copper lock of the newly unearthed rosewood box with his shovel, then hurried under the corridor, shielding the box beneath his indigo robe.

He then pulled out a soaked handkerchief from his bosom, wiped the mud off the box, and opened its lid.

The same red cloth wrapped around something inside.

Sheng An, acting of his own accord, unfurled the red cloth, revealing two grey-white figurines, one larger than the other, both marked and pierced with needles.

This time, however, a long silver needle was deeply embedded in the forehead of the figurines.

Perhaps due to the torrential rain, Li Mammy began to shiver uncontrollably.

"Read," Xiao Sheng ordered upon seeing the two figurines, his expression darkening.

"Yes." Sheng An carefully glanced at the emperor's face and picked up the larger figurine, whispering, "In the year of Bing Shen, in the month of Ji Hai, on the day of Bing Wu, at the time of Ren Chen, Jiang... Jiang... Hui..."

Jiang Hui remained composed, but the emperor grew angry, taking a deep breath to contain himself, "Continue."

Sheng An swallowed hard, shrinking himself as much as possible, kneeling on the ground, feeling as if he was between fire and ice.

"... In the year of Yi Mao, in the month of Wu Yin, on the day of Yi Wei, at the time of Ji Mao, Xiao... Xiao..."

Jiang Hui, staring intently at the figurine, her voice hoarse, commanded, "Read."

"... Xiao... Lang..."