Xie PanâEr couldnât answer this question because at that moment, she inexplicably felt a wave of anger in her heart.
In a fit of anger, she left without even considering whether she should take her dinnerware with her, or whether the servants would clear it after she left!
"Her dinnerware was never cleared; it was always there."
Ji Youzhi looked towards Xiao NingâEr, "What about Miss NingâErâs dinnerware?"
Xiao NingâEr replied, "I donât know where my dinnerware is! I went to find my cousin carrying a food box, and my utensils were taken from the food box!"
Ji Youzhi frowned at this: "So, did Miss NingâEr eat anything from the table?"
Xiao NingâEr thought for a moment, then shook her head, "I didnât eat!"
"Didnât eat?" Ji Youzhi was puzzled, "Why not?"
"I... I was very angry at that time. I personally learned to cook to please my cousin, the Emperor, and it left my hands ruined. But the Emperor didnât even glance at it, he only ate the wild vegetable patties made by Xie PanâEr. I was so upset I couldnât eat anything from the table!"
After Xiao NingâEr had finished explaining, Ji Youzhi understood the situation somewhat!
"So, you didnât eat any food, but you used your chopsticks to serve wild vegetable patties to His Majesty?"
Xiao NingâEr nodded, "Yes! I did! Wait... what do you mean?"
It took Xiao NingâEr a while to react; she asked loudly.
"In the side Palace, among the food and dinnerware that Eunuch Ling had sealed, there were only two sets of bowls and chopsticks!"
Hearing this from Ji Youzhi, Eunuch Ling hurried to the side Palace and brought back those two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
As soon as the bowls and chopsticks appeared, the Emperor exclaimed, "Yes, these are indeed mine and PanâErâs bowls and chopsticks!"
"Guards! Quickly go to Wanhua Palace and bring the bowls and chopsticks used by NingâEr at noon today!"
The Empress Dowager immediately couldnât sit still, her body emanating anger, and she stared intensely into Xiao NingâErâs eyes!
Seeing the Empress Dowager in such furious rage, Xiao NingâEr was so frightened she collapsed, sitting weakly on the ground!
"Aunt! It wasnât me! It really wasnât me!"
"Whether it was you or not, an investigation will reveal!"
After the Empress Dowager said this, Ji Youzhi asked Eunuch Ling, "Didnât Miss NingâEr just say there was a food box?
Where is the food box?"
Eunuch Ling shook his head, "When the servants and I went there, we didnât find any food box!"
"No food box?"
Ji Youzhi felt instinctively that something was wrong.
From outside came the voice of Long Wu.
"Divine Hunter Ji has made a discovery!"
"What discovery?"
Both Ji Youzhi and the Empress Dowager asked in unison.
Long Wu walked in, followed by a guard carrying a tray.
On the tray was a conspicuous small white paper packet!
"This was found in Miss Xiao NingâErâs room!"
Seeing the small paper packet, Xiao NingâEr was completely dumbfounded, she widened her eyes in disbelief.
"This canât be? How could this thing be in my room?"
"If itâs not in your room, then where should it be?"
The Empress Dowager suddenly roared at Xiao NingâEr, standing up from her chair and pointing angrily at her weak resolve!
"Confess to me truthfully! Why did you attempt to harm your cousin, the Emperor?"
Xiao NingâEr was so stunned, she looked at the Empress Dowager in disbelief, murmuring incredulously, "I didnât, Aunt, donât you believe me? I really didnât!"
Xiao NingâErâs cries were pale and powerless.
The Empress Dowager was determined not to listen to her explanations.
"Guards, Xiao NingâEr has an evil heart and intends to harm the Emperor; by my decreed order, she is to be immediately executed by beating!"
With the Empress Dowagerâs command, everyone was dumbstruck.
The most shocked among them were Xie PanâEr and Xiao NingâEr.
Xie PanâEr couldnât believe it; the Empress Dowager was Xiao NingâErâs own aunt! Even if she was angry, she couldnât possibly have her executed!
However, Xiao NingâErâs disbelief was simply beyond words!
"Aunt! But I am your own niece!
And youâre going to beat me to death!"
Xiao NingâEr screamed hoarsely at the Empress Dowager, crawling on her knees to her front!
She suddenly grabbed the Empress Dowagerâs skirt, asking tearfully, "Aunt! Why is this happening?
The poison wasnât mine; I like my cousin, the Emperor, so much, how could I possibly poison him?
Aunt, you know this! NingâEr would never poison her cousin, the Emperor!"
The Empress Dowager slowly bent down, fixing her eyes on hers!