"The Empress Dowager only believes in the facts!
The poison was found in your room, what else do you have to say?
Xiao NingâEr, itâs true you are the niece of the Empress Dowager, but the one you attempted to harm is the Empress Dowagerâs son, the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!
For conspiring to harm the Emperor, the law dictates the execution of your entire family. Considering that the Dukeâs Mansion is my maiden home, I will not implicate the Dukeâs Mansion in this matter, so you alone shall be executed!"
"I... I didnât!
I didnât, Aunt, please believe me!
I beg you, please believe me!"
The Empress Dowager lifted her foot, flinging off the hem of her skirt which Xiao NingâEr was clutching, and coldly ordered, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry and drag her out for execution!"
No one dared to defy the Empress Dowagerâs command, and immediately, three or four palace guards came in, dragging Xiao NingâEr by her arms to take her outside!
Xiao NingâEr resisted while pleading for the Empress Dowager to hear her explanation, shouting her grievances loudly.
The people in the hall were all extremely indifferent; at this time, the Empress Dowager was enraged, and since this concerned plotting against the Emperor, no one dared to speak out, fearing that they might also get implicated in the conspiracy to harm the Emperor!
However, there was one person who, as Xiao NingâEr was being dragged out of the Great Hall, suddenly knelt down.
"Empress Dowager, the matter has not been thoroughly investigated, there is more to it than meets the eye; I beg you to calm your anger and not execute Miss NingâEr yet!"
The Empress Dowager was astonished at these words and looked at the person pleading.
"Xie PanâEr! Are you pleading for Xiao NingâEr?"
Upon hearing these words, Xie PanâEr kowtowed to the Empress Dowager, her forehead touching the ground: "Your Highness! I am not pleading!"
"Not pleading?
Then what do you mean?"
"Your Highness! I am pleading for life, pleading for the Emperorâs life!"
"Audacious! Are you cursing the Emperor?"
"No! Your Highness, you misunderstood, I meant to say that the real culprit has not been caught yet. If you execute Miss NingâEr now, and we fail to find the real culprit, the Emperor will still be in danger!"
"You mean, NingâEr is not the real culprit?"
This question frightened Xie PanâEr from answering, yet she affirmed her previous words!
"Your Highness! Miss Xieâs intention is not to say that Miss NingâEr is not the real culprit, but that we have no conclusive evidence proving Miss NingâEr is the culprit!"
Ji Youzhi quickly saluted to the Empress Dowager!
Upon hearing Ji Youzhiâs words, the Empress Dowager quickly glanced at him, and asked, "But the poison was found in her room!"
Ji Youzhi quickly replied, "We only found a packet of medicine inside; we have not yet had the Imperial Physician examine whether it is indeed the poison that the Emperor was afflicted with!"
As Ji Youzhi spoke, the Empress Dowager immediately looked towards the Imperial Physicians present.
One Imperial Physician stepped forward, quickly took the packet in hand to examine it, and reported, "Your Highness, this is indeed the powdered poison that the Emperor was afflicted with!"
This result made Xiao NingâErâs legs go soft, but the inner guards held her tightly, not allowing her to collapse!
"Did you hear, Divine Hunter Ji! This was the poison found in her room!
What more explanation is there?"
Ji Youzhi saluted and said, "Even so, I must presume innocence. Currently, the only source of the poison entering the Emperorâs system that we can identify is the wild vegetable pancakes.
The wild vegetable pancakes were personally made by Miss Xie, and the raw materials were provided by the Imperial Kitchen, which involves numerous possibilities!
The main issue is that all the wild vegetable pancakes were consumed by the Emperor. Whether they were poisoned also needs verification!
Another possibility is the tableware; the Emperorâs tableware and Miss Xieâs tableware had no issues, leaving only Miss NingâErâs tableware.
But the current issue is that Miss NingâErâs tableware has disappeared, yet Captain Long Wu and his men found a packet of poison in her room!"
The more Ji Youzhi explained, the more grave the Empress Dowagerâs face became, "We cannot find the tableware, yet we found the poison!"
"Your Highness is wise, indeed that is the logic. If Miss NingâEr intended to poison the Emperor, she would know to destroy the related tableware, yet does not destroy the poison, instead openly placing it in her own room, she must be either too clever or too foolish!"
Ji Youzhi quickly saluted and said.
Xie PanâEr also pleaded along, "Your Highness! To save a life is to build a seven-storied pagoda; with your great compassion, you surely wouldnât want an unjust spirit to be harmed without cause in this palace. The matter of Miss NingâErâs poisoning should be thoroughly investigated!"