The punishment of the female imperial court

Chapter 295 In My Arms
On the other side, Lin Peiyun so openly exposed the back of her neck to everyone, making the old ministers blush and feel embarrassed, and they all avoided looking at her.

She turned around, saw that everyone understood, and continued, "Back then, I sensed that someone wanted to kill me to silence me, and I escaped thanks to my personal maid. You gentlemen only know that this Illusionary Face can change a person's appearance, but you don't know that this Illusionary Face is nothing more than a poor imitation."

"The raw material for the Illusionary Face comes from a poisonous herb in the Southern Frontier. However, the full efficacy of this herb can only be achieved using a secret formula kept secret by the Southern Frontier royal family, which can completely transform a person's appearance. Since he did not know the secret, he could only produce this defective product."

As Yu Qiansi listened to Lin Peiyun's detailed explanation, her expression gradually became serious.

How did she know so clearly?

Lin Peiyun casually revealed these secrets, enough to shock everyone, and continued, "The one who used the real Southern Frontier secret medicine was my personal maid, Jin Huan. When taking this secret medicine, it must be accompanied by the master's blood as a catalyst. When she drinks the master's blood again, she will transform into the master's appearance. This is the method used by the Southern Frontier royal family to cultivate shadows. Back then, when I entered the palace, my elder sister was worried that I had a bad temper and would encounter danger in the palace, so she went to great lengths to find Jin Huan for me and had her drink my blood."

"Whose jade beads are all over the ground?" Yu Qiansi heard the crucial point and raised her head to press for an answer.

“Jade beads?” Lin Peiyun thought for a moment and said, “That seems to be a string of prayer beads that Jin Huan always carries with her. They’re quite ordinary, but she always carries them with her. I thought they were keepsakes left to her by her family.”

Thinking of the string of black stone beads that Shang Fu was wearing, Yu Qiansi's eyes revealed a faint red glow from the embers of a still-burning ember, like a frightened wolf smelling blood.

She shifted her gaze upwards, looking at Wang Song, who was shrouded in shadow by the pillars of the main hall.

Madam Lin gave Xunhuan, who was wearing jade beads, to her younger sister who was about to enter the palace.

Does Madam Lin have dealings with the Ghost Market?

What about the young master? Did he know?
While she was still trying to sort out this unexpected relationship, the court officials couldn't hold back any longer and questioned, "Empress Mingdao's body has already been placed in the imperial mausoleum. How can you say such things without any evidence?"

"I changed my face and lay low for ten years. If I didn't have a basis, I naturally wouldn't dare to show myself rashly."

Lin Peiyun looked at Consort Cao again: "Has no one thought about this question? Why did Consort Cao want to kill me to silence me?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Cao was slightly taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said provocatively, "I am also very curious to know what reason you will give."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jiqing gripped the armrest of his chair tightly. Wang Song noticed this sudden change and looked at him. He quickly lowered his head, pretending to brush the charcoal ash off his clothes, concealing a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

"Because—ten years ago, Consort Cao colluded with Northern Qi! The disastrous defeat at the border that year, and the tragic deaths of many noble families on the frontier, were all because she handed over the border defense map to Northern Qi!"

The crowd was in an uproar.

"Back then, Emperor Ningzong went out of the palace to observe the people's conditions and met Consort Cao, whose origins were unknown, outside the palace. He brought her into the palace and favored her every day. He even allowed her to discuss important state affairs under the guise of casual conversation. Many people tried to curry favor with her, and she tasted the sweetness of power," Lin Peiyun continued, her pace quickening. "But in just over a year, Emperor Ningzong suddenly died, and the late emperor succeeded to the throne. She was unwilling to remain a powerless consort, so she secretly contacted officials in the court."

"Unfortunately, with the new emperor's ascension to the throne, the political situation in the court changed drastically. As a helpless orphan with no powerful clan to support her, naturally no one paid her any attention. She hated all the aristocratic families, hated that these people enjoyed endless power and glory even without doing anything. So, she used some court secrets that Emperor Ningzong had once told her to scheme in the palace. Finally, ten years ago, she obtained the defense map and handed it over to Northern Qi, attempting to use it to kill all the aristocratic families and regain power." Upon hearing this, Consort Cao's hands trembled slightly, but a smile still lingered on her lips: "If I think like that, then I'm truly insane."

She slowly rose, facing Lin Peiyun across the distance: "How ridiculous! Could it be that the Emperor has some connection with me, a concubine from a different generation? Otherwise, how could I have gained power after all the powerful families have died out?"

“You keep saying that you are the late Empress Mingdao, but your aggressive demeanor is far removed from that child Mingdao.”

Lin Peiyun seemed utterly disgusted by her condescending tone, and said directly, "What happened ten years ago was done discreetly, but not without a trace. Otherwise, you wouldn't have tried to kill me to silence me after I discovered it. I heard it all outside the hall just now. I've seen the thread-like marks on the corpse that Lord Yu mentioned; they came from the thread strung on the jade beads that Xunhuan had. I don't know the origin of that thread, but it's incredibly sharp. You entered my room then, intending to kill her, and you fought with her. Later, for some reason, the thread suddenly broke, giving you the opportunity to kill her."

"Then, you set up the scene, picked up the thing, but didn't know where to throw it away, so you kept it close to your body and wore it all the time. It looked like a devout person who sincerely entered the Buddhist order."

At this point, Lin Peiyun pointed at Consort Cao: "Do you dare to show everyone the rosary on your hand, and see if the thickness of the thread that holds the rosary is the same as the scars on your hand?"

At some point, Consort Cao's smile had vanished. She stood still, no longer moving her prayer beads.

He stared menacingly at Lin Peiyun, who was beaming with smugness in the hall.

It turns out that she had been watching him for the past ten years.

They might be right beside you, playing the lowest of servants, wearing the roughest clothes, silently watching your every move.

Thinking of this, she suddenly burst into laughter.

Her laughter was clear and unrestrained, not at all like that of a dignified woman.

Everyone was startled by the laughter and looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Peiyun, Peiyun, the thought of you spending the last ten years as the lowest-ranking palace maid makes me laugh so hard."

The fact that Consort Cao changed her self-reference further increased the credibility of the matter.

Lin Peiyun's expression changed slightly. She clenched her fists, the calluses on her hands constantly reminding her of how she had endured so much humiliation for the past ten years. She coldly interrupted her maniacal laughter and pressed on, asking, "Now, do you admit to everything you've done?"

"Acknowledge what?" Consort Cao slowly stroked her temples. "Acknowledge these ridiculous things you forced upon me?" Consort Cao's eyes shifted slightly, and in the blink of her eyes, all her previous dignity and composure were gone, replaced by the unique charm of a beauty in her twilight years.

"I admit I killed your double, but do you dare to tell us the real reason I wanted to kill you in front of so many people?"