Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 308 Exposed
"Stop! What right do you have to rummage through the girl's things?"

Ruyi was both angry and anxious. She rushed forward to protect the box, but was shoved away by a guard. She staggered and bumped into the corner of the wall, her forehead immediately turning blue.

"Search!"

"Find the evidence of my crimes, even if you have to dig three feet into the ground!"

Ruyi was so angry that she trembled all over and bit her lip hard.

Xiao Zhao stood coldly in the corner, without saying a word.

Jinshu shook her head at her and Xiao Zhao, and stood quietly.

"Boss! There's something strange about this box. It's locked..."

While examining an inconspicuous old wooden box inside Xue Sui's bed, a guard noticed the iron lock on it.

The leader strode forward: "Smash it open!"

"Yes!" The guard drew his sword and slammed the back of the blade against the iron lock.

"Dang——dang——"

Two ear-piercing metallic clangs rang out, and the iron lock fell to the ground.

The box was suddenly flung open.

A musty smell of old paper mixed with a faint herbal aroma instantly filled the air.

The box contained several scrolls of scriptures and yellowed medical case notes.

At the very bottom, pressed down, were the scriptures that Xue Sui had personally copied and annotated word by word…

Jinshu frowned and explained in a gentle voice.

“Sir, this box contains nothing of ordinary value. The nunnery is a simple life, and the young lady just writes and copies scriptures to pass the time... I don’t know which law she has violated that warrants this search?”

The leader sneered.
Without saying a word, he roughly tore off those scriptures and medical manuscripts.

Layer after layer, until the bottom of the box is reached.

"Wow--"

Medical records and scriptures were scattered all over the floor, and they frantically searched for them with their hands and feet...

However, no suspicious items were found.

The captain's face instantly darkened.

He was somewhat embarrassed.

"Keep looking! Keep looking for me!"

"If we can't find any evidence, we'll hold you accountable!"

The soldiers responded in unison and rushed towards the messy pile of debris.

The pillows were torn apart, the bedding was ripped apart, and the sound of knocking on the beams and pillars echoed incessantly in the empty meditation room. Even the area under the charcoal brazier was searched.

"Boss! Come quick—there's a hidden compartment at the bottom of this box."

Suddenly, a soldier lay down on the ground, his fingers gripping the camphor wood box, and shouted excitedly.

The captain's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he stepped forward with his knife, forcefully hacking at the box.

The surface of the wood was cracked, revealing a brass snap-lock inside.

"Split!"

Even the sturdiest box can't withstand repeated hammering when subjected to violent disassembly...

The box panel cracked, and there was waterproof tarpaulin in the interlayer.

Uncovering the oilcloth, a thread-bound picture book with curled and yellowed edges was revealed.

On the cover, a few blurry yet startling characters in ink are faintly discernible—

"The Yama's Pictorial Manual?" the captain exclaimed in surprise.

He gave his wrist a sharp shake.

As the pages unfurled, a series of delicately drawn yet chillingly evocative illustrations were revealed to the audience.

The men and women in the painting are dressed in palace attire or magnificent robes, and their faces are clearly discernible.

Princess Ping Le, You Zhimu, Guo Zhaohuai, Yao Wei, Xiao Qing'er, Xie Weilan...

They stood or sat, each with a different expression, but on the neck, chest, and other vital areas of each portrait, a huge, ferocious, and curse-like blood-red mark was fiercely stamped with cinnabar.

The ink penetrates the paper, the vermilion ink spreading out, as if blood might drip from it at any moment.

Next to Xiao Qing'er's portrait, there was a line of tiny characters written in regular script.

"This scoundrel deserves to die!"

The meditation room fell into a deathly silence.

A spark crackled and popped in the charcoal brazier.

Jinshu and Xiaozhao exchanged a glance.

The girl had moved everything else, but she kept this picture book with her all along...

Unexpectedly, someone would force their way in today.

Looking at the familiar faces in the painting, the captain's astonishment slowly turned into ecstasy and excitement.

"Caught red-handed! What a thief!"

He suddenly looked up, a broad smile spreading across his face as if he'd struck it rich.

"Very well, very well indeed. Such filthy and vicious things are hidden in this pure Buddhist sanctuary. Their rebellious intentions are blatantly obvious! Guards—seize these accomplices of the evil nun and take them back to the Ministry of Justice to await the Prince's judgment!"

"Yes!"

Several soldiers, as if they had found a treasure, rushed forward menacingly.

A close call...

Xiao Zhao suddenly lunged forward, showing no fear whatsoever, but rather a hint of ruthless determination.

"Trying to frame me? Maybe in your next life!" she shouted sharply, her figure advancing instead of retreating, moving with ghostly speed as she twisted and slid between the two charging soldiers...

A flash of dark light appeared in his right sleeve.

"Shh!"

The jet-black dagger, like a serpent emerging from its hole, struck the captain's wrist, which was tightly gripping the picture book, with perfect precision, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

"what--"

The captain screamed in agony, the pain piercing his skin, and his fingers involuntarily loosened. The picture book flew out of his hand—

Xiao Zhao grabbed the half-full bucket of kerosene from the meditation room with her left hand, swung her arm in a wide arc, and splashed it hard onto the booklet that was still in mid-air.

"Wow--"

The strong smell of kerosene filled the air instantly.

The picture book flipped in mid-air and landed on the scorching hot coals...

"boom--"

Dry wood meets a raging fire, and suddenly bursts into a blinding burst of flames.

The glowing embers, the scorching hot picture album, and the few roasted chestnuts were instantly engulfed by the flames...

Smoke rose up, mingling with the smell of burning.

The charred paper curled wildly in the flames and turned to ashes.

Everything happened so fast.

In the blink of an eye, the soldiers didn't even have time to speak or stop them.

"What a lawless thief, daring to destroy evidence?"

"Evidence? What evidence?"

Xiao Zhao stood innocently in front of the rising flames, a nearly defiant smile on her small face stained with soot.

"Where is the evidence? Show it to us, sir! So many of you barged in so arrogantly, bullying us few weak women, and now you're trying to distort the truth and frame us?"

"Damn!"

The captain was enraged.

"Take them away! Take them all away..."
-
Inside the Baohua Hall, there was deathly silence.

The air seemed to freeze, only Xiao Qing'er stared at the plain handkerchief in Xue Sui's hand, her fingers clenched tightly, suppressing her breath...

"You... Xue Liu, how dare you!"

"Would Consort Li be willing to examine it?" Xue Sui asked again.

His voice was clear and calm, neither hurried nor slow, and his expression was serene.

Xiao Qing'er clutched her aching lower abdomen, her voice cracking with anguish.

"Inspect! Why not inspect! But..." She suddenly coughed violently, gritting her teeth, "If the test proves that I am indeed carrying the imperial heir, then Your Highness, please grind this vixen to dust..."

The phrase "crushed to pieces and scattered to ashes" carries a deep-seated resentment and malice.

The sound made everyone in the hall's ears ring.

The nuns turned pale.

Li Zhao casually tossed aside the broken porcelain shards, his gaze ambiguous, as if he were both smiling and not smiling.

He knew Xue Liu all too well.

She never does anything without certainty, nor is she afraid to enter a situation alone.

This handkerchief was merely a pretext; she must have a much deeper scheme at play. Since she'd made her move, she must have a meticulously crafted plan, powerful enough to thwart Xiao Qing'er's schemes…

"Your Highness, please rest assured. If it is verified to be true, I will punish them severely to uphold the rules of the palace and the law of the land, and I will never allow such evil deeds of framing the imperial heir and desecrating Buddhism to happen."

His voice was clear and resonant, carrying the imposing aura of a crown prince, echoing clearly throughout the hall.

"Miaozhen, are you willing to accept this?"

Xue Sui lowered his eyes slightly: "Then please ask Your Highness to uphold justice."

"Sixth sister!"

Suddenly, a soft cry rang out. Before Li Zhao could speak again, Xue Yuechen strode forward from the crowd, bent down to support Xiao Qing'er's arm, looked up at Xue Sui, and loudly rebuked her with the anxious tone typical of a noblewoman, a mixture of persuasion and incitement.

"Sixth Sister, Her Majesty is carrying the Emperor's child, how precious she is! Why do you have to force her like this? If Her Majesty's health is disturbed and the imperial heir is harmed, can you bear the responsibility?"

"Your Highness," Xue Sui said, her expression unchanged.

Their eyes met briefly in the air.

"Precisely because the imperial heir is related to the foundation of the nation, it is all the more important to distinguish right from wrong and set the record straight. This humble nun is merely seeking to clear the name of everyone at Shuiyue Nunnery. Why are you so relentlessly pressuring me? Does the Princess Consort believe that the dignity of the royal family is upheld by concealing the truth?"

Her final rhetorical question hit the nail on the head.

Xue Yuechen's expression changed slightly as she choked on her words, and her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly.

“You are truly ungrateful and stubborn. Even if you don’t care about yourself, you shouldn’t have dragged the Xue family down with you…”

"Your Highness, please rest assured. Since Xue Liu cut her hair and became a nun, she has been a person outside the secular world. Her life, death, honor, and disgrace are no longer related to the Xue family."

"You've been blinded by greed..."

Xue Yuechen was very anxious. He shielded Xiao Qing'er in front of him, the wide sleeves of his palace dress brushing against her clothes as he spoke softly and carefully.

"Your Majesty, your health is delicate. You should prioritize the well-being of the imperial offspring and not waste your energy on this madman..."

Xue Sui, however, refused to budge an inch, her tone resolute, "Consort Li, please."

"I will not!" Xiao Qing'er was still somewhat hesitant, but Xue Yuechen's words woke her up.

She was Consort Li.

She was the emperor's favorite concubine.

She is the daughter of the Xiao family—

Why should a Buddhist nun be forced to endure such humiliation?

Even if Xue Liu has something on her, and he's all talk and no action, who would believe her?

"How unreasonable..."

With a furious shout, she seemed to have been driven completely mad, bursting out with astonishing strength. She suddenly broke free from Xue Yuechen's support and fell to the ground without a care. Under the horrified gazes of the entire hall, she let out a shrill wail on the gold-brick floor, still wearing her magnificent palace dress.

"Her handkerchief must be soaked in poison. They want to harm me and the imperial heirs! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! Your Majesty the Empress! You must avenge me..."

"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, please save me...Please come and save me..."

She's completely disregarding her dignity, trying to get away with it by throwing a tantrum, making false accusations, and framing others.

This outburst finally alarmed the Emperor.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, accompanied by the sharp shouts of the eunuchs.

"Your Majesty has arrived——"

(End of this chapter)