Chapter 292
**Chapter 290: No Argument**
Li Yuanjing was taking a short nap when he was suddenly jolted awake by a call from outside the carriage.
He pressed his bony finger against his forehead, rubbing in circles. Why couldn’t life be a little quieter? All he wanted was to finish his duties and get a good night’s sleep.
“Let’s head to Yuxiu Palace,” Li Yuanjing said helplessly.
...
Yuxiu Palace.
After the fire, during the renovation of the courtyard, the eunuchs unearthed a strange copper plate, halting the renovation work. As night fell, the main hall of Yuxiu Palace lit its palace lamps, and the white gauze curtains swayed gently in the night breeze.
By the time Li Yuanjing arrived at the main hall, it was already filled with a dense crowd. Zhang Miaoyu, Liu Ruyan, Lan Pin, Qiao Pin, and several other palace ladies were present. The Shufei, who was pregnant, had not come to join the gathering.
As soon as Li Yuanjing appeared, the ladies rose to greet him, their eyes filled with unspoken emotions, secretly glancing at the emperor.
“Let’s hear the details,” Li Yuanjing said as he took his seat, and De Shun Gonggong brought over hot tea.
Zhang Miaoyu stood up and briefly explained to Li Yuanjing about the strange copper plate found in Yuxiu Palace. At the end, she had the palace servants present the peculiar copper plate.
The tray was placed on a small table.
On the tray lay a palm-sized copper plate, still smeared with charred mud, with faint dragon patterns carved into its surface. In the center of the plate was the character “Qing” (庆).
A bizarre iron needle, inscribed with spells, pierced through the center of the copper plate, going right through the character “Qing.”
The shape was eerie.
Li Yuanjing stared at the strange copper plate, his lips twitching slightly, but he wasn’t afraid of this thing.
In the past, while chatting with Shen Wei about witchcraft, Shen Wei had said, “He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world; spells and sorcery are but crooked paths. If a single spell could lead to the downfall of a nation, wouldn’t every emperor be a sorcerer?”
It was just Shen Wei’s offhand remark.
Later, Li Yuanjing pondered over it repeatedly and found more truth in her words. A nation’s peace and prosperity rely on a wise ruler, capable ministers, and law-abiding citizens.
How could a mere copper plate or spell shake the very foundations of a country?
“How do you explain this?” Li Yuanjing turned to Liu Ruyan, seated to his right.
If Liu Ruyan could offer a few words of defense, claiming ignorance of the copper plate’s origins, Li Yuanjing could easily let the matter drop.
Throughout history, the calamities of witchcraft in the imperial harem have always stirred up great turmoil, and Li Yuanjing did not wish for bloodshed in the palace.
As soon as Li Yuanjing questioned her, the concubines in the room turned their gazes toward Liu Ruyan, their eyes gleaming with schadenfreude.
Lan Pin secretly clutched her silk handkerchief, feeling anxious. The emperor’s tone was calm, and his face showed no anger. Did that mean he wasn’t wary of witchcraft?
Lan Pin felt a bit disheartened.
She had painstakingly conspired with the elders of the Xie family to drag Liu Ruyan and her family down. If the emperor didn’t care about the copper plate, all of Lan Pin’s schemes would be in vain.
Liu Ruyan gracefully rose and knelt before Li Yuanjing, her face devoid of makeup, dressed in a silver autumn gown, as delicate as a white plum in the wind, evoking a sense of pity.
With her beautiful eyes filled with grievance, she asked Li Yuanjing, “Your Majesty, do you not trust me?”
Li Yuanjing set down his teacup. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but why is this copper plate in your courtyard? You must provide an explanation.”
Liu Ruyan could have easily found an excuse, shifting the blame onto a servant or claiming ignorance of who buried it in her yard.
Tears streamed down Liu Ruyan’s face, her heart heavy with sorrow.
She felt that the emperor didn’t trust her.
Wiping away her tears, her gaze turned cold. “If Your Majesty doubts me, then I have nothing to defend myself with.”
Li Yuanjing: ...
Zhang Miaoyu nearly pinched herself, desperately trying to find an excuse for Liu Ruyan. “Sister Mei Fei, why not think a little harder? Perhaps a palace servant secretly buried it in your courtyard, or maybe an assassin accidentally dropped it while passing by at night.”
Lan Pin, covering her mouth with her handkerchief, chimed in with a smile, “Sister Yu Fei, you’re quite the jokester. The palace is heavily guarded; how could there be an assassin?”
Lan Pin reveled in the misfortune.
She had expected Liu Ruyan to defend herself vigorously, but to her surprise, Liu Ruyan was foolishly silent, even blaming the emperor for his lack of trust.
What a fool!
Not explaining anything, even if the emperor wanted to show favoritism, he couldn’t do so openly.
Lan Pin then suggested, “Your Majesty, since Sister Mei Fei refuses to speak, why not interrogate the maidservants around her? Perhaps they can reveal something.”
Li Yuanjing nodded.
Before long, the maidservant Xue Mei, who attended to Liu Ruyan, was brought in. Xue Mei was a top-ranking maid in Yuxiu Palace, responsible for the daily management of the entire palace.
Caught in this unexpected disaster, Xue Mei’s mind was in a whirl. She knelt tremblingly, bowing her head to Li Yuanjing.
Her voice quivered as she stammered, “Your Majesty, please see clearly, my mistress is indifferent to worldly affairs, lost in poetry and books, and would never commit such a heinous act of cursing the nation. I hope Your Majesty can discern the truth; someone must be framing her.”
Xue Mei understood Liu Ruyan’s character well.
Liu Ruyan spent her days lamenting the seasons, admiring flowers and the moon, painting and reading, never touching the dirty tricks of witchcraft.
With the survival of one depending on the other, Xue Mei could only protect Liu Ruyan and plead for her.
After speaking, Xue Mei kept casting glances at Liu Ruyan, hoping she would defend herself. But Liu Ruyan remained aloof, lost in her sorrow.
Even when Xue Mei defended her, Liu Ruyan showed no extra emotion.
Disappointment welled up in Xue Mei’s heart.
She fought hard to protect her mistress, yet Liu Ruyan didn’t even spare her a glance.
Zhang Miaoyu said, “Your Majesty, Xue Mei makes a valid point. Sister Mei Fei’s character is too gentle to commit such malicious acts.”
Lan Pin retorted sarcastically, “You can’t judge a person by their appearance. Sister Mei Fei often complains about the emperor’s coldness; perhaps resentment has turned to hatred.”
Pausing, Lan Pin stood up with a pitiful expression, saying to Li Yuanjing, “Your Majesty, Sister Mei Fei is indeed suspicious; I implore you to see the truth.”
Not just Lan Pin, but other concubines who disapproved of Liu Ruyan also rose, urging Li Yuanjing to take charge and investigate Mei Fei.
Faced with the crowd’s accusations, Liu Ruyan merely replied, “The innocent will clear themselves; I have nothing to feel guilty about.”
Lan Pin rolled her eyes and bowed again to Li Yuanjing. “Your Majesty, Sister Mei Fei holds a high position; it’s indeed inappropriate to let the servants investigate her. Why not let the inner prison interrogate her maidservants? Perhaps they can uncover the truth.”
The room fell silent.
Li Yuanjing pondered for a moment and said, “For the next few days, Mei Fei will be under house arrest. The maidservants attending to her will be sent to the inner prison for interrogation. We will decide after clarifying the origins of the copper plate.”
Xue Mei’s face turned pale.
She was to be sent to the inner prison?
In the palace, the two most feared places were the Yeting and the inner prison. Yeting was where errant servants were punished with hard labor; the inner prison was where servants faced torture.
A trip to the inner prison could leave one scarred for life.
Xue Mei’s legs went weak, and she could only crawl toward Liu Ruyan, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded, “Mistress, please save me! I don’t want to go to the inner prison. I saved the young master Nan Zhi from the fire yesterday; I owe her my life!”
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