Chapter 87 - Let Me See If You Could Pick It Out

Baili Qingcang’s expression did not change much, but his frown indicated that a storm was brewing in his heart. “Hand over the letters!”

Shen Ninghua’s heart tightened. When the palace maid walked past her with the letters, she discovered that the handwriting on the envelopes was almost identical to her own. However, she had never written these letters before. Who was behind this and did such good forgeries?

Shen Linghan struggled to refrain from curling her lips, but she couldn’t conceal the smile in her heart. Shen Ninghua, you thought that you would win after the Emperor conferred you the title of Prefectural Princess. Unfortunately, this time, you would definitely be dashed to the ground!

Baili Jinchuan glanced over Shen Linghan’s twisted face and his eyes turned cold. Shen Dong did have a great ability to manage the country, but unfortunately, he neglected his backyard and raised a daughter like Shen Linghan with a snake’s heart. It was truly a pathetic story.

Baili Qingcang opened the letters one by one, and his expression became worse and worse. In the end, his entire face turned blue. “Shen Ninghua, Baili Jinchuan…I really didn’t expect the contents of these letters to be so wonderful!”

The Crown Prince lowered his head slightly, and the nervousness in his eyes slowly dissipated. This move was a success!

The Third Prince was even overjoyed. Baili Jinchuan was only one year older than him, but he was suppressed by him in every aspect and was therefore unable to display his ability. He had long wished that this person would die faster.

On the other hand, the Fifth Prince, Baili Jinze, had a sad expression on his face. He walked to the center of the hall and cupped his hands. “Your Majesty, Second Brother and Shen Ninghua had come to know each other just a short while ago. Logically speaking, it was impossible for them to do such things as adultery. Is there any misunderstanding?”

The Third Prince scorned Baili Jinze’s hypocrisy and raised his eyes in disdain. “Fifth Brother, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know the truth. How could you rule out the possibility that Second Brother and Shen Ninghua secretly admired each other and found it hard to control their passion so that they…Haha, when the man sowed the seed of love and the woman poured the water of lust, what would they reap?”

Many old officials frowned. These words were too shameless and sexually explicit. Especially when they came out of the mouth of a prince, it was predictable that the speaker wouldn’t be a person of great talents.

Baili Qingcang did not say anything, but the coldness in his body became even more intense.

Baili Jinchuan raised his head. “Your Majesty, I have always admired Ninghua, and I have never had any improper thoughts. Furthermore, the Second Princess Zhou has a deep affection for me, and I am not willing to let her down. In these past days, there were always eunuchs or palace maids present when I met with Ninghua. You will find out if you investigate. As for those letters, I have never written them. Your Majesty, please exercise scrutiny and make a sound judgment. ”

Baili Qingcang did not respond. Instead, he looked at Shen Ninghua and asked, “Ninghua, what do you have to say?”

Shen Ninghua bowed slightly and said, “Your Majesty, just as the Second Prince said, there isn’t the slightest bit of misbehavior between us, let alone any letters. Your Majesty, can I have a look at those letters?”

Baili Qingcang waved his hand and summoned the eunuch to send the letters to Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua checked the letters carefully. Each letter had a different date and time. She carefully recalled and found that these time periods were perfectly calculated: usually at night or when she was idle, so there wouldn’t be any witness to prove her innocence. The contents of the letters were even more blatant. The first few letters were written to show their love, while the last few mentioned that she and the Second Prince had conspired to set up the Shen family and frame the Zhao family and the Crown Prince. These letters clearly explained the development of the whole story.

Shen Linghan’s face was burning with pain, but her heart was exceptionally happy. She wanted to see Shen Ninghua’s panicked expression, and she even wanted to see her crying bitterly. “Shen Ninghua, these letters are enough to be used as evidence, right? What else do you have to say?”

Shen Ninghua frowned slightly. “Younger sister, how can you be sure that these letters are enough to be used as evidence?”

Shen Linghan curled her lips and her purple face made her look rather weird. “The handwritings showed that these letters were written by you and the Second Prince. The letters also prove your adultery with the Second Prince and reveal your plots to frame the Crown Prince, the Shen family and the Zhao family. Why can’t they be used as evidence?”

“Because these letters are fake!” Shen Ninghua’s eyes were deep, and her cold gaze pierced through the hearts of people like a cold blade.

“Fake? The handwritings are clearly identical to yours and the Second Prince’s. What makes you think they are fake?”

“It is understandable for you to know my handwriting, but how do you know the Second Prince’s handwriting? Have you seen the Second Prince’s handwriting?”

Shen Linghan’s expression changed. “Of course I have.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows and asked, “Oh, when did you see it?”

“When I entered the Palace last time, I saw the inscriptions the Second Prince wrote on the pavilion in the Imperial Garden.”

“Are you talking about the poems the Emperor ordered the princes to write in the pavilion in the Imperial Garden?”

Shen Linghan’s intuition told her that something was wrong, but she couldn’t avoid the question. She had to nod and answer, “That’s right!”

Shen Ninghua’s cold eyes were like ten thousand feet of ice. “Your Majesty, I have a way to prove my innocence. Please allow the princes to cooperate with me.”

Baili Qingcang nodded. “Alright.”

Shen Ninghua asked the eunuch to bring paper and brushes over and handed them to the princes. “Please write two sentences. One is: Those who are clear will prove to be clear, and those who are muddy will prove to be muddy. The other sentence is: Heaven’s Will circulates, and retribution is inevitable!”

The Third Prince pinched the brush so hard that he almost broke the brush. He quickly finished writing and threw the paper in front of Shen Ninghua.

Shen Ninghua didn’t mind his attitude at all. She bent down and picked up the paper. Then, she took over the paper that the other princes had written. She walked to the side and folded the paper. She quickly mixed it up and then placed the folded paper in front of Shen Linghan.

“Since you can tell from the handwriting that the letter was written by the Second Prince, then pick out the piece that was written by the Second Prince.”

Shen Linghan looked at the paper in front of her, trembling in her heart. Heaven’s Will circulates, and retribution is inevitable…These words echoed in her ears like a drum beating and made her feel uneasy. “Shen Ninghua, what’s your trick now?”

“What’s wrong? You said you can tell by the handwriting that I have an affair with the Second Prince, but now you can’t pick out the piece that was written by His Highness?” Shen Ninghua looked at her coldly, her voice was full of mockery.

Shen Linghan clenched her fists, and cold sweat drenched her entire body. The thin sheets of paper were like mountains, making her almost unable to breathe.

Looking at her expression, Shen Ninghua smiled coldly in her heart. Shen Linghan was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison. It was already very difficult for the Crown Prince to go in and convey some information. Therefore, there were definitely loopholes in their arrangement. Since the falsehood of the letter’s handwriting could not be confirmed, she decided to adopt an original approach to take Shen Linghan by surprise!

“How is it? Are you done with your pick?”

Shen Linghan unconsciously raised her head to look in the direction of the Crown Prince. She only saw Baili Jinyi’s serious profile and her heart slowly sank.

Seeing that Shen Linghan was unable to choose, Baili Jinchuan said coldly, “Second Miss Shen, did you have a good look? His Majesty is still waiting for your answer!”

Shen Linghan’s body trembled and she wished she could faint. Under Baili Qingcang’s gaze, she picked one with her trembling fingers and said, “This one is written by the Second Prince.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure!”

Chen Yun couldn’t help but laugh out loud when he saw the piece she had picked out. “How ridiculous!”

Chu Junyi curled his lips as he looked at Shen Ninghua with a faint sense of pampering. She was truly worthy of being the person he appreciated. What an agile-minded and mischievous lady!

Seeing people’s attitudes, Shen Linghan’s heart trembled. “No, no, I was wrong. It should be the one beside this. That one is written by the Second Prince.”

Shen Ninghua raised her eyebrows and looked at her. “Are you sure this time?”

“I…I’m sure!” Shen Linghan gritted her teeth and said.

Shen Ninghua asked her to confirm again, “You won’t change your mind again?”

“I won’t change!”

“Since you’re not going to change your choice, then I must ask for a clear answer. Sister, why did you keep framing me?”

Shen Linghan raised her head. “What did you say? When did I frame you?”

Shen Ninghua raised the paper in her hand. “You made two choices. But didn’t you notice that none of them was written by the Second Prince?”

Shen Linghan widened her eyes and stared at the five pieces of paper on the ground in disbelief. “Impossible, how is that possible?” She clearly saw the Second Prince writing.

Shen Ninghua pulled out a piece of paper from her sleeve and opened it in front of Shen Linghan. “When I mixed the paper, I hid the one written by the Second Prince. The first piece you picked was written by someone else found by the eunuch at my request.”

“I…I…”

“Younger sister, now I want to ask you, what kind of grudge do you have against me that you want me dead so desperately?”

Shen Linghan turned to look at Shen Dong and Madam Zhao, and her eyes showed she was desperate for help. “Father, mother…”

Madam Zhao hurriedly walked forward and hugged her in her arms. A trace of determination flashed through her eyes. “Your Majesty, I designed everything. It has nothing to do with my poor girl. Please let her go.”

Shen Ninghua frowned. What was Madam Zhao doing?

Shen Linghan stared blankly at Madam Zhao. “Mother…”

Madam Zhao pulled Shen Linghan behind her and crawled two steps down the stairs. “Your Majesty, now I’m willing to confess everything. It was me who designed all of this.”

Baili Qingcang narrowed his eyes, and a dangerous light flashed in his eyes. “Now confess!”

Madam Zhao stood up and looked at Shen Ninghua with hatred. “I just want Shen Ninghua to die. I just want to kill her!”

Shen Ninghua looked at her and said, “What did I do that offended you so much?”

“You didn’t offend me, but your birth mother did. Xia Jingyan owed me a life. She was dead, so you have to pay the debt for her.” Madam Zhao’s expression was lunatic. “Xia Jingyan killed my most beloved man, but she married into the Shen family and enjoyed everyone’s love and respect. Why? So I must kill her. I wanted her to die!”

A tyrannical aura swept over. Baili Qingcang frowned. “You said you killed Xia Jingyan?”

‘”That’s right,” Madam Zhao smiled smugly. “After she got pregnant, I bribed the doctor who treated her and put Lasting Ice Poison in her tocolysis medicine. The poison’s effect was slow, but it made people weak and feel cold. When the dosage increased, their entire body was like being placed in an ice cellar and they would rather die than live.”

Shen Ninghua felt a sharp pain in her heart as she looked at Madam Zhao with a cold killing intent in her eyes.

“Haha, that bitch Xia Jingyan was lucky. She died from dystocia and did not experience the power of the Lasting Ice Poison. However, the poison was transited to the fetus. When Shen Ninghua was born, her entire body was dark and cold, like a stillborn baby.” Madam Zhao seemed to have thought of the scene at that time and laughed even more complacently. “So I raised Shen Ninghua up and let this little bitch live. It’s a pity that the heavens didn’t have eyes, and she managed to get detoxified! So I had no choice but to make another move…”