Chapter 208 - Killing Traps One after Another!
Baili Qingcang’s eyes turned stern instantly. “You said you captured the persons who assassinated the Imperial Guards alive?”
Chu Junyi cupped his hands and reported, “Not all of them were captured alive. Only a few persons were captured. But I think it’s enough to get something valuable.”
Baili Qingcang ordered coldly, “Bring them in!”
Chu Junyi looked at the black-clothed men who had been brought over to the hall. The look in his eyes was as cold as a knife. “Father Emperor, these persons suddenly appeared to intercept and kill the Imperial Guards when Her Highness and I were on our way to the palace. At that time, they were dressed in night clothes and wearing masks. They did not have the slightest evidence on them to prove their identities. They could have acted secretly, but they did not. Furthermore, as soon as they appeared, they shouted that they were to rescue the princess and me. Such an act was clearly a despicable method of malicious slandering. ”
Consort Yin gritted her teeth, and her eyes were filled with resentment. “Who knows if what you said is true?”
Chu Junyi turned his head to look at her, but his handsome face was so cold that it made her heart tremble with fear. “Consort Yin, what I said just now was very clear. At that time, all the Imperial Guards were there, and the Imperial Guards Commander could also testify.”
“Although their motive for announcing their identities is highly questionable, it can’t be used as evidence. Who knows if you did it on purpose?”
Chu Junyi sneered. “Those persons shot arrows at us before they showed themselves. If it weren’t for my protection, Her Highness would have been injured. May I ask you if there is a need for me to put on such a play?”
“Then who can testify for you?” Consort Yin still clenched her teeth and insisted on her opinion.
Shen Ninghua frowned and interrupted Consort Yin. “Consort Yin, the men have been brought here. We can ask them if what the imperial son-in-law has just said is true. Why are you so aggressive and determined to pour dirty water on my head? You are so resolute and decisive, could it be that you knew the inside story?”
“What can I know?”
Consort Yin paused. Seeing Baili Qingcang’s impatient expression, she immediately cowered. She assumed she was in the right before because of her miscarriage. If she continued to question Shen Ninghua with unfounded speculations, the Emperor would probably suspect her.
The Empress lowered her eyes. A trace of uneasiness flashed across her calm eyes. The limbs of the black-clothed assassins were bloody. Their chins had been dislocated. It was obvious that they had been crippled and the poisonous sac used to commit suicide had been pulled out.
The Imperial Guards Commander brought his men forward to awake the black-clothed men and pressed them on the ground.
The leading black-clothed man woke up. Seeing the splendid hall, he subconsciously gritted his teeth, only to find that his poisonous sac had been removed.
Shen Ninghua said directly, “Father Emperor, I judged from their dressing that these persons must be men of sacrifice. It will take a long time to interrogate them and the result may not be satisfactory. Recently, I and Doctor Chen worked together to develop a medicine that can relax one’s mind. Only ten pills were made. We can use these pills now. What do you think, Father Emperor?”
“Pills that can relax one’s mind?”
“That’s right. Its efficacy is extremely powerful. When ordinary persons take this pill, they will lose their minds due to intense pain. Only people with strong willpower can endure it. The pill can blur people’s consciousness and make them answer any question.”
“Try it.” Baili Qingcang’s eyes lit up. He suddenly had an idea. This kind of efficacy was extremely miraculous. If it was used on people like enemy agents hiding in the country, he would get twofold results with half the effort.
Shen Ninghua nodded to Chen Yun. “Doctor Chen…”
Chen Yun nodded. He instructed someone to bring the medicine from the Academy of Imperial Physicians and feed it to one black-clothed assassin.
The black-clothed man didn’t show any reaction at first. But after a moment, his entire body suddenly convulsed. He rolled back and forth on the ground, sweating profusely.
The consorts who were sitting aside all turned their heads and put their hands on their chests in fear, not daring to look at the scene.
Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes and thought rapidly. When she said that she had this kind of pill, the Empress’s expression changed a little. Although she quickly adjusted herself, Shen Ninghua was still able to see it in her eyes. But after the black-clothed man took the pill, although she was slightly nervous, she did not panic too much.
Could it be that these people in black weren’t dispatched by the Empress, or that the black-clothed men didn’t know the true identity of their master at all?
The second possibility should be more likely the case. It seemed that she needed to continue investigating.
Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
Baili Qingcang stared at the black-clothed man on the ground. When he stopped convulsing, he asked coldly, “Who are you?”
The black-clothed man’s gaze was dull. He was kneeling on the ground while being held up by the guards. Hearing Baili Qingcang’s question, he replied dully.
“Man of sacrifice.”
“Who ordered you to assassinate the Imperial Guards?”
“Master.”
Baili Qingcang frowned and looked at Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Who is your master?”
“Master.”
“Is your master Shen Ninghua or Chu Junyi?”
“No.”
Baili Qingcang heaved a sigh of relief. When he was sure that it wasn’t either of them, his heart finally relaxed. Just as he was about to continue questioning, he saw the black-clothed man open his mouth and spit out a large mouthful of black blood. Then the man immediately lost his breath.
Chen Yun stepped forward to inspect the man and then he reported, “Your Majesty, this person is dead. The pill is extremely powerful and causes great damage to the human body. These black-clothed persons were crippled and their bodies were damaged. This man has done well by holding on for such a while.”
“How many pills are left?”
“Because the ingredients are rare, only ten pills were made. I just used one, and there are nine left.”
“Write down the names of ingredients and hand the prescription to me tomorrow.”
“Yes, as you wish.”
In order to continue questioning, Baili Qingcang ordered to feed a pill to another black-clothed man. Unfortunately, the black-clothed man’s willpower was not strong. Before Baili Qingcang asked him any question, the man had been lifeless.
Baili Qingcang frowned and pondered for a while before instructing the Imperial Guards to send the remaining assassins to the heavenly prison.
The Empress’ straight back slightly moved and slowly relaxed.
Consort Yin knelt on the ground and clenched her teeth as she tore her handkerchief. The light in her eyes kept changing. The assassination of the Imperial Guards had nothing to do with Shen Ninghua. What about the fire in the plum woods?
“Your Majesty…”
Shen Ninghua turned to look at Consort Yin with a faint smile. “Does Consort Yin want to talk about the fire in the plum woods?”
“You… shouldn’t Your Highness explain it thoroughly? After all, many madams and young ladies got injured there. If the incident was not dealt with properly, the lords in the court will not be satisfied, right?”
Shen Ninghua nodded and a cold light flashed in her eyes. “You’re right. The fire in the plum woods must be thoroughly investigated. Father Emperor, originally, I felt puzzled. But now I’ve finally figured it out. All things that happened today were clearly killing traps deliberately plotted against me!”
Baili Qingcang naturally noticed that something was amiss. Hearing what Shen Ninghua said, he nodded as a sign for her to continue.
“When the persons behind the scene saw that Mother Empress asked for incense from me, they made all the incense harmful. They even ordered an imperial physician to make false testimony. Murdering consorts and royal offspring was a capital crime. This was the first killing trap. In order to prevent me from pleading for myself, they plotted the second trap. They did something to the plum woods in my mansion. When I held a banquet for enjoying the plum blossoms, they caused the plum woods to catch fire so that all the madams and young ladies were injured. Then, I could hardly remain intact even though I am a princess. I would probably be stripped of the title of princess and atone for my guilt with death.”
Baili Qingcang gritted his teeth and said, “These people are really detestable!”
Shen Ninghua added, “Father Emperor, the third killing trap was the assassination of the Imperial Guards using those assassins in black. According to the plan, they wanted to kill me and imperial son-in-law directly. If they failed, the assassins would shout that they were there to rescue us. Assassinating the Imperial Guards was practically an act of rebellion. Then, even dying a thousand times wouldn’t absolve me of my guilt.”
“You’re right. Those traps were plotted cleverly. If it weren’t for your intelligence and the fact that the imperial son-in-law captured the black-clothed assassins with his martial arts skills, you would probably be unable to prove your innocence. The persons behind the scene are too abominable!” The civil and military officials knelt down without making a sound. They did not expect that the situation changed so quickly and radically. Just as everyone was stunned, Shen Ninghua spoke again.
“Father Emperor, there’s still the fourth killing trap!”
Everyone immediately focused their gaze on her. “Is there the fourth one?”
“That’s right,” Shen Ninghua bent down and touched the ground. Her jade fingertips brushed past the golden ground. Then she moved the fingertips close to her nose and smelled. “Father Emperor, this ground was poisoned.”
The ground in the Chengqian Hall was poisoned?
Baili Qingcang was furious. This golden palace was the place where he met the court officials to discuss state affairs every day. If there were problems here, where else could there be a safe place in his Palace?
“Chen Yun, go and take a look!”
Chen Yun hurriedly stepped forward to check. When he checked other places, he found no problems. But when he examined the place in front of Shen Ninghua, his eyebrows twitched fiercely. “Your Highness, get up quickly.”
Shen Ninghua got up and stood aside.
Chen Yun carefully inspected the ground for quite a while before reporting with a serious expression, “Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with most of the ground in Chengqian Hall. Only the place in the front has been soaked with poison. I have never seen this poison before. However, I can confirm that when this poison comes into contact with the skin, it can penetrate the skin and cause great harm to the human body.”
“Ninghua, why did you still kneel on the ground when noticing something wrong?” Chu Junyi held Shen Ninghua’s hand, and his face was full of worry. “Father Emperor, can you let Her Highness go down to freshen up and change her clothes?”
“Yes. Ninghua, hurry up and change your clothes. By the way, ask the imperial physician to examine your health conditions.”
Shen Ninghua shook her head. “Father Emperor, I know this kind of poison. It is called Bone-Engraving. Once it comes into contact with the skin, it will seep into the body through the pores. It is already too late when it is noticed. This poison is extremely chilly and has no serious impacts on men. When a man comes into contact with it, he will at most have a serious illness and then heal. In the case of women, however, it will affect their offspring. Those who are pregnant will tend to have a miscarriage. Those who are not in pregnancy will probably be difficult to conceive in the future. ”
“What?”
Chu Junyi held Shen Ninghua’s hand tightly, his palms were full of sweat. “Ninghua…”
Shen Ninghua gently tightened her grip once and then quietly wrote “no” on Chu Junyi’s hand under the cover of her sleeves.
Chu Junyi relaxed. Then he realized that he sweated all over. However, his reaction was even more convincing. For a time, many consorts who were waiting aside cried out in pain. They had just knelt on the ground in the front. “Your Majesty, we beg you to thoroughly investigate this matter and do us justice!”
Chu Junyi cupped his hands and reported, “Not all of them were captured alive. Only a few persons were captured. But I think it’s enough to get something valuable.”
Baili Qingcang ordered coldly, “Bring them in!”
Chu Junyi looked at the black-clothed men who had been brought over to the hall. The look in his eyes was as cold as a knife. “Father Emperor, these persons suddenly appeared to intercept and kill the Imperial Guards when Her Highness and I were on our way to the palace. At that time, they were dressed in night clothes and wearing masks. They did not have the slightest evidence on them to prove their identities. They could have acted secretly, but they did not. Furthermore, as soon as they appeared, they shouted that they were to rescue the princess and me. Such an act was clearly a despicable method of malicious slandering. ”
Consort Yin gritted her teeth, and her eyes were filled with resentment. “Who knows if what you said is true?”
Chu Junyi turned his head to look at her, but his handsome face was so cold that it made her heart tremble with fear. “Consort Yin, what I said just now was very clear. At that time, all the Imperial Guards were there, and the Imperial Guards Commander could also testify.”
“Although their motive for announcing their identities is highly questionable, it can’t be used as evidence. Who knows if you did it on purpose?”
Chu Junyi sneered. “Those persons shot arrows at us before they showed themselves. If it weren’t for my protection, Her Highness would have been injured. May I ask you if there is a need for me to put on such a play?”
“Then who can testify for you?” Consort Yin still clenched her teeth and insisted on her opinion.
Shen Ninghua frowned and interrupted Consort Yin. “Consort Yin, the men have been brought here. We can ask them if what the imperial son-in-law has just said is true. Why are you so aggressive and determined to pour dirty water on my head? You are so resolute and decisive, could it be that you knew the inside story?”
“What can I know?”
Consort Yin paused. Seeing Baili Qingcang’s impatient expression, she immediately cowered. She assumed she was in the right before because of her miscarriage. If she continued to question Shen Ninghua with unfounded speculations, the Emperor would probably suspect her.
The Empress lowered her eyes. A trace of uneasiness flashed across her calm eyes. The limbs of the black-clothed assassins were bloody. Their chins had been dislocated. It was obvious that they had been crippled and the poisonous sac used to commit suicide had been pulled out.
The Imperial Guards Commander brought his men forward to awake the black-clothed men and pressed them on the ground.
The leading black-clothed man woke up. Seeing the splendid hall, he subconsciously gritted his teeth, only to find that his poisonous sac had been removed.
Shen Ninghua said directly, “Father Emperor, I judged from their dressing that these persons must be men of sacrifice. It will take a long time to interrogate them and the result may not be satisfactory. Recently, I and Doctor Chen worked together to develop a medicine that can relax one’s mind. Only ten pills were made. We can use these pills now. What do you think, Father Emperor?”
“Pills that can relax one’s mind?”
“That’s right. Its efficacy is extremely powerful. When ordinary persons take this pill, they will lose their minds due to intense pain. Only people with strong willpower can endure it. The pill can blur people’s consciousness and make them answer any question.”
“Try it.” Baili Qingcang’s eyes lit up. He suddenly had an idea. This kind of efficacy was extremely miraculous. If it was used on people like enemy agents hiding in the country, he would get twofold results with half the effort.
Shen Ninghua nodded to Chen Yun. “Doctor Chen…”
Chen Yun nodded. He instructed someone to bring the medicine from the Academy of Imperial Physicians and feed it to one black-clothed assassin.
The black-clothed man didn’t show any reaction at first. But after a moment, his entire body suddenly convulsed. He rolled back and forth on the ground, sweating profusely.
The consorts who were sitting aside all turned their heads and put their hands on their chests in fear, not daring to look at the scene.
Shen Ninghua lowered her eyes and thought rapidly. When she said that she had this kind of pill, the Empress’s expression changed a little. Although she quickly adjusted herself, Shen Ninghua was still able to see it in her eyes. But after the black-clothed man took the pill, although she was slightly nervous, she did not panic too much.
Could it be that these people in black weren’t dispatched by the Empress, or that the black-clothed men didn’t know the true identity of their master at all?
The second possibility should be more likely the case. It seemed that she needed to continue investigating.
Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
Baili Qingcang stared at the black-clothed man on the ground. When he stopped convulsing, he asked coldly, “Who are you?”
The black-clothed man’s gaze was dull. He was kneeling on the ground while being held up by the guards. Hearing Baili Qingcang’s question, he replied dully.
“Man of sacrifice.”
“Who ordered you to assassinate the Imperial Guards?”
“Master.”
Baili Qingcang frowned and looked at Shen Ninghua and Chu Junyi. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Who is your master?”
“Master.”
“Is your master Shen Ninghua or Chu Junyi?”
“No.”
Baili Qingcang heaved a sigh of relief. When he was sure that it wasn’t either of them, his heart finally relaxed. Just as he was about to continue questioning, he saw the black-clothed man open his mouth and spit out a large mouthful of black blood. Then the man immediately lost his breath.
Chen Yun stepped forward to inspect the man and then he reported, “Your Majesty, this person is dead. The pill is extremely powerful and causes great damage to the human body. These black-clothed persons were crippled and their bodies were damaged. This man has done well by holding on for such a while.”
“How many pills are left?”
“Because the ingredients are rare, only ten pills were made. I just used one, and there are nine left.”
“Write down the names of ingredients and hand the prescription to me tomorrow.”
“Yes, as you wish.”
In order to continue questioning, Baili Qingcang ordered to feed a pill to another black-clothed man. Unfortunately, the black-clothed man’s willpower was not strong. Before Baili Qingcang asked him any question, the man had been lifeless.
Baili Qingcang frowned and pondered for a while before instructing the Imperial Guards to send the remaining assassins to the heavenly prison.
The Empress’ straight back slightly moved and slowly relaxed.
Consort Yin knelt on the ground and clenched her teeth as she tore her handkerchief. The light in her eyes kept changing. The assassination of the Imperial Guards had nothing to do with Shen Ninghua. What about the fire in the plum woods?
“Your Majesty…”
Shen Ninghua turned to look at Consort Yin with a faint smile. “Does Consort Yin want to talk about the fire in the plum woods?”
“You… shouldn’t Your Highness explain it thoroughly? After all, many madams and young ladies got injured there. If the incident was not dealt with properly, the lords in the court will not be satisfied, right?”
Shen Ninghua nodded and a cold light flashed in her eyes. “You’re right. The fire in the plum woods must be thoroughly investigated. Father Emperor, originally, I felt puzzled. But now I’ve finally figured it out. All things that happened today were clearly killing traps deliberately plotted against me!”
Baili Qingcang naturally noticed that something was amiss. Hearing what Shen Ninghua said, he nodded as a sign for her to continue.
“When the persons behind the scene saw that Mother Empress asked for incense from me, they made all the incense harmful. They even ordered an imperial physician to make false testimony. Murdering consorts and royal offspring was a capital crime. This was the first killing trap. In order to prevent me from pleading for myself, they plotted the second trap. They did something to the plum woods in my mansion. When I held a banquet for enjoying the plum blossoms, they caused the plum woods to catch fire so that all the madams and young ladies were injured. Then, I could hardly remain intact even though I am a princess. I would probably be stripped of the title of princess and atone for my guilt with death.”
Baili Qingcang gritted his teeth and said, “These people are really detestable!”
Shen Ninghua added, “Father Emperor, the third killing trap was the assassination of the Imperial Guards using those assassins in black. According to the plan, they wanted to kill me and imperial son-in-law directly. If they failed, the assassins would shout that they were there to rescue us. Assassinating the Imperial Guards was practically an act of rebellion. Then, even dying a thousand times wouldn’t absolve me of my guilt.”
“You’re right. Those traps were plotted cleverly. If it weren’t for your intelligence and the fact that the imperial son-in-law captured the black-clothed assassins with his martial arts skills, you would probably be unable to prove your innocence. The persons behind the scene are too abominable!” The civil and military officials knelt down without making a sound. They did not expect that the situation changed so quickly and radically. Just as everyone was stunned, Shen Ninghua spoke again.
“Father Emperor, there’s still the fourth killing trap!”
Everyone immediately focused their gaze on her. “Is there the fourth one?”
“That’s right,” Shen Ninghua bent down and touched the ground. Her jade fingertips brushed past the golden ground. Then she moved the fingertips close to her nose and smelled. “Father Emperor, this ground was poisoned.”
The ground in the Chengqian Hall was poisoned?
Baili Qingcang was furious. This golden palace was the place where he met the court officials to discuss state affairs every day. If there were problems here, where else could there be a safe place in his Palace?
“Chen Yun, go and take a look!”
Chen Yun hurriedly stepped forward to check. When he checked other places, he found no problems. But when he examined the place in front of Shen Ninghua, his eyebrows twitched fiercely. “Your Highness, get up quickly.”
Shen Ninghua got up and stood aside.
Chen Yun carefully inspected the ground for quite a while before reporting with a serious expression, “Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with most of the ground in Chengqian Hall. Only the place in the front has been soaked with poison. I have never seen this poison before. However, I can confirm that when this poison comes into contact with the skin, it can penetrate the skin and cause great harm to the human body.”
“Ninghua, why did you still kneel on the ground when noticing something wrong?” Chu Junyi held Shen Ninghua’s hand, and his face was full of worry. “Father Emperor, can you let Her Highness go down to freshen up and change her clothes?”
“Yes. Ninghua, hurry up and change your clothes. By the way, ask the imperial physician to examine your health conditions.”
Shen Ninghua shook her head. “Father Emperor, I know this kind of poison. It is called Bone-Engraving. Once it comes into contact with the skin, it will seep into the body through the pores. It is already too late when it is noticed. This poison is extremely chilly and has no serious impacts on men. When a man comes into contact with it, he will at most have a serious illness and then heal. In the case of women, however, it will affect their offspring. Those who are pregnant will tend to have a miscarriage. Those who are not in pregnancy will probably be difficult to conceive in the future. ”
“What?”
Chu Junyi held Shen Ninghua’s hand tightly, his palms were full of sweat. “Ninghua…”
Shen Ninghua gently tightened her grip once and then quietly wrote “no” on Chu Junyi’s hand under the cover of her sleeves.
Chu Junyi relaxed. Then he realized that he sweated all over. However, his reaction was even more convincing. For a time, many consorts who were waiting aside cried out in pain. They had just knelt on the ground in the front. “Your Majesty, we beg you to thoroughly investigate this matter and do us justice!”
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