The palace consort did not deny it: “This consort never mentioned the Empress. Are you feeling guilty?”
“Then, who were you implying?”
Everyone turned to look.
They saw the Emperor, Empress, and Xiao Chengyan entering the hall one after another.
The one who had asked the question was the Emperor.
Instantly, the hall was filled with people kneeling on the ground.
When Lin Nong saw Xiao Chengyan, it was as if she had found her support. She called out softly, grabbed his hand, and trembled slightly.
Xiao Chengyan’s gaze was bright as he looked at her. He had not expected her to appear so fragile yet be so brave!
He recalled how Zi Sangli had panicked and lost her composure the first time she encountered such a situation. In the end, it was only because his mother had sacrificed a hidden pawn that she was saved!
The difference between the two was immense!
“Don’t worry, don’t be afraid!”
The palace consort glanced cautiously at the Emperor, wanting to defend herself: “Your servant…”
Lin Nong reacted quickly, not giving her a chance to explain.
She defended the Empress word by word: “The authority to govern the six palaces was granted to Her Majesty the Empress by Your Majesty, precisely because you cherish and trust her capabilities! If the Empress truly had any selfish motives, how could so many princes and princesses in the palace have been born and raised safely?”
“Moreover, how much did this consort witness today? How much does she truly know? How dare she, without any concrete evidence, insist that it was my fault and brazenly speak of accomplices! If this isn’t false accusation, then what is!”
Upon hearing this, the Empress’s gaze grew even more affectionate.
This child truly is remarkable!
“Don’t be afraid. Speak freely to His Majesty. His Majesty will surely handle this impartially.”
Lin Nong bowed slightly, her body trembling as if from fear: “Your Majesty, the sachet that Shufei presented, claiming it caused Qin Wangfei’s miscarriage, is not mine at all! It is clearly a malicious attempt to frame me and implicate the Empress and Chen Wang, Your Highness!”
As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the hall changed dramatically.
Shufei frowned.
The palace consort’s eyes shifted unpredictably.
The palace maid who had accused her was even more astonished.
Xiao Chengyan was greatly surprised. Before this, he had been thinking about how to extricate her without implicating himself and the Empress!
Shufei glanced at her waist, where there was nothing: “I don’t see any sachet on you! If you haven’t lost a sachet, what were you searching for on the long street?”
Lin Nong glanced at Xiao Chengyan, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum: “I lost an earring, a gift from Wangye, so of course I had to find it! The sachet I wore today is… is in Wangye’s embrace…”
Xiao Chengyan suddenly understood.
No wonder she had suddenly thrown herself into his arms when they left Jiaofang Palace and slipped this sachet to him.
At the time, he thought she had taken his mother’s advice and was learning to be proactive.
Little did he know that she had already sensed someone plotting against her and had begun setting up her defense in advance!
His gaze burned with admiration, and he felt even more strongly that she was different from others—not only gentle and perceptive but also intelligent and sharp!
He took the sachet from his chest and handed it to the chief eunuch beside the Emperor.
“Today, when we entered the palace, Mother bestowed some jewelry. I thought this pair of earrings suited Nong Er, so I gave them to her. In return, Nong Er gifted me this sachet.”
The Emperor’s gaze fell upon Lin Nong’s face: “Lin Shi, what do you have to say?”
Lin Nong spoke slowly: “When I embroider and use sachets, I weave a strand of gold thread into the hem. Moreover, I place them in a censer for a month before wearing them, so even if they get wet, the fragrance remains.”
The Emperor waved his hand.
He ordered the chief eunuch to immediately conduct a comparison.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the chief eunuch returned to report: “Your Majesty, just as Cefei said, the fragrance does not dissipate and gold thread is rolled into the closure. As for the pouch that caused Qin Wangfei’s miscarriage, after being washed in soapberry water, it lost its fragrance and had no gold thread rolled in.”
Shufei was both disappointed and wary.
Such a sudden scheme had actually been seen through and avoided by Lin!
But she also felt relieved.
Fortunately, she was only a Cefei and had no opportunity to go out for social engagements. Otherwise, such sharp perception would surely cause significant trouble for her daughter-in-law in winning over the noblewomen at court!
A palace consort sharply said: “That still doesn’t prove this sachet wasn’t brought into the palace by Lin!”
Lin Nong looked at her with confusion: “Your Ladyship seems to hold considerable hostility towards legitimate heirs, the Empress, and this humble consort. Could it be that you harbor personal grudges and deliberately schemed today’s events to frame this humble consort and implicate the Empress and His Highness Chen Wang?”
The palace consort was greatly alarmed: “How dare you! You actually dare to slander this consort!”
Lin Nong turned to the Emperor, respectfully kowtowing: “This humble consort was indeed only speculating. This was improper, and this humble consort accepts punishment. But since this consort insists on targeting me relentlessly, she must have solid evidence proving that this humble consort committed evil deeds through scheming!”
“I beg Your Majesty to decide—let this consort present evidence to confront me!”
Her expression was firm and composed, showing no guilt or fear even under the Emperor’s sharp gaze.
Meanwhile, the palace consort trembled like a withered leaf in the cold wind!
Having witnessed numerous schemes in both court and harem, how could the Emperor not understand that today’s events were clearly someone attempting to frame Lord Lin and Chen Wang with the crime of harming the imperial grandson, using Lin merely as their chosen target!
The mastermind behind it simply never expected that this seemingly weak and incapable Lin woman was no easy target to scheme against!
The Empress had good judgment.
“Empress, I entrust this matter to you to handle. There’s no need to report any outcome to me—dispose of it as you see fit! Those who dare to disrupt peace and scheme against the imperial bloodline don’t deserve to live!”
Having said this, he glanced at Lin Nong and left with a sweep of his sleeve!
These words were actually also a warning to Shufei.
The Emperor knew perfectly well who was aligning with whom in the harem!
Seeing her scheme fail, Shufei wisely didn’t persist. After all, the Empress wouldn’t be able to trace it back to her!
She cast a cold glare at the palace consort and entered the side hall under the pretext of caring for her daughter-in-law.
The palace consort naturally understood—Shufei intended for her to take all the blame!
She didn’t want to die, but her father and brothers all served under Shufei’s father, so she had no choice but to comply.
The Empress looked at Lin Nong with increasing satisfaction.
Truly worthy of being the noble daughter she had meticulously selected—wise, kind, yet not lacking in strategic cunning. Truly outstanding!
She turned to Xiao Chengyan: “Has my son understood clearly?”
Xiao Chengyan nodded: “Your son understands that Mother Empress has made careful plans for my sake.”
Lin Nong knew that her performance today had satisfied both him and the Empress.
She gently covered her chest, appearing quite fearful in retrospect.
While boarding the carriage, she stumbled.
Xiao Chengyan promptly supported her trembling body and had her sit beside him.
Lin Nong naturally took her seat.
Xiao Chengyan held her close: “Earlier, you did very well. Father Emperor thinks highly of you.”
Lin Nong leaned against him, her voice soft and gentle as she flattered him: “I was merely putting on a brave front to intimidate others! Fortunately, Wangye and the Empress arrived quickly. Otherwise, with so many people surrounding me, echoing each other’s false accusations, I would have been frightened to death!”
Xiao Chengyan held her hand: “Don’t be afraid. Mother has been in the palace for so many years and has her own arrangements. Even if something truly went wrong, she could still protect you.”
Lin Nong knew this, which was why she dared to confront them head-on. But she shook her head with great understanding: “I am aware of Her Majesty’s capabilities, but the primary duty of the hidden agents is to protect Her Majesty and you. As your Cefei, I should learn to protect myself rather than bring you troubles!”
Xiao Chengyan grew even more satisfied with her: “How did you detect that someone was plotting against you?”