The head seamstress on the main seat instantly darkened her face. "Siyi, this is pure nonsense, baseless slander!"
To dare directly step forward and accuse the chief examiner of accepting bribes and cheating right in front of her—one truly didn’t know whether to call Bai Lu straightforward or just plain foolish.
Seeing this scene, Lu Mingtang understood clearly in her heart why, in her past life, Bai Lu—despite being clever, capable, meticulous, and skilled—had remained a low-ranking palace maid in the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau for years. The root of this misfortune likely began with this public accusation of cheating in the competition.
Siyi’s expression also shifted slightly. She swept her gaze over the crowd below before finally settling on Bai Lu, who had boldly stepped forward.
"You accuse Die’er of bribing the head seamstress—do you have any solid evidence?"
Bai Lu stood straight-backed, showing no fear. "When the head seamstress accepted Die’er’s silver coins, not only did I see it, but many other palace maids witnessed it as well."
Siyi scanned the crowd. Though she said nothing, her gaze carried an invisible pressure. "Is that so? Who else saw it? Step forward and speak. If this is true, I will deal with it severely."
Though she spoke of severe punishment, the stern, threatening look in her eyes was something only a fool would miss. Clearly, Siyi was aware of the head seamstress accepting bribes—or perhaps they were simply in cahoots.
Bai Lu, this fool, had become the first to speak out. If anyone dared step forward to join her in the accusation, forget about seeking justice—they probably wouldn’t even survive in the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau!
The surroundings fell into silence. The other palace maids all lowered their heads; not a single person stepped forward.
"No one else steps forward to corroborate? That is to say, only you, Bai Lu, claim to have witnessed this bribery? Without witnesses, do you have any material evidence?"
Bai Lu seemed to have anticipated this outcome and replied calmly, "No, but I saw it with my own eyes. If I speak even half a lie, may I be struck by lightning, die a miserable death, fall into the Avīci Hell after death, and never be reincarnated for all eternity!"
"You… Siyi, Bai Lu must have gone mad! She must be jealous that I obtained the position of head seamstress, harboring resentment, and is now randomly slandering me. I beg Siyi to uphold justice for me. Otherwise, my reputation will be utterly ruined by her!"
Just as Siyi was about to speak to punish her, suddenly a palace maid from the back row stepped forward and declared loudly, "I also saw it! Die’er gave the head seamstress a chest of silver coins, and the head seamstress promised that today’s competition winner would definitely be her!"
Die’er whipped her head around, glaring viciously at the person who had stepped forward to accuse her. "Xia Yaoyao, I have no grudge against you. How dare you help this wretch slander me?"
Xia Yaoyao rolled her eyes dramatically. "Do your own dirty deeds need others to slander you? I stand upright and fear no crooked shadow. Every word I speak is the truth. Do you dare, like Bai Lu, swear to heaven that you did not bribe the head seamstress? If you speak even half a lie, may you be run over when you go out, choke on your food, drown while drinking water, be covered in festering sores, and die a miserable death!"
"You!"
Die’er was nearly furious to death. She turned and knelt, weeping and pleading, "Siyi, please see clearly! I absolutely never engaged in bribery. They must resent me and don’t want me to take the position of head seamstress, so they’re deliberately slandering me. I am truly wronged!"
The head seamstress also rose to her feet, clasping her hands in salute. "Siyi, this is absolutely slander. Who would have thought that these young palace maids, in their ambition to climb higher, would dare to secretly collude and casually slander and accuse others? I beg Siyi to punish them severely to uphold palace regulations!"
"Bai Lu, Xia Yaoyao, I ask once more: aside from your so-called eyewitness testimony, is there any physical evidence?"
Xia Yaoyao blurted out, "The evidence is the silver that the Wardrobe Keeper accepted! The silver was kept in a black box carved with lotus flowers—it must be hidden in her room!"
Siyi raised a hand, giving a meaningful glance. "You two, search the Wardrobe Keeper's quarters."
Two palace maids accepted the order and soon returned. "Siyi, we searched the entire room but found no such black box."
Siyi slapped the table with a sharp crack. "How dare you! To slander others for your own selfish desires! Guards, drag these two away, give them fifty heavy strokes, and lock them in the dark room until they confess!"
"First time seeing a case handled like this—truly an eye-opener."
Accompanied by a clear, melodious voice, the maids who were about to seize the accused suddenly felt something heavy strike their knees. They cried out in pain and collapsed to the ground.
Everyone turned toward the sound at once. The newcomer wore a brilliant red gown, bold and unrestrained, radiant as moonlight, so dazzling it was almost blinding. She approached with measured steps, her phoenix eyes carrying an intense, sharp authority that instinctively made one's legs weak, wanting to kneel and pay respects.
Siyi looked at the newcomer, mentally reviewing the appearances of all the noble ladies in the palace, yet she had never seen this person before.
"Who are you? The Wardrobe Bureau is handling palace maids—outsiders have no right to interfere. Leave at once!"
A eunuch hurriedly scolded in a low voice, "How dare you! Kneel and pay homage to Her Highness, the Seventh Princess!"
Siyi stood up but did not bow. "Seventh Princess? I've served in the palace for many years—how have I never heard of a Seventh Princess? Does Da Wei have any princess besides Princess Changle?"
The sarcasm in her words was unmistakable. Even if this person really were a princess, so what?
Everyone in the palace knew that Emperor Chengde was promiscuous, even lowly palace maids could give birth to princes and princesses. The least valuable things in the palace were these so-called princes and princesses.
Aside from those born to Empress Dowager Zhang and other high-ranking consorts, the status of other imperial family members in the palace was even lower than that of palace maids.
Especially after Lu Yan ascended the throne, the surviving princes and princesses who had barely clung to life were nearly toyed to death by him—treated like livestock, their lives cheap and worthless.
"You don't recognize this princess, but do you recognize this?"
Lu Mingtang, long accustomed to the palace's fawning over the powerful and trampling on the weak, calmly raised the waist token.
The pure gold token was engraved with a coiled five-clawed golden dragon, majestic and noble. In this world, only the emperor was worthy of the five-clawed true dragon—this was the Young Emperor's waist token!
To see the token was to see the emperor!
Siyi, who had been arrogant and disdainful just moments before, instantly changed her expression. Panicked, she stumbled forward and knelt, performing a grand bow.
Her attitude shifted dramatically, becoming extremely humble and respectful. "This humble maid pays homage to Your Highness, the Seventh Princess! May Your Highness enjoy boundless fortune and peace!"
The courtyard filled with the sound of people kneeling in unison. Though they were all shocked—why would the Young Emperor's waist token be in the hands of this so-called Seventh Princess?—the token was in her possession, leaving no room for disrespect or insolence.
"Now you recognize this princess?"
Lu Mingtang's voice was light, revealing neither joy nor anger, yet an invisible pressure swept over them like a tidal wave.
Siyi trembled involuntarily. "This humble maid is blind, this humble maid deserves death… Please calm your anger, Your Highness… Ah!"
Before the plea for mercy could be finished, a raised-toe embroidered crabapple blossom shoe stepped on Siyi's right hand, instantly accompanied by the sound of shattering bones!
"This servant knows her crime, this servant deserves death! Spare me, Princess! Spare me, Princess!"
Enduring the excruciating pain of her fingers being crushed and bones broken—a pain that pierced straight to the heart—Siyi kept knocking her head against the ground with loud thuds, not daring to stop even as blood streamed from her forehead.