Chapter 66: A Cautious Breakthrough

On the fifth day of the fourth month, everyone arrived at Purple Mountain from the capital.

That day, Ning Wanyin met her family at the palace during the day, and went to the bonfire feast with the emperor in the evening, coming and going together.

So, the fifth day was definitely not free.

Li Rao thought for a moment and said in a rather vague way, “After the summer hunt began, on the sixth, seventh, or possibly the eighth day of the fourth month, I didn’t pay much attention. I just remember it was a dusk, and His Majesty had not returned from the hunt. You took advantage of the opportunity to meet with Song Chengyi in private!”

“Unfortunately, I did not leave the Purple Mountain Palace at dusk on the sixth, seventh, or eighth day of the fourth month. All the palace servants in the palace can testify for me.” Ning Wanyin said calmly.

As everyone knows, Ning Wanyin and the emperor lived in the main palace of the Purple Mountain Palace – the Purple Mountain Palace.

The palace servants here were all the emperor’s people.

Naturally, they were credible.

“Then it must have been a little earlier than dusk…” Li Rao tried to make up for it.

“I was in the palace all three days, from morning to night.” Ning Wanyin said.

Li Rao was speechless for a moment, “It’s been so long, I don’t remember clearly… Anyway, it was one of the days during the summer hunt, you secretly left the palace while His Majesty was away! Could it be that Concubine Ning is going to say that she never left the palace for a single step?”

“Except for the fifth day when I dined with His Majesty, I have indeed not taken a single step out of the palace!” Ning Wanyin’s thin lips curled up in a cold sneer.

Because she was afraid of being assassinated.

Ning Wanyin had not gone out.

The Purple Extreme Palace where she and the emperor lived was surrounded by the emperor’s guards, three layers inside and three layers outside. Except for this palace, other places were very dangerous in Ning Wanyin’s eyes!

How could Ning Wanyin, such a cautious person, dare to go out and wander around, risking being assassinated?

Those few days, she only summoned her mother to talk.

She just stayed by herself, reading and embroidering.

She didn’t step out of the palace gate at all!

Everyone was stunned, feeling unbelievable.

Because no concubine would stay indoors like her.

After seeing enough of the four corners of the sky in the palace, it was rare to come out once. Which concubine wouldn’t take a walk around Purple Mountain and admire the beautiful scenery?

Concubine Cen’s originally calm expression froze instantly when she heard this.

Because Ning Wanyin and the emperor lived together, it was inconvenient to send people to secretly observe, so no one knew that Ning Wanyin really didn’t go out.

Except for the emperor.

The Purple Extreme Palace, inside and out, was all the emperor’s people.

Could he not know whether Ning Wanyin had left the palace?

This was also why when Li Rao reported that Ning Wanyin had met with Song Chengyi in private during the summer hunt, the emperor directly impatiently asked him about his crime.

Wasn’t this a blatant frame-up?

“Your Majesty, this concubine has not taken a single step out of the palace gate except when I accompanied you. Please investigate this matter clearly.” Ning Wanyin said with a grievance.

Helian Qi nodded, “I know.”

Wang Degui, seeing everyone dumbfounded, explained, “This is indeed true, the palace servants who served in the palace at that time can testify!”

“Your Majesty, Lord Li is deliberately framing this concubine! This shows that all those so-called witnesses and evidence are fake…” Ning Wanyin’s eyes welled up with tears, her eyes misty:

“Lord Li is making things up out of thin air, fabricating lies, and framing this concubine. Please, Your Majesty, do justice for this concubine!”

Song Chengyi was completely panicked, but seeing that Ning Wanyin had actually managed to prove that she had not met with him in private, and had turned the tables on him, saying that the other evidence was fake, he also realized at this moment.

He immediately knelt down and said:

“Your Majesty, I have been wronged. This follower once stole my jade pendant and sold it. After being caught, he was beaten and sold out of the house. He harbored resentment towards me for this matter, so he slandered and spread rumors about me.”

“As for what Master Duan said, it is indeed true. But at that time, I was just curious about who solved the chess puzzle, so I asked a few more questions. The rest were all fabricated. Master Duan also said that he did not see us meet in private.”

“I believe that someone with ulterior motives found out that I had asked a few more questions, so they fabricated a story and framed me. Your Majesty is a lover of chess, and you must understand that it is only natural for a chess lover to ask a few more questions when they find out that a chess game has been solved.”

Why would they specifically spread rumors about you and Concubine Ning?

There must be a reason.

Song Chengyi wasn’t completely stupid. He only admitted to one thing that was the least important.

That was asking who the owner of the chess puzzle was.

As for the rest, he denied everything.

This way, it sounded reasonable.

Song Gu, worried for his son, stepped forward and said:

“Your Majesty, please allow me to speak. My son has never mentioned anything about proposing marriage to me. This matter is completely fabricated.”

Helian Qi looked at Li Rao, his eyes cold: “Li Rao, you have committed the heinous crime of framing and slandering. You are to be executed!”

Li Rao was stunned.

Clearly, most of the evidence was true, yet he lost.

Who would have thought that the emperor brought a concubine out for the summer hunt, and this concubine actually stayed in the palace without stepping out for a single step?

Then why did you leave the palace?

What was the point of coming out?

Throughout history, Ning Wanyin was the first concubine to hide in the palace and not step out for a single step during a rare opportunity to leave the palace!

Who would have thought?

His foolproof plan had failed here.

Li Rao was filled with resentment and frustration. Seeing the eunuch come to drag him away, Li Rao hurriedly shouted:

“Your Majesty, I have more evidence! Song Chengyi went to Bifeng Temple to pray for a good marriage, and the marriage charm had his name and Ning Wanyin’s name on it. He kept this marriage charm in his pouch, which he never left his side!”

He had heard this from the servant.

Because he couldn’t verify the authenticity of the marriage charm, nor could he confirm whether Song Chengyi still had it on him…

So, Li Rao, being cautious, didn’t mention it earlier.

But he didn’t expect that Ning Wanyin would prove that the private meeting was fake and even turn all the real evidence into fake…

In a moment of crisis, he could only take a gamble.

He hoped that the servant was telling the truth, and he hoped that Song Chengyi still had the marriage charm.

As soon as these words came out…

Everyone thought it was ridiculous.

Was Song Chengyi an idiot? Carrying something like that with him.

Ning Wanyin looked directly at Song Chengyi, but saw panic in his eyes.

Her heart sank:

Could it be? Could it be that there really is such a thing?

Li Rao, with nothing left to lose, gambled everything on the marriage charm, saying, “This criminal confesses. This criminal did not see Concubine Ning and Song Chengyi meet in private. These two are indeed cautious, and this criminal did not have the opportunity to catch them.”

The emperor had already proven that Ning Wanyin did not meet with Song Chengyi in private.

He could only admit that this was a fabrication.

“But the rest is true. This marriage charm, which Song Chengyi keeps close to his body, is proof of their private agreement to marry. Please, Your Majesty, investigate this matter clearly!” Li Rao kowtowed.

Talismans are usually written with prayers by enlightened monks.

But Song Chengyi, in order to prevent outsiders from knowing that the marriage charm had Ning Wanyin’s name on it, had secretly written it himself.

As long as he could prove that this marriage charm really existed…

It would be a case of catching someone red-handed! He could turn the tables!

Helian Qi’s face was as dark as water, “Bring someone here, search him!”

Song Chengyi wanted to stop him, but he couldn’t find a suitable reason for a while, so he could only be searched by Wang Degui in a panic.

Wang Degui quickly presented the pouch to the emperor.

Helian Qi, with a cold expression, opened the pouch…

He took out a yellow talisman folded into a triangle.

The atmosphere in the entire hall froze in that instant. Everyone stared at the triangular talisman, and the hall was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.