Chapter 259 - Was This Enough?!

Baili Qingcang suddenly turned his head and stared at Zhao Huiying coldly. The chilly light pierced the bottom of her heart. “Empress, make sure you answer my questions truthfully!”

Zhao Huiying was not asked to stand up. Therefore, she could only kneel on the ground and raise her head to look at Baili Qingcang. Her expression was exceptionally calm and firm. Her eyes stared fixedly at Baili Qingcang without the slightest hesitation or concealment.

“Yes, Your Majesty, I will tell you everything I know.”

“Alright, then let me ask again. Did Consort Yun have any child?”

“No!”

“When Consort Yun committed suicide, were you at the scene?”

“When I arrived, the place was already on fire.”

“Then you were not at the scene. How did you know that she was not pregnant?”

“Consort Yun’s monthly periods were recorded clearly. I remember that it was recorded by a Nanny Lan by her side. Consort Yun loved you deeply and everyone knew that. If she was pregnant, how could she not tell you in high spirits but hide it instead?”

“Good. Consort Yun burned herself. Did you give the order to put her body in the coffin?”

“Yes, Consort Yun was burned beyond recognition by the fire. I was afraid of disturbing you, so I directly ordered people to put her in a coffin.”

“Where was the person in charge of this matter?”

“The person in charge was Fangxue. She was clubbed to death under your order some time ago.” Zhao Huiying raised her eyes, and there were traces of coldness in her eyes.

Baili Qingcang stopped where he was, clenching his fists tightly as he looked at Zhao Huiying. He and Zhao Huiying had been a couple for more than twenty years. For so many years, she seemed to be the same as he remembered: elegant, noble, gentle, and calm. She had never changed. Or perhaps, it was not that she had never changed, but that he had never seen through her.

Zhao Huiying knelt straight on the ground, and her voice was calm. “Your Majesty, is there anything else you need to question me?”

“Question? Do you think I’m questioning you?”

Zhao Huiying smiled coldly with a hint of fragility in her eyes. “Aren’t you questioning me? For a concubine who had been dead for twenty years, what was there for Your Majesty to be so angry about? Was it because of the Great Yue Kingdom’s Sixth Prince or because of Chu Junyi? I have accompanied you for more than twenty years, and I have treated all the princes and princesses equally. Why can’t I tolerate Consort Yun’s child?”

Shen Ninghua felt a slight pain in her palm, and then she suddenly realized that she had unconsciously clenched her fists so tightly that her nails had pierced her palms. As expected of the Empress, no wonder she was able to suppress the concubines in the harem for so many years. None of the concubines, old or new, had ever been able to cause any trouble for her in the harem.

Shen Ninghua looked at Bu Jinglan and Bu Tinghe. It was time for both of you to contribute.

Chu Junyi seemed to have sensed something. He turned to look at Zhao Huiying. He saluted her respectfully and then said, “Mother Empress, this matter was not brought up for no reason. Today, Princess Zhaohua and I participated in the banquet held by the Sixth Prince and Princess Wenhe. We met the nanny who used to serve Consort Yun. After hearing what you said, I believe the one beside us must be the Nanny Lan that you mentioned.”

Zhao Huiying frowned and looked at Nanny Lan, who was kneeling on the ground trembling. “Nanny Lan? Didn’t she die in the fire together with Consort Yun?”

“Your Majesty, I was lucky enough to survive the fire and escaped from the palace with the little master.”

“Little master? Heh, where did you get this little master?”

“Others might not know, but you should know. When Consort Yun was about to deliver, she asked you for two delivery nurses. Unfortunately, what she received was not the delivery nurses, but the evidence that forced her to die.”

Nanny Lan’s entire body trembled. However, she understood that if the Empress took the upper hand at this time and insisted that Consort Yun did not have any child, then she, the Sixth Prince and Princess Wenhe would all be guilty of confusing the bloodline of the imperial family. This crime was nothing to the Sixth Prince and Princess Winhe. But to her, it meant death.

“Nonsense!” Zhao Huiying raised her eyebrows and said in anger, “At that time, the one who exposed Consort Yun was the senior palace maid that served her. The evidence and letters that proved her treason were also found from Consort Yun’s palace. It would be too far-fetched to say that she was forced to die!”

Nanny Lan was trembling so hard that she could not speak clearly. She could only look at Bu Jinglan for help.

Shen Ninghua moved her fingers slightly. It was time for Bu Jinglan to go on stage. Since they wanted Chu Junyi to regain his identity, they definitely had evidence of Consort Yun’s innocence in their hands.

Bu Jinglan slowly raised his head. His charming eyes flashed with a trace of helplessness. It seemed that he had to go on the arena today. Shen Ninghua, you won today, but we would wait and see.

“Your Majesties, be evidence of Consort Yun colluding with the enemy should be kept, right?”

Zhao Huiying’s eyes trembled. “Sixth Prince, what do you mean by this?”

Bu Jinglan smiled. “Could it be that the evidence was lost? Although Consort Yun was a member of the harem, she committed a great crime of colluding with the enemy. This evidence must be handed over and kept by the Imperial Archives Department. This is the rule of Da’an. Therefore, this evidence should still exist, right?”

Baili Qingcang nodded. “That’s right. The evidence should be there. Someone, send my order and let the Imperial Archives Department bring over the evidence of Consort Yun’s crime.”

Bu Jinglan lowered his head. There was no panic on his face but a faint smile. After about an hour, the chief of the Imperial Archives Department hurriedly ran over. “Your Majesty, the evidence for convicting Consort Yun has been lost.”

Baili Qingcang frowned. “Lost? The evidence to prove an imperial concubine’s crime is lost?” He turned to look at the Empress with suspicion.

“Your Majesty, please punish me. I deserve to die. At that time, I personally sealed Consort Yun’s case file. As for why it is lost, this…

The Imperial Archives Department was the place for storing evidence of the crimes committed by members of the royal family. Other than the descendants of the royal family and extremely high-ranking officials, no one else could even enter the department. How could a file kept there be lost for no reason?

Bu Jinglan laughed out loud. His sudden laughter caused everyone to focus their attention on him. “It seems that this evidence was not lost, but deliberately destroyed by someone.”

“Impudent!” Zhao Huiying said with a serious face. “Sixth Prince, although you have a special identity, you cannot make irresponsible remarks in the golden hall.”

“Whether or not I am being impudent, you will know it soon.” Bu Jinglan raised his head and looked at Baili Qingcang. “Your Majesty, if it wasn’t for the fact that I have confirmed my cousin’s identity, I would not have rashly told him. Besides Nanny Lan’s testimony and the letter in her hand, I have also found the palace servant who helped Consort Yun. At that time, Consort Yun’s palace was on fire, and he witnessed everything.”

“A palace servant? Sixth Prince, you are taking the issue too lightly just relying on a palace servant to reverse the case for Consort Yun who was convicted twenty years ago.”

“Is this evidence not enough?”

“Of course not!”

Bu Jinglan suddenly smiled. His smile was so chilly that it made people tremble. “Nanny Lan’s testimony is not enough, the servant’s testimony is not enough, Consort Yun’s handwritten letter is also not enough. What if Consort Yun is still alive? Is this enough?”

Boom! These words sounded like a clap of thunder!

Everyone was instantly frozen. Was Consort Yun still alive?

Baili Qingcang held the handle of the chair in a daze, and his gaze was trembling. “What did you say? You said that Consort Yun is still alive?”

“That’s right. I only found out about this recently. My aunt Bu Yunqing is still alive. At that time, her palace caught a great fire. The palace maid beside her could not bear to see her die, so she changed into my aunt’s clothes and died for her. That palace servant helped my aunt escape.”

Zhao Huiying’s face was deathly pale. Bu Yunqing was not dead…

Baili Qingcang’s fingers trembled for a while before he spoke again, “Where is she now?”

“In the capital.”

“…Summon…”

The Dragon Scale Army brought Bu Jinglan with them to fetch Bu Yunqing. The hall was so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard.

Shen Ninghua looked at Chu Junyi worriedly. Her heart was in turmoil: Consort Yun was not dead. After all these years, why didn’t she think of a way to contact Chu Junyi? The mother and son were connected by the heart. Didn’t she miss him?

Chu Junyi lowered his head to conceal the expression on his face from the others. Shen Ninghua, who knew him very well, could still see the uneasiness in his heart from his posture.

When the announcement came from the door again, three hours had passed. Shen Ninghua suddenly woke up from her emotions and then realized that such a long time had elapsed.

Everyone subconsciously looked at the door. When Shen Ninghua saw the person who came in, she suddenly gritted her teeth and tightened her grip to prevent herself from losing her composure.

Granny Poison! It was actually Granny Poison who had helped detoxify her in the valley!

The scars on her face were too obvious, and there was no trace of her original appearance. People would feel inexplicably terrified at the sight of her.

Zhao Huiying had already regained her composure. When she saw Granny Poison, she immediately sneered. “Sixth Prince, I don’t know where you found an old woman with a ruined face. You claim that this person is the beautiful Consort Yun. Do you think His Majesty and I are fools?”

Bu Jinglan smiled but did not say anything. He looked at Zhao Huiying with faint traces of excitement in his eyes.

Suddenly, Granny Poison raised her head and glanced at the high and mighty Baili Qingcang before turning her gaze to Zhao Huiying. “Sister, long time no see.”

Her hoarse voice was a hundred times more unpleasant to hear than Nanny Lan’s, causing people who heard her to unconsciously frown.

“What nonsense are you talking about? Who is your sister?”

A sinister smile appeared on Granny Poison’s face. She slowly squatted down and rolled up her trousers, revealing a jasmine tattoo on her ankle. “You can forget my appearance and my voice. But you should remember this jasmine tattoo clearly, right?”

Zhao Huiying’s body suddenly shook. Jasmine tattoo…

Granny Poison laughed hoarsely. “I remember your words. You said that we entered Da’an’s harem to serve His Majesty together, so we were destined to be sisters. You also said that the legitimate daughters of the Zhao family all had flower tattoos on their ankles. Since you treated me like a sister, you would also give me the same tattoo in memory of our sisterhood.”

Zhao Huiying finally couldn’t help but fall to the ground, and her face was full of shock. “Bu Yunqing, you really are Bu Yunqing…”

“That’s right, sister. It’s been so many years. I’ve been thinking about you all the time!”