Chapter 1025: Chapter 881: Is It Too Forceful?_2

"The Empress Dowager only believes in the facts!

The poison was found in your room, what else do you have to say?

Xiao Ning’Er, it’s true you are the niece of the Empress Dowager, but the one you attempted to harm is the Empress Dowager’s son, the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!

For conspiring to harm the Emperor, the law dictates the execution of your entire family. Considering that the Duke’s Mansion is my maiden home, I will not implicate the Duke’s Mansion in this matter, so you alone shall be executed!"

"I... I didn’t!

I didn’t, Aunt, please believe me!

I beg you, please believe me!"

The Empress Dowager lifted her foot, flinging off the hem of her skirt which Xiao Ning’Er was clutching, and coldly ordered, "What are you all standing around for? Hurry and drag her out for execution!"

No one dared to defy the Empress Dowager’s command, and immediately, three or four palace guards came in, dragging Xiao Ning’Er by her arms to take her outside!

Xiao Ning’Er resisted while pleading for the Empress Dowager to hear her explanation, shouting her grievances loudly.

The people in the hall were all extremely indifferent; at this time, the Empress Dowager was enraged, and since this concerned plotting against the Emperor, no one dared to speak out, fearing that they might also get implicated in the conspiracy to harm the Emperor!

However, there was one person who, as Xiao Ning’Er was being dragged out of the Great Hall, suddenly knelt down.

"Empress Dowager, the matter has not been thoroughly investigated, there is more to it than meets the eye; I beg you to calm your anger and not execute Miss Ning’Er yet!"

The Empress Dowager was astonished at these words and looked at the person pleading.

"Xie Pan’Er! Are you pleading for Xiao Ning’Er?"

Upon hearing these words, Xie Pan’Er kowtowed to the Empress Dowager, her forehead touching the ground: "Your Highness! I am not pleading!"

"Not pleading?

Then what do you mean?"

"Your Highness! I am pleading for life, pleading for the Emperor’s life!"

"Audacious! Are you cursing the Emperor?"

"No! Your Highness, you misunderstood, I meant to say that the real culprit has not been caught yet. If you execute Miss Ning’Er now, and we fail to find the real culprit, the Emperor will still be in danger!"

"You mean, Ning’Er is not the real culprit?"

This question frightened Xie Pan’Er from answering, yet she affirmed her previous words!

"Your Highness! Miss Xie’s intention is not to say that Miss Ning’Er is not the real culprit, but that we have no conclusive evidence proving Miss Ning’Er is the culprit!"

Ji Youzhi quickly saluted to the Empress Dowager!

Upon hearing Ji Youzhi’s words, the Empress Dowager quickly glanced at him, and asked, "But the poison was found in her room!"

Ji Youzhi quickly replied, "We only found a packet of medicine inside; we have not yet had the Imperial Physician examine whether it is indeed the poison that the Emperor was afflicted with!"

As Ji Youzhi spoke, the Empress Dowager immediately looked towards the Imperial Physicians present.

One Imperial Physician stepped forward, quickly took the packet in hand to examine it, and reported, "Your Highness, this is indeed the powdered poison that the Emperor was afflicted with!"

This result made Xiao Ning’Er’s legs go soft, but the inner guards held her tightly, not allowing her to collapse!

"Did you hear, Divine Hunter Ji! This was the poison found in her room!

What more explanation is there?"

Ji Youzhi saluted and said, "Even so, I must presume innocence. Currently, the only source of the poison entering the Emperor’s system that we can identify is the wild vegetable pancakes.

The wild vegetable pancakes were personally made by Miss Xie, and the raw materials were provided by the Imperial Kitchen, which involves numerous possibilities!

The main issue is that all the wild vegetable pancakes were consumed by the Emperor. Whether they were poisoned also needs verification!

Another possibility is the tableware; the Emperor’s tableware and Miss Xie’s tableware had no issues, leaving only Miss Ning’Er’s tableware.

But the current issue is that Miss Ning’Er’s tableware has disappeared, yet Captain Long Wu and his men found a packet of poison in her room!"

The more Ji Youzhi explained, the more grave the Empress Dowager’s face became, "We cannot find the tableware, yet we found the poison!"

"Your Highness is wise, indeed that is the logic. If Miss Ning’Er intended to poison the Emperor, she would know to destroy the related tableware, yet does not destroy the poison, instead openly placing it in her own room, she must be either too clever or too foolish!"

Ji Youzhi quickly saluted and said.

Xie Pan’Er also pleaded along, "Your Highness! To save a life is to build a seven-storied pagoda; with your great compassion, you surely wouldn’t want an unjust spirit to be harmed without cause in this palace. The matter of Miss Ning’Er’s poisoning should be thoroughly investigated!"