Chapter 164: The Witchcraft Disaster

At Lin Mengya’s comment, Ming Yue’s expression changed ever so slightly.

Indeed she had placed these objects into Lin Mengya’s courtyard only today because it was so cautiously guarded.

In order for these objects not to be too eye-catching, Ming Yue did not wrap them up using waterproof waxed paper.

Never would Ming Yue have expected that this would turn into the point of a breakthrough for Lin Mengya.

“That’s right. If anyone among you is not convinced, you may dig into the soil to see for yourself,” Qinghu said immediately as he quickly caught on to what Lin Mengya was trying to say.

Xiaoyu and Qinghu were the ones who took care of the chrysanthemum flowers in the Liuxin Courtyard.

With the exception of today, the two were the ones who attentively and diligently tended to the place every day. There was absolutely no chance for anyone to plant something in it before today.

The Queen nodded slightly, but her silence made it impossible for others to read her mind.

“For one, if I had wanted to bring harm upon the Crown Prince, wouldn’t I take measures to make sure the talisman was preserved properly? Given that the paper used here gets ruined once it comes into contact with water, doesn’t it look as if I’m intent on being discovered?”

The majority of the people agreed with Lin Mengya’s explanation.

She was right. Who would not try to hide the traces if one were to wish harm upon a member of the royal family member?

It did look suspicious that this piece of evidence was placed so conspicuously.

“Do you think you can be exonerated based on your argument? Perhaps you had conceived the wicked idea only when you saw the Queen and the Crown Prince today. Your Highness the Queen, I’ve once heard of a kind of sorcery originated from the north-eastern uncivilized territory which is used to bring harm on people. It was said that the target only had to walk past the talisman and harm would befall him.”

Ming Yue was obviously taking advantage of the situation to put Lin Mengya down.

However, Lin Mengya merely smiled calmly.

She said, “Princess Ming Yue sure made sense with what she said. However, I was not aware that Your Highness the Queen and the Crown Prince was coming today. If Princess Ming Yue was making sense, I suppose the person who persuaded you to come today would have collaborated with me, right?”

“You! That’s pure sophistry!”

Ming Yue was now in a frenzy because she was precisely the one who had persuaded the Crown Prince and the Queen to come.

She was the one who mentioned to the Queen that the flowers in Lin Mengya’s garden were the most beautiful among all in the entire capital city.

She had, in fact, used many words to urge the Queen in case she and the Crown Prince refused to attend the banquet.

“Secondly, Princess Ming Yue suggested that I conceived the idea to harm the Queen and the Crown Prince at the last minute. However, I was helping Huagu settle Madame Wang in the room. Unless you think I was able to be at two different places at the same time? Obviously, I had not been near where the talisman was found since the time the Queen and the Crown Prince arrived. My maidservants had been in the room. They had not stepped out of the room at all. Please investigate this carefully, Your Highness the Queen. Everyone from my courtyard had put on a uniform tonight. If it were my maidservants trying to do something funny, they would be spotted right away because of their uniform which told them apart. Unless everyone was blinded or deaf at that moment.”

This was where Lin Mengya was not someone to be trifled with. Tonight, apart from the servants of the visitors were in greenish grey clothes, all the servants in Prince Yu’s mansion were wearing white.

Moreover, the people she put in the two courtyards were servants they could trust fully.

Those in the outer courtyard were not allowed into the inner courtyard.

Those in the inner courtyard, likewise, were not permitted to interact with those in the outer courtyard.

Any form of interaction had to go through the double-checking of Steward Deng and Lin Kui.

For this reason, Lin Mengya’s claim was immediately reconfirmed.

Someone spoke up saying, “The princess is right. I was standing next to Princess Yu just now and I didn’t see anyone from Prince Yu’s mansion go near that patch of chrysanthemum flowers. It must have been done by someone from the outside.”

Lin Mengya turned to look at the lady who spoke up. From her clothing, Lin Mengya could tell that she was a daughter of some rich, reputable family.

However, the lady still had the mask on so no one could see her face, and she had suppressed her voice in an attempt to cover up her identity.

Lin Mengya nodded slightly at her as a way of greeting.

The lady in mask responded with another nod and soon, she disappeared into the crowd.

“There are just too many suspicious areas in this matter,” the Queen finally opened her mouth after a long time.

Lin Mengya secretly thought that this had turned into a thorny problem. She had underestimated the astute and shrewd Queen, who had pursed her lips despite Lin Mengya’s long explanation.

“The thing is, this concerns the royal family and this object had been found in your garden. Don’t you think you too have the responsibility to assist us in finding the culprit?”.

Lin Mengya was put in a tight spot at the Queen’s comment.

If she said yes, the Queen might have her taken away to assist in the investigation. By then, it would be easy for them to plant evidence.

On the other hand, if her reply was no, the Queen could accuse her of being guilty.

By then, it would be difficult for her to clear her name.

“You are right, Your Highness the Queen. I will keep the princess in the mansion from today onwards and will not allow her to step out of the house to wait for your investigation. This concerns the safety of the royal family and I am duty-bound to do so.”

Long Tianhao sounded deep and cold.

His lanky figure came into sight among the spectators.

With steady steps, he walked over.

The air of indomitable spirit about Long Tianhao provided a sense of security for Lin Mengya so much so that she felt safe around him.

Clad in a black minimalist-style long robe, he looked exceptionally elegant and noble.

As the Queen fixed her cold gaze on Long Tianhao however, there was a deep-rooted feeling of hate and jealousy hidden in her heart towards him.

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How did such an excellent son come from the belly of that slut?

Why was Long Tianhao the only one who resembled his Emperor father?

Therefore, Long Tianhao ought to die!

“Greetings to Your Highness, my Queen Mother. Please do not be angry. It is all my fault that this has happened.”

Before men, the Queen had to make sure she did not show partiality.

There would be trouble if someone spread a rumor saying that she showed favoritism to the Emperor’s first son.

The expression on her face softened as she waved her hand and said, “Alright, I know you have always been loyal to the Crown Prince. I believe that you wouldn’t harbor such evil thoughts against him. Nevertheless, I have to take your wife away. This matter concerns the gentlemen and should not be looked lightly upon.”

It appeared that the Queen was set on taking Lin Mengya away as a show of her authority and to warn.

However, Long Tianhao who usually gave in to the Queen stood adamantly in front of Lin Mengya at this moment.

“Your Highness, if you don’t trust me, I would come along with the princess to assist in the investigation.”

The Queen was surprised at how unyielding Long Tianhao was.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, the Queen clenched her fists slightly.

Just when the Queen was about to grant Long Tianhao his request, Lin Mengya opened her mouth to speak.

“Wait a second, Your Highness! Given that Prince Yu is the Emperor’s son and therefore one the nation’s pillars, if he were to be taken away together with me, someone with an evil intention would take this opportunity to defame him. I would like to suggest that we investigate this matter tonight in the presence of the magistrate and the commander of the imperial guards who are with us tonight.”

Lin Mengya’s words surprised the Queen, Concubine De and Long Tianhao and the expressions on their face changed.

The Queen did not expect that at this stage, Lin Mengya was still attempting a final struggle.

“Alright, I will grant you your request. What good idea do you have?”

Although Queen seemed to have given in, there was a look of indifference in her eyes.

To the Queen, Lin Mengya’s proposal sounded like a suicidal act.

It was not going to be easy trying to find the culprit, and if they failed in finding the culprit, Lin Mengya would have to be taken away by the Queen.

“Ya’er, you—”

Concubine De was starting to panic, seeing how things were turning out. It was obvious the Queen and her company were targeting Lin Mengya and Long Tianhao.

How could she, as the mother, not be anxious?

“After taking a look at the cinnabar used here, I found something strange about it. I have a substance here which turns red upon contact with cinnabar. Whoever set this up would have traces of cinnabar left on their palm or clothes. With this substance, I would be able to do a test. What do you think, Your Highness?”

The Queen went into a moment of deep thoughts at Lin Mengya’ suggestion.

After a long time, she finally nodded in approval.

At that juncture, a subtle panic flashed across Princess Ming Yue’s eyes.

She had planned on watching the entire drama, sitting back.

She would not have sprung up so abruptly if not for her impulse to make an accusation on Lin Mengya.

What should she do now? What if Lin Mengya managed to find out the truth? In which case, she might be implicated.

Jiang Ruqin was the other one among the crowd who was starting to panic as well.

All the more, the face of the maidservant standing by her side was drained of colors.

She had been thinking hard on how to get into the Liuxin Courtyard since Lin Mengya went for the hunting trip to Mount Lingju.

Never did she expect that Lin Mengya would get Jin Yue, the senior maid, to look after her courtyard in her absence.

Jin Yue had been guarding the Liuxin Courtyard so carefully all through the days that she did not have any opportunity to plant any evidence in it.

Seeing the confidence displayed by Lin Mengya, she was afraid that Lin Mengya truly had a way to test the presence of cinnabar on the palms and clothes.

“Alright, just do as you say. Men, invite the magistrate the commander of the imperial guards here to witness the testing.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

By this time, Lin Mengya’s palm was already moist with perspiration.

Qinghu secretly crept up behind Lin Mengya.

“Do you really have a solution, lass?”

Lin Mengya hesitated, shook her head and forced a smile.

“There’s no such thing in the world. What I could do is just to see with my naked eye if there are traces of cinnabar on people’s clothes or palm. You and Xiaoyu would have to play along with me by watching my eyes closely.”

Qinghu had never doubted Lin Mengya’s words. If she said she could tell, then she meant it.

The radar in her brain was sensitive to even small amounts of poison. If she concentrated, she would even be able to detect a trace amount down to 0.0001 grams of the substance.

They prayed that whoever was carrying the traces of cinnabar would at least hit this amount.

“Lu Yun, the magistrate of the capital city, together with Zhu Aizhi, the commander of the imperial guards pays our respects to Your Highness the Queen and Concubine De.”

Zhu Aizhi? Lin Mengya glanced at him when she heard his familiar name.

Indeed, he was the same person as general she interacted with at the temporary imperial residence.

She did not expect him to be promoted so quickly.

If he was not an ungrateful person, she might be able to get some help from him this time.

“You may rise. I suppose you already know the ins and outs of this matter, as well as it’s seriousness and implications. I shall not explain any further. You two shall assist Princess Yu in finding out who the real culprit is.”