Chapter 335: Xiao Ningning Is Not Simple
Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Xiao Ningning Is Not Simple
The Emperor was clearly stunned by what Shen Ningning had said.
He froze for a moment, then chuckled. "Ningning, you can’t just say things like that. While Consort Rong has her faults, she has been extremely devout ever since she began to follow Buddhism."
The Emperor knelt and said patiently to Shen Ningning, "In the past, for the safety of the common people, she honored the Buddhist Scriptures and fasted for seven days, surviving on nothing but dew."
"Tell your Uncle Emperor, was she wrong to do that?"
Shen Ningning realized the Emperor still thought she was just spouting childish nonsense.
She blinked her big, bright eyes. "I have a way to prove that Consort Rong is in the wrong."
"Her heart is black and wicked when she copies the scriptures. That’s why the heavens won’t accept her offerings."
The Emperor sensed something was amiss and slowly furrowed his brow.
Just then, a eunuch’s voice announced from the entrance—
"His Highness, the Crown Prince, has arrived."
Mo Lingwei entered, draped in a Xuanling Cloak, his tall figure striding in.
Without even glancing at the Emperor, his cool eyes fixed on Shen Ningning. He smiled, undid his cloak, walked over and rubbed his hands together before pinching her little cheeks a couple of times.
"What are you doing in the Imperial Study Room? Why didn’t you wait for me at Zichen Palace?"
He wanted to pinch them a couple more times.
Shen Ningning pushed his hand away with her own small one. "Brother, stop teasing. I’m here to talk about serious business."
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow and finally gave the Emperor a proper look.
"Did you bully Shen Ningning?"
The Emperor, who had been thinking about Consort Rong, snapped back to reality and scowled. "How could I possibly bully little Ningning!"
Shen Ningning explained her purpose for being there to Mo Lingwei.
Then, the little girl, her round eyes clear, said bluntly, "Uncle Emperor just needs to burn all the scriptures she has copied, and the sun will come out."
The Emperor paused, his brows deeply furrowed.
"How could that be done? The scriptures she copied have all been offered before the Buddha. To burn them would be a great disrespect."
Mo Lingwei, in turn, sat down in a nearby chair.
He had a lazy air about him as his cool eyes swept over Shen Ningning’s sparkling, watery eyes.
Then he spoke nonchalantly, "What’s the harm in listening to her for once?"
"Consort Rong has been copying scriptures for so long, and every volume has been offered with incense before the Buddha. But so what? Didn’t this natural disaster strike anyway?"
The Emperor fell silent.
’That does make sense,’ he thought.
Mo Lingwei sipped his tea, his handsome, cold features half-hidden in the dark steam rising from the cup.
"What’s the big deal about burning a few volumes just to see what happens?"
The Emperor thought for a moment, then asked Shen Ningning, "Little Ningning, are you certain what you’re saying is true?"
"You should know that good children don’t lie, and your Uncle Emperor doesn’t like it when people lie to him."
Beneath her sleeve, Shen Ningning’s small hand tightened its grip on her skirt.
Mo Lingwei saw this from the corner of his eye but said nothing, simply continuing to sip his tea with a calm expression.
The little girl’s expression was unchanged as she said in a soft, sweet voice, "Last night, I dreamed of a wise old immortal. He’s the one who told me."
"He said Consort Rong is very wicked and has done many bad things, so the scriptures she copies are also fake. That’s why the gods and Buddha won’t show her any favor."
The moment the Emperor heard this, he was convinced.
He immediately waved his hand. "Go, summon Consort Rong and have her bring the Buddhist Scriptures she has copied."
After that, the hall fell silent.
Mo Lingwei patted the seat next to him and called to the little girl, "Come sit. Aren’t you tired of standing while you wait?"
But Shen Ningning looked as if she were facing a great enemy, her small face serious.
"I won’t sit for now." ’In a moment,’ she thought, ’I’m going to war with Consort Rong!’
Before long, Consort Rong arrived.
Her clothes were thin, and frost still clung to her fur collar.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince." She curtsied, and when she raised her head, her figure was as frail and delicate as a willow in the wind.
Shen Ningning looked at her face, which was, as always, serene and compassionate.
And yet, this was the woman with a serpent’s heart behind a saint’s face, the one who had brutally torn open the scars in Xie Suzhi’s heart.
She had driven him to vomit blood and collapse.
The Emperor said, "Consort Rong, Ningning says an immortal sent her a dream, telling her your character is corrupt, and thus the scriptures you copy are naturally flawed as well."
"Therefore, I have decided to first burn ten scrolls to see if it brings an auspicious sign. Do you have any objections?"
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, Consort Rong’s gaze shot toward Shen Ningning.
On her pale, taut face, her eyes were fixed, staring intently at the little girl.
Consort Rong’s eyes flickered. "For the good of the state and its people, I would never say no."
"But if burning them invites heavenly punishment and divine wrath, can Princess Funing bear that responsibility? Or has being the blessed girl for so long made you truly believe you can command the heavens and the earth?"
Shen Ningning’s small face was grave. "This cold disaster has lasted for a long time, tormenting everyone to the point of suffocation."
"No matter the method, we should at least try. If no auspicious sign appears, I will willingly bear the consequences."
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed. "Then..."
Mo Lingwei set his teacup down, the soft clink perfectly timed to interrupt before Shen Ningning could fall into Consort Rong’s verbal trap.
All eyes turned to him.
Mo Lingwei’s cool eyes were dark as ink.
He said coldly, "The scriptures Consort Rong copied failed to resolve the natural disaster."
"Are you suggesting that burning a few scrolls today will suddenly provoke divine wrath?"
Mo Lingwei laughed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "They were useless when it mattered most. Even if we burn them, nothing bad will happen. Your concern is unnecessary."
Consort Rong’s face paled, knowing she couldn’t escape this today.
So, she had a palace maid present the Buddhist Scriptures she had copied.
Shen Ningning’s watery eyes watched as the palace maid placed the Buddhist Scriptures inside a prepared tripod vessel outside the hall.
The Emperor said in a deep voice, "Light the fire."
Commander Lu personally tossed a torch inside.
Shen Ningning followed Mo Lingwei and the Emperor out the doors.
The flames surged, sending up thick black smoke.
Against the icy wind, the fire burned with a blazing uncertainty.
Everyone’s eyes followed the flickering red flames, each lost in their own thoughts.
After the burning, everyone waited for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, but nothing happened.
The Emperor tilted his head back, searching for any sign of a heavenly omen.
But there was nothing.
Consort Rong fell to her knees, her face streaked with tears.
"Your Majesty, burning my scriptures is burning my painstaking effort of many days. For you, for the state, and for the people, I have no complaints."
"However, I have already suffered too many grievances, and I cannot swallow this injustice any longer. Princess Funing, relying on her title as the blessed girl, has been arrogant and domineering, even framing and slandering me."
"Oh, Your Majesty," Consort Rong whimpered, her resentful voice wavering on the wind, "I beg you to seek justice for me and make Princess Funing repent to these scriptures."
The Emperor’s expression darkened.
Mo Lingwei looked at the little girl beside him, his long brows knitting together.
Just as Mo Lingwei was about to speak...
Shen Ningning took a step forward. "Uncle Emperor, that’s not right."
The Emperor was somewhat displeased. "What are you trying to say?"
"Those weren’t Consort Rong’s scriptures," the little girl said.
Consort Rong’s sobs caught in her throat.
Blinking her clear, bright eyes, Shen Ningning said, "I heard that Consort Rong previously allowed a Palace Attendant to steal Buddhist Scriptures and then framed Ye Shangyi for it."
"Because there’s a precedent of her deceiving people, I paid close attention just now. I glanced at the Buddhist Scriptures that were thrown in, and the handwriting didn’t seem to be Consort Rong’s."
Shen Ningning pointed at the little palace maid who had delivered the scriptures.
"Uncle Emperor, if you torture her, we will know the truth."
The Emperor’s sharp gaze swept over her. The little palace maid’s face went white with fright, and the tray in her hands fell to the ground.
She scrambled to her knees and cried, "Your Majesty, spare my life! It was Consort Rong who forced this servant to do it!"