What further resolution could she possibly seek?

Faced with such a furious demand, Ziqing didn’t rush to answer, instead pressing a hand to her chest and coughing lightly several times before finally speaking, her brow furrowed with earnest seriousness. “Your Majesty, this humble concubine dares to make a request—might a certain person be summoned before this court?”

“Who?” Emperor Tianhui demanded coldly.

“Nanny Li, from Brocade Palace within the imperial residence.”

Nanny Li?

The hall immediately erupted into murmurs. Nanny Li of Brocade Palace oversaw the distribution of fabrics and silks throughout the imperial harem, renowned for her exceptional skill in embroidery and textile craftsmanship. Though merely a “nanny” by title, she actually held the rank of a third-tier female official!

What could Han Ziqing possibly want with this woman? Could it be that Nanny Li was somehow implicated in this case as well?

Amid the swirling murmurs, Nanny Li was indeed summoned. She arrived visibly trembling, just as puzzled as everyone else as to how she’d become entangled in all this.

Yet Ziqing personally retrieved the handkerchief and handed it over. “Nanny Li, might I trouble you to examine this fabric and the embroidered pattern, and tell us approximately when it was made?”

The moment these words left her mouth, a flicker of wariness immediately crossed Consort Yi’s eyes. She murmured quietly, “Beichen, this woman… is no simple opponent!”

Jun Beichen, still thoroughly confused, replied, “How is she not simple? I’d say she’s merely riding on Jun Beiyue’s coattails! Mother, could it possibly be Prince Yao himself who killed Young Master Chen and that whole group of ours?”

Jun Beichen murmured back, utterly unwilling to believe Han Ziqing herself possessed any real capability—in his mind, Prince Yao remained by far the most likely suspect for silencing witnesses.

“Who actually did the killing isn’t what matters—what matters is who ends up bearing the blame for it!” Consort Yi said coldly.

Nanny Li took only a brief glance at the handkerchief before immediately answering, “This fabric was woven three years ago, and this particular pattern dates from that same period.”

Ziqing pressed further. “Nanny Li, would a handkerchief of this style still be seen in the hands of any young lady of a noble household today?”

The moment these words left her mouth, everyone present gasped in shock—so this had been Han Ziqing’s intention all along!

In truth, the question hardly needed asking at all—anyone with even basic knowledge would immediately understand that such an outdated style of handkerchief would never be used by even the most favored concubine-born daughter of any noble household!

Without question, this handkerchief had clearly been planted as false evidence!

Under the scrutiny of everyone present, with every word in this courtroom carrying grave consequences, Nanny Li dared not hesitate, quickly answering, “It would not. Not even a maidservant with any standing at all in a noble household would use such a thing.”

Ziqing coughed lightly a few more times, thanked her, and then turned her attention to the elderly nanny, who by now was trembling with fear, her legs visibly shaking. With grave seriousness, she asked, “Nanny, are you truly certain you washed this handkerchief not long ago? Because as far as I recall, I haven’t laid eyes on this particular handkerchief in well over a year. Could it perhaps be you who’s been using it all this while?”

The moment these words left her mouth, the old nanny’s legs gave out entirely, collapsing to the ground. “Mercy, my lady! This old servant… this old servant can’t quite remember anymore, this old servant can’t remember anything clearly at all!”

At this, Emperor Tianhui’s dark expression grew truly forbidding, his sharp eyes cutting toward Consort Yi, who immediately flinched away, not daring to raise her head again!

Jiang Jingbo, meanwhile, found himself utterly at a loss as to how to proceed with the trial, his brow furrowed deeply, not even daring to speak. He had never imagined that this seemingly insignificant, obscure concubine’s daughter could possibly possess such meticulous foresight and composure.

She had allowed them to present every last piece of their witness testimony and physical evidence, only to summon a single, seemingly unrelated nanny, and with that single stroke, effortlessly overturned their entire carefully prepared case!

Was Prince Yao secretly assisting her behind the scenes, or did she genuinely possess this kind of hidden cunning all on her own?

“Old nanny, have I ever treated you unkindly? Why would you conspire to frame me like this?”

Ziqing demanded furiously, coughing several times from the exertion, taking a moment to catch her breath before continuing, “Your Majesty, Minister Jiang, I understand someone has reported discovering the bodies of several palace guards buried near the Chen residence. Ziqing suspects the true culprit behind this entire case must be connected to that discovery as well—might I ask whether the Court of Judicial Review has fully investigated this matter yet?”

Emperor Tianhui’s fists were already clenched tight. Jiang Jingbo, not daring to make any decision on his own, kept glancing anxiously toward Consort Yi for guidance…

This was, in truth, the single most suspicious element of the entire case—he had originally planned to raise it only after the weight of the witness testimony and physical evidence had already left Han Ziqing with nothing left to say in her own defense.

With both witness testimony and physical evidence already presented, and this new lead now surfacing, this actually aligned perfectly with Consort Yi’s true intentions—rather than convicting Han Ziqing outright, simply keeping her detained indefinitely while the case dragged on and on.

This would mean that however long the Court of Judicial Review took to conclude this case would directly determine when Han Ziqing was finally punished—and, by extension, when Prince Yao might be persuaded to take a different consort altogether!

This outcome would have satisfied Consort Yi far more than an immediate death sentence for murder ever could!

Yet now, unexpectedly…

Consort Yi had no further options left, shooting Jiang Jingbo a sharp, warning glare, and saying nothing more.

The once-packed hall grew increasingly quiet, the atmosphere tense and awkward.

Even Eunuch Yin stood trembling with unease. The Emperor had initially been pleased to see Prince Yao absent, assuming he had simply thrown a temporary tantrum over the marriage and then abandoned the matter entirely once the murder case erupted. Yet now, seeing how effortlessly Han Ziqing had turned the tables, it was clear that Prince Yao must have already seen Jiang Jingbo’s memorial beforehand and secretly prepared her for exactly this moment!

“Your Majesty… everyone is still waiting!” Eunuch Yin reminded him timidly. The hall remained full of imperial relatives and officials of the third rank and above—the show had to go on regardless!

“Minister Jiang!” Emperor Tianhui said coldly.

Jiang Jingbo, thoroughly unwilling yet with no choice but to press forward, forced himself to ask, “This official was just about to proceed with the trial!”

Ziqing, still appearing frail and weak, pressed a hand against her chest, steadying her breathing before answering, “Might I request, Minister, that you summon the coroner Song Ci to conduct an on-site examination of the bodies?”

This woman truly refused to stop until she’d said something utterly shocking!

An on-site examination, right here and now? Though the bodies hadn’t fully decomposed, many were already infested with maggots! Their identities had already been confirmed, and so had their cause of death—what more could this girl possibly hope to uncover by bringing them forward again?

“Those individuals have indeed been confirmed as palace guards, killed by sword wounds. The coroner has already conducted an examination. This particular case may not necessarily be connected to the Chen family murder at all—that remains under further investigation.”

The moment Jiang Jingbo finished speaking, Consort Yi immediately seized the opportunity, offering seemingly well-meaning advice. “Your Majesty, given how many uncertainties remain in this case, perhaps it would be wiser to postpone further proceedings until the guards’ murder has been thoroughly investigated, to determine whether any connection truly exists?”

Emperor Tianhui was just about to nod in agreement when, unexpectedly, Ziqing spoke up again. “Your Majesty, the investigation into the guards’ murder has yielded no leads whatsoever—the bodies themselves are the only evidence remaining. Ziqing happens to know of someone capable of determining the exact time of the guards’ deaths, along with details of the weapon used and the skill level of the killer. That person is already waiting just outside this hall.”

The moment these words left her mouth, the entire hall gasped in astonishment. In a corner of the room, a tall guard slowly lowered the hand he’d been using to shield the right side of his face, a complicated flicker crossing his handsome, injured features…