webnovelfull Chapter 399 Zhu Yanmo is just making it up
Chapter 399 Zhu Yanmo is just making it up
Queen Shi looked at Xiao Yue and saw that there was a look of excitement in her eyes and eyebrows, so she knew that she was very proud at the moment.
However, if she really found enough evidence to prove that these people got the test questions in advance, then it would indeed be a credit and would make up for her negligence.
After signaling the palace maid beside her to take it, Queen Shi looked at the list carefully. In addition to the names of the people, it also clearly recorded when and by whom the test questions were obtained.
"I didn't expect you to investigate this matter so thoroughly."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty." Xiao Yue said with a smile, secretly glancing at Jiang Suining out of the corner of her eye.
Although this list was Jiang Suining's credit, since the other party was unwilling to admit it... then there was nothing to be embarrassed about letting the credit go to her.
After all, Jiang Suining was so attentive in the selection of female officials because he was influenced by her.
The smile on Xiao Yue's face became even more intense, and in sharp contrast to her were the female relatives who were pointed out to have obtained the test questions in advance.
Of course, there was someone whose face was even uglier than theirs, and that was Yang Manman, who would be punished for two crimes. Her name was not missing from the list just now.
The truth had already been revealed, and with Empress Shi's questioning, the women dared not argue anymore and admitted to it one by one.
Although they were disqualified, Empress Shi did not pursue the matter too much and only allowed them to return home and reflect.
As for Yang Manman, she first cheated by secretly making up the test questions and then framed him by forging his handwriting. In addition to being disqualified, Queen Lin also decided to send someone to the Duke's Mansion to deliver a message, ordering Duke Yang to teach her a strict lesson.
Of course, Empress Shi also said that she would report the whole matter to the emperor, and the emperor would decide how to deal with those officials who helped her daughter get the test questions from the Hanlin Academy and those who secretly leaked the test questions in the Hanlin Academy.
Xiao Yue didn't think there was anything wrong with the punishment for others. However, after hearing that Yang Manman not only cheated but also framed someone, she felt that Queen Shi's punishment was too light.
And she had no scruples and raised her objection in front of everyone.
In response, Empress Shi simply said, "After all, she is an official's wife, so it's better to let the Duke's Mansion handle it themselves."
After all, dealing with officials' families is a troublesome matter, and the false accusation did not cause serious consequences after all, and the degree of punishment was too easy to control. It would be better to just throw the person back home and hand him over to Duke Yang for handling.
Soon, those women who were disqualified and had implicated their fathers left the palace in despair. Yang Manman was "sent" back to the Duke's Mansion accompanied by two palace maids around Empress Shi.
As for the others, they couldn't help talking about this matter all the way out of the palace, saying that it was a lucky thing that it was discovered, otherwise they would have spent so much effort preparing for the assessment, only to lose to such a cheater.
Lu Yan did not participate in the discussions. She slowed down her pace and fell behind the crowd with Jiang Suining.
"Miss Jiang, today you are so knowledgeable. You proved through Zhu Yanmo that the whole thing was framed by Yang Manman. Now that I think about it, I am not only angry, but also a little scared. I used to think that Yang Manman was annoying, but I didn't expect that she could use such a trick."
Jiang Suining chuckled, "In fact, there is no such thing as Bamboo Smoke Ink. I just made it up to trick Yang Manman."
"No?" Lu Yan was surprised. Seeing someone looking back, she quickly regained her composure and acted as if she was normal. After the other person looked away, she whispered, "Then why is there bamboo scent on the note and Yang Manman's sleeves?"
Could it be that Jiang Suining got infected secretly?
No, if Jiang Suining was infected with it, the smell would definitely remain on her body as well.
"Although there is no bamboo smoke ink, the skirt made of smoke silk material that Yang Manman is wearing is very exquisite."
When she saw Yang Manman's dress today, she recognized it as the one sold by Ningyue Pavilion.
Although there are more than one store selling Liuxian skirts made of Yanluo material in the imperial city, the embroidery style of the plum blossom and ruyi skirt is special. It comes from Ningjinfang and was only put on sale in Ningyue Pavilion in recent days. I think Yang Manman should have bought it back in the past two days.
Before this batch of Yanluo materials were made into finished clothes, they were accidentally wet due to the negligence of the shop assistant. The weather was bad those days and it was not convenient to dry them in the sun. The material was light and soft, and if it was dried over charcoal fire, it might be damaged and would also be contaminated by the charcoal smell.
Finally, an embroiderer from Ningjinfang came up with an idea: spread a layer of thin bamboo leaves on the charcoal fire to allow hot air to pass through the gaps between the leaves. This way, the fabric would not be damaged during the slow drying process. The fresh bamboo leaves have a refreshing smell, and the material would not be stained by the charcoal smell during the drying process.
However, fresh bamboo leaves will be dried out soon, so they are added layer by layer. Plus, the drying time is long, and in the end the materials are dry, but they are imbued with the fragrance of bamboo leaves.
After leaving it in a ventilated place for a day, although the smell has faded and can no longer be smelled, it will slowly come out again if it encounters heat.
An odor like this will probably only completely dissipate after being washed a few times, but since Yang Manman just bought it a few days ago, she probably hasn't had time to wash it repeatedly, so there must still be some trace residue left.
So it wasn't the note on the cuff that stained the cuff with the scent. Quite the contrary, it was the note that had been hidden on the body for too long, trapped inside, and the fabric was stained with a little bit of the scent of bamboo leaves.
When she looked at Yang Manman's dress, she thought of this, but she still sniffed the paper carefully. After confirming that there was a very faint scent of bamboo leaves on it, she made up the word "bamboo smoke ink".
"So that's it!" Lu Yan suddenly realized, and couldn't help but admire Jiang Suining even more in her heart, "Miss Jiang, you just said it with such seriousness that you really fooled everyone. I thought that Zhu Yanmo really existed, but I was ignorant and had never heard of it."
"Since there is pine smoke in the ink, there may be bamboo smoke. Maybe it's just that no one in the imperial city has heard of it." Jiang Suining glanced at Lu Yan with a smile, "I made a big mistake by talking nonsense in front of the Queen, Miss Lu..."
"Miss Jiang, don't worry. You can tell me frankly, and I will never leak this matter to anyone." Lu Yan said seriously.
"I believe Miss Lu." Jiang Suining nodded. "In fact, Yang Manman said something wrong today. Although we are taking the female official examination together, we are not necessarily competitors. After all, more than one person was admitted in the end. I hope that I can be selected together with you, Miss Lu. It is better to be colleagues than enemies."
Lu Yan's eyes lit up, "I hope so too!"
That’s right, being colleagues and friends are much better than being enemies!
……
The Duke's Mansion.
When Yang Manman was sent back in a daze, the palace maid who followed her to the Duke's Mansion also told Duke Yang everything that had happened in the palace that day, as well as Queen Shi's intentions.
When he heard that the incident in the Hanlin Academy had been exposed and that Empress Shi would report the matter to Emperor Xiao, Duke Yang staggered and then raised his hand and slapped Yang Manman twice.
It was obvious that these two slaps were not just because of today's incident, but also because of Yang Manman's previous threats. They were really ruthless and blood quickly came out from the corners of Yang Manman's mouth.
The two palace maids had not expected that Duke Yang would be so cruel. After being surprised, they bowed and took their leave, returning to the palace to report.
Duke Yang looked at Yang Manman and raised his hand to continue teaching him a lesson, but Yang Manman grabbed his arm.
Yang Manman spat out a mouthful of blood foam, the pain in her cheeks and teeth made her facial features look a little hideous!
"Father, don't forget that the account book is still in my hands!"