The Second World in Ancient Times

The Imperial Palace today appears calm and tranquil, but undercurrents are surging. Inside, I'm reviewing the recent misdeeds of the Queen's Alliance, feeling a surge of anxiety, knowing a greater storm is imminent.

Sure enough, not long after, the palace maid Xiao Tao hurried into the hall, her face pale and her voice trembling, saying, "Your Majesty, this is bad! The Empress has accused Concubine Zhen of stealing palace treasures before the King. Now Concubine Zhen has been brought to the main hall, and the King is interrogating her. The situation is extremely unfavorable to Concubine Zhen."

I was startled. Concubine Zhen is a vital ally in my alliance. She is intelligent and kind, and has fought alongside me throughout this palace intrigue. The Queen's move is clearly intended to strike another blow against our alliance. If Concubine Zhen is banished to the cold palace, the alliance will inevitably suffer a severe blow, and morale will be completely shattered.

Without giving it any time to think, I immediately stood up and hurried to the main hall with Wanqing. Along the way, my mind raced, recalling various logical reasoning and debate techniques used in modern society. I knew that this time, I would have to rely on wisdom to resolve the crisis.

When I arrived at the main hall, the atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating. The king sat on the dragon throne with a sullen expression, his eyes etched with majesty and displeasure. The queen stood nearby, a smug sneer on her lips, while Concubine Zhen knelt on the ground, her face stained with tears, yet she stubbornly bit her lower lip, refusing to yield.

I slowly walked into the palace and knelt in greeting. "Your Majesty, I heard that something happened to Concubine Zhen. I was extremely worried and came to see her."

The King glanced at me and nodded slightly. "Concubine Yu, you've arrived just in time. The Queen has accused Concubine Zhen of stealing the Empress Dowager's favorite pair of jade bracelets. This is a crime of great disrespect. Do you have anything to say?"

I looked at the Empress, and saw a flash of panic in her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She said, "Concubine Yu, I saw with my own eyes how Concubine Zhen sneaked into the Empress Dowager's palace, and then the jade bracelets disappeared. The evidence is there, so don't try to defend her."

As she spoke, she motioned for the maidservant beside her to present the so-called "evidence." It was a handkerchief embroidered with Concubine Zhen's name, allegedly found beneath the windowsill of the Empress Dowager's palace. A young eunuch also testified, claiming to have seen Concubine Zhen near the Empress Dowager's palace on the night of the murder.

I frowned slightly, chuckling inwardly. This evidence seemed solid, but in reality, it was riddled with holes. I took a deep breath and said calmly, "Your Majesty, allow me to analyze this for a moment. First, it's difficult to prove that Concubine Zhen was responsible simply by looking at a handkerchief embroidered with her name. This handkerchief was extremely common in the palace, and perhaps someone deliberately left it there with the intention of framing Concubine Zhen. Just like in modern criminal investigations, an isolated piece of evidence without other strong supporting evidence cannot serve as the key basis for a conviction. We can't simply assume that the owner of an item with a name on it is the criminal; there's no necessary logical connection."

I approached the young eunuch and looked him over carefully. "You said you saw Concubine Zhen near the Empress Dowager's palace on the night of the murder. Did you see her face clearly? Was it dark? And from how far away did you see her?"

The young eunuch's eyes flickered as he stammered, "At that time... It was a little dark, and I wasn't very close, but I'm sure it was Concubine Zhen."

I sneered. "That's strange. In the dim light, and at such a distance, how could you be so sure it was Concubine Zhen? Many of the concubines in the palace have similar figures. Could you have mistaken someone? Or was someone instructing you to say so? In modern judicial decisions, the credibility of a witness's testimony depends on factors such as the accuracy and objectivity of their observations, as well as the existence of any vested interests. The fact that you reached such a definitive conclusion under such unfavorable observation conditions is itself questionable. Furthermore, do you have some hidden secret, or were you coerced into giving such testimony?"

The eunuch's face turned pale instantly, and he knelt down with a plop: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this servant... I was threatened, so I had to say this."

The queen's expression turned extremely ugly. She shouted, "How dare you, you little dog slave, talk nonsense!"

I ignored the Queen's anger and continued, "Your Majesty, look at this handkerchief again. I heard that Concubine Zhen has been unwell recently and has been recuperating in her palace, rarely going out. Why this handkerchief appeared in the Queen Mother's palace is really suspicious. I think we should search Concubine Zhen's palace to see if the pair of jade bracelets are there. We should also search other places where the jade bracelets may be hidden. Maybe we can find the real murderer. This is like a complex puzzle. We can't just focus on one seemingly suspicious point and ignore other possibilities. We need to investigate comprehensively and look for the truth from multiple angles, rather than being misled by a single clue and falling into wrong judgments."

The king pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement with my suggestion. Soon, the guards went to search Zhenfei's palace and other suspicious places.

While waiting for the results of the search, I secretly observed the Queen's expression. Beads of sweat gradually seeped out of her forehead, and a hint of anxiety appeared in her eyes. I became even more certain that all this was the Queen's conspiracy.

After a while, the guards returned. One of them reported, "Your Majesty, the jade bracelet was not found in Concubine Zhen's palace."

Another guard continued, "Your Majesty, we found this pair of jade bracelets in a side hall of the Queen's palace, hidden in a hidden box."

Everyone gasped in shock when they heard this. The Queen's face turned pale as paper, and she hurriedly defended herself, "Your Majesty, this... This must be someone deliberately framing me and secretly hiding the jade bracelet in my palace."

I stepped forward and spoke righteously, "Your Majesty, this is truly a coincidence. You just now confidently claimed that there was both witnesses and evidence proving that Concubine Zhen stole the jade bracelet, and now the bracelet has been found in your palace. How do you explain this? According to modern logic, if you insist that Concubine Zhen was the thief, then there are two possibilities for the jade bracelet's appearance in your palace. One is that someone deliberately framed you and secretly hid the jade bracelet; the other is that you are the real thief or an accomplice of the thief. But judging by the current situation, the previous witnesses have been proven to have perjured themselves under duress, and the handkerchief cannot prove any connection to Concubine Zhen. Yet, the jade bracelet was found in your palace, making your connection to this theft extremely suspicious. In the absence of new evidence suggesting a third party framing you, you are undoubtedly the most suspicious."

The king looked at the queen, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger. "Queen, as the head of the harem, you actually did something like framing others. It's really disgraceful."

The queen slumped to her knees and said, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! Someone is plotting behind the scenes to destroy the relationship between you and me."

Seeing this, I said again, "Your Majesty, this matter is fraught with doubt. We cannot conclude that the Queen was responsible simply because the jade bracelet was found in her palace. Perhaps someone else is behind this, intent on stirring up strife within the harem. I suggest that we thoroughly investigate this matter and identify the true mastermind. Just like in modern complex case investigations, a seemingly simple outcome may conceal a deeper conspiracy and numerous participants. We must not be misled by superficial phenomena but must delve deeper into the underlying motives, interests, and possible connections. Only in this way can we truly recover the truth and maintain justice and peace in the palace."

The king looked at me, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. "Concubine Yu, you are thoughtful and your analysis is well-reasoned. I will leave this matter to you to thoroughly investigate. You must give me an explanation."

I knelt and saluted: "I obey your command."

In this way, relying on modern logical reasoning, I successfully pointed out the loopholes in the Queen's evidence, diverted the King's suspicion, and temporarily resolved Zhenfei's crisis.