Chapter 149 Forgery

Wei Jingdi frowned, not speaking. He merely glanced at Yu Qi, signaling him to take the paper from Xu Chun'er's hand.

Then, he picked up the letter on the desk, the one inviting Yang Cheng to enjoy himself in the mountains.

Both pieces of paper were brownish-yellow, and the handwriting was the same. The one Li from the Rongguo Duke's mansion brought contained a copy of *Female Virtues* in delicate small script, which seemed incredibly mocking in comparison.

This was originally arranged by Qiu Shi, and the impact was so great that Wei Jingdi's anger surged instantly.

He gripped the old paper with the lewd words tightly and slammed it on the ground. Almost enraged, he looked sharply at Yu Qingwu, enunciating each word, "Consort Yu, what do you have to say?"

Hearing this, Yu Qingwu did not reply immediately.

Instead, she carefully picked up the two pieces of paper from the ground, her phoenix eyes calmly and steadily surveying them.

Seeing Yu Qingwu so calm, Qiu Shiyi Niang couldn't help but sneer, saying sarcastically, "Consort Yu, what are you still looking at? What's the matter, you don't recognize your own handwriting?"

"Father Emperor, I copied the *Female Virtues*, but I didn't write this letter." Just as Qiu Shiyi Niang was feeling smug, Yu Qingwu suddenly raised her head, a hint of a smile appearing in her clear, cool eyes. Without waiting for Wei Jingdi to speak, she picked up the two pieces of paper again and slowly walked to Wei Jingdi, pointing to the forged letter and saying, "Father Emperor, please look, this paper appears to have been set aside for more than ten years, but that is not the case. This letter was forged, and if I'm not mistaken, the forgery was done no more than five days ago, specifically the second day after the New Year's Eve."

"These two pieces of paper do look the same on the surface, but if you look closely, you will find the difference."

???

How could this Yu woman see through it…

Hearing Yu Qingwu's words, Qiu Shiyi Niang's face turned pale instantly. Xu Chun'er also widened her eyes in disbelief that the 'old paper' they had specially made by an expert was so quickly seen through by Yu Qingwu.

No, that's not right.

This Yu Qingwu must be deliberately trying to trick them!

Thinking of this, Xu Chun'er's face turned angry, and she immediately interrupted her, indignantly saying, "Consort Yu, stop confusing people here. You wrote this letter. I personally saw you write it!"

To make her words more convincing, Xu Chun'er also described it vividly, "At that time, it was in the Yang family's manor, in the accounting room. I even led you to the accounting room!"

Xu Chun'er gritted her teeth, speaking with great detail. As she spoke, she looked at Xie Jin'an, saying in a tone of injustice for Xie Jin'an, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, don't be deceived by this妖妇 *yaofu* (seductive woman; femme fatale). She is very vicious, always using men and then killing them for their wealth…"

Her eyes were filled with tears, and her innocent face made it easy for people to believe her.

Unfortunately, Xie Jin'an was no ordinary person.

Having seen countless people, he had already seen through Xu Chun'er's identity when they were at the palace gate.

Looking at Xu Chun'er's deliberate display of innocence, Xie Jin'an couldn't help but sneer, sizing her up as he said, "Xu Chun'er, is it? Do you know what crime it is to falsely accuse the Crown Princess?"

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, this commoner…"

"Commoner? A courtesan from a brothel dares to call herself a commoner? You haven't been redeemed for very long, have you?" Xu Chun'er was staring at Xie Jin'an with her innocent eyes, trying to gain his trust, but the next moment, Xie Jin'an's words stunned her.

A courtesan from a brothel?

How did this Crown Prince see through her identity?

She had been redeemed for two years and had deceived many men, but no one could tell.

In an instant, Xu Chun'er's face turned red. Her eyes reddened, and she angrily retorted to Xie Jin'an, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, don't slander this commoner to protect Consort Yu. This commoner was born into a respectable family and is a distant relative of the Rongguo Duke's wife, and is…"

"It doesn't matter what you are." Seeing her incessantly trying to prove her 'innocence,' Xie Jin'an interrupted her coldly, too lazy to waste any more words with her, only giving a stern warning, "Xu Shi, I'm not interested in knowing whether you are a prostitute or from a respectable family, anyway, I look down on you no matter what your background is. Right now, I just want to quietly listen to my wife's explanation. If you interrupt again, I will drag you out and inflict cruel punishment."

According to the rules, civilians who accuse officials must first be subjected to torture. According to the Wei Dynasty's laws, the Wang family and Xu Chun'er had to be tortured first for accusing Yu Qingwu. If it weren't for Xie Qiyun and Qiu Shiyi Niang acting as intermediaries, these two women would probably be lying in bed by now.

Wang Shi didn't understand this principle, but Xu Chun'er, who had been in brothels for many years, knew it clearly.

Meeting Xie Jin'an's sharp gaze, she immediately swallowed all her brothel tricks and glared at Yu Qingwu resentfully. They were both apprentices at the Yang family's manor, so why was she sent to a brothel by her mother as a tool for making money, while Yu Qingwu was now the Crown Princess?

Jealousy and resentment made the anger in Xu Chun'er's heart spread even more.

But she dared not say more, only biting her lip and staring at Yu Qingwu with hatred.

Seeing Xu Chun'er's intense reaction, Wei Jingdi vaguely sensed something. He glanced at her coldly and said, "Xu Shi, don't speak. You are only allowed to open your mouth when I ask."

After speaking, he looked at Yu Qingwu on the side, pointed to the Xuan paper on which *Female Virtues* was copied and the letter with obscene words, and asked, "Consort Yu, continue. What is the difference between the two?"

Yu Qingwu smiled and first handed the *Female Virtues* to Wei Jingdi, pointing to the texture on it and saying, "Father Emperor, look, the texture on this paper is very small, and very irregular, and the color is also very uneven."

"And look at this one, the texture is very large, very regular, and the color is also very even."

"Also, this forged paper is very brittle, very brittle. This shows that this paper is not naturally old, but has been smoked. You can try it."

As she spoke, Yu Qingwu handed the forged letter to Wei Jingdi.

Wei Jingdi frowned, took the brownish-yellow paper, and gently folded it.

*Ka*, there was a crisp sound.

The paper actually… broke!

Wei Jingdi's eyes shook, and his gaze landed on Wang Shi and Xu Chun'er with a gloomy look.

Xu Chun'er was so frightened that cold sweat broke out…

Yu Qingwu sneered and glanced at her, then handed the other piece of paper to Wei Jingdi, smiling, "Father Emperor, try this one again. Compared to the smoked, artificially aged paper, real old paper will be much more resilient."

Holding the yellowed Xuan paper with a faint musty smell in his hand, Wei Jingdi folded it hard.

Sure enough, this paper did not break as easily as the previous one.

Wei Jingdi looked coldly at Xu Chun'er and Wang Shi, the anger in his eyes growing stronger.

Suddenly, he grabbed the letter of invitation and slammed it heavily on Xu Chun'er's face, sternly questioning, "You, cunning woman! Speak! Who instructed you to slander the Crown Princess!"