The fate was changed, the mistress of the Hou family was slapped in the face and made money to win

Chapter 396 Bamboo Smoke Ink

"Miss Yang, are you sure?" asked the palace maid holding the answer sheet.

Yang Manman nodded with a stiff face, "OK."

She could only take a chance. Maybe God would be on her side and let her guess right.

The palace maid took out the answer sheet, placed it on the top, and handed it respectfully to Queen Shi.

Everyone looked towards the place where the signature was placed. Yang Manman also hurried over. When she saw the three words "He Qingrui" on it, her heart sank.

Wrong guess!

Lu Yan didn't even look at the signature. When the answer sheet was drawn out, she knew it was not hers at a glance and looked at Yang Manman coldly.

"What else do you have to say now? You keep saying that you saw my handwriting and answer sheet, but you can't even find them. It shows that what you just said was a lie."

Yang Manman's heart was beating like thunder, but she knew she must not admit it. If others knew that she was the one who framed him, firstly, she would be punished by the Queen. Secondly, the crime of cheating by using the note would fall on him, and her test results might even be cancelled.

In order to get the test questions and answers, she has given it her all and absolutely cannot be disqualified at this time.

"Your Majesty, I really did not lie. I did see Miss Lu's handwriting when I was collecting the papers. And when I looked at the note just now, I did feel that it was not hers, so I pointed it out. But seeing that Miss Jiang wanted to pin this matter on me, I became nervous and have now forgotten about the handwriting." Yang Manman said with an aggrieved tone.

"You're still trying to quibble. I think this matter is clearly a frame-up on your part." Lu Yan looked at Yang Manman angrily.

The note incident was definitely done by Yang Manman. Not only did she use me as an excuse to deal with Jiang Suining, but she also probably wanted to sow discord between me and Jiang Suining so that she could deal with Jiang Suining, and Yang Manman could reap the benefits.

"It's normal to remember the handwriting for a short time and forget it now. What evidence do you have to prove that I'm lying? Besides, I just cleared your name, but you're not grateful and are accusing me instead. This behavior is really disheartening!"

"Yang Manman, you are really..."

"If you think I am the murderer, you can also produce evidence. If there is no evidence, you are framing me." Yang Manman interrupted Lu Yan directly with a sly tone.

At this moment, she didn't care what Queen Shi thought of her. She just wanted to make sure that this matter would not fall back on her.

Seeing Yang Manman and Lu Yan arguing endlessly, the other people present found it difficult to determine who was telling the truth for a moment.

However, it must be said that Yang Manman's words make some sense. If there is no evidence, it cannot be said that this matter was framed by Yang Manman. After all, the handwriting on the note is the same as Jiang Suining's.

Queen Shi also understood this and stopped Lu Yan and Yang Manman who wanted to continue arguing. She looked at Jiang Suining.

"Miss Jiang, anyway, the handwriting on this note is the same as yours. Don't you have anything to say?"

Jiang Suining calmly moved his eyes away from Yang Manman's dress, bowed and said:

"Your Majesty, could you show me the note?"

Queen Shi glanced at the palace maid beside her, who handed the note to Jiang Suining.

Jiang Suining took the note and looked at it carefully. "Although the handwriting on it is the same as mine, I have never written this note. It must have been copied by someone else."

"You say that imitation is imitation? Do you have any evidence?" Yang Manman spoke immediately.

Jiang Suining had no evidence to support her claim, so all she had to do now was to deny it.

Jiang Suining didn't say anything. The next moment he tilted the note, looked at it sideways in the sunlight for a while, then put it to his nose and sniffed it carefully.

"Your Majesty, I have a way to prove who brought this note into the palace."

"How to prove it?" asked Queen Shi.

Jiang Suining pointed at the note in her hand and said, "Your Majesty, I own a Ning Mo Zhai, which is a bookstore. I also run a business selling paper and pens and ink, so I know a lot about these things. This note is ordinary and many families have it, but the ink on it is quite special, it's called Bamboo Smoke Ink."

"Bamboo Smoke Ink?" Empress Shi thought for a moment, "I have never heard of it."

"This bamboo smoke ink is not expensive, and the words written with it are no different from ordinary ink. It is made in imitation of pine smoke ink and is generally used by the people. However, it is not well-known, and it is not as good as the tribute inks in the palace. So it is normal that you don't know about it, Your Majesty."

Jiang Suining paused for a moment and continued.

"However, although this bamboo smoke ink is ordinary, it has a reason for its name. Because when making the ink stick, the smoke ash from burning bamboo pieces is mixed in, and a secret method is used when melting the glue and pounding it, so that the fragrance of the bamboo pieces can be retained. Normally, it is so faint that it cannot be smelled, but if you touch it for a long time, you will be contaminated by its fragrance, and the smell especially likes to adhere to clothes."

Yang Manman subconsciously retorted: "What nonsense are you talking about? There is no bamboo fragrance on the note at all!"

"Ms. Yang, you didn't get close to smell the note just now, so how can you be so sure?" Jiang Suining asked back.

"I..." Yang Manman pursed her lips, "I smelled it when I looked closely at the handwriting just now, but you didn't notice it."

After she got the note, she examined it carefully and found that there was absolutely no fragrance!

Jiang Suining laughed and didn't dwell on it, but continued speaking.

"This is why this bamboo smoke ink has not gained much fame. It is probably because of some problems in the production process. Although it has a lingering fragrance, it is almost inaudible on ordinary days. It must be fumigated with hot air before the bamboo fragrance can be smelled. However, ordinary people will not fumigate the paper to smell the bamboo fragrance after writing. Therefore, it is not famous. Later, it was only sold as an ordinary ink stick. If you are not familiar with pens and ink, it is difficult to distinguish."

Jiang Suining's gaze stayed on Yang Manman, and his tone was mixed with laughter.

"After entering the palace from home, and undergoing a full hour of examination, if someone has been hiding it in clothing, they will definitely be contaminated by its fragrance. I wonder if Miss Yang dares to fumigate your sleeves with hot air and let everyone smell it."

"Why should I..."

"Of course, to prove my innocence, I am willing to cooperate with this method." Jiang Suining raised his eyebrows, "Does Miss Yang dare?"

Having said that, if I refuse again, I will only appear guilty.

Yang Manman bit her lip, stared at Jiang Suining, and said calmly, "What am I afraid of?"

What Zhu Yanmo? Maybe Jiang Suining was deliberately deceiving her. If she refused, he could just put the suspicion on her!