When Qiao Jinniang heard the maid’s report, she just smiled and said, “It turns out that if you know these tricks, you can become the Saintess of Miao. Then there must be a lot of ‘Saintesses’ in our Datang!”


  Qiao Jinniang got up, walked slowly to Si Ru, took out the beans from the bowl, and placed them on the table one by one.

  Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “Everyone, as you can see, I don’t have any beans in my hands or between my fingers. There are five beans on the table, and I only need to use two bowls.

  Look, I put a bean into the first bowl, cover the bowl, and then put one into the second bowl.”


  Qiao Jinniang opened the second bowl and let the people look at it. Then she picked up another bean and said, “Now this bean is in my hand. I can put this bean into the bowl without opening the bowl cover. Do you believe I can do it?”


  The people all shook their heads in disbelief.

  Qiao Jinniang clenched the bean in her hand and chanted a spell. “Put the bean on my left hand.”


  Then she said “Enter!” The next moment, the bean on her left hand disappeared out of thin air. After she opened the cover of the second bowl, everyone saw that there were two beans in the second bowl.

  Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “This trick is called ‘Two Dragons Playing with A Pearl’. Similarly, I cover the bowl, and I pick up a bean and put it on my left hand. Please say ‘Enter!'”


  The people did as she said. After Qiao Jinniang opened her hand, she lifted the bowl cover. “This trick is called ‘Three Immortals Returned to the Abode’.”


  Qiao Jinniang covered the bowl again and said, “Now I pick up another bean and put it on my left hand. Enter!”


  Qiao Jinniang pointed at the small bowl and opened its cover. There were actually four beans in it. “This is called ‘Four Seasons Prosperity’.”


  The people were all amazed, “What’s going on here? The beans were clearly in her hands. How could she put the beans in the bowl?”


  “Does the Crown Princess also know magic?”


  Qiao Jinniang smiled and said, “There is still the last one. There is a bean in the first bowl just now, right? Now I will take this bean out with magic and put it in the second bowl. Okay, now open the second bowl. There are five beans in it, right? This trick is called ‘A Harvest of Five Grains’!”


  The people were all dumbfounded.

  Qiao Jinniang looked at Si Ru and said, “I don’t know who taught you this rough trick, but this is a trick called ‘Fairy Picks Beans’ that was popular among noble families for thousands of years in Datang.

  “Nowadays, it is mostly performed for dignitaries and nobles in the imperial music office, but there are many opera troupes in the South that would perform these tricks during the New Year.

  “It just so happened that when I was a child, an opera troupe manager owed my family’s restaurant money, so he taught me some tricks to offset the debt. I’m not a good student so that’s all I know. The skills of such experts are simply out of this world.

  “But your technique can’t even compare to an amateur like me!

  “The barbarians in Xiliang are so shallow and stupid as to try to fool our people with this trick. How ridiculous! How dare you call it ‘magic’?”


  Si Ru said, “I am from Miao. Why did you say I’m from Xiliang? Stop talking nonsense! Yours is just a trick but mine is real magic. You slander me just to protect your jinx sister.”


  Lu Chen said, “Whether it’s a magic or a trick, you spread rumors to scare the people and intend to murder an innocent baby, which is a heinous crime. Prefect, if she refuses to confess who is behind the scenes, torture her until she confesses.”


  The prefect of Chang’an hurriedly said yes.

  Si Ru had never been treated so rudely, and when she heard that she was to be tortured, she cried pitifully.

  Qiao Jinniang whispered to Lu Chen, “Is she really the State Preceptor of Xiliang? How can the State Preceptor of Xiliang be so spineless? Look at the way she cries!”


  Lu Chen smiled and said, “Her tricks can’t fool the people in Chang’an, but it’s not difficult to fool the people of Xiliang.”


  Qiao Jinniang thought what he said made sense. Most of the common people of Xiliang were ignorant, and these tricks might really make them believe Si Ru was a fairy.

  When Qiao Jinniang saw this trick for the first time when she was a child, she had also thought she had met a god.

  Later, when she learned the secret in the tricks, she realized that these so-called tricks were nothing more than techniques.

  After a moment of torture, Si Ru was already on the verge of death. Living a luxurious life since childhood, she had never suffered like this. When she was about to confess, Mu Qianqian came in and knelt down, saying, “Greetings, Your Royal Highness, Your Highness. The sinner, Mu Qianqian, came to confess.”


  Qiao Jinniang looked at Mu Qianqian and said, “It’s you.”


  Mu Qianqian said, “Your Highness, please spare my life. I just hated that my child was born without a father and I was displaced in Chang’an, but Duchess Anyuan, who was pregnant at the same time as me, was able to give birth to a daughter and was so carefully taken care of.”


  “I was so jealous that I found a woman who learned juggling and asked her to pretend to be the Saintess of Miao.

  “I just hated Duke Anyuan for ignoring me in disregard of his brotherhood with my brother. I didn’t mean to kill his daughter.

  “I was just too jealous of Duchess Anyuan. Your Highness, please forgive me!”


  Qiao Jinniang and Lu Chen looked at each other.

  Mu Qianqian looked so feeble. She must have just given birth. She fell from the Wild Goose Pagoda that day, and it was not long before her child was born.

  If she was really jealous, how could she risk her own life to come out and save a girl from a troupe?

  Besides, as the princess of Xiliang, Samo’er didn’t have to lie about the identity of the State Preceptor of Xiliang.

  Lu Chen said, “Duke Anyuan kindly redeemed you from the brothel and gave you a new life, but you hold grudges. We won’t execute you but you have to be punished. Since you were a prostitute in the first place, go back to that brothel.”


  Mu Qianqian hurriedly kowtowed and a drop of tear fell from the corner of her eye.

  It didn’t matter. As long as Prince Huai could get the throne, she didn’t mind sacrificing herself!

  Her son was the eldest son of Prince Huai, and when Prince Huai ascended the throne, her child would be the crown prince.

  Besides, if Prince Huai returned to Chang’an, he would surely save her out of the brothel.

  Lu Chen set his eyes on Si Ru. “As for her, she is an accomplice. Demote her to a prostitute too!”


  Si Ru opened her eyes wide and screamed, “How dare you? I am the State Preceptor of Xiliang!”


  Qiao Jinniang just took a sip of tea and almost vomited it out. Did Si Ru admit it a little too fast?

  Lu Chen sneered. “Princess Xiliang has married Junior Duke Rong of Datang, and Emperor Xiliang is friendly with Datang. How is it possible the State Preceptor of Xiliang come to Chang’an to murder the daughter of Duke Anyuan? You lied and pretended to be the State Preceptor of Xiliang, which is unforgivable!

  “Come, send her and Mu Qianqian to the brothel together! No one can redeem them.”


  Qiao Jinniang was satisfied with the punishment they received. No matter what Mu Qianqian and Si Ru were up to, how could they try to murder a newly born baby?

  But at this moment, Zhou Shihui said loudly, “Imperial Cousin, this punishment is absolutely inappropriate. You can punish them in other ways but not this one!

  “Why make them prostitutes? Crown Princess, aren’t you a woman yourself?

  “Bullying two weak women and forcing them to be prostitutes… This is really too cruel!”