My chat group is full of female losers

Chapter 256 Accident
In the imperial study, Chu Lu sat alone behind the imperial desk, his eyes unconsciously looking at the table, while in his mind he was communicating quickly with Qin Su, discussing the current situation.

The reason why he went to so much trouble these past two days, personally trying the case and getting angry in the court, was certainly not because he was really interested in solving the case, nor did he enjoy the feeling of confronting the ministers. All of this was just acting.

Qin Su's existence is his biggest secret, which must not be exposed. Therefore, he cannot let people know that he actually knows who the real murderer is and how the poison was. He must create an illusion - he is approaching the truth step by step through his own observation and reasoning.

Only in this way, when he finally finds the murderer, it will seem reasonable and will not arouse the suspicion of those heroines.

Chu Lu originally wanted to continue investigating for a while and act more accurately, but the reaction of the Qingliu people was beyond his expectations, and the external pressure became too great. Making a big fuss did not meet his needs.

So he frowned and said, "Isn't that enough? It's time to pretend to deduce and find the murderer?"

"Well, it's almost done." Qin Su agreed. "If we delay any further, something unexpected might happen. But we still need a suitable entry point, so we need to think about it carefully and plan it."

Chu Lu nodded in agreement and was about to speak.

Just at this moment, there was a very light sound of footsteps outside the door, and the eunuch guarding the door walked in cautiously, followed by another eunuch with a frightened face and evasive eyes.

"Your Majesty," the gatekeeper bowed and said, "Outside... this eunuch Xiao Luzi outside said that there is an extremely urgent matter and he needs to report it to Your Majesty in secret."

Chu Lu looked up and saw the eunuch named Xiao Luzi kneeling on the ground with a plop. His whole body was shaking like a sieve and he cried, "Your servant, your servant Xiao Luzi, kowtows to Your Majesty! Your servant is guilty! Your servant deserves death! Your servant knew about it before but did not report it. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Chu Lu's heart moved, and he felt something was wrong. He remained calm and said in a deep voice: "Stand up and talk. Why didn't you report it? What do you know? Tell me slowly."

Xiao Luzi stood up tremblingly, lowered his head, not daring to look at Chu Lu, and said very quickly: "Reply, reply Your Majesty! It's about the eunuch Zhao Dequan, the chief steward of the Imperial Kitchen! A few days ago, the night before the incident, I was on night patrol and saw with my own eyes that the chief steward Zhao hurriedly entered the inner storehouse where the imperial food ingredients were stored. At that time, I felt strange because according to the rules, the inner storehouse was sealed at night, and after he went in, he stayed for a long time before coming out. When he came out, his face was pale, as if, as if he had done something wrong!"

He swallowed his saliva and continued, "I was careful at the time. I secretly checked the records of that night and found that Manager Zhao did register to enter the inner storehouse, ostensibly to 'count the ingredients'! But, but the storehouse was an important place at the time, and there was no one else except him, so no one knew what he did in there!
Later, when I learned about the poisoning case, I wanted to report it immediately, but I met Manager Zhao again. He looked at me with a strange look and threatened me indirectly that if I dared to say anything nonsense, I would not see the sun tomorrow! I was scared for a moment, so I didn’t dare to say anything..."

"It was not until I heard that His Majesty was personally investigating the case and was furious that I realized the seriousness of the matter! I thought about it over and over again and couldn't sleep or eat. If it was really because of my cowardice that I delayed His Majesty's investigation, then I would be blamed for it! So, so I dared to come and tell His Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

Xiao Luzi finished speaking in one breath, kowtowed heavily, and lay on the ground, not daring to move.

After hearing this, Chu Lu was surprised for a moment, then he was silent for a moment, and then he suddenly slammed the table with an expression of uncontrollable excitement on his face: "Great! Great! It turned out to be him!"

He immediately ordered the eunuch guarding the gate, "Quick! Call the commander of the Imperial Guard, Lin Xiao! Tell him to bring people and bring Zhao Dequan to me immediately! No mistakes!"

"Yes!" The young eunuch did not dare to be negligent and turned around and ran out.

Not long after, Lin Xiao came in with several imperial guards, escorting a fifty-year-old eunuch who was slightly fat and pale. This eunuch was Zhao Dequan, who was wearing a brocade robe of the chief eunuch, but at this moment, his clothes were disheveled, his hair was messy, and his face was full of fear and confusion. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Chu Lu sitting behind the imperial desk, his legs softened, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Your servant Zhao Dequan pays homage to Your Majesty!" Zhao Dequan kowtowed tremblingly.

Chu Lu looked at him coldly and asked, "Zhao Dequan, do you know why I called you here today?"

"Your servant, your servant doesn't know!"

Chu Lu sneered, "You don't know? Zhao Dequan, Zhao Dequan! I saw you were so honest on weekdays, but I didn't expect you to be so bold that you dared to poison the imperial meal and murder me!"

Zhao Dequan raised his head like a cat whose tail was stepped on when he heard this, and screamed, "What? Poisoning!? Unjust! Your Majesty! This is a great injustice! I am loyal to Your Majesty. Even if I had a hundred guts, I would not dare to do such a treasonous thing! Your Majesty, please be wise! Your Majesty, please be wise!"

"You still dare to quibble!" Chu Lu angrily slammed the imperial desk, as if he was going to order a torture.

Lin Xiao, who was standing by, immediately bowed and tried to dissuade him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We have already caught the criminal. In my humble opinion, it is the Ministry of Justice's job to interrogate the criminal. Why not hand him over to the Ministry of Justice and have their interrogation officers interrogate him? The Ministry of Justice is the best at this and will surely be able to pry his mouth open easily."

"No need." Chu Lu refused without hesitation, "Why go through so much trouble? Isn't it easy to get him to confess? Why do we need the Ministry of Justice?"

He continued, "Come here! Go to his residence and search it thoroughly! Don't let go of anything suspicious!"

"Yes!" Several royal guards took the order and left.

Zhao Dequan actually breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, as if he was not worried at all.

Soon, the imperial guards who were searching came back with a small blue and white porcelain vase in their hands.

"Your Majesty! This thing was found under Zhao Dequan's bed! According to the preliminary identification of the imperial physician, it is poison. But the specific type and whether it is the same as the poison used in the poisoning case still need to be confirmed."

When Zhao Dequan heard this, he was stunned for a moment.

Chu Lu looked at Zhao Dequan and said sternly, "Zhao Dequan! We caught him red-handed! What else do you have to say?!"

Zhao Dequan turned his head and stared blankly at the porcelain bottle in the hands of the imperial guard. It was not until he heard Chu Lu's questioning that he came back to his senses. He kowtowed repeatedly and defended himself in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty! This is not mine! I don't know what it is! Someone must have framed me! Someone must have framed me!"

"You still dare to be stubborn when you are about to die!" Chu Lu's face was full of anger, "It seems that you will not confess unless I teach you a lesson!"

He waved his hand fiercely and ordered Lin Xiao: "Commander Lin! Drag this stubborn traitor away! Hand him over to the Imperial Guards! Punish him severely! When he is willing to confess, notify me again!"

Although Lin Xiao still had some doubts in his heart, seeing Chu Lu's firm attitude and the witnesses and evidence, he did not dare to dissuade him directly. He first complimented him: "Your Majesty is wise! You actually helped you find the real murderer! I admire you!"

Then, he carefully advised: "Your Majesty, now that we have both witnesses and evidence, why not hand the suspect over to the Ministry of Justice for handling? After all, the Imperial Guards are not good at severe punishment, and this is in line with the rules and procedures, and can ease the relationship with the censors. If Your Majesty sets up a private court here and tortures to extract a confession, and the news spreads, I'm afraid those upright officials will..."

“Qingliu?” Chu Lu raised his eyebrows and said the word. He seemed to recall the scene at the morning court yesterday. A look of disgust and disdain appeared on his face. He decisively interrupted Lin Xiao and said, “Don’t bother me with those useless people who can only complain! I said, drag them away!”

"Yes!" Lin Xiao said no more and waved his hand. Two fierce imperial guards immediately stepped forward, lifted up the limp Zhao Dequan, and dragged him out like a dead dog. Zhao Dequan's desperate cries gradually faded away.

After everyone in the imperial study had left, Chu Lu held his chin with his right hand, took a long breath and said, "Done."

#####
But after that, what Lin Xiao worried about soon happened.

The news that Chu Lu had found the prisoner and was planning to torture him to extract a confession spread quickly throughout the palace and beyond.

That afternoon, before the news of Zhao Dequan's confession came, hurried footsteps and the eunuch's voice were heard outside the imperial study.

"Your Majesty! The Imperial Censor Yan Zheng and the Left Vice-Chief Censor Fang Xiaozhi are outside seeking an audience!"

Chu Lu frowned when he heard this: "Stop them outside and don't let them in."

Without waiting for the eunuch to answer, Yan Zheng and Fang Xiaozhi rushed in despite the obstruction.

"Your Majesty!" Yan Zheng said hurriedly as he came in, "I heard that Your Majesty has captured the real murderer of the poison and wants to use private torture in the palace to force a confession? Your Majesty! You must not do that!" Fang Xiaozhi also said, "Your Majesty! There are laws for trying cases and rules for sentencing! Even if there are witnesses and evidence, it should be handed over to the three judicial departments for a joint trial and the canonical punishment should be enforced! How can you torture him privately? This is an act that violates the law of the country! Moreover, if there is a trick and he is forced to confess, wouldn't it be a false case? Your Majesty, please think twice and hand the criminal over to the Ministry of Justice for handling!"

Chu Lu looked at the two guys, as if he remembered the scene of being scolded by them yesterday. His face darkened and he said, "It's you two again! Did you not hear what I said in the court yesterday, or did you forget it?! I have captured the traitor who poisoned me, and there are witnesses and evidences. Do you still want to waste your breath here?!"

He leaned back in his chair, glanced at the two of them, and said in a bad tone: "We caught them red-handed. How can there be any fraud? Were you forced to confess? Do you think I'm a fool? Ah!"

Yan Zheng and Fang Xiaozhi met Chu Lu's gaze, their backs straight, not frightened at all.

Yan Zheng stepped forward and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, calm down. We are not questioning your Majesty's achievement in catching the thief, but... a country has its own laws, and a family has its own rules. There are laws and regulations for interrogating criminals. Your Majesty wants to use private punishment in the palace. This move... is actually against the ancestral system, which may hurt the national dignity and also undermine your Majesty's wisdom!"

Fang Xiaozhi followed suit, his tone filled with worry: "Your Majesty, the law is the foundation of the court, how can it be easily violated? Even if the evidence is conclusive, it should be handed over to the three judicial departments for trial according to the law, so as to convince the public. If this precedent is set, where is the law and discipline of the court? Please think twice, Your Majesty, do not break the rules for the sake of momentary pleasure!"

"Rules? Rules again!" Chu Lu showed an extremely impatient sneer on his face. He stood up, walked in front of the two people, and looked down at them. "Today, I want to ask you two great scholars who are well-read in poetry and books, why do you set rules?"

Without waiting for the two to answer, Chu Lu said to himself: "It's to get things done! If you follow the rules and nothing gets done, then it's not the people's problem, but the problem with the rules! It should be changed! Instead of being like you, clinging to the rules, and for the sake of rules, you throw aside what you really need to do! It's simply putting the cart before the horse!"

He pointed at the two of them, his tone becoming more severe: "You guys usually claim to be upright, always talking about the laws of our ancestors, benevolence, righteousness and morality, but when it comes to doing things, you are at a loss! You can't do anything except talk. I have no choice but to personally investigate the truth and punish the culprit. That would be fine, but you actually jumped out to stop us! I think the ones who really want to destroy the court are you, the parasites!"

"Your Majesty! How dare you slander us like this!" Yan Zheng was so angry that his face instantly turned red and his whole body trembled. "I abide by the rules to prevent false cases and wrongful convictions and to maintain the dignity of the court's laws and regulations. What's wrong with that?!"

Fang Xiaozhi was so angry that his beard was shaking. "We have been officials for decades, working diligently and wholeheartedly for the public. How could we be parasites who only talk but do nothing? Your Majesty's words are really... really heartbreaking!"

"Heart-piercing?" Chu Lu sneered, his eyes sharp as a knife, "Well, let me ask you! Before I personally asked about this yesterday, was there any progress in this case? Have you, the good officials who abide by the rules, come up with any useful ideas?"

Yan Zheng and Fang Xiaozhi were speechless and looked at each other. In the end, they could only shake their heads reluctantly.

"Humph," Chu Lu saw this, and the mockery on his face became even stronger. "Then I ask you again, with my action today, did I catch Zhao Dequan, the real murderer who intended to kill the king?"

Yan Zheng immediately subconsciously but unconvincingly retorted: "Zhao Dequan has not yet pleaded guilty, there may be some mistakes..."

"I just asked if it was true!" Chu Lu said sternly.

Yan Zheng had no confidence to begin with, and when he heard the question, although he was extremely reluctant to admit it, he still nodded in humiliation.

"If that's the case," Chu Lu's voice suddenly rose, with an unquestionable tone, "You can't get things done according to your rules, but my method works immediately. Doesn't that prove that my method is right? You guys who can't even figure out the case, what qualifications do you have to point fingers at me here? Shouldn't you all just shut up and listen to me?!"

These words were like a few heavy hammers, hitting Yan Zheng and Fang Xiaozhi's hearts hard. They were completely unable to refute, and the beliefs they had cultivated for many years began to crumble, and they were filled with depression and grief.

Yan Zheng's body was shaky, as if he could not stand anymore, while Fang Xiaozhi knelt on the ground, with a final pleading tone: "This old minister... only asks... Your Majesty, please think twice."

"Oh, you old stubborn guy who refuses to change!" There was no mercy in Chu Lu's eyes.

He turned around, walked back to the imperial desk and sat down, saying coldly: "I don't want to waste my words on you! I'll leave my words here. Once Zhao Dequan confesses and signs his name, he will be immediately taken out of the Meridian Gate and beheaded! To serve as a warning to others!"

At this moment, a burst of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside the study. Then, before the guards in the room could react, a doctor from the Imperial Hospital and several soldiers from the Imperial Guards rushed in with panicked expressions, followed by several eunuchs who also looked panicked. As soon as they came in, they immediately knelt on the ground with a "thump". The leading doctor and a soldier rushed to speak: "Your Majesty! There is, there is something important to report!"

"Your Majesty! This is a matter of great importance!"

"Hmm?" Chu Lu frowned at first, then asked with an idea: "Is it related to Zhao Dequan?"

The imperial physician and the imperial guard soldier kneeling in the front nodded quickly: "Yes, Your Majesty! It is related to Chief Steward Zhao!"

Chu Lu smiled slightly when he heard this and asked, "Is he finally willing to confess?"

However, to his surprise, the imperial physician and the soldier looked at each other, showing a subtle and embarrassed look on their faces, and hesitantly replied: "Your Majesty, it is not the case. Chief Zhao, he did not confess."

"Ah?" The smile on Chu Lu's face froze instantly, and his brows frowned again, "No confession? Then what do you want to report?"

The imperial physician bowed his head even lower and said, "Your Majesty! Following your orders, we have carefully examined the bottle of powder found in Chief Manager Zhao's residence... This substance is indeed highly poisonous, and its toxicity and type are exactly the same as the poison in the yokan soup that day. But..."

The imperial physician paused, his voice filled with confusion and hesitation: "However, we have discovered that the age of this bottle of poison does not seem to match the age of the poison in the yokan soup. Moreover, after repeated and careful comparisons, although the two have the same origin, there are slight differences in some extremely subtle ingredient ratios... I'm afraid they are not made from the same batch."

As soon as he finished speaking, the imperial guard soldier next to him immediately followed up with a report: "Your Majesty! I have investigated Zhao Dequan's whereabouts that night and have found several palace servants who were on duty at the time. According to their recollections, Zhao Dequan was indeed in a hurry and looked flustered that night, but it seemed that he accidentally lost an important internal treasury account book and was afraid of being discovered, so he secretly ran back to look for it. It's not... not as we thought before!"

boom--!
These two reports that came one after another were like two thunderbolts that instantly struck everyone in the imperial study!
Yan Zheng and Fang Xiaozhi, who had just been struggling to maintain their composure, suddenly widened their eyes and showed expressions of disbelief on their faces.

Chu Lu, who had been so arrogant, was also stunned for a moment, with a look of surprise and panic in his eyes, as if he had been hit hard in the face with a club.

“Hahahaha!” After a brief silence, Fang Xiaozhi suddenly burst into laughter, his laughter full of sarcasm and anger, “Great! What a great phrase ‘there are witnesses and physical evidence’! What a great phrase ‘immediate results’! Your Majesty! What else do you have to say now?! This is the result of your personal trial?! You almost wrongly killed a loyal and honest person! Are you worthy of our ancestors?!”

Yan Zheng was so angry that he was shaking all over. He pointed at Chu Lu, his voice trembling: "Stupid emperor! So stubborn! I didn't listen to honest advice! You almost made a big mistake! An emperor like you who treats the laws of the country as a joke and human lives as worthless! Our dynasty is in danger! In danger!"

The two men looked at Chu Lu with eyes full of disappointment and contempt, and the insults they spoke became more and more intense.

"presumptuous!"

Chu Lu shouted loudly and stood up suddenly.

He glared at the two of them, his chest heaving violently, as if he was broken by the scolding, but the latter changed his previous depressed look and came forward without fear.

Chu Lu became more and more angry. He suddenly raised his hand and slapped the imperial desk again with such force that it seemed as if he wanted to break the desk.

"Get them out of here!" he roared. "Now!"

The guards were immediately shocked and did not dare to hesitate. They rushed forward and forcibly picked up Yan Zheng and Fang Xiaozhi, who were still filled with righteous indignation and cursing, and dragged them out without saying a word.

"You are a foolish ruler! You are so stubborn and self-willed! You will surely bring about your own destruction!"

"If you don't listen to good advice, your country will fall!"

Even though they were forcibly dragged away, the two men's angry cursing did not stop immediately. It was not until they were dragged away far away that their cursing gradually subsided.

There was a deathly silence in the imperial study. Only Chu Lu was left standing behind the imperial desk.

(End of this chapter)