I became the tyrant's only belief.

Chapter 292 Taking the Initiative to Get Involved

It really was Granny Liu! Consort Xie asked in surprise, "Why would she want to harm Consort Shu and the princess? And where did she get the poison?"

Zhou Yuande replied, "It was given to her by Xiao Fuzi from Zhaiyue Hall. Xiao Fuzi threatened her with her son's life, and she had no choice but to agree."

"Shen Zhiyi!" Xie Jieyu gritted her teeth in anger.

If it weren't for Consort Shen's instigation, how could a mere eunuch dare to threaten the people around her?

"Your Majesty, you must do justice for me!" She complained, her face full of grievance and her lips pursed. "Consort Shen has always disliked me. She must have instructed Xiao Fuzi to frame me."

Xiao Jingfan said coldly, "Summon Consort Shen and Xiao Fuzi."

Zhou Yuande immediately led his men to deliver the imperial decree.

Chu Liuzheng watched his retreating figure, wondering why he was a step too late.

Sigh, a corpse can't speak, so bringing it along is useless.

She rummaged through the system.

[Speaking of which, didn't Doctor Feng say that Cold Marrow Powder was very rare? How come Xiao Fuzi bought it so easily from a scholar?]

Scholar?

Xiao Jingfan frowned secretly; the Cold Marrow Powder hadn't actually come from the Shen family.

Hmm... there's so little information about this scholar. He doesn't seem to be from the capital. How come I can't even find his name?

Chu Liuzheng frantically searched through the system, and as he searched...

[Funny! This guy is actually the Thousand-Handed Scholar!!]

Xiao Jingfan: !

The Thousand-Handed Scholar has arrived in Dasheng?!
Where is it?

The tyrant seems to be searching for the Thousand-Handed Scholar, but this elusive figure is rarely seen, his whereabouts are unpredictable, and he often disappears without a trace.

Chu Liuzheng continued flipping through the pages.

[Hmm... After leaving the capital, we headed south, and now we're in... a village in the woods. Wait, please specify the name of the village and the woods!]

She stared at those few lines of text, feeling like the system was just giving her the runaround.

Xiao Jingfan, who had listened to nothing, was speechless.

Chu Liuzheng did not give up and continued to rummage through the system.

Xiao Jingfan glanced at her, then got up and went behind the screen to visit the little princess.

The little girl lay on the soft couch, with silver needles stuck in her head, arms and legs. Her little mouth was pale, and her pink face seemed to have lost all color in an instant.

Consort Shu sat to the side, wiping the fine sweat from her daughter's face with a handkerchief, her eyes filled with tenderness.

Xiao Jingfan frowned. Why was his complexion better before the treatment?

Feng Jing sat on a small stool to the side, glanced up at the emperor, and seemed to know what he was thinking. He explained in a low voice, "The poison has entered the body, but it looks good on the surface. Although his complexion is not good now, the poison can be suppressed. He will be fine after taking the antidote. Your Majesty does not need to worry."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingfan felt a little relieved and stayed for a while longer before leaving.

Fifteen minutes later, Consort Shen arrived, and Xiao Fuzi's body was also brought along.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. May Your Majesty be well." Consort Shen knelt down and bowed.

She had lost a lot of weight, but her beauty remained undiminished. Her elegant smoky purple dress subtly outlined her slender figure, giving her a more delicate and charming appearance than before.

Chu Liuzheng withdrew his attention from the system and carefully examined her.

[She appears to be dressed up, but every detail is meticulously planned. Even at this critical moment, she doesn't forget to seize the opportunity to seduce the tyrant. Her composure is remarkable; she truly is a master of palace intrigue!]

She sighed inwardly, turning her head to look at the emperor. Xiao Jingfan's face was cold; he didn't rouse him. He glanced at the corpse covered by a white sheet and asked Zhou Yuande, "What happened?"

"Your Majesty, when I arrived, Xiao Fuzi had already committed suicide out of fear of punishment, leaving only a suicide note." Zhou Yuande presented the suicide note, "Please take a look, Your Majesty."

The suicide note contained a confession.

The reason why Xiao Fuzi poisoned Consort Shu was also explained.

When he was still working at the pharmacy, he was punished by Consort Shu for being slow in delivering medicine to the princess. He was forced to kneel in the scorching sun for half a day and almost died from heatstroke.

He harbored resentment because of this and always wanted to find an opportunity to get revenge.

After accidentally learning that Granny Liu's son had committed murder while drunk, he felt that his opportunity had come. He took the opportunity to blackmail Granny Liu and launch a revenge attack on Consort Shu.

In short, it was all Xiao Fuzi's own decision, and had nothing to do with Consort Shen.

"It was my oversight that I was unaware of this past incident, which led this servant to commit such a heinous act." Consort Shen lowered her head, revealing a section of her snow-white nape, and said in a gentle voice, "I have failed in managing my subordinates and in disciplining my palace servants. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Xiao Jingfan's eyes were cold, and he was about to speak when the person beside him suddenly said, "Your Majesty, this servant has something to report."

Xiao Jingfan looked at Chu Liuzheng, his eyes showing slight surprise.

This woman actually got involved in this? Has the sun risen in the west?
He cleared his throat: "Speak."

Chu Liuzheng said, "Xiao Fuzi used to work in a pharmacy. Everyone in the pharmacy knows that Xiao Fuzi has never been to school and cannot read a single character."

Everyone was astonished; how could someone who couldn't read leave a suicide note?

Could this suicide note be fake?
Xie Jieyu thought this was a good opportunity, and her eyes darted around as she was about to speak when Liuli quickly pulled her back and shook her head.

Xie Jieyu frowned, swallowed her words unhappily, and continued reading.

Consort Shen glanced quickly at Chu Liuzheng and explained softly, "Xiao Fuzi was indeed illiterate before, but he has a strong desire to learn. Since he was transferred to Zhaiyue Hall, I have been having Wenmeng teach him to read and write. There are still some of Xiao Fuzi's writings in Zhaiyue Hall. Your Majesty can send someone to fetch them for a look."

Seeing that she showed no sign of panic, Xiao Jingfan knew that there should be no flaws in the handwriting.

He looked at Chu Liuzheng with an expression that seemed to ask: Do you have any backup plans? If not, he would come on his own.

Chu Liuzheng didn't understand the look in his eyes, but he still took the initiative to say, "Your Majesty, why don't you let me and Eunuch An go and fetch it together?"

It was rare to see her so proactive, so Xiao Jingfan wanted to see what she could come up with and nodded in agreement.

Another incense stick's worth of waiting.

Chu Liuzheng and Xiao Anzi not only brought Xiao Fuzi's calligraphy, but also the calligraphy copybook he had recently been practicing.

The words are identical to those on the suicide note.

Consort Xie was immediately glad that she hadn't said it aloud, otherwise she would have become a laughing stock, and the Empress Dowager would definitely scold her again.

Just as Consort Shen was about to take the opportunity to finalize the will, Chu Liuzheng had someone bring out a few more sheets of paper and handed them to Xiao Jingfan for review.

"Your Majesty, please look, the handwriting on these few sheets of paper is exactly the same as that on the will."

Xiao Jingfan compared the paper with the suicide note and nodded: "They are indeed similar. Who wrote this?"

"Your Majesty, this is Wen Meng's handwriting." Chu Liuzheng said, glancing at Consort Shen, who remained calm and composed, showing no change whatsoever.

Xiao Jingfan put down the paper and said, "Wen Meng taught Xiao Fuzi to write, so it's reasonable that their handwriting is similar."

“Your Majesty is absolutely right,” Consort Shen chimed in. “The calligraphy model that Xiao Fuzi copied was written for him by Wenmeng.”

Everyone looked at Chu Liuzheng.

It was already stated that Wenmeng taught Xiaofuzi to read and write. Taking a few pieces of Wenmeng's writing cannot prove that the will was forged by Wenmeng, so it is completely meaningless.

Consort Shen also felt that Chu Liuzheng might have overdone it and made a foolish move.

Only Xiao Jingfan felt that Chu Liuzheng must have another trick up her sleeve, otherwise this woman would have already deafened him with her regretful voice.