Pin Shanhe

"Your Majesty, the suspect could not withstand the torture and committed suicide by biting off his tongue."

Jun Qiyuan breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Since he's going to do this, he must have thought about the consequences.

With the lives of that eunuch's family members in his own hands, he wouldn't dare to betray him.

The crowd erupted in uproar.

died?

Wouldn't that mean there's no way to prove anything if the person is dead?

If the trail goes cold, how can the investigation continue?

Only Shen Fu remained calm and composed, already confident of success.

Pearl struggled to get up from the stretcher, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, someone is trying to poison me. Please, Your Majesty, uphold justice."

Poisoning again!

Everything that happened tonight can be summed up in one word: "poison".

Emperor Yong hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Pearl quickly explained the reason.

It turned out that when Imperial Physician Zhao came to administer acupuncture to her that night, he inadvertently discovered a number of dead ants around the medicine pot next to her.

He found it strange, and out of a doctor's caution, he examined it with a silver needle, only to find that the silver needle had turned black!

This means the medicine is poisonous!

The medicine was just decocted not long ago, and it was to be drunk after it cooled down.

If it weren't for Physician Zhao's timely discovery, she would definitely be standing here dead by now.

Just as Jun Qiyuan's heart was about to settle down, it was suddenly jolted open again.

I almost forgot, there's another problem!

He was already wondering why this palace maid was still alive.

It turns out it was all because of this meddlesome imperial physician!

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Shen Fu's eyes, revealing her as if she were in complete control.

She knew that the key to protecting the imperial concubine's family lay with Pearl.

So I contacted Zhao Xu in advance and asked him to come and help me with this.

Before entering the palace, Zhao Xu was a doctor at a clinic. He was framed by a patient for perjury and was charged with murder.

It turned out that a local gentryman had taken a fancy to the Zhao family's house and wanted to seize it for himself. To this end, he did not hesitate to bribe local officials and devise a vicious scheme to frame the family.

The case was returned to the Dali Temple, where her second brother, Shen Xiuwen, was a brilliant detective and quickly uncovered the truth, clearing Zhao Xu's name.

Later, Zhao Xu became a royal physician, and he always remembered this kindness, hoping to have the opportunity to repay it in the future.

It wasn't originally his turn to be on duty tonight, but when Shen Fu approached him, he immediately agreed.

It was thanks to Physician Zhao's help that Pearl's life was saved, and she was able to come before the Emperor to testify.

"If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can send someone to Chuxiu Palace to check. The poisoned medicine pot is still on the table in my room. Not only that, but we also found the jade bracelet that Your Majesty bestowed upon the Noble Consort under her pillow."

The facts are already quite clear!

Someone wanted to frame Consort Ning by poisoning her personal maid and framing her.

Then, considering that the seventeenth prince was poisoned, the two events are linked together, forming a closed loop that makes one feel increasingly horrified the more one thinks about it.

This person's malice is outrageous!

Emperor Yong's eyes were gloomy, and his whole body exuded a chilling and terrifying aura.

They dared to do something to his face, poisoning his son and framing his concubine; they were simply audacious.

If the murderer is not brought to justice today, how can he, as emperor, save face?

However, he felt that something was amiss about tonight's events, as if he had overlooked an important piece of information.

Shen Fu!

If she hadn't suddenly fallen ill, she wouldn't have discovered the poisoning earlier.

If the seventeenth prince had truly died from the poison, the situation would have been entirely different.

It can be said that Shen Fu is the little prince's savior!

But isn't all of this just too much of a coincidence?

……

The investigation is ongoing, but this time the target is pearls.

Pearl is the head maid of Chuxiu Palace. She has been serving Consort Ning for more than ten years and has always been loyal to her.

Only by using her as a topic of discussion can we convince everyone that this matter is indeed related to the Imperial Concubine.

The murderer was able to poison the pearl's medicine, knew the location of the imperial concubine's jewelry, and frame her without anyone noticing.

This is enough to prove that there is a traitor in the Chuxiu Palace!

With clear clues and a defined scope, the investigation becomes much simpler.

The suspicious target was quickly discovered—the palace maid Amber!

After questioning, it was learned that someone saw Amber enter the concubine's room before the incident and stay there for a while before coming out.

At that time, the Imperial Concubine had already gone to the banquet and was not in the palace at all; it was not the time for cleaning either.

Later, Amber went to Pearl's room to deliver medicine under the pretense of caring for her.

All signs indicate that this person is highly suspicious.

When Amber was brought over, she was still trying to remain calm, saying that she went in to check because she saw a suspicious figure sneaking into the concubine's room and thought it was a burglary.

As for Pearl... it was out of friendship for working together in the same palace that she went to take care of her.

Although she was stubborn, she always insisted on having evidence.

When Xiao Jingxuan ordered his men to bring out the medicine bottles that had been searched from her room, her expression suddenly changed.

Those are pieces of evidence that haven't been destroyed yet!

Upon examination by the imperial physician, the residual poison powder inside was found to be identical to the poison in the seventeenth prince's pastries and the pearl medicine jar.

"Ah, it really is you!"

Consort Ning was filled with anger, but also with endless disappointment and heartache.

"I have always treated you well, so why would you do something like this to frame me?"

Amber gave a mocking laugh: "Where have you treated me well? Pearl and I followed you together, so why was she promoted to head maid while I'm stuck as a lowly palace maid? This is clearly favoritism!"

There can only be one position for the head palace maid; it has to be someone else.

After the late empress passed away, Consort Ning, though not officially empress, became the nominal head of the harem.

The Imperial Concubine was gentle and tolerant, and many people would envy her for being able to serve in the Chuxiu Palace.

She actually betrayed her master because of a moment of jealousy?

Indeed, nothing is more poisonous than the human heart!

The imperial physician has already determined that this poison is a poison from the Western Regions.

After ingesting it, one will bleed from all seven orifices and die instantly!

This is the king of poisons, a single bottle is worth a fortune, and it is extremely rare.

How could a mere palace maid possibly obtain such a deadly poison?

There must be a mastermind behind her!

Xiao Jingxuan coldly reminded him: "Do you know that poisoning and murdering princes in the palace is a heinous crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan? If you tell the truth now and atone for your crime, you can avoid harming others. But if you continue to be stubborn, it will be too late to regret it."

This sentence completely broke down Amber's psychological defenses.

The man told her that as long as Pearl died, she could become the head maid of Chuxiu Palace.

She agreed because she was blinded by greed, but she didn't expect to be found out so quickly.

She doesn't care about her own death, but she doesn't want to implicate her family!

"I……"

Amber's lips trembled as she instinctively looked in a certain direction.

Mei Fei's heart sank.

Oops!