Chapter 246 There is a ghost

The guards who came with the prince had nothing to ask. Since entering Wuweizhai, they had been guarding outside the door of the elegant room to ensure that no strangers, including the waiters, were allowed to approach the prince. The wine and food brought by the waiters were tasted first, and only when there was no reaction were they brought in for the prince and others to enjoy.

It seems obvious that the people who had the opportunity to poison the prince were among those who accompanied him for a drink.

"Yang Xiuzhuan, Han Jinshi, Zhang Jinshi—"

The most famous among them was undoubtedly Yang Zhe, the top scholar who had tried to marry a princess twice but failed. That was why Minister Shen saw him at first sight. Then there was Han Baocheng, the grandson of the Minister of War, and Zhang Liangyu, the son of the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, who had some impression of him.

When Minister Shen's eyes fell on Wen Feng and Li Lan, he was momentarily stuck.

The batch of Jinshi who emerge every three years can certainly be called the chosen ones of heaven, but once they integrate into the imperial court, they are just inconspicuous members. For example, the top scholar Yang Zhe is currently only a sixth-rank official. As for Han Baocheng and others, they have not even been granted official positions and are just observing government affairs in various departments.

For Minister Shen, who held the position of Minister of Justice, it was perfectly normal to find Wen Feng and Li Lan unfamiliar.

"I am Wen Feng, a student currently observing government affairs in the Dali Temple." Wen Feng bowed.

"I am Li Lan, a student currently studying at the Hanlin Academy." Compared to Wen Feng's calmness, Li Lan's voice was a little tense.

Minister Shen nodded and said, "Mr. Wen, Mr. Li. Now, please tell us about today's events, starting with your arrival at Wuweizhai."

The five of them exchanged glances, and Zhang Liangyu spoke first: "I was the first to arrive. His Highness was already waiting in the elegant room. Afterwards, His Highness and I drank tea while we waited for the others..."

"I am……"

Han Baocheng said with red eyes: "I was the last one to arrive. His Highness even joked a few times, and then started drinking..."

"Did you guys see anything unusual when drinking?" asked Minister Shen.

abnormal?

Several people looked at each other.

After a breathtaking moment of silence, Yang Zhe suddenly spoke: "There's something unusual."

This immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"What do you mean by this, Yang Xiu?" Minister Shen's expression turned serious.

Yang Zhe was silent for a moment, then stretched out his hand and said, "I was attacked when I went to the bathroom."

His hands were long and fair, so the dark brown color on his fingertips was particularly conspicuous.

Everyone present instantly guessed what it was.

"Brother Yang is injured? Then why didn't you tell me when you came back?" Han Baocheng asked in surprise.

Yang Zhe frowned slightly: "Your Highness was in a critical condition at that time, so there was no time to talk about these things."

"That's not right. Brother Yang, the prince was fine when you came back. He even punished you to drink." Zhang Liangyu looked at Yang Zhe with a strange expression.

Yang Zhe was stunned: "Drinking penalty?"

Several people nodded.

Yang Zhe frowned, his clear eyes becoming confused. "But when I came back from the attack, I saw that His Highness was in trouble."

After these words were spoken, several people's expressions changed.

"Brother Yang, are you still drunk? You were punished to drink for coming back late, and then you went to the bathroom. The prince had an accident when you went to the bathroom." Han Baocheng wondered.

Yang Zhe's confused eyes regained clarity, and he spoke with a firm tone, "I went into the bathroom after Brother Han. When I regained consciousness, I realized I had been attacked, so I immediately went back to look for you. As I was walking up the stairs, I heard shouting and saw that His Highness was in trouble."

"This is impossible!" Han Baocheng subconsciously looked at other people.

The other people looked at Yang Zhe with strange eyes: "Brother Yang, Brother Han is right, His Highness did have an accident after you went to the toilet for the second time. Were you really drunk?"

Yang Zhe shook his head: "I'm pretty sure that's not the case."

"Wait a moment." Cheng Maoming, who had been listening silently, spoke up. "Since what Yang Xiuzhuan said doesn't match what you said, then you can each tell us where the discrepancy lies."

They looked at each other, and Han Baocheng spoke up, "Let me tell you. After a few rounds of drinking, Brother Yang said he wanted to go wash his hands. I wanted to go too, so we went together."

Everyone else, including Yang Zhe, nodded.

"When I got to the bathroom, I found that there was only one empty room, so I went in first. When I came out, Brother Yang told me not to wait, so I went back to the elegant room to continue drinking. I had a few drinks before Brother Yang came back -"

Cheng Maoming interrupted him: "How long does this take?"

"About a quarter of an hour." Han Baocheng estimated and looked at the others.

The others nodded: "Almost."

"Then what?"

"After Brother Yang came back, we made a fuss and asked him to drink as punishment. He toasted each of us. After a while—" Han Baocheng paused and looked at Yang Zhe, "Then Brother Yang went to the bathroom again. A few of us started playing finger-guessing games, and then His Highness—His Highness suddenly had an accident."

"Your Highness also plays finger-guessing?" Cheng Maoming asked.

"Your Highness didn't play finger-guessing, he just looked at us."

"How long is this time?"

Han Baocheng frowned: "It doesn't feel like long, maybe less than a quarter of an hour."

Cheng Maoming looked at the others.

Zhang Liangyu and others nodded, agreeing with what Han Baocheng said.

"So, Your Highness didn't drink when you played finger-guessing?"

"I was so busy playing finger-guessing games at that time that I didn't pay attention..." This was the answer from Han Baocheng and Zhang Liangyu.

Wen Feng didn't say anything. Li Lan was silent for a moment and then said affirmatively, "Your Highness was just playing with the wine glass and didn't eat or drink."

At this time, two people walked in, a royal physician and a coroner.

As soon as he saw the two of them, Minister Shen knew that there was a conclusion and couldn't wait to ask, "How is it?"

The coroner lowered his head and said, "After examination, Your Highness has the symptoms of poisoning..."

In fact, everyone who has met the prince knows the answer.

Minister Shen looked at the imperial physician.

The imperial physician was shaking all over, and his voice was trembling even more: "I found poison in your Highness's wine glass, but not in anyone else's wine glass or food..."

No matter how noisy the situation was at the dinner table, everyone's wine glasses, bowls and chopsticks would not be mixed up. There was no doubt that this was a poisoning attempt against the prince.

"Editor Yang, please tell us." Cheng Maoming looked at Yang Zhe with eyes as sharp as a knife.

Yang Zhe seemed relatively calm: "My stomach feels a little uncomfortable today..."

At first, what he said was similar to Han Baocheng's, but soon there was a difference: "I went into the bathroom and was about to change clothes when I suddenly felt someone approaching. Before I could react, I knew nothing. When I woke up and returned to the second floor, I saw everyone in a panic and His Highness who had been in trouble."

"Brother Yang, that was your second time coming back from the bathroom." Han Baocheng didn't want to doubt his friend, but Yang Zhe's statement was too different from what they saw.

Zhang Liangyu also said, "Yes, Brother Yang, when you came back the first time, you were punished to drink a glass with each of us."

Yang Zhe looked confused but determined: "Really not."

"Could it be that we have seen a ghost?" Zhang Liangyu blurted out.

"Wait!" Cheng Maoming suddenly said, but his eyes were fixed on Qi Shuo, "Maybe there really is a ghost?"