The Fourth Prince entrusted Hongsheng's affairs to Lanqin, who then summoned all the women in the inner courtyard, except for the Fourth Prince's wife and the confined Liu Shi, to the East Courtyard to observe together.

When Nian saw that everyone had arrived, she looked at each person with suspicion, wondering if her Hongsheng had been harmed by one of them.

The East Courtyard has never been this quiet.

Lanqin hesitated for a moment, then said to Consort Nian, "Consort Nian, Hongsheng's room has been checked, and no traces of cinnabar were found on his belongings. So the most likely explanation is that there was a problem with his food. Hongsheng has always lived in the East Courtyard, and I've heard that the East Courtyard's kitchen is always separate. So let's call the kitchen staff over; maybe they'll find something!"

Suddenly, Lady Nian, who had been silent, glared at Lanqin and roared, "Niohuru Lanqin! What are you up to? Why are you so sure that Hongsheng Poison was investigated in my courtyard? Are you trying to mislead the Fourth Prince and frame me because you feel guilty?..."

Lady Nian already hated Lanqin to the core. She had long believed that Lanqin was responsible for Hongsheng's death. She never expected that instead of having the Fourth Prince thoroughly investigate Lanqin, he would now be investigating her own kitchen. She could no longer control her emotions and pointed at Lanqin, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

Lanqin sighed. She knew very well that the Nian family had always regarded her as an enemy, and no matter what she said or did, the Nian family would not appreciate it. However, she couldn't bear to see the Fourth Master saddened by Hongsheng's death, and she also pitied Hongsheng's untimely death. She hoped that the real culprit would be found as soon as possible so that Hongsheng could be comforted.

Lanqin calmly explained, "Consort Nian, please don't misunderstand. I'm just stating the facts. The East Courtyard has always been responsible for Hongsheng's meals. The murderer is most likely in the East Courtyard. We can't let any opportunity to find the murderer slip by because of a moment of anger."

Nian sneered, her expression a mixture of joy and anger: "You're so kind? You're the happiest person that Hongsheng is dead! The investigation should start with you..."

Seeing that Nian was no longer listening to anything, Lanqin shook her head and remained silent.

Seeing that Lady Nian was not cooperating, Lady Wu said, "Consort, Hongsheng's poison must have been done by someone. His meals have always been from the kitchen in the East Courtyard. If we don't start the investigation from you, where do you think we should start?"

“That’s right, but does the concubine intend to investigate from the main kitchen? The concubine’s resistance will only give the poisoner a chance to escape!” Madam Song echoed.

The others remained silent, observing Nian's reaction.

"Bring all the cooks from the East Courtyard here!" Lanqin said to Baizhi, the head maid standing next to Madam Nian. She knew that Baizhi was Madam Nian's trusted maid.

Since Nian didn't say anything, Bai Zhi had no choice but to do as she was told.

A moment later, a commotion erupted in the courtyard. More than a dozen people, from cooks to odd jobs, knelt down, all sweating profusely and terrified by the atmosphere in the hall, waiting for their masters to speak.

Lanqin scanned the room, observing everyone's expressions and actions. She saw that they were all bowing their heads and remaining silent, with nothing particularly unusual about them.

"Miss Baizhi, please take Doctor Lin to the kitchen to test for poison! We want to see if there's anything wrong with the kitchen," Lanqin said to Baizhi.

Bai Zhi nodded, and then led Doctor Lin and several maids to the kitchen in the east courtyard.

Lady Nian was very unhappy to see Lanqin giving orders in her courtyard, but since the Fourth Prince trusted her, she couldn't do anything about it.

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