Chapter 481 Shen Wantang's True Strengths

Shen Wantang frowned: "What do you mean by this, Lord Lü? Do you suspect that I killed Chu Yanluo?"

“Princess Consort, before the truth is revealed, I can suspect anyone, and you are indeed a prime suspect. More importantly—”

Lu Qiying paused, then looked intently at Shen Wantang: "The Crown Prince has already given his confession at the Ministry of Justice. He said that you killed Chu Yanluo!"

Shen Wantang almost laughed out of anger!

So it turns out that Lü Qiying really did come for her!

She had just told Granny Chai that Lü Qiying was only there to make a show of things! She never expected to be proven wrong so quickly!

Excellent, truly excellent! Xiao Qingyuan's attempt to kill her with a borrowed knife failed, and now he's pulled off an even more insidious move!

Shen Wantang hadn't been this angry in a long time, but her face remained calm: "Please investigate thoroughly, Lord Lü. After being taken hostage by Chu Yanluo yesterday, I returned to the Prince's Mansion and haven't left since. I've been recuperating in my own courtyard. If you don't believe me, you can call all the servants to question me."

"Princess Consort, rest assured, I will ask."

Lu Qiying thought for a moment and then said, "I shouldn't reveal too much to the Crown Princess, but I still owe her a favor regarding the Xin family case, so I've decided to say a few more words."

"Please speak, Lord Lü."

"The Crown Prince wasn't the only one who reported to the Ministry of Justice that the Crown Princess had killed Chu Yanluo; there were others as well."

"Who else?"

"And there's the Crown Princess's elder sister, Shen Mingxuan. She said you and Chu Yanluo have a long-standing grudge, you're jealous that she can win the Crown Prince's favor, and you resent her for preventing you from consummating your marriage with the Crown Prince. You've always wanted to kill her. She said you poisoned her, and since you're skilled in medicine, it's easy for you to use poison to harm people."

Shen Wantang couldn't help but burst into laughter.

But there was no smile in her smile, only coldness.

"What is the Crown Princess laughing at?"

"Doesn't Lord Lü find this ridiculous? I'm just sitting at home, and trouble falls from the sky. One after another, they all think they can put me to death over this matter. They're too hasty and have made a huge mistake."

What mistake did they make?

"underestimate the enemy."

The coldness on Shen Wantang's face gradually disappeared, replaced by a calm and confident demeanor: "If I wanted to kill Chu Yanluo, I wouldn't have waited until today. If I were to use poison, no one would be able to detect it. I even know about rare poisons like the Western Region Purple Crow. Would I use ordinary poisons like the Bloodthirsty Vine and the Blood-Sealing Throat?"

A smile finally appeared on Lü Qiying's solemn face: "It was precisely because of this doubt that I did not believe that the Crown Princess was the murderer from the beginning. However, this case has spread rapidly in the capital, and many people are discussing it. There are also people in the court watching it. Therefore, I can only act impartially. I hope the Crown Princess will forgive me."

Shen Wantang shook his head slightly: "Lord Lü has done nothing wrong in upholding the law impartially; it is your duty."

Lu Qiying had already given her a lot of face; he didn't beat around the bush and said whatever came to mind, even telling her who had reported her.

She hadn't expected that, besides Xiao Qingyuan's eagerness to kill her, Shen Mingxuan, who had been hiding in the Shen family, would also act so hastily upon hearing the news of Chu Yanluo's death.

What two overconfident idiots!

They both thought that her greatest skill was medicine.

That's hilarious! The reason she initially studied medicine was simply so she wouldn't have to ask for favors when investigating cases and performing autopsies!

What she's really good at is solving cases!

Originally, she didn't want to get involved in Chu Yanluo's death, but now it seems she has to find the real culprit for Chu Yanluo.

If Chu Yanluo's vengeful spirit hasn't gone far, it should kneel down and kowtow to her to express its gratitude right now!

“Lord Lü, the Bloodthirsty Vine takes at least five days to take effect. Where was Chu Yanluo five days ago? She was still in prison. I have never been to the prison. How could I poison her? I think Lord Lü should start by investigating the people who had contact with Chu Yanluo in prison. That would be a faster way to find clues.”

Lu Qiying's eyes lit up: "The Bloodthirsty Vine has this property? It takes effect in five days? The coroner from the Ministry of Justice said that the Bloodthirsty Vine can remain in the body for a long time, and that Chu Yanluo's poisoning may have occurred several months ago!"

Shen Wantang nodded: "The coroner wasn't entirely wrong. When used in extremely small amounts, the Bloodthirsty Vine can indeed remain dormant for a long time without causing symptoms. It is usually used to treat patients with blood stasis."

"But if the dosage exceeds a certain amount, it will take effect in just five days. When it takes effect, blood will flow from all seven orifices, which looks scary, but it is not actually fatal. If you give the antidote, the toxicity of the Bloodthirsty Vine will disappear."

"Of course, without the antidote, the poison will take effect every five days until all the blood is drained."

Lu Qiying frowned slightly: "I still don't quite understand why the Crown Princess was able to determine that the dosage was too high? Perhaps Chu Yanluo has been poisoned for too long, which is why the poison has taken effect?"

"No, if the dosage is very small, even if the poison takes effect, it will only cause nosebleeds, not bleeding from all seven orifices. Chu Yanluo's symptoms clearly indicate that the person who poisoned her gave her too much medicine."

"I see!"

"There's also the poison that kills with blood. Many people may have heard of this poison, but there aren't many pharmacies that actually carry it, and they certainly don't sell it easily. Lord Lü could also investigate this poison."

"good!"

"Oh, right, the antihistamine has a characteristic: it's difficult to preserve. It's basically prepared fresh for immediate use. Its effects are strongest when it's freshly prepared, and it can kill a person instantly, hence its name. The longer it's stored, the weaker its effects become. If it's stored for more than a day, its effects will be halved. Of course, it can still be fatal, but not as quickly."

Lu Qiying listened very attentively. He felt that while the coroners of the Ministry of Justice were good at autopsies, their medical skills were not up to par. They only said that those poisoned by the "blood-sealing throat" poison would die immediately, but they didn't say that the "blood-sealing throat" poison needed to be prepared on the spot!

Their Ministry of Justice needs to hire another doctor who is proficient in medicine and pharmacology!

"Princess Consort, I understand the matter of the poison. I will send people to investigate as soon as I get back. Chu Yanluo also has a fatal wound on her neck, caused by scissors. What do you think about this? Do you think it was the same person who poisoned her, or someone else?"

Shen Wantang had the answer in her heart, but she couldn't say it. She had said enough today, and she believed that with Lü Qiying's abilities, it wouldn't take more than a few days to find the real culprit.

She shook her head: "I don't know about that. Perhaps Lord Lü could send someone to look for any discarded wet clothes, wet shoes, etc."

Lü Qiying nodded: "That's exactly what I was thinking too!"

Having asked all the necessary questions, he left quickly without lingering.

As Shen Wantang watched his figure disappear, her eyes turned cold again. They all wanted her dead? Then none of them would live!

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Xiao Qingyuan return.

The clothes he was wearing were a color that Shen Wantang had never seen before, and they didn't fit him very well.

Shen Wantang sneered and deliberately stepped forward to ask him, "Your Highness is back. Did Huayi make these new clothes for you? I don't think I've ever seen them before!"