"But what was the Second Prince doing those days? He was so infatuated with the Princess of Beiliang that he didn't even go home and even asked His Majesty to marry her."
As Madam Xing spoke, she wept: "A marriage alliance between two countries was supposed to be a good thing. Sisi only wanted to discuss it with the Second Prince, but she never expected..."
I never imagined the Second Prince would be so cruel, actually poisoning Sisi. Second Prince, how heartless you are! Ah…
All eyes turned to Nangong Jingyao, even he himself looked completely bewildered.
"You're talking nonsense... It wasn't me. How could I possibly harm the Crown Princess?"
For a moment, Nangong Jingyao was flustered and didn't even know how to explain himself.
“Father, the Crown Princess is not in good health. Even if we bicker a little, I would never harm her.”
Someone must have framed me. And that Imperial Physician Lin, he was the one who told me that the death of the Crown Princess was caused by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
That Physician Lin is a fake; it's all a lie.
The practice of ministers marrying into the royal family was always intended to solidify the relationship, a practice that has been followed throughout history.
“My dear minister, Madam Xing, is there some misunderstanding? No matter how stupid the second son is, he would never do such a thing.”
If this matter is settled, even the emperor will not have the face to face Minister Xing.
"Your Majesty, how dare I slander the Second Prince? If I did not have evidence, I would never dare to utter such arrogant words."
As he spoke, Minister Xing also took out a bundle. He moved away from Madam Xing and Su Luo, and when he opened the bundle, he found a dark gray brocade robe inside.
He angrily questioned Nangong Jingyao: "Second Prince, may I ask you, is this brocade robe yours?"
When Minister Xing took out the brocade robe, Su Luo could smell a faint chrysanthemum fragrance even from three meters away.
Her nose was always very good, and it seemed that there was some other medicinal smell mixed in with the chrysanthemum fragrance.
It seems this garment is not as simple as it appears.
Nangong Jingyao was on edge the whole time when Minister Xing took out the clothes.
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. These were the clothes he wore yesterday; he had simply gone with Ye Qianning to admire this year's early chrysanthemums, and there was nothing unusual about them.
"It is this prince's. How can this garment alone prove that this prince harmed the princess consort?"
The emperor also took a liking to Minister Xing, but Madam Xing's anger was not feigned at all.
"Your Majesty, this is the Second Prince's brocade robe. At first glance, it looks nothing special, but it is covered with poison that could kill me."
If I hadn't suspected the Second Prince and had his clothes examined, I wouldn't have discovered this poison at all.
This is the real vital point that could have killed my daughter. If I hadn't taken it to the imperial physician for examination...
The second prince disposed of the items immediately after replacing them. Who would have thought he would harbor such a vicious intention—to kill his wife and marry a new lover!
It's quite surprising that a princess of the country would willingly become a concubine when Nangong Jingyao had just asked the emperor for Ye Qianning's hand in marriage.
But at this very moment, Nangong Jingyao's principal wife suddenly died.
Minister Xing couldn't help but suspect that someone had tampered with things.
His first suspects were Ye Qianning and Nangong Jingyao, but he lacked evidence to make any accusations.
Just as he was feeling heartbroken, he suddenly heard a servant from the Second Prince's residence muttering something.
It is said that the Second Prince never liked chrysanthemums, yet today his brocade robe actually smelled of chrysanthemums.
He also said that his nose was the most sensitive, and he could smell a pungent odor beneath the chrysanthemum fragrance, which was very similar to the smell of snakeskin.
Snake yam is a poison; if a woman who has just given birth absorbs too much of it, it can lead to postpartum hemorrhage and death.
Hearing this news only confirmed Minister Xing's suspicions.
Overnight, he had someone secretly bring out the brocade robe that Nangong Jingyao had worn.
They then summoned the imperial physician from the manor to verify the diagnosis, and indeed discovered the Second Prince's vicious intentions.
He rubbed the poison on his clothes and used the scent of chrysanthemums to mask it, killing without leaving a trace.
The emperor's face was as black as could be, and he looked at the six imperial physicians.
"Go and thoroughly investigate for me. If you miss even the slightest detail, I will exterminate your entire family."
The six imperial physicians were all quite frightened by the emperor's words. They all went to Xing Shangshu, took the brocade robe, and examined it carefully.
Using salt water, silver needles, and a dissolving solution, the time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed.
This was a considerable amount of time, but no one in the main hall dared to breathe loudly.
Especially for Nangong Jingyao, if this garment truly proves the innocence of murdering the princess consort, then he, as the prince, will truly be ruined.
Su Luo also smelled other drugs on the clothes.
Moreover, the smell had changed, and judging from the time it had been there, it was definitely not something that Minister Xing had put there.
Su Luo deduced that Nangong Jingyao had definitely been framed in this matter.
But it's true that he hurt Nangong Qing. Su Luo didn't want to help him verify it at all; she left it to his own fate to see how he could tell.
Soon, the six imperial physicians identified the poison and some of its components.
"Your Majesty, this brocade robe is poisonous. We have identified three types of poison components."
One type is San Yuan Zi, Lan Yan Fen, and She Yu.
These three poisonous herbs alone, if ingested by postpartum women, can cause postpartum hemorrhage.
Furthermore, we cannot currently analyze the other components on the clothing, but given the Second Prince's wife's condition, inhaling this powder would undoubtedly be fatal.
The imperial physician dared not conceal anything and simply told the truth.
“Look carefully, this brocade robe has passed through the hands of others and was not made by the Second Prince.”
The emperor was still trying his best to exonerate Nangong Jingyao, as he did not want to strain his relationship with the senior officials.
"Your Majesty, I dare not frame the Second Prince. These poisons change at different times after they come into contact with air."
These imperial physicians could all detect and diagnose how long the poison had been on the clothes.
I implore Your Majesty to grant my daughter justice; the emperor is subject to the same laws as the common people.
In his grief and indignation, Minister Xing also grew bolder, regardless of whether Nangong Jingyao was a prince or not.
He just wanted to get justice for his daughter and also to remind the emperor not to show favoritism in front of everyone.
With a single glance from the emperor, a man of high status, none of the imperial physicians dared to utter a word.
These words could very well ruin a prince, or even cost the lives of his entire family.
"explain……"
The six imperial physicians looked at each other, and finally the one who spoke first stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, judging by the taste, it should have been yesterday at Shenshi (3-5 PM)."
Yes, shortly after Shen Shi (3-5 PM), Nangong Jingyao returned to his residence, and the Second Prince's Consort passed away at that time.
All the evidence pointed to Nangong Jingyao. He took two steps back and shook his head repeatedly.
"No...no...that's not how it is, I didn't, I didn't poison her at all, I would never harm the Crown Princess..."
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