Chapter 700 Progress in the Case of the Deposed Crown Prince's Poisoning
Then there were the two cooks in charge of preparing the meals.
However, after questioning, both cooks proved to be innocent.
The guards responsible for the watch were also taken into custody, but after interrogation, they found nothing.
It wasn't until the people from the Dali Temple investigated the ancestors of these people for eighteen generations that they found a clue in the old woman who committed suicide.
It turns out that the old woman who committed suicide was actually the mother of a maidservant who served the late Crown Princess Wu.
It is said that the maid was sold into servitude to the Wu family when she was young, and later accompanied the Wu family's daughter to the Crown Prince's residence as part of her dowry.
After Princess Wu died, the Crown Prince secretly disposed of all the maids who had accompanied her.
This old woman loved her daughter dearly. When her mother-in-law and husband sold their daughter, she made a huge scene, but unfortunately, she couldn't fight back and could only watch helplessly as her daughter was sold.
Later, she kept an eye on the slave trader who bought her daughter until she found out which family her daughter had been sold to and saw that her daughter was doing well in the master's house, and only then did she give up.
Although the old woman never contacted her daughter again, she always kept tabs on her daughter's whereabouts.
After the death of Crown Princess Wu, her daughter also disappeared without a trace.
At that time, the old woman began to suspect the Crown Prince's residence.
Not long after, the Zhong family's daughter married into the Crown Prince's household. This made the old woman even more suspicious of the Crown Prince.
Even if she had doubts, she couldn't confirm them, much less do anything to the high and mighty Crown Prince.
It wasn't until this time, when the Wu family sued the deposed crown prince for poisoning his wife, that the old woman's suspicions were finally confirmed.
So she infiltrated the abandoned mansion as a kitchen helper and poisoned the deposed crown prince's food.
After avenging his daughter's death, he decisively committed suicide to atone for his sins.
Everything is reasonable and logical.
However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that all of this is just a cover-up to conceal the truth.
Sure enough, things soon took a new turn.
It was confirmed that the old woman had been in contact with a stewardess of the Wu family's matriarch for a long time.
It started as a way to find out about his daughter, but then it evolved into secretly passing things between them.
Later, he plotted revenge for his daughter.
Everything points to the fact that this old woman was instructed by the Wu family.
The Wu family resorted to this extreme measure only after their complaints against the deposed crown prince went unanswered.
Those who are unaware of the situation find it perfectly reasonable.
Think back to the once glorious and arrogant Wu family, and then think about how they lived in fear and trembling after the death of the Crown Princess. It would be strange if they didn't go crazy and seek revenge when they suddenly learned that the Crown Princess was actually killed by the Crown Prince.
For a time, the Wu family was seen as the real culprits in the murder of the deposed crown prince.
Anyone who knows what the Wu family is all about knows that the Wu family is nothing more than a scapegoat.
However, the real mastermind is hiding too well and has not yet been caught.
Qiao Qinghe told Li Rui everything that was happening outside, and she had no intention of hiding anything from the child.
"This matter is not yet settled, so don't be too anxious. His Majesty is very determined to investigate thoroughly, and the truth will likely be revealed soon."
Li Rui nodded with red eyes, "Madam, you don't need to comfort me, I understand."
"The Wu family..."
Qiao Qinghe didn't want her child to harbor hatred at such a young age, and wanted to offer some words of guidance.
But before she could finish speaking, Li Rui said in a hoarse voice, "I know, the Wu family is not the murderer."
Although he didn't want to admit it, after they fell on hard times and were imprisoned, only the Wu family showed kindness to the brothers.
Back when he was the eldest son of the Crown Prince's household, a man of great wealth and privilege, he despised the Wu family.
He loathed the Wu family's insatiable greed, their troublemaking, and their constant use of the Crown Princess's family name to commit numerous evil deeds, tarnishing the reputations of his father and mother.
When his mother died, he and his brother even drove the Wu family out of the Crown Prince's residence, declaring that they would not acknowledge their maternal grandparents.
However, after their father was demoted and their family was imprisoned in a remote alley and a humble room, apart from the guards who watched over them and the old woman who brought them food every day, the only people who ever came to visit them were the Wu family.
Clothing fabrics, rice, flour, pastries, vegetables, fruits, needles and thread...
The things the Wu family sent were all ordinary, but they were all things that were truly needed for daily life.
The Wu family even sent them books later, and sent someone to tell them that if they were having a hard time, they should read books...
Even his father later cried and said that it was his fault, that he had let his mother down, and that he had let the Wu family down.
At that time, he realized that the Wu family was not as bad as he had imagined.
However, when he asked his father why he had wronged his mother and the Wu family, his father refused to say anything.
It wasn't until the news came that the Wu family had sued his father for murdering his mother that he understood what his father meant by those words.
But he couldn't understand why the Wu family, who had just delivered things to them a few days ago, would suddenly change their attitude and sue his father, acting as if they wanted to kill him.
It wasn't until his father analyzed the situation for him that he understood that the Wu family had no other choice.
He also said that he should have died long ago. Otherwise, he would have become a thorn in someone's side sooner or later.
He had already made preparations.
I never expected that those people would drag the Wu family into this mess.
It is said that he implicated the Wu family.
At that time, he knew that it was not the Wu family who wanted his father dead, and that suing his father was not the Wu family's intention.
The only people who would see their father, the deposed crown prince, as a thorn in their side are those who aspire to the throne.
So, was it the King of Qi? Or the King of Chu?
Li Rui's tearful eyes still held a deep-seated hatred.
Their family has become commoners, prisoners, and has nothing left. Why can't they leave them a way to survive?
The hatred in the young boy's heart had already quietly taken root.
Although Li Rui concealed it well, Qiao Qinghe still caught the glimpse of the hatred that burst forth in that instant.
In a split second, a thought flashed through Qiao Qinghe's mind.
But it was too fast, and she couldn't catch it.
After offering Li Rui a few words of comfort, Qiao Qinghe dismissed him.
Watching Li Rui's small, lonely yet stubborn figure leave, Qiao Qinghe felt that fate was playing tricks on her.
Just then, a maid came in to report that Mu Jin was requesting an audience.
"You want to move back?"
Qiao Qinghe frowned deeply after hearing Mu Jin explain her purpose.
"Have the poison in those children been completely eradicated? Have they recovered? Things aren't even done yet, why are you leaving?"
Mu Jin quickly explained, "Madam, I have already cleared the poison from the three children."
"Their bodies were not seriously damaged. With proper care, they will recover quickly."
"I have already explained the prescriptions and dietary plans to the nannies who are taking care of them and to the kitchen staff."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qinghe knew that Mu Jin had arranged everything.
He still refused, saying, "When you were in the palace, you told the Emperor that it would take at least three months to cure the three children. So you must stay here with me for at least three months to ensure that the children are truly healthy before you leave."
"Otherwise, if something goes wrong and the Emperor blames us, no one can bear the consequences."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com