Chapter 279 Making a Deal with the Wu Family
Madam Min explained, "What was just put into the cup was poison. And the Crown Princess's real cause of death was poisoning by this kind of poison."
The elderly couple from the Wu family almost simultaneously retorted, "That's impossible!"
Grandma Wu glanced at Grandpa Wu before questioning, "If the Crown Princess died of poisoning, how could so many imperial physicians not have noticed?"
Old Wu frowned and speculated, "Could it be that the imperial physician discovered something but dares not speak out?"
“None of those,” said Madam Min. “This poison is colorless and odorless, and no signs of poisoning can be found after death.”
"How is this possible?" the two exclaimed in unison again.
Faced with the repeated questioning from the Wu family elders, Madam Min Qiao grew annoyed and beckoned to A Shuang, "Come and explain to Elder Wu and Madam Wu."
"Yes." A Shuang stepped forward, curtsied, and began to recount the whole story from beginning to end.
From the suspicious death of the Crown Princess, to Min Qiao's suspicions about her death, to sending people to infiltrate the Crown Prince's residence to investigate the cause of death, and finally confirming that the Crown Princess's true cause of death was poisoning. Then she explained the properties of the poison and the effects of the antidote.
Ah Shuang was very skilled at the art of speaking; she said everything she could say, and vaguely glossed over what she couldn't say.
In short, after Ah Shuang finished speaking, the Wu family elders had no further questions.
However, "How can you prove that what you said is true?" Old Mrs. Wu immediately questioned as she recovered from her shock.
Madam Min looked at Granny Lin and said, "This is the evidence."
Grandma Wu asked in astonishment, "You want to use her to test the poison you're talking about?"
"Isn't this the best evidence?" Madam Min Qiao said with a half-smile, "As long as she drinks the poison and dies, you can find a doctor to investigate the cause of her death and see if it was poisoning."
"Let her body sit for a while longer and see if it's like the Crown Princess's body, neither stiff nor decayed."
"Once this is confirmed, sprinkle the antidote on her body and see if it shows any signs of poisoning."
Seeing that Min Qiaoshi spoke with such conviction, Old Man Wu basically believed her words.
However, he still had his own concerns.
"Leave the poison and the antidote behind; we'll verify them ourselves."
Since Madam Min Qiao made no comment, Wen Xiu naturally didn't make any move either.
"What do you want from us by telling us all this?" Old Man Wu looked at Madam Min with sharp eyes. "The Wu family is in dire straits right now, and it seems there's nothing that the Madam doesn't care about."
Madam Min smiled and said, "The Wu family really doesn't have anything that can attract me, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"You must already know about the imperial decree bestowing a marriage between the Crown Prince and Miss Zhong, right?"
"The Wu family has been abandoned by the Crown Prince."
"Perhaps it should be said that from the very beginning, the Crown Prince never looked down on your Wu family."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have dug such a big pit for you."
"Have you counted how many crimes the Wu family has committed in recent years?"
"You've done plenty of things like bullying others, extorting money, and disregarding human life, haven't you?"
"Isn't that enough for you to behead and confiscate their property?"
Old Wu's face was gloomy.
Old Mrs. Wu was also furious and tried to interrupt Min Qiao several times, but Old Mr. Wu stopped her each time.
"Just state your purpose directly," Old Wu said coldly, staring at Min Qiao Shi.
Madam Min smiled and said casually, "I don't have many other hobbies, I just like watching plays."
"Tell me, how dramatic would it be if the Wu family presented evidence to the Emperor on the Crown Prince's wedding day, accusing him of poisoning the late Crown Princess?"
Grandma Wu stared in shock, her mouth agape. The consequences of their actions were unimaginable.
She didn't know if the Crown Prince would be alright, but the Wu family was definitely doomed!
Will Emperor Xiaozhao let the Wu family off the hook? Will the Crown Prince let the Wu family off the hook?
Old Wu also looked at Min Qiaoshi with a solemn expression, "You are forcing us to die!"
Madam Min scoffed, "Do you think you still have a way out at this point?"
"If the Crown Prince hadn't wanted you all dead from the very beginning, would he have needed to scheme against the Crown Princess and the Wu family for years on end?"
"Don't forget who his new crown princess is."
"That's a girl from the Zhong family!"
"Do you think that in order to please the Zhong family's daughter and the Zhong family as a whole, the Crown Prince will sever ties with the Wu family?"
"What do you think is the best way to draw a clear line?"
Both Old Man Wu and Old Woman Wu were drenched in cold sweat from Min Qiao's words.
I didn't realize it before, but looking back now, the Crown Prince's attitude towards the Wu family is full of flaws!
They should have realized this when the Crown Prince cut them off from contact with their two great-grandsons.
However, at the time, he was blinded by power and deceived by the Crown Prince's act of deep affection for the Crown Princess.
Old Wu remained silent for a long time, then finally gritted his teeth and looked at Madam Min with deep eyes, "The Wu family can do as Madam Qiao says."
"However, I hope that Mrs. Qiao will also grant me one request."
Madam Min made a gesture of invitation.
Old Wu then said, "I hope that when the time comes, Madam Qiao can use her connections to help protect the Wu family's grandchildren."
He and his sons could not expect to survive, but the Wu family line could not be severed!
Madam Min shook her head. "Grandchildren are a bit difficult. Great-grandchildren, though, are a possibility."
The Wu family's grandchildren are mostly grown up, and many have married and had children. The great-grandchildren, however, are still very young. Keeping a few children alive shouldn't be difficult.
Old Wu struggled with his expression for a long time before nodding heavily, "Alright! Great-grandchildren it is! Apart from the two grandsons of the Crown Prince, my Wu family has three great-grandchildren and one great-granddaughter. I hope that when something happens to the Wu family, Madam Qiao will keep her promise and help me protect these four children!"
“Alright, I promise you.” Madam Min solemnly promised, “As long as you can give me a good show, I will help you protect these four children of the Wu family’s great-grandchildren.”
Old Wu: "It's a deal."
Min Qiaoshi: "It's a deal."
After the matter was settled, Old Man Wu seemed to remember something and said, "Madam, shouldn't you give me the poison and antidote now?"
Min Qiao glanced at Wen Xiu, who quickly took out two small porcelain bottles, one blue and one white, from her bosom.
Of course, these are no longer the two porcelain bottles that Doctor Mu took out before.
The two porcelain bottles that Doctor Mu took out were each about 70% full of medicinal powder.
The two porcelain bottles that Wenxiu took out contained only enough poison and antidote for two people.
Oh, one dose of poison has already been used; only one dose remains.
Sure enough, after Old Wu got the bottle, he shook it, then opened it and looked inside. "So little?"
Wen Xiu explained, "The blue porcelain bottle contains poison, enough for one person. The white porcelain bottle contains the antidote, enough for two people."
Seeing that Old Man Wu was about to say something, Madam Min Qiao glanced at him with a half-smile, "Old Master Wu, isn't this enough medicine for two people? Or are you planning to use this poison for something else?"
"Madam, you misunderstand. I was just saying it casually." Old Wu smiled awkwardly and carefully put the two porcelain bottles away.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com