"Young Master, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a small merchant traveling extensively. How could I have the guts to murder the Crown Prince?"
Su Ningjie didn't expect him to be so cunning. He glanced at Qinglian behind him and asked, "Then what do you mean by taking Qinglian, a servant from the Crown Prince's Mansion, out of the city at night?"
"To be honest, Qinglian is my daughter. I've earned enough money to redeem Qinglian from the First Prince's Mansion for a long time. However, the First Prince's Mansion won't let her go and the security is very tight. As a father, I can't let my daughter be a slave forever. She's already come of age and always wants to tell others about her. I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. I sneaked into the First Prince's Mansion in the middle of the night and took Qinglian away. You actually think we are the murderers of the First Prince. We are really wronged!"
"Hmph! You still dare to cry out for injustice? We won't arrest the wrong person. You'd better tell the truth about who is behind this and avoid physical pain!"
Su Ningjie spoke in a boastful manner, then retreated to sit beside Su Xingyi and listened obediently.
He did not have much experience in interrogation and did not know much information. Facing the cunning Qing Xudong, he could only bluff with big words.
"Prince Shun, everything I said is true. The eldest prince is seriously ill, and the palace is heavily guarded, so I took the risk of secretly taking Qinglian away. Murdering the eldest prince is a capital crime, and I don't have the guts to do it."
Qingxu was certain that Su Xingyi had no direct evidence, and that the days when he went to the eldest prince's mansion to send secret signals could be said to be a way for Qinglian to prepare to escape with him.
"Don't try to quibble. We were able to capture you and your daughter, so we definitely didn't make the mistake. Don't think that because I didn't catch Qinglian poisoning you, I can't do anything to you. I'll convince you."
Su Xingyi looked at Qinglian, "All the evidence pointed to Mother Zhang. The suspects also included you and Butler Hu. The water in the small kitchen that day wasn't poisonous, and neither were the pheasant, fish, or other vegetables. It must be the salt that was poisonous!"
Qinglian panicked, but forced herself to remain calm. "Prince Shun, the princess had already tested all the seasonings and found them to be non-toxic. The salt that had turned damp was certainly not poisonous either. However, the five pheasants brought back from the Niu family were poisonous. The only person who could have poisoned them was Mother Zhang. Prince Shun, please do not wrongly accuse me. If you insist on accusing me of a crime, it can only be the crime of a runaway slave."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lingyu outside the door couldn't help but look at her with admiration. Her mental strength was too strong. She didn't even admit it!
Su Xingyi smiled. "When you said this to the eldest prince, I naturally believed you. After all, you four maids are orphans from the Charity Bureau. It was Mother Zhang and the eldest prince who took you back to the eldest prince's mansion. You are the most senior elders in the mansion. Only elders like you have the opportunity to poison the eldest prince. But you are not an orphan. You have a father!"
Qinglian's heart sank. It was over.
"...And you know martial arts, you've been lying all along! This prince won't wrongly accuse you. You were responsible for poisoning Feng Jinyu, and your father was responsible for conveying the orders of the master behind the scenes! When Hu Yong was with you, we didn't rule you out as a suspect. We were just putting on a show for the master behind you, waiting for him to strike again so we could catch him!"
Qingxu was secretly resentful. Why had he been so careless at the time and not noticed that there were other secret sentries around the eldest prince's mansion?
If she had discovered it earlier, Her Majesty wouldn't have been so hasty to take action against Feng Jinyu!
He wouldn't be in a hurry to take Lian'er away at night.
You won’t be caught here!
"Prince Shun, my daughter Lian'er was separated from me. I searched for her for several years before I discovered that she was working as a servant for the eldest prince..."
"You are really loyal to the master behind you." A sneer came from outside the door.
Qingxu Qinglian looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Lingyu slowly walking in with Xiao Xier.
"You...you are not dead! How is this possible! That poison..." Qingxu was so scared that he jumped back and almost hit Qinglian's head.
Xiao Lingyu pursed his lips and smiled faintly, "Are you admitting that you poisoned this princess in order to kill her twice?"
Qingxu realized what he had said and wanted to slap himself in the face!
"It seems that your guess was correct. The person who wants to kill me is indeed the same person who persecuted Feng Jinyu. He killed me only because I saved Feng Jinyu from death and disrupted his plans. Once I die, if you attack Feng Jinyu again, no one will be able to save his life. Is that right?"
Qinglian knew that Princess Xiao was smart, and she always guessed right!
Qingxu lowered his head and neither admitted nor denied it.
"...In order to get him to act sooner, this princess used his trick against him. Sure enough, the person behind the scenes made some moves. For some unknown reason, he suddenly stopped. In this case, I have no choice but to bring you and your daughter back for questioning."
Xiao Lingyu sat down and looked at Qingxu for a long time. Seeing cold sweat on his forehead, he said, "Qingxudong, don't resist stubbornly. Just tell me who is behind this. I will not make things difficult for you and your daughter. I will only give you half a cup of tea to think about it."
Qingxu was in a state of shock and doubt. "Prince Shun, Princess, let's tell the person behind this to make things difficult for us, father and daughter."
Su Xingyi nodded, "Of course. Whether you want to protect the person behind the scenes or your own daughter is up to you."
Qing Xu hesitated for only a moment, "Okay, I'll tell you! It was the Imperial Concubine who instructed us, father and daughter, to do this..."
Xiao Lingyu was a little surprised. Cui Wan, without her mother's family, actually dared to make trouble. Who gave her the confidence?!
"Is it really Cui Wan, not the Second Prince Feng Jinxiu?"
Qingxu suddenly wanted to change his words and say Feng Jinxiu, but it was too late. His statements were inconsistent. Princess Xiao was so smart that she would think he was lying. If he was not honest, she would not let Lian'er go.
After a brief thought, Qingxu nodded firmly: "It's the Imperial Concubine!"
Xiao Lingyu looked at Qinglian, "Were you the one who put those letters about treason and other things that were found in Feng Jinyu's study?"
Qinglian nodded, "It was this servant who did it. It was the first time I obeyed orders, and I was extremely scared."
"Xingyi, I want to go back now. I'm tired."
Su Xingyi hurriedly helped Xiao Lingyu up and left the bamboo building with the children.
Seeing the family leave, Qingxu hurriedly said, "Prince, Princess, you said you wouldn't embarrass us father and daughter."
Su Ningwen stopped and looked back, "My parents said they won't make things difficult for you, so naturally they won't. If you want to leave here, you have to wait until the Imperial Concubine pays the price for everything she has done. Only then can you leave. Nie Ying!"
"I'm here."
"Keep a good look on the bamboo building to prevent the father and daughter from being silenced."
Qingxu felt relieved after hearing this, but after a moment, he felt a little scared, as it wouldn't be long before he would have to testify against the Empress.
"Mo Feng, you can't go back yet!" Outside the purple bamboo forest, Nie Jiu stopped Mo Feng.
"I can't wait any longer. I have to go back and tell my prince now." Mo Feng told Qinglian that it was Cui Wan, and turned around to go back to the eldest prince's mansion.
"Not yet. You can't leave until the prince gives the order."
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