Who else could it be in Chapter 70?
After leaving Yanying Hall, Prime Minister Cui did not leave the palace directly, but went straight to Jinxiu Palace where the Imperial Concubine resided.
Inside the Brocade Palace, Consort Cui paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, her heart filled with anxiety and her mind in complete disarray.
Upon seeing Cui Shiliang arrive, she quickly waved away the palace servants serving her and hurriedly came forward to greet him.
"Brother! What should we do? How did You'er get involved in a murder case out of nowhere?"
Cui Shiliang quickly comforted his younger sister. "Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. This matter is not yet concluded. His Highness Prince Cheng merely sent some gifts; this alone is not enough to prove that he is the murderer of Liu Jinzhang."
"But His Majesty was furious and has now placed You'er under house arrest in the palace. I, as his mother, cannot even see him."
The Imperial Concubine's eyes instantly reddened, and she touched the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "My heart is in turmoil. I'm always afraid... always afraid that someone is trying to kill You'er from behind."
She grew angrier as she spoke, "That Yuanyou! He had no dealings with Liu Jinzhang at all, so why did he have to send him something? And then, after delivering the gift, he just disappeared. Isn't he just walking into a trap?"
Cui Shiliang's expression also darkened.
This whole thing is too strange. Every step seems to have been precisely calculated, leading the Second Prince step by step. It looks like a trap deliberately set by someone.
He asked, "Has Your Majesty investigated the eunuch who was sent to deliver the items?"
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Concubine seemed to snap out of her reverie. "I caught them long ago, and they're locked up in a side room of the side hall right now."
“I had him beaten with twenty sticks, one of which broke, but he insisted that Yuan You personally ordered the delivery of the goods and knew nothing else. When pressed, he would just cry and wail, claiming that he was innocent.”
A cold glint flashed in Cui Shiliang's eyes: "Bring the person up here, I want to question him myself."
Before long, two strong palace maids carried in a eunuch who was covered in injuries.
The eunuch was dressed in a gray robe soaked in blood, his hair was disheveled, and his wounds were still oozing blood.
Upon seeing the Imperial Concubine and Cui Shiliang, he began to plead incoherently, "Your Highness, spare me... Your Excellency, spare me... I've told you the whole truth... It was truly His Highness Prince Cheng who ordered it, I would never dare to lie..."
Cui Shiliang stared at him, "Tell me carefully, why would Prince Cheng suddenly send you to Liu Jinzhang's residence to deliver something? If you prepared the item yourself, what's the story behind the sleeping potion in the pear? Who handled the item during the delivery? Who did you meet on the way? If there's even a single lie, you'll be in for a beating!"
The eunuch was startled by his gaze and stammered an explanation, "It's... it's because after His Highness Prince Cheng left the princess's quarters, he was worried about the matter between the eldest princess and the Grand Tutor. Later, he asked me... how to ease the tension between the two. I thought that when ordinary people quarrel, it's always good to send some gifts to express one's feelings, so I casually replied, 'Send some things over,' I never expected His Highness to actually entrust this task to me..."
He swallowed hard and continued, "This servant is extremely apprehensive, fearing that I might make the slightest mistake. Those fruits and vegetables were all newly presented by the Ministry of Agriculture in the palace; the bird's nest and shark fin, those luxurious items, were taken from His Highness's private treasury. From beginning to end, this servant personally handled everything, and personally delivered them to that servant in the Liu family. They did not pass through the hands of a second person at all!"
Cui Shiliang frowned: "You mean, from beginning to end, the item only passed through your hands and that servant boy from the Liu family?"
"Yes, that's right!" The eunuch nodded hurriedly. "There's absolutely no mistake. The servant even thanked me with a smile when he took the things, and I saw him carry them into the mansion with my own eyes!"
The Imperial Concubine, who was listening nearby, couldn't sit still and hurriedly said, "Things in the palace would never make mistakes, so how could it be discovered out of nowhere that they were laced with sleeping pills?"
Cui Shiliang then looked at the eunuch, his voice suddenly becoming stern: "Is everything you just said true? If you lied even a little, I'll beat you to death right now and throw you into a mass grave to feed the dogs!"
Qi Sheng was so frightened that he fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead pounding against the floor tiles. He hurriedly said, "This servant dares not have lied in any way! Please, Your Majesty, spare my life! Spare my life!"
Seeing this, the Imperial Concubine quickly lowered her voice and explained to Cui Shiliang, "His name is Qi Sheng. He was originally a servant in the Cui family. I personally recommended him to Yuan You. He has been by Yuan You's side for almost ten years. He is always cautious and has never made a mistake. Moreover, his older sister is a concubine in Jiu Lang's room. The whole family is under the Cui family's nose. So, he shouldn't have any disloyal intentions."
Hearing the Imperial Concubine's words and seeing Qi Sheng's terrified and cowardly appearance, Cui Shiliang knew that he wouldn't get anything out of him, so he stopped pressing him.
Cui Shiliang softened his tone and said to the Imperial Concubine, "If what he said is true, and he didn't do it, then the problem lies with that servant of the Liu family."
“But why would that servant of the Liu family plot against his master for no reason? Could it be… that he was bribed by someone?” The Consort’s tone was full of anxiety. “Besides, he has already been detained and interrogated by the Dali Temple. We can’t easily see him.”
Cui Shiliang lowered his eyes and pondered. In the current situation, as long as Qi Sheng insisted that the matter had nothing to do with the Second Prince, the Dali Temple would not be able to do anything to the Second Prince without concrete evidence.
"The Dali Temple will probably come to interrogate you soon," he said calmly to Qi Sheng, with a hidden threat. "When you get there, remember to report back truthfully what you said today. Don't have any improper thoughts. Don't forget, your sister's life is still in the hands of the Cui family."
Upon hearing this, Qi Sheng shuddered and kowtowed in agreement.
After the people were dragged away, the hall returned to silence.
Seeing that she hadn't gotten any information from this trip, the Imperial Concubine became even more anxious. "Brother, tell me, who exactly wanted to kill Liu Jinzhang? And why do they insist on pinning the blame on You'er?"
Cui Shiliang frowned, lost in thought.
Although Liu Jinzhang was Li Yuanzhao's teacher, he never got involved in the open factional struggles in the court.
However, he secretly offered advice and strategies to Li Yuanzhao, making him a great help to her.
Now that he is dead, regardless of whether the matter of the Second Prince exists or not, the eyes of the world will immediately turn to them.
After all, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that they and the princess are irreconcilable enemies.
Killing Liu Jinzhang is tantamount to clipping Li Yuanzhao's wings.
But if it were truly their faction that made the move, wouldn't that be tantamount to handing the enemy a target? Giving Li Yuanzhao a legitimate reason to attack them?
No matter how much he hated Li Yuanzhao, he would never be so foolish as to do something that would "kill a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own."
Who exactly is trying to both weaken Li Yuanzhao's power and shift the blame onto them?
Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind the screen.
"Who else could it be? Naturally, it's who benefits the most after my brother is convicted."
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