The case of Zhang Lianhua's death by poisoning actually lacks conclusive evidence. The Crown Prince only believed Zhang Changle's side of the story, and his true intention was not to investigate the case, but to use it to force Shen Yu to submit.
At this moment, Gu Erlang was utterly astonished, realizing that his testimony had harmed Chen Yu! He hurriedly protested, "Your Highness, I did not personally witness Mu Chen Yu entering the Grand Tutor's residence. As a physician, Mu Chen Yu is kind-hearted and would never poison anyone..."
Snap!
The Crown Prince slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Take Gu Erlang and the others away to sign the papers!"
The situation is dire! With witnesses and physical evidence all gathered, Hongyu may find it difficult to escape.
Shen Yu wasn't worried about herself; instead, she was thinking about how to help Hong Yu escape punishment. After all, she hadn't poisoned Zhang Lianhua, and even if there were witnesses and physical evidence, they were fabricated, so getting her exonerated wouldn't be difficult.
She looked up at the Crown Prince and asked in confusion, "Your Highness, Hongyu was at Prince Yan's residence all night. How could she have plotted to murder the Prime Minister? How can a mere piece of paper be enough to settle a case?"
Waste paper?
Pfft! The Crown Prince couldn't help but laugh out loud, his eyes filled with affection as he looked at Chen Yu. At this moment, the witness had already signed the incriminating statement. As long as Zhang Chang Le forced Hong Yu to sign the incriminating statement, the case could be closed, and Prince Yan would surely be disgraced.
He was secretly pleased with himself. He waved to the guards to present the evidence to Chen Yu and said loudly, "Take it over to her so that no one will accuse me of handling the case hastily and killing innocent people indiscriminately."
The guards handed the evidence to Chen Yu, but the Crown Prince shouted a warning: "Don't touch it!"
Chen Yu nodded, looked closely, and instantly felt heartbroken and burst into tears.
This was indeed a letter Lianxiang left for Hongyu. She knew in her heart that the reason Lianxiang broke into the Grand Tutor's mansion at night and died with Zhang Cheng was for only one purpose: to protect Hongyu.
Actually, it also helped her get out of trouble.
Tears streamed down her face. She reached for her handkerchief, but instead of wiping away her tears, she placed it on top of the evidence and secretly sprinkled some powder on it. In a short while, the evidence would be gone.
At this moment, Zhang Changle walked in and saw Chen Yu examining the evidence. He cried out in horror, "Take it away! She is not the murderer of Prime Minister Zhang. There is no need to show her the evidence!"
The guards quickly took the evidence and withdrew.
Zhang Changle glanced at Chen Yu, then walked to the front of the hall, stood next to the Crown Prince, and whispered something in his ear.
Looking at Zhang Changle's mouth, Shen Yu secretly interpreted: "Hongyu's side is about to collapse. The Crown Prince should quickly determine Shen Yu's crime to avoid any complications. If the news leaks out, it will be troublesome when the Emperor and Empress arrive."
It turns out that the Crown Prince had taken it upon himself to handle the case, with only one clear purpose—to punish Prince Yan.
How ridiculous! Prince Yan is the Crown Prince's brother, born of the same father and mother. How could the Empress sit idly by? Besides, the Emperor has already handed the case over to the government for investigation. If the government really wanted to solve the case, they would have arrested Hongyu long ago. Why would it be the Crown Prince and Zhang Changle's turn?
Thinking of this, Chen Yu breathed a long sigh of relief and decided to fight against reason and never give in.
Snap!
Hearing the sound of the table being slammed, she abruptly looked up and saw the Crown Prince with a cold and stern expression, demanding, "Mu Chenyu! Tell me the truth, why did you poison Madam Zhang?"
“Chen Yu has never poisoned anyone. As for Madam Zhang’s death from poisoning, Prime Minister Zhang has already determined that it was the work of the servants of the Grand Tutor’s mansion. He then had all the servants of the Grand Tutor’s mansion beaten to death. The case is closed. Why does the Crown Prince need to re-investigate it? Could it be that he has been instigated by a villain?”
"Mu Chenyu, you!" Zhang Changle approached Chenyu aggressively, raised her hand and slapped her across the face, shouting angrily, "You and Zhang Hongyu are like sisters, so naturally you'd help her. If you hadn't helped Hongyu escape her arranged marriage, I wouldn't have married that cripple. You poisoned my mother, surely to avenge Hongyu..."
"Why does Hongyu want revenge?" Chen Yu endured the burning pain on her face, stood up angrily, and glared at Zhang Chang Le.
Zhang Changle panicked. She already knew about her mother and uncle's plot to harm the Lu sisters, so she was convinced that Hongyu and Lianxiang were avenging the Lu sisters, and also concluded that Shenyu had been helping Hongyu all along. This time, she was determined to prove Shenyu's crimes: first, she was ordered by the Zuo family to help Liu Yaoer eliminate dissidents; second, she resented Shenyu for helping Hongyu escape her arranged marriage, which led to her marrying Zuo Zhen.
Seeing Chen Yu stand up, Zhang Changle shouted intimidation, "Kneel down! You poisoned my mother, a crime deserving death, yet you dare to be so insolent before the Crown Prince!"
Unable to bear it any longer, Shen Yu raised her hand and slapped Zhang Chang Le across the face. She then angrily retorted, "Without any evidence, how dare you slander my innocence? If you want to know the truth about your mother's murder, you can invite all the imperial physicians who treated Xian Sheng. Invite them all, and you will find out who the real culprit is!"
Zhang Changle covered her face and pressed, "What do you mean?"
Shen Yu smiled coldly, clearly unwilling to say anything more to Zhang Chang Le. She stepped forward and stood before the Crown Prince, speaking clearly and distinctly: "Your Highness, yesterday I examined Zhang Lianhua. She was poisoned by the withered grass. This poison is extremely potent; it can be used to fight poison and save a life. If the dosage is controlled properly, it can cause slow poisoning and death; however, if the dosage is too high, the poison will take effect immediately."
After speaking, she stood up and approached the historian. Seeing that the historian had recorded everything, she continued, "This poison can only be obtained by the imperial physicians in the palace. It cannot be found in ordinary pharmacies. I, Mu Chenyu, have long since resigned from my position as a female imperial physician, so naturally I could not have this poison. How could there be any talk of poisoning Zhang Lianhua?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Changle strode over and angrily retorted, "If it wasn't you who poisoned my mother, then who could it be? You, Hongyu, and Lianxiang must have planned this all along, hiding the withered grass long ago, just waiting for the right moment to poison my mother!"
"snort!"
Shen Yu scoffed, glanced at Zhang Chang Le, and then slowly said to the historian, "Zhang Jiaxiansheng has been suffering from chronic poisoning symptoms. The poison he has been ingested is the withered grass. It seems that someone wanted to kill Xiansheng, but their plan backfired and they are now reaping what they sowed. By the way, I heard that the withered grass in the Grand Tutor's mansion was brought by Prime Minister Zhang. Summoning Grand Tutor Zhang and the imperial physician for a confrontation will reveal the true culprit who poisoned Zhang Lianhua."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Changle panicked. Yes, her uncle and mother had been trying to kill Xiansheng. Could it be that her mother had mistakenly ingested the withered herb? No, her mother was very familiar with this poison. How could that be?
Seeing Chen Yu staring intently at the historian's writing, looking smug and certain of victory, she became furious and yelled at Chen Yu:
"No matter how you try to deny it, Hongyu has already signed and sealed the document. I will definitely report this case to the authorities and have Hongyu executed! You will not escape either!"
"Oh!"
Shen Yu couldn't help but sneer, and said to Zhang Chang Le word by word: "Hong Yu and Lian Xiang are both daughters of the Grand Tutor, and you are also a daughter of the Grand Tutor. Do you know that plotting against an important official of the court will result in the execution of the entire family? You will not escape death either, yet you dare to threaten me?"
"Something terrible has happened! Consort Yu has passed away."
A nanny rushed into the hall, holding a blood-stained document, and knelt down to report, "Your Highness, Consort Yu has already passed away. Should we summon a physician?"
"No need!" Zhang Changle strode towards the old woman, picked up the blood-stained incriminating document, and laughed wildly, "Haha... Zhang Hongyu killed my closest relative, she can't escape death!"
Snap!
Shen Yu slapped Zhang Chang Le across the face, and before anyone could react, she had already rushed out.
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