Chapter 439 Shen Lanxi, did you poison me?
"Sister is joking."
Shen Lanxi: "Call me Duke Protector of the Nation or Lord Shen. The Prince of Zhennan and I are both on duty right now!"
Bai Qingling froze, then said somewhat awkwardly, "Wouldn't I be disturbing your official duties?"
Shen Lanxi: "Now that you know, why don't you leave? Do you think the three of us look good standing together?"
Bai Qingling froze, not expecting Shen Lanxi to speak so sharply, leaving her no face at all.
She's now in the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, Shen Lanxi is simply being presumptuous!
"Qingling, you should go back first!" Zhou Ruyuan said unhappily, noticing the subtle glances around him.
Bai Qingling was worried that Shen Lanxi might develop feelings for the prince while working together, and that their old relationship might rekindle.
The prince has been so cold to her these days, it must be because of Shen Lanxi.
Why does Shen Lanxi always have to interfere? Can't she just stay away from the prince?
"Your Highness, I've made some pastries myself, thinking I'll prepare them to accompany tea this afternoon!" Bai Qingling took the basket from the maid's hands, her smile gentle.
Seeing Bai Qingling like this, Zhou Ruyuan didn't want to hurt her feelings, nor did he want to be stared at by others.
"Leave it here, you should go back quickly!"
Bai Qingling's smile almost cracked, but fortunately, her rationality allowed her to hold back and avoid making a fool of herself.
"Your Highness, I will return now."
Bai Qingling turned around and had only taken a few steps when she heard Zhou Ruyuan say to Shen Lanxi behind her, "The snacks at the post station aren't very good. Why don't you try the snacks made at the Prince's Mansion?"
Bai Qingling almost tore the handkerchief to shreds.
Shen Lanxi: "These pastries were made by the Princess Consort herself for the Prince. How could I, Shen, take what belongs to another? The Prince should eat them himself!"
"It's nothing, just a few pastries!" Zhou Ruyuan said casually.
Bai Qingling was furious.
Does Your Highness know how hard it was to obtain these pastries? She personally soaked the beans yesterday, got up before dawn this morning, and has been busy until just now, without even drinking a sip of water.
How could you just give away her feelings so casually?
"Your Highness, Consort Shu is waiting for us in the palace," the maid reminded her.
If it weren't for that reminder, she would have almost turned back.
After watching the spectacle, the envoys in the post station closed their doors and began to discuss it amongst themselves.
Some lamented that Zhou Ruyuan was blind to talent, some assessed Shen Lanxi's value, and some secretly plotted against her.
"Yesterday, many officials visited the Prince of Zhennan's residence in private."
"Envoys from several small countries sent people to the market to inquire about prices and purchased a lot of things."
"They also inquired about your relationship with the Prince of Zhennan."
Shen Lanxi listened quietly: "As long as it doesn't cause trouble, we don't need to worry about it."
"yes!"
She had just said she wouldn't cause trouble when the Yue Kingdom's envoy was poisoned.
Fortunately, the Yue Kingdom also brought palace servants to test the poison, so the servants ate first during the meal.
Because the incident occurred at the post station, Shen Lanxi and Zhou Ruyuan were immediately held accountable.
"If it weren't for my servants eating the food first, our entire delegation would have been poisoned!" Yue Chuhe questioned angrily.
"Shen Lanxi, did you poison me?" Yue Chuhe questioned him directly.
Zhou Ruyuan stood in front of Shen Lanxi.
"Without evidence, the Third Prince Yue cannot make false accusations."
Yue Chuhe said angrily, "So many people saw what happened between me and her at the post station entrance, and also when we went to the palace to present gifts. Shen Lanxi must be holding a grudge against me!"
Shen Lanxi pushed Zhou Ruyuan aside: "Yue Chuhe, we in the Great Zhou have a saying: 'To catch a thief, catch him red-handed; to catch an adulterer, catch him in the act.' You have no real evidence, and I also suspect that you orchestrated this poisoning and are trying to frame me."
"Nonsense! How could I possibly poison my own servant!" Yue Chuhe was so anxious that he stopped saying "I am the prince" altogether, which showed how worried he was.
Shen Lanxi: "That's not necessarily true. After all, there's a saying: 'The thief cries 'Stop thief!' I've experienced this kind of self-sacrifice to frame others before!"
Yue Chuhe was furious.
“I won’t talk to you; you’ll only make excuses for yourself. I’ll talk to the Prince of Zhennan.”
"This matter is no longer as simple as the poisoning of my attendant; it's aimed at my Yue Kingdom's envoy."
"This prince wants to enter the palace and see your Great Zhou Emperor!" Yue Chuhe shouted loudly, clearly not wanting things to end peacefully.
Zhou Ruyuan said with a stern face, "I have already ordered the entire inn to be sealed off. Third Prince Wangyue, give me some time to investigate the ins and outs of this matter and find the real culprit!"
Shen Lanxi: "Yue Chuhe, you don't want to be seen as the thief crying 'stop thief', do you?"
Yue Chuhe immediately said angrily, "Fine, I'll give you one hour. If you can't find the murderer, I will go to the palace and accuse you of harboring a criminal."
Shen Lanxi: "Okay!"
"I'll investigate the source of the poison, and you investigate the origin of the food and who has been in contact with it!" Shen Lanxi said to Zhou Ruyuan.
“Okay!” This arrangement is reasonable, Zhou Ruyuan had no objections and turned to go to the kitchen.
Yue Chuhe was most worried about Shen Lanxi. He wanted to keep a close eye on her to prevent her from destroying evidence.
Ban Sicao: "It's poison, it's mixed in with the vegetables."
He then found the dish that contained the poison.
Shen Lanxi: "Isn't poison quite rare?"
In front of Yue Chuhe, Ban Sicao couldn't possibly say that this was the most commonly used poison in the palace.
"It's not a rare poison, but it's seldom found in the general population."
Shen Lanxi's eyes flashed: "Have someone check at the pharmacy!"
Ban Sicao stepped aside.
Yue Chuhe grew anxious: "That's it? Aren't you the Duke of Protector of the Nation? Aren't you supposed to be very capable? How come you haven't found the murderer yet?"
Shen Lanxi said irritably, "After you poison someone, do you think you'd stay in the same spot? Even a fool would run away."
Yue Chuhe roared, "How dare you insult this prince?"
Shen Lanxi looked at his raised hand and warned in a cold voice: "I advise the Third Prince Yue to think carefully before you make a move. I, Shen, will not stand still and let you hit me."
Whether she breaks his leg or his arm after retaliating depends entirely on her mood.
Zhou Ruyuan has arrived.
"Someone in the kitchen is sick today, so we asked a neighbor to help out. But the helper isn't here, so we've already sent someone to get the job."
Yue Chuhe glared angrily: "The delegation got into trouble on your Great Zhou territory, and your Great Zhou must give an explanation!"
Zhou Ruyuan: "Indeed, I have already sent someone to the palace to report this, and I will give you an explanation as soon as possible."
Yue Chuhe snorted coldly: "You people of Great Zhou naturally favor Great Zhou. If this matter is settled hastily, after I return to my country, I will definitely petition my father to cut off Great Zhou's food supply!"
Zhou Ruyuan's heart sank; this was exactly what he was worried about.
"Third Prince Yue, rest assured, I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!"
Yue Chuhe was still furious, and only after several envoys from various countries surrounded him and persuaded him did he stop shouting.
Soon the guards came to report.
"Your Highness, the cook was found dead at home, and his entire neighbor's family was murdered. When we arrived, we found no suspicious people around. The thieves had been at it for a while."
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