Chapter 260 Yes, that's what my second brother said.
In his previous life, Shen Wantang had dealt with this Lord Lü. He was very tactful and capable. If it weren't for his poor background and the burden of his family of misfits, he would have been promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice long ago.
It's a waste of his talent to only be promoted now.
Shen Wantang said calmly, "Lord Lü, I have lived in the Shen family for sixteen years and have known Xiang Meng for many years. I have also met Xiu Lu. Shouldn't I be considered a witness?"
"Yes, of course it counts!"
"I wonder if Lord Lü has noticed that Xiang Meng's hands are slightly bluish?"
Lu Qiying looked down at Xiang Meng's hand: "It seems a little bit? Not very obvious. I always thought his skin was bluish because of the cold winter. Could there be another reason?"
"Lord Lü, there's such an obvious abnormality about him, yet your Ministry of Justice didn't notice it. That's quite unusual!"
Although it was an accusation, Lü Qiying was immediately invigorated by it!
This was the first time he had heard anyone say that Xiang Meng was acting strangely since he took over the case!
He quickly asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, what could be causing this unusual situation?"
Shen Wantang turned to look at Gu Qianning: "A'ning, you said before that your second brother mentioned something that caused this bluish tinge?"
Gu Qianning looked bewildered: "Huh? This..."
"Oh, right, I remember now, your second brother said it was the Purple Crow from the Western Regions, right?"
"Hmm...right...right!"
Shen Wantang looked at Lü Qiying again: "I forgot to introduce you, Lord Lü. This is Miss Gu, and her second brother is Gu Qianhan, the second young master of the Gu family. If it weren't for the second young master Gu, I really wouldn't know about the Western Region Purple Crow herb!"
Lu Qiying hurriedly bowed to Gu Qianning again: "So it is Miss Gu. I met the Duke of Zhenguo a few days ago. Seeing you today, Miss Gu, you do indeed have some of the Duke of Zhenguo's demeanor!"
His attitude toward Gu Qianning was even more respectful than his attitude toward Shen Wantang.
Because Gu Qianning is almost certain to be the Crown Princess and the future Empress!
Moreover, the Gu family is different from the Ning Prince's Mansion. The Gu family has military power. Duke Zhenguo Gu Rongchang is extremely powerful, and even the emperor has to show him respect. Not to mention the crown prince.
Gu Qianning was raised from a young age to be the future empress. She even followed her brothers' generational naming convention and used the character "Qian," which was reserved for male members of the Gu family.
The illegitimate sons and daughters of the Gu family are not entitled to use the character "千" (qian).
Gu Qianning returned Lü Qiying's bow.
She was used to seeing others treat her with such respect, so she took it for granted and didn't pay much attention to Lü Qiying.
She was impeccably polite, and her words and actions were always impeccable, because these qualities were ingrained in her very being.
But her mind was wandering; she was thinking about what Shen Wantang had said: Western Region Purple Crow? What is that? What is it used for? Her second brother didn't seem to recognize it either, did he?
She felt that this was different from what they had agreed on at Zuixianlou. Shen Wantang didn't seem to want her second brother to take the blame for her; instead, she seemed to want to give the credit to him!
Shen Wantang continued, “Miss Gu said that her second brother mentioned to her that the Western Region Purple Crow is poisonous and can easily lead to death if ingested. However, it is not fatal if you only touch it. However, the Western Region Purple Crow has a characteristic that the skin of people who have touched it will turn slightly blue. This is because it is also a form of poisoning. It takes three to five years for the toxins to be completely eliminated.”
As she spoke, she gently nudged Gu Qianning, signaling her to speak.
Gu Qianning snapped out of her daze and echoed her without hesitation: "Yes, that's right, it was my second brother who said it. That Western Region Purple Crow... has this characteristic."
All eyes were on Xiang Meng's hands.
Xiang Meng's pupils suddenly contracted, and he subconsciously withdrew his hand: "No, no, no, my hand is affected by the cold weather. It's been like this since I was a child. When the weather gets cold, my hands become icy cold and turn blue! Second Miss, I have no idea what Western Region Purple Crow is!"
Shen Guannian said coldly, "Cold weather can cause people's skin to turn blue. Isn't that a normal phenomenon that everyone knows? Tang'er, why do you have to force Xiang Meng to commit a crime like this! Do you know that your words are not tenable, so you still have to drag the eldest daughter and second young master of the Gu family into your defense? Aren't you ashamed!"
Shen Wantang glanced at him and said indifferently, "But I remember that two years ago, the guard's hands were not this color. His skin tone was the same as Jin Mama's, which was fair. Later, I don't know what happened, but it started to turn bluish. And it wasn't just in winter; his hands were this color all year round."
Xiang Meng was terrified. He didn't know how Shen Wantang knew about the Western Region Purple Crow, and he never expected that Shen Wantang would be so familiar with the medicinal properties of the Western Region Purple Crow!
This medicinal herb originated from the Western Regions and is extremely rare. Ordinary people would never have even heard of it, let alone seen it!
He had only heard about it by chance from a herbal medicine merchant who had returned from the Western Regions. The merchant said that this thing was highly poisonous, and he had brought it back wrapped up very tightly, not daring to touch it at all.
He knelt down with a thud, using cries to cover up his fear and panic: "Second Miss actually noticed the color of one of my servants' hands! I am truly terrified! But my hands have always been this color. Second Miss, you must be too forgetful to remember me!"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Shen Wantang. It was indeed strange that she remembered the color of a guard's hand so clearly.
Shen Guannian even sneered, "Tang'er, when did your memory become so good? You used to be unable to remember anything and your studies were terrible. Why are you pretending to be a genius now?"
Shen Wantang looked at him sarcastically: "Father, do you really think I'm stupid? Don't you know why I've done so poorly in my studies?"
Shen Guannian looked incredulous: "What do you mean? What reason do I need to know? Isn't it because you're really stupid and incompetent? Do you really want your father to expose your shortcomings in public?"
Although Shen Wantang had never expected her father to genuinely love her, hearing his words still chilled her to the bone.
It turns out that her father really thought she was stupid and worthless.
However, while Shen Guannian did not believe Shen Wantang, Lü Qiying's eyes lit up. He grabbed Xiang Meng's hand and began to rub it vigorously to verify.
After rubbing for a while, Xiang Meng's hands were already very warm, but they still had a very faint bluish tinge.
This is clearly no longer because the winter is too cold.
Lu Qiying looked at Shen Wantang with delight: "Princess Consort, is what you said true! The blue color on his hands won't fade, it's like he was dyed, it's very strange!"
Seeing his agitation, Shen Wantang gave him a faint smile: "Lord Lü, your method of verifying the Western Region Purple Crow is incorrect."
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