Chapter 104
The sky was getting light, and the morning bell rang out from deep within the imperial city, dispersing the dark clouds that had lingered over the capital all night.
The atmosphere at the morning court was even more oppressive than the leaden sky. Civil and military officials stood before the throne with their heads bowed, even their breathing carefully subdued. The emperor, seated on the dragon throne, had a sullen expression, his gaze piercing as he scanned every face below, especially those of the Prince of Wei and Grand Tutor Li Deyu, who stood at the head of the court.
"Chen Yanzhi." The emperor's voice was cold, like ice scraping across a jade plate. "I've given you three days, and now is the first day. How's your investigation into the 'Imperial Fresh' case going?"
Li Deyu's lips couldn't help but curl up. His followers, all gleeful, were ready for another round of verbal attacks. The King of Wei, on the other hand, looked indifferent, his eyes fixed on his nose, his nose on his heart, as if lost in thought.
Shen Yanzhi stepped out of the queue, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his face calm and composed. He held a tray with two identical jars of soy sauce placed side by side on it.
"Your Majesty, I have made some progress." His voice was clear, each word distinct, echoing in the silent hall. "But this matter is of grave importance. It not only concerns the reputation of the Eastern Palace, but also the dignity of the imperial family. I earnestly request that Your Majesty move to the Dali Temple, summon the chief officials of the three departments, and ask the director of the Imperial Medical Bureau to conduct a public inspection in front of the entire court to set the record straight."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole court was in an uproar.
Li Deyu was the first to speak out. "Your Highness! This case has witnesses and evidence. Dozens of people at Fumanlou are suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, and the official remains in a coma. All due to consuming 'Imperial Fresh'! Now, instead of consoling the victims and punishing the culprit, Your Highness is planning a public investigation. Are you trying to stall for time and confuse right and wrong?"
"Grand Master Li, please calm down." Shen Yanzhi turned his gaze towards him. Beneath the calmness, a terrifying sharpness lingered. "This palace is determined to get to the bottom of this matter precisely because human lives are at stake. Is it the 'Imperial Fresh' itself that is poisonous, or is someone secretly plotting to murder the Crown Prince and frame the court officials? Isn't this something that needs to be clarified more?"
His tone rose slightly as he spoke his last words, his gaze fixed squarely on the King of Wei. The King's eyelids twitched, and he finally gave up his aloof attitude, his brows furrowing ever so slightly.
The emperor's deep gaze swept back and forth between Shen Yanzhi and Li Deyu's faces, and finally said in a deep voice: "Approved. Go to the Dali Temple!"
The atmosphere in the Dali Temple court was solemn and grim.
Zheng Su, the Grand Court Justice, was renowned for his stern and impartial character. He sat in the hall, his expression stern. To his left sat the Minister of Justice, to his right the Censor of the Metropolitan Censorate. The Director of the Imperial Hospital, accompanied by two senior imperial physicians, stood by. Below, civil and military officials lined the hall, each with their gaze fixed on the two jars of soy sauce in the center.
The owner and cook of Fumanlou were also brought into the hall. They were trembling like sieves, kneeling on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.
"Your Highness, please begin." Zheng Su spoke in a loud and unbiased voice.
Shen Yanzhi nodded, stepped forward, and pointed to one of the jars of soy sauce. "Master Zheng, everyone, please look. This jar is a brand new, unopened bottle of 'Imperial Fresh' that I took out from the East Palace storehouse."
He pointed to another jar and said, "This one contains the so-called 'poisonous' 'Imperial Fresh' that was seized from the kitchen of Fu Man Lou. When your men retrieved it, they found tiny signs of the seal having been opened a second time, but it was done so cleverly that it's hardly noticeable."
A coroner from the Dali Temple stepped forward, donning thin leather gloves, and carefully examined the seals on the two jars of soy sauce. After a moment, he stood up and reported, "Your Excellency, the seal on the jar from the Eastern Palace is intact, with a clear, seamless seal. The seal on the jar from Fumanlou is indeed slightly misaligned and flaking, making it difficult to detect without careful inspection."
Li Deyu snorted coldly, "It's just a minor detail, how can it count? Perhaps it was just like that when the workshop shipped the goods!"
Shen Yanzhi ignored him and continued, "Please ask the Imperial Hospital Director to come forward and smell the two."
The Imperial Hospital Director followed his instructions and opened the jar from the East Palace first. A rich, pure aroma of soy sauce mixed with the mellow aroma of beans hit him. He nodded, "The aroma is pure, without any strange smell."
Then, he opened the jar from Fu Man Lou. He brought the jar's mouth to his nose, sniffed carefully, and immediately frowned. "Your Majesty, and Lord Zheng, this jar of soy sauce, besides the aroma of soy sauce, also has a faint aroma of bitter almonds."
"Bitter almonds?" Zheng Su's eyes glared. As the Minister of Justice, he knew that many poisons were related to this substance.
"Indeed," Shen Yanzhi continued, "My Crown Princess is well versed in seasoning. She has determined that bitter almond powder has been added to this jar of soy sauce. Bitter almonds are slightly poisonous, and even a small amount can cause vomiting and diarrhea, similar to the symptoms of a common stomach upset. This is why the Jingzhao Prefecture initially treated it as a simple dispute between diners. However, if the amount is even slightly larger, or if the consumer is weak, it can be fatal."
At that moment, a guard from the Imperial Guards hurried into the courtroom and knelt down to report, "Your Majesty! News has come from the Yuanwailang residence that Yuanwailang Zhang regained consciousness half an hour ago! According to the people at the residence, the Eastern Palace sent a prescription to cure the almond poison, which saved his life!"
With a loud "bang", the entire courtroom exploded.
If the previous speculation was just speculation, then the fact that Zhang Yuanwailang woke up after taking the "antidote for almond poison" was irrefutable evidence! This proved that the incident at Fu Man Lou was not a case of food spoilage at all, but a complete case of poisoning!
Li Deyu's face turned pale in an instant, his lips trembled, and he couldn't say a word. The King of Wei's face was also gloomy, and he stared at Shen Yanzhi with his eyes full of disbelief.
As if he hadn't noticed their reactions, Shen Yanzhi continued his steps. "Now, there's only one last question left. Was this bitter almond powder originally part of 'Yupinxian', or was it added later? Proving this is very simple."
He looked at Zheng Su and said, "Sir Zheng, could you please ask a trustworthy official with a keen palate to taste it for himself?"
"This..." Zheng Su was a little hesitant, after all, it involved poison.
"Don't worry, my lord." Shen Yanzhi was confident. "The amount of bitter almond powder is very small. Just taste a drop and rinse your mouth with tea. It will be no big deal. Besides, my Crown Princess has discovered another key flaw."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room as he spoke word by word, "In the final step of the process, the authentic 'Imperial Fresh' is prepared with a secret licorice juice to neutralize the astringency of fermentation and enhance the sweet aftertaste. However, to mask the subtle change in flavor from the addition of bitter almond powder, the poisoner also added some ordinary, low-quality soy sauce to the tampered soy sauce. This addition actually diluted the exquisite licorice aftertaste."
Zheng Su's eyes flashed, and he immediately understood the key point. He nodded and said to an elderly clerk with a goatee behind him, "Old Qian, you've been with me for twenty years, and your tongue is more cunning than anyone else's. Come on."
The clerk, Old Qian, stepped forward, his expression composed. He dipped a clean silver chopstick into the East Palace's jar of soy sauce, closed his eyes, savored it for a moment, and nodded. "It's salty and fresh at first, with a rich aroma. After swallowing, there's a subtle sweet aftertaste at the back of my tongue. It's very pleasant."
He then switched to a silver chopstick and dipped it into the pot of Fu Man Lou. The moment he took a sip, his brow furrowed. He savored it carefully, then spat into the spittoon beside him, rinsing his mouth repeatedly with strong tea.
"Reporting to you, sir!" Old Qian's voice was firm. "This jar tastes clearly wrong! It's salty at first, but the flavor is weak, with a bitter aftertaste. It's completely devoid of the sweet aftertaste just now! It's like taking high-quality soy sauce and diluting it with water and inferior goods!"
The truth is revealed!
This is simply a carefully planned frame-up!
The emperor's gaze was like a knife, slicing fiercely across the faces of Li Deyu and the Prince of Wei. He slammed his armrest and roared, "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! Who replaced the soy sauce in Fumanlou? Who poisoned it? Who was behind this? I want to know who had the audacity to commit such a filthy act under the Emperor's feet, framing the Crown Prince!"
Li Deyu fell to his knees with a thud, sweat pouring down his face. The King of Wei also bowed and pleaded guilty, but deep in his eyes, a trace of venomous hatred and cruelty glimmered.
Shen Yanzhi lowered his eyelids to hide the coldness in his eyes.
Qingyuan, we've succeeded in the first step. Now it's time to close the net.
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