Chapter 105
East Palace, Guanyun Hall.
The stove burned brightly, dispelling the chill outside. Song Qingyuan personally brewed a pot of citrus Pu'er tea, the aroma of tea and fruit blending together, bringing peace of mind.
Shen Yanzhi strode in from outside the hall, carrying the morning chill, but a gentle smile on his face. He took off his wind-soaked cloak, handed it to Tingyu who came to greet him, and walked straight to Song Qingyuan and sat down.
"Is everything resolved?" Song Qingyuan pushed a cup of hot tea in front of him, and the curling white steam blurred his handsome eyebrows.
"Yeah." Shen Yanzhi held her hand on the table. Her fingertips were still a little cold, so he wrapped her hand with his palm, "It's exactly as you expected.
Zheng Su examined the case on the spot. His father, the emperor, was furious and ordered a joint trial by the three courts. Li Deyu's old face was blacker than the bottom of a pot.
Song Qingyuan smiled lightly: "What about the King of Wei?"
"Him?" A hint of sarcasm flashed across Shen Yanzhi's eyes. "He's more patient than Li Deyu. He simply said that he didn't know people well enough and didn't discipline his subordinates strictly, and asked the emperor to punish him. He cleared himself of all charges."
"Of course he has to pick it all off. After all, it's not time to give up Shen Ruyi, this chess piece." Song Qingyuan picked up the teacup and blew on the orange peel floating on it. "Now, everyone knows that 'Yupinxian' was framed, but the chain of evidence only reaches Fumanlou. Next, it depends on who the owner and chef of Fumanlou can bite out."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young eunuch hurried in and reported, "Your Highness, Crown Princess, the Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture requests an audience. He says he has something important to report."
Shen Yanzhi and Song Qingyuan looked at each other and saw the understanding in each other's eyes.
"Let him in."
The Jingzhao prefect was a slightly plump, middle-aged man. He saluted immediately upon entering the palace, his forehead beaded with sweat, whether from running or from his anxiety. "Your humble servant greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Crown Princess! Then...the chef at Fu Man Lou is here!"
"Oh? What did he confess?" Shen Yanzhi sipped his tea slowly, seemingly not surprised at all.
"He said... he said that about five days ago, a man who looked like a manager found him and gave him a hundred taels of silver, asking him to exchange a jar of 'Imperial Fresh' that had just arrived in the kitchen for the other one he had brought with him.
The cook was obsessed with money and agreed. He also said that he knew the man, who was... who was..." When the Jingzhao prefect said this, his voice trembled a little, and he secretly raised his eyes to look at Shen Yanzhi's face.
"Who is it?"
"It's Liu Quan, the purchasing manager for Concubine Shen's palace."
There was silence in the hall for a moment.
Shen Yanzhi put down the teacup, and the bottom of the cup hit the table with a crisp sound. His face was expressionless, but Song Qingyuan could feel that the air pressure around him dropped instantly.
"Good, what a Shen Ruyi." He murmured to himself, his voice icy, "I have tolerated her repeatedly because she is a member of the Shen family, but she really thinks she is a big shot."
"Your Highness, now is not the time to be angry." Song Qingyuan patted the back of his hand soothingly, "Catching Liu Quan is equivalent to catching Shen Ruyi's handle. Let's go meet her now."
Shen Yanzhi took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and nodded.
Qingzhi Pavilion, where Shen Ruyi lived, was now in a state of panic. The palace servants were all silent, even walking on tiptoe.
Shen Ruyi paced back and forth in the hall, her pretty face twisted with fear and anxiety. The person she sent to gather information never returned. She was like a bird trapped in a cage, waiting in vain for an unknown judgment.
When she saw Shen Yanzhi and Song Qingyuan walking in side by side, her body stiffened, and then she rushed forward, trying to grab Shen Yanzhi's sleeve, but he dodged sideways.
"Your Highness! Your Highness, you're finally here!" Shen Ruyi's face immediately changed into an expression that was about to cry. "You have to stand up for me! Those rumors outside must be someone trying to harm me. You know how I could do such a thing?"
Shen Yanzhi looked at her coldly, without a trace of pity in his eyes: “Shen Ruyi, at this time, do you still want to act?”
"Your Highness... Your Highness, I don't know what you are talking about." Shen Ruyi bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks, looking so pitiful. If it were another man, she might have softened her heart long ago, but unfortunately, she was facing Shen Yanzhi.
Song Qingyuan stood aside, watching her performance quietly, as if she were watching a bad play. She suddenly felt a little funny. This woman, spending all her energy on such shameless jealousy and conspiracy, was really pathetic.
"It seems that you won't give up unless I let you see someone." Shen Yanzhi lost his patience and waved his hand towards the door, "Bring him in."
Two guards came in with a man tied up. It was the manager Liu Quan.
As soon as Liu Quan saw Shen Ruyi, he immediately cried out: "My Lady Concubine, save me! My Lady Concubine! You asked me to change the soy sauce. You said you were just teaching Song Qingyuan a lesson, not that anyone would die!"
Shen Ruyi's face turned pale. She pointed at Liu Quan and screamed sharply, "You're talking nonsense! You dog slave, who bribed you to frame me?"
"No one has framed you." Song Qingyuan spoke slowly, his voice not loud but clearly heard by everyone, "Liu Quan, let me ask you, where did you get the money to exchange for the soy sauce?"
Liu Quan replied tremblingly, "It was... it was given to me by the Empress's personal maid, Chunhe. She gave me a silver note for one hundred taels and said there would be a generous reward after the task was completed."
"Chun He?" Song Qingyuan's gaze turned to the maid behind Shen Ruyi who had lowered her head and trembled from the beginning.
Shen Ruyi was like a cat whose tail was stepped on, screaming: "What nonsense! Chunhe, tell them you didn't do it!"
The maid named Chunhe fell to her knees with a thud, her whole body shaking even more violently as she kowtowed profusely. "Your Highness, please spare me! Crown Princess, please spare me! This servant...this servant is also following the orders of the Empress! The Empress said that she hated the Crown Princess for stealing Your Highness away and wanted to ruin her reputation, so she came up with this vicious plan! The Empress also asked this servant to go to a medicine shop called Huichuntang outside the palace and ask the owner named Qian to get the jar of poisoned soy sauce! It has nothing to do with me!"
The barrage of accusations hammered down on Shen Ruyi's heart like a sledgehammer. She stumbled back two steps, bumping into the corner of the table behind her, her face filled with disbelief. She hadn't expected her most trusted personal maid to betray her so quickly.
"You...you guys..." She pointed at the two people on the ground, too angry to speak.
“Shen Ruyi,” Shen Yanzhi’s voice was as cold as ice, “There are witnesses and evidence, what else do you have to say?”
Shen Ruyi knew she was finished. Fear washed over her like a tide. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she rushed towards Shen Yanzhi like a madman: "Your Highness! It wasn't me! It really wasn't my idea! It was the Prince of Wei! It was the Princess of Wei! They found me and said that if I helped them deal with Song Qingyuan, they would ask the Prince of Wei to recommend me to the Emperor as the Crown Prince's wife! They gave me the poison and they came up with the idea! I was just confused for a moment, Your Highness!"
She thought that by abandoning King Wei, she could buy herself a chance of survival.
However, Shen Yanzhi just looked at her coldly: "Save your words for the Dali Temple. Come, take Shen Ruyi and all the others to the Dali Temple Prison and wait for your punishment!"
The guards stepped forward, picked up the limp Shen Ruyi, and tried to drag her out.
At that moment, Lin Xiaoshu came running in, his face filled with panic. "Your Highness! Crown Princess! This is bad! News has come from the Dali Temple's prison. That...that maid named Chunhe, on the way to the cell, bit the poison sac hidden in her teeth and died on the spot!"
The hall suddenly became silent.
Song Qingyuan and Shen Yanzhi's faces darkened at the same time.
What a cruel method! This is murder to silence the witness!
With Chun He's death, Shen Ruyi's accusations against the Prince of Wei's palace became isolated evidence, with no evidence to prove otherwise. The old fox that was the Prince of Wei was truly impeccable. He was going to discard Shen Ruyi, a useless chess piece, and at the same time, cut off all possible clues that could implicate him.
"Huichuntang..." Song Qingyuan whispered the name, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
Is the clue broken?
No, not yet.
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