Chapter 58
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room erupted in an uproar. All eyes shot like sharp arrows towards Song Qingyuan, who had been silent in the corner.
Song Qingyuan's expression remained calm, though her eyes had darkened. She raised her gaze to Wen Yue, her eyes clear and sharp, causing Wen Yue to avert her gaze involuntarily.
"Sister Wen has a very good eye," Song Qingyuan's voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone. "At that time, you had to accompany the princess to talk, pay attention to the guests in the garden, and pay attention to what was going on in the tea room in the corner. It was really difficult for you."
This statement may sound plain, but it contains sarcasm, pointing out that Wen Yue's observation is too "coincidental".
Wen Yue's face paled for a moment, then her eyes turned red, tears streaming down her face. "Sister, what are you talking about? I was only worried about the princess, so I told her what I saw. If you hadn't done it, I would naturally be the first one to disbelieve it."
But...but my sister just won the prince's favor yesterday, and today the princess got into trouble. There are so many people in this palace, so there will inevitably be some gossip..."
Her words were even more vicious. Not only did they confirm her "seeing" but they also gave her "motive".
The news that Chen Yanzhi stayed overnight in Furong Garden yesterday had already spread. Song Qingyuan was favored, and the princess was poisoned. The connection between them was enough to arouse people's endless imagination.
Shen Yanzhi’s brows furrowed even tighter.
He looked at Song Qingyuan, a flicker of doubt in his mind. Could it be her? This seemingly indifferent, yet in fact incredibly intelligent woman, would do such a cruel thing just to win favor? He remembered her concentration while restoring ancient books, and her desperate counterattack on the chessboard. If a woman with such scheming and patience truly had the intention to kill...
"Come here," he ordered in a deep voice, "Go to Furong Garden and search!"
"Your Highness!" Caiwei fell to her knees with a thud, crying, "Our master is innocent! This servant only...only went to the tea room to refill our master's cup of hot water. It was only a moment, and we didn't do anything else! Your Highness, I understand!"
Song Qingyuan reached out to support her, met Shen Yanzhi's scrutinizing gaze, and said word by word: "Your Highness, I didn't do it. If you want to accuse me, you can always find a pretext. Your Highness wants to search, and I have nothing to say.
I only ask that Your Majesty, for the sake of my service to you, you can get to the bottom of this matter and clear my name."
Her tone was neither humble nor arrogant, there was no crying or excuses, only a calmness. This calmness actually shook the doubt in Shen Yanzhi's heart.
However, the guards returned soon. The leading guard, holding a small paper bag wrapped in cloth, knelt and presented it, "Your Highness, this was found...under the dressing table in Master Song's bedroom in Hibiscus Garden."
Doctor Zhang was summoned. He opened the paper bag, picked up a little powder, put it to his nose and sniffed it, then tested it with a silver needle. His face changed drastically, "Your Highness! This... is exactly the residue of the 'Qianji' powder that poisoned the princess!"
There are both witnesses and evidence.
When Caiwei saw the paper bag, her face turned pale and she collapsed to the ground: "No... This is not our master's thing! Someone framed her! Someone framed her!"
A hint of smug satisfaction flashed across Wen Yue's eyes, but it was immediately covered by deeper sorrow. She fell to the ground crying, "How could this happen...Sister Song, how could you be so foolish!"
All the accusations were directed at Song Qingyuan at this moment. She became the sole and irrefutable murderer in this vicious conspiracy.
Shen Yanzhi stared at Song Qingyuan intently, as if trying to find the slightest flaw in her face. However, there was none. There was no panic or despair on her face, only a calmness that was almost indifferent.
It was as if the person being accused was not her, but an unrelated person.
"What else do you have to say?" His voice was icy cold.
Song Qingyuan shook his head slowly, and even a faint, sarcastic arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"As I say, if you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext. This evidence arrived by chance. If Your Highness believes it, then it was my doing. If not, then it is nothing."
Her "dead pig is not afraid of boiling water" attitude completely infuriated Shen Yanzhi.
Regardless of whether he still has doubts in his heart, he must make a decision when Cui Jingyue's life or death is uncertain and all the evidence points to her.
"Well, what a sharp-tongued Song Qingyuan!" He laughed in anger. "Come here! Immediately confine Song Qingyuan to Hibiscus Garden. No one is allowed to visit without my order! Caiwei, take him to the woodshed and interrogate him strictly! I want to see if you are as tough as your master!"
The guards immediately stepped forward and held Song Qingyuan on the left and right.
Song Qingyuan did not resist. She just looked at Shen Yanzhi deeply before being taken away. There was no resentment or pleading in her eyes, only a bottomless disappointment.
Then, she turned her gaze to Wen Yue, who was crying bitterly. That look was as sharp as ice, and it made Wen Yue's crying stop.
The gate of Furong Garden slammed shut behind Song Qingyuan and locked. The sound was heavy and oppressive, like the end of an era, or the prelude to a greater storm.
In the side hall, Wen Yue quietly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had accomplished her mission. However, she didn't see that when Shen Yanzhi turned and left, his gloomy eyes, besides the raging rage, also had a fleeting glint of doubt that even he himself hadn't noticed...
This game of chess went so smoothly, so smoothly, it felt like a poorly written script.
Once the gate of Furong Garden was locked, it instantly went from being the most sought-after place for the new rich in the palace to a cold palace that everyone avoided.
A thick layer of fallen leaves lay on the stone path outside the garden, unsweeped. Two unfamiliar guards, replacing the servants, stood guard at the gate like door gods, their eyes cold and indifferent, the swords at their waists gleaming coldly.
Except for a frightened servant named Xiaotao, who brought her simple meals every day, no one else set foot in the garden. The once elegant and quiet place was now a suffocating silence.
Every time Xiao Tao came to deliver food, she would place the food box at the door, knock on the door, and then run away as if the person living inside was not a fallen master, but a man-eating demon. She didn't dare to look at Song Qingyuan, or even talk to her.
Song Qingyuan didn't care at all. Her daily life was horribly regular.
She would rise at dawn, first practicing a set of health-preserving boxing techniques she had learned from her father in the yard to stretch her muscles. Then, she would personally tend to the flowers and plants, watering and weeding them, as if she were not confined to her home but rather enjoying the joys of the countryside.
She spent most of her time in her study. The set of four treasures of the study given to her by Shen Yanzhi lay quietly on her desk, a giant irony. She didn't use them, but continued to use her old tools, slowly repairing the damaged ancient book.
She picked up the tiny pieces of paper with tweezers and dipped the brush into the thin paste. Her hands remained as steady as a rock, her eyes focused and calm.
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