Chapter 87: People Have Calculations 18 The Truth (Part 2)
"yes."
The servant, a member of the princess's residence, possessed excellent eyesight and memory. He scanned the crowd in the martial arts arena and, after a moment, located the two individuals who had been in the kitchen that day. One, Shi Heng, was in his twenties and a regular companion of the Marquis of Pingyang. The other, Bai Yue, a girl of fifteen or sixteen, hunched her neck, her eyes darting around in panic. Her attire didn't resemble that of someone from the Marquis of Pingyang's residence, but rather that of a servant from the Qin residence.
Xun Shu watched from the side, feeling vaguely confused.
On the day she discovered the rhino's body, she went to the kitchen and questioned the two men. Later, she told Li Xuanhe about the incident. Although he didn't immediately say what to do, given his temperament, he certainly wouldn't have taken no action. So why did he reveal it in front of everyone today?
The two people who were found were quickly pushed to the front of the crowd by the people from the Dali Temple and knelt in front of everyone in the Pingyang Marquis Mansion.
Shi Heng looked wronged and struggled to defend himself, "Are you mistaken, my lords? I went to the kitchen that day simply to help the master get some refreshments to entertain the visiting Lord Qin and his wife. I did see the glutinous rice cake, but I never touched it, so how could I have poisoned it? I was born and raised in this Pingyang Marquis's mansion. I am devoted to my masters and would never poison anyone!"
Li Xuanhe seemed not to hear his words and turned to ask Bai Yue beside him: "What about you? Do you have anything to say?"
Bai Yue shrank back and forced a stiff smile. "The other day, I went to the kitchen to get some tea and snacks for my daughter, and I saw some freshly baked pastries in the small kitchen. I've always heard that the chefs in the small kitchen came from the palace, and I've always wanted to see the skills of the imperial chefs, so I went to take a closer look. I was really just curious, and I didn't do anything else!"
"You are not from Pingyang Marquis Mansion, who is your daughter?"
Bai Yue pursed her lips and hesitated for a moment. Realizing that this matter could not be concealed at all, she whispered, "My daughter is the sister of the Crown Prince's wife, the second young lady of the Qin family."
As soon as these words fell, the expressions of the people around him changed. Li Xuanhe glanced at Qin Huixin and saw her raise her head and glare fiercely at Bai Yue in front of her, her face filled with anger and disbelief. He sighed and continued, "In fact, on the day the rhinoceros slave was poisoned, I knew everything that happened in the kitchen that day. At that time, I identified the most likely person who poisoned him. Do you know why?"
Bai Yue shook her head, then realized that this action was like an admission of guilt, and quickly added, "This poison was not administered by me. The death of the young master has nothing to do with me and the Second Young Lady!"
"Because among the three people who touched the food box that day, you were the only one who only wanted to see what was inside the food box from beginning to end, and had no intention of stealing it."
Bai Yue's face was pale as she continued to defend herself, "The Second Miss came to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence to visit her elder sister, and I accompanied her to serve her. The Second Miss treated the Young Master very well, and I, too, loved him very much. How could I possibly have killed him? My Lord, you must not wrongly accuse a good person!"
"What if the person you originally wanted to kill wasn't the rhino slave?"
Bai Yue didn't say anything.
Pingyang Hou was stunned, then realized something and his voice turned cold: "He'er, are you saying that the person they originally wanted to kill was your mother?"
The kitchen was only responsible for the meals of the Princess's courtyard. If the food in the kitchen was poisoned, the most likely purpose was to poison the Princess. If the murder of Xi Nu was just a matter within the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion, then the murder of the Princess would be considered a contempt for the royal family and a more serious matter.
Li Xuanhe stared at Bai Yue in front of him for a moment with a half-smile on his face, then shifted his gaze upwards, settling on Qin Lanxin. "That's probably true. Mother doesn't like soft and sticky pastries, and everyone in the Pingyang Marquis's residence knows this. Second Miss Qin is incredibly perceptive, having lived in the Pingyang Marquis's residence for so long, how could she not be aware of this?"
Pingyang Hou hesitated: "If it's not your mother, and it's not Xi Nu, then who else could it be?"
Li Xuanhe looked at Xun Shu, his eyes full of apology: "It was probably Miss Xun. She likes to eat all kinds of snacks. The touhua ci that was snatched away that day was the one I asked the kitchen to prepare for her."
Qin Lanxin's maid poisoned Xun Shu's snacks?
Everyone's eyes shifted between Qin Lanxin and Xun Shu, and each of them had their own guesses in their minds.
It was nothing more than a matter between men and women. Miss Qin II admired the Third Young Master, so she drugged and poisoned him, but all her plans failed. I wonder how she feels at this moment.
Qin Lanxin's mind went blank, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word in defense. She had usually been quite clever, but now, under the contemptuous gazes of the crowd and Li Xuanhe's half-smile, she gradually despaired.
In comparison, Xun Shu was much calmer.
Although the poison was aimed at her, it did not hurt her in the end. In her heart and eyes, it was like someone else's business and had nothing to do with her. Naturally, she would not waste her energy to be afraid or terrified. At this moment, she just looked at Li Xuanhe curiously, guessing what he would say next.
The princess pondered for a moment and asked doubtfully, "Although I don't like desserts, now that you've returned home, the kitchen isn't solely responsible for my meals. How did she know this dessert wasn't prepared for you, but for Miss Xun? Did someone in the kitchen tell her?"
Li Xuanhe soothed her softly, "Mother, don't worry. The people in the small kitchen are all from the princess's mansion. They are very well-behaved and no one will betray them. That person found out about this through other channels." He paused, stopped beating around the bush, and told everything, "I thought about it for a long time that day. When did I mention the matter of asking Huang Bo to make flower cakes for Miss Xun, and who knew about it? I have never kept this matter secret, but I did it myself. I went to the small kitchen myself and asked Huang Bo to make this dessert by hand. After that, I only told the maid in the courtyard, and asked her to go to the kitchen on time to get the cake. The maid has been in my courtyard for many years, and she said she had never told anyone about this, so I believed her for the time being.
"If neither Uncle Huang nor the maid mentioned it, who could it be? I remembered the day I first arrived at the mansion. Before Uncle Huang knew I was going to ask him to make flower cakes, Miss Xun and I were watching the sunset on the rooftop and mentioned this matter. We didn't hold our tongues at the time, and perhaps someone passing by might have overheard us. So I had someone investigate, and sure enough, they found out something. It was around that time that Miss Qin Er came to my courtyard looking for me. After learning from the servants that I had gone to Miss Xun, she headed towards Miss Xun's courtyard. But strangely, until Miss Xun and I went to my mother's courtyard for a banquet that day, there was no sign of Miss Qin Er. Miss Qin Er, can you tell everyone where you went?"
Ever since Li Xuanhe began discussing the rhino slave poisoning case, Qin Lanxin had retreated to the side, standing with her head bowed, not uttering a single word, her presence almost forgotten. Being mentioned so repeatedly now, her heart raced, her eyes filled with fear, her voice choked with sobs. "I did go looking for you that day, but the servants said you weren't in the courtyard, so I left. They did mention you going to Miss Xun's courtyard, but I'm a daughter of the Qin family, and I have my dignity. Knowing your relationship, how could I have bothered you and allowed myself to be humiliated by you?"
Today, Xun Shu had been a quiet spectator, never speaking a word, as events unfolded within the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. But now, he couldn't help himself and said something no one expected: "Miss Qin, we have no grudge against you, so why would we humiliate you?"
Xun Shu's eyes were naturally innocent, and with her slow-paced nature, she didn't exhibit any strong emotions. Now, with her wide, almond-shaped eyes, she looked at Qin Lanxin intently and curiously, which in Qin Lanxin's eyes seemed even more like irony. Qin Lanxin's chest heaved, and she clenched her fists. She sneered, "Miss Xun, you're quite resourceful. Is this how you usually trick the Third Young Master?"
Trick Li Xuanhe? Xun Shu suddenly realized: "Are you jealous of me? But Third Brother doesn't like you. Even without me, he wouldn't be with you. Your destiny isn't here, so why are you clinging to something that doesn't belong to you?"
Qin Lanxin was touched by Xun Shu's pain point. She could no longer control her expression and revealed a bit of ferocity: "Xun Shu! I have no grudge against you, why are you trying to snatch him from me! How do you know he won't be with me! I have a better background and more knowledge than you, you are just lucky! If it weren't for you, if it weren't for you——"
"If it weren't for her, you wouldn't be my wife," Li Xuanhe interrupted coldly. He walked in front of Xun Shu, shielding her behind him, blocking Qin Lanxin's view, and sneered, "Do you, the Qin family, really think that everyone in Pingyang Marquis's Mansion is as easy to bully as my brother? You used the same trick to trick my brother, and you think you can trick me too? Qin Lanxin, don't treat others as fools."
Tears welled up in Qin Lan's eyes. She looked at the complete stranger in front of her and sobbed, "Yes, I do love you and I do want to find a way to marry you, but I was also a victim that day. I didn't know there was medicine in the tea. I saw that the prince's eyes became terrifying after drinking the tea, and I didn't know what to do. I shouted loudly, but no one in the courtyard heard my cries for help... I had no way to escape, so I could only follow the prince. I was also afraid that he would lose his mind and accidentally hurt me... I really didn't give him the medicine. If I did, how could I have let him drink that pot of tea when I saw that the person in the room was not you?"
Li Xuanhe's face remained stern, unmoved by her tears. He simply stated the truth in a cold voice, "You certainly didn't administer the drug. It's extremely rare and precious, originating from the far north snowfields. It was brought to the capital by a traveling merchant many years ago. There were two bottles of the drug, both purchased by Lord Qin. One is still in his possession, while the other was given to the Qin family's eldest daughter, the Crown Prince's wife, many years ago. Sister-in-law, do you still have that bottle?"
This matter is actually related to the Crown Prince's wife?! Everyone's eyes turned to Qin Huixin again. Seeing her pale face, she spoke softly after a while: "That happened many years ago. I threw away the harmful medicine a long time ago. It's no longer there."
Li Xuanhe didn't argue with her, but tilted his head slightly to look at the man who had been waiting nearby. The man had just been sent to search the maid's room and had been waiting for a while since returning. Receiving Li Xuanhe's gaze, he stepped forward, handed a bottle of medicine to Li Xuanhe, and said loudly, "Sir, I just led a search of the maid's room, as identified by Second Miss Qin, and found the banknote and this bottle of medicine powder under the pillow. This bottle is exactly the same powder that Sir Qin requested. It must be the same bottle of medicine that Sir Qin gave to the Crown Prince's wife."
Li Xuanhe held the medicine bottle and looked at Qin Huixin, smiling: "Sister-in-law, do you have anything else to say?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com