Chapter 717: Ironclad Evidence

"What!" Their expressions changed abruptly. Who was Zu'an? He was an imperial criminal involved with the Crown Princess. Countless eyes were on him now. Who would kill him? Who would dare to kill him?

Jiang Boyang subconsciously looked in the direction he pointed, seeing a pile of rice hidden among the messy dry grass, grains scattered everywhere. A pained expression immediately appeared on his face.

Zhen Xueyi and Murong Tong, standing nearby, turned their heads in unison. Even Guo Zhi gave him an extra glance, because in that instant, they felt an aura of violent rage erupting from him.

Hmm, why was this guy so angry? Was he angry that someone was trying to silence a witness, or was it because of Zu'an? Did he and Zu'an have some connection they weren't aware of?

Murong Tong then said, "Quick, test it for poison."

It couldn't be poisoned just because Zu'an said so; they wouldn't be led by the nose.

Important prisoners in the imperial prison had their food and daily necessities checked for poison by specialists. Soon, an officer came forward, testing the rice with a silver needle, then picking up a handful to sniff, and even licking it with the tip of his tongue.

Zu'an watched from the side, his eyebrows twitching. This was surely too dedicated. If there were a pile of excrement, would he have to taste it to confirm what it was?

The jailer quickly spat out what was in his mouth, stood up, and said, "The rice is mixed with the poison of the Hundred Ghosts Undying Grass. Although not fatal, this substance can cause one to lose their mind and become a living dead."

Hearing this result, everyone else's expressions turned solemn. The other party didn't directly poison Zu'an to death. Was it out of concern for severe consequences? Still, turning him into a living dead was another form of silencing him.

The disheheveled Grand Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Zhen Shouyi, finally spoke, staring coldly at Guo Zhi: "Who brought Zu'an his meal today?"

Guo Zhi hastily summoned people for questioning, his face changing repeatedly as he reported, "A new person was transferred here, and they've now disappeared without a trace."

"Idiot! How could you allow someone to brazenly commit a crime in the imperial prison? Do you no longer want to be the General of the Right?" Jiang Boyang was already suppressing anger, and seeing Zhen Shouyi's messy hair, he felt the primal force within him could no longer be restrained. Guo Zhi became his punching bag, receiving a furious barrage of accusations.

Cold sweat streamed down Guo Zhi's face, his expression filled with shame: "I'll go investigate that person right away."

He wasn't necessarily afraid of Jiang Boyang; although the latter held a higher rank, they were not subordinates of each other, so Jiang couldn't directly control him. His main concern was that such a major incident had occurred on his territory, and he couldn't bear the Emperor's blame.

Moreover, he had previously claimed brotherhood with Zu'an, and now Zu'an almost got into trouble on his watch, which caused him to lose face.

Jiang Boyang's expression softened slightly, but he couldn't stand the disorganized cell any longer. He quickly turned and left, motioning for the jailers to take Zu'an to an adjacent interrogation room.

When the remaining individuals entered, Jiang Boyang was already seated upright at the table. Everything on the table was neatly arranged, and the surface itself was so shiny it was spotless.

Zhen Xueyi and Murong Tong exchanged glances. How did this guy manage that? They hadn't seen him with a rag or anything.

At this point, Jiang Boyang cleared his throat: "Zu'an, how are you feeling after the poisoning? Would you like me to summon an imperial physician?"

This made Zhen Xueyi and Murong Tong even more certain that this guy indeed had a connection with Zu'an.

Zu'an replied, "Thank you, Lord Jiang. Since this matter concerns the Crown Princess's reputation, I will do my best to cooperate with all of you, even if I am poisoned."

The few Nine Ministers exchanged strange looks. This fellow was truly shameless; anyone could see he wasn't poisoned.

Jiang Boyang also choked slightly: "Alright then, do you know who is most likely to have targeted you?"

Zu'an sighed, "There are too many to list. I dare to say them, but do you dare to record them?"

Murong Tong, standing nearby, scoffed, "Stop making excuses. Say whatever you have to say. Are you afraid the three of us can't make decisions for you?"

Zu'an smiled slightly, "Then I'll speak. The first person likely to target me is Lord Murong. As everyone knows, Lord Murong lost his position as Commandant of the Capital due to my involvement."

Murong Tong was furious. "Nonsense! What are you? That was a normal personnel reshuffle by the court; how could it be because of you?"

Rage points from Murong Tong +388,388,388…!

Zu'an shrugged, looking as if he disdained arguing with him. Everyone who understood, understood.

Seeing his demeanor, Murong Tong grew even angrier.

Zhen Xueyi quickly pulled him back. "Ahem, I can vouch for Brother Murong. He is an upright man. Even if he held some resentment over that matter, he would never resort to harming you because of it."

Zu'an chimed in, "I also believe Lord Murong has an open and straightforward character. He certainly wouldn't employ such underhanded tricks."

Murong Tong puffed out his chest, thinking that since meeting this boy, this was the most pleasing thing he had heard.

Huh, wait a minute. If you knew that, why did you say it that way? Weren't you intentionally toying with me?

Rage points from Murong Tong +666,666,666…

Little did he know that Zu'an was merely trying to earn some rage points.

Then Zu'an continued, "Besides Lord Murong, the one who probably wants me dead the most is Prince Qi. After all, not long ago, I made Prince Qi lose face and also broke the leg of his heir. If I were Prince Qi, I'd probably be itching to kill me."

Everyone looked at him with strange expressions. It seemed he had a good understanding of himself.

Jiang Boyang coughed. "Do you know what a grave crime it is to falsely accuse an imperial prince?"

He also signaled the scribe nearby not to record that statement for now.

Zu'an said, "I haven't falsely accused anyone. I've only raised some reasonable suspicions. The rest needs to be verified and investigated by you."

Zhen Xueyi and the other two exchanged glances, seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes.

In truth, they had found this case full of suspicious points from the start. Even Murong Tong, a staunch supporter of Prince Qi, suspected Prince Qi's involvement.

Seeing their hesitation, Zu'an sneered, "I just said it: I dare to speak, but you might not dare to record it. Isn't this exactly what's happening now?"

Zhen Xueyi, who was casually seated, spoke up: "Since it concerns an imperial prince, we naturally need to be cautious. First, tell us if there are any other suspects you have in mind."

Zu'an gave a faint, unreadable smile: "Are you sure you want me to tell you?"

The few men showed displeasure: "Say whatever it is!"

What a joke. They had even listened to accusations against Prince Qi. Could there possibly be someone even more troublesome?

However, in the next second, their expressions changed immediately, because Zu'an said, "The other person who might want to kill me is the Emperor!"

After a brief moment of petrification, the men snapped back to reality. Now even Jiang Boyang was annoyed: "How dare you! Do you know this is a crime of great disrespect!"

Rage points from Jiang Boyang +222,222…

Was this guy foolish? If they truly pursued it, this one statement alone could lead to a grave charge against him.

Zu'an sighed, "I just asked if I should say it, but you insisted. Even if it's a great disrespect, it's a great disrespect we share, isn't it?"

Zhen Xueyi: "..."

Jiang Boyang: "..."

Murong Tong: "..."

It was Zhen Xueyi who finally spoke: "First, tell us why you think the Emperor would want to kill you."

Why was this kid so irritating? It made him want to punch him.

Zu'an said, "This matter involves the Crown Princess's reputation, concerning whether the Crown Prince has been cuck—ahem. Whether I am innocent or not, for the Emperor, isn't the simplest method to just kill me? As an emperor, it's a basic operation to rather kill a thousand innocents than let one guilty person escape, isn't it?"

The men looked at him with sudden surprise. This commoner, unexpectedly, possessed such a deep understanding of imperial governance. They wondered if he was self-taught or if someone had instructed him.

Jiang Boyang then said, "Your analysis certainly has merit, but you've misunderstood one thing. The Emperor doesn't care if you've been wronged. He cares most about whether the Crown Princess is innocent. You can be killed casually, but the Crown Princess's identity is sensitive and cannot be easily replaced. Therefore, until all of this is clarified, the Emperor will not lay a hand on you."

Zu'an was somewhat surprised. He had genuinely suspected that the Emperor was behind this attempt to silence him. However, after the other party's analysis, he realized that his understanding in this area was still not as profound as these old political foxes.

At this point, Murong Tong became impatient. "Alright, alright, this fellow is just rambling to confuse us. No need to say so much. I only have one question for you. We've investigated other witnesses, and they have not only testimonies but also evidence."

"What evidence?" Zu'an was startled. He quickly recalled everything, not believing he would have left anything that could reveal his identity.

Murong Tong sneered, "Someone in the palace found your clothes and the Crown Princess's... dress on the bed at the scene. How do you explain that?"

After he finished speaking, everyone's gaze towards Zu'an sharpened.