Proud Feather

Chapter 104 Source of Poison
Jinghui was the beginning of the event.

The princess's poisoning after seeking divination at the Great Locust Temple triggered the subsequent events. However, the truth Lin Wenyu uncovered had nothing to do with this monk!
When everyone thought about it, it was indeed a bit strange.

Minister Lin, however, remained calm and said, "It seems to be a coincidence. There are nearly a million people in the capital, and quite a few of them come from the southern border. This medicine is just rare, but it's not necessarily that only that monk has it. When investigating a case, there will be many seemingly plausible clues that can interfere, something that Lord Gao understands all too well."

Gao Mian surprisingly agreed: "Yes."

Lin Wenyu smiled: "Princess, you see, you always believe what Lord Gao says."

That old bastard, even at a time like this, he's still being sarcastic and sarcastic.

Chu Ling was not provoked by him and calmly said, "Minister Lin is right, so I asked that monk, what evidence do you have that the medicine is your secret recipe? He said..."

Lin Wenyu's breath hitched, and he stared at her.

Chu Ling didn't continue the conversation, but instead started from another point: "By the way, has anyone found it strange? Zhu Fan's body showed signs of residual poison as soon as he died, but my elder brother's symptoms only appeared after he was placed in the coffin, a full day later."

Reminded by her, the husbands recalled the events. Zhang Ji nodded in agreement: "That's right, precisely because of this, the Crown Prince's cause of death was almost covered up."

"It must be a difference in dosage," Lin Wenyu said. "The Crown Prince was poisoned multiple times with small amounts, and the direct cause of death was drowning. Zhu Fan, on the other hand, almost died instantly, which shows how heavy the dosage was."

Chu Ling said, "Minister Lin has a deep understanding of this poison; he even knows this."

Lin Wenyu thought to himself, isn't this common sense? But the princess was clearly being sarcastic, so he didn't respond.

"So, it's normal that traces appeared quickly after Zhu Fan's death, right?" Chu Ling continued to ask.

Lin Wenyu frowned, instinctively feeling there was a trap in those words, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized it was indeed true, so he nodded.

"Very well." Chu Ling turned back. "Father, the monk said that for the poison to take effect, it needs to be combined with his unique perfumery—that's the key to preventing the residual poison from showing! Your son has prepared two chickens, using the same dose of poison, one with perfumery and one without. Let's see how it goes. Please wait a moment, gentlemen."

The emperor had no reason to refuse, so he said, "Then please, gentlemen, rest for a while! Bring tea and refreshments."

"Yes!"

So the crowd followed the emperor to a side hall to rest, where they watched as the guards outside put two chickens into separate cages, keeping them far apart. Then, in full view of everyone, they were poisoned and incense was burned.

When the tea was being drunk for the second time, a guard came to report: "Your Majesty, the chicken is dead."

Two chicken carcasses were presented; one clearly had black spots, while the other did not.

What's the key to the Crown Prince's murder? It's that the poison was administered without anyone noticing! The way the two chickens died confirmed the effect of the incense, basically confirming that the poison in the Crown Prince came from the monk. Therefore, the boss from Southern Xinjiang that Lin Wenyu investigated was not the real source of the poison.

So what happened to Zhu Fan's maid? This is what she confessed, which means her testimony is also unreliable!
Chu Ling didn't need to say anything more; the expressions of the emperor and his ministers said it all.

Lin Wenyu opened his mouth to argue, but didn't know what to say.

"Minister Lin, your investigation of this case was far too sloppy!" the emperor said expressionlessly.

Lin Wenyu knelt down in a panic: "Your Majesty, I have failed in my duty..." The emperor was clearly furious. He did not tell him to rise, but simply turned and went back to the main hall with a flick of his sleeve.

The men passed by one by one; some looked straight ahead, while others nodded at him, disappointed in him.

Gao Mian walked at the back, stood beside him, and said slowly, "Lord Lin, please get up. We still have to go back and continue the debate!"

Lin Wenyu didn't have time to argue with him and stood up, wiping his sweat.

That's not all. He still has the most crucial piece of evidence: a confession! A confession written in Zhu Fan's own handwriting!
As long as this irrefutable evidence cannot be overturned, Zhu Fan remains the prime suspect!

Lin Wenyu returned to the main hall with this lingering resentment. Zhang Ji had already asked on his behalf, "Princess, even if the source of the poison is wrong, it doesn't prove that Zhu Fan didn't administer the poison. Otherwise, why would she write this confession?"

Chu Ling retorted, "Then is the confession necessarily written by Zhu Fan? Not necessarily! Dead people can be framed at will, and she won't come back to life to defend herself."

Zhang Ji frowned: "But the handwriting has been examined and it is indeed Zhu Fan's handwriting."

Chu Ling sneered.

That smile sent a chill down Lin Wenyu's spine. He forced a smile and said, "Princess, I didn't investigate the case thoroughly enough. There might be a problem with the source of the poison, but it's true that Zhu Fan confessed. Perhaps Zhu Fan had some private contact with that monk that I didn't know about?"

Chu Ling retorted, "Minister Lin, can't you see that I'm giving you a chance?"

Lin Wenyu's heart trembled: "Princess..."

"Fang Wu and that maid's testimonies were wrong, so you still have a reason to shirk responsibility. But if the following matter is proven false, you'll have no excuse. If you know what's good for you, you'll plead guilty yourself. Perhaps Father Emperor will show leniency out of consideration for your ancestors. But if I, the princess, were to speak out..."

These words were a threat, but they were also based on reason and evidence. Lin Wenyu was not unafraid, but when he caught a glimpse of the emperor's gaze, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "Please enlighten me, Princess."

Chu Ling was somewhat baffled by his stubbornness. Was her useless second brother really worth Minister Lin risking his future and the reputation of the Lin family for generations?

But Lin Wenyu has never admitted his guilt.

Chu Ling then continued, "Father, gentlemen, this matter is quite simple. How can we determine that the confession was written by Zhu Fan? Because the scholars examined it and found that the handwriting matched that of the calligraphy and paintings found in Zhu Fan's room. But what if those calligraphy and paintings weren't written by Zhu Fan either?"

Zhang Ji's expression changed slightly: "Does the princess mean that the paintings and calligraphy in Zhu Fan's room have been switched?!"

The gentlemen were also moved. No wonder the princess questioned Lin Wenyu; earlier, they could say his investigation was superficial, but this was clearly the work of someone with ulterior motives!
Zhu Fan was still alive when he entered the Ministry of Justice. The fact that this trap could be set means someone killed Zhu Fan while simultaneously replacing the paintings and calligraphy. How difficult is it to kill someone in the Ministry of Justice and then leave a confession? Could the Minister of Justice escape responsibility? He had said that Zhu Fan had been under surveillance all along!
Lin Wenyu remained silent for a moment, then asked, "What evidence does the princess have?"

Chu Ling had to admire the old man's composure to still be able to reply at this point; indeed, ordinary people couldn't do bad things.

Lin Wenyu continued, "The princess said that the paintings and calligraphy in Zhu Fan's room were switched. Who can prove that? We can't exactly ask her maid to prove it, can we?"

"What's so difficult about that?" Chu Ling turned back and reported, "Father, I've asked two helpers to bring up the evidence right away."

Soon, Yang Yu and Chu Xiao Jiu, who were anxiously waiting at the palace gate, received a summons to enter the palace to meet the emperor!
I made some last-minute changes to half a chapter, so the update is late.