Proud Feather

Chapter 4 Final Sound
Zhang Dingyuan!
Shangshu Zuo Pushe, Menxia Shilang, Zuo Xiang!
Chu Ling didn't expect that he was so lucky that he actually met Zhang Dingyuan who came to pay tribute.

As the prime minister with real power, Zhang Dingyuan is undoubtedly the best witness.

She glanced at Chu He and saw him frowning, and sneered in her heart.

If it were someone else, they might be able to send him away, but according to Zhang Dingyuan, no one in this hall has that much weight.

So, before Chu He could even think of how to start, she had already called out, "Prime Minister Zhang! Something's happened to my brother's coffin. Please come in!"

This sentence completely gave up Chu He's thoughts, and he could only face the incoming Prime Minister.

Soon, Zhang Dingyuan stepped in. The officials who came with him were all important officials in the court.

Seeing the mess in the hall, the ministers suppressed their surprise and bowed. "Your humble servant greets the Crown Princess, Prince Xin, and Princess Jiahe. We were just offering sacrifices to the Crown Prince when we heard a commotion in the main hall. What happened?"

Lu Chan wiped away her tears, barely controlling her emotions, and said, "My Lords, please excuse your formalities. Prime Minister Zhang, please come and take a look. There's something unusual about the Crown Prince's body..."

Several important officials were startled, sensing something unusual.

What do you mean by "something's wrong with the body"? The prince was a noble man, and his burial must have been meticulously handled. How could something be wrong with him now?
Zhang Dingyuan remained calm as always and nodded gently, "Princess, please accept my condolences. I will be leaving immediately."

He took the lead and led several important officials to the coffin.

The brazier, paper ashes, and candles hadn't been cleared away, leaving the floor a mess. Fortunately, the coffin wasn't affected, leaving the interior spotless.

When the ministers saw the situation inside the coffin, their faces changed suddenly.

How could this happen?! The prince...

Chu Ling sobbed and choked, "My lords, you all saw it, didn't you? My eldest brother fell into the water accidentally, so why are his nails black? Why are there blue spots on his body? Why are his lips this color? He was poisoned! The Record of Clearing Injustices says that anyone who dies from poisoning will have a dark purple or blue face, and their hands, hands..."

She got stuck in the middle of her sentence and turned to ask, "Young Master Yang, what did you say next?"

Yang Yu, the young master of the Ningguo Mansion, reluctantly continued, "The nails on her hands and toes are dark blue, and there are some blue spots on her body."

Chu Ling turned back and said, "Look, does it fit the bill perfectly, big brother? It's clear someone has done something sinister to you! Poisoning the Crown Prince is truly a heinous crime! When we find this person, I'll have Father have him torn into pieces and executed by slow slicing!"

Minister Lin of Justice, who was in the crowd, thought to himself that being torn apart by five horses and being executed by slow slicing were two different punishments and could not be carried out at the same time... However, Princess Jiahe knew that clearing the injustice record was not easy, even if the second half of the sentence was added by someone else...

Zhang Dingyuan didn't respond to her and asked, "Did you call the imperial physician just now?"

Lu Chan nodded in agreement.

Zhang Dingyuan said, "Then let's ask the imperial physician to take a look first."

The person who can become prime minister is the one who keeps his composure and never speaks carelessly about things he is not sure of.

But Chu Ling was fearless. She had already revealed the matter. Even if she couldn't convict her second brother, her father would still investigate it.

Of course, Second Brother was right in one respect. Father was ill, so it was best not to burden him with his attention. She also hoped that Father would live a long life and not give this bastard a chance to ascend the throne.

Zhang Dingyuan was a suitable candidate. Born into humble circumstances, he entered the government early, rising through the ranks of provincial and central government, earning a reputation for integrity. Later, Zhang Dingyuan was implicated in a factional dispute and convicted, never to return to the capital. Chu Ling knew he was wrongly accused. Her father's health had declined, and he gradually handed over government affairs to his second brother. His second brother launched a sweeping purge of the court, eliminating dissidents and paving the way for his own rise to power. Zhang Dingyuan was not the only one harmed.

During those years, few civil officials or military generals had a peaceful life. In the third year of Yuanxing, the northern barbarians invaded and Daxiang was completely defeated. This was because those who could fight and do things had been demoted.

Chu He had been disguising himself for twenty years, and his heart had long been twisted. He could not tolerate the slightest disobedience. Anyone he felt was disobedient, and civil officials would be stripped of their posts, and military officials would be executed. He even wanted to kill Xiao Zhen on the battlefield, which was a clear example of this.

Back to the present, Chu Ling believed that with Zhang Dingyuan's character, as long as he was willing to take care of it, the matter would not be left unresolved.

Soon, the imperial doctors arrived.

Zhang Dingyuan said, "You are all renowned medical experts with considerable achievements. Come and see the Crown Prince's body and share your thoughts."

Lu Chan, comforted by Chu Ling, calmed down. She acted like a Crown Princess and said solemnly, "Envoy of the Manor, please investigate the Crown Prince's condition carefully. As long as you find the cause, even if there was any violation of the rules, I will forgive you."

"Yes."

The imperial doctors gathered around the coffin, first lifted up their sleeves, then turned over the eyelids, and even opened the mouth, carefully examining and smelling every part, and finally, took out silver needles to prick the blood.

When Lu Chan saw the silver needle turn black, his eyes went dark and he almost fainted.

"Crown Princess!" A palace maid exclaimed and hurried forward to support her.

"Sister-in-law!" Chu Ling was worried.

Lu Chan took a deep breath, covered her face and cried, "Prince, I am incompetent. I didn't even know that you were poisoned. I almost made you suffer injustice..."

Chu Ling burst into tears, "Brother, your death was so unjust! If it weren't for the accident just now, this injustice would have been carried to the underworld. I know, it must be because you are unwilling to accept it in the afterlife, so you are warning us, right?"

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines at these words, especially Chu He, who felt a chill run down his spine.

Indeed, the series of events just now was too coincidental, otherwise who would go to check the body that had already been buried?

Chu Ling's face was filled with anger again, and he said, "Prime Minister Zhang, you heard it. Someone poisoned my brother, and his fall into the water was definitely not an accident! Now that our father is ill, you are the Prime Minister, you can't just ignore it!"

Lu Chan choked up and nodded, "If they can poison someone, they can probably come up with some other trick. The prince was just patrolling the river, with so many people around him, how could he have fallen into the water? Even if he did fall into the water, couldn't he have been rescued immediately? How could he have drowned? Prime Minister Zhang, you must find out the truth!"

The aunt and sister-in-law cried miserably, causing many people to cry with them.

All present were members of the royal family, nobles, and relatives of the imperial family. The Crown Prince had always been a man of great courtesy, respectful to his elders and friendly to his peers. He had cared for many, and now that he had passed away at such a young age, most felt sad and regretful.

Even Chu He had to lower his head and pretend to raise his hand to wipe away his tears.

The atmosphere had reached this point, and Zhang Dingyuan could no longer shirk responsibility. He said solemnly, "Please rest assured, Crown Princess and Princess. The Crown Prince is the foundation of the country. If he is murdered, we, the ministers, will find the murderer to enforce the laws of the country and restore order to the court."

Several important officials who came with him also expressed their views: "The crown prince has been murdered. We have no choice but to do our utmost to find out the truth and repay the emperor's kindness."

Hearing this, Chu Ling finally felt relieved. With Zhang Dingyuan's words, the matter was settled. She wanted to see how Chu He would deceive his superiors and subordinates and steal the throne this time!