Chapter 714: Ironclad Evidence

"What!" Their expressions changed instantly. Who was Zu An? He was a condemned criminal linked to the Crown Princess, and countless eyes were on him. Who would kill him? Who would dare to kill him?

Jiang Boyang subconsciously looked in the direction he pointed, seeing the pile of food hidden among the messy dried grass, with grains of rice scattered everywhere. A look of pain immediately appeared on his face.

Zhen Xueyi and Murong Tong, standing nearby, both turned their heads. Even Guo Zhi gave him an extra glance, as they had just felt an outburst of furious energy emanating from him.

Hmm, why was this fellow so angry?

Was he angry about someone silencing a witness, or was it because of Zu An? Did he and Zu An have a relationship they were unaware of?

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

They couldn't simply believe it was poisoned just because Zu An said so; they wouldn't be led by the nose.

Given that important prisoners were held in the imperial prison, their food and daily necessities were naturally checked for poison by specialists. Soon, the person arrived, tested the food with a silver needle, then picked up a handful to smell at his nose, and even licked it with the tip of his tongue.

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

The jailer quickly spat out what was in his mouth, then stood up and said, "The food is mixed with the poison of the Hundred Ghosts Undying Grass. Although this substance isn't fatal, it can cause one to lose their mind, turning them into a living dead."

Upon hearing this result, the others' expressions turned grim. The other party hadn't directly poisoned Zu An to death. Was it because they feared the consequences would be too severe? Nevertheless, turning him into a living dead was also a form of silencing him.

The Grand Herald, Zhen Shouyi, whose hair was disheveled, finally spoke, staring coldly at Guo Zhi: "Who delivered Zu An's meal today?"

Guo Zhi hastily summoned people for questioning, and his expression changed several times before he said, "A new transfer arrived, and now they've vanished without a trace."

"You scoundrel! To allow someone to commit such a blatant crime right in the imperial prison—do you not want to be the General of the Right Guard anymore?!" Jiang Boyang was already suppressing his anger, and upon seeing Zhen Shouyi's disheveled hair, he felt an uncontrollable surge of primal power. Guo Zhi became his punching bag, receiving a furious tirade.

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

He wasn't necessarily afraid of Jiang Boyang; although the other's official rank was higher, they weren't under each other's command, so Jiang couldn't control him. The main reason was that such a major incident had occurred on his watch, and he couldn't afford the emperor's blame.

Moreover, he had previously called Zu An his brother, and now Zu An had almost been harmed on his own territory, which was a loss of face.

Jiang Boyang's expression softened slightly, but he couldn't stand the chaotic prison cell. He quickly turned and left, motioning for the jailers to take Zu An to a nearby interrogation room.

When the remaining few entered, Jiang Boyang was already seated at the table, with everything neatly arranged and the surface gleaming spotlessly.

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

At this point, Jiang Boyang cleared his throat: "Zu An, how are you feeling after being poisoned? Should I summon an imperial physician for you?"

This made Zhen Xueyi and Murong Tong even more certain that this fellow indeed had a connection to Zu An.

Zu An replied, "Thank you, Lord Jiang. As this matter concerns the Crown Princess's reputation, even if I were poisoned, I would still do my best to cooperate with all of you."

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

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

Zu An sighed: "There are many possibilities. I dare to name them, but do you dare to record them?"

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

Zu An smiled slightly: "In that case, I'll speak. The first person who might have targeted me is Lord Murong. As everyone knows, Lord Murong lost his position as Commandant of the Capital due to my affair."

Murong Tong was enraged: "Nonsense! Who do you think you are? That was a normal personnel transfer by the imperial 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, implying that everyone understood the real situation.

Seeing his demeanor, Murong Tong grew even angrier.

Zhen Xueyi quickly pulled him back: "Ahem, I can vouch for worthy brother Murong. He is an upright person. Even if he felt resentful about that matter, he would never resort to harming you because of it."

Zu An followed suit, saying, "I also believe Lord Murong has an open and straightforward nature; he certainly wouldn't employ such underhanded tricks."

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

Wait, hold on. If you knew that, then why did you say it that way? Weren't you intentionally playing with me?

Rage points from Murong Tong +666 +666 +666...

Little did he know that Zu An was merely earning a wave of rage points on the side.

At this moment, Zu An added, "Besides Lord Murong, the one who most likely wants me dead is probably the King of Qi. After all, not long ago, I humiliated the King of Qi and also broke the leg of his heir. If I were the King of Qi, I'd probably be itching to kill me."

The others' expressions were peculiar. It seemed he had a good sense of self-awareness.

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

At the same time, he motioned to the scribe nearby to temporarily not record this statement.

Zu An said, "I'm not making false accusations; I'm merely raising some reasonable suspicions. The rest is for you to verify and investigate."

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

In truth, they had felt this case was full of doubts from the beginning. Even Murong Tong, a staunch supporter of the King of Qi, suspected the King of Qi's involvement behind the scenes.

Seeing their hesitant expressions, Zu An sneered, "I just said it: I dare to speak, but you might not dare to record it. Hasn't that just been proven?"

Zhen Xueyi, who was casually seated in a chair, spoke up: "Since this concerns an imperial prince, we naturally must be cautious. First, tell us if you have any other suspects."

Zu An gave a half-smile: "Are you sure you want me to speak?"

The others looked displeased: "Just say what you have to say!"

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

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

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

Rage points from Jiang Boyang +22 +22 +22...

Was this fellow foolish? If they truly pursued it, this one sentence could be enough to convict him of a grave crime.

Zu An sighed, "I just asked if I should speak, but you insisted. Even if there's great disrespect, we're all disrespectful together, aren't we?"

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."

How was this young man so utterly annoying? It made him want to punch him.

Zu An said, "This matter concerns the Crown Princess's reputation, and whether the Crown Prince has been cuck— *cough, cough*... As for me, I might be innocent or not. For the Emperor, isn't the simplest solution just to kill me directly? As an emperor, it's basic practice to rather kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go, isn't it?"

The others looked at him with surprise. This commoner seemed to possess such a deep understanding of imperial tactics. They wondered if he was self-taught or if someone had instructed him...

Jiang Boyang then said, "Your analysis certainly makes sense, but you've misunderstood one thing. The Emperor doesn't care whether you've been wrongly accused. What he cares about most is the Crown Princess's innocence. You can be easily killed, but the Crown Princess's status is sensitive, and she cannot be easily replaced. Therefore, before all this is clarified, the Emperor will not make a move against you."

Zu An was somewhat surprised. He had genuinely suspected that the Emperor was behind the attempt to silence him. However, after listening to the other's analysis, he realized that in this regard, he still couldn't think as profoundly as these old political foxes.

At this point, Murong Tong grew impatient: "Alright, alright, this fellow is just rambling to confuse us. No need for so many words. I'll just ask you one question: We've interviewed other eyewitnesses, and they have not only testimonies but also evidence."

"What evidence?" Zu An was startled. He quickly thought back, 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 of the incident. How do you explain this?"

After he finished speaking, everyone's gaze turned sharp as they looked at Zu An.