RWNEFE -Chapter 439 Shen Lanxi, Was It You Who Poisoned Me?

“Elder sister, you must be joking.”

Shen Lanxi replied calmly, “Address me as Duke Protector or Lord Shen. The Prince of Zhennan and I are both on duty right now.”

Bai Qingling stiffened, then said somewhat awkwardly, “Then… would I be disturbing you while you handle official business?”

Shen Lanxi said flatly, “Since you already know that, why don’t you leave? Do the three of us standing together really look that pleasant?”

Bai Qingling froze. She had not expected Shen Lanxi to speak so sharply, leaving her no face at all.

She was now the Princess Consort of the Prince of Zhennan—Shen Lanxi was being far too presumptuous!

“Qingling, go back first,” Zhou Ruyuan said, noticing the curious glances around them and feeling displeased.

But Bai Qingling had come precisely because she was worried about Shen Lanxi working together with the prince—afraid that, over time, old feelings between them might rekindle.

These days the prince had been so cold to her. It must be because of Shen Lanxi.

Why did Shen Lanxi always have to interfere? Couldn’t she stay farther away from the prince?

“My lord, I personally made some pastries, thinking they would go well with tea this afternoon.” Bai Qingling took a basket from her maid, smiling gently.

Zhou Ruyuan, seeing her like this, neither wished to hurt her feelings nor to be watched by others.

“Leave them here. You should go back now.”

The smile on Bai Qingling’s face almost cracked, but she forced herself to endure it and not make a scene.

“My lord, I will take my leave.”

She turned and had just walked a few steps when she heard Zhou Ruyuan say behind her, “The pastries at the relay station aren’t very good. You should try the ones from the manor.”

Bai Qingling nearly tore her handkerchief apart.

Shen Lanxi said, “These were personally made by the princess consort for Your Highness. How could I take what you cherish? You should eat them yourself.”

“It’s nothing—just a few pastries,” Zhou Ruyuan said lightly.

Bai Qingling was furious.

Did the prince know how hard it had been to make those pastries? She had soaked the beans with her own hands the previous night, risen before dawn, and worked continuously until now—without even drinking a sip of water.

How could he so casually give away her heartfelt effort?

“Princess Consort, Consort Shu is waiting for us in the palace,” a maid reminded her.

If not for that reminder, she might have turned back in anger.

After the commotion, the envoys in the relay station shut themselves in their rooms and began discussing the matter among themselves.

Some lamented that Zhou Ruyuan had no eye for talent, some evaluated Shen Lanxi’s worth, and others secretly plotted.

“Yesterday many officials privately visited the Prince of Zhennan’s residence.”

“Envoys from several small states have been asking about prices in the markets and purchasing quite a lot of goods.”

“They’ve also been asking about you and the Prince of Zhennan.”

Shen Lanxi listened quietly. “As long as they don’t cause trouble, leave them be.”

“Yes.”

But no sooner had she said that than an envoy from the State of Yue was poisoned.

Fortunately, the Yue delegation had brought food testers, and a servant tasted the food first during the meal.

Since the incident happened at the relay station, Shen Lanxi and Zhou Ruyuan were immediately held responsible.

“If my servant hadn’t tasted the food first, it would have been our entire delegation that was poisoned!” Yue Chuhe demanded angrily.

“Shen Lanxi, was it you who poisoned me?” he accused directly.

Zhou Ruyuan stepped in front of Shen Lanxi.

“Without evidence, Third Prince Yue, you cannot make accusations out of thin air.”

Yue Chuhe shouted, “So many people saw what happened between me and her at the station gate, and at the palace gift presentation. Shen Lanxi must bear a grudge against me!”

Shen Lanxi moved Zhou Ruyuan aside. “Yue Chuhe, in Great Zhou we have a saying: to catch a thief, you need the stolen goods; to accuse adultery, you need both parties. Without real evidence, I could just as well suspect that you staged this poisoning yourself to frame me.”

“Nonsense! How could I poison my own servant?” Yue Chuhe blurted out, so anxious he even forgot to refer to himself as “this prince.”

Shen Lanxi replied, “That’s not impossible. There’s another saying: the thief crying ‘catch the thief.’ Sacrificing your own people to frame someone else—this official has seen it before.”

Yue Chuhe was nearly beside himself with rage.

“I won’t argue with you. You’ll only twist words to defend yourself. I will speak with the Prince of Zhennan—”

“This matter is no longer just about my servant being poisoned. It is clearly aimed at the Yue delegation!”

“I want to enter the palace and see your Emperor!” Yue Chuhe shouted, clearly unwilling to let the matter drop.

Zhou Ruyuan said sternly, “I have already ordered the entire inn sealed. Please give me some time to investigate thoroughly and find the real culprit.”

Shen Lanxi added, “Yue Chuhe, you wouldn’t want to earn the reputation of ‘the thief crying thief,’ would you?”

Yue Chuhe said angrily, “Fine. I’ll give you one hour. If you don’t find the culprit, I will go to the palace and accuse you of covering up the crime.”

“Agreed,” Shen Lanxi said.

“I’ll investigate the source of the poison. You investigate the origin of the food and who had contact with it,” Shen Lanxi said to Zhou Ruyuan.

“Good.” The arrangement was reasonable, and Zhou Ruyuan had no objection. He turned and went to the kitchen.

The person Yue Chuhe trusted least was Shen Lanxi, so he followed her closely, fearing she might destroy evidence.

Ban Sicao examined the dish. “It’s zhen poison, mixed into the food.”

He then identified the plate containing the poisoned dish.

“Zhen poison isn’t common, is it?” Shen Lanxi asked.

In front of Yue Chuhe, Ban Sicao couldn’t very well say that such poison was frequently used in the palace.

“It’s not extremely rare, but it’s seldom seen among commoners.”

A flash crossed Shen Lanxi’s eyes. “Send people to check the pharmacies.”

Ban Sicao stepped aside.

Yue Chuhe grew impatient. “That’s it? Aren’t you the Duke Protector? Aren’t you supposed to be capable? Why haven’t you found the murderer yet?”

Shen Lanxi replied irritably, “After poisoning someone, would the culprit just stay on the spot? Even a fool knows to run.”

Yue Chuhe roared, “You dare insult this prince?”

Seeing him raise his hand, Shen Lanxi warned coldly, “I advise Third Prince Yue to think carefully before striking. I won’t stand still and let you hit me.”

If she struck back, whether he ended up with a broken arm or leg would depend entirely on her mood.

Just then Zhou Ruyuan returned.

“Someone in the kitchen fell ill today, so they hired a neighbor as a temporary helper. That helper is missing; we’ve already sent people to bring him in.”

Yue Chuhe glared. “An incident happened to our delegation on your territory. Great Zhou must give an explanation!”

Zhou Ruyuan said, “I have already ordered a report sent to the palace. You will receive an explanation as soon as possible.”

Yue Chuhe snorted coldly. “You people of Great Zhou will naturally favor your own. If this matter is brushed aside, when I return home I will certainly memorialize my father and cut off grain supplies to Great Zhou!”

Zhou Ruyuan’s heart sank. That was precisely what he feared most.

“Rest assured, Third Prince Yue. I will certainly give you a satisfactory explanation.”

Yue Chuhe was still furious, but several Yue envoys surrounded him and persuaded him, and he finally stopped shouting.

Soon a guard came to report:

“Reporting to Your Highness—the temporary kitchen helper was found dead at home. His neighbor’s entire family has also been murdered. When we arrived, there were no suspicious persons nearby. The killers had already been gone for some time.”