0p0 Chapter 845 The Mastermind!
Chapter 845 The Mastermind!
"This matter is indeed too dangerous, Father. You should order everyone in the manor to be gathered together for a thorough investigation."
General Chu's expression was solemn. The matter involved his granddaughter and the crown prince's son, which was no joke.
General Chu, being a military man by origin, naturally acted swiftly and decisively.
Before long, the steward summoned all the servants of the mansion to one place.
Although the Empress's visit to the Chu residence this time could not be described as traveling incognito, she did not use the Empress's imperial carriage. Therefore, only those close to the master of the house knew that the Empress had come with her grandson.
Most of the servants in the manor were unaware that the Chu family had actually welcomed a distinguished guest.
General Chu briefly explained the situation and then used some intimidation. Before long, he successfully tricked several servants into appearing.
Half an hour later, everyone in the room turned pale.
Duanmu Jing, on the other hand, fainted from anger and frustration.
Chu Rong quickly embraced the person and settled them in the inner room, while he himself was also filled with anger.
It turns out that the person behind this was none other than Chu Moli!
Chu Moli was married off to a distant place, and although the family had chosen a decent location, it was still far from the bustling capital. Moreover, in her eyes, the family's status and position were far below her own.
Therefore, Chu Moli believed that all of this was caused by Princess Duanmu Jing.
If she hadn't acted impulsively and returned to the princess's residence, taking her child with her, why would her parents have missed their granddaughter and grandson, and thus taken their anger out on her, sending her away to marry far away?
Chu Moli was convinced that Princess Duanmu Jing was responsible for her tragic fate, so she harbored the intention to harm the princess and vent her anger.
However, she herself did not expect that the servant she had bribed only knew that Princess Jing liked to eat this kind of pastry. Little did she know that today, when a distinguished guest came to the mansion, the young lady, who usually did not like to eat these things, also ate some, which almost led to a tragedy!
After a thorough examination, the royal physician nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I just asked as well. The princess has been eating these kinds of pastries almost every day for the past few days. Fortunately, the princess isn't greedy and only eats small amounts each time, so the poison in her body isn't serious. If given more time..."
He dared not say those words again.
Mu Xin Nuan snorted coldly, "If given time, I'm afraid Princess Jing will be bedridden, finding everything tasteless, only craving this one kind of sweet, thus deepening the poison's effects until she finally dies. And my poor Zong Hua, just because he thought the pastries in this manor were delicious, ate a few more pieces, and almost lost his life! Fine, fine!"
Mu Xin Nuan was familiar with the Chu family, and they had never seen her so angry in all these years.
Even when Chu Moli nearly ruined her face with a whip back then, she was never this angry!
Today, her own son almost died at Chu Moli's hands. How could she not be furious?
"Guards! Convey my imperial decree: immediately imprison Chu Moli and all members of her husband's family, and interrogate them at a later date."
"Yes, Your Highness."
General Chu and Chu Rong listened quietly to the Crown Prince's instructions, neither of them uttering a single word.
Chu Rong looked at his wife, whose eyes were covered in bluish shadows. He had only thought that she was not getting enough rest because she was taking care of the child these past two days, but he never expected that she had been poisoned by his sister!
How could his sister be so heartless?
If the entire Chu family is implicated because of this, even the extermination of their nine generations would not be an exaggeration.
Madam Chu was so frightened that she couldn't utter a single word.
General Chu, however, sighed deeply and knelt directly before the Crown Prince, saying, "It is my fault for failing to properly educate my daughter. I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
Duanmu Chuze's son almost walked through the gates of hell, so how could he possibly be in a good mood right now?
He merely snorted coldly, ignoring General Chu's words.
Looking at General Chu, whose hair had turned gray, Mu Xin Nuan couldn't help but feel sorry for him. After all, he was her elder, and he and her father were close friends. But this time...
"General Chu, please get up. This matter must be investigated thoroughly first. My mother and I are both reasonable people and will not be swayed by one side's opinion. But if it is indeed found that Chu Moli did it, then please just pretend that you never had such a daughter."
General Chu's eyes immediately filled with tears.
He understood. The Crown Princess meant that she would not hold a grudge against the Chu family, and she would also try her best to persuade the Empress not to take her anger out on the Chu family. However, this time, Chu Moli had caused too much trouble.
Her life alone is probably not enough to appease the hatred of the Crown Prince and the Emperor!
Duanmu Chuze didn't give him a friendly look, and he knew exactly what Mu Xinnuan was thinking.
But knowing this doesn't necessarily make me feel good.
What if he and Mu Xin Nuan hadn't arrived in time today?
Can those quack doctors save Zonghua's life?
He is not a saint. Even if he is the crown prince, even if he is wise and intelligent, he is still just an ordinary man. He also has emotions and desires. His son was poisoned. How could he be so magnanimous as to give these people a good look?
Mu Xin Nuan only spoke up for the Chu family because she knew medicine, and she also knew that although Duanmu Zonghua was somewhat frightening this time, his poisoning was not severe. Otherwise, she wouldn't have spoken up for the Chu family.
Mu Xin Nuan roughly guessed Chu Mo Li's method.
She simply had a small amount of poison added to the pastries each day, so as not to cause the princess to die suddenly and arouse suspicion.
Fortunately, the dose wasn't large; otherwise, even she might not have been able to save her son.
Mu Xin Nuan reached out and touched the Empress's hand. "Mother, please don't worry. Zong Hua is fine, and your granddaughter is also alright. As for Jing'er, thankfully she was discovered early. She'll be alright."
The Empress was now filled with rage, and she said to Madam Chu, "I only thought your Chu Rong was a good person. I have always trusted Chu Rong completely and have never had any complaints about your Chu family. But today, your Chu family's daughter actually tried to murder my daughter. What kind of logic is this?"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty," Madam Chu stammered, too terrified to utter a complete sentence.
The Empress was still furious. "Jing'er is my daughter, a princess of Dayong. She dared to harm her. If Chu Rong had married just an ordinary woman, wouldn't he have been harmed by her several times over?"
These words were quite harsh. Madam Chu lowered her head and knelt beside General Chu, not daring to say a word.
Duanmu Jing, who was in the inner room, had slowly woken up. As soon as she saw Chu Rong, tears immediately welled up in her eyes!