dognovel Chapter 232: It’s not poisonous, then drink one and let everyone see!
Chapter 232: It’s not poisonous, then drink one and let everyone see!
Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and noticed the prince who had been sitting quietly in the corner.
The Crown Prince stared at the Second Prince's hand reaching for the Imperial Seal with a cold, frosty gaze. "Second brother, you're still too impatient."
The queen's face darkened, her eyes shot towards the prince like knives, and her tone was filled with suppressed anger: "Jinnian, what are you doing?"
The prince did not give in. He looked directly at the queen and said in a cold and firm voice:
"Empress, can you and my second brother really accept this imperial decree so recklessly? Your eagerness to ascend the throne before our father's body is even cold, don't you fear the world's ridicule?"
The Second Prince stood up suddenly like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his face flushed red as he retorted harshly, "First Prince, what do you mean by that? Father has just passed away, and you're already talking nonsense here. Are you planning a rebellion?"
The Crown Prince sneered, his gaze sweeping sarcastically over the Second Prince and his followers, his tone filled with undisguised contempt: "Literally. Before accepting the imperial edict, we should first investigate the cause of our father's death! As his children, we shouldn't let him die with regrets."
When these words came out, the ministers were shocked. "Grand Prince, what do you mean by this?"
"You may wish to ask the imperial physicians for the specific details. After all..." The prince paused, "Father was poisoned by arsenic."
"what?"
The ministers on the scene cried out in surprise. They thought the emperor had died of illness, but they didn't expect it to be...
"My dear doctors, please tell me how the emperor died."
The Queen's face was pale, while the Second Prince's was ashen. The imperial doctors avoided his gaze, "He...died of arsenic poisoning."
As expected, the ministers loyal to the emperor were furious, "Who dares to poison the emperor?"
The Crown Prince turned his head to look at the Empress and the other two, and said with a half-smile, "Yes! Who was it? At that time, the Empress was the only one by Father's side."
The Queen cursed angrily, "Don't you dare ignore me."
The Crown Prince rebuked him calmly, "If you investigate, you'll know that you are inextricably linked to the Emperor's death. Traitors like you, what qualifications do you have to lay claim to the throne of the Supreme Being?"
The second prince's expression suddenly changed, and a hint of guilt flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
He forced himself to remain calm and shouted, "Nonsense! Come! Take the eldest prince away, before he continues to spread rumors and confuse the people!"
Upon hearing this, the guards looked at the queen hesitantly.
The Queen nodded slightly, signaling them to take action.
The guards then stepped forward and prepared to take the prince away.
"Stop!" the prince shouted, shocking the guards to stop in their tracks.
His eyes were like torches, and he said coldly, "I have evidence that the Queen and the Second Prince are plotting to murder my father. Who of you dares to touch me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell into deathly silence.
The ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. Someone couldn't help but whisper, "Your Highness, are you serious?"
The prince sneered and said firmly, "Of course I take it seriously."
He raised his finger and pointed at one of the imperial physicians, the same one who had previously suggested that Yan Wanwan treat the emperor. "You are the one who provided the arsenic for the empress and the second prince. The remaining arsenic is now hidden in a compartment of the Imperial Hospital. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to investigate."
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician's face paled instantly, and a fine layer of cold sweat oozed from his forehead. He forced himself to remain calm, but his voice trembled slightly. "Prince, please don't slander me! Arsenic is a highly toxic substance. How could the Imperial Hospital store such a substance? You are making a false accusation!"
The head of the Imperial Hospital also stepped forward and echoed in a serious tone, "Indeed, the Imperial Hospital is strictly managed. No poisonous substance could possibly be brought in. Your Highness, your statement is absurd."
The Crown Prince's gaze was cold as he stared directly at the Head of the Imperial Hospital. "Ridiculous? Where did the arsenic poison that Father was poisoned with come from? Wasn't it your Imperial Hospital's negligence that allowed such a poison to enter the palace?"
The dean was suddenly speechless and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Everyone in the Imperial Hospital looked at each other with flickering eyes, and finally lowered their heads, not daring to speak again.
Upon seeing this, the prince glanced at everyone coldly, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "Whether it's true or not, we'll know once we investigate. Anyone who dares to stop us will be executed on the spot!"
The Second Prince suddenly burst into laughter, his voice filled with sarcasm and pride. "Hahaha! First Prince, what on earth are you expecting? Do you think Father will pass the throne to you? Don't forget that I am Father's most beloved son!"
He said, and clapped his hands.
Suddenly, the guards outside the palace drew out the long swords at their waists, and with the swords flashing, they surrounded them with murderous intent.
Seeing this, the people who were originally suspicious suddenly dared not act rashly.
But this action undoubtedly exposed the second prince's guilty conscience.
The prince feigned shock, his tone tinged with sorrow: "You... even bribed the Imperial Guards! How audacious!"
The Second Prince raised his chin proudly, his tone full of provocation, "First Prince, please don't speak so harshly. Since my father has passed the throne to me, I naturally have the right to command the Imperial Guards. But you, you are making such a fuss here, are you planning a rebellion?"
The prince looked at him coldly, a hint of sarcasm flashing in his eyes. "Treason? Second brother, you think too highly of yourself. The throne is not yours to decide."
The second prince's face darkened and he was about to retort when he suddenly heard a burst of orderly footsteps coming from outside the hall.
Then, a majestic voice sounded: "Second Prince, aren't you too impatient?"
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw the Prince of Dongping striding into the hall with a team of elite soldiers.
His appearance instantly reversed the situation.
The Second Prince glared at him, "Prince of Dongping, how dare you lead troops into the palace? Are you planning a rebellion like my eldest brother?"
The Prince of Dongping turned a blind eye to his questioning and directly took out the hard-core weapon, the arsenic found in the Imperial Hospital.
"Queen, what else do you have to say now?"
The Queen immediately pointed at the imperial physician and shouted, "Come here, arrest the murderer who plotted to murder His Majesty."
The imperial physician's legs went weak and he instantly knelt on the ground. He opened his mouth but said nothing.
Prince Dongping sneered, "I finally understand why the Second Prince is so anxious. It turns out that like mother, like son!"
"Prince Dongping, although you have done a great service in finding the real culprit, I cannot tolerate your disrespect towards me."
"Empress, you must be careful, otherwise if the powder on your fingers falls into your mouth, there will be no way to save the situation."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at the Queen with scrutiny. The concubines who had grudges against the Queen started to speak up one after another: "Your Majesty, I didn't expect it was really you. How could you harm His Majesty?"
"Your Majesty, you have committed an unforgivable crime!"
The queen was obviously frightened by his words and quickly withdrew her hand, and was distracted by the ridicule of these little bitches.
"Assholes, do you think you can arbitrarily arrange my life? You..."
Her words stopped abruptly because the Prince of Dongping had already grabbed her hand, which she had tried to hide, and put it into the tea, and raised the cup of water to her lips.
Prince Dongping challenged him, "Since it's not poisonous, then your Majesty, drink one and show everyone!"