Physician Lin had suddenly accused me. I suspect that because Su Mingyuan was arrested, he feared being implicated and tried to frame me!"
Lin Taichu hurriedly spoke up. "Your Majesty, he is lying! Su Mingyuan personally confessed that Zheng Xiuyuan ordered him to do it, and there is also the matter of Imperial Physician Zhou assisting him. These are all irrefutable proofs!"
"Su Mingyuan's confession?"
Zheng Xiuyuan sneered. "Can the words of a prisoner be considered evidence? To save his own life, who would he not falsely accuse?"
"As for Imperial Physician Zhou, he has been missing for days. Who can prove that he has anything to do with me? Physician Lin, if you cannot produce solid evidence, then you are falsely accusing a court official!"
The King set down the document and looked at Lin Taichu. "Physician Lin, how do you explain Zheng Xiuyuan's claim regarding the watermarks? Furthermore, Su Mingyuan's confession is indeed only his own testimony, with no corroborating evidence."
Just as Lin Taichu was about to defend himself, Zheng Xiuyuan suddenly picked up the Longevity Pill on the table, which had turned black when tested with a Silver Needle. Amid the crowd's shocked cries, he put it directly into his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it.
"Your Majesty!" Zheng Xiuyuan wiped his mouth and called out loudly.
"I guarantee with my life that this Longevity Pill contains absolutely no deadly poison! If I experience any discomfort within half an hour, Your Majesty may punish me as you see fit! But if I am unharmed, then I ask Your Majesty to clear my name and punish Lin Taichu for false accusation!"
The entire hall fell silent; one could have heard a needle hit the ground. The civil and military officials exchanged looks, none of them