At Prince Yu's tone, everyone caught the scent of gossip. Their eyes lit up, and they eagerly settled in to watch the drama unfold.
Chu Siqing: [My father really is this tough!]
Han Wanqing thought, At least he's a real man.
Princess Yongfu panicked for a moment, then immediately forced herself to calm down.
"What are you saying I did?"
She had neatly disposed of everyone who had handled that dog. She refused to believe Prince Yu could uncover anything.
Chu Hongle's eyes blazed with fury. "When my wife was nearing her delivery, she was taking a walk in the courtyard when a dog suddenly darted out and charged into her. The fright sent her into labor, and both mother and child nearly died."
He paused, then continued, "I investigated secretly for a long time before discovering that you had deliberately ordered someone to let that dog in!"
He fixed his gaze on Princess Yongfu and said coldly, "Yongfu, lives were at stake. How could you do such a thing?"
Hearing such explosive gossip, everyone turned condemning eyes on Princess Yongfu.
Good heavens!
Princess Yongfu had actually dared to plot against Prince Yu's consort!
She had nearly killed both mother and child! How vicious!
Feeling the strange looks around her, Princess Yongfu panicked and blurted out, "Utter nonsense! This has nothing to do with me!"
She gritted her teeth. "What proof do you have? Don't think you can slander me with nothing but empty words!"
Chu Siqing had already learned the details from the system.
[Father! She sent her maid Cuixi to buy rat poison from Blind Zhang in South City, then picked up a stray dog and fed it the poison. After that, she bribed Wang Er, the driver who delivered the chamber pots, to bring it into the residence!]
[Princess Yongfu has already sold Cuixi and Wang Er far away to the south! But Blind Zhang, the rat-poison seller, is only pretending to be blind. He knows what Cuixi looks like!]
Chu Hongle's confidence instantly soared. He said to Princess Yongfu, "Naturally, I have proof!"
He turned and loudly commanded, "Guards! Bring Blind Zhang, the rat-poison seller from the south of the city, here under guard!"
Several guards from the residence filed out, answering, "Yes!"
At the name "Blind Zhang," Princess Yongfu's heart began pounding wildly.
After Cuixi had carried out the task, she had feared something might go wrong, so she had first learned every detail of what had happened before selling Cuixi and Wang Er far away!
Of everyone who had handled the matter, only that "Blind Zhang" remained.
But he was merely a rat-poison seller who could not see anything. How had Prince Yu learned about him?
Princess Yongfu could not make sense of it, and a vague unease began creeping over her.
Never mind. That "Blind Zhang" can't see anyway. Surely he won't have anything useful to say.
With that thought, Princess Yongfu regained her composure. She would see just how Prince Yu intended to pin this on her today!
The guards of Prince Yu's Residence were highly efficient. Within the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they had brought Blind Zhang to the residence.
Two guards held an old man by either arm and pressed him to the ground. "His Highness Prince Yu has questions for you. Answer honestly!"
The old man wore ragged clothes, and his white eyes were dull and lifeless. At those words, he hastily knelt and kowtowed. "Your... Your Highness, ask whatever you wish. I wouldn't dare deceive you!"
His forehead struck the ground firmly, but he was facing the wrong direction. He was actually addressing Princess Yongfu beside him as "Your Highness," making him seem plainly blind.
Looking at the pitiful Blind Zhang, everyone began murmuring.
"This old man can't see anything!"
"Exactly. How could he possibly be a witness?"
"His Highness isn't like a desperate patient grasping at any doctor, is he?"
Listening to the whispers around her, Princess Yongfu's eyes filled with triumph. She said to Prince Yu, "Brother, you found a blind man to serve as your witness?"
She took out a handkerchief and covered her mouth with a laugh. "If you're determined to condemn someone, you'll never lack a pretext."
Before anyone could react, Chu Hongle abruptly drew his sword and thrust it straight toward Blind Zhang's eyes.
Just as everyone thought Blind Zhang would die on the spot, a sharp gleam suddenly flashed in the old man's white eyes, and he nimbly dodged the blade.
Someone in the crowd was the first to catch on.
"He isn't blind at all!"
At that cry, realization washed over everyone as though wisdom had been poured straight into their heads.
"Blind Zhang was only pretending to be blind!"
"I knew His Highness must have a reason for what he did!"
"What a slippery old man!"
As Princess Yongfu watched everything unfold before her, her face instantly turned deathly pale!
If only I'd known, I should have disposed of Blind Zhang as well!
Chu Hongle glanced at Princess Yongfu's expression and sneered, "Yongfu, are you afraid?"
Princess Yongfu struggled to keep up her composure. "What should I be afraid of? He's merely a fraud pretending to be blind!"
Meanwhile, several guards had already pinned Blind Zhang firmly to the ground again.
Chu Hongle snorted coldly, then demanded, "You dared to pretend to be blind before me. What punishment do you deserve?"
Blind Zhang was already weeping and begging for mercy. "Spare my life, Your Highness! I only wanted to scrape together a living!"
He kowtowed with loud thuds. "Please see the truth, Your Highness! I've only ever sold rat poison. I've never done anything that defies heaven and conscience!"
To find evidence, Chu Siqing specifically searched the system for gossip about Blind Zhang:
[Blind Zhang used to be a painter, and he loved looking at beautiful women most of all. Later, he offended someone powerful and was driven out. With no income and no other skills, he came up with a plan to pretend to be blind and sell rat poison in the south of the city.]
[Seeing that he was old and blind, the women felt great sympathy for him, and many bought their poison from him. Blind Zhang took the opportunity to sneak looks at them. If any were beautiful, he would draw them on paper and keep the pictures.]
[Father, Cuixi is very beautiful. She likes wearing green and has a red mole at the corner of her eye. Blind Zhang saw Cuixi, so he must have secretly drawn her!]
Hearing his daughter's thoughts, Chu Hongle could not help twitching the corners of his mouth.
He coughed and asked Blind Zhang, "Do you remember a maid dressed in green, with a red mole at the corner of her eye, coming to buy poison from you a month ago?"
Blind Zhang did remember that woman, but the situation before him clearly involved the powerful people present. He could not afford to offend any of them.
His eyes shifted as he answered vaguely, "Forgive me, Your Highness. I sell dozens of packets of rat poison every day. I truly can't remember a customer from a month ago."
Seeing that he refused to admit it, Chu Hongle had no choice but to reveal the hidden details in public. "Blind Zhang, you used to be a painter. You've always loved looking at beautiful women, and after seeing them, you draw them on paper. You have that maid's portrait stored in your home. Is that true or not?"
Seeing Prince Yu reveal such a private secret, Blind Zhang instantly paled with shock.
He no longer dared conceal anything and kowtowed repeatedly. "Forgive me, Your Highness! There... there was such a maid. I truly didn't remember just now..."
Once Blind Zhang admitted it, everyone began voicing their disgust.
"Tsk! What a filthy old man!"
"At his age, he still likes ogling beautiful women!"
"Thank goodness His Highness can discern even the finest details!"
Chu Hongle turned to Princess Yongfu, who was already swaying on her feet, and demanded, "Yongfu, what else do you have to say?"
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