Rebirth and Reversal of Fortune

Chapter 448 Investigating the Poisoning Incident: Clues Remain Elusive

The poisoning incident at the palace banquet caused a huge uproar. Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling were tasked with assisting in the investigation and vowed to find the mastermind behind it all.

Xiao Ling first carefully examined the dishes eaten by the poisoned concubines. He discovered that the poison in the dishes was not a common substance, and its source must have been very secretive.

“This poison is rare; it must have been meticulously planned by someone,” Xiao Ling said, frowning.

Su Jinxiu then asked the palace maids and eunuchs who were in charge of serving the dishes that day.

"Have you noticed anything unusual?" Su Jinxiu asked sharply.

A young eunuch answered tremblingly, "Madam, I did not notice anything unusual at the time."

Su Jinxiu did not give up and continued to patiently guide the conversation: "During the preparation of the dishes, was anyone near you or acted strangely?"

After some questioning, a palace maid finally provided an important clue.

"Madam, I think I saw Eunuch Li from the Imperial Kitchen lingering suspiciously nearby for a while after that dish was cooked."

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu exchanged a glance and decided to start their investigation by focusing on this eunuch, Li.

They arrived at the imperial kitchen, only to find that Eunuch Li had vanished.

“This Eunuch Li must have something to hide and has fled to avoid punishment,” Xiao Ling said.

Su Jinxiu analyzed, "He was able to disappear in such a short time, there must be someone helping him behind the scenes."

So they began searching for Eunuch Li's whereabouts throughout the palace.

During their investigation, they encountered numerous obstacles. Some unidentified individuals attempted to obstruct their investigation and even threatened them.

"General Xiao, Madam Su, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business, or you will bear the consequences."

Xiao Ling was utterly unafraid: "In broad daylight, how dare you villains act so presumptuously!"

Su Jinxiu also firmly stated, "We are determined to get to the bottom of this."

They searched every corner and finally found Eunuch Li in an abandoned palace within the imperial palace complex.

“Eunuch Li, you can’t escape now,” Xiao Ling shouted.

Upon seeing this, Eunuch Li collapsed to the ground, crying out, "General, spare my life! General, spare my life!"

After some interrogation, Eunuch Li confessed that he had been instructed by a concubine to poison the food.

"Which concubine is it?" Su Jinxiu pressed.

Eunuch Li said tremblingly, "It is...it is Consort Ning."

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu were shocked. Consort Ning usually seemed gentle and kind, but they never expected her to do such a vicious thing.

They decided to meet with Consort Ning.

“Your Highness Consort Ning, things have come to this point, you should tell the truth,” Su Jinxiu said.

Consort Ning vehemently denied it: "Don't try to frame me. I have never done anything so heinous."

Just as the two sides were deadlocked, Xiao Ling discovered some suspicious items in Consort Ning's palace.

"Your Majesty, how do you explain these things?"

Consort Ning's face turned pale, but she still tried to remain calm.

At this point, new clues surfaced.

It turns out that Consort Ning was also being used; the real mastermind was someone else.

"Who is pulling the strings behind all this?" Xiao Ling pondered.

Su Jinxiu said, "No matter who it is, we must find them."

They continued their investigation, leaving no stone unturned.

In the process, they discovered that the power struggles within the court were far more complex and brutal than they had imagined.

"My lord, it seems we must be even more careful."

Xiao Ling nodded: "Don't worry, Madam, I will definitely not let you get hurt."

Just when they thought they were getting closer to the truth, an even greater crisis quietly descended.

Xiao Ling suddenly received a mysterious letter warning him that if he continued the investigation, he and Su Jinxiu would be in mortal danger.

"This is a blatant threat." Xiao Ling angrily crumpled the letter into a ball.

Su Jinxiu said, "The more they act like this, the closer we are to the truth."

Su Jinxiu and Xiao Ling face increasing difficulties in their investigation of the palace poisoning incident. The constantly emerging clues are like a tangled mess, plunging them into a deep predicament.

The clues they received from Eunuch Li pointing to Consort Ning turned out to be more complex upon further investigation. Consort Ning vehemently denied her crimes, and some of the details she provided only complicated the entire affair.

"Although I had some contact with Eunuch Li, it was just routine palace business. I never instructed him to poison me," Consort Ning said with tears in her eyes.

Xiao Ling frowned and began to re-examine the existing clues. Su Jinxiu, on the other hand, carefully reviewed various records and testimonies.

“My lord, look at this palace maid’s testimony. It’s contradictory and seems like she’s hiding something,” Su Jinxiu said, pointing to one of the testimonies.

Xiao Ling took it and examined it carefully, his doubts growing even stronger.

They decided to investigate the imperial kitchen again, only to find that some key ingredient records had disappeared, leaving only some vague traces.

"This is clearly something someone did on purpose to cover up the truth." Xiao Ling's face was gloomy.

Meanwhile, new figures are drawn into the case. A minister with a long-standing feud with the poisoned concubine becomes highly suspicious before and after the incident.

"Is there some shady collusion between this minister and the concubines in the harem?" Su Jinxiu wondered.

Xiao Ling shook his head: "There is no conclusive evidence yet, so we cannot draw any conclusions rashly."

Just as they were preparing to investigate the minister, news came that a mysterious letter had been found in the palace of the poisoned concubine, and the contents of the letter seemed to be related to the poisoning incident.

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu rushed over to check, only to find that the handwriting on the letter was blurry and illegible.

"Was this deliberately sabotaged, or is it due to the passage of time?" Su Jinxiu pondered.

Every step of the investigation was fraught with obstacles. Various seemingly related clues intertwined, yet broke apart at crucial points, preventing them from piecing together the complete truth.

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu felt unprecedented pressure.

"Madam, this investigation is likely to be more difficult than we imagined," Xiao Ling sighed.

Su Jinxiu firmly said, "Husband, the more this is the case, the greater the conspiracy behind it must be. We must not give up."

Just when they were at their wits' end, a mysterious stranger appeared before them.

“I can provide you with some clues, but you must agree to one condition,” the stranger said.

Xiao Ling looked at him warily: "Who are you? Why are you helping us?"

The stranger smiled slightly: "Who I am is not important. What's important is that I can help you out of your predicament. As for the conditions, you will find out in the future."

Xiao Ling and Su Jinxiu hesitated, unsure whether they should trust this stranger who had suddenly appeared.

“Husband, let’s hear what he has to say,” Su Jinxiu said.

The stranger then revealed a shocking clue that pointed to a hidden figure in the court.

"Could it be him?" Xiao Ling's eyes widened.

However, this clue did not bring a clear direction, but rather more questions and uncertainties.