AWB Chapter 183 A Cowardly Spine
Chapter 183 A Cowardly Spine
Su Mu raised his hand, signaling all the officials to step back.
He frowned, his eyes filled with seriousness, and said in a low voice, "Young Master Yun, if the poison of the 'Pulling Silk' is indeed related to Consort Zhou, I'm afraid Prince Qi's reach is much longer than we imagined."
Yun Shang nodded slightly, his expression remaining aloof.
He raised his eyes, a dark glint in them. "If the Prince of Qi could silently administer the Poison of the Thread of Deception to the assassins secretly trained by the Prince of Xuan, he could also administer it elsewhere."
Upon hearing this, Su Mu's pupils contracted sharply, and the veins on his forehead throbbed a few times.
He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse, "...You mean, there might be other people who have been poisoned by the 'Pulling Silk' poison?"
Yun Shang nodded, glancing down at the man in black's face.
The man in black, whose face was pale from years of lack of sunlight, suddenly had fine black lines resembling blood vessels appearing on his face.
Black threads started to spread from her face and gradually spread up her body.
"The sleeping incense I used was given to me by a divine physician. I suppose there was something in the incense that triggered the 'Pulling Silk Poison'," Yun Shang said in a cold voice. "If it weren't for such a coincidence, I'm afraid no one would know that these people have all been poisoned by the 'Pulling Silk Poison'."
"If even the secret guards hidden by Prince Xuan have been poisoned, what about the Imperial Guards and Feathered Forest Guards in the open? What about the private soldiers of the other princes' residences?"
As Su Mu listened to Yun Shang speak in a calm and aloof tone, his back was already covered in cold sweat.
If what Yun Shang guessed was true, wouldn't it be incredibly easy for the King of Qi to plot a rebellion and seize the throne?
Su Mu took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "Young Master Yun, this matter is of utmost importance and must be reported to Prince Chen as soon as possible."
Yun Shang nodded slightly.
Su Mu looked at the men in black on the ground and felt a headache coming on.
Originally, all that was needed was to find evidence of Prince Xuan's cheating and fraud, and then, incidentally, to sow discord between Prince Xuan and Prince Qi, so that Prince Xuan would implicate Prince Qi and cause him to suffer a loss.
He never imagined that capturing a few assassins would lead to such a huge incident.
Su Mu looked troubled. "This matter is too difficult. What about the Emperor..."
He hesitated, wondering whether he should report the matter to Emperor Wenjing.
Firstly, these people were assassins, people who couldn't be brought to light. Yun Shang's earlier statement that the Imperial Guards and Feathered Forest Guards might also have been poisoned was just speculation. Even if Emperor Wenjing believed it, he wouldn't send anyone to investigate.
This is a huge matter; once it gets out, it will definitely cause widespread panic.
Secondly, Emperor Wenjing has favored Consort Zhou above all others over the years. Among so many concubines in the harem, only Consort Zhou has maintained such unwavering favor.
If they were to say they suspected Consort Zhou of using poison to harm people, would Emperor Wenjing believe them?
Given Emperor Wenjing's suspicious nature, he would probably suspect that they had deliberately framed Consort Zhou and Prince Qi and his mother.
Yun Shang pondered for a moment and said, "Let's report this matter to the Prince first and let him make a decision."
“Alright.” Su Mu nodded and summoned the officials from the Dali Temple, instructing them, “Take these men in black away and check them thoroughly to prevent them from committing suicide.”
"Yes."
Su Mu then turned and ordered that the guards be strengthened, increasing the number of guards in the Dark Prison by 30%.
After everything was arranged, he turned his attention to Zhang Gong, who was almost scared out of his wits in the cell.
"Lord Zhang, are you alright?"
Zhang Gong huddled in the corner, trembling. Only when he heard someone call his name did he raise his head, his body shaking.
Only after seeing Su Mu's face clearly did he crawl out from the corner, tears streaming down his face.
"Lord Su, save me! Save me!"
"Prince Xuan wants to kill me to silence me! I'll confess! I'll confess to anything!"
"It was Prince Xuan who instigated the cheating and made me switch the exam papers of candidates Zhou Yizhi and Yun Shang. Lord Su, I was forced into it! Prince Xuan coerced and bribed me, I dared not refuse..."
Su Mu glanced at Yun Shang, who stood to the side with a cold expression, and chuckled softly.
There wasn't a trace of a smile in his eyes.
He crouched down and brushed the damp, messy hair from Zhang Gong's face. "Lord Zhang, you say that Prince Xuan instructed you to switch the candidates' exam papers. What evidence do you have?"
Zhang Gong grabbed Su Mu's robe urgently, his eyes full of pleading, and said in a trembling voice, "Prince Xuan bribed many officials in the court to commit cheating in the imperial examinations, and I was not the only one!"
“I secretly wrote down a list, and…and detailed plans and accounts of the cheating and fraud, they’re all there!”
"Lord Su! If you spare my life, I'll tell you where these things are hidden!"
Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Su Mu's eyes, and he reached out to grab Zhang Gong's chin.
His voice was cold and menacing. "Lord Zhang, you have no right to negotiate with me."
Yun Shang stood outside the prison door and glanced at it sideways.
……
Zhang Gong was a coward who feared death. Before Su Mu could even torture him, he confessed everything.
He sent people from the Dali Temple to collect evidence, while he and Yun Shang went to the Prince Chen's residence.
Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
Inside the carriage, Su Mu glanced at Yun Shang's flawless face and couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Young Master Yun, I've heard you're already married. I imagine Madam Yun must be an exceptionally beautiful and unparalleled woman, right?"
Yun Shang looked up at him but did not answer.
Su Mu awkwardly touched the tip of her nose.
I had long heard that His Highness Prince Chen's newly recruited advisor was aloof and taciturn, and it is indeed true.
The two were not very familiar with each other. Seeing that Yun Shang ignored him, Su Mu did not speak again. The surroundings were silent except for the sound of the carriage moving.
Just as Su Mu was drifting off to sleep, he suddenly heard Yun Shang's voice in his ear.
"No."
Startled, Su Mu asked in confusion, "Huh?"
Yun Shang remained silent.
He reached out and lifted the carriage curtain, gazing at the dark night outside, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
She wasn't the stunning beauty that people described, but in his eyes, every move she made stirred his heart.
This caused him to sink into depravity.
Inside the Prince's residence, Prince Chen had already retired for the night.
When Mingwei heard from the guards that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and Yunshang were requesting an audience, he guessed that something serious must have happened. Without delay, he went into the room and woke up Prince Chen.
Upon learning that Yun Shang and Su Mu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, had arrived together, Prince Chen immediately stood up and said, "Have them wait for me in the study."
Before long, Prince Chen appeared in the study wearing an outer robe.
Yun Shang and Su Mu stepped forward to pay their respects, but Prince Chen raised his hand to stop them. "No need for such formalities. What happened?"
Su Mu glanced at Yun Shang, and seeing that he didn't intend to speak, she reported the whole story to Prince Chen in detail.
Prince Chen's brows furrowed, his gaze grew deeper, and the atmosphere in the room became heavy.
He paced back and forth in the room, his expression cold and stern. "It turns out to be a 'tethering thread'... This matter must be handled with care. Let's suppress this for now and not rush to report it to Father."
Su Mu nodded.
Prince Chen then asked, "Is there any progress in the cheating case?"
"Yes, Prince Xuan really couldn't hold back and sent his guards to silence him tonight," Su Mu replied. "Zhang Gong is a coward who is afraid of death. After I rescued him, he confessed everything before I even tortured him. I have already sent people to collect the relevant evidence."