The fate was changed, the mistress of the Hou family was slapped in the face and made money to win

Chapter 511: Evidence in the Secret Compartment

Pei Zhaozhi shook his head and said, "I asked the imperial physician, and he said that although he was unconscious before, he showed no signs of poisoning, so it should not be related."

Xiao Ling's death was too sudden. Since it has been confirmed that he was the one who planned and ordered the arson in the Ministry of Justice prison, it means that Xiao Ling's previous illness and coma were all fake.

But now he suddenly died of poisoning. He couldn't think of any other reason except that he committed suicide by taking poison because everything was exposed and he knew there was no way out.

"Then is there any evidence to prove that he committed suicide by taking poison and was not poisoned by someone else?" Shen Yanxi asked.

"The Third Prince's Mansion is guarded by the Imperial Guards, so outsiders cannot get close. Especially in recent days, the guards have become increasingly tight, so it is very difficult to sneak in and poison Xiao Ling. Before you came, I also interrogated the servants in the Third Prince's Mansion who could enter and leave Xiao Ling's room. Judging from their reactions, none of them seemed to be the ones who poisoned him. In addition, we found a secret compartment in this room, which should be where Xiao Ling stored things. We found the bottle of poison in it, and after inspection, it was confirmed that the remaining poison in it was the same type as the one Xiao Ling was poisoned with."

Pei Zhaozhi paused and added.

"Of course, this is just a preliminary judgment. As to whether he committed suicide by taking poison or was poisoned by someone, further investigation is needed."

Shen Yanxi paused for a moment and continued to ask, "Where is the secret compartment you mentioned?"

"Follow me." Pei Zhaozhi walked towards the shelf on the west side of the room.

Shen Yanxi followed behind, while Jiang Suining looked around the room. After scanning the room, his eyes finally stopped on a desk not far from the bed.

The table was not big and there was nothing placed on it, but there was a round circle of incense ash, as if an incense burner had been placed there before but was later taken away.

"Has an incense burner been placed in that place before?" Jiang Suining asked Pei Zhaozhi.

In front of the shelf, Pei Zhaozhi, who was opening the mechanism, looked back.

"The last time I brought the imperial physician here, there was indeed an incense burner there, which was probably filled with sandalwood. At the time, I felt that the scent was stronger than ordinary sandalwood, so I asked the imperial physician to check if there was anything wrong. But after checking, the imperial physician said that although the smell was a bit strong, it was non-toxic and should be fine."

Shen Yanxi looked at the marks on the table and said, "Ningning, did you find anything?"

"No." Jiang Suining shook his head, "I just asked because I saw this trace."

Pei Zhaozhi opened the secret compartment, which previously contained some poison and Xiao Ling's personal seal, but they had all been taken out and there was nothing inside at the moment.

Shen Yanxi carefully observed the secret compartment, knocked on the surroundings, frowned and said, "There seems to be another layer inside."

Pei Zhaozhi reached out his hand and groped and knocked on the edge, and found that something was indeed wrong. He put his palm on the inner wall and pressed hard. The next moment, the wooden board bounced up, and a new space was discovered.

Inside were several letters, all of which were written by officials to Xiao Ling to report on the disaster relief case that year. Some of them also included requests for credit and rewards for the officials who had "contributed"!

Shen Yanxi pondered and said, "Xiao Ling kept these letters, probably to threaten them. After those court officials climbed to high positions, these letters would be the best bargaining chips to tie them to the same boat with him."

Pei Zhaozhi's face was filled with joy. "With these letters, we have solid evidence that the Third Prince was the mastermind behind this!"

Although the previous letter and confession were sufficient evidence, adding these together makes the whole thing complete, including what roles the officials involved played, what they did, and how they should be punished. They cannot be denied.

"Yanxi, it's a good thing you found it. We were careless during the search just now!"

When I just found this secret compartment, all my attention was attracted by the poison. If it weren't for Yan Xi, I would have missed such important evidence.

However, Xiao Ling was indeed cautious, as there was actually a secret compartment hidden within the secret compartment.

The trip to the Third Prince's Mansion has already wasted a lot of time, and Emperor Xiao is still waiting for them to enter the palace. Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi cannot delay any longer and must hurry to enter the palace.

Before leaving, Jiang Suining took another look at the table, feeling that something was not quite right. He scraped off some of the incense ash with a handkerchief, wrapped it up and put it into his sleeve, then left with Shen Yanxi.

The Third Prince's party was delayed for more than half an hour. Yuan Liang drove the carriage very fast on the way into the palace.

After entering the palace gate, there was already a eunuch waiting. After seeing Shen Yanxi and Jiang Suining, he stepped forward and spoke respectfully.

"Sir Shen, the emperor is not in the imperial study. I will lead the way for you."

Following the eunuch who led the way, Jiang Suining and Shen Yanxi entered the harem and finally stopped outside a palace.

The palace was not big and was located in a remote area. The eunuch who led the way stood outside the gate and said, "This is where the Third Prince lived before he opened his own palace. The Emperor is inside. Please come in, both of you."

"Thank you." Shen Yanxi nodded, then held Jiang Suining's hand and walked in with her side by side.

As soon as they entered, the two saw Emperor Xiao standing in the yard.

"Wei Chen has met the emperor."

"The daughter of the people has met the emperor."

The two men bowed and greeted each other. Emperor Xiao had his back to them and turned around after a long time.

However, he did not ask the two to stand up, but just looked at them solemnly.

"You came so late, I guess you have been to Ling'er's house."

Shen Yanxi nodded, "Your Majesty, I have been there."

"Ling'er is dead..." Emperor Xiao looked away and said, "My son is dead."

Although he did not like this son before, and even hated his mother, he was still his flesh and blood after all.

Emperor Xiao's tone was so cold that it made people's hearts tighten.

Jiang Suining maintained her saluting posture and stood there silently until Emperor Xiao's gaze fell on her.

"Jiang Suining, do you think my son died because of you?"

Shen Yanxi frowned quickly, "Your Majesty..."

Jiang Suining reached out and grabbed Shen Yanxi's sleeve, shook his head at him, and signaled him not to speak.

The next moment, Jiang Suining stood up a little straighter, "I dare you to say that the emperor knows exactly why the third prince died."

"Are you trying to say that he deserves it?" Emperor Xiao narrowed his eyes gloomily.

Jiang Suining raised her head and met Emperor Xiao's gaze, "I dare not, but I believe that the emperor has made his own decision."

"What if I just want to vent my anger on you, otherwise I can't get rid of the anger in my heart?"

The sense of oppression emanating from Emperor Xiao was even stronger, like the dark clouds overhead before a summer rainstorm, which made people tremble with fear.