"Lier, what exactly is going on?"
The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and everyone else were stunned pale by Leng Ruo Li's words. Then, they all looked at her in utter bewilderment.
The only person present who was furious because Leng Ruo Li had ruined his plan was Lin Zhen Fan, who gnashed his teeth.
"Father, Imperial Grandmother, someone poisoned the Longevity Soup," Leng Ruo Li stated again.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's expression instantly darkened. He bellowed at the people below, "Where is Imperial Physician Zhang?"
"Your Majesty, I am here!"
Imperial Physician Zhang, seated in the second row from the left in the corner, immediately stood up to reply.
"Did you detect any poison in the Longevity Soup?" the Emperor asked directly.
"Your Majesty, I did not lift the lid of the soup tureen, so I did not detect anything unusual in the Longevity Soup," Imperial Physician Zhang replied truthfully.
"Then quickly open it and verify if this soup is indeed poisoned," the Emperor said, his imperial brows tightly furrowed.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
With that, Imperial Physician Zhang immediately opened the lid of the soup tureen and took out a specially made poison-testing needle, passed down through his family, from a pouch at his waist. He dipped it into the soup, and the part of the needle that touched the soup instantly turned black.
"Your Majesty, the Longevity Soup on my table is indeed poisoned," Imperial Physician Zhang said with a solemn expression.
"Come up and verify these two bowls of soup for the Empress Dowager and me," the Emperor added.
"Yes!"
Saying this, Imperial Physician Zhang quickly walked to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's tables. He took out two more specially made poison-testing needles, passed down through his family, and dipped them into the soup. As a result, both needles in his hand turned black.
Seeing this, everyone's faces became even paler with fright.
At this moment, the Emperor's expression grew even more somber. His majestic tiger eyes focused ahead, his gaze so cold it could kill.
No one in the hall dared to breathe loudly.
"Eunuch Li, go summon the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen to an audience!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After Eunuch Li acknowledged the order, he hastily flicked his horsetail whisk and walked out of the Chaoyang Hall, heading straight for the Imperial Kitchen.
Not long after, Eunuch Li brought the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen, the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen, and all the kitchen hands who were working in the Imperial Kitchen to the Chaoyang Hall, under escort.
"Your humble servants pay their respects to Your Majesty!"
The Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen, trembling, knelt in the center of the hall with the people from the Imperial Kitchen to greet the Emperor.
"Do you know your crimes?" the Emperor asked coldly.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant does not know!" the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen replied fearfully.
"Is this Longevity Soup from the Imperial Kitchen?" the Emperor asked again, suppressing his anger.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen answered honestly.
"Then why does this Longevity Soup contain potent poison?"
"Your Majesty, I personally oversaw all the dishes for the birthday banquet. I truly do not know who poisoned the soup!"
The Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen felt extremely unlucky. He had only been Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen for a month, and he had intended to achieve great things. However, on his first major assignment, someone intended to poison the Empress Dowager's Longevity Soup.
Alas, he was truly damned unlucky!
"Then who exactly poisoned the Empress Dowager's Longevity Soup? Step forward and confess willingly, and I shall spare your entire clan."
The Emperor's eyelids lowered slightly, his high-bridged nose and pale thin lips, each contour seemingly relaxed yet containing a sharp chill.
As he spoke, the people kneeling in the center of the hall lowered their heads.
"None of you dare to step forward and confess? Very well!
"Guards, drag them out and administer the rods! Beat them until they confess."
The Emperor immediately issued an order for the kitchen staff to be tortured.
A group of people cried out their innocence in fear.
Leng Ruo Li, who was observing from below, also frowned.
Wasn't the Emperor resorting to forced confessions with severe torture?
"Father, wait!"
Leng Ruo Li shouted to stop him.
"Lier, what is it now?"
The Emperor looked at her with his brows furrowed into a slit, wondering what new trick Leng Ruo Li was up to.
"Father, your severe torture will be useless. Your daughter-in-law has a method to find the real culprit who poisoned the soup."
Leng Ruo Li's eyes flickered, a plan forming in her mind.
"Very well, child, speak," the Emperor nodded slightly as he looked at Leng Ruo Li.
"Father, I have a bottle of miraculous potion here that can verify the poisoned culprit. As long as it's poured into a basin of clean water, anyone who poisoned the soup, upon placing their hands into the water to wash, will cause the clean water in the basin to change color."
Leng Ruo Li casually took out a bottle of saline solution from her system space and fooled them in front of everyone.
"Alright, I shall entrust you with the task of investigating and apprehending the poisoned culprit."
The Emperor sighed and raised his hand to rub his temples.
"Very well, thank you, Father, for your trust in your daughter-in-law," Leng Ruo Li bowed to the Emperor.
"Lier, you shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter," Leng Jin Yu whispered to Leng Ruo Li after hearing this. Because the investigation of this matter was complex and could potentially implicate many people, he was very worried about Leng Ruo Li taking on this task.
Even Xie Yi Chuan, who had been sitting silently, frowned for her.
Only Jun Mo Han and Ming Jiu Xiao, who understood Leng Ruo Li, maintained their usual expressions after hearing her words.
"Father, you don't need to worry. Lier will be fine," Leng Ruo Li said, immediately giving Leng Jin Yu a reassuring look.
"Then be careful. If you can't find out, give up. The Emperor will show me face and won't make things difficult for you."
Leng Jin Yu was still worried about her. Although he had guessed that the current Leng Ruo Li was not his biological daughter, he had long treated this Leng Ruo Li as his beloved daughter. He was also unwilling to reveal the identity of this "Leng Ruo Li."
This was because Leng Jin Yu feared that revealing "Leng Ruo Li's" true identity would strain their father-daughter relationship. Therefore, Leng Jin Yu decided to pretend to be unaware of the current "Leng Ruo Li" being fake his entire life, so she would still be his precious daughter.
At this moment, Leng Ruo Li was deeply moved by Leng Jin Yu's words.
"Mhm, Father, please rest assured, your Lier knows what she's doing."
Immediately after, Leng Ruo Li asked Eunuch Li to personally fetch a basin of clean water and bring it to the hall.
Then, Leng Ruo Li poured the saline solution she was holding into the clean water and had the people from the Imperial Kitchen line up one by one to wash their hands. However, none of the people from the Imperial Kitchen dared to step forward and wash their hands.
"Who will go first and wash?"
As Leng Ruo Li finished speaking, everyone fell silent again.
"You all dare not wash, is that it? Then let's start with the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen."
Leng Ruo Li raised her hand and pointed at the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen.
At this moment, the Head Chef of the Imperial Kitchen, trembling all over, walked to the side of the washbasin. He took a deep breath, his expression like that of someone about to fight their last battle. He put his hands into the water basin. As a result, the water did not change color. Instantly, his previously hanging heart finally settled, and he stood lightly on the side.
Next was the next person, and the next... As a result, after all the people from the Imperial Kitchen had been tested, the water in the basin had not changed color.
Everyone in the hall was stunned.
"Lier, what is going on?" the Emperor asked curiously.
"The culprit who poisoned the soup this time was not someone from the Imperial Kitchen, but someone else who sneaked into the Imperial Kitchen to carry out the poisoning," Leng Ruo Li said, uttering a shocking statement.