Luo Zhiheng gritted her teeth and said, "I can't help but seek revenge, but I will kill my enemy directly, instead of being as heartless as you and secretly poisoning your own brother for fourteen years!"
First update is here. Sorry for the lateness today. The specific reason is explained in the pinned comment. Huasha will continue to work hard to write the second update. Please vote, leave comments, and give monthly tickets.
255 A Painful Past: The Mystery of Fourteen Years! (Part 2) Perfect Deduction!
Updated: 2013-08-15 11:23:56 Word Count: 8668
Luo Zhiheng's words instantly brought the atmosphere in the room to its peak, turning it into an extremely cold atmosphere.
"How is this possible?!" Mu Yunhe's voice was shrill. He couldn't accept it. Even in novels, there was no such thing as being persecuted by his own sister. If his body had really become this inhuman and ghostly state because of Mu Qingya, how could he and Mu Qingya face each other? Mu Qingya had also completely overturned Mu Yunhe's moral bottom line regarding family affection.
“That’s right, that’s impossible! Luo Zhiheng, look, even Mu Yunhe, who has always defended you, doesn’t believe you anymore. Because there are too many lies in your words, Mu Yunhe is no longer protecting you.” Mu Qingya suddenly changed the subject and sneered, saying, “Even if I hate the Princess Consort, I wouldn’t harm my own brother like this. If you’re going to accuse and slander me, you need to provide evidence.”
Luo Zhiheng said contemptuously, "You want evidence? I'll give you evidence! First, let's talk about your motive for harming Mu Yunhe. It's because you harbored resentment, you were unwilling to accept it, and you wanted revenge. Your Rui'er died, so you were unhappy that Mu Yunhe was still alive. And because you believed that the Princess Consort killed Rui'er for Mu Yunhe's sake, you vented all your anger on Mu Yunhe. That's your motive."
"Let's talk about your partners. Even if you harbored resentment, you couldn't possibly poison Mu Yunhe without anyone noticing, and do so for fourteen years without anyone being able to detect the poisoning. This shows that someone helped you poison him, and these poisons must be rare ones, ensuring your safety. The person who used the poison must be a master who understands various poisons and can obtain them. Therefore, at least two people must have been working with you to carry out this shocking poisoning incident."
"And the various deadly poisons in Mu Yunhe's body have been almost lost for a long time. The only people in the world who are most skilled in using poison and possess these deadly poisons are probably from a family that is a master of poisons! And this family's surname is Nalan!" Luo Zhiheng said the last sentence while looking at the eunuch who had already staggered down the road. Her voice was powerful and full of killing intent.
Nalan Daibai suddenly stiffened, his pale face contorted with a ferocious rage as he glared at Luo Zhiheng with a sinister look.
A hint of madness and murderous intent flashed in Mu Qingya's eyes. She forced a calm smile and said, "These are all baseless claims. I don't know any Nalan family at all. Besides, who could possibly poison Mu Yunhe for me? Your words are simply ridiculous. Your wishful thinking should stop here."
Luo Zhiheng sneered, "I didn't tell you it was the Nalan family. How did you know it was a prominent family? Oh, I remember now, before Your Highness married, you knew someone from the Nalan family, right? It's said that family was also a family that used poisons. How could there be such a coincidence in the world?"
The answer is gradually approaching the truth. The closer we get to the truth, the more oppressive and terrifying it becomes. The princess is terrified; she fears not being able to accept that her own daughter would poison her own son. Mu Yunhe is terrified; this betrayal and harm from his family is a living hell, far more painful than any poison he has ever suffered.
Mu Qingya appeared slightly nervous and subconsciously retorted, "I don't know any Nalan family, so don't talk nonsense here."
"Don't you know them? Then I'll ask you to bring out a witness. I don't need this witness to prove anything else, just to prove whether you know the Nalan family or not!" Luo Zhiheng struck at the heart of the matter, directly presenting a strong witness. She respectfully bowed to Chess Saint Zhan Hainan: "Chess Saint, you are the Chess Saint of the world today, and your words will surely be believed by the world. I also believe that you would not say anything against your conscience. Today, in front of the world, I dare to ask you a question, please say a fair word, does Mu Qingya know anyone from the Nalan family?"
Mu Qingya's face turned deathly pale instantly! Clearly, when Luo Zhiheng asked about the Chess Saint, she knew she was about to be exposed.
The chess master slowly stood up, his face serious, and said, "Mu Qingya does indeed know people from the Nalan family!"
The chests of the people who had been holding their breath rose and fell instantly.
"How did you find out?" Luo Zhiheng asked again.
"About twenty years ago, I played chess with the patriarch of the Nalan family at the Nalan residence. Mu Qingya arrived at the Nalan residence before me that day. Since we had met a few times at the royal banquet, she greeted me. I even asked her why she was at the Nalan residence, and she said she was looking for the young lady of the Nalan family. So I remember it vividly," the chess master said methodically.
No one would doubt the Chess Saint's words, especially since he had no reason to harm Mu Qingya, so there was no question of him giving false testimony. Therefore, Mu Qingya was lying when she said she didn't know anyone from the Nalan family! The first answer was immediately self-evident.
Luo Zhiheng raised an eyebrow and coldly pressed, "Mu Qingya, what else do you have to say? If you're not feeling guilty, why are you lying?"
"This Empress..." Mu Qingya opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.
Nalan Daibai couldn't bear to see Mu Qingya being pressured, so he stepped forward to block her and angrily said, "She is a Noble Consort, what right do you have to interrogate her! Are you looking for death?"
"Just because I am Mu Yunhe's wife, I have the right to protect him and find the culprit who poisoned him! As for you and me, it's not certain who's courting death! Don't talk big in front of me!" Luo Zhiheng said sternly.
"Mu Qingya, do you still want to listen? Knowing your personality, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin, and coincidentally, I'm also relentless in achieving my goal. You have a source for the poisoning, and the Nalan family is willing to help you, but after all, the Nalan family can't easily enter the Prince's mansion. Even if they did, they couldn't possibly poison Mu Yunhe's food and medicine bowl, which are under strict surveillance. So there's only one possibility: the person who poisoned Mu Yunhe in the Prince's mansion is the one least suspicious and least guarded against, that is, someone the Princess or the Prince trusts very much!"
Luo Zhiheng glanced at the princess again, only to see the princess staring wide-eyed, mouth agape as if struck by lightning. A hint of pity flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced by anger: "But after thinking about it carefully, and considering the information from the investigation, it's impossible for it to be the prince's people, because the prince didn't care about Mu Yunhe at all back then, and the prince himself couldn't see Mu Yunhe. So it can only be someone close to the princess."
"And this person, I couldn't understand at first either. Since she was the princess's confidante, she should have been devoted to the princess. Why would she poison her own young master? And why would she help the mastermind of this conspiracy? I couldn't figure it out for a long time, but when this information was handed to me, and when I vividly recalled your childhood, Mu Qingya, I suddenly understood. It turns out that there is a kind of feeling that is not kinship, but it is better than kinship! It is more precious and profound than true kinship. It can make a person betray their master, their conscience, and their morality to do ugly and evil things for someone who is not related to them by blood!" Luo Zhiheng pulled out a stack of papers from her sleeve, threw them hard in front of Mu Qingya, and shouted angrily.
Mu Qingya's pupils constricted. She stiffly looked down at the scattered papers at her feet, each page detailing her childhood in vivid detail, even including things she didn't know before. Her heart sank deeper and deeper.
Who exactly is Luo Zhiheng? How could she possibly have such detailed information about so many old stories?! She's terrifying!
"This is Mu Qingya's childhood experience. When the princess gave birth to her daughter in her early years, she lost a lot of energy. Moreover, you were born with a difficult birth. Your mother risked her life to save you. You didn't know this, did you? You and your son both had difficult births. You and your mother were both willing to risk your lives for your children. So I say that although the princess may not be competent in other aspects, she can be considered a good mother. At the very least, she did not take her child's life."
"Back then, even the imperial physicians were helpless. Basins of blood were being carried out. How much blood does a person have in their body? The midwife and the imperial physicians both said that only one of the mother and child could be saved; any later and both mother and daughter would die! Of course, the prince chose to save the princess. A daughter is naturally not as important as the emperor's bestowed wife. And your mother, whom you keep calling biased and hateful, didn't hesitate to save you back then," Luo Zhiheng said sarcastically.
"Of course, in the end, the princess was lucky enough to survive. However, that childbirth greatly weakened her, and her health has been poor for many years. She has become increasingly haggard day by day. The imperial physician said that it would be difficult for the princess to conceive again. Do you know what that means? The mistress of a prince's mansion, without a son to rely on, her final fate is to be killed and trampled underfoot by a woman with a son! Even if the prince protects the princess's position, do you think the princess will not harbor any resentment? The existence of Consort Li is a thorn in her side. Her more than ten years of hopeless struggle is just a self-protective measure out of fear of an unstable position."
"Until Mu Yunhe was born sixteen years later. The princess had waited sixteen years for her son, who was her only hope. Do you think you would not cherish and love Ruo Ruo's life if you were in her shoes?" Luo Zhiheng's words were very persuasive. She truly hated Mu Qingya. Even though the princess had hurt her so much, the princess had not harmed Mu Yunhe. Therefore, she would rather side with the princess than let Mu Qingya have an easy time.
Mu Qingya listened blankly, unaware that she too had suffered a difficult childbirth, and even less aware that her mother had nearly died giving birth to her. No one had ever mentioned these things to her. She only knew that her mother had never truly loved her, and that she had always been a careful and obedient daughter, rarely receiving a gentle touch or kiss in return. So she had always lived in constant fear. Over time, she developed a dual nature—outwardly gentle and obedient, but inwardly yearning for affection and protection.
She had always lived with such hatred, but when these unknown past events were laid bare before her, she felt only pain and could not accept them at all!
"I don't believe it! So what if she had a difficult childbirth? As a mother, isn't it her duty to give birth? She cherishes and values the son she finally had, so does that mean my son should die? Mu Yunhe is her only hope and support, so isn't my son my hope and support too? She has never given me any love, only strict discipline. I can't feel any maternal love from her at all!" Mu Qingya shouted emotionally.
"But you felt double the love from your wet nurse!" Luo Zhiheng suddenly said in a sinister tone.
Mu Qingya's face turned deathly pale.
The pale face of Hu's mother behind the princess instantly turned ashen.
Luo Zhiheng was investigating a crucial lead: "Your mother might be unable to have children for the rest of her life, so can't she have feelings? But God has been kind to you. You couldn't have your mother's love, but you received the deep maternal love of your wet nurse! You have a wet nurse who loves you to the core. This woman never had children of her own, and never even married. She raised you and treated you like her own son. But because she wasn't your actual wet nurse, you only called her that. She was with you for the short ten-odd years of your childhood and adolescence. She was more than a mother to you. And didn't you call her 'Mother' in private too?"
The princess suddenly turned to look at Mama Hu behind her. There was no need to ask any more questions, because after Luo Zhiheng spoke, the princess understood everything. Mama Hu's expression also told her the truth. The princess instantly collapsed to the ground, completely stunned and bewildered.
The princess questioned in anguish, "Betrayal, betrayal again? Am I really so unpopular in this life? My dowry maid betrayed me, my daughter betrayed me, and even you, whom I relied on, have betrayed me? What did I do wrong? Why are you so cruel to hurt Yunhe? You raised Qingya, and didn't you raise Yunhe with your own hands? How could you be so heartless?!"
Madam Hu's eyes were filled with pain, but she didn't admit anything. She simply knelt down, trying to help the princess up, but the princess forcefully slapped her away, repeatedly questioning her conscience. Madam Hu trembled and said, "This servant is utterly loyal to the princess."
"Loyalty? Your loyalty is nothing but betrayal to harm Mu Yunhe? To stab me in the heart?" the princess suddenly roared sharply.
"What right do you have to accuse Aunt Hu? She didn't do anything wrong. Does anyone have to be so crazy and sharp-tongued just because someone touched your Mu Yunhe? You can treat even Aunt Hu, who has been by your side all her life, like this. Who would dare to be loyal to you? You're a crazy woman!" Mu Qingya said coldly.
Luo Zhiheng clapped her hands and laughed, "What a touching scene of motherly love! I've been blaming someone who was kind to you when you were little. Mu Qingya, you're not entirely heartless either. So you see, you and your wet nurse have a deep bond. If you had just said a word, pleaded with her, would she have been willing to not help you? This person is the Princess's most trusted confidante, so Mu Yunhe naturally wouldn't be wary of her. It would have been perfectly natural and easy for her to poison you."
"That's not true! Nothing you've said is true! I didn't poison Mu Yunhe, I didn't! You can't frame me based on these few points, and you can't hurt me! Because you have no evidence! And I won't allow you to hurt Aunt Hu!" Mu Qingya stubbornly denied it. She had no evidence because she knew that those she used wouldn't betray her. She used emotions to control people's hearts and make them work for her. Love and family ties could both be used as tools for her revenge. This invisible method was flawless; Luo Zhiheng would definitely not be able to find any incriminating evidence.
Still trying to win people over? Clearly, Mu Qingya is afraid that Mama Hu isn't firm enough and might be swayed by the Princess to reveal the truth, right? Luo Zhiheng sneered, "Let's not talk about evidence. Even the Princess has already seen that the person colluding with you is Mama Hu, and you still dare to say I'm wronging her? Fine, I'll ask you, if you didn't poison Mu Yunhe, why are you so hostile towards me? Why do you want to get rid of me?"
"That's hilarious! These two things have absolutely nothing to do with each other!" Mu Qingya burst into laughter.
Luo Zhiheng remained calm and composed, forcefully refuting with reason and evidence: "It's incredibly important! Because of my appearance, the fake divine physician who came to kill Mu Yunhe was driven away! And because I won first place in the Mu Dynasty's talent competition, I gained an opportunity to ask Lady Huoyun for help to treat Mu Yunhe! Lady Huoyun's medical skills are superb; she immediately saw the cause of the illness that the imperial physicians couldn't diagnose—poisoning! My appearance gradually brought to light the conspiracy that trapped Mu Yunhe in illness. And you probably already know all of this! Because there's someone in the Prince's mansion who would risk their life for you! So I've become a thorn in your side!"
"But you didn't kill me back then. I'm afraid you completely looked down on me and were too confident that those poisons couldn't be cured. You also believed that Mu Yunhe would definitely die, so you didn't make a move."
"But when the news broke that I had reached an agreement with the Prince and that he could cure Mu Yunhe, no one else in the Prince's mansion knew, but the Princess Consort did. I never hid anything about Mu Yunhe's condition from her. And every time we talked, Mama Hu knew, because Mama Hu was the Princess Consort's confidante and an elder whom Mu Yunhe respected and loved. We were all the least wary of Mama Hu, but we didn't know that the real venomous snake was actually Mama Hu, who was smiling and kind to us!"
"When Aunt Hu brought you the news again, you really couldn't sit still this time, right? Because Mu Yunhe might have a chance to recover. This would thwart your plan to torture him to the point of wishing he were dead! So you hate me, this time you hate me so much you wish you could get rid of me immediately. I have become a stumbling block to your revenge. Because you want Mu Yunhe dead, while I want Mu Yunhe alive!"
Luo Zhiheng never spoke with all her might, yet her words were always clear, methodical, and sharp, revealing her inner turmoil. She was not merely exposing, but condemning; her principle in dealing with enemies was either to ignore them, treating them like dirt, or to be ruthless, crushing them to dust.
When it comes to Mu Qingya, she has no choice but to go all in! She'll be ruthless to the very end!
She widened her eyes and said sharply, "So, assassins appeared on our journey, and after the first group failed, a second group came, truly intending to kill us all! The second group was even more audacious, actually revealing their own family name. I considered that they might be framing the Bai family, but the Prince said that the Bai family has always been ruthless and arrogant, and it's common for them to reveal their family name. And the Prince also muttered to himself that day, 'Does the Bai family really think that giving someone else a son makes them royalty?' Doesn't that sentence point to the relationship between the Bai family and you, Mu Qingya?"
The conversation finally shifted as Luo Zhiheng returned to her initial accusation against Mu Qingya: "Just as I asked you before why you had the Bai family assassinate us, now I'll answer for you. You had the Bai family assassinate us to wipe us out completely, to kill Mu Yunhe to vent your hatred. You no longer wanted to slowly torture Mu Yunhe. And you killed me because you hated that I disrupted your carefully laid plans."
"However, it's a pity that your plan has failed once again. Because you don't know that the King is a person with an eccentric temper, and I am a person who can be ruthless to myself. My knife saved my life and Mu Yunhe's life. We have come to the Southern Dynasty. You are panicking, aren't you? Your enemy has come to your territory alive. You are not happy, are you? So you can't wait to let us enter the palace, but I did not let Mu Yunhe go. Instead, I went to the palace myself."
"It's ridiculous. I remember everything that happened after I entered the palace: your terrifying head eunuch, your pair of messenger birds that could relay messages, your refusal to see me, your attitude that was tantamount to house arrest, and how you forced me to leave Mu Yunhe, humiliating me in the main hall! All of this made it clear to me that you were dissatisfied and disgusted with me. And how can all this be explained? Now it's clear: it was all because you hated me for wanting to save Mu Yunhe!"
"If I'm not mistaken, I'm afraid that when Zhuge Hualuan painted in the main hall last time, it was all because of the letter from Mama Hu that she told you about it, right? Then you sent someone to write an anonymous letter to Zhuge Hualuan. You used Zhuge Hualuan's hatred for me to try and kill her while you reap the benefits? It's laughable that Zhuge Hualuan was used like a fool, still jumping around like a clown. She has truly disgraced the Zhuge family!" Luo Zhiheng concluded with a heavy sentence, bringing up the Zhuge family at the very end of her speech.
She was telling everyone that she held a grudge; she hadn't forgotten the humiliation and harm Zhuge Hualuan had inflicted upon her. Don't worry, we'll avenge them one by one!
Both Zhuge Huahun and Zhuge Hualuan's mother were stunned, their faces turning grim. 16607485
Everyone was stunned by Luo Zhiheng's chilling yet logically sound and plausible explanation, which, combined with the stock market analysis, left them speechless! This criminal psychology and meticulously planned conspiracy revealed the mastermind's cunning and ruthlessness. If everything was true, then Mu Qingya was undoubtedly a brilliant schemer.
Mu Qingya's only feeling now was dumbfounded! She felt as if she had become transparent in front of Luo Zhiheng! She no longer had any secrets or past; everything was revealed in Luo Zhiheng's casual words! Her schemes, her hatred, her plots and thoughts seemed to have been dissected before Luo Zhiheng without any resistance.
How could she know so much?! It was as if she could see all of Mu Qingya's inner thoughts and feelings! Luo Zhiheng was terrifying. For a moment, Mu Qingya even felt powerless, as if she had been firmly held down by Luo Zhiheng and could not struggle at all.
Because everything Luo Zhiheng said was absolutely accurate! How could Luo Zhiheng have discovered her motives, her thoughts, her scheming partners, the process of her poisoning, all her plots and assassinations?!
"You, you're not human! You're a devil!" Mu Qingya was severely agitated, and her mind went blank for a moment, causing her to scream.
Luo Zhiheng sneered, her gaze sharp and her words dangerous as she asked, "What? Has the devil seen through your heart?"
Mu Qingya gasped in shock, retreating in terror, only to trip over the corpse of the guard she had killed and fall to the ground in a disheveled state.
"Your Highness!" Nalan Daibai rushed over anxiously, disregarding etiquette, and hugged her shoulders to comfort her, "Don't be nervous, she's a person! She's definitely trying to poison you, it's her conspiracy, she wants to frame you in front of the whole world. Don't worry, with me here, I will definitely not let her conspiracy succeed."
Mu Qingya was terrified and her face turned deathly pale, but she calmed down surprisingly when she heard this. A layer of cold sweat had already seeped out of her forehead, and large beads of sweat were falling down. She looked up at Luo Zhiheng and felt that Luo Zhiheng was standing high in the sunlight, her slender body seemed to be wrapped in golden light. In that instant, she, who lived in darkness, had nowhere to hide!
Mu Qingya screamed and roared, "Get out of my way! What right do you have to accuse me? I did nothing wrong. I didn't do any of those things you're saying. You'll die a horrible death if you frame me!"
"Luo Zhiheng, don't speak recklessly without evidence. She is a noble concubine of the Southern Dynasty and a princess of the Mu Prince's Mansion. She has a noble status. How dare you, a mere noblewoman, insult her like this? You will pay the price for this!" Nalan Daibai's sharp voice was filled with murderous intent.
Luo Zhiheng, however, was not afraid at all. She laughed generously and said, "That's right, I don't have concrete evidence, and everything I just said was just deduction. But don't you think my deduction is too perfect? So perfect that it is the truth, a fact! And do you know how I perfectly connected this deduction?"
Nalan Daibai and Mu Qingya were both dumbfounded. Those… those were all her deductions?! That's impossible?
Nalan had a bad feeling: "I'm not interested!"
Luo Zhiheng chuckled crisply and said slowly, "All of this is a perfect combination because of one person, and that person is you! Nalan Daibai!"
Nalan Daibai's pupils suddenly contracted.
Luo Zhiheng suddenly turned vicious and shouted, "When you were in danger that day, Mu Qingya clearly called out your surname. Your surname is Nalan, and she is related to the Nalan family. I'm afraid you are the true successor of that poison-using family, right? Before the Nalan family retired, the head of the family was from the younger generation. I think you are the one who lives in Nalan Daibai, right? And those deadly poisons in Mu Yunhe's body probably all came from you, right? Mu Qingya is Mu Yunhe's own sister. How to deal with her is up to the people of the Mu Royal Mansion. But you, the executioner who conspired with Mu Qingya to harm Mu Yunhe, are even more despicable. If it weren't for your poisons, Mu Yunhe wouldn't be like this today! I won't let you off! Today, your life, Nalan Daibai, must be spared!"
"You think you can kill me?" Nalan Daibai no longer denied his identity. After being a eunuch for more than ten years, Duan Chang was truly on the verge of heartbreak.
“I know my place. I know I can’t kill you, so…” Luo Zhiheng gracefully stepped back, then suddenly shouted, “Nanny, kill him! I want to cut off his head to mourn the fourteen years of suffering Mu Yunhe endured! Then I’ll cut off his limbs, chop them up, and feed them to the dogs to mourn the fourteen years of pain and despair Mu Yunhe spent in darkness! I’ll also cut off his mouth and tongue to punish him for the heinous things he did in the palace that day! Remember to dig out his heart, soak it in wine, and give it to our dear Consort, to mourn their love that was destined to never be together!”
The wet nurse appeared before Luo Zhiheng in an instant, unleashing her full power and displaying astonishing combat strength. She charged towards Nalan Daibai with ruthless attacks. The two were instantly locked in combat!
The sharp aura swept the documents on the ground, and a piece of paper, like a small boat, swept past Mu Qingya's lifeless eyes. It clearly recorded that in a certain year and month, Mu Qingya and Nalan Daibai strolled hand in hand on the lotus pond, exchanging tokens of love amidst laughter and joy!
Mu Qingya clutched the paper, her eyes trembling as she looked at the descriptions on it. Did it even mention how many times she had laughed? Why couldn't she remember the last time she had laughed? And it seemed she had forgotten what a smile tasted like. She had almost forgotten the past. She picked up the scraps of paper she had gathered from the ground; some of them contained accounts of her friendship with Murong Qianchen.
Back then, was she ever innocent?
Faced with these bittersweet memories, Mu Qingya wavered for a moment, but then she saw the image of Rui'er's cold little body by the pond in the Mu Prince's mansion. Her cries and calls did not wake her child. Rui'er's body cooled down little by little, and Rui'er's life was gone forever. Her kindness died with her! 17.
Slowly raising her head, she smiled sharply and sarcastically at Luo Zhiheng, saying, "Even if your reasoning is perfectly logical, you have no evidence, so you cannot convict me! I am still the high and mighty Imperial Concubine!"
Luo Zhiheng sneered, "That's no longer important. I killed the person who deserved to die. Your crimes have been proclaimed to the world. I have already determined your guilt, and your implicit attitude has already admitted to your crimes. Even if you don't admit it verbally, so what? Will the world believe you? Do you know what it means to 'an eye for an eye'? Back then, you spread rumors to ruin my reputation, wasn't it just to get the whole world to slander me? You really know the power of rumors, and today, you'll taste the destructive power of rumors!"
First update! The truth has finally been revealed! Hooray! Hua Sha will keep working hard for the second update! My darlings, love you all! You're awesome! Hua Sha will work even harder, please support me, please vote, leave comments, and please give me monthly tickets!