Reborn to marry a playboy, the scumbag kneels down and calls me aunt

"Minister Xu, according to the clues we have so far, Xu Mo is kind-hearted and generous. He previously provided a venue for the treatment of patients with wolfsbane and even covered part of the medical expenses. For a person like this, I can't think of any reason for him to poison people indiscriminately."

Shen Xuanheng raised his deep eyes and stared at Minister Xu. "The world is bustling, all for profit. If there is profit, then move. If there is no profit, then stop. Who would do something that harms others and does not benefit themselves?"

Minister Xu felt uncomfortable under Shen Xuanheng's gaze. Hearing that his words seemed to hint at something, he looked away unnaturally.

"What you said is reasonable, but human nature is changeable. There have always been people who are two-faced throughout history. Maybe Xu Mo was provoked by something?"

Minister Xu refused to give up and continued to persuade.

Shen Xuanheng looked displeased and said in a deep voice: "Minister Xu, if there are doubts in the case, we must investigate them. You are so anxious to close the case, aren't you afraid of making a wrong judgment and killing someone?"

Minister Xu cupped his hands and argued, "Sir, forgive me for being blunt. The evidence of Xu Mo's crime has been found, and he has no enemies to frame him. As for the dim sum makers in the same industry, there are more than 50 of them in the capital. There is no big difference between one more Xu Fuji and one less Xu Fuji. No one would go to great lengths to poison someone for such a small gain."

The other officials of the Ministry of Justice looked at each other, wondering what had happened to Minister Xu today that made him pick a fight with the Shangshu.

Shen Xuanheng stood with his hands behind his back, looked at Minister Xu and said, "Minister Xu, you are too impatient."

Minister Xu sighed and said slowly, "Sir Shangshu, you are reluctant to convict Xu Mo. Is it because the Crown Prince's Consort and Xu Mo have a relationship?"

Shen Xuanheng's face darkened, and he said in a cold voice: "Are you trying to say that I am interfering with public interests for personal gain?"

"I dare not. I am just telling the truth. I heard that the reason why the Crown Prince's wife treated wolfsbane was because of Xu Mo's wife."

"My wife did have contact with Xu Mo, but I will not protect Xu Mo because of this."

Minister Xu pressed the issue, "If that's the case, why did His Royal Highness turn a blind eye to the evidence and believe Xu Mo's confession? Why did he continue the investigation despite the public outcry?"

"Of course it's because it's unreasonable."

Before Shen Xuanheng could speak, Su Xuqing's voice floated in from outside.

All the officials looked sideways as a woman in a white tasseled skirt walked in from outside, all in the dark.

Shen Xuanheng's expression eased, and he walked up to her in two or three steps, "Madam, why are you here?"

Su Xuqing smiled lightly but did not answer. She turned to look at Minister Xu, "I took the poison found in Xu Fuji back last night for investigation. After a whole day of trying, I figured out the composition of the poison. This poison is made from ice worms, and twenty-four auxiliary medicines are added to it. Do you know what this means?"

Minister Xu did not know much about the art of medicine, so he cupped his hands and said, "Please help me, Princess."

"My Lords, the ice worms live in the Far North and are very rare. They can only be found near snow lotuses. Moreover, the cold poison that can be extracted by the ice worms is at most the thickness of a hair. The poison found in Xu Fuji's shop alone requires hundreds of ice worms to extract. Xu Mo grew up in the capital and has never left the capital. It is even more impossible for him to go to the Far North to look for ice worms. Moreover, he does not understand pharmacology, and he cannot research the twenty-four kinds of auxiliary medicines no matter how hard he tries."

Minister Xu shook his head upon hearing this, disagreeing with Su Xuqing's statement, "This person is from a wealthy family, there is no need to go looking for him personally, just hire someone to do it."

Su Xuqing smiled slightly and asked, "Your Excellency may not understand. There are probably not many people in the world who can make such a strange poison. You can ask the imperial physician in the palace to verify this. If Xu Mo could really find such a capable person, his wife would not have to endure the pain of wolfsbane sores for so many years."

Minister Xu smiled slightly. "If what the Crown Princess said is true, it would be very difficult for Xu Mo to commit the crime, but difficulty does not mean it is impossible. Besides, there are no other suspects besides him. If you two want to prove Xu Mo's innocence, I'm afraid you must first find the guilty person."

"I already have an idea about this."

"Is this true?"

Shen Xuanheng looked down at Su Xuqing, with a hint of expectation in his eyes.

He was under a lot of pressure in the Xu Mo case. The emperor was paying close attention and the people were complaining. If he continued to drag it out and the real murderer wasn't found, the emperor would probably really call him to the palace for questioning.

Su Xuqing nodded lightly and said gently, "Husband, do you still remember that ghost doctor?"

"Zhao Qiankun?"

Shen Xuanheng frowned. He would certainly not forget the man who almost killed him on Chaomu Mountain.

"In fact, I have been thinking about a question recently. Who would go all the way to Xu Mo's snack shop to poison it? If it is a large-scale poisoning, wouldn't it be more convenient to put it directly into the well? Why would they go to such great lengths?"

Su Xuqing raised her eyes and looked at Shen Xuanheng, "So after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it was for revenge. Having a grudge against Xu Mo and being good at poisoning, these two conditions made me think of Zhao Qiankun."

Shen Xuanheng's eyes wandered, and he said slowly: "But Zhao Qiankun is already dead... Could it be..."

"It's true that Zhao Qiankun is dead, but what if he still has close relatives? For example, disciples, fellow apprentices, or family members?"

"It makes sense."

Shen Xuanheng nodded slightly, agreeing with Su Xuqing's guess.

"Someone, go check if this Zhao Qiankun had any close relationships with anyone during his lifetime!"

Minister Xu's face changed, and then he said in a deep voice: "Sir, this is just the Crown Prince's consort's guess, and Zhao Qiankun is a man of the underworld, so it will take a lot of effort to investigate. If we delay like this, I'm afraid the people will become resentful and hateful."

Shen Xuanheng was about to speak with an unhappy look on his face, but Su Xuqing spoke first, "Don't worry about that. The reason why the people are gathering together to cause trouble is simply because someone poisoned them and everyone is in danger. But I have developed an antidote. As long as the government sends people to make it overnight and distribute the antidote, the people will naturally not feel resentful, and the current dilemma will be solved. At that time, the government will have more time to investigate the case."

"What! The Crown Prince's Consort has already made an antidote?"

The officials from the Ministry of Justice showed joy on their faces, as if a huge stone pressing on their hearts had finally been removed.

Minister Xu's expression changed, and the hands in his sleeves became increasingly uneasy.

Su Xuqing handed the prescription she had written in advance to Shen Xuanheng and said with a smile, "Go and save him."

Shen Xuanheng looked at her tired eyes and was deeply touched.

"Ma'am, thank you for your hard work."