“Third Miss Mu, do you have anything else to say?”

After a while, Chen Pu sighed slightly and turned his gaze to Mu Yunjin, waiting for her response.

This farce should come to an end now!

To the side, Minister Mu’s eyes were slightly red, his heart filled with shock, never having imagined that Mu Yunjin could be so cruel as to commit murder.

She was so different from that person years ago…

…

Mu Yunjin sat up, let out a scoffing laugh, and walked step by step toward the middle-aged man. She stopped, glancing at the jade hairpin.

“You say I hired you to kill someone. Very well, on which day, at which location, and at what time did I make this deal with you?”

Mu Yunjin’s words showed no fear as she stood with her hands behind her back, maintaining a proud posture in the center of the interrogation chamber.

…

…

“Last night at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), you ordered your maid to bring me through the back door of Minister Mu’s mansion into Shihua Pavilion. Then you gave me your hairpin as a deposit to kill the Second Young Master.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunjin crossed her arms, walked to the side, and unceremoniously pulled a pearl hairpin from Su Biqing’s hair bun, weighing it in her hand.

“I now have my mother’s pearl hairpin in my hand. Could I also claim that I was ordered by my mother to kill Mu Yiyang?”

Mu Yunjin’s words struck like thunder, shocking everyone present.

To many listeners, Mu Yunjin’s words seemed utterly unreasonable.

At this moment, Princess Chu Qingyuan, who had been suppressed by Princess Chu Qingqiang since entering and hadn’t spoken, looked indignantly toward Chen Pu.

“Old man, that day when I came here with Sister Yunjin, we asked you to destroy a case file. This princess vaguely remembers that the file was about the Mu family. Do you still have a backup?” asked Princess Chu Qingyuan.

Hearing Princess Chu Qingyuan’s words, Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu were taken aback, inexplicably becoming somewhat flustered.

That file had been burned by them—how could there still be a copy?

“Qingyuan, what case file?” Princess Chu Qingqiang, seeing Princess Chu Qingyuan interrupt, looked at her with some displeasure.

Princess Chu Qingyuan tilted her head to think for a moment, then looked toward Chen Pu, “Old man, what case file was it?”

Chen Pu hesitated, looking toward Minister Mu, and spoke with some difficulty, “It’s about a poisoning case that occurred in the Mu family not long ago.”

“Minister Chen, didn’t you say that case had no leads and was closed? How is there suddenly a case file?” Minister Mu frowned, showing some displeasure.

“It seems that Minister Mu’s household is truly chaotic,” Empress Dowager Zheng sighed softly. “Since that’s the case, Minister Chen, please bring out that file.”

Seeing this, Su Biqing realized that Empress Dowager Zheng was unaware of the situation and anxiously spoke up, “The poisoning case can be discussed another day. Yiyang’s body is not yet cold, so we should first seek justice for him.”

“Mother is right. Zhu’er is also a wronged person. Please, Minister Chen, quickly bring justice to Zhu’er,” Mu Lingzhu also chimed in at the right moment, her tone delicate and weak.

Seeing that the topic had been redirected, everyone’s attention once again focused on Mu Yunjin.

Just as Mu Yunjin was about to speak, a cold voice came from the side, accompanied by a dark aura—

“Last night at the hour of Xu, Mu Yunjin was with this prince and was not in Minister Mu’s mansion.”

Chu Li’s eyes were cold and indifferent as he spoke coolly.

Hearing this, everyone looked toward Chu Li with surprise. Some knew that Chu Li’s words were a lie but couldn’t immediately expose him.

Chu Li was intent on protecting Mu Yunjin.

Mu Yunjin also cast a surprised glance at Chu Li, her brow slightly furrowed. Was Chu Li doing this because he feared she couldn’t handle the situation?

At this moment, the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground, having heard Chu Li’s words, showed panic in his eyes and then began to wail, “Third Miss, you can’t deny it! I’ve staked the rest of my life on this—how can you go back on your word…”

As he spoke, a cold glint suddenly flashed in the interrogation chamber. Mu Yunhan had drawn the sword he carried and placed it against the middle-aged man’s neck.

“Speak, who ordered you to frame Yunjin?”

“Brother Yunhan, are you trying to force a confession?” Chu Ye spoke up, his tone somewhat playful.

Hearing this, Mu Yunhan laughed disdainfully, “Some people won’t believe until they see the coffin. I, Mu Yunhan, have watched Yunjin grow up since she was little. I know her temperament better than anyone.”

“Today, I, Mu Yunhan, pledge my life! If Mu Yunjin is truly the murderer, I will serve the punishment alongside her!”

“Yunhan, why do you do this to yourself? During these days you’ve been away at war, she has already changed from the Yunjin you once knew,” Su Biqing said with some grief, turning to glare at Mu Yunjin. She didn’t know what bewitching potion this vixen had given her son!

Mu Yunjin, who had originally felt isolated and helpless, now felt that even dying would be worthwhile after Chu Li and Mu Yunhan had come forward to defend her…

At this thought, Mu Yunjin was somewhat shocked by her feelings. She silently cursed herself for being neurotic, sighed, rubbed her temples, and then lowered her eyes. Seemingly having exhausted her patience, she raised her foot and kicked the middle-aged man to the ground.

“Tell the truth quickly, or even the Jade Emperor won’t be able to save you!” Mu Yunjin shouted at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man took Mu Yunjin’s kick squarely, lying on the ground with the feeling that several of his bones had been broken.

“Mu Yunjin! This Court of Judicial Review is not a place for you to act recklessly! Since Li’er says you were together last night at the hour of Xu, then why is the jade hairpin in his possession?” Empress Dowager Zheng spoke harshly.

Su Biqing had already arranged for someone to inform her of today’s events beforehand, and she had gladly agreed to participate.

After all, this matter concerned Mu Yunjin, and behind Mu Yunjin were Empress Qin and Chu Li. If Mu Yunjin suffered a setback in this matter, then Chu Li and Empress Qin’s faction would also suffer a major defeat, which made her feel delighted just thinking about it!

Hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, Mu Yunjin blinked at Empress Dowager Zheng, “Empress Dowager, if you one day needed to hire someone to commit murder, would you give them a personal item of yours, allowing them to hold leverage over you?”

“This jade hairpin was a gift from Empress Qin to me, and it was once bestowed upon Empress Qin by the late Emperor. It is supremely precious, and its significance and value cannot be measured in money.”

“Although I, Mu Yunjin, am not well-educated or particularly clever, I still understand these basic matters.”

Hearing this, Empress Qin finally let out a relieved breath, nodding. The tension in her heart immediately eased considerably.

…

The situation turned once again, and this time, it was Mu Yunjin’s turn to intimidate the middle-aged man.

“You not only took a bribe to kill someone but also deliberately framed an innocent person. Now not only will you face waist-chopping, but your entire clan down to the ninth degree of kinship will also be implicated by your actions…”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man suddenly realized that he had made a terrible mistake.

No matter what, his fate would not be good, and as Mu Yunjin had said, his entire family would be affected.

At this moment, Mu Yunjin spoke again, “I recently learned a phrase, called ‘without benevolence or righteousness.'”

“Now, let me demonstrate what it means to be without benevolence or righteousness.” As she spoke, Mu Yunjin directed her gaze toward Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu.

The coldness in her eyes made Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu’s hearts quiver, suddenly felt a sense of unease.

“Minister Chen, since this murder case cannot be resolved for the time being, why don’t you reveal the investigation results of our mansion’s poisoning case to my father?” Mu Yunjin said.

Chen Pu finally sighed and motioned to a judicial secretary at his side, “Go bring that case file.”

A moment later, the secretary handed Chen Pu a case file. Chen Pu flipped through it, raised his eyes, and frowned, finding it somewhat difficult to speak.

Seeing Chen Pu’s expression, Minister Mu also had a bad feeling, but still patiently said, “Minister Chen, please speak.”

Chen Pu nodded.

“That day, in Minister Mu’s mansion, a male corpse was discovered early in the morning in Fourth Miss Mu’s courtyard. His neck had been pierced by a double-edged dagger, killing him instantly. Meanwhile, Third Miss Mu’s courtyard was filled with deadly poison, and the Big Madam’s cat also died in the courtyard after accidentally ingesting the poison.”

After briefly explaining the circumstances, Chen Pu licked his lips and somewhat anxiously continued—

“Later, after joint research by several coroners and physicians, it was determined that the poison was called ‘Bai Xian Zhe’ (Hundred Immortals Broken). It’s a poison that, once consumed, causes the entire body to turn purple and the internal organs to rot. Due to its viciousness, it’s named ‘Hundred Immortals Broken.'”

“Afterward, I secretly investigated all the pharmacies and medical clinics in Diehua City. Several physicians and pharmacy owners told me that an old matron from Minister Mu’s mansion had repeatedly purchased the ingredients for Bai Xian Zhe.”

Hearing this, Aunt Li, who had been standing behind Su Biqing, suddenly trembled. Cold sweat poured down her spine, and her legs weakened. Fortunately, she was able to steady herself by holding onto a chair.

At this point, Chen Pu continued, “As for the deceased man in black, fortunately, his appearance was still identifiable. After secretly posting reward notices, someone informed me that this man was named Cao Pan, lived outside the city, and was a well-known hooligan.”

“Subsequently, based on these clues, our people went to Cao Pan’s residence outside the city. Although he was a hooligan, his residence was surprisingly luxurious. There were several of his brothers staying there, and under our questioning, they provided a deposit receipt.”

“The deposit receipt was from the Yinlu Bank in the city. When we investigated the Yinlu Bank, the bank’s owner provided us with all of Cao Pan’s deposits. After comparing those funds, we discovered that all the silver had come from Minister Mu’s mansion.”

“Later, we questioned Cao Pan’s brothers further, and they all admitted that the night before Cao Pan died, he had entered the city on Fourth Miss Mu’s orders…”

“That’s how it is.”

As Chen Pu finished speaking, Su Biqing and Mu Lingzhu’s faces turned deathly pale. They had never imagined that evidence against them had already been in someone else’s hands.

“According to what you’re saying, the poisoning case was done by Madam Mu and the Fourth Miss, but why did Qingyuan just say that it was Mu Yunjin who brought her to destroy the evidence?” Princess Chu Qingqiang questioned.

At these words, Mu Yunjin pouted, her eyes full of grievance as she spoke, “Mother secretly detained my wet nurse, Aunt Zhang, threatening that if I didn’t handle this matter for her, she would make Aunt Zhang perish alongside.”

“That’s why I begged the Sixth Prince and the Ninth Princess to…”