Everyone listened in stunned silence, feeling that Qiao Zhao’s words were too preposterous to believe. Only Shao Mingyuan and Jiang Yuanchao remained calm and composed.

In that instant, the two men rarely found themselves in agreement: if Zhaozhao (Miss Qiao) could stand here perfectly fine, then no matter what other bizarre events occurred, they wouldn’t seem particularly strange anymore.

“Miss Li, why don’t you explain how these pills can speak to prove your innocence?” Jiang Wu’s tone was grim.

Qiao Zhao pointed to the pills in the box: “Just now, the imperial physician distinguished between these pills by carving crosses on those containing deadly poison. In reality, there’s no need to carve any markings—they can be distinguished without that.”

Hearing Qiao Zhao mention him, the imperial physician couldn’t help but interject: “How can they be distinguished? These pills are identical in shape, size, and color.”

“No, these non-toxic pills also have characters on them, right here.” Qiao Zhao picked up one of the harmless pills and showed it to everyone.

The pills were already small, and the characters on the top were even tinier. Jiang Eleven was the first to take it and examine it closely, then passed it to Jiang Yuanchao. It was quickly passed around the circle, and everyone present saw the tiny character on the pill—a small “three.”

Qiao Zhao took out the remaining pills and arranged them in order on the table: “Lord Eleven, could you please read aloud the small characters on top of each pill?”

Jiang Eleven looked deeply at Qiao Zhao.

Qiao Zhao smiled sweetly and uttered two words: “The truth.”

Jiang Eleven’s voice was calm and steady as he read: “Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, one, two… eight, nine.”

When he reached “nine,” he had finished reading the last pill, so Jiang Eleven stopped.

Everyone grew even more confused, unable to understand what riddle this young lady was playing.

Qiao Zhao didn’t immediately explain. Instead, she asked: “When the Grand Commander died from poisoning, who discovered him first?”

Jiang Eleven looked toward Hong Ying, the maid who attended to Jiang Tang’s daily needs.

Hong Ying kept her head lowered as she replied: “This servant was the first to discover him. The Grand Commander wasn’t accustomed to having people serve him closely. After making his bed each evening, this servant would retire for the night. The next morning, this servant would come to attend to the Grand Commander’s washing and grooming, but discovered the room was completely silent. At the time, this servant found it strange because the Grand Commander was accustomed to practicing martial arts in the morning. Although he hadn’t been practicing these past few days due to the eldest miss’s situation, he would still rise at that hour. That day’s circumstances were truly abnormal. When this servant entered to look, I discovered—”

Hong Ying’s face showed terror, and her voice began to tremble: “I discovered the Grand Commander bleeding from all seven orifices, already dead for some time…”

Hong Ying couldn’t continue and began to sob.

“The Grand Commander took medicine every night, and you were responsible for preparing warm water. Did you personally watch the Grand Commander take his medicine each time?” Qiao Zhao asked again.

Hong Ying shook her head: “The Grand Commander wasn’t accustomed to having others in his room. After arranging everything each time, this servant would leave.”

“I want to see the Grand Commander’s room.” Qiao Zhao looked directly at Jiang Eleven.

Jiang Yuanchao observed this, smiling bitterly to himself.

In her heart, he probably wasn’t even as trustworthy as Eleventh Brother.

“Miss Li, what exactly are you getting at?” Jiang Wu couldn’t help but ask.

Qiao Zhao smiled: “You have the determination to kill each other over the Grand Commander’s death, but you don’t have the patience to wait for me to uncover the truth?”

Qiao Zhao’s words made all the Jinlin Guards’ faces flush with heat.

“Follow me.” Jiang Eleven glanced at Qiao Zhao and strode forward.

Qiao Zhao didn’t forget to carefully collect the pills before following.

Shao Mingyuan walked beside her, his eyes questioning.

“Don’t worry, we’ll be able to distance ourselves from this mess very soon,” Qiao Zhao said softly.

Shao Mingyuan smiled with both indulgence and helplessness.

With such a capable fiancée, he could probably rest easy and live off her efforts.

Two Jinlin Guards stood before the door to Jiang Tang’s room. Seeing everyone approach, they instinctively tensed their bodies.

“Open the door,” Jiang Eleven said coldly.

The two Jinlin Guards couldn’t help but look toward Jiang Wu.

Jiang Eleven frowned, asking curtly: “Deaf?”

Jiang Yuanchao merely curled the corners of his lips.

With their adoptive father’s death, their Jinlin Guards had indeed quickly splintered apart.

“Open the door,” Jiang Wu ordered, feeling somewhat pleased with himself.

Their adoptive father had controlled the Jinlin Guards for decades, and his authority had penetrated deep into every guard’s bones.

After their adoptive sister’s death, their father had sidelined Jiang Thirteen and distributed power between him and Jiang Eleven. Even though Jiang Thirteen was their adoptive father’s son-in-law and had held the second-in-command position for nearly a year, when their adoptive father gave orders, aside from a very few close confidants, those subordinates would still obediently follow their adoptive father’s instructions.

The door slowly opened, and Qiao Zhao walked inside.

Perhaps from being sealed up for so long, the room had a faint, unpleasant odor. Qiao Zhao paid it no mind and quickly walked around the room once before stopping beside the table.

On the table sat a teapot painted with magpies perched on plum blossoms, along with three teacups of the same pattern.

Qiao Zhao picked up the teapot to examine it, then played with the teacups as she calmly asked: “Was the Grand Commander’s drinking cup broken?”

Hong Ying looked surprised: “Miss is correct. When this servant entered that day and saw the Grand Commander collapsed beside the bed with blood flowing from all seven orifices, the cup had fallen to the ground and shattered everywhere. This servant later cleaned up those ceramic fragments.”

Qiao Zhao nodded, indicating she understood.

“The truth!” Jiang Eleven said stiffly.

“Patience!” Miss Qiao’s two words choked him back.

Jiang Eleven pressed his thin lips together and said nothing more.

“Miss Li, we do have patience, but we don’t have idle time. If Miss Li still can’t explain what this is all about, then I can only assume you’re making trouble for no reason.”

Qiao Zhao glanced at Jiang Wu and cleared her throat: “First, let me state one fact: the Grand Commander didn’t take the medicine I prepared that day at all.”

“Proof!” Jiang Eleven remained succinct.

“First, ask the Jinlin Guard who came to get medicine from me—which day after New Year did he collect it?”

Jiang Eleven immediately summoned that guard for questioning.

“It was the twelfth day of the first month.”

Hearing the guard’s answer, Qiao Zhao nodded: “Correct, it was indeed the twelfth day of the first month. The pills I prepared for the Grand Commander were designed as a twenty-eight-day treatment course. As the body changes with each day of taking the medicine, the composition of each pill is slightly different, which is why I carved dates on top of each pill.”

With Qiao Zhao’s explanation, everyone suddenly understood the meaning of those numbers on the pills.

So they were dates?

Jiang Yuanchao looked deeply at Qiao Zhao.

“The Grand Commander began taking the pills on the evening of the twelfth day of the first month, taking one pill each night. By the evening of the twenty-eighth day of the first month—the day the Grand Commander died from poisoning—he hadn’t taken the pill marked ‘twenty-eight.'”

As she spoke, Qiao Zhao handed a pill to Jiang Eleven.

Jiang Eleven stared at that tiny pill and suddenly understood what it meant for the pills to “speak.”

His heart was both shocked and shaken as he looked at Qiao Zhao with deepening intensity.

Qiao Zhao surveyed everyone present and said coolly, “The Grand Commander knew the meaning of the numbers on the pills and would take them strictly according to the dates. Since this pill marked ‘twenty-eight’ is still here, this proves that he did not take any pill on the evening of the twenty-eighth day of the first month!”