I am the champion of palace intrigue, and even the proud prince bows his head in submission.

Chapter 389 Xie Siyuan Arrested for Poisoning

Qin Jiuwei personally led a group to the main courtyard.

Madam Xie and Lord Xie were sitting in the hall discussing matters.

These past few days have been spent busy with the funeral arrangements for Lady Hou, and both of them have become quite haggard.

Lord Xie had lost a significant amount of weight.

Qin Jiuwei curtsied and said, "Madam, Lord Marquis, the murderer has been caught."

"We caught them!" Old Madam Xie's eyes lit up, her gaze filled with relief.

"It's good that they caught him! It's good that they caught him! Now Zhiyi's spirit in heaven can rest in peace!"

Madam Xie perked up, smiled, and smoothed her sleeves. "I knew it! That bastard official who spouts nonsense can't be trusted. Siyuan is only five years old, how could he possibly do anything bad?"

"Now that the murderer has been caught, I'd like to see who dares to talk nonsense now!"

Lord Xie nodded repeatedly, "Jiuwei, now that the murderer has been caught, let's take him to see him quickly, what are we waiting for?"

"I want to see who has committed such a heinous crime!"

Qin Jiuwei looked on, her lips curving into a smile as she remained silent.

Hopefully, you'll still be able to laugh later.

At this time, in the village outside the city.

"Sir, look here."

The servant pointed to a stone under Granny Zhang's window and shouted.

Zhou Ningxuan bent down to examine it carefully and found an extremely fine scratch on the surface of the stone.

The mark was as fine as a hair, almost blending into the natural texture of the stone.

If the sunlight weren't at this exact angle, it would be difficult to notice that faint scratch.

He reached out to touch it, and only when his fingertips slid across it could he feel an extremely slight indentation.

No wonder they've searched almost the entire Zhang Pozi room recently but haven't found any clues.

It was outside the house, and the marks were so tiny.

"Sir, what's going on here?"

Zhou Ningxuan paused for a moment, then spoke.

"The mark is very faint, but it doesn't seem to have formed naturally. It's very likely that the murderer broke in through the window late at night, poisoned Granny Zhang's tea set, and then accidentally bumped into this stone when leaving through the window, leaving this scratch."

"There were no extra obstacles below the window, so if it hadn't been bumped into in a hurry, there would never have been such a mark."

“But, sir,” the servant said, glancing at the window with a puzzled look.

"How could someone have broken in through the window without Granny Zhang noticing at all?"

Zhou Ningxuan sneered and said slowly, "What if that person is small enough and moves lightly enough?"

He didn't say anything more.

Instead, they headed straight out of the village.

Upon seeing this, the accompanying attendant quickly stepped forward and asked, "Sir, where are we going?"

Zhou Ningxuan didn't even turn his head.

"The Xie residence."

The main kitchen of the Marquis's residence.

Steam rose in the air, and several old women were busy around the stove.

They chatted as they stirred the bean paste in the pot with spoons.

"This pea flour cake needs to be steamed until it's very tender. We're going to send it to Young Master Jue later; it's his favorite food these days."

Another old woman chimed in, "That's right. Every time we bring it over, it's gone in no time. The young mistress specifically instructed us to make a little more each time."

Xie Siyuan listened outside the door, his resolve growing stronger.

After waiting a moment, he pushed the door open and entered.

When the old women in the kitchen saw him, they all stopped what they were doing, stood up straight, and bowed respectfully.

"Young Master, what brings you here? Is there anything you need from the kitchen?"

Xie Siyuan stood at the door. “I want to eat pastries, but the small kitchen in the main courtyard was poisoned before, and the murderer has not been caught yet. I’m a little worried.”

He glanced around and said, "That's why I came here. I wanted you to cook for me."

Upon hearing this, the old women in the main kitchen nodded in agreement.

"Young Master, tell us what you'd like to eat, and we'll make it right away."

Xie Siyuan didn't rush to answer.

Instead, his gaze shifted to a small dish of pastries on the stove. "What's that?"

An old woman quickly replied, "Young master, this is pea flour cake, a small portion that has just been steamed, it's not fully cooked yet."

Xie Siyuan's eyes flickered slightly. "I want to take a look. You guys go ahead with your work. I want to see if this tastes good."

Before the old women could speak, he went straight to the stove.

He slowly reached out, seemingly wanting to pick up the plate and smell it.

When his fingertips touched the edge of the porcelain shard, he didn't pick it up, but instead slightly lifted his hand.

Some of the poison hidden under the fingernail immediately fell out.

The women in the kitchen were busy with other things and seemed completely oblivious to his actions.

Before Xie Siyuan could even show a smug expression, a drop of poison had fallen.

Suddenly, a rough, strong hand grabbed his wrist.

"Young Master, what are you doing?"

The old woman who had been busy working nearby suddenly came over.

She was incredibly strong and grabbed Xie Siyuan's outstretched hand.

Xie Siyuan was stunned. The calmness on his face vanished instantly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

He tried to pull his hand back, but found that he was no match for the other person's strength.

My wrist was gripped tightly.

In that instant, his face turned deathly pale, and he roared, "How dare you! Let go of me!"

Just as Xie Siyuan was in a panic, a figure walked in from outside the door.

It was Qin Jiuwei.

Xie Siyuan looked up and saw her; his heart sank.

Oh no, this is a trap.

Two other people followed behind Qin Jiuwei.