Plotting with You: The Forensic Scientist in Ancient Times!

Chapter 534 - 533: Poisoned

It must be said, this constable’s attitude was much warmer than the usual person delivering meals, and the dishes he brought seemed particularly lavish.

The rune discreetly glanced at Lu Qing, and when their eyes met, understanding dawned. He stepped forward, picked up the soups and broths pushed in by the man, and placed them in front of Lu Qing.

Outside the bars, the meal-delivering constable was dawdling, fiddling with the food box, his eyes constantly sneaking glances at Lu Qing.

Lu Qing calmly picked up the bowl of hot soup in front of him. The soup was truly hot, and even though it wasn’t exactly cool in the prison, steam still rose from the bowl.

Such hot soup couldn’t be drunk immediately, so Lu Qing scooped some with a spoon and blew on it leisurely.

Just blowing and stirring it absentmindedly, before the soup cooled down, Lu Qing seemed to lose interest in the bowl. He put the bowl back down as it was and casually picked up a cake, fiddling with it, his eyes blank, lost in thought.

The constable outside the cell seemed a bit anxious but didn’t dare to urge him, only able to sneak glances at Lu Qing over and over.

Eventually, Lu Qing came back to his senses, looked at the cake in his hand, and unhurriedly tore off a small piece, slowly bringing it to his mouth.

The constable outside the cell, his gaze glued to that piece of cake, watched as it moved toward Lu Qing’s mouth.

"Brother! Brother! Are you up yet?"

Suddenly, a clear voice came from afar, accompanied by hurried footsteps, and the figure of Lu Ze approached the cell where Lu Qing was.

The constable at the door seemed startled by the sudden appearance of Lu Ze, hastily gathering the scattered wooden lids of the food box.

But perhaps due to being overly anxious, the more he hurried, the less steady he became, and the lid he had just picked up slipped from his hands, clattering to the ground.

Lu Qing glanced at him, but instead of putting the cake in his mouth, he shifted his gaze to the hastily arriving Lu Ze.

"Why are you in such a hurry this early?" Lu Qing asked lightly, "Have you had breakfast?"

"Brother, this is no time to be worrying about breakfast..." Lu Ze waved him off, speaking while looking at the dishes in front of Lu Qing, "Oh dear, you haven’t had breakfast yet? Then I won’t say anything now, you should eat first.

Let’s talk after you’ve eaten, so your mood won’t be affected and you won’t lose your appetite!"

After saying this, he glanced at the dishes in front of Lu Qing, then turned to the constable delivering the food: "It seems I came at the wrong time before and didn’t notice your thoughtful arrangement. The dishes prepared for my brother look quite good."

The constable lowered his eyes respectfully, replying perfunctorily, his movements tidying up his things more urgently.

Lu Ze had merely spoken casually to him at first, not paying much attention, but after a brief glance, he couldn’t help but look more seriously: "Huh? You look both familiar and unfamiliar!

The few times I’ve come, I’ve never seen you in the Shackles Prison... But looking at you, there’s something about you that looks so familiar..."

Lu Ze scrutinized the constable closely again, his face full of confusion.

And his careful scrutiny made the constable, already somewhat flustered, even more uneasy, abandoning the food box and suddenly getting up to flee.

Lu Ze seemed not to have experienced something like this before, momentarily stunned, then instinctively ran after the constable, trying to catch up, but obviously, the man ran faster than the pampered Prince Shu.

After a few steps, he gave up the impractical chase, shouting for people outside to stop the man, then turned back to Lu Qing’s cell.

"Brother! Don’t eat that food!" He gestured urgently at Lu Qing, "That person just now seemed off, I found him very familiar, like I’ve seen him by someone’s side but not often, I can’t quite recall."

Having said this, he gestured towards the Fu Lu: "Quick, bring me that food, I happen to have a silver hairpin, let’s see if there’s anything wrong with this stuff!"

The rune quickly obliged, bringing Lu Qing’s food back to the cell bars.

Lu Ze crouched down, took out a plain silver hairpin from his robe, and dipped it into the soup.

When he took it out again, the part of the hairpin that was once silver and bright was completely blackened by the soup.

Lu Ze’s face changed dramatically: "Ah! It really is problematic! Brother, you didn’t drink it, did you?"

Lu Qing looked at the now-blackened silver hairpin in his hand and shook his head: "If I had drunk it, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking to you right now."

Lu Ze patted his chest: "That’s good! That’s good!

When I go out later, I’ll see if that person was caught, he needs to be thoroughly questioned to see who sent him to harm you!"

Lu Qing didn’t respond to this but instead asked, "What did you rush here to tell me just now?"

"Ah... this..." Lu Ze looked at the blackened silver hairpin in his hand, seeming somewhat at a loss for words.

After some hesitation, however, he steeled his resolve and said, "I came to tell you that during the morning court today, the eldest royal brother returned, and he stood up directly in court to plead for you."

"Oh? Isn’t that a good thing? Why do you seem so worried?" Lu Qing asked Lu Ze.

"Because... because when the eldest royal brother pleaded for you, Father seemed unhappy and, before the court session ended, drove the eldest brother out of the main hall, saying that perhaps he’s become wild outside and forgotten the palace rules, speaking improperly in the hall.

After he was driven out, everyone else was so startled that none dared to speak up for you afterward, to plead on your behalf..."

He sighed deeply as he said this.

"No matter, perhaps the Holy Emperor’s mood is just not good today." Lu Qing said lightly.

"I thought the same, thinking this matter isn’t urgent and I’ll wait for Father to calm down in a couple of days before discussing it again.

But that person just now..." Lu Ze pointed in the direction where the unidentified constable had fled, "It’s clear now someone wants to harm you, pin this crime on you so you can’t clear your name!

This can’t go on, we can’t just wait around!

Our eldest brother was just reprimanded by Father today; it seems inappropriate for him to speak now, so it falls on me to risk it one more time."