eurekapd Chapter 312 She was the first person to be dragged into this mess.
Chapter 312 She was the first person to be dragged into this mess.
"Madam, we've found the drunkard."
Chu Ruohan's eyes lit up: "Where?"
“My men have already taken him into custody at the ‘Drunken Immortal Pavilion’ in the south of the city.”
Qin Fang said in a low voice, "But that person was so drunk that he was unconscious, and we couldn't get anything out of him."
A resolute look flashed in Chu Ruohan's eyes: "Take me to see him."
Soon, Chu Ruohan arrived at a secluded courtyard in the south of the city by carriage.
Qin Fang's men have brought the drunkard here.
Pushing open the door, one sees an old man in tattered clothes slumped in a chair, his face flushed, snoring loudly.
"Is it him?" Chu Ruohan asked, frowning.
Qin Fang nodded: "Exactly."
"He got completely drunk in the restaurant, shouting about some secret of Princess Anyang, which was clearly heard by all the other patrons around him."
Chu Ruohan's expression was solemn: "Sober him up."
A bucket of cold water was poured on him, and the old man immediately woke up, looking around in confusion.
"Where...where is this?" the old man asked in a hoarse voice.
Just as Chu Ruohan was about to begin questioning, she saw the old man suddenly widen his eyes and show a look of fear, as if he had recognized something.
"Who...who are you? Why did you bring me here?" He struggled in panic.
"Don't be afraid, old man. I just want to ask you a few questions."
Chu Ruohan tried to soften her voice, "Where did you hear those things about Princess Anyang that you talked about in the restaurant?"
Upon hearing this, the old man trembled, his face filled with fear: "I...I don't know what you're talking about! I didn't say anything!"
"Stop making excuses," Qin Fang said coldly. "So many people heard it."
"No, it wasn't me..." The old man suddenly coughed violently, "Someone...someone gave me silver...and told me..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old man suddenly clutched his chest, his face turning from red to blue, and curled up in pain.
"Oh no!" Qin Fang exclaimed in alarm. "He's been poisoned!"
Chu Ruohan hurriedly ordered someone to fetch a doctor, but the old man had already collapsed to the ground in pain, blood beginning to spill from his mouth.
"Quick! Make him vomit..."
The crowd rushed to his aid, but the old man convulsed in pain, his eyes widened, blood gushed from his mouth, and he died in the blink of an eye.
The room was dead silent.
Chu Ruohan's face turned deathly pale as she stared intently at the corpse on the ground.
It all happened so suddenly that she didn't even have time to ask who was behind it all.
At that moment, she regretted not bringing Dr. Qian with her.
"Madam..." Qin Fang said solemnly, "This old man has probably been silenced."
Chu Ruohan bit her lip: "He must have been set up. There might have been a slow poison in his drink."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion broke out outside.
"The Prefect of Jingzhao has arrived!"
Chu Ruohan's heart sank. She looked up and saw a group of officials escorting a dignified middle-aged official as he walked in.
"Your humble servant, Cheng Yuan, Prefect of Jingzhao, pays his respects to Madam Gu."
Cheng Yuan clasped his hands in a salute, but his eyes subtly swept over the corpse on the ground.
Chu Ruohan forced herself to remain calm: "Why would Lord Cheng come here?"
Cheng Yuan looked troubled: "To be honest, I received a report that someone has kidnapped an old man and is going to torture him."
"This humble official was ordered to come and investigate, but I never expected..."
His gaze fell on the corpse on the ground, and his expression became even more complicated.
Chu Ruohan instantly understood something, and her heart turned ice-cold.
This is a trap; someone deliberately lured her here.
They used someone else to commit murder, and then pinned the blame on her.
"Lord Cheng, you are wise," Chu Ruohan said, suppressing her anger.
"This old man was spreading vicious rumors about Princess Anyang in the restaurant. I just wanted to find out the truth, but I didn't expect that he might have been poisoned. He suddenly vomited blood and died just now."
Cheng Yuan seemed to have been prepared, and shook his head, saying, "Madam, you are mistaken."
"When this government received the report, the old man was still alive and well."
"Now that the person has died in your yard, this... is hard to explain."
Chu Ruohan knew the situation was bad, but she remained calm.
"Lord Cheng, there must be some misunderstanding here. There are probably other hidden reasons for the old man's death. I urge you to investigate thoroughly."
Cheng Yuan looked troubled: "Since the person is already dead here, according to the law, I have no choice but to ask your wife to come back to the yamen to cooperate with the investigation."
Chu Ruohan sighed inwardly, knowing that resistance at this moment would be futile and would only complicate the situation further.
“Alright, I will go to the yamen with Lord Cheng.” She looked up, her gaze firm, “but I must first send someone to inform my father.”
Cheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Of course."
Chu Ruohan turned to Qin Fang and whispered, "Go tell my father immediately that the man is dead and I've been taken to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. Also..."
She lowered her voice: "Send someone to find the Third Prince as soon as possible. Only he can help me at this time."
Qin Fang nodded in acceptance and turned to leave in a hurry.
As Chu Ruohan followed Cheng Yuan away, she knew that the conspiracy against Gu Junze had already begun.
And she became the first person to be dragged down with her.
At this very moment, Gu Junze's troops were galloping towards the capital.
The government office of the Jingzhao Prefecture.
Chu Ruohan was taken into a small room that was used to temporarily detain prisoners, and the guards locked the door from the outside.
She thought she would be taken to court, but instead she was locked up.
"What's going on?" Chu Ruohan frowned. "Shouldn't we ask them first?"
The guards outside did not answer; they simply stood there in silence.
Chu Ruohan looked around and was surprised to find that the cell was completely different from what she had imagined.
The floor was swept clean and even covered with a thin blanket.
In the corner was a simple but clean bed, next to a small wooden table and a stool.
To her even greater surprise, there were several delicate pastries and a pot of warm tea on the table.
Just as she was wondering, a middle-aged man walked in and bowed respectfully to her.
"I am the jailer here, my surname is Wang. Madam Gu, please rest assured that you will be well taken care of during this time."
Chu Ruohan narrowed her eyes: "What does this mean? You locked me up, yet you treat me with such courtesy?"
Wang, the jailer, whispered, "To be honest, Prince Su has already instructed us that Madam Gu is pregnant and that we should take good care of her."
“Prince Su?” Chu Ruohan sneered. “He certainly knows how to put on an act.”
"Madam, please calm down. It's bad for the baby." Head jailer Wang handed over a cup of hot tea.
"Have some tea to warm yourself up. A doctor will come to take your pulse shortly."
Chu Ruohan didn't take the tea, looking at him warily: "What is your purpose in locking me up here?"
"This humble servant does not know," Wang, the jailer, said honestly.
"I'm just following orders. But don't worry, madam, this cell was prepared especially for you. It's clean and comfortable, and your daily needs will be taken care of."