"It's impossible!"
Yuan Zhen, the third prince, was shaken to his core. He stared at Imperial Physician Zhang with wide eyes.
Those weapons were the ones they commonly used and always carried with them. He had never given an order to poison the weapons, and his men surely wouldn't have taken such an initiative.
Then, there was only one possibility left:
"You must have tampered with them!"
Yuan Zhen instinctively glared at Qi Rong, his expression extremely determined.
Apart from Qi Rong, he couldn't think of anyone else who could have done such a thing.
Facing Yuan Zhen's accusation, Qi Rong merely let out a cold laugh. Looking down at Yuan Zhen haughtily, he mimicked the latter's previous words and retorted,
"It's not good for the third prince to make unfounded accusations. May I ask what evidence you have to prove that it was really me who poisoned the weapons? Instead of you colluding with someone and planning to take the lives of our contestants from the very beginning?!"
Qi Rong's words immediately stirred up quite a commotion. Some people were so shocked by the turn of events that they stood there gaping.
"No way! Is Kekeqin stupid or just incredibly bold?"
"Didn't they know in advance that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be among the contestants?"
"If anything happens to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Kekeqin will surely not end up well!"
While everyone was discussing animatedly, the expression on Crown Prince Qi Yu's face also became unpredictable.
He stared at Qi Rong with a pair of eyes full of doubts.
Did Uncle Seven arrange for him to compete last because he already knew about this?
Logically speaking, he should be very grateful. However, because he was saved by Qi Rong once again, he felt frustrated. He even suspected that there might be more to this matter than met the eye, and there might be a deeper secret hidden behind it.
It was just that he had no evidence to prove it.
Facts speak louder than words. When the evidence was laid out in front of everyone, even the third prince Yuan Zhen couldn't defend himself.
However, seeing the emperor's sinking face, Yuan Zhen couldn't help but feel panicked. He kowtowed forcefully and tried his best to defend himself,
"Your Majesty is wise! I swear on my life that I never ordered anyone to poison the weapons!"
"And if Kekeqin really intended to poison the contestants on purpose, they wouldn't have done it so blatantly and arousingly suspicion. This is clearly a frame - up!"
They weren't crazy enough to openly oppose the royal family!
They had just followed the Empress Dowager's order and wanted to use this competition to kill Qi Rong. They never intended to harm anyone else!
Even if they really wanted to kill the contestants, they would have chosen a more covert and less suspicious way. They would never have left such obvious evidence!
"Please, Your Majesty, discern the truth and give Kekeqin justice!"
Echoing the third prince Yuan Zhen's words, Yuan Zhu and Yuan Qi also kowtowed, both trying to excuse Kekeqin.
However, the emperor's face still didn't look good.
The Empress Dowager had been quietly observing the emperor. Seeing this situation, before the emperor could say anything, she stepped forward to defend the third prince Yuan Zhen,
"Your Majesty, I don't think this matter is that simple! Don't let those with ulterior motives blind your eyes. Don't be used by treacherous people and become a butcher who poisons the loyal and good."
The Empress Dowager's words were harsh. The treacherous person she referred to was undoubtedly Qi Rong!
After the Empress Dowager said this, the emperor hesitated for a moment and was a bit indecisive.
Thinking carefully, there were indeed some suspicious points.
"Prince Xian, what do you have to say?"
The emperor turned his gaze to Qi Rong, his eyes gloomy, hiding suspicion.
If, as the Empress Dowager and the third prince Yuan Zhen said, Qi Rong wanted to use him to achieve some unknown purpose.
As the emperor, he naturally wouldn't be easily manipulated, and he couldn't allow anyone to deceive him!
"If Kekeqin really intended to poison those people, then why didn't anyone get poisoned when some people were injured during the competition? How do you explain this, Prince Xian?"
Taking the opportunity, the Empress Dowager raised a doubt, not wanting Qi Rong to get away easily.
"And what's the connection between the poison on the weapons and the pollen of the cloud orchid flower that Nanny Gong sprinkled before?!"
She hadn't forgotten that Qi Rong had publicly arrested her people and still hadn't given her a reasonable explanation.
She must settle this score!
Due to the doubts of the Empress Dowager and the emperor, the third prince Yuan Zhen couldn't help but secretly heave a sigh of relief, and everyone's gazes fell on Qi Rong.
Thinking about Qi Rong's usual recklessness, maybe he really did deliberately frame Kekeqin. But what was his purpose?
And how did he manage to secretly poison the enemy's weapons right under the noses of the ten warriors?
Facing everyone's suspicious gazes, Qi Rong seemed calm and composed. His tone was cold, and instead of rushing to defend himself, he turned to Imperial Physician Zhang and said,
"Imperial Physician Zhang, you only introduced the effects of the cloud orchid flower, but you seem to have forgotten to introduce this poison. Since your words are more convincing than mine, why don't you tell everyone the effects of the combination of these two in public?"
After observing for so long, Imperial Physician Zhang already understood the situation clearly.
Facing such a tricky situation, he instinctively wanted to stay out of harm's way and not offend either side. But Prince Xian had pushed him to the forefront again, leaving him no choice but to speak up.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness the Empress Dowager, this is a kind of poison called Mysterious Tracking Incense. It is colorless and odorless, but its toxicity is extremely strong. Once a person ingests it or it enters a wound, it will quickly spread throughout the body."
When she heard the words "Mysterious Tracking Incense", the Empress Dowager's finger couldn't help but tremble, and a fleeting look of nervousness flashed across her eyes.
If she remembered correctly, she seemed to have heard this name from the Li family a long time ago.
Moreover, at that time, the other party had assured her that although this poison was extremely toxic, once a person was poisoned, it would be very difficult to completely remove it from the body.
And this poison had a very important characteristic, that was...
"A person poisoned by this poison won't show any symptoms immediately. They won't even realize they've been poisoned for a long time. So, by the time the toxicity takes effect, it means the toxin has already spread throughout the body."
"However, there is a way to make the poison take effect quickly within three days, and that is to use the fragrance of the cloud orchid flower as a catalyst!"
Imperial Physician Zhang's words were like a heavy hammer, hitting the Empress Dowager hard in the heart and making her expression even more gloomy. Like the Empress Dowager, the Li family had also gradually guessed Qi Rong's purpose.
Because just half a year ago, they had used Qiu Daoji to poison Qi Rong with this poison!
They just hadn't waited for Qi Rong to show any symptoms and had always thought that Qiu Daoji's mission had failed. Since Qiu Daoji was dead, they had no way of knowing the answer and could only make some tentative moves.
They thought they had done everything very secretly and wouldn't be caught. But unexpectedly, Qi Rong had finally discovered it.
Moreover, he had deliberately turned the tables and designed this trap to counter them!