Chapter 540 - 358: Two Suspects
"Besides that, has your lady been in contact with anyone else?" Ran Yan asked with patience.
Peony lowered her head, fell silent for a while but then shook her head very firmly.
"That means, the only suspects now are you and me." Ran Yan’s voice was unflustered, as if the matter did not concern her, as she looked at Sun Zhen, "Junior Minister Sun, even though it’s possible that I murdered Lady Dou, can this Peony also be free from suspicion?"
Without waiting for Sun Zhen to answer, Ran Yan continued, "The fact that I do not know Lady Dou is something that all from my uncle’s family, the Ran Family, and the Xingyang Zheng Family, can testify to. As for the cleaning powder, I happen to have some here as well, Junior Minister Sun can take it back and have the Imperial Physician examine it. I had no old grudges or recent hatred with Lady Dou, why would I kill her? Yet, concerning the cleaning powder that Lady Dou used, apart from Peony, only a few other ladies and their maids knew, isn’t their suspicion greater than mine?"
Even if Peony wasn’t the murderer, she must certainly be an accomplice. Ran Yan guessed that she had been under surveillance these past days, but even so, with a secret guard by her side, those watching her couldn’t get too close without being detected. How could they know what Lady Dou did inside the medical clinic?
Being able to quickly concoct a medicine that injures one’s face is something Ran Yan admitted she was incapable of, and aside from Su Fu, she couldn’t think of anyone else who could do it. The Imperial Physicians in the palace had much to attend to and superior medical skills, but when it came to mixing poisons, they might not necessarily be better than Ran Yan.
"This slave has received the Dou Family’s grace since I was young; how could I possibly kill my lady! I plead for Junior Minister Sun and Junior Minister Yuan to discern the truth," Peony pleaded, prostrating on the ground and sobbing incessantly. Even though her face could not be seen, her posture seemed pitiful enough to evoke sympathy.
By contrast, there was nothing endearing about Ran Yan’s appearance. Junior Minister Yuan had harbored some fantasies about Ran Yan originally due to her truly beautiful features and the absence of many expressions on her face, something he had never seen before. But now, upon comparison, he inwardly found a woman as lacking in charm as Ran Yan to be very dull.