The cruel little princess

Shen Youyou had been watching Madam Ma's performance coldly from the side. When she felt that Madam Ma had almost finished, she asked, "Why don't you allow an autopsy? Are you afraid that they'll find out that the person lying on the ground isn't Boss Ma at all?"

"Ah?!" There was another uproar in the crowd. "The one who died wasn't Boss Ma? Then where is Boss Ma now?"

"After hearing what the county lady said, I think the dead man really doesn't look like Boss Ma! Boss Ma's body shape doesn't seem to be like this! Although this man is swollen a lot due to poisoning, it shouldn't be so exaggerated, right?!" Someone in the crowd said.

"Yes! I have met Boss Ma several times before, and I also feel that this corpse does not look like Boss Ma!" Someone else echoed.

Shen Youyou took a closer look at the expressions of the Ma family. Mrs. Ma was filled with grief and anger, and a hint of fear, while the children behind her were not grieving, but only panicked. Combined with her previous observations and her assessment of the corpse, it was clear to her.

Shen Youyou looked at Madam Ma, a hint of teasing flashed in her eyes: "Madam Ma, why don't you let the coroner carefully examine the body and see who the deceased is?"

Mrs. Ma's face was pale, her lips trembling and she couldn't speak. Her children behind her looked at her in panic, not knowing how to respond.

At this time, the coroner Liu Bo stepped forward and said, "The county lady is right. We should carefully examine the identity of the body. If it is indeed Boss Ma, then we can give him justice. If not, we must get to the bottom of the matter."

Everyone nodded in agreement and demanded an immediate examination of the body. Mrs. Ma reluctantly agreed. The coroner approached and carefully examined the body. After some identification, he discovered that the man had been dead for over two hours. He had been poisoned with poison and aconite, resulting in this death.

"This man has been dead for more than two hours. He was poisoned with poison and aconite. The medicinal food in his mouth was poured in later. Because he was already dead at the time, he could not swallow it, so the medicinal food still remained in his mouth, and even some of it overflowed during the transportation process." The coroner answered truthfully.

"You bold Ma Wang! How dare you fabricate facts and falsely accuse the Princess of Rui'an County! I'll ask you again, is the deceased lying here your husband, Boss Ma? If not Boss Ma, where is he now? How did this deceased die?" Wu Siqi slammed the chopping board and asked loudly.

Madam Ma was trembling all over, unable to hide her fear any longer. She stammered, "I don't know... I really don't know..."

Shen Youyou smiled faintly, already understanding about 70% of the situation. It seemed that something had happened in the Ma Mansion, and Madam Ma didn't want anyone to know, so she used a fake corpse to cover it up. She decided to continue investigating and uncover this mystery.

Wu Siqi was about to continue the interrogation when he suddenly heard the sound of a gong, announcing, "His Royal Highness Prince Jin has arrived! Everyone outside, please stand aside!"

Wu Siqi thought, this guy, it seems that he just came here after hearing that something happened to the Rui'an County Lord! Really, is it possible that he can let his future sister-in-law suffer here?

The onlookers all knelt down, and Wu Siqi, Rui'an County Princess, and others hurriedly bowed to His Royal Highness Prince Jin and ushered His Royal Highness Prince Jin to sit on the throne.

"Please rise!" His Royal Highness Prince Jin said to Master Wu Siqi, but his eyes were fixed on Shen Youyou. "I just left court and heard on my way back home that someone had falsely accused the Princess of Rui'an. What exactly happened?"

"His Royal Highness Prince Jin..." Wu Siqi had just opened his mouth to reply. "His Royal Highness Prince Rui has arrived! All outsiders, please stand aside!" Another gong sounded.

Wu Siqi was speechless. Could he even conduct a proper trial?! Why were they all rushing over here? It was fine if Huai Jin came over, after all, he was worried about the Rui'an County Lady, but why was His Royal Highness the Rui Prince joining in the fun? But even if he complained, he still had to greet him with courtesy.

Then everyone bowed again and welcomed His Royal Highness Prince Rui to sit on the throne.

"Why is Fifth Brother here?" His Royal Highness Prince Jin asked His Royal Highness Prince Rui with a smile.

"Haha, I was passing by here on my way down from court. I heard someone had falsely accused the Princess of Rui'an County, so I came to see if there was anything I could do to help." His Royal Highness Prince Rui fanned himself, trying to maintain his elegant demeanor, occasionally giving Shen Youyou a look that said, "Don't worry, I'm here." Shen Youyou didn't even bother looking up at him, still thinking: greasy guy, cheap guy, what's so good about him!

"Oh? What a coincidence! I just left court and rushed here upon hearing the news." A meaningful smile crossed Prince Jin's face. His gaze swept over the secret guards behind Prince Rui before settling on him. Needless to say, this Fifth Brother had definitely set his sights on his long-preferred young princess—Youyou!

"Why is Ninth Brother here too?" His Royal Highness Prince Rui frowned slightly, as if he was a little surprised by the appearance of His Royal Highness Prince Jin.

"This prince and Princess Rui'an have known each other since childhood, and we have a strong bond at the border. I heard about this right after leaving court, and I rushed here to seek justice for Princess Rui'an! We must not allow Princess Rui'an, the descendant of a meritorious official, to be framed in vain!" His Highness Prince Jin's lips curled slightly, his voice tinged with determination and dominance. His gaze swept around the people around him, as if telling everyone that Princess Rui'an was someone he wanted to protect. Anyone who wanted to touch Princess Rui'an would first have to ask her permission!

Prince Jin's words caused a small commotion, with people whispering and discussing. They all knew Prince Jin's status and power, and their resolute support for the Princess of Rui'an made people wonder if there was another reason.

However, His Royal Highness Prince Jin didn't give the others much time to think. He turned around and looked at his cousin, Lord Wu, who was in charge of the case, and said seriously, "Lord Wu, where were you just now? Keep interrogating! I'm watching right here. Who is trying to frame the Princess of Rui'an?"

"Yes, please keep quiet, Your Highness." Lord Wu really didn't want to waste any more words. He almost said that you two are not doing your jobs and are running here to watch me try a case. It's very stressful, okay!

"Ma Wang, I just asked you, who exactly is this deceased person? Was it your husband, Boss Ma?" Lord Wu shouted, his aura full. "If you dare to lie again and refuse to cooperate with me in this case, I will punish you severely! I'll start with thirty lashes!"

“My lord, this…this…this person…” Madam Ma stammered and could not reply. She just knelt on the ground and sobbed.

"Let me answer it!" Shen Youyou had seen enough of her hypocritical behavior. "The reason why Madam Ma can't answer is because the dead man lying on the ground is not Boss Ma at all!"

Shen Youyou didn't care how much of a commotion her words caused in the crowd. She continued, "Mrs. Ma just said that her master was good at taking care of himself. But when I looked at the deceased up close, I saw that his knuckles were thick, there were calluses on his palms, and his skin was loose, making him look a little old. He didn't look like someone who paid attention to maintenance all year round! So I boldly guess that this person is not Boss Ma at all!" Shen Youyou's analysis was well-reasoned.

"Just now, I ordered someone to quietly shout to the crowd that this isn't Boss Ma. I saw that they all looked terrified, especially his children. Not only didn't they show any sadness for losing their father, but they looked terrified that this matter had been discovered! This is totally unnatural! Unless the person lying there isn't their biological father at all! So I concluded that this person isn't Boss Ma at all!"