The system forced me to blow up the female lead's fishpond.

Dawn had broken, and the soup kitchens outside the city reopened, all was peaceful and uneventful.

Just as they were about to close up shop at noon, a sudden shout came from the crowd.

"what!!!"

The sudden shout broke the peaceful atmosphere and attracted everyone's attention.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the sound, trying to figure out what had happened.

"Ah! Someone's been poisoned! Someone's been poisoned!"

This exclamation caused panic among the onlookers to rise like vines.

The disaster victims, who were originally drinking porridge, were so frightened that they smashed their bowls. Some even rushed to the side to induce vomiting, their eyes filled with terror.

Even though the disaster victims who finished the porridge did not notice anything unusual in their bodies, they were still extremely surprised, fearing that the onset of the poisoning would be delayed.

Shen Zhizhi paused in her porridge-serving motion and looked up.

The poisoned man had collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth and with his lips turning purple. Beside him was a man who was lying on top of him, burying his head and crying.

Seeing this, the disaster victims gathered around.

Seeing that he had stopped breathing, people with terrified expressions began to whisper among themselves, and some even cried out, making the scene extremely chaotic.

Hearing the commotion outside the porridge stall, Chu Chouchi smiled slightly, picked up his teacup, and took a small sip.

Tsk, it wasn't a waste of time, the idiot has come.

Today they've learned their lesson and even know to find someone to stir things up.

Seeing Shen Zhizhi walk through the crowd, the man cried even more heartbrokenly.

He raised his head fiercely, pointed his index finger at Shen Zhizhi, and trembled with rage, "You failed to poison her yesterday, and now you've tried this again. How can you treat human life so lightly? Where is justice?"

"Don't talk nonsense. My third sister is kind and benevolent. She would never do something like poisoning someone."

Shen Qinshou had been watching from a corner since the porridge stall opened. Now that everything was ready and only the final step was needed, she pretended to run over and block Shen Zhizhi's way.

Upon hearing this, the crowd's gazes toward Shen Zhizhi were filled with hatred and anger.

Shen Zhizhi was furious and barely suppressed the urge to beat up Shen Qinshou.

If she weren't the female lead, with the so-called protagonist's halo and the protection of heaven, I would really like to kill her and see if her heart is black.

Shen Qinshou feigned concern, frowning as she continued to fan the flames, "But for two consecutive days, it has been Third Sister who has been cooking and serving the porridge without leaving her side for even a moment. Could it be that she hasn't noticed anything amiss?"

Shen Zhizhi gritted her teeth in anger.

If the previous remarks were merely a superficial attempt, then the following remarks forcefully pinned the charge of poisoning on her.

Shen Qinshou is really going against her at every turn, and she won't let her off the hook no matter what.

Shen Zhizhi was about to retort when she heard a cold laugh coming from afar behind her.

"Ah, if that's the case, then a verdict should be reached today."

Chu Chouchi strode toward Shen Zhizhi's side, a cold smile playing on his lips, but his eyes remained fixed on Shen Qinshou.

Shen Qinshou felt flustered by that gaze and clenched her fists tightly under her sleeves.

She had never seen such a cold expression in the Second Prince's eyes before; it was as terrifying as a deep, dark pool that seemed to want to devour her.

"Brother Qiu Chi, there was one poisoning incident yesterday, why is there another one today..." Panicked, Shen Qinshou took half a step forward, wanting to grab his sleeve.

Chu Chouchi merely glanced at her lightly, then subtly avoided her touch and walked in front of the man.

"..." Shen Qinshou's words suddenly froze on the tip of her tongue, and she lowered her eyes, her gaze unfathomable.

Chu Chouchi looked down at the man for a moment and then asked, "You said this porridge is poisoned, so why are you still alright?"

"Before I even asked for a bowl of porridge, I saw him drink it and die from poisoning."

The man stood up angrily, picked up the half-eaten bowl of porridge and handed it over. His furious expression made him look like he had suffered a great injustice. "This bowl of porridge is the porridge my friend ate, and it was served from your place."

Chu Chou glanced at the bowl of porridge, chuckled, and said in a voice as cold as ice, "Is that so? There are disaster victims everywhere, and everyone is begging for porridge here early in the morning to fill their stomachs. You are quite unusual."

"I..." The man choked, then bristled as if his tail had been stepped on. "According to you, are you implying that I poisoned him?"

"Li Zhuang, bring me a bowl of porridge for my highness."

Chu Chouchi ignored him and waved his hand behind him to give an order.

"Yes, Your Highness!"

Upon hearing Li Zhuang address him as the Second Prince, the man instantly lost his composure, his pupils constricted, and he nearly collapsed.

But he was relieved in an instant.

The man said that the Empress was in charge, and there would be no mistake. Even if he was imprisoned, the Empress would save him.

Even if he is the Second Prince, so what?

The Empress is second only to the Emperor; besides the Emperor, the Empress is the highest-ranking person.

Once this is accomplished, he will receive a large sum of money and have nothing to worry about.

Thinking of this, the man straightened his chest and confronted the situation without fear.

Li Zhuang quickly served the porridge and handed it to Chu Chouchi.

Chu Chouchi stroked the bowl, then looked up and asked, "Are you sure he died from poisoning caused by this porridge?"

“Of course, what I saw with my own eyes could not be faked!” the man said through gritted teeth.

Glancing at him, Chu Chouchi sneered, "Do you know that you dare to come here and slander others without any evidence? If you make a mistake, what punishment will you receive?"

"My life is worthless; I'll leave it to Your Highness to do as you please." The man took a deep breath and gritted his teeth, persisting.

"Alright, then I'll remember those words."

Upon hearing this, Chu Chouchi did not hesitate.

He picked up the bowl and swallowed all the porridge in it.

"Second Prince!" Li Zhuang exclaimed.

"Brother Qiu Chi!" Shen Qinshou's breath caught in her throat; she was so shocked that she took several steps back.

A few people suffering from poisoning are a minor matter, but if the Second Prince is also poisoned, that would be a major incident.

The Emperor dotes on the Second Prince so much that he will surely investigate this matter thoroughly. How will she extricate herself from this situation?

Fear spread throughout her body, and Shen Qinshou covered her mouth in terror, afraid of making the slightest sound.

Zhang Jiali was surprised and glanced around, only to see that Shen Zhizhi's face was calm.

He lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked up again, having found the answer in his heart. He then silently concealed the surprise that had been in his eyes.

Anyone who isn't a fool would know that Chu Chouchi's act of risking his life to test the poison was definitely not in the porridge.

There's more to this story than meets the eye.

Upon seeing this, the disaster victims who were still hesitating while holding their porridge immediately finished it all.

If even the Second Prince dares to drink it, then this porridge must be absolutely perfect.

After finishing the porridge, Chu Chouchi met the man's astonished gaze, his dark eyes gleaming with a cold light.

The smile that had been playing on the man's lips froze.

Then, he watched helplessly as Chu Chouchi held the bowl up to him and let go.

"Snapped!"

The porcelain bowl fell to the ground with a piercing sound, startling the man so much that his legs went weak and he knelt down abruptly.

Chu Chou's dark eyes flashed with coldness, and his aura suddenly turned ruthless. "There's no poison in the porridge at all. How do you explain that?"