Tearing the Prince's Clothes after Withdrawing Marriage
Chapter 284 - 283: Is Someone Forcing You?

Chapter 284: Chapter 283: Is Someone Forcing You?

At night.

The pharmacy.

Now that the true culprit behind the poisoning of Duke Chu Qianli had been captured, it seemed as though Butler Han finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Tonight, along with the Grand Tutor and the second and third young masters, they were discussing matters in the side hall.

"I heard they are discussing how to punish Miss Lili," said a servant.

Upon hearing this, Qin Liuyan simply nodded.

Afterward, Qin Liuyan said, "I’ve been feeling dizzy and blurred vision lately. Help me go and fetch some bird’s nest, the best quality."

The servant hesitated, glancing at the medicine still being prepared, "Butler Han said he wanted to personally supervise..."

"Isn’t Chu Qianli already locked up? What else could be the problem?"

Showing impatience, Qin Liuyan waved her hand, "Look, the master hasn’t woken up yet. If he really..."

She paused before continuing, "If there’s really something wrong, it must be because the poison Chu Qianli used before was too strong, and this medicine might not even be of any use to him."

The servant, feeling somewhat disheartened, finally turned around and went into the storeroom to get her the bird’s nest upon her urging.

When the pharmacy was left with only herself, Qin Liuyan immediately went over, took a packet of medicine, and poured it into the medicinal pot that was being stewed.

However, she never expected that, before she could even dispose of the paper packet in her hand, suddenly, with a loud bang, the door to the pharmacy was kicked open.

"Ah!" Qin Liuyan was so frightened that her soul nearly left her body, and before she could react, her hand was seized.

Han Zhan gripped her wrist, snatched the paper packet from her hand, and then roughly pushed her aside.

Qin Liuyan was immediately pushed to the ground.

Two guards burst in and pinned her down firmly.

Following them into the room were Butler Han, the Grand Tutor, the second and third young masters, and, Chu Qianli.

Qin Liuyan was completely dumbfounded—how, how could these people...

"Quickly check what’s in this packet, is it poison?" Butler Han ordered.

The family doctor immediately came over, took the packet from Han Zhan, and sniffed it.

Upon smelling it, the doctor’s face turned pale, "Butler, Grand Tutor, this... this is a potent poison!"

"It was you all along!"

The Grand Tutor strode forward, raised his hand, and delivered a slap, "Wretch, you dared to harm my father!"

Qin Liuyan was struck dizzy.

It took her a while before she could clearly see the situation before her.

And upon seeing it, she suddenly burst out crying loudly.

"All this time, it was you who’ve been poisoning the master?" Butler Han was so furious he could hardly resist rushing over to tear this vile woman apart!

"You come from a humble background, and Duke Chu allowed you to enter the household for the sake of the child you carry from the Chu family!"

"Over the years, even though he didn’t grant you the title of the more significant lady, has he ever mistreated you or your daughter in your daily life!"

"Not only are you not grateful, but you also repay kindness with enmity, attempting to poison Duke Chu! You are utterly unforgivable!"

"I didn’t..." Qin Liuyan glanced at Butler Han before looking desperately at her husband, Chu Hongtao, her face streaming with tears.

"I... I didn’t, I’m not... Hongtao, you have to believe me!"

"Vicious woman! By harming my father and implicating me in injustice, I, Chu Hongtao, hereby sever all ties of gratitude and duty with you!"

"Hongtao, I haven’t been continuously poisoning father, I really haven’t, I just... I, I just..."

Qin Liuyan, at a loss for words, cried even harder in her urgency.

She struggled free from the guards’ grip and threw herself at Chu Hongtao’s feet, attempting to cling to his legs and beg for mercy:

"Hongtao, please don’t be like this, I’m begging you! The one who poisoned before wasn’t me, I never schemed to harm father, I just... I was just momentarily confused..."

"So this time you poisoned him, just to frame me?"

Chu Qianli, who had been silent, suddenly stepped forward two steps, stared at Qin Liuyan kneeling on the ground, and sneered.

"Today, I have been framed for poisoning my grandfather. If he does not wake up from this, I will never have a chance to clear my name, will I?"

Qin Liuyan looked at her with eyes brimming with tears, but she couldn’t utter a word.

"Didn’t you say that I am your daughter? If I really were your daughter, why would you do this to me?"

"No... no, I did not harm you."

It was only then that Qin Liuyan remembered something and, looking at Chu Qianli, said urgently, "You are my daughter! How could I possibly harm my own flesh and blood?"

But these words, in the hearts of everyone present, sounded profoundly complex.

Especially to the second and third masters, as well as Han Zhan.

Earlier in the side hall, the butler Han had already explained to them that the framing of Chu Qianli today was actually at her own behest.

It was Chu Qianli who had said that the person who truly poisoned the victim would surely act tonight.

If the Duke were to die, Chu Qianli would be fully convicted, leaving her no hope of redemption.

But what they hadn’t expected was that the "someone acting tonight" to drive Chu Qianli into a dead end was none other than Chu Qianli’s own mother!

What kind of mother would harm her daughter like this?

Could it be that Qin Liuyan was not truly Chu Qianli’s biological mother?

And what about... Chu Huaiyu?

"Aunt Qin, what... what is going on?"

Chu Huaiyu, having heard something, rushed over immediately.

Seeing Qin Liuyan kneeling on the ground, she seemed quite astonished and hurriedly turned to Chu Hongtao, asking, "Father, what is happening? Why is Aunt Qin kneeling on the floor?"

"She... she is the actual culprit who poisoned your grandfather!" Chu Hongtao said, both angry and helpless.

Qin Liuyan cried out desperately, "I really did not do it, I didn’t, Hongtao, please believe me!"

Qin Liuyan tried to grab his legs but was kicked to the ground by Chu Hongtao.

Chu Huaiyu, kind-hearted as she was, hurried over to help Qin Liuyan up.

She stared at her, and that look made Qin Liuyan panic.

Chu Huaiyu’s piercing gaze was fleeting, and then, tears began to flow.

"Aunt Qin, Grandfather... Grandfather has treated you well, why... why do this? Has someone forced you to take the blame for her?"

Take the blame?

Chu Huaiyu’s words shocked everyone present.

Qin Liuyan had read too much from her eyes.

She bit her lip, her heart filled with reluctance.

But at this point, she no longer had any way out.

Being caught in the act of poisoning, regardless of whether the previous poisonings were her doing, she had no chance of survival.

Poisoning the Duke, a crime worthy of death.

Suddenly, Qin Liuyan pushed Chu Huaiyu away, looking at Chu Qianli.

"It was... all my doing, everything... has nothing to do with Lili. The poison before... it was all me too, not Lili, it really wasn’t. You mustn’t wrong her."

"She didn’t poison anyone, didn’t force me to take the blame, she didn’t do anything..."

Chu Qianli’s face darkened with anger as she accused, "Qin Liuyan, what do you think you’re saying?"

But Qin Liuyan, amidst her tears, laughed.

After wiping away her tears, her gaze landed on Chu Huaiyu.

"Lili, you must live on well. Never... never live a life of guilt..."

Suddenly, she got up and, like a madwoman, flung herself toward the stove nearby...