If you already see that the set only includes the zero polynomial, then all you need to do is, as always, prove that if $u,v\in E$, then so is $\lambda u +v \in E$. There's nothing special that requires you to change the definition you're using - however, if $u,v\in E$ and $E$ contains only the zero polynomial, then $u=v= 0$ meaning $\lambda u + v=0$ and since $0\in E$, we get $\lambda u + v \in E$ for any choice of $u$, $v$, or $\lambda$.