Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 384 - 319: Is He Really Here to Investigate? (5000 Word Mega - Vote Request)_2

Chapter 384: Chapter 319: Is He Really Here to Investigate? (5000 Word Mega Chapter Vote Request)_2

Li Xuan gave a slight nod, proceeding to inspect the scene further.

Li Xuan’s experience in crime scene investigation couldn’t be considered extensive, fortunately, he now has ’Tao-protecting Eyes’, which worked far better than a magnifying glass. He also bore in mind the words ’patience’ and ’meticulousness’, a thread in common with the principles of autopsy.

It wasn’t until he had thoroughly inspected everything else that Li Xuan finally approached Zuo Daoxing to examine the corpse.

This corpse had evidently been preserved by a cold-oriented Spellcaster. Despite three days having passed, the body showed no signs of decay. The touch of Li Xuan’s hand was ice cold, but the body hadn’t been frozen.

Li Xuan estimated the time of death to have been early Wu-hour three days prior, roughly translated to a time slot between 11 and 11:30 in the morning.

"This person was killed by the deadly ’Blood Cherry’ poison."

From Yu Yunhuang’s eyes emerged a hint of disdain. But watching Li Xuan examine the corpse, much of her scornful demeanor faded: "This lethal poison, colorless and tasteless with no prior warning of its onset, has been known for the past seven hundred years. Depending on the amount of poison ingested, death usually occurs within a moment to two hours, after which cherry blossom-shaped, blood-red spots appear on the body."

Li Xuan had already noticed these peculiar mortuary spots, identical to the "Blood Cherry" as described in his books.

While he continued his thorough examination of Fei Yuan’s body, leaving no detail overlooked, he asked, "Is it possible for this poison to have been brought in from outside the palace? If it could be, how might it be done?"

"You mean Fei Yuan himself?" Fumo Xiaowei Zhen Chun looked out towards the palace walls: "This is highly unlikely. For a minister to enter the palace from outside, he must pass through Chengtian Gate, Duan Gate, Wu Gate and Huiji Gate, four palace gates in total. Each gate is guarded by specialized personnel and is equipped with special magical instruments for detection, to strictly prevent smuggling. The chance of an outsider bringing the lethal Blood Cherry into the palace is extremely small."

Yu Yunhuang suggested, with significant implication, "Just because outsiders can’t bring it, doesn’t mean no one in the palace can. For instance, the Xiuyiwei, the pharmacy, the interior Chengyun Division, and the Imperial Household Department’s Supplies Repository."

"What are you implying, Commandery Princess?" Zuo Daoxing glared at her with anger pulsating in his eyes: "Are you implying to Earl Jingan that the Emperor did this?"

"I didn’t say that."

Yu Yunhuang humphed, "But there have been rumors to that effect. The Emperor wants to designate the second prince as heir apparent, but because the Crown Prince is so humble, kind-hearted, widely-respected, the Emperor’s plan has been foiled, hence the poisoning."

"Ridiculous! If the Emperor could tolerate the True Emperor, how could he not tolerate a Crown Prince? He would not stoop so low." Zuo Daoxing’s tone was ice-cold, a glint in his eyes."However, the East Palace is indeed suspicious, the grand Ciqing Palace is impenetrable to outsiders. The Crown Prince’s meals have always been delivered from the stove in Renshou Palace."

Renshou Palace, home to Empress Sun, is just to the north of the East Palace (Ciqing Palace), with only a wall separating the two.

Yu Yunhuang couldn’t help but look a bit grave: "You mean the Crown Prince did it? But wouldn’t the Crown Prince, known for his kindness and respect for talents, commit such a monstrous act?"

Zuo Daoxing scoffed, "The Crown Prince is indeed virtuous, yet there are not only a few in the palace who are willing to commit this deed for him, but there also might be those who eagerly wish to do so."

"That’s even less likely." Yu Yunhuang met Zuo Daoxing’s eyes, fists clenched: "Don’t forget, the Crown Prince’s tea and snacks were also poisoned. Are you suggesting that your preferred culprits planned to poison the Crown Prince too?"

"Everyone knows that the Crown Prince never drinks tea or eats snacks during his studies. And who can say for certain that the person didn’t intend to poison the Crown Prince too, in order to frame the Emperor?" Zuo Daoxing’s gaze didn’t falter.

Ignoring their argument, Li Xuan continued to ask, "So how were these meals brought in? Weren’t they checked en route?

He knew that back in those days, to protect nobility from poison, food tasters were commonplace.

"There were eunuchs on-site responsible for testing the food for poison," Fumo Xiaowei Zhen Chun answered. "They usually use a few common methods to test for poison, then taste the food. However, this person was poisoned less than an hour after being detained, also by Blood Cherry."

Although he answered whatever he was asked, there was a hint of indifference in the gaze he cast towards Li Xuan, lacking any semblance of respect, "This case is actually quite simple. The chef and the eunuch who taste-tested the food were complicit in poisoning the food with Blood Cherry and then delivering the contaminated food to Fei Yuan and the Crown Prince’s presence. The key is finding the real culprit behind the scenes—"

Suddenly, Li Xuan’s eyes narrowed, his gaze fixing on Fei Yuan’s right fingernails.

Then, he took out a tiny brush and gently brushed over the tips of several of Fei Yuan’s fingers, soon revealing some yellow dust.

"It seems to look like dirt, but Mr. Fei’s clothing is very clean, and his nails are neatly trimmed."

Li Xuan gathered the dust into a small porcelain bottle. "Qianqian, help me investigate what this dust is. If you can’t figure it out, go find the Imperial Physician. Peng Fulai and Zhang Yue, accompany her."

He was concerned that Yue Qianqian would be scared here in unfamiliar surroundings, and Peng Fulai and Zhang Yue weren’t of much help here. Rather than having them stand around, it was better to send them to protect Yue Qianqian.