Chapter 588: Anesthetic Black Grass
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
“Indeed,” said Chu Xujin. “But, fifth sister, there are no obvious external injuries on the body, and even the usual changes expected on a corpse are not present. How can we determine the cause of death?”
“Third brother, take out a silver needle.”
“Alright.” Chu Xujin immediately opened the autopsy tool kit and handed a silver needle to Chu Qingzhi.
Chu Qingzhi examined the needle and inserted it into the corpse’s heart. After a while, she pulled it out, but the needle did not change color.
Chu Xujin observed the needle and said, “This rules out several common deadly poisons.”
Yuan Hongjun and others had conducted experiments. Several deadly poisons readily available in the Baling Dynasty could cause a silver needle to change color, and each poison would produce a different color.
Chu Qingzhi fanned the air and sniffed the needle, “Bring the medicinal solution over.”
The solution was specially prepared by Chu Qingzhi for Chu Xujin’s autopsies. If a poison couldn’t be detected by the needle, dipping it in this solution and testing again would cause the needle to change color.
This was the solution that Chu Qingzhi had used a special method to concoct. It was effective in testing poisons.
Chu Xujin quickly handed the solution to Chu Qingzhi.
Chu Qingzhi dipped the needle in the solution and then reinserted it into the corpse’s heart. After waiting for a moment, she pulled it out, but the needle still did not change color.
Chu Qingzhi declared, “He did not die from poisoning.”
He wasn’t poisoned or beaten to death, and he wasn’t ill. So how did he die?
Chu Qingzhi bent down to inspect the corpse, her brows slightly furrowed. Suddenly, a bloodstain in the nail seam of the corpse’s left middle finger caught her attention.
“Third brother, fetch some clean water.”
“Alright.” Chu Xujin quickly returned with the water.
Chu Qingzhi cleaned the corpse’s finger and discovered a small hole. She compared it with the needle; the hole was larger than the puncture made by the needle.
Was it just a common puncture wound?
Chu Xujin said, “Fifth sister, there was no bloodstain when we examined the corpse earlier. Why is there one now?”
Chu Qingzhi said, “The corpse hasn’t completely stiffened. Just now, we flipped the corpse. With the wound, it’s not strange for blood to flow out.”
After speaking, she walked outside to Bei Chunyi.
“Second Prince, did the Third Prince ever injure his finger?”
Bei Chunyi’s face and expression had returned to normal. He watched Chu Qingzhi, “I’m not sure, but you can ask the maids who served my third brother.”
Chu Qingzhi turned to see two maids standing in front of the officers, nearly in tears.
She approached them.
Both maids immediately knelt before Chu Qingzhi.
“Miss, we didn’t kill the Third Prince. This morning, both princes went to the court together, returning around noon. After that, they sat in the pavilion on the lake and chatted until lunch.”
“When it was time for lunch, I went to call them to eat. After lunch, the Third Prince returned to his room, saying he wanted to organize his clothes. He doesn’t like maids touching his things, so I didn’t follow him inside.”
“In the late afternoon, 1 brought tea to the Third Prince, and he was still alive then.”
Late afternoon, in modern terms, would be around 4 p.m.
The estimated time of the Third Prince’s death was from 4 p.m. until the discovery of his body, which matched Chu Qingzhi’s deduction.
Chu Xujin handed several statements to Chu Qingzhi, “Fifth sister, these are everyone’s statements. Do you see any issues?”
Chu Qingzhi glanced at the statements but didn’t rely on them. People being questioned might not tell the truth, and she needed the truth.
“What was the Third Prince doing when you last saw him? Was anyone else in the room? Did you notice anything unusual?”
The maid recalled, “The Third Prince was drinking the same wine on the table. He was alone in the room, looking troubled and worried, as if he had encountered some thorny issue.”
“You brought tea, so who brought the wine into the room?”
The maid shook her head, “I don’t know.”
“Who discovered the Third Prince dead first? And who was the last to see him?”
The maid said, “”The Second Prince was the first to find him dead. He called for the Third Prince to leave but found him still lying in bed. In his anger, he reprimanded him. Many people saw it.”
“The last person to see the Third Prince alive was probably me. I brought him tea, and then I stood guard at the door. The Third Prince never left his room, and no one else entered.”
Chu Qingzhi thought to herself, it was getting dark and yet he was in a hurry to leave. What was so urgent?
The maid added, “Oh, miss, last night, very late, the Third Prince visited the Second Prince’s room. His expression was very unpleasant. He stayed for a few minutes and then returned to his room.”
Chu Qingzhi nodded and approached Bei Chunyi, “Why did the Third Prince visit your room last night?”
Bei Chuny’ i wanted to lie, but the words that came out changed his expression, “Last night, my brother and I both received news of our father’s critical illness, and we were planning to return to Mobei Kingdom.”
Chu Qingzhi was surprised. She had only come up with the idea yesterday morning, but the two of them had already received the letter at night. Was everyone so efficient in their actions?
“Do you and your brother have any enemies in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?”
Bei Chunyi’s palms were sweaty, “No, we were busy garnering support and looking for advantageous marital alliances. We didn’t do anything else and avoided much contact with the people of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, definitely not making enemies with anyone.”
Chu Qingzhi didn’t ask further and turned back to the room.
She opened the wine bottle and sniffed it. Amid the strong aroma of wine, she detected a subtle unusual scent – the smell of black grass.
Black grass has an anesthetic effect and, when added to wine, is hard to detect and doubles its narcotic effect. This black grass has a unique property – it is volatile.
She put down the bottle and picked up the wine cup. There was half a cup of wine left, and the scent of black grass was almost gone.
The coroner humbly asked, “Miss Chu, what have you found?”
Chu Qingzhi put down the cup, “There is black grass in the wine.”
It’s well known that overdosing on anesthetics can be fatal. Although Bei Chunlu drank wine containing black grass, even with its doubled anesthetic effect, it wouldn’t kill him.
What then was the cause of death?
Was it related to the puncture wound on his hand?
The coroner said, “I have read about black grass, but due to soil conditions, it does not grow in the Dating Dynasty.”
Chu Qingzhi asked, “Then where does it thrive?”
“Mobei Kingdom.”
Chu Qingzhi thought to herself, could it be that someone from Mobei Kingdom killed their own prince?
This was the most plausible guess.
Mobei Kingdom is a vassal kingdom of the Dating Dynasty. When their prince came as an envoy to seek marriage, even if unwelcomed or disliked, they wouldn’t kill him. After all, such a killing would escalate into a diplomatic issue, difficult to settle later.
Moreover, even if they intended to kill, it would not be in the Dating Dynasty. Why create trouble for themselves? Wouldn’t it be better to ambush and kill them in Mobei Kingdom?
So now, it’s highly likely that their own people did, then pinned the blame on the Dating Dynasty..
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