Chapter 158: The silver needle test shows the food and wine are non-toxic; clouds of suspicion gather

"This Mirror Master will assist Prefect Liu!"

"Lady Shangguan, please set your heart at ease; we will surely solve this case with the utmost speed!"

As soon as Liu Bingzhong finished speaking, Li Tan stepped out from the crowd at the opportune moment, making a solemn promise.

Li Tan? Why had he come too? Wu Xiqing recognized this Heir to the Zhao Lord and grandson of the Old Pillar of State Li at a glance. Though she was somewhat puzzled by his appearance, she smiled and said, "Then I shall have to trouble Mirror Master Li!"

Wu Xiqing did not know why, but how had this even alarmed the Mingjing Si?

Yet, with the Mingjing Si involved, it would only take half the effort to uncover the truth and find the real culprit.

She was unaware that the struggle within the Heavenly Palace had begun, nor which two sides were locked in this slaughter...

Liu Bingzhong stepped forward, getting straight to the point: "The servants who came to report the case said that General Shangguan was drinking with Lord Liang before he died..."

"Where are the wine they drank and the food they ate now?"

Liu Bingzhong had not yet decided how to solve the case or who to use as a scapegoat...

However, he could follow the procedure first and see if this "army supervisor" gentleman standing by had any new instructions.

"On the table over there..."

Hearing this, Steward Zheng raised his hand and pointed to a table in the distance. "My lords, please follow this humble servant!"

Having said that, he made a gesture of invitation and walked ahead to lead the way.

Liu Bingzhong, Li Tan, and the others followed closely behind, arriving at the place where the wine and food had been consumed.

"Yinxian, go and examine the condition of General Shangguan and Lord Liang's bodies..."

Liu Bingzhong's gaze swept over the still-warm wine and food on the table. Seeing that Li Tan had no intention of speaking, he looked at Zhang Yinxian and several clerks, ordering, "You few, examine these wines and dishes one by one!"

"Yes."

Zhang Yinxian and the others nodded in acknowledgment, then immediately followed Liu Bingzhong's instructions, splitting up to perform their respective duties.

Zhang Yinxian served as the Legal Officer of the Jingzhao Prefecture and had a rudimentary understanding of autopsy techniques, which was why Liu Bingzhong had made this arrangement.

The clerks had the estate's servants bring silver needles, which they inserted into the wine and food, testing them meticulously one by one.

An incense stick of time later.

"How is it?" Liu Bingzhong asked.

"Reporting to my lord, the silver needle did not turn black; the wine is non-toxic!"

"Reporting to my lord, the silver needle did not turn black; the food is also non-toxic!"

The other clerks who performed cross-checks reached the same conclusion.

Hearing these identical results, Liu Bingzhong could not help but frown and ask, "Are you all certain there is no error?"

If a source of poison had been found in the wine or food, it would have been easy to mislead the investigation later; at worst, they could have just filed it as an unsolved case to satisfy the superiors.

But it turned out to be non-toxic!

Shangguan Jun and Liang Qi were lying right there; these two couldn't have just dropped dead out of thin air, could they?

This is tricky...

"My subordinates have verified it repeatedly; there is absolutely no oversight!" the clerks holding the silver needles said in unison.

This result also left them very puzzled, which was why they had verified it multiple times.

Since everyone's answer was the same, they dared to report it...

"How could it be like this...?" Liu Bingzhong's brow was almost twisted into a knot as he muttered to himself.

What baffled this Prefect was not what to do next.

It was how the Grand Chancellor had managed to pull this off...

The key was that it looked a bit like the handiwork of that ruthless Zhuque Mirror Master!

After all, that gentleman was the Grand Chancellor's capable right-hand man, deeply trusted and valued...

And he also had an excellent relationship with the Xuanwu Mirror Master standing nearby.

"Why would it be non-toxic?"

"Lord Liu, is there an error in the test results?"

Hearing the clerks' report, Wu Xiqing also raised a challenge.

If there was no poison in the wine or food, then how did her husband and Lord Liang end up convulsing, collapsing, and falling into a coma?

"Lady Shangguan, do not be anxious!"

Liu Bingzhong had a headache, but he kept his expression unchanged, stalling for time: "The investigation results from over there have not come out yet..."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to Zhang Yinxian, who was busy working.

Wu Xiqing nodded, temporarily regaining her calm.

Half an incense stick of time later.

Zhang Yinxian took off his cloth gloves, walked in front of Liu Bingzhong and the others, and said in a deep voice, "My lord, the poison that General Shangguan and Lord Liang were struck with is very rare; this subordinate cannot judge it for the moment..."

He paused, then continued, "But besides consuming the wine and food, I also discovered residual medicinal liquid!"

Having said that, he lightly touched the medicine stains on his cloth gloves, signaling everyone to look.

"It was the medicine decocted from the prescription Physician Tang said could delay the symptoms for the Master..." Steward Zheng seemed to recall something and explained the origin of the medicinal liquid.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yinxian suddenly began to shake his head, his expression and tone extremely serious as he said in a deep voice, "So that poison was not meant to be fatal in the short term..."

"But that medicine catalyzed the toxicity, directly causing the two lords to perish!"

Zhang Yinxian's voice was not loud, but it was enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

"What did you say?!"

Wu Xiqing's expression changed instantly, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Say it again!"

This mistress of the Right General's mansion never imagined that the medicinal soup used to delay and stabilize the poison would actually become her husband's death warrant?!

According to this coroner, they originally wouldn't have died...

"This old man doesn't know!"

"It has nothing to do with this old man!"

Physician Tang did not know why the finger of blame had suddenly pointed at him. He panicked instantly, and in his desperation, he knelt on the ground with a "thud," kowtowing while pleading his case.

"Tang, you dare to plot against the Master!" Steward Zheng questioned sternly.

"My Lady, please investigate clearly!"

"Even if you gave this old man a hundred guts, I wouldn't dare harbor any treacherous intentions!"

"The prescription is right there; you can ask the lords from the Jingzhao Prefecture to verify it!"

Although Physician Tang was old and his eyes were dim, his mind was exceptionally clear at this life-or-death moment.

With other professionals present, he could prove his innocence based on the prescription...

After all, from beginning to end, he had not participated in decocting or feeding the medicine.

"Quickly bring the prescription here!" Wu Xiqing calmed her anger and ordered.

A maid hurriedly brought the prescription written by Physician Tang and handed it to Zhang Yinxian.

"This is a very common sedative prescription; the dosage is also fine. It is not the cause of death!" Zhang Yinxian examined the prescription, scanned the herbs and dosages on it, shook his head, and said.

It was truly not him covering for the physician.

This prescription fell into the category of being both non-toxic and useless...

"My Lady, look, it's not that the prescription I wrote has a problem!"

"This old man is innocent!"

"I beg you to investigate clearly!"

Physician Tang, as if grabbing a life-saving straw, knelt on the ground and pleaded urgently.

"The prescription is fine, but it catalyzed the toxicity..."

Wu Xiqing was in no mood to pay attention to him. Her mind raced as she analyzed the situation. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she blurted out, "It's the decocted medicinal soup that has a problem!"

"Someone tampered with it!"

Having said that, her cold gaze began to sweep over the servants in the mansion.

These fellows were all suspects...

"This official thinks so too!" Liu Bingzhong echoed, "Something must have been added to the medicinal soup..."

"The people responsible for getting the medicine, decocting it, and handling the medicine bowl are all here!"

Steward Zheng was extremely efficient; before long, he had people seize all the maids who were suspects.

"It wasn't this servant!"

"This servant is wronged!"

"How would this servant have the guts to plot against the Master!"

The seized maids knelt before Wu Xiqing, terrified, crying out their grievances repeatedly.

"You ungrateful wretches!"

"The Master treated you well on ordinary days!"

Wu Xiqing took a deep breath, pointed at them one by one, and scolded them sternly.

Li Tan, who had been watching silently for a long time, finally made a move. While everyone's attention was on those maids, he gave Liu Bingzhong a look.

Liu Bingzhong understood immediately and interrupted, "Lady Shangguan, do not be in such a hurry to reach a conclusion..."

"This official believes there is no such thing as a flawless crime; there must be traces left in the mansion. May I...?"

"Search!"

Wu Xiqing, already consumed by anger and at the height of her fury, did not hesitate at all, gritting her teeth as she spat out the word.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Even if you have to turn the mansion upside down, you must ferret out the culprit!"

"Lord Liu, please feel free to do as you wish!"

As long as she could avenge her husband, Wu Xiqing would stop at nothing.

Never mind just searching for clues...

"Move!"

At Liu Bingzhong's command, the officials of the Jingzhao Prefecture began a massive, sweeping search.

Li Tan also led several Embroidered Attire Envoys to join the ranks of the search party.

Half an hour later.

The Jingzhao Prefecture officials returned one after another, coming back almost empty-handed.

After another stick of incense had burned, Wu Xiqing saw Li Tan returning late and, having staked all her hopes on him, asked anxiously, "How did it go?"

"Lady Shangguan, we found absolutely no evidence of the poison used on your husband..."

Li Tan stopped in front of Wu Xiqing, the long-simmering malice in his eyes flickering as he said playfully, "But this Mirror Master has discovered some truly interesting things!"