Chapter 491

"What?!"

"Those house slaves were poisoned to death?!"

Houmochen Xiao pulled the reins abruptly, and the steed under him pawed the ground uneasily, spraying white mist.

That calm face was now full of shock, his brows suddenly twisted, and waves of disbelief surged in his eyes.

The cold wind lifted his sleeves, revealing the gilded Mirror Keeper token hanging at his waist, which shone with a cold light under the bleak moonlight.

A chill shot straight from his spine to the top of his head, making Yuan Shu's hair stand on end instantly. A layer of cold sweat had already broken out on his back, and he shivered in the cold wind of the deep night.

His pupils shrank, his eyes full of confusion and helplessness, his face full of unbelievable panic, his lips moving, and it took a long time for him to squeeze out a few murmurs as thin as a mosquito: "Yuan Wu... Yuan Wu and the others... died?"

At that moment, Yuan Shu was extremely panicked.

He feared that he would be suspected!

Hearing this, Chen Yan slowly curled his lips into a very faint arc, as if mocking or understanding, and his low voice wrapped in the cold wind murmured with hidden meaning: "And it was just poisoned to death not long before we arrived..."

"In this world, how can there be such a coincidence!"

As soon as his voice fell, the smile suddenly faded, and his eyes were instantly covered by a dark gloom that could not be melted, like a cold pool without a bottom.

His fingertips tightened suddenly, and the jade pendant at his waist was squeezed to make a faint sound, followed by a cold snort from his throat: "Heh!"

Gao Jiong narrowed his eyes, a cold chill shining in his narrow eye slits, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, and he made a guess decisively: "Most likely it was the hand of that iron-masked man!"

Regarding this assumption, Gao Jiong was at least ninety percent sure...

Houmochen Xiao turned his horse abruptly, his robes fluttering in the cold wind. He bowed toward Chen Yan, his hands cupped steadily in front of his chest, and asked for instructions: "Lord, what should be done now?"

Having said that, he raised his head slightly, waiting for his Lord's decision.

Chen Yan sat on the horse, his posture as straight as a peak, a smile that was not quite a smile hanging on the corner of his mouth, his voice wrapped in coldness: "This iron-masked man really has good means!"

Before his voice fell, the smile suddenly faded, and the sharpness surging in his eyes was like a drawn sword, carrying majesty as it swept over the crowd, and then he said in a low voice: "Examine the corpses!"

Right now, we must first examine the corpses to see if there are any clues left behind...

The current situation is becoming more and more confusing.

For the first time, Chen had the feeling that a big hand was covering everything behind the scenes!

"Where are the corpses of those people now?" Houmochen Xiao turned to the two Embroidered Attire Envoys and asked.

Chen Du, the capable-looking Embroidered Attire Envoy on the left, stepped forward and replied in an orderly manner: "The subordinate has arranged for brothers to bring the corpses back to the Mingjing Si first!"

"And have sent people to notify the coroner to return to the government office to wait for orders overnight..."

Chen Du knew deeply that with the leader and the big leader here, he could not be careless.

He must guess the leader's thoughts and be anxious for what the leader is anxious about.

Therefore, he had made arrangements in advance; the leader might not use them, but when they needed to be used, they must not be missing!

Hearing this, Chen Yan nodded slowly, the hem of his fox fur swaying with the horse, sweeping off snow particles. The gloom in his eyes faded a little, adding a bit of praise: "You did well."

He paused, his gaze falling on Chen Du, and asked in a flat tone: "What is your name?"

Chen Du bent his waist lower, cupped his hands above his head, and replied loudly, his voice sonorous: "Subordinate Chen Du!"

The cold wind swept by, but it could not blow away the steadiness and respect in his reply.

Chen Yan curled his lips into a faint smile and sighed: "It is the same surname as this office..."

"This office will remember you!"

Immediately, he raised his hand to pull the reins, his black brocade robe drawing a clean arc in the cold wind, and ordered loudly: "Go, return to the Mingjing Si!"

The deep night was as thick as ink.

Mingjing Si.

In the morgue, the candles flickered. Under the dim light, several corpses covered with white cloth lay quietly on the central long table. The cold air seeped up through the gaps in the floor tiles, making one's hair stand on end.

Several Embroidered Attire Envoys stood on both sides of the room, their dark martial garments making their figures look straight, but they all held their breath, their breathing extremely light.

Their eyes fell on the corpses with gravity, waiting for instructions.

Suddenly, steady footsteps came from outside the door, accompanied by the whistling of wind and snow sweeping over the eaves.

The Embroidered Attire Envoys turned their heads in unison and saw a dark figure pushing the door and entering; it was Chen Yan.

Houmochen Xiao and others followed closely behind.

"Greetings, Lord!"

"Greetings, Lord!"

Everyone bowed and cupped their hands in unison, their voices uniform, breaking the deathly silence of the morgue.

Even though Chen Yan had already resigned as the Superintendent, these Embroidered Attire Envoys who had once been led by him and had received his kindness still showed respect and reverence.

In the crowd, a young man wearing the official robes of a Superintendent stepped forward quickly, his handsome face carrying a familiar warmth, and he shouted crisply: "Big Brother!"

It was the current Superintendent of the Mingjing Si, Li Tan.

Chen Yan waved his hand at the bowing crowd, his voice steady and peaceful, dispelling some of the chill of the morgue: "No need for formalities!"

He swept his gaze over the corpses on the table, then turned to Li Tan, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth, his tone carrying a bit of teasing: "You brat, not sleeping in the middle of the night, why did you run here?"

Li Tan raised his hand and put it on Chen Yan's shoulder, his movements extremely casual, his brows curved, his smile hearty, his voice carrying a bit of joy: "Isn't it because I heard that an interesting case happened..."

"So I came to take a look!"

Having said that, his gaze swept over Houmochen Xiao, Gao Jiong, and others behind Chen Yan, and his fingertips pointed in that direction, laughing: "I arrived just a moment ago, and you and your team arrived right after..."

Chen Yan's mouth held a smile that was not quite a smile, his brows raised slightly, and cunning light rippled in his eyes.

He leaned slightly to Li Tan's ear, his voice lowered, audible only to the two of them: "Are you sure you aren't hiding from the one you just married?"

His words were full of undisguised teasing, the trailing tone hooking lightly, carrying a bit of mockery.

Having said that, he straightened up, the smile in his eyes deepening.

In early November, Li Tan had married that marriage partner from the Hedong Xue clan...

The Duke of Wei mansion had also sent a thick congratulatory gift at that time!

However, Chen heard that this new bride, Lady Xue, managed things very strictly, watched very closely, and especially forbade someone from going to the places of smoke and willows...

The hearty smile on Li Tan's face froze instantly, and then an awkward blush surged up. He hurriedly raised his hand to cover his mouth, and a series of coughs sounded urgently: "Cough! Cough cough!"

As the coughing subsided, he quietly gave Chen Yan a look, leaned closer, and lowered his voice, his tone full of bitter smiles: "Big Brother, don't expose people's shortcomings!"

His gaze swept quickly over the Embroidered Attire Envoys standing solemnly on both sides, and he added, "There are so many people here!"

Li was suffering in his heart!

Marrying a wife is like opening a blind box; marrying a virtuous one is like smoke rising from the ancestral grave...

But he married a tigress, whose temper is not very good, and she is very domineering.

Moreover, he seriously suspected that his own father had chosen her on purpose, and after she married, he directly gave her the power of the housekeeper!

Seeing Li Tan's embarrassed appearance, Chen Yan could no longer hold back his suppressed laughter, raised his head, and let out a hearty laugh: "Hahahaha!"

The laughter echoed in the morgue, dispelling most of the chill, and even the candles seemed to be shaken by it.

He stopped laughing after a long while, his eyes still carrying a smile, but he had already raised his hand to give the order.

"Come!" Chen Yan beckoned to the Embroidered Attire Envoys waiting on the side, his voice suddenly turning deep, and ordered loudly, "Examine the corpses of Yuan Wu and the others!"

As his voice fell, the smile on his face instantly faded, and the aura around him tightened suddenly.

His body under the dark robes was as straight as a pine, sharp light surging in his eyes. As he swept over the corpses on the table, his gaze froze, his tone full of hidden meaning: "Examine carefully, see if it is a highly toxic poison that kills upon contact with blood, or a chronic poison that has long been planted in secret!"

If it were a chronic poison, things would be even more serious...

After all, this means that the iron-masked man had planned this step in advance!

"As you command!"

Six Embroidered Attire Envoys responded in unison, their voices loud and uniform.

Walking to the long table, the six divided into three rows, two corresponding to one corpse.

They leaned down and put down the ebony toolboxes in their hands, the buckles making a crisp "click" sound as they opened, which was particularly clear in the silent room.

The box lids were lifted, revealing the neatly arranged silver needles, thin knives, silver spoons, silk cloth, and other autopsy tools inside.

The two on the left moved first, their fingertips picking up silver needles, carefully probing toward Yuan Wu's mouth, nose, and fingertips. The moment the tips of the silver needles touched the skin, they turned a faint blue-black.

Another person held a thin knife, the blade extremely thin, and gently cut the skin on the deceased's wrist, his movements precise without a trace of excess, only a small amount of dark purple blood seeping out.

The others also had their own divisions of labor, either using silver spoons to scrape the dark traces remaining at the corners of the deceased's mouths, or using silk cloth to wipe the skin, carefully observing the changes in color, sometimes lowering their heads to sniff, sometimes exchanging glances, holding their breath throughout.

The time of an incense stick passed quietly, and the candles in the morgue burned brighter, reflecting the flickering figures of the crowd on the walls.

The six Embroidered Attire Envoys stopped their movements one after another and began to wipe the tools and store the toolboxes in an orderly manner. The blue-black traces on their fingertips were particularly conspicuous under the candlelight.

"How is it?" Chen Yan spoke first, his voice steady, breaking the silence of the autopsy.

One of the slightly taller Embroidered Attire Envoys stepped forward quickly, knelt on one knee, cupped his hands and bowed, his tone respectful and firm: "Reporting to the Lord, Superintendent, the one this subordinate examined had already been poisoned with a chronic poison!"

He paused, raised his eyes to sweep quickly over Chen Yan and Li Tan, and then added solemnly: "This chronic poison has been latent for a long time and was not enough to be fatal, but more than half an hour ago, someone added a trigger. Under the stimulation of the two, the toxicity became sudden and violent, causing the deceased to die of poisoning in a short time!"

A capable-looking Embroidered Attire Envoy on the side immediately stepped forward half a step, also cupped his hands, and said: "Reporting to the Lord, Superintendent, the one this subordinate examined is also the same!"

Another Embroidered Attire Envoy followed quickly, bowed and echoed: "The one this subordinate examined is also the same situation!"

Houmochen Xiao stood still, his brows locked, his expression thoughtful.

The words of the Embroidered Attire Envoys echoed repeatedly in his mind—the superposition of chronic poison and trigger, the precise time of poisoning, everywhere revealing strange calculations.

A moment later, he looked at Chen Yan and Li Tan, his gaze sharp and firm, and said in a low voice: "This subordinate has probably guessed the iron-masked man's means..."

He paused, swept over the corpses on the table, his tone becoming increasingly grave: "Either he bought off Yuan Wu and the others, or he controlled them in some way!"

Li Tan nodded slowly, a low "hm" spilling from his throat. His gaze swept over the corpses on the table, and a cold smile suddenly curled at the corner of his mouth, the chill spreading with his words: "After achieving the goal of beating the tomb raiders to death and framing them, he killed them to silence them at just the right time!"

Houmochen Xiao immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands and bowed, echoing in a low voice: "The Superintendent is absolutely right!"

Li Tan turned his head and saw Chen Yan standing with his hands behind his back beside the long table, his gaze locked on Yuan Wu's corpse, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression grave, as if he had fallen into deep thought, without a word for a long time.

His heart moved slightly, he stepped forward, pushed Chen Yan's arm gently with his elbow, and asked tentatively and cautiously: "Big Brother, why are you not saying a word? What are you thinking about?"

Chen Yan slowly recovered, shook his head, his brows still furrowed tightly, his expression adding a bit more gravity than before. His gaze swept over the corpses on the table and finally landed on Yuan Wu's blue-black face.

"I can't figure out," he opened his mouth, his voice low and hoarse, carrying a bit of elusive depth, "what is the motive of the person behind the scenes for doing all this?"

He paused, raised his eyes to look at the dim roof of the morgue, and said with hidden meaning: "He went to such great lengths, it could never be just to get rid of a few house slaves and frame a murder case..."

"What exactly is he trying to cover up? And what kind of plot is he trying to achieve?"