Chapter 153: The Master Detective Li Tingbiao

Li Tingbiao, entrusted with this grave responsibility, took over the palace justice office's interrogation duties with a heavy heart. However, he did not continue using torture, but instead conducted a detailed questioning of everyone involved.

Li Tingbiao first questioned Wu Zhong and the other eunuchs and palace maids of Zhongcui Palace about what the Crown Prince had recently eaten and what he had come into contact with. Since Wu Zhong and the others had been practically glued to His Highness's side all day, questioning them first was of the utmost importance.

As the head eunuch of Zhongcui Palace, Wu Zhong felt as if the sky were falling. He said tearfully, "Since His Young Highness was confined to quarters, he has been reading in Zhongcui Palace the whole time, with only us six servants attending him. Half an hour ago, shortly after His Young Highness had finished his meal, Her Majesty the Empress summoned him and kept him in Kunning Palace for a chat."

Li Tingbiao nodded and asked, "Did His Highness eat or drink anything while in Kunning Palace?"

Wu Zhong said in a tearful voice, "His Young Highness ate roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts together with Her Majesty the Empress in Kunning Palace. He did not drink anything."

Li Tingbiao continued, "Roasted sweet potatoes? Did Her Majesty the Empress eat them too? Was His Highness's food tested for poison before he ate?"

Wu Zhong said, "Her Majesty the Empress's portion was tasted by Zhang, the palace steward of Kunning Palace. His Highness's portion was tasted by this servant personally."

"And after eating? What did His Highness do? Did anyone come into contact with him?" Li Tingbiao said thoughtfully.

Wu Zhong replied, "They ate and chatted together. His Highness had a good appetite and ate two roasted sweet potatoes in a row. Shortly after finishing, he returned to Zhongcui Palace."

Li Tingbiao was baffled. Palace Steward Zhang tasted it and was fine, Her Majesty the Empress ate it and was fine, yet the Crown Prince returned and was poisoned. How exactly was he poisoned?

He asked again, "What did His Highness eat after returning?"

Wu Zhong said, "After returning, His Highness only ate three boiled eggs and nothing else. This servant tasted a small piece of each egg, and nothing happened to me at all."

Li Tingbiao could see that Wu Zhong was hale and hearty, so he knew the man was fine. This made him even more perplexed. Everything the Crown Prince had eaten, Wu Zhong had tasted — no problem whatsoever — yet His Highness had been poisoned.

Who exactly wanted to harm the Crown Prince? And by what method? A thousand thoughts raced through Li Tingbiao's mind.

After thinking for a long while, Li Tingbiao asked again, "You said earlier that His Highness had a meal before going to Zhongcui Palace. What did His Highness eat?"

Wu Zhong thought for a moment and said, "His Highness only ate a serving of beef and rice. The other dishes were barely touched."

Li Tingbiao nodded, had Wu Zhong locked up separately from the others, and then questioned Qiu Zhizhong, another eunuch of Zhongcui Palace, along with the four palace maids named Qin, Qi, Shu, and Hua. Their answers were all consistent with Wu Zhong's.

Based on his many years of interrogation experience, Li Tingbiao could tell that the people of Zhongcui Palace were not lying. From their expressions and behavior, it could not have been any of them either.

Next, Li Tingbiao questioned in turn some eunuchs from the Directorate of Imperial Meals and the Inner Palace Directorate. Even the eunuchs who delivered edicts for the Directorate of Ceremonial were dragged in for questioning. In the end, he still found nothing.

Afterwards, Li Tingbiao led a large force of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in a massive search of Zhongcui Palace, the Directorate of Imperial Meals, and the Inner Palace Directorate. They did not let even a single brick go unchecked, yet still found no clues.

After nightfall, the Forbidden City's curfew was enforced. Li Tingbiao returned to his residence, racking his brains the whole way without figuring out how the Crown Prince had been poisoned.

The moment he stepped through the door, his wife began nagging: "Every day I see you bustling about. You should find your own son a good post. His father is a Vice Guard Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at the fourth rank, yet his son is still just a lowly Squad Leader at the seventh rank. How embarrassing is that to say out loud!"

Li Tingbiao glanced at his eldest son, who was still practicing martial arts in the courtyard even after dark, and said flatly, "Has that boy been complaining?"

Madam Li frowned and said, "Our son is just as tight-lipped as you are. I wish he would complain! He's already twenty years old and hasn't even taken a wife. If you promoted him to Centurion or Chiliarch, we could probably be holding a grandson by this time next year!"

Li Tingbiao snorted lightly, "Stop worrying about him. I haven't eaten all day. Have someone prepare a meal right away!"

Seeing his attitude, Madam Li's willow brows shot up in anger. She took two sweet potatoes from a bamboo basket in the courtyard and tossed them in front of him, glaring, "The steward just traded for these on the street today. Eat them raw yourself!"

Li Tingbiao paid no heed to his wife's fiery temper. Instead, he bent down and picked up the sweet potatoes from the ground, lost in thought.

Seeing her husband silent, Madam Li thought he was angry. Her voice immediately softened: "Husband, I was just joking with you. Don't take it seriously. I'll have someone prepare a meal for you right now."

Li Tingbiao nodded coolly and said, "Do we have beef, chestnuts, and eggs at home? Make some — I want to eat!"

Madam Li said with some difficulty, "We have beef and eggs, but probably no chestnuts."

Li Tingbiao called out to his eldest son practicing in the courtyard, "Li Hu! Go to the street and buy some chestnuts!"

"Father! The curfew is in effect now. The markets closed long ago!" Li Hu's voice came from the courtyard.

Li Tingbiao snorted coldly, "Can't you use your head? Take your Embroidered Uniform Guard badge with you!"

Li Tingbiao was somewhat disappointed in his eldest son. The boy trained in martial arts every day but never developed any brains. At his age, he couldn't even charm a girl. How could he feel confident promoting him?

Two quarters of an hour later, in Li Tingbiao's study, four dishes were laid out on the table: beef, chestnuts, roasted sweet potatoes, and boiled eggs.

Li Tingbiao gazed at the four dishes before him, lost in thought. After pondering for a moment, he began to simulate the Crown Prince's order of eating, following the sequence Wu Zhong had described during the day.

A quarter of an hour later, he ate through the sequence once, yet felt no problems.

"Could I be overthinking this?" Li Tingbiao frowned deeply. Seeing that there was still food left on the plates, he ate through the four dishes in sequence once again.

After finishing all four dishes to the full, Li Tingbiao let out a burp and felt rather stuffed. He half-reclined in his chair, still pondering the details of the day's interrogations.

Within less than a quarter of an hour, Li Tingbiao felt his stomach churn with a nausea like roiling waves, and then he began to vomit.

The servant who came to clear the dishes was startled to see her master in such a state and hurriedly went to fetch the mistress.

Madam Li said nervously, "Husband, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me! Steward, hurry and fetch a physician!"

Li Tingbiao hastily stopped her: "Don't fetch a physician! I'm fine! All of you, get out!"

After his family left, Li Tingbiao endured the nausea and vomiting and muttered to himself, "Your Highness, you are not only ruthless toward yourself, but you are also quite the actor!"

Li Tingbiao now understood completely. These four foods must counteract each other. Her Majesty the Empress ate roasted sweet potatoes and chestnuts and was fine, which meant the problem lay with the beef and eggs — they conflicted with the first two foods. Wu Zhong had eaten all of them too, but he had only taken small bites.

In the end, Li Tingbiao reached his conclusion: the Crown Prince had used the principle of food incompatibility to produce symptoms of being poisoned on himself, and the effect only occurred with large quantities of consumption.

The only thing he couldn't understand was how incompetent the imperial physicians of the Imperial Academy of Medicine were. How had no one noticed anything? Could it be that the academy's director had been bought off by His Highness?

It seemed he would need to go see the director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine and preferably deal with the matter thoroughly.

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