Chapter 239: Strangulation

The coroner, after examining the corpse, walked in.

Everyone's gaze fell on him, and the two kneeling people looked at him with nervous faces.

"Your honor, I have determined that the cause of death for the two is unrelated to food; they died from a poison called Youhun San."

"Youhun San?"

"Yes, the toxin is potent, but it must be taken half an hour in advance with a drug guide to trigger it, then it acts inside the body."

The two kneeling on the ground changed color at the words.

It was indeed uncovered.

Liu Jinming asked in a deep voice, "What is the drug guide?"

"Sir, it is ginseng."

Liu Jinming, hearing this, turned to the nearby constable and asked, "What did the two eat at the World's First Manor?"

"Uh..." the constable scratched his head. They were busy catching people; how could they have paid attention to what the two ate?

"Sir, I forgot; perhaps we should summon the shop's manager and assistant, and a question will reveal it."

Soon, the sound of iron chains scraping the floor rang from outside.

Chi Nan Yi furrowed his brows and turned to look toward the doorway.

He saw Qing Shan at the front, followed by Hao and a young servant; none of them had a face or body without wounds.

The injuries on Qing Shan were the worst; his shoulder and chest clothing were torn by a whip, flesh flayed, and bright red blood soaked the fabric.

"Shopkeeper!"

Manager Hao's eyes reddened instantly upon seeing Chi Nan Yi, and even his speech trembled slightly.

Chi Nan Yi's complexion tightened, and his gaze turned sharply cold.

"Did you punish them?"

Chi Nan Yi's voice was low but carried an inexplicable authority; Liu Jinming felt a chill, and his gaze at Chi Nan Yi held a hint of inquiry.

How could this person's aura be so strong?

"Lord Liu, you really excel at extracting confessions through torture!"

Liu Jinming forced a nervous laugh, feeling a surge of grievance.

As a respectable Prefect, a fifth‑rank official at least, how could I fail to maintain my official bearing before someone who has no rank at all?

I even have to grovel.

"It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding..." Thinking of Prince Li's cold eyes, Liu Jinming shivered.

Prince Li, I cannot afford to offend him, but if this is settled today, how will the Crown Prince explain it?

Chi Nan Yi glanced at Liu Jinming, then immediately looked at the two beside him, sneering, "Are your families close?"

The two shook their heads, "Not close."

"What a coincidence, not close, yet both families used the same poison, and it manifested at the same time, same place." Chi Nan Yi looked at Liu Jinming, and walked slowly toward him, each step feeling like stepping on Liu Jinming's heart.

"What kind of coincidence would make a lord skip investigation, directly sentence, and then punish them?"

Chi Nan Yi stood beside Liu Jinming, saying softly, "If I had to guess, someone probably intends to use Lord Liu's knife to kill people!"

Liu Jinming swallowed, and, feeling a bit guilty, shouted, "Nonsense! How could this official do such a thing?"

He looked at the cold in Chi Nan Yi's eyes and began to calculate.

Now that he has offended her, offending her means offending Prince Li; if this matter is mishandled, he will also offend the Crown Prince, and the future will truly be bleak.

If he could rely on the Crown Prince like a great tree, perhaps a sliver of hope could be gained.

Thinking this, the flattering look in Liu Jinming's eyes vanished; he turned and sat back in his seat, saying gravely, "Defaming this official—do you know what crime that is?"

Liu Jinming's sudden shift was within Chi Nan Yi's expectations.

After all, in his previous life this man was the Crown Prince's lackey.

"Defaming a court‑appointed official warrants a light flogging or severe exile! Since you are Prince Li's physician, I will be lenient, delivering thirty lashes as a warning. As for this matter, I still need to investigate properly," he said, waved his hand, and several constables stepped forward, pulling Qing Shan and Manager Hao outside.

The iron chains scraped the floor with a harsh screech, and a few young servants lost their balance and fell; Qing Shan, wounded, gasped a cold breath in pain.

The officials' hands seemed deliberate, pressing repeatedly on the wound, causing Qing Shan's face to turn pale instantly.

Seeing the constables' intentional harassment, she curled a cold smile, "Lord Liu, before you punish me, have you consulted Prince Li's wishes?"

"I am reviewing the case; why consult Prince Li? In the hall, openly defaming a court‑appointed official, my punishment of you is rightful, even if the Prince is here, I would still judge the same. Servant, drag him down!"

Chi Nan Yi felt clear inside; Liu Jinming had steadfastly chosen Mo Junyan.

"Lord Liu, such great authority!" At that moment, a deep voice rang, "You dare move my people."

The voice struck Liu Jinming's heart like a muffled thunderclap.

It is…

The sound of wheels on the road reached his ears, like a death‑summoning talisman.

As the sound drew nearer, cold sweat gathered on Liu Jinming's forehead. Everyone's gaze turned to the doorway, where Mo Junyan sat in a wheelchair, Yun Shui pushing him, slowly entering the hall. He surveyed the room, his cold, sharp gaze softening slightly when it met Chi Nan Yi.

After a moment of appraisal, seeing no wounds or blood on her, Mo Junyan's violent aura eased a little.

How could Liu Jinming have imagined Prince Li would come in person?

Pushing through the crowd, he hurried to Mo Junyan and respectfully said, "May I see the Prince."

"Who are you?"

"I am the Jingcheng Prefect, Liu Jinming."

Mo Junyan nodded, a faint smile playing at his lips, "Good, you at least state your name."

Hearing that, Liu Jinming felt a surge of hope; does Prince Li mean no punishment?

He was about to speak when Mo Junyan whispered, "My blade does not cut nameless ghosts."

What?

Come, men, drag the Jingcheng Prefect Liu Jinming down and strangle him at once.

Liu Jinming hurriedly knelt on the ground: "Prince, forgive me, Prince, forgive me! I, the subordinate, am also following the proper procedures; please, Prince, be understanding."

"Understanding? Ha, what if This Prince does not wish to be understanding?" Mo Junyan said word for word: "Lord Liu, how much silver have you greedily taken? I suppose you can't even recall it yourself! Being a corrupt official is one thing, but now you dare to force a confession, trample on lives, and having sat in this position for so long you've probably forgotten your own name. In that case, This Prince will give you a chance to be reborn, hoping that in your next life you can be a good person." After speaking, Mo Junyan waved his hand, and a group of soldiers stepped forward. At that moment, Liu Jinming stepped back several strides and shouted loudly: "Prince, even if you are a Prince you cannot strangle a court official!"

This Prince wants to kill, no reason needed; moreover, are there few court officials who die under This Prince's blade? Those mere fifth‑rank officials don't even have the qualification to let This Prince draw his sword; you should be grateful you have not acted on those who should not be acted upon, otherwise, those who die today will not be only yourself.