NOVEL NEXT chapter 23
Chapter 23: Southern Barbarian Poison
Qin Siyue naturally knew what Xia Yuxiao used to be like.
After all, Qin Siyue had inherited the memories of her “predecessor.” However, those memories were just a vague kind of memory, somewhat like a revolving lantern. In Qin Siyue’s memory, although Xia Yuxiao had shown a scheming mind far beyond her age when she was very young, she still had some childlike innocence and wildness. But now…
Her elder brother was truly sinful. If this continued, he would sooner or later drive the Emperor to a psychological breakdown.
“So, what are you going to do next? Are you still going to investigate the case she asked you to?” Qin Siyue asked.
Regarding the mastermind behind the assassins who attempted to kill Qin Ji and threaten the Emperor, the Emperor had originally entrusted him with the power to investigate. On the surface, this seemed like trust, but in reality, it was just giving Qin Ji a favor that didn’t exist.
“Investigate, and I must find out the truth. Even if I can’t find anything, I must at least make some moves. Otherwise, the Emperor will start to suspect again. Tsk, he’s young, but his suspicion is greater than that of an old man.”
Qin Ji complained unhappily.
On one hand, he had to be responsible for military mobilization and coordination, and on the other hand, he had to investigate internal issues. This situation clearly intended to use Qin Ji as several people. The downside of centralizing power to the central government was that everything had to be handled by the Emperor and central ministers. Once something went wrong, they would be exhausted. Qin Ji, as the Grand Marshal, was relatively better off. At least he was a high-ranking official, responsible for general policies and strategies. But some civil officials were really exhausted.
“No way, you are now a threat to them. Be content. At least this girl knows she can’t touch you. If you were a character in a game, I would immediately make you the Earl of Glamorgan and let you enjoy life.”
Qin Siyue said gleefully.
“Don’t think I don’t know what the Earl of Glamorgan is.” Qin Ji knocked on her head. “Just so you know, I can’t accompany you to paint tonight. I have to deal with military matters.”
“Alright, alright, I know. You make it sound like I can’t do without you.”
Qin Siyue waved her hand casually.
However, Qin Ji stared into her eyes and then asked with a half-smile, “Isn’t that the truth?”
“…” Qin Siyue was choked by his words, then turned her head, “That was before, not now!”
“Because now there are servants at home, you can directly instruct them.” Qin Ji exposed her little scheme.
“I… you…”
Seeing Qin Siyue rendered speechless, Qin Ji laughed heartily for a while, then patted her shoulder, “Alright, don’t worry. If you need anything, just come to me. I’ll be in my study tonight, probably staying up late.”
“Got it, go away.”
At his sister’s request, Qin Ji rolled away smoothly.
Ling Yan had been waiting on the side.
“Young master, the previous bodies are ready. I checked them myself and confirmed they are safe. You can go and see.”
“Let’s go. We need to take a good look at who dares to do such a big thing behind the scenes.”
Qin Ji nodded, then walked with Ling Yan to the black prison where the bodies were placed. This place had been sealed before. After all, the current Duke An’s mansion didn’t need such a place. Now it could only be used as a storage room and morgue.
The bodies, assisted by Ling Yan’s spiritual energy, showed no signs of decay, only a bluish tint to the skin. Qin Ji walked over and looked at the clothes on the bodies.
“I investigated. The night clothes they used were very ordinary black cloth, untreated and not valuable, commonly seen on the streets.”
Judging the origin of the other party from the materials was an important step. Assassins were rare combat power, so most of those who trained them would equip them with many useful things. Some would even engrave specific patterns on the night clothes to promote the flow of spiritual energy.
From these clues, one could largely determine the origin of the assassins and narrow down the scope. For example, some assassins wore soft armor under their clothes, and the craftsmanship of this armor might reveal information about the other party.
However, it was clear that the mastermind behind this operation did not intend to show any traces. The assassins had no distinctive features other than their weapons and the night clothes made of common black cloth. They didn’t even wear armor, sacrificing combat power entirely for confidentiality.
Qin Ji took off the other party’s shirt and carefully observed the upper body of the corpse. Unfortunately, there was nothing unusual on the upper body, only a few deep knife scars.
Unfortunately, he had not studied forensic science in his world, so it was difficult for him to determine what kind of weapon had caused these scars. Otherwise, he could have deduced what wars this person had participated in.
“This is the poison I got from his mouth.”
Ling Yan placed the poison wrapped in paper in front of Qin Ji.
“This poison acts very quickly, almost within seconds. Judging from the traces, it should have been hidden in their mouths for a long time. Once the situation changed, they would bite it and die from the poison. It’s a very potent poison, seemingly sourced from the southern barbarian region.”
“Southern barbarian region…”
Qin Ji carefully examined the poison. Surprisingly, this powder did not look like poison at first glance, but rather like flour, white and delicate. Qin Ji examined it carefully, then pried open the corpse’s mouth and looked inside. Indeed, there were powder-like residues in the mouth, indicating that Ling Yan’s judgment was basically correct.
Poison from the southern barbarians, this is quite interesting. The common poisons in the empire are mostly sourced from the Central Plains, generally using artificially refined poisons. However, the poison used by this person was from the southern barbarian region, and according to Ling Yan, it was probably naturally extracted.
Snake venom? Scorpion venom? These poisons are very potent, but not to the extent of acting within seconds.
Witchcraft poison, only this kind of magic-infused substance could act so quickly.
If so, the other party might have specifically raised a group of people who practiced witchcraft from the southern barbarian region. In this way, it would not be surprising that the poison acted so quickly.
“Ling Yan, when you have time, help me investigate who in the court has had deep contact with the southern barbarian region. I think this person should be among them.”
“Yes.”
Ling Yan nodded.