The Ministry of Punishment received news from the Jingzhaoyin Prefecture the next morning.
Yuan Yi was dead!
Hunters from Dengying Village, heading into the mountains at dawn, discovered the body by the river and reported it to the Jingzhaoyin Prefecture.
The Ministry of Punishment brought Yuan Yi's body back. The coroner, after examining it, confirmed the cause and time of death, estimated to be between the afternoon and late afternoon yesterday.
Death was due to a severed heart meridian.
The weapon was a long saber, piercing the heart in one strike. The wound was clean, the force precise, indicating the wielder was a skilled saber user. The blade entered the deceased's chest from the front. The wound's downward trajectory suggested the killer was five to ten centimeters taller than the victim. Yuan Yi stood six feet tall, meaning the killer would be around seven feet.
It was the height of winter, but the weather had warmed recently. While the upper reaches of the river were frozen, the ice downstream was not solid. The killer, believing the body would be encased in ice after being dumped upstream, didn't expect Yuan Yi's body to break through the ice downstream and get lodged between rocks.
The constables from the Ministry of Punishment quickly identified the dumping location.
On the frozen river surface upstream, there was a large hole, clearly the mark left by the killer after disposing of the body.
"My Lord, the letter is severely damaged, it's impossible to read."
The coroner carefully retrieved the letter from Yuan Yi's embrace. The soaked paper was as fragile as foam in the sunlight, seeming to shatter without even being touched.
As he merely took out the letter, his fingers became stained with wet paper fragments.
The ink on the letter had completely dispersed, leaving only scattered dots of ink to tell that it was indeed a letter, not just a piece of paper.
Yuan Yi died cleanly, leaving no clues behind.
After a lot of effort, they found themselves back at square one.
Zou Chengyi knew that solving cases couldn't be rushed, but this case had already reached the Emperor's ears. How could he not be anxious?
The Zou family had already incurred the Empress Dowager's displeasure. Recently, the Emperor had reinstated Yun'er's title, which seemed like favoritism, but it could also be a way to put pressure on the Zou family. His current situation, seemingly prosperous, was actually like being on a burning oil pan; only he knew the true taste of it all.
"My Lord, there is actually another way to determine if Young Master Liu died from wound infection," the coroner said after a long hesitation.
"What way?" Zou Chengyi's eyes lit up.
"Dissection!"
"What?"
Zou Chengyi doubted his ears. Dissection, did he mean what he thought he meant?
"This is the only way now!"
The coroner would not have resorted to dissection unless absolutely necessary, but now, it seemed there was no other option.
Zou Chengyi's expression shifted repeatedly. Finally, gritting his teeth with such force that the veins on his temples bulged, he said, "Examine!"
"Yes!"
The coroner dissected Liu Ling's body and found that his spleen had turned black.
Previously, the coroner had tested Liu Ling's throat and wounds with a silver needle, neither of which showed signs of poisoning. Even the almond-scented fluid from that day, which dissolved in water, hadn't revealed any poison with the silver needle.
However, now, it was all clear.
"My Lord, I am only skilled in examining corpses. I know nothing of medical principles or pharmacology."
The coroner could now only state that Liu Ling had been poisoned, but he had no idea what kind of poison would cause such a result. Zou Chengyi naturally did not expect the coroner to know and thus summoned Wei Yuan.
"Oh ho, dissected it, have we!"
Wei Yuan tucked his feather fan into his belt, bent down to get a close look at Liu Ling's body, took gloves from the coroner, and inserted his hand into Liu Ling's body. He parted the flesh and, looking at the blackened spleen, poked it with his finger.
Excellent, it was as hard as a stone.
"Lord Wei, how is it?"
Zou Chengyi asked.
Wei Yuan picked up a knife and shaved off a small piece of the spleen.
Holding it up between his fingers, he examined it carefully against the sunlight.
In the sunlight, the black spleen showed a slight sheen. The spleen was covered with tiny holes invisible to the naked eye.
"Have you ever heard of a poison called 'Floating Day Scattered'?"
Zou Chengyi and the coroner exchanged glances.
"No!"
Wei Yuan didn't expect them to have heard of it, just asking casually. "It's a white powder, with a slightly bitter taste, like roasted almonds."
"This poison is quite peculiar. If ingested orally, the esophagus won't be affected by any toxins. But once it enters the stomach cavity, the poison spreads rapidly, corroding the entire stomach and causing the victim to die in agonizing struggles. However, after death, if the body isn't dissected, the appearance is as if they died of illness."
"But if this poison is applied to a wound on a person, the wound immediately appears festering and rotting. The wound and the internal organs near the wound will not retain any toxins. The poison will spread through the blood of the wound to the internal organ closest to the wound. The appearance, in this case, is as if they died from wound infection!"
"It's a bit convoluted, but you understand the meaning, right?"
Zou Chengyi nodded. "Understood!"
"So, it's now certain that Liu Ling did not die from wound infection, but from poisoning."
Wei Yuan dropped the small piece of spleen onto the table, removed his gloves, washed his hands several times with clean water, and then said, "This kind of poison is not common."
"If I were you, I'd ask around in the black market."
"Of course, there's an even faster way..." Wei Yuan trailed off. Zou Chengyi knew what he had left unsaid, but even though it was now confirmed that Liu Ling died of poisoning and not wound infection, this didn't mean Feng Luan was entirely cleared of suspicion.
After all, there weren't many people who held a grudge against Liu Ling and wanted him dead.
However, the case had made some progress. The coroner suddenly spoke, "Lord Wei, does this poison delay the formation of livor mortis?"
Wei Yuan thought for a moment and said, "It should have some effect, but honestly, I've only heard of this poison. Everything I've said is based on accounts from books. If... I say if, you can clear Feng Luan's suspicion, asking her might provide more clarity."
"Will it affect the time of death?"
"No, it won't!" Wei Yuan replied.
Upon hearing this, the coroner said to Zou Chengyi, "My Lord, why don't we inquire about Feng Luan's whereabouts on the day of Liu Ling's death?"
If Feng Luan had a solid alibi that day, a significant portion of the suspicion against her would be cleared. It wasn't impossible to get information from him without letting him touch the body.
Zou Chengyi pondered for a moment and ordered someone to go to Tongji Pharmacy to find Feng Luan. However, he was informed that Feng Luan's usual residence in the capital was—the Regent's Mansion!
The moment Zou Chengyi heard this, he felt his heart lurch.