Investigating the Cause of Death

Inside Liu Mengde's room at the Yan Prefecture Guesthouse.

Liu Mengde was dead.

His death had been exceptionally gruesome.

His entire body lay curled on the floor, his head twisted to one side at a grotesque angle.

His face was contorted. He must have suffered terribly before he died.

This was the sight that greeted Yang Qing when he hurried over.

He briefly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

For disaster to have befallen Liu Mengde so soon, the reason behind it...

A cold smile curled Yang Qing's lips.

Yang Qing had held Liu Mengde in considerable esteem.

What a pity that an old man who carried the world in his heart had met his end in a foreign land.

He had died caught in someone else's schemes.

Yang Qing steadied himself and drew his gaze away from Liu Mengde's body.

Du Liangcai, who had long been waiting nearby, immediately spoke up.

"Lord Yang, don't you owe Northern Liang an explanation?"

"Chancellor Liu served as a pillar of Northern Liang through three reigns, yet today he has lost his life here!"

Du Liangcai stared at Yang Qing, visibly agitated. "Chancellor Liu made his earlier demands only at our sovereign's command. If Western Chu refused, you could simply have said so. Why resort to such despicable tactics and give the world cause to condemn you?"

Yang Qing addressed Du Liangcai. "Chancellor Liu's unexpected death pains me deeply as well. But aren't you drawing conclusions about his death too soon, Lord Du?"

Du Liangcai gave him a cold look. "Then let me hear your wise opinion on this matter, Lord Yang!"

Yang Qing shook his head. "I claim no particular wisdom. The most pressing matter now is to investigate the cause of Chancellor Liu's death."

"Western Chu will spare no effort in this investigation and give Northern Liang an explanation."

"An explanation? With things as they stand, what explanation is needed? Chancellor Liu and I came to Western Chu alone. There were only the two of us, no one else."

"We lodged under Western Chu's roof and ate Western Chu's grain. If you claim the fault does not lie with Western Chu, I doubt even Heaven would accept it."

As they spoke, the coroner examining Liu Mengde's body rose and approached Yang Qing and Du Liangcai. Bowing his head, he said, "My lords, my examination indicates that Chancellor Liu died of poisoning. But the source of the poison..."

The coroner hesitated before finally answering, "Forgive my incompetence. I have yet to determine the source of the poison."

Yet to determine it?

Yang Qing paused. "Send for Physician Yan."

Yan Ming had recently come to Yan Prefecture because of Wei Li.

He had never expected that, before Wei Li's matter could be resolved, a grave incident would befall Northern Liang's envoy.

Northern Liang's left chancellor had inexplicably died of poisoning at the guesthouse. Once news spread, it would shake both the court and the common people.

Thinking of how that man, as pure as a clear breeze beneath a radiant moon, would soon face a raging storm, Yan Ming sighed inwardly.

All he could do now was draw upon everything he had learned over his lifetime to establish the cause of Liu Mengde's death, giving Yang Qing a little room to maneuver within this vortex.

Yet when he saw Liu Mengde's corpse, even he could not help drawing a sharp breath.

He looked up at Yang Qing and noticed a trace of exhaustion on his face.

It was exceedingly faint, but it did not escape Yan Ming's eyes.

He sighed inwardly once more.

"Physician Yan, sorry for troubling you with this."

Yang Qing addressed Yan Ming.

"It is my duty, my lord. There is no need to say more."

With that, Yan Ming approached Liu Mengde's body, crouched, and began examining it carefully.

Only after a long while did he slowly stand. His expression was grave, and his eyes continued searching the room until they finally settled on the teacup lying overturned to one side.

Yan Ming walked over, picked up the teacup, and held it beneath his nose, sniffing it carefully. Only then did he look up at Yang Qing. "Could you summon the guesthouse cook?"

Yang Qing gestured, and Bu Er, standing behind him, left to carry out the order.

Soon, Bu Er returned with a middle-aged man whose face was deathly pale.

"Are you the one responsible for the food here at the guesthouse?"

At Yan Ming's question, the man lowered his head. "Yes, sir."

"Since Chancellor Liu arrived at our guesthouse, what were his daily meals like? What did he eat? Was there anything unusual? Tell me everything, one detail at a time."

The cook thought for a moment, then said, "Because Lord Liu was advanced in years, he generally ate soft foods that were easy to chew, such as rice and flatbread. He rarely made any unusual requests."

"And his mealtimes hardly varied from day to day. He had one serving of rice and one dish."

Yan Ming listened quietly to the cook's account, then asked, "Was there anything else?"

The man lowered his head again and thought carefully. Suddenly, he looked up. "His lordship also liked to eat a handful of xiao fruit every day."

Xiao fruit was a well-known local snack in Yan Prefecture. Shaped like melon seeds and sweetly fragrant, it cut through the greasiness of a meal. The people of Yan Prefecture generally liked to eat a handful after dining.

To think that Liu Mengde had picked up this habit after only a few short days in Yan Prefecture.

"That explains it. Eaten alone, xiao fruit does no significant harm to the body. But if consumed every day together with Spirit-Calming Flower, it causes dryness and a bitter taste in the mouth, as well as restless sleep."

At this point, Yan Ming's expression grew solemn. "The dryness makes the person constantly want to drink tea. But when xiao fruit and Spirit-Calming Flower are combined with tea, they produce an extremely difficult-to-detect poison. In an ordinary person, it would take ten days to a fortnight to take effect. Because Lord Liu was elderly and had been toiling day and night, the poison in his body took effect sooner than it otherwise would."

No sooner had Yan Ming finished than Du Liangcai spoke. "What a clever murder scheme! Lord Yang, you have heard it clearly now. Chancellor Liu was poisoned by eating that xiao fruit and Spirit-Calming Flower every day over these past few days, then washing them down with tea!"

"Western Chu plotted so painstakingly to murder a chancellor of Northern Liang. Such malicious intent deserves death!"

"I shall write to His Majesty at once, report everything that has happened here, and ask him to decide!"

"Wait!"

Yang Qing reached out to stop Du Liangcai, only for Du Liangcai to give him a cold sneer.

"Now that I have exposed the truth, Lord Yang, do you intend to seize me as well?"

Yang Qing said, "I merely wish to remind you, Lord Du, that although xiao fruit is a common food here in Yan Prefecture, Spirit-Calming Flower is rare."

"Since Chancellor Liu met with disaster in Yan Prefecture, it falls to us to find the true culprit and secure justice for him. Lord Du, why not wait a little longer?"

Just as their exchange reached its crucial point, Yan Ming, who had already pronounced his conclusion, suddenly made a puzzled sound.

Yang Qing turned and saw that Yan Ming, who had already stood up, had crouched down again.

This time, he repeatedly examined Liu Mengde's eyes with both hands. Then he placed one hand on Liu Mengde's head, searching through his disheveled topknot.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Just as I thought!"