Chapter 10
Doctor Qian arrived quickly.
Though he was already past sixty, his steps remained steady and firm.
Upon hearing of Coroner Li’s death, he was in no hurry to examine the body. Instead, he first carefully inquired about the sequence of events and then observed the surroundings of the abandoned temple.
“Osmanthus…” he murmured to himself, deep in thought.
Only then did he put on a pair of specially made silk gloves. Using silver tweezers, he carefully scraped a small amount of residue from the tip of Coroner Li’s probe and placed it into a white jade dish. He then took out several small porcelain cups, dripping different liquids into them to observe the reactions.
Everyone held their breath, watching his skillful yet cautious movements.
After a long while, he finally washed his hands and spoke slowly, his voice calm and authoritative:
“This substance is called-Chiyang Powder.”
Chiyang Powder?
I was taken aback. The name sounded like a tonic.
Doctor Qian explained, “Chiyang Powder is indeed a rare and precious tonic, derived from the stamens of the Chiyang Flower from the Western Regions. It is warm and dry in nature, invigorates the blood and unblocks the meridians, and is remarkably effective in treating old injuries. Used alone, it is truly a powerful restorative.”
“Then why…” I had just begun to ask.
“Because it has one fatal property,” Doctor Qian looked at the osmanthus flowers on the ground, “Once this substance enters the human body, if it then encounters the scent of osmanthus, it transforms into a deadly poison, instantly blocking the heart’s vessels and causing sudden death, the victim appearing as if peacefully asleep.”
“From poisoning to onset, it can be as fast as a few hours or as slow as a day or two, depending on the concentration of osmanthus fragrance inhaled.”
…
When Doctor Qian finished speaking, silence fell.
Suddenly, I realized: “As fast as a few hours? But Coroner Li…”
In other words, Coroner Li’s death was not because of Wang Defa?
Doctor Qian said, “Before Coroner Li came into contact with this scene, he must have encountered another person.”
“Messenger Xu!” Xiao Zhang and I exclaimed almost in unison.
Now, the answer was clear!
Doctor Qian said he had already heard about the death of the National Messenger Xu Minghao at the ‘Ghost Manor’ this morning.
“So, Messenger Xu must have been poisoned with Chiyang Powder elsewhere. After moving into President Cui’s courtyard, he inhaled the strong scent of osmanthus, triggering the poison and causing his death. As for Coroner Li, he arrived at Messenger Xu’s death scene at dawn this morning, so from that moment on…” I quickly deduced.
“Very likely!” Doctor Qian nodded. “And Wang Defa was also poisoned with Chiyang Powder and abandoned here. Judging by the amount of Chiyang Powder and the abundance of osmanthus here, within half a day-if not dead already, he would surely die.”
He did not continue, but we all understood.
During this autopsy, Coroner Li not only came into contact with the Chiyang Powder on Wang Defa’s body again, but also inhaled the osmanthus fragrance.
That was what instantly triggered the poison!
“Investigate immediately!” I ordered the constables under my command.
“First, check all of Messenger Xu’s movements from his arrival in Qinglan City until he moved into the Ghost Manor-who he met, what he ate! Focus on when and where he might have come into contact with Chiyang Powder!”
“Second, investigate Wang Defa’s recent whereabouts-who he interacted with, and why he ended up at the abandoned temple outside the city!”
“Third, seal off Su’s Old Courtyard again, thoroughly. Pay special attention to that osmanthus tree-without my order, no one is allowed inside. Any violators will be treated as accomplices!”
“Yes!” everyone responded and hurried off.
Just as the constables rushed out of the abandoned temple,
a constable hurriedly reported:
“Boss! The Secret Letter Captain Yin mentioned earlier was not found. There were only clothes and silver in Messenger Xu’s belongings-nothing else.”
My heart gave a sudden jolt.
Captain Yin muttered angrily:
“It seems the Secret Letter has already fallen into enemy hands!”
Outside the abandoned temple, a night wind blew.
Everyone felt a chill to the bone.
Three bizarre deaths in a single day,
even the experienced Coroner died on the spot.
But there was still one thing I couldn’t figure out: