Chapter 343
Chapter 343
Zhang Chong continued.
“If there was another poison in the tea, say, one that instantly robs you of all senses, then perhaps. Does such a poison exist?”
Grand Princess Ningjue said.
“There is. Soul-Scattering Powder from Mount Fudao.”
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review asked.
“Noble Consort Ha was a woman who loved to adorn herself beautifully. Isn't it normal that she would want to die peacefully and preserve her appearance by taking Soul-Scattering Powder?”
Just then, Shen Lang shouted.
“Of course it's not normal! To commit suicide, she only needed to take the Soul-Scattering Powder. If she was worried it wouldn't be enough, she could have used two drops. Why take arsenic as well?”
Zhang Chong asked.
“Is a poison like Soul-Scattering Powder rare?”
Ningjue nodded.
“Extremely rare.”
“Noble Consort Ha was practically under house arrest. How could she have obtained such a rare and potent poison from Mount Fudao?”
The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review said.
“This talk of Soul-Scattering Powder from Mount Fudao is merely your speculation. There's no proof.”
The Blackwater Terrace's Commander of a Thousand, Yan Miyi, said.
“We also examined Noble Consort Ha's teacup. Only arsenic remained; there was no trace of anything like Soul-Scattering Powder.”
This was what made the poison from Mount Fudao so remarkable. Soul-Scattering Powder was a highly volatile liquid that had to be kept tightly sealed. Once exposed to air, it would evaporate completely within an hour or two, leaving no trace.
“May I see Noble Consort Ha's suicide note?”
At Zhang Chong's words, Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun hesitated for a long moment. The note contained some indelicate content, making it unsuitable for a subject to see. However, he eventually decided to retrieve it and handed it to Zhang Chong.
*Shen Lang, you little brat. I could kill you and it wouldn't be enough, yet here I am, still helping you.*
Zhang Chong took the note and read it carefully.
“If only it were possible, I wish Your Majesty would cut open my stomach and look into my heart.”
After reading this line from the letter, Zhang Chong asked Lü Zhun for his opinion.
“Don't you think this line from Noble Consort Ha has a hidden meaning?”
“I don't believe so. Noble Consort Ha wrote that very line in every letter she sent to His Majesty.”
“But there's a fingernail scratch over these words in the note, and a faint red line. It seems she was trying to alert us to something.”
Lü Zhun was startled. The Third Prince, Ning Qi, and Grand Princess Ningjue both came closer to examine the note under the sunlight. It was true! Over the words "cut open my stomach," there was a faint fingernail mark and a slight red streak. It was vermilion, the kind women used on their nails, and it was a polish used exclusively by Ha Wanwan. Everyone's gaze naturally shifted to Ha Wanwan's abdomen. Could the hidden meaning of the note be to literally cut open her stomach? Could there be something hidden inside her?
Lü Zhun shook his head.
“The vermilion could have gotten on the note by accident. I cannot authorize cutting open her stomach. This matter must be reported to His Majesty. Your Excellencies, please wait here. I will go report to His Majesty at once. Whether we cut open her stomach will depend on His Majesty's decision.”
Having said this, Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun shot out like an arrow, mounted a warhorse, and galloped north with the urgency of a man repelling an invasion. Shen Lang's heart warmed. This Grand Eunuch seemed cold on the surface, but he was a warm-hearted person who had helped him from the very beginning. Of course, it might not have been out of any fondness for Shen Lang, but rather because he was a man loyal only to the King. Having seen through the entire situation, he likely didn't want Su Nan to achieve his goals.
***
After galloping madly for dozens of miles, Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun finally met the King's honor guard. He dismounted and quickly entered the King's palanquin. At that moment, the King, unable to endure any longer, was lying on the bed inside, trying to sleep.
“Your Majesty...”
As Lü Zhun spoke softly, King Ning Yuanxian jolted and sat up abruptly.
“Old man, how goes the trial? Has Shen Lang confessed?”
Lü Zhun knelt on the floor and reported everything exactly as it had happened. He then handed over Ha Wanwan's suicide note, saying,
“On Noble Consort Ha's suicide note, over the words 'cut open my stomach,' there is indeed a fingernail mark and a smear of the vermilion she always wore. However, this servant believes it could be a coincidence. Cutting open her stomach is a grave matter, and I could not decide on my own, so I have come to ask for Your Majesty's will.”
The King held the note up to the sunlight and saw the fingernail mark for himself. Ha Wanwan had included that phrase in every letter she sent, so he hadn't paid it any special attention. Moreover, he had read the note that night in the dimly lit palanquin, making it impossible to spot the mark. There was, indeed, a scratch over those few words. Was this a clue? Or a coincidence? If it was a clue, it meant she had written the note under duress and had secretly marked a few words with her nail.
The King asked.
“Why did Shen Lang say he sold *When Will the Bright Moon Appear?* to Ha Wanwan? Tell me again, precisely.”
“He said it was to show off, to woo women, and to take the woman Li Wenzheng liked, as a way to get revenge on him.”
“What do you think?”
“He is indeed that frivolous and shameless a person.”
Generally, when a person died, burying them intact was considered important, and desecrating a corpse was avoided. But Ning Yuanxian was a harsh man. What concerned him most in this case was that Shen Lang had deceived the monarch, cursed the Crown Prince, and incited factional strife. And what angered him even more was that Shen Lang had supposedly taken Ha Wanwan's virginity beforehand. But was the King so enraged because his feelings for Ha Wanwan ran truly deep? Not necessarily.
“Then cut open her stomach and see what's inside.”
“Yes!”
At the King's command, Lü Zhun immediately turned to leave for the Court of Judicial Review in the capital. But the King suddenly called him back.
“Old man, why are you helping Shen Lang so diligently?”
“This servant is not doing this to help Shen Lang, but because I do not wish to see a certain person achieve their goal. Shen Lang is nothing more than a frivolous scoundrel.”
“Old man, your words have barbs.”
Lü Zhun prostrated himself on the floor.
“Go. Go and cut open Ha Wanwan's stomach and see what's inside.”
Lü Zhun turned, mounted his horse, and galloped south.
***
Two hours later.
Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun dismounted with difficulty. He was so exhausted he nearly fell from his horse. Having not slept for three days and four nights, he looked as if he might collapse at any moment. Princess Ningyan rushed forward and embraced him tightly.
“Third Princess, you mustn't! Not only should men and women keep their distance, but this servant is also a humble person.”
Lü Zhun said hastily. The tigress Ningyan retorted angrily.
“What kind of man is a eunuch?”
Hearing this, the imperial envoy Yun Mengze, who was standing beside them, covered his face in agony.
*You foolish woman, if you don't know how to speak, then don't speak at all. Your words were meant to be kind and considerate, yet coming from your mouth, they make everyone hate you to death. That's the reason.*
But Lü Zhun was old and didn't mind such words, merely chuckling. He entered the courtroom and announced in a clear voice,
“His Majesty has issued a decree! Cut open Ha Wanwan's abdomen and investigate thoroughly.”
Four female physicians knelt and accepted the order.
“Yes!”
Under the supervision of Grand Princess Ningjue and Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun, the female physicians cut open Ha Wanwan's abdomen and searched her stomach. The sight was truly unbearable. A stomach that had ingested the potent poison of arsenic was bound to be a horrifying spectacle. They first rinsed the stomach with a large amount of clear water, and it took several long minutes before Ha Wanwan's stomach was clean.
Then, one of the female physicians spoke.
“There's something inside.”
Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun shot to his feet and said,
“Quickly, bring it out. Do not damage it.”
The female physician carefully retrieved the object with a wooden stick and placed it in a silver basin. It was a wax-sealed pellet, the size of a thumb, used for secret correspondence by concealing a message within. Lü Zhun personally brought the wax pellet forward.
“There was indeed something in Ha Wanwan's stomach. This is the wax pellet retrieved from inside her. She must have swallowed it before drinking the poisoned tea.”
Everyone was astonished. The faces of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Blackwater Terrace's Commander Yan Miyi, in particular, changed drastically.
*There was a wax pellet in Ha Wanwan's stomach? W-what is going on?*
Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun said,
“Then, I shall open this wax pellet before all of you.”
Lü Zhun put on gloves and carefully broke open the pellet. Inside was a thin piece of parchment, on which a single line was written. The characters were slightly blurred, but still legible.
The parchment was stamped with the seal 'Wan' (妧). The female physicians were stunned, as there had been no signs that Noble Consort Ha had been violated. One of them quickly returned to the room where the body lay to investigate and discovered a trace. There was indeed a tear on Ha Wanwan's anus. Previously, the physicians had assumed it was a lesion caused by the arsenic burning through her insides and had not paid close attention. Now, upon careful examination, they could distinguish not only the burns from the arsenic but also a tear. It seemed she had indeed been violated before her death.
The female physician returned to the courtroom and reported.
“Your Excellencies, it is highly likely that Noble Consort Ha was indeed violated before her death. We did not notice it during the previous examination because we mistook the injury for a burn caused by the arsenic.”
Everyone was aghast.
*Has Su Jianting gone mad? Murder is one thing, but why would he do something like that? Were there no other women to his liking that he had to go after one favored by the King? That madman!*
And Shen Lang, too, was inwardly shocked.
*Holy Maiden Xue Yin, you truly are no saint. To think you could do anything.*
What was Xue Yin's profession? Holy Maiden? No, that was just a temporary position. Her true specialty was espionage. Years ago, the Great Yan Empire had sent her to infiltrate the court of Jiang Li, but his personal charisma was so astounding that even a spy like her had succumbed to his charm. For the past decade, she had desperately tried to save the common people to atone for her past and accumulate virtue, but she had not lost her professional skills.
When Shen Lang had just returned to the capital from the State of Qiang, he had used this Holy Maiden to ensnare two court officials, securing a victory in a perilous court assembly. Later, when she was leaving the capital, Shen Lang saw her off and asked her to do something for him in Lang County, while also asking if it would cross a line for her. Xue Yin had replied that she was not the least bit naive and could do anything. To prove her point, she had even grabbed Shen Lang's "eggs" to show she was a woman without boundaries. In that situation, Shen Lang had immediately gone stiff, and the scene sometimes replayed in his dreams.
It was now clear that Xue Yin was truly that kind of woman. Professional matters were best left to professionals. Despite Ha Wanwan being constantly guarded by dozens of Blackwater Terrace warriors, Holy Maiden Xue Yin had accomplished her task without anyone knowing. Giving Ha Wanwan the wax pellet had been prearranged by Shen Lang; even the note inside was written by him, imitating Ha Wanwan's handwriting. However, the act of "making Ha Wanwan's anus bloom" (inflicting the wound) was entirely Xue Yin's own initiative; Shen Lang had given no such instructions. The astonishing thing was that, apart from Xue Yin, not even Ha Wanwan knew what had happened to her own anus.