Ling Xuan stood with a dark expression outside the morgue.
"What happened? How exactly did the eldest son of the Jin family die?"
The coroner meticulously examined Jin Yu's body from head to toe. No external injuries were found, nor any signs of internal damage.
"My lord, there are no external wounds, no internal injuries, and no signs of poisoning. It appears to be a sudden death."
"You mean, still 'ma shang feng' (sudden death during intercourse)?"
"It is highly probable. The eldest son of the Jin family has been frequenting pleasure houses lately and often stays out all night. Moreover, he has a habit of taking 'five-stone powder.' It is very likely that excessive use of this powder led to 'ma shang feng'."
Ling Xuan frowned. "If it truly was 'ma shang feng,' she shouldn't have sent word for me to investigate so thoroughly. Are you certain he didn't die from other causes?"
"As you can see, there are no wounds. If death was caused by external force, it would have left marks on the body. However, apart from some scratches, Jin Da Shao has no other injuries, not even a single bruise."
"Examine him again, thoroughly, and don't miss anything. The Jin family is not an ordinary family. They are the maternal relatives of Noble Consort De and the maternal grandparents of Prince Qi. The Jin family has now absorbed the Cen family and become the richest in the imperial capital. Lord Jin also holds the position of Minister of Revenue. We cannot afford to be careless."
"Yes, my lord." The coroner re-examined Jin Yu's corpse with even more diligence. However, they still found nothing, no trace of any injury.
"My lord, there are still no clues."
Ling Xuan stared at Jin Yu's corpse, his brow furrowed. Was there truly nothing wrong? Although Jin Yu was fond of beauty, he was young and robust; he shouldn't have died from 'ma shang feng.' If it was due to excessive consumption of five-stone powder, he should have exhibited symptoms like foaming at the mouth, but there was no such indication.
"For now, let it be," Ling Xuan ordered. "I'm leaving."
"Farewell, my lord."
Ling Xuan turned to leave. Suddenly, the corpse's hand on the wooden slab dropped. Ling Xuan glanced at it inadvertently and started to walk out. As he stepped over the threshold, Ling Xuan stopped, quickly retracted his leg, and rushed back to the body, grabbing Jin Yu's hand.
"Old Chen, do the fingernails of someone who died normally turn gray?" Su Dan novel net
The coroner quickly examined Jin Yu's fingers. All ten of Jin Yu's fingernails had an unnatural gray hue. If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't have noticed.
"Old Chen, is this normal?"
"This is not normal!" Old Chen took out a slender silver needle from his toolbox, poked it into a finger, all the way to the base of the fingernail, and pulled it out. He then dipped the needle into a special solution. Within moments, the silver needle turned black!
"Poisoned!"
"Could it be that a woman from the pleasure house poisoned him?" Ling Xuan inquired.
"No, it's likely chronic poisoning. If a woman from a pleasure house had poisoned him, it would have been instantly fatal, a potent poison that would be easily detected. However, the poison that afflicted Jin Da Shao is concentrated in his fingertips, hidden beneath his fingernails. This must be a cumulative toxin."
"So, the person who poisoned Jin Yu is someone from the Jin family?"
"Someone from the Jin family is the most likely suspect."
"Jin Yu is the eldest son of the Jin family and doted upon by Minister Jin and his wife, but the young master of the Jin family is Jin Rong..." Ling Xuan frowned. Could it be that Jin Rong poisoned Jin Yu to secure his own position?
No, Jin Yu and Jin Rong always clashed. Jin Yu would have been extremely wary of Jin Rong, making it difficult for Jin Rong to poison him. This means that the poisoner was either someone Jin Yu trusted or someone serving him!
"My lord, should we record the cause of death truthfully?"
Ling Xuan nodded. "Since we've discovered it's poisoning, we must record it truthfully. Li Hu, immediately take your men to search the pleasure houses and bring Yan Zhi back for questioning. Regardless of where the poison was administered, we cannot be careless."
"My lord, aren't you going?"
"I need to see someone. Perhaps I can get some useful information from her."
Ling Xuan left the Jingzhao Prefecture and went directly to a teahouse near the General's mansion. In a private room upstairs, Xiao Man was already waiting.
"You came quite quickly." Xiao Man poured a cup of tea and pushed it forward. "Please sit."
Ling Xuan sat down in front of Xiao Man. "Jin Yu's cause of death was poisoning."
Xiao Man was not surprised at all. As for who the poisoner was, she already had an idea. "Chronic poisoning?"
"You're not surprised at all?"
"What's there to be surprised about?" Xiao Man took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Dying so disgracefully. If it were murder, you would have found clues at the scene. But you didn't, which means the cause of death is obscure and requires careful investigation over time. Therefore, it is highly likely to be chronic poisoning."
"You seem quite familiar with this." Ling Xuan picked up his tea and took a sip. "The poison hasn't been identified yet. It was likely administered bit by bit and is hidden in the fingertips. The fingernails were a faint gray, and if I hadn't been observant, it would have been overlooked."
"Gray? Could it be Fei Mo?"
"Fei Mo? What is that?"
"A type of chronic poison," Xiao Man said slowly. "And it is extremely vicious."
"How so?"
"Fei Mo, also known as 'Xiang Ru Yi Mo' (literally 'staying together in hardship, like fish in shallow water')," Xiao Man frowned. "This poison can only be cultivated by women."
"Why?"
"Because it requires a woman's essence and blood as a catalyst to cultivate this special poison. Originally, this poison was intended to make a man loyal to only one woman. If a man, after being poisoned by Fei Mo, has relations with another woman, he will be poisoned. The toxicity will accumulate slowly, hidden in the fingertips, and when the fingernails turn gray, it signifies the man's demise."
Ling Xuan listened, his brow furrowed. "It sounds like a Gu poison."
"It's not Gu poison, but it has a similar effect."
"So, the poisoner must be a woman with whom Jin Yu had an intimate relationship. Are the women from the pleasure houses or his concubines suspects?"
"Women from pleasure houses have countless clients, so they can be ruled out. Once this poison enters the body, the first man with whom she has relations becomes the designated host. If the one cultivating the poison has relations with a man other than the host, she will also be poisoned, and this poison will be transmitted to all men she has relations with."
"So, the poisoner must be one of Jin Yu's concubines." With a lead, the heavy stone weighing on Ling Xuan's heart began to lift. "Then how do we verify who the poisoner is?"
"It's simple," Xiao Man said slowly. "Look at their fingernails. The fingernails of the one cultivating the poison will be darker than those of a normal person. If she is also poisoned, her fingernails will also show a gray hue."
"This means, if we just search the Jin family, we can find the murderer! I'll go to the Jin family immediately to search for the culprit."
"Wait, Ling Xuan, on what pretext will you search the Jin family?" Xiao Man inquired. "You know the Jin family is not an ordinary family."