Aoyama

Chapter 228 Poison
In the dim gabled room, Chen Ji stood calmly beside the bed. He leaned over with an oil-slag lamp in his hand to observe, only to find that tears and blood were flowing from everyone's eyes.

The blood and tears did not flow down the tear troughs, but flowed to the sides, passing through the temples and flowing to the temples, indicating that these people died in their sleep while lying on the bed.

Chen Ji raised the oil-slag lamp in his hand and looked up at the beams.

Without Tibetans, the murderer cannot be found.

The footsteps in the corridor just now came suddenly and disappeared suddenly, as if an innocent soul was trapped in this post station and killed dozens of people.

There were 34 maids and servants in the Chen Mansion, totaling 34 people in the two dormitories. They were happily going to the capital more than ten days ago, but today they died in Guyuan inexplicably.

The world is impermanent.

Xiaoman stood at the door, hesitant to enter the house: "Master, they died so tragically. Why are they all bleeding from all seven orifices? It's like someone sucked their souls away."

Chen Ji looked back at her and said, "I thought you were fearless."

Xiaoman asked in a trembling voice: "Sir, aren't you afraid?"

Chen Ji didn't bother pretending in front of Xiao Man anymore. He reached out and touched the carotid artery of a corpse. There was no pulse at all. The body was still warm, so it had not been long since death.

Ta-da! Ta-da! There were footsteps on the stairs.

Liang was supported by Dongzhi and walked down the stairs slowly: "Why did you scream just now? This is not like my own house, don't yell, if someone hears, they will say that my Chen family doesn't know the rules...ah!"

As soon as Liang stepped into the common bed in the herringbone room, she was so frightened that she stepped back repeatedly, losing all her composure. Fortunately, Dongzhi supported her, otherwise she would have fallen to the ground.

Liang took a deep breath for a moment, then swallowed hard, looked at the dark door and asked, "What...what happened?!"

Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao heard her scream and rushed downstairs: "Mother, what's wrong?"

Chen Wenzong was about to walk into the herringbone room, but Liang grabbed his sleeve tightly and said, "Wenzong, don't go in. It's not clean in there!"

Chen Wenzong said calmly: "Mother, I am a scholar with honors and honors, I am full of righteousness, and ghosts and monsters cannot get close to me."

After saying that, he broke free from Liang's hand and went in to check.

When Chen Wenzong first saw so many corpses lying together with tears and blood, he was shaken for a moment, but he quickly calmed himself down.

He looked at Chen Ji: "Is this the reason you hurried downstairs just now?"

Chen Ji nodded: "Xiao Man wanted to ask the postman for a new quilt, but found the postman dead behind the counter with blood coming out of all his orifices."

Chen Wenzong suppressed his fear and examined the bodies one by one.

Zhang Xia took two steps forward and whispered beside Chen Ji, "How did they die? There were originally twenty servants living in this room, but now there are only nineteen bodies..."

Before he finished speaking, footsteps were heard again outside the corridor.

Xiaoman quickly hid behind Chen Ji, sticking out half of her head and quietly looking at the corner of the corridor.

Liang retreated in panic and pulled Dongzhi in front of her to block him. Chen Wenxiao fell to the ground and retreated using his hands and feet.

The next moment, Wang Gui appeared from the corner. He was startled when he saw everyone: "Madam, Master... why are you here?"

Chen Wenxiao asked hysterically: "Are you a human or a ghost?!"

Wang Gui was confused: "Second Master, what do you mean? I am Wang Gui! Don't you recognize me?"

Chen Ji strode forward, first felt the temperature of Wang Gui's wrist, then looked down at the shadow of his feet, confirming that it was Wang Gui without a doubt: "Where did you go just now?"

Wang Gui asked in confusion: "I went to the toilet."

Chen Wenxiao got up from the ground and asked loudly: "Everyone in the room died, why are you the only one who is fine?"

"Dead?" Wang Gui raised his voice in astonishment: "Sir, who did you say was dead?"

Chen Wenxiao pointed at the dark door and said, "Go in and see for yourself!"

Wang Gui walked into the room suspiciously, then backed out screaming, his legs limp with fear: "What happened? It was fine just now!"

Everyone retreated to the courtyard, far away from the houses. Liang stood in the cold wind and murmured, "Is this post station haunted? Otherwise, let's leave here quickly and go to the Dusi Mansion to find the master."

Chen Wenzong shook his head: "Mother, Guyuan is not peaceful at night. They dare to rob in broad daylight, let alone at night? If we go out rashly, we might meet more criminals on the road."

Chen Wenxiao suddenly said, "Then someone has to go and tell father. It's such a big matter, we have to ask him to come back and make the decision."

But who will go?
Everyone looked at each other and no one spoke first.

Wang Gui looked at Chen Ji and said tremblingly, "Third Young Master, go ahead. You have that red horse, it runs fast!"

Xiao Man immediately pointed at Wang Gui's nose and glared at him: "Why should my son go? Didn't your mother teach you..."

Just point your little hand and start with mom.

Xiaoman was really angry this time, and she scolded Wang Gui without caring about anything. Liang interrupted angrily, "That's enough. When did my Chen Mansion produce such a vulgar maid? I will sell you out tomorrow and let you stay in Guyuan."

Chen Ji said calmly: "Madam, calm down. Now is not the time to sell the maid. You should think about how to survive."

Zhang Xia suddenly pulled Chen Ji aside and whispered, "Four years ago, there was an unsolved case in the capital. A seventh-rank censor suddenly died at home. It was said that he also died of bleeding from all seven orifices. Six people in his family died. Seven years ago, there was also an unsolved case in Shanzhou. A fifth-rank prefect died suddenly in the private residence of his concubines in the same way. Four people died. This kind of death is extremely rare. People say that it was a ghost who came to claim his life, but I don't think so. It should be poisoning. It's just... I've never heard of such a fierce poison before."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Wenzong: "Brother, have you had dinner at the post station?"

Chen Wenzong shook his head: "No."

Chen Ji looked at Liang again: "Madam, have you eaten?"

Liang replied: "No."

Chen Ji looked at Wang Gui again: "What about you?"

Wang Gui replied with a pale face: "No, the food in this post station is too crude and hard to swallow."

Chen Ji said calmly: "It should be poisoned."

Assassins are very particular about the use of poison.

In storytellers' books, people often die from bleeding from all seven orifices after being poisoned, which adds to the horror of the story. But in reality, it is not easy to make someone bleed from all seven orifices after being poisoned.

But Chen Ji knew there was a kind of poison that could do that: cardiac glycosides.

After taking an excessive amount of cardiac glycosides, the poisoned person's myocardium will contract rapidly, multiple organs will fail, and blood pressure will rise rapidly, with blood bursting through capillaries.

Combined with strong sedatives, it can cause a person to die silently by bleeding from all seven orifices.

Chen Ji was certain that the killer had poisoned the food in the post station, and that Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, Liang, Wang Gui and other people who lived a life of luxury were naturally not used to the food in the post station and luckily escaped.

He and Zhang Xia and others had not been able to eat dinner because they had eaten too much mutton at noon.

Chen Ji's heart moved. Was it the border troops who poisoned him?
Was it a coincidence that the other party suddenly sent Mr. Wang mutton, or was it because of Mr. Wang's face that they deliberately let him eat too much in advance to avoid poisoning?

Chen Ji lowered his head and thought: If it is really the border army that wants to poison the Chen family, what is their motive?
The Chen family had just arrived and had no grudges or enmity with the border troops in recent days or in the past. It was understandable that they made things difficult in front of the city gate. After all, it was just a small matter and no one could do anything to these big-time soldiers from the border military town.

But now, thirty-four members of the family of a fourth-rank official were poisoned to death. When the news reached the capital, it became a shocking case. This matter was no longer a matter of the Chen family, but involved the reputation of the court, so it must be thoroughly investigated.

Why did the border troops do this? Is it just to clip the prince's wings?
It's not that simple.

At this time, Chen Wenxiao said to Xiaoman: "Since you don't want Chen Ji to go, then you go to the Dusi Mansion."

Xiaoman rolled her eyes and said, "I won't go. I'm the young master's maid. I will go only if the young master asks me to go."

Chen Wenxiao said angrily: "Chen Ji, look at the maid next to you, she is so unruly, she actually speaks to the master like this!"

Chen Ji said calmly, "You should think about how to survive tonight. An assassin wants to poison the entire Chen family. We survived by chance because we didn't eat the food at the post station. If the other party finds out about our failure, they will probably come back again. If you want to stay alive, send someone to the Dusi Mansion immediately. The rest of you stay together and wait for Lord Chen to lead the prince's guards to rescue you."

Zhang Zheng said carelessly: "You guys are taking too long, if it doesn't work out, I'll just... Ouch!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Xia twisted the soft flesh on Zhang Zheng's waist fiercely, lowered his voice and said, "Brother, shut up. Let's listen to Chen Ji's arrangements. Now is not the time for you to act rashly."

Chen Wenxiao looked at Wang Gui: "You go!"

Wang Gui shrank back: "Me? Second Master, I don't know where the Dusi Mansion is."

Chen Wenxiao said angrily: "If you don't go, who will go? My Chen family has raised you for so many years, even if you are a dog, you should know how to bark now!"

Chen Wenzong shouted in a low voice: "Chen Wenxiao! A gentleman should be careful with his words!"

Chen Wenxiao whispered: "I wasn't wrong..."

Wang Gui's expression changed several times. He looked at Liang, but Liang looked away and said nothing.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Second Young Master, I'll go right away..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Wenzong whispered, "Confucius said, 'Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.'"

He turned to Zhang Xia and said, "Miss Zhang Er, please lend me your warhorse. I will go to the Dusi Mansion and ask my father to bring back the prince's personal guards."

Zhang Xia thought for a moment and said, "Zao Zao will definitely not want you to ride her. You can just take my brother's horse."

Chen Wenzong nodded: "Okay."

Liang hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed his wrist: "Wen Zong, you must not do that. You are worth a lot of money, and a gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall..."

Chen Wenzong took a deep breath and explained calmly, "Mother, the saying 'A gentleman should not stand under a dangerous wall' is not used here. It means that a gentleman should take precautions before danger occurs, not that a gentleman should be timid. You don't need to say more. Chen Ji is right. We can't delay any longer, lest the assassin come to attack again."

After saying this, he led the warhorse out of the stable, climbed on it despite Liang's attempts to stop him, and galloped into the night.

(End of this chapter)