Aoyama

Chapter 346: Hiding Poison with Life
Taiye Lake is silent, with no croaking of frogs or chirping of cicadas.

Bai Long stood with his hands behind his back, the moonlight pouring down, and the white clothes in the dark night seemed to be emitting a hazy light.

He quietly examined the relics in front of him, not looking at the clothes or the boots, but only at the eyes.

This was the first time that Chen Ji had truly dealt with the White Dragon. The other party's gaze was less sharp and crazy, and more cautious and calm.

The styles of doing things are completely different.

After examining him for a moment, Bai Long slowly said, "You seem a little nervous, as if you are betting on whether Mr. Feng is lying to you."

Chen Ji said calmly, "It doesn't matter whether you bet right or wrong. My Lord has just taken over the position of White Dragon, and I think he needs some capable people. Now the top three positions are vacant, and ambitious zodiac signs are vying for them. They all think they have a chance to become one of the top three and no longer have to rely on others. For example, Black Snake, I'm afraid he has no intention of helping my Lord at this time, and only wants to achieve extraordinary achievements."

Bai Long did not comment, and asked calmly: "What else did Mr. Feng say?"

Chen Ji quickly looked at Bai Long, and then humbly said: "Mr. Feng also said that you are a man of affection and justice, and would never mistreat your subordinates; he also said that you are protective of your subordinates and would never use them as cannon fodder; and finally, he said that you are extremely brave and brave, and there will be a bright future for me if I follow you."

Bai Long chuckled: "You lie too much, be careful of your tongue."

Chen Ji said calmly, "Mr. Feng also told me to assist Lord Bailong. It is precisely because of Mr. Feng's instructions that I came to find Lord Bailong to help him solve his problems and catch the real culprit."

Bai Long asked with great interest: "Then do you know what Mr. Feng said about you?"

Chen Ji's heart trembled: "I don't know."

Bai Long stood on the bank of Taiye Lake with his hands behind his back, staring at the lotus leaves that had just unfolded in the lake. "Mr. Feng said that you are a person who will not do anything without profit, and you have a purpose for everything you do. He also asked me to be careful with you and think twice before saying anything to you. If I can't control you, I will kill you first."

Chen Ji raised his eyebrows slightly, Mr. Feng, you f*cking...

Bai Long turned his head slightly and asked: "Are you cursing Mr. Feng in your heart?"

Chen Ji lowered his head quickly: "No, I'm just curious about what else Mr. Feng said to you."

Bai Long smiled and said, "Mr. Feng also said that although you are smart, you are not smart enough. You may not be bought with money, but you can be controlled with friendship... Do you think he is right?"

Chen Ji said calmly: "My cleverness is just a little cleverness."

Bai Long faced the Taiye Lake without even looking at Chen Ji, and said calmly, "Then don't try to be clever. You came here in the middle of the night and pretended to want to share my worries. Tell me, if you solve the case, what do you want from me?"

Chen Ji no longer hesitated, and immediately cupped his hands and said, "I would like to ask first, how many salt fields does the inner court control?"

"Have you set your sights on the salt field business?" Bai Long said casually, "There are a total of 235 salt fields in the entire Ning Dynasty, 59 of which are controlled by the inner court. Among these 59 salt fields, 35 are in Lianghuai, 11 are in Liangzhe, 7 are in Changlu, 4 are in Luzhou, and 2 are in Fuzhou."

Chen Ji asked again: "May I ask, sir, how many kilograms of salt can these fifty-nine salt fields produce each year?"

Bai Long said nonchalantly, "The year before last, it was 68 million catties. Last year, after some visits, we only produced 62 million catties, which is the output of 310,000 salt permits. Each salt permit can be exchanged for 200 catties of salt. Boy, this is not something you can plan for."

Bai Long joked, "Why don't you just enter the palace with your body cleaned up? I can advise the internal minister to send you to the Lianghuai Salt Field to be the eunuch in charge of the salt field. Then you will have the final say over the entire salt field."

"My lord is joking."

Chen Ji was secretly surprised. He just asked how many salt fields there were and how much was produced, but the other party told him everything clearly.

He continued to ask: "Excuse me, sir, when will the salt merchants who are waiting in line to exchange salt get their turn?"

"Fifteen years from now."

Chen Ji lowered his head and thought and calculated.

Bai Long asked calmly: "Why are you silent? Who are you plotting against now?"

Chen Ji had an idea in mind: "I solved the case for you, sir. I hope you will give me the priority to exchange salt. As long as there are salt merchants holding salt permits with my seal, they don't have to wait in line."

Bai Long sneered, "You are so arrogant. Do you know that if the salt merchants want to pay in advance, they have to pay an extra five cents per ounce to my inner court. This is called 'quick ounces'. And this money is shared by everyone, from the inner court salt mine tax collector to the salt field superintendent and the lowest salt official. You want to rob others of their wealth, but let's see if you are tough enough. Your life is not worth 155,000 taels of silver."

Chen Ji shook his head: "No, no, no, your Excellency has misunderstood. I will pay the five cents of 'quick draw money' as is, not a penny less."

Bai Long exclaimed: "Then what do you earn?"

Chen Ji said sincerely: "I am only here to help you, sir, to relieve your worries."

Bai Long laughed loudly: "Mr. Feng said that if you act sincere, you must be planning to cheat people. You don't want to make a small amount of five cents per draw, do you want to make a lot of money?"

Chen Ji cursed in his heart, what's wrong with Mr. Feng?

He whispered, "I just want to make a little money to support my family."

Bai Long turned around and looked at him quietly without saying a word.

Chen Ji endured the pressure and looked straight at the dragon-patterned mask.

After a moment, Bai Long said calmly: "If you don't touch the salt field tax revenue, I can make the decision and agree to it. But you have to remember that the salt merchants are not simple people. If you want to touch the salt merchants' profits, first check how many heads you have."

Chen Ji responded: "I understand."

Bai Long walked south: "Tell me, how do you plan to find the real murderer? You were not at the scene at the time, but you came to me with confidence to exchange for the salt field, as if you already knew who the murderer was... Could it be you, the real murderer?"

Chen Ji was shocked, but his expression remained calm: "You are joking, sir. I have no connection with the Korean envoys, so how could it be me? I have helped Master Jiaotu and Master Yunyang solve cases many times before. This is what I am good at. I just want to use my strengths to help Master Bailong solve his problems."

Bai Long suddenly stopped and looked at Chen Ji quietly, wondering what he was thinking.

The hairs on Chen Ji's back stood up.

This Bailong is different from Mr. Feng in many ways. He is not as moody as Mr. Feng, nor as murderous as Mr. Feng. But the similarity is that they are both equally smart.

When dealing with such people, there must be no mistakes.

Bai Long said slowly, "Since you came to me in the middle of the night and asked for a favor, you have whetted my appetite. If we can't find the real murderer, then you can be the real murderer. Anyway, someone has to be beheaded."

Chen Ji said: "I have to take a look at the case first."

Bai Long hummed and said, "I'll take you to Huitong Hall now."

Chen Ji shook his head: "No, I will first take a look at the files and the coroner's 'corpse compartment'."

He couldn't go to the scene to investigate the case. What if the Jingchao Military Intelligence Department was still keeping an eye on Huitong Hall? Considering how familiar Si Caogui was with him, wearing a mask might not work.

Bai Long glanced at him and said, "Follow me to the inner prison." Chen Ji said calmly, "Sir, I cannot go to the inner prison."

He also didn't want to go to the inner prison to check the files, because he was not sure whether the high-ranking spy from the Jing Dynasty's Military Intelligence Department was lurking in the Silijian.

Being forced to step out of the shadows and onto the stage was a very bad idea.

Bai Long glanced at Chen Ji and said, "You don't even want to go to the inner prison, what are you worried about?"

Chen Ji replied, "Lord Xuanshe is eager to make achievements. If I solve the case ahead of time, it will be equivalent to blocking his path to promotion. I don't want to be hated by others."

Bai Long thought for a moment and said, "That's cautious enough. Wait."

Bai Long returned to the Imperial Prison and fetched two files and a coroner's corpse box, and threw them to Chen Ji: "Read them here, and don't take them away."

Chen Ji simply sat on the grass behind the rockery and looked through the files in the moonlight.

The first volume recorded the names of the envoys who had approached Goryeo recently. It was secretly recorded by the spy. There were not many people recorded on it, all of them were officials from the Honglu Temple.

The second file records the testimonies of the pedestrians who were present yesterday, including their identities, names, where they came from, where they were going, and why they appeared in Qipan Street and Dongjiangmi Lane.

While Chen Ji was reading the files, Bai Long did not rush him. He just clasped his hands together and closed his eyes to rest.

While looking at the file, he asked, "Master Bailong, where is Wu Xuange's confession? Why is it not in the file?"

Bai Long closed his eyes and rested, without any intention of answering him.

……

……

According to the files, those present that day included the Vice Minister of Rites, the Vice Minister of Works, the Director of Personnel, a group of clerks from the six ministries, Hanlin Academy scholars and editors, but the majority were merchants and pedestrians on Qipan Street.

As there were too many officials present, detaining them all would cause unrest in the six ministries. Therefore, the Secret Service has now released most of the officials back home, requiring them only not to leave the capital and to come when summoned.

Merchants and pedestrians were all detained in the Wucheng Bingmasi prison. The entire Qipan Street was a scene of depression with every household closed.

The file also recorded that after the riot on Qipan Street yesterday, the Secret Service searched all the Goryeo envoys. The simple words "seven orifices check" were written in the file, which meant that the Goryeo envoys did not carry anything smuggled.

Chen Ji wondered how the secretary of Huitong Hall brought the poison in?

He continued to look through the files: At 3 p.m., Xuanshe ordered his men to take the Goryeo envoys into Huitong Hall. At 12:30 p.m., Xuanshe again sent secret agents to Huitong Hall, but found that the secretary of Huitong Hall had been stabbed to death in the firewood room in the backyard and was covered with dry firewood. The Goryeo envoys were all poisoned to death in Huitong Hall.

The poison was Korean soybean paste, which was put in the jar.

Chen Ji put the file down and picked up the coroner's corpse box.

The corpse compartment contained a detailed record of the autopsy performed by the coroner at 12:00 p.m., and the first person recorded was the Crown Prince of Goryeo:

"The body was Lee Yee, the crown prince of Goryeo, about 28 years old, 5 feet 3 inches tall. The time of the autopsy was 1:15 pm, and the location of the autopsy was the second floor of Huitong Hall in Mixiang, Dongjiang."

"His face was as purple as indigo, his lips were dark blue, his eyes were slightly wide open, and his white pupils were tangled with red threads."

"The skin and flesh are soft and loose, the ten fingers can bend and stretch without stiffness, and the chin is loose and drooping. The nail bed is dark purple, and there is a black line through the nail of the middle finger of the right hand."

"There are cloud-like spots on the back and buttocks, which disappear temporarily when pressed with fingers. There is a slight white foam in the mouth and nose, and no signs of urination or discharge from the vagina."

"He died suddenly from poisoning. We need to use the bone steaming method to re-examine him."

Behind the body compartment, it was written "Coroner Chengzhe and Coroner Li Bin have verified that there is no error" and their red handprints. These were the signatures of the two coroners, and if they made a mistake, they would all be held accountable.

Chen Ji hurriedly flipped through the corpse box and only saw the record of the secretary of Huitongguan on the last page. The rest was almost the same as that of the Goryeo envoy, except for two sentences.

"The jaw is slightly stiff."

"The knife wound on the outer side of the left arm was one finger deep, the knife wound one inch above the navel showed the five internal organs, and there was a dagger stuck in the heart, which was a fatal injury."

The first sentence proves that the clerk died about two to four incense sticks earlier than others, while the second sentence is a bit strange... Who stabbed him?

Chen Ji looked up at Bai Long and said, "Master Bai Long, what is the conclusion of the spy in charge of the investigation?"

Bai Long didn't even raise his eyelids. "The secretary Wang Peng discovered that the Goryeo envoy had poisoned the food, but he was killed before he could report it. The assailant stabbed him with a dagger. He blocked the first blow with his arm. The second blow cut open his abdomen, and the third blow pierced his heart and lungs. The wounds matched each other."

Chen Ji shook his head: "No."

Bai Long finally opened his eyes: "What's wrong?"

Chen Ji said with certainty: "Wang Peng committed suicide."

Bai Long said calmly: "The coroner said that the dagger was stabbed from the opposite side of him, and the knife wounds match."

Chen Ji pointed at the file and said, "Sir, Wang Peng's face was cyanotic when he died, which means he was deeply poisoned and had symptoms of suffocation. Since he was already poisoned at this time, why did the Goryeo envoy use a dagger to kill him? Isn't it a waste of time?"

Bai Long was not too surprised, he must have known about this for a long time. The coroner of the Secret Service was well-informed and would not fail to see it.

But this kind of thing cannot be used as a conclusion. Maybe the Goryeo envoy was more cautious, or maybe Wang Peng still had the energy to shout at that time, which could have led to the finishing blow.

It doesn't mean anything.

But Chen Ji was different. He made the inference after knowing the answer in advance. He knew that the problem must be with the clerk. All he had to do now was to convince Bai Long to believe his inference.

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Sir, judging from the time of Wang Peng's death, he died of poison not long after being taken back to Huitong Hall. Wang Peng had just been examined for his 'seven orifices', how could he eat calmly right away? And the secretary is from our Ning Dynasty, how could he have nothing better to do than eat the soybean paste brought by the Koreans?"

Bai Long said calmly: "Tell me the conclusion."

Chen Ji said confidently: "The arsonist on Qipan Street should have handed the wooden box containing the poison to Wang Peng, the secretary of Huitong Hall. In order to avoid being searched, Wang Peng simply took out the poison and swallowed it, hiding the poison with his life. After returning to Huitong Hall, he had already shown signs of poisoning, so he immediately cut open his arms and abdomen and used his own blood as poison. Then, he dragged his body under the dry firewood in the woodshed and pierced his heart and lungs with a dagger to create the illusion of being murdered to silence him."

The conclusion is not perfect and still has many flaws, but only "hiding the poison with one's life" can explain where the poison came from.

These clues were enough to plant a seed of suspicion in Bai Long. Chen Ji didn't need a perfect argument, he just needed to arouse Ning Chao's suspicion.

He sat on the grass holding the Corpse File, took a deep breath, looked up and said to Bai Long: "My lord, this is a trap."

(End of this chapter)