Chapter 145: Strange Poison

Hearing Qi Shuo's words, Cheng Maoming could not help but lean down to examine the corpses.

The two bodies were placed side by side; what Qi Shuo was referring to were the bloodstained fingers of the burly man.

Cheng Maoming could not make sense of it. "Where are the signs of poisoning that the Heir Apparent mentioned?"

"Look at his fingernails, Grand Commander."

The criminal had undergone the punishment of having bamboo sticks driven into his fingernails, and the nails were torn up. To Cheng Maoming, it looked like nothing more than a bloody mess.

"Here, there are purple crescent-shaped spots." Qi Shuo pointed out the marks.

Cheng Maoming looked closely and indeed saw purple crescent spots at the base of one of the fingernails. However, they were mixed in with the blurred flesh and blood; if no one had specifically pointed them out, they would have been impossible to find.

"Look at this person's fingers as well, Grand Commander. There are similar purple crescent-shaped spots."

Cheng Maoming looked at the other corpse and also saw the purple spots. Compared to the spots at the base of the burly man's fingernails, these were even lighter in color.

"What on earth is this?"

Qi Shuo stood up, his tone calm. "This is a strange poison called 'Purple Faith.' As long as it enters the body and flows through the bloodstream toward the heart, there is a high probability it will trigger sudden cardiac arrest, thereby achieving the goal of killing someone without anyone noticing."

"There is such a poison?"

"This poison is extremely rare. It is normal that you haven't heard of it, Grand Commander."

Cheng Maoming's face showed suspicion. "How does the Heir Apparent know of this?"

In his memory, the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing was merely a weak and unremarkable member of the imperial clan. Looking at him now, it seemed he had misjudged him.

Qi Shuo hesitated for a moment before saying, "This poison once appeared in the Northern Lands, so I happened to learn about it by chance."

"The Northern Lands?" Cheng Maoming's gaze became complicated. "The Heir Apparent was quite young when he was in the Northern Lands, was he not?"

Qi Shuo smiled. "Ten-odd years old isn't exactly young. The Northern Lands are harsh and cold, and one must also face the harassment and invasions of the Qi people; most children there grow up to be sensible quite early. Moreover, this poison is so unique that appearing once is enough to make one remember it."

"So, you are saying this is a unique poison of the Northern Lands?"

Qi Shuo gave Cheng Maoming a deep look. "The Grand Commander wouldn't happen to be suspecting our Prince Jing's Manor, would you?"

"Of course not. It is just that two key suspects died from this poison, and since I know so little about it, I must ask a few more questions," Cheng Maoming said, using polite formalities.

Qi Shuo knew he was suspicious, but he did not dwell on it. Instead, he brought the topic back to the two suspects. "Were they subjected to the bamboo stick punishment today?"

Cheng Maoming nodded.

Qi Shuo crouched down again, examining the suspects' fingers. "The characteristic of the Purple Faith poison is that it leaves purple crescent spots where it first enters. Because the spots are very faint, they are often overlooked."

Cheng Maoming's eyes constricted. "Are you saying this poison entered through the suspects' fingers?"

Qi Shuo nodded slightly. "I suspect the poison was smeared onto the bamboo sticks used for the execution."

Cheng Maoming's gaze turned as cold as ice, terrifyingly so.

The key suspects had been specifically instructed to die within the Jinlin Guard. He naturally knew there was an internal problem, and for that reason, everyone who had any contact with the two suspects had been detained.

However, those responsible for the interrogation and the punishment were all people he trusted. To say there was a problem with them was something he found truly difficult to believe.

Cheng Maoming opened his mouth, his throat dry. "Both of the men performing the punishment have been interrogated, but nothing has been brought to light for the time being."

"Has the Grand Commander considered a possibility?"

"Please speak, Heir Apparent." At this point, Cheng Maoming had no choice but to take Qi Shuo's words seriously.

"The person with the opportunity to smear poison on the bamboo sticks is not just the one performing the execution, but also the one who delivers the implements."

Cheng Maoming froze, and a look of realization quickly appeared on his face.

The Heir Apparent of Prince Jing was right. The person delivering the implements also had the opportunity to tamper with them, and because they had no direct contact with the prisoners, they were overlooked.

"Thank you for the reminder, Heir Apparent." Cheng Maoming could not stay any longer. "Heir Apparent, please go have a cup of tea with Young Master Cheng first. I will come over once I have handled some matters."

"Please attend to your business first, Grand Commander."

Qi Shuo was led by a Jinlin Guard member to where Cheng Shu was.

Cheng Shu was stunned the moment he saw him. "Heir Apparent, you were brought here too?"

Qi Shuo sat down opposite him and explained with a smile, "Brother Cheng had not returned yet, and I was worried, so I came to check on you."

"Young Master Cheng" had changed to "Brother Cheng." Moved by this, Cheng Shu didn't even notice the change in address. "Heir Apparent, you have 'thrown yourself into the net'!"

All of this was for his sake.

The Heir Apparent of Prince Jing was enthusiastic and loyal; he was definitely making this friend.

Cheng Shu's gaze toward Qi Shuo immediately became more intimate.

Qi Shuo: "..." Such an intimate gaze was actually quite frightening.

While the two young men were drinking tea in a harmonious atmosphere, things were not so pleasant on Cheng Maoming's side.

The Jinlin Guard who delivered the implements had not interrogated anything useful, and the person responsible for guarding the implements had disappeared.

The person in charge of guarding the implements was an old man in his fifties, an external staff member who usually had zero presence within the Jinlin Guard.

Cheng Maoming's hands shook with rage. "What are you people doing? You didn't even know when the man went missing!"

A light chuckle drifted over. "Grand Commander, don't let anger ruin your health."

Cheng Maoming spun around abruptly to look at the person approaching.

The man walking over was a man in his early thirties, his deputy, Zhao Helin.

Looking at the smiling Zhao Helin, Cheng Maoming's face inevitably turned cold.

He had two deputies. The other was not one for meddling, but this one surnamed Zhao was always secretly competing with him.

At their current positions, he couldn't just replace someone because he found them disagreeable—especially since Zhao Helin had been quite favored by the Crown Prince these past two years...

"Today's commotion really gave me a fright. In the past, our Jinlin Guard always caught others to interrogate them; I didn't expect that now we would be catching our own people."

Cheng Maoming clenched his fists as he looked at his deputy, whose words were laced with implication.

If he punched this Zhao man in the bridge of his nose and broke it, would the Emperor be angry?

Thinking of the two key suspects who had not been dealt with, Cheng Maoming regained his composure.

He sneered. "Those who fulfill their duties and focus on doing things well for the Emperor are our own people. Those who act contrary to that are spies and traitors. Vice-Commissioner Zhao's understanding of 'our own people' is far too narrow."

Zhao Helin put on a concerned expression. "Does our Jinlin Guard have a spy? Has that person been found yet?"

Cheng Maoming choked.

If he had found them, would he be standing here listening to this bastard's sarcasm?

He could even say that this mole was likely arranged by the man surnamed Zhao.

A Jinlin Guard approached. "Grand Commander, the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing has sent word through me that he wishes to return with Young Master Cheng."

Cheng Maoming frowned in thought, then strode toward the reception hall where the two were.

He had already requested a physician skilled in toxicology to examine the bamboo sticks used for the execution, but he could not help but feel curiosity and suspicion regarding how the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing could recognize such a poison. Of course, due to the other party's status, he could not use interrogation methods as he would with an ordinary person; since the other party had helped, he had to be polite.

In truth, Cheng Maoming's suspicion of Qi Shuo was not deep; this sliver of doubt was more a matter of caution.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned around. "Vice-Commissioner Zhao, why are you following me?"