I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

"Of course we're looking for evidence!" Ma Dahai said confidently, "Look at the fingerprints on this teacup and the cigarette butt in this ashtray. They're all important clues!"

"This is the dean's office. Of course there are the dean's fingerprints. What's so strange about that?"

Ma Dahai was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head: "Uh... yeah. Then I'll look somewhere else."

After saying that, he really ran out with a magnifying glass.

Dean Zhao looked at this scene, not knowing whether to laugh or cry: "Jianhua, is your friend...reliable?"

"Uh...he is a nice guy." Zhao Jianhua didn't know what to say.

I shook my head. "Forget it. I'll do it myself. First, you should sort out the recent personnel changes in the hospital, especially the new employees."

At this moment, Ma Dahai ran back again, his face full of excitement: "I found an important clue!"

"What clues?" Dean Zhao asked hurriedly.

Ma Dahai said mysteriously: "I found this in the hospital's trash can!"

As he spoke, he took out a plastic bag from his bag, which contained some fungus residue.

I took the bag and examined it carefully, my eyes fixed. This was indeed the remains of poisonous mushrooms, and the handling method was very professional.

"Which trash can did you find it in?" I asked.

"It's in the trash can next to the kitchen." Ma Dahai said proudly, "Well, I'm awesome, right?"

Although this guy seems unreliable, he actually found a useful clue this time.

"Let's go to the kitchen." I stood up.

Arriving at the hospital cafeteria kitchen, I carefully inspected it and quickly discovered the problem—there were traces of poisonous mushrooms being handled on the side dish counter. Although it had been cleaned, the telltale signs were still visible.

"Someone here has indeed handled poisonous mushrooms." I said, pointing to the side dish table.

Dean Zhao's face turned pale. "I've known the people in the kitchen for more than ten years. It's impossible that they did this!"

"That means someone outside had entered the kitchen," I analyzed. "And this person is very familiar with the hospital's conditions, knows how to avoid surveillance, and knows when to strike."

Ma Dahai took the magnifying glass and began to look around. Suddenly, he pointed at the ground and shouted, "Look, there are footprints here!"

I walked over and saw that there were indeed some unusual footprints on the ground. The patterns on the soles of the shoes were very special, like some kind of ethnic shoes.

"I've seen this kind of shoes before," I said thoughtfully. "They're the handmade cloth shoes that the Miao people often wear."

"Miao?" Dean Zhao was stunned for a moment. "What grudge do we have with the Miao people?"

As I looked at the footprints, I had some thoughts. The extraction technique for this poisonous mushroom is indeed a traditional skill of some ethnic minorities. And judging by the method used to administer the poison, it clearly carries a tinge of revenge.

"Think carefully, have you treated any Miao patients recently? Especially those with poor treatment results or cases of medical disputes?"

Dean Zhao and Zhao Jianhua looked at each other, unable to remember for a moment.

At this moment, the head nurse who had been listening nearby suddenly spoke up: "Director, do you still remember the old Miao lady from last month?"

"An old Miao woman?" Dean Zhao frowned and thought for a moment, "You mean that..."

"Yes, that's it." The head nurse nodded. "Her granddaughter was seriously ill and rushed here from her hometown for treatment, but..."

"What happened?" I asked.

The head nurse looked at the director's expression and said cautiously, "In the end, the little girl wasn't cured and died in the hospital. The old lady was very upset at the time, saying that our medical skills were not good enough and that we had delayed her granddaughter's treatment."

After hearing this, I basically understood the whole story. An elderly Miao man who lost his granddaughter used his ethnic group's traditional skills to retaliate against the hospital. This motivation was strong enough.

"Where is the old lady now?" I asked.

"That...we don't know either," the head nurse said awkwardly. "She made a scene for a while and then left without leaving any contact information."

Ma Dahai suddenly jumped up excitedly: "I know how to find her! I have a friend at the police station who can find her identity information!"

This time, I looked at this seemingly unreliable detective with new eyes.

"Then I'll leave it to you," I said to Ma Dahai, "but hurry up. If this toxin isn't removed in time, the patient's symptoms will get worse."

Dean Zhao hurriedly said, "Doctor Ye, if you can resolve this matter, I am willing to let you become a shareholder of the hospital and give you 10% of the shares!"

Ten percent of the shares? That's not a small amount. But for me, what's more important is to find that Miao elder and solve this problem once and for all. Chapter 1

At the morning court session, the expressions of all civil and military officials grew solemn. South Vietnam's sudden cancellation of the cotton trade agreement was no small matter.

"Your Majesty, I believe there's something fishy going on here," said Li Qing, the Minister of War. "While Nanyue may not be as powerful as Daqian, it's still quite wealthy. How could they destroy the agreement just because a mere thousand people froze to death?"

"That's right. In my opinion, Nanyue's move must be to take advantage of the disaster in Daqian and deliberately make things difficult for us." The Minister of Rites also echoed.

Xu Feihong sat on the dragon throne, her eyes narrowed slightly. She had been a student of history since childhood and was well aware of the delicate relationships between neighboring nations. South Vietnam's actions were far more complex than they appeared.

"Minister Zheng, please tell me more about the spy's report."

Zheng Jiang sorted through the memorials in his hand. "Your Majesty, according to our spies, there has indeed been a cold snap in South Vietnam, but there have been very few casualties. Furthermore, they have begun purchasing large quantities of cotton from the Western Regions, at prices 30% higher than in Daqian."

"Thirty percent higher?" Xu Feihong frowned. "They would rather pay a high price to buy from the Western Regions than continue to trade with us, Daqian?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Furthermore, when South Vietnamese merchants were rioting at the border, some people shouted things like, 'The Empress of Daqian is unworthy of being king.'"

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar.

"How dare the barbarians of Nanyue insult our Emperor like this!"

"Your Majesty, I beg for battle! Lead the troops to conquer Nanyue and let them know the power of our Daqian!"

The generals were excited and wanted to fight one after another, but Xu Feihong waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Zhou Qing was recording this, his heart simmering with rage. The Empress ruled the country wisely and loved her people like her own children, yet how dare these South Vietnamese people humiliate her like this?

"My dear ministers, please don't be impatient about this matter." Xu Feihong said slowly, "Right now, the northeast of Daqian is suffering from a disaster, and we need both manpower and money. If we rashly start a war, I'm afraid the people will suffer."

"Your Majesty is wise," Zheng Jiang nodded. "However, the cessation of cotton trade has a significant impact on our Daqian. The cotton farmers north of the Yangtze River rely on it for their livelihood."

Xu Feihong pondered for a moment. "Convey my decree and have the Ministry of Rites select an envoy to the capital of Nanyue to ascertain the truth of this matter. If Nanyue is truly sincere, we may resume trade as appropriate. If they are deliberately provocative, let them know that Daqian is not to be trifled with."