The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Without warning, the men shuddered violently, a metallic taste rising in their throats as they simultaneously coughed up a mouthful of black blood. The dark blood droplets splattered, staining the courtroom black.

"help me……"

The elderly uttered a single sentence before dying, while the young ones choked and screamed in agony, foaming at the mouth and their eyes bloodshot.

Qin Miaoxi hurriedly stepped forward to take his pulse, and then smelled the white foam around his mouth; it smelled of a bitter, fruity aroma.

"It's ginkgo poisoning, quickly go and get some swill."

Shao Kun shouted, "Go quickly!"

A brisk yamen runner came running up carrying a bucket of swill. Qin Miaoxi ordered, "Pour it down their throats."

A hint of hesitation flashed across their faces, and their movements stopped.

Seeing this, she became anxious and slightly angry. Before anyone could react, she stepped forward, snatched the spoon, and took over the task herself.

"A bunch of trash."

Lu Shiya also imitated her actions and poured water into someone's mouth. After a spoonful of swill entered the mouth, the person vomited it out immediately.

Only then did everyone understand her intention, and they hurriedly poured the swill down the throats of the others.

Soon the courtroom was filled with a pungent filth. The people vomited until they had nothing left to vomit, and almost vomited bile. Then came waves of dizziness, and they collapsed weakly to the ground, their eyelids heavy and about to close.

"Don't faint, hurry! Keep pouring."

The pungent smell of the swill really stimulated their sense of smell, and several of them vomited again.

Qin Miaoxi took their pulses again and found that the toxins in their bodies had not been expelled, but were instead getting worse.

"Madam Hou, has their poison been cured?"

She squatted down in front of one of them with a serious expression. "Quickly tell me what the person who bought your daughter looks like?"

"It was... a man... who walked with a skewed gait..."

Turn outwards?

The first thing that came to her mind was the set of badly worn shoe prints on the outer side of the forefoot that she had found on the earthen slope.

"Anything else?"

"Yes, there is a handkerchief..."

Before they could finish speaking, the group of people breathed their last, one after another.

Shao Kun was shocked and exclaimed, "Madam Hou, what's going on?"

Qin Miaoxi stood up, looked down at the corpses, and said coldly, "They have not only ginkgo, but also Gelsemium elegans."

What is a hook-and-kiss?

"The story goes that Shennong tasted hundreds of herbs, and the last herb in the pokeweed plant was Gelsemium elegans, commonly known as the 'heartbreak herb,' which has no cure."

boom!

"The trail has gone cold again. Who poisoned us?"

"He's the murderer. He knew we'd traced him back to him, so he struck first. Only the dead can keep secrets."

Qin Miaoxi looked up at him and said, "Lord Shao, you should send someone to investigate who they met before they came to the government office, what they ate and drank, and the handkerchief they mentioned. That might be the only piece of evidence left by the murderer."

"Yes, yes, I'll arrange it right away."

Soon, the Ministry of Justice's constables mobilized in full force, turning the family's house upside down, and as expected, found a soft silk handkerchief.

"My lord, we've found it."

"show me."

Several people gathered around the handkerchief and examined it carefully. There were no embroidery or words on it; it was just a common piece of satin.

Lu Qingchen hung his head dejectedly, "What can you tell from this? You can find tons of this kind of material anywhere."

"First of all, we can be sure that this did not come from the deceased's home. Those families would not be willing to buy fabric of this price, not even a handkerchief."

"Secondly, this is a men's handkerchief. You can see that there is a yellowed part in the center of the handkerchief due to sweat. Women don't sweat that much, and they certainly wouldn't wait until the handkerchief changes color before using it."

"Finally, the silk of the handkerchief is ordinary, but not many people would be willing to use it as a handkerchief. It is very likely that it was a gift from someone else, which he cherished and used every day."

“What my wife says is absolutely right. If we’re willing to spend money, it won’t just be a dry piece of cloth. We should at least have the embroiderer add some subtle patterns for a touch of understated luxury.”

Lu Qingchen said smugly, as he was the trendsetter for clothing and accessories in the capital, a fact that was immediately apparent.

"Then where should we look for this person?"

"Investigate all the cloth shops in the city to see who has bought this kind of cloth, and find the man who walks with a gait that is skewed outwards."

Shao Kun breathed a sigh of relief; as long as there was a direction, things would be easier.

He went to investigate these complicated matters. Qin Miaoxi looked at Lu Shiya, who had been silent all along, and asked, "Shiya, haven't you been sending people to investigate the man who walks like that? Do you have any leads now?"

An investigation should not focus on just one direction; a multi-pronged approach often yields more surprises.

"not yet."

The group fell silent again, when Lu Qingchen suddenly spoke up: "Perhaps we should start looking for something else."

Qin Miaoxi looked at him, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, saying at the same time as him, "Mercury."

Mercury is not common, but the fact that the murderer was able to pour mercury on the victim indicates that mercury was not a rare item for him, and that he had frequent access to it. Mercury was used in Taoist alchemy, in the gilding of vessels, and in the burial of high-ranking officials and nobles.

"Tell Lord Shao this, and narrow down the scope of the investigation."

After giving the necessary instructions, she exhaled a breath of stale air. Investigating a case cannot be rushed; it must be done step by step, steadily.

"It's still early, are we just going to wait here?"

Qin Miaoxi smiled mysteriously at the two of them, "Of course not, I have somewhere to go."

We've found the Third Princess, but not her steward yet. It's time to go and check on him.

Lu Shiya was the first to speak up, "I'll go with you."

Lu Qingchen was not to be outdone, "I want to go too."

The two snorted coldly, which made Qin Miaoxi unable to suppress a smile, as she happened to need two helpers.

As dusk settled and twilight crept over the street corner, the street stalls grew denser, the rising smoke and bustling sounds adding to the lively atmosphere even more vibrant than during the day.

Several men emerged from the side door of the Third Princess's residence; they were all stewards of the princess's household, with the middle-aged man in the lead being the Third Princess's steward.

Several stewards escorted him to Yunyin Pavilion for a meal, none of them noticing the three figures following behind them.

Yunyin Pavilion was still packed with people. After the steward and others entered the private room, guests arrived at the next room.

A moment later, the housekeeper's loud laughter came from next door. Lu Qingchen poured tea for Qin Miaoxi with great enthusiasm, "Wife, I told you we could hear clearly from here!"

"Yes, this was handled well."

Qin Miaoxi and the other two sat against the wall, their ears practically pressed against it. They were the ones who had just followed the butler and the others.

Time passed by, and they showered her with praise, flattery, and nonsense. They didn't mention the maids in the princess's mansion, but they did talk about the three girls, mostly complaining that the whole city was in a panic because of the incident and they couldn't find any maids to buy.

Judging from what the people next door said, they would chat for a while longer, so the group decided to order some food and start eating.

An hour later, after they had eaten and drunk their fill, they finally left. They followed closely behind and, taking advantage of the butler's momentary need to relieve himself, cornered him at a street corner.

The butler instantly sobered up and exclaimed, "Who are you? What do you want?"

The three men covered their faces with cloth, and Lu Qingchen rubbed his palms together as he approached with a whoosh.

"What do you say?"