C58 Part3

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Murong Yu sat down to drink tea and waited for the result.

The Palace servants had already prepared a cup of tea.

Doctor Li briefly spoke about the results of his inspection, and Shen Zhiyan put on his slim gloves and started the autopsy.

"Your Royal Highness, Young Master Fan died of an asthma attack, and it seems there is nothing suspicious."

Not long after, he took off his gloves and made a conclusion.

Afterwards, Doctor Li was dismissed and returned to the Imperial Hospital at the Palace.

Murong Ci took out the silk cloth from her pocket and said,

"Look at this, what do you think it is?"

As an expert in autopsies he must have an understanding of the art of medicine and various herbs that are highly toxic.

Although Shen Zhiyan was young, he was considerable knowledgeable and had researched on medicine and medical herbs.

He took the silk cloth and sniffed it, then looked at it carefully,

"This seems to be Poppy Pollen."

"Really?"

She frowned.

"It's indeed Poppy Pollen.

Where did Your Highness find it?"

Shen Zhiyan raised the cloth and stared at it for an instant.

"No, wait. It looks like it's mixed with other kinds of Poppy.

This Powder has been made from mashed Poppy Flowers mixed with the Poppy Pollen."

"Is this Poppy Pollen poisonous?"

Murong Yu walked over and asked, with his eyebrows darkened.

"The whole Poppy plant is poisonous."

He confirmed,

"Your Royal Highness, where did this Poppy Pollen come from?"

"Before we moved to the Side Hall, this Prince saw some suspicious powder on the desk, beside the ink-stone used by Fan Xiao Wen.

At first I didn't pay too much attention to it.

But after hearing Doctor Li's explanation, I later went back to check, and saw that it was gone.

It must have been erased by someone!

However, there still was a little bit left on the bricks under the desk.

I wiped it out with this silk cloth as an evidence."

Murong Ci's eyebrows narrowed slightly, and her doubts increased,

"How could there be Poppy Pollen next to the ink-stone on the desk?

Isn't it strange?

What's even stranger is that it was still there when we first checked on Fan Xiao Wen, but it was wiped off when I went back to see it later on!

In other words, someone worried that the Poppy Pollen would be discovered.

Perhaps the person who wiped off the Pollen was also the one who put it next to the ink-stone."

"Do you think that Poppy Pollen has something to do with Fan Xiao Wen's death?"

Murong Yu asked coldly,

"Indeed, Doctor Li said before that people with asthma avoid a lot of things, and Pollen is one of those things that can induce asthma attacks."

"Each patient with asthma may have different external causes, but it is too much of a coincidence that this Poppy Pollen appeared on Fan Xiao Wen's desk."

Shen Zhiyan said categorically, with a firm look.

"From the post-mortem, Fan Xiaowen did die indeed of an asthma attack, and this Poppy Pollen might be the main cause of his attack.

However, Fan Xiao Wen's asthma attack wouldn't kill him instantly!

He died in a short time because the Poppy Pollen was mixed with Poppy Flowers.

Although this Powder was only a little poisonous, it was enough to accelerate his death."

"In other words, someone murdered him."

Murong Ci said.

"How 'courageous' of them to dare to commit a murder during such an important occasion as the Literary Test!"

Murong Yu gave her a cold look.

"Who is the murderer of Fan Xiao Wen and why would they want to murder him?"

Shen Zhiyan said thoughtfully,

"Fan Xiao Wen has a prestigious family history!

He has been famous for his talent in Literary since he was a child, and became even more famous in the following years.

Among the thirty-six young talents, he was the one who was most rumored of being eligible for winning the Literary Test today."

"As long as he is dead, it means more chances for other candidates of being chosen, right?"

She sneered.

"The murderer was really cruel and acted without being spotted by a soul."

Shen Zhiyan said in amazement.

"However, they weren't too smart, since they left proof of the Poppy Pollen for us to find."

Murong Yu said, with his eyes slightly sharp,

"The person that was sitting in front of Fan Xiao Wen was Wang Zheng, the elder son of the Capital City Defense Department Chief."

"Wang Zheng is indeed suspicious.

He was the second eligible to win the Literary Test, after Fan Xiao Wen.

He learned from his father and also has high martial arts skills.

He stands out among the other famous young talents of the Imperial Capital.

However he also has an honest and upright personality.

He wouldn't commit such an ingenious and insidious thing, and with such ingenuity."

Shen Zhiyan said.

....

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END of CHAPTER 58 PART 3

.....................to be continued