Chapter 507: Mrs. Qi Sr. Dies of Poison

Chapter 507: Chapter 507: Mrs. Qi Sr. Dies of Poison

Mrs. Qi was at her wits’ end. Hearing Shen Ningning’s offer, she immediately nodded and said through her tears, "Princess, you have such a kind heart. Then... I’ll leave it in your hands."

Just then, Mr. Qi’s angry shout came from inside the room. "This is a family matter! How can we allow an outsider to investigate it?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Qi emerged from the room. His expression was dark, and tear stains still marked his face.

Conscious of Shen Ningning’s status, he was forced to soften his tone.

"Princess, Mr. Xie, thank you for offering to help. But with something like this, we’d prefer to handle it privately."

He extended a hand, gesturing for them to leave. "We won’t trouble you further. Once this matter is resolved, I will be sure to host a banquet for you both to express my apologies."

’Mr. Qi’s reaction is very strange,’ Shen Ningning thought.

’His own mother has presumably died from poison, and someone is willing to conduct a full investigation. Why is he in such a hurry to make them leave?’

Xie Ming’an partially shielded Shen Ningning behind him, his voice cool and clear.

"Mr. Qi, don’t be in such a rush to send us away. If I recall correctly, back when your sister, Princess Consort Qi, was still alive, she requested an imperial title for Mrs. Qi Sr. Am I correct?"

Mr. Qi’s expression flickered, and he clenched his jaw.

Xie Ming’an was right.

Mrs. Qi Sr. had used her daughter to gain power and glory. In fact, she had been the one to force Princess Consort Qi to request the imperial title for her.

Seeing Mr. Qi’s reaction, Xie Ming’an let out a small smile, but his expression immediately turned severe.

"The death of a titled lady by poisoning is no small matter, even if it occurred in your own home. If this were reported to the court, the Emperor himself would dispatch someone to conduct a thorough investigation."

He clasped his hands behind his back, his presence imposing yet composed. "Mr. Qi, the choice is yours. Shall I report this to the Emperor and have him send someone else to investigate, or will you let me inside today to get to the bottom of this?"

Mr. Qi’s face turned livid, his eyes shifting as he hesitated over some unknown conflict.

Finally, he relented. "Very well, Mr. Xie. Then I must trouble you."

Shen Ningning found it even more peculiar.

’It’s as if this Mr. Qi is afraid of an investigation.’

She followed Xie Ming’an into Mrs. Qi Sr.’s room.

Qi Xiuwei was still kneeling by the bed, quietly crying to herself.

She looked thinner and more haggard, and her porcelain-like cheeks were streaked with tears.

Qi Xiuwei looked up. When she saw Shen Ningning, her eyes darted away for an instant.

"Ningning..." she began, wiping away her tears.

Shen Ningning comforted her. "Xiao Wei, my second brother is an expert at investigating cases. He won’t let your grandmother’s death be in vain."

Hearing the three words "my second brother," Xie Ming’an raised his eyebrows in pleasure.

’That’s more like it.’

Qi Xiuwei lowered her head and silently stood up, yielding the space by the bed to Xie Ming’an.

Xie Ming’an took out a pair of fish-intestine gloves that he carried with him, which were designed to protect his hands.

It was the first time Shen Ningning had ever seen him wear them.

Despite their name, the gloves weren’t the least bit fishy or foul-smelling. Once on, they fit so snugly it was as if they had merged with his hands.

She had heard that to make a single pair of these gloves, one needed the intestines from a large fish weighing over twenty pounds. The intestines had to be repeatedly washed and treated, then soaked in pepper water.

After being left to bake under the scorching sun for three days, the result was a pair of gloves as thin as a cicada’s wing.

There were only three such pairs in all of Cangyun Country, and her second brother possessed all of them.

"You and your gloves, Second Brother. Do you take them everywhere?" Shen Ningning grumbled.

Xie Ming’an smiled as he put them on. "For emergencies. And look, an emergency has arisen. You go sit and rest. Watch your second brother prove his worth."

Shen Ningning noticed Qi Xiuwei also standing by, looking worried.

So she led Qi Xiuwei over to sit and wait with her.

"Here, Xiao Wei." Shen Ningning took out a handkerchief for her to wipe her tears.

For some reason, Qi Xiuwei was unusually silent.

Her tear-filled eyes remained downcast, not daring to meet Shen Ningning’s gaze.

Xie Ming’an had already begun his examination of the body.

Just as the housekeeper had said, Mrs. Qi Sr. was bleeding a dark brown fluid from her ears, and her lips were discolored—all classic signs of poisoning.

Xie Ming’an turned the body over, inspecting her back, neck, and limbs in turn.

After a brief examination, his expression grew grave.

Mr. Qi walked in, saying anxiously, "Mr. Xie, my mother was an extremely proud woman. We can’t be so crude in handling her remains. If you intend to perform an autopsy, I’m afraid that is far too undignified. Forgive me, but I cannot agree."

To his surprise, Xie Ming’an had already removed the fish-intestine gloves and was soaking them in a bronze basin in the room.

He said flatly, "An autopsy won’t be necessary. It was a simple death by poisoning, a fast-acting one at that: Lily Frost. It’s very easy to obtain. One need only grow the lily flower and crush its stem."

"I just saw that you have quite a few planted in the flowerbeds of your inner courtyard."

Mrs. Qi jumped in alarm. "Does that mean someone in our own household wanted to kill Mrs. Qi Sr.?"

Xie Ming’an’s gaze swept over everyone in the room.

"It’s perfectly normal that someone would want her harmed. After all, when was she ever a decent person?" That last bit of slang was something he’d learned from his little sister, Shen Ningning.

Apparently, there was an entry for the term in a dictionary left behind by their mother, Shen Siyi.

’Mrs. Qi Sr. had committed no end of evil deeds. Dying from poison was letting her off easy.’

Mr. Qi frowned. "How do you know it was Lily Frost and not some other poison?"

Xie Ming’an pointed to the bloodstains on Mrs. Qi Sr.

"Lily Frost is different from other poisons. It directly attacks the brain, causing blood to flow in reverse. It rushes to the crown of the head before causing a fatal rupture, which is why the black blood first flowed from Mrs. Qi Sr.’s ears."

"But I did find one strange thing—the body shows side effects of long-term exposure to Lily Frost." He pointed to the fingers on both of Mrs. Qi Sr.’s hands. "Her fingernails have turned blue."

These are symptoms of chronic poisoning.

Shen Ningning asked in surprise, "The poisoner struck twice?"

Mrs. Qi burst into tears. "Who could be so cruel? Who was so determined to kill Mrs. Qi Sr.?"

Xie Ming’an analyzed the situation calmly, his eyes cold. "On the contrary, I believe that the first time the poisoner acted, they didn’t want to kill Mrs. Qi Sr. They just wanted to keep her sick and bedridden."

"The culprit must have had something to gain from that, or they wouldn’t have changed their plan. As for why the dose was fatal this time... was it an accident? Did their hand tremble and they added too much?"

As he spoke, his cool, dark eyes swept over every person present.

His gaze finally landed on Qi Xiuwei.

Shen Ningning felt Qi Xiuwei trembling and spoke softly to comfort her.

"Don’t be afraid, Xiao Wei. My second brother will definitely find the real culprit."

Mr. Qi’s brow furrowed. "Then what should we do? Those lilies of the valley are planted in the inner courtyard. Anyone in the household has access to them. Don’t tell me you intend to arrest us all, Mr. Xie?"

Xie Ming’an smiled, a sly, fox-like grin spreading across his face.

"It’s not that complicated. If a person who has handled Lily Frost has a wound on their body, it won’t heal. The potent toxin in Lily Frost ensures that anyone who touches it will suffer the consequences."

As he spoke, he turned to Qi Xiuwei. "Miss Qi, that wound on your hand, between the thumb and forefinger... it’s quite old, isn’t it?"

Qi Xiuwei’s eyes flew wide, and she abruptly covered her hand.

Shen Ningning stared at her, stunned by her reaction.

"Xiao Wei... you..."

Mrs. Qi also cried out in shock, "Wei’er, did you kill Mrs. Qi Sr.?!"

At this, Qi Xiuwei finally broke down.

She didn’t even try to argue, just broke into hysterical sobs. "She deserved it! All she ever did was bully me and Mother! A person like her should have been bedridden forever! But... but I don’t know why she died! I was so careful... I didn’t use that much..."