Chapter 51: The corpse is completely rotten, and the root of its tongue... Puff...

Yan Siqing felt that the emperor's eldest grandson was sometimes very simple and honest. He did not stand in the heavenly palace and asked why he did not eat meat. He knew the most essential greedy demands of these lower-ranking people.

When power reaches its limit, money becomes the limit of life.

Just like those corrupt officials, no matter how high their official rank is, they cannot avoid greed.

She was silent for a moment. "I'm not sure, but you two can take a look at this," she pointed at the record in the notebook.

"I just mentioned that there was ash in the throats of these deceased people, but these people did not have ash in their noses."

"That's very unusual."

"When a person first experiences throat pain and becomes unable to speak, they rush to breathe through their throat and open their mouth wide. Therefore, any dust in front of them will be inhaled into their mouth and throat."

"What are these ashes? Are they smoke from the fire in the house? But according to the sketch, the so-called murders were actually self-immolations. Liu Yu's residence, which contained many books and paintings that easily ignited, burned down most of the house, alarming the academy. When the others burned themselves to death, their houses weren't on fire. Later, when the flames started, the servants had already rushed in to put out the fire by the time they were discovered."

So since it looked like self-immolation, everyone thought it was normal to have ash, but in fact there were deviations in the details. At least in the five deceased, the throats and tongues of Yan Guangxue and others looked strange, and the ash on them was actually even stranger.

"I think that when these five people died, they might have had something in their hands, perhaps a secret letter, a book, or something else. But it would definitely have burned to ashes and then been sucked into their throats..."

"But ordinary paper doesn't need the candle flame to stay hot for a long time, and it burns easily."

Jiang Hui suddenly asked, "The secret technique of revealing words on baking paper?"

Jian Wuliang: "Are they roasting paper in front of a candle, hoping that the treasure map will reveal the truth and tell them where the treasure is hidden, in order to become extremely rich?"

"I've been hearing cases at the Dali Temple for years, often involving confidential cases. I've seen people write on paper with vinegar, then expose the writing by heating it. Another method is to write on yellow paper with saltpeter liquid... But these methods require very precise formulas and the right paper material, so ordinary people can't do it. I wonder how we can use this method to infer the murderer's identity?"

Jian Wuliang looked at Yan Siqing, wanting to know if she had any other opinions.

Yan Siqing: "I've been in business for many years, and I've come into contact with many businessmen. I've also heard many strange stories. Someone once told me that people in the Western Regions and overseas archipelagos use some special paper materials and a special ink-making method. The combination of the two can last for many years, even hundreds of years, without rotting. It needs to be baked for a long time before the text and patterns can be revealed. Generally, we businessmen call this kind of secret paper - treasure map, or secret scroll of heaven."

"The former is about property, and the latter is about secret inheritance."

"I heard it originated from pirates."

This view is consistent with Jiang Hui's, both mentioned hidden treasures, that is, wealth.

So she thinks the real culprit is a pirate?

After all, the Dali Temple doesn't care about this treasure. They are investigating a murder case.

Yan Siqing was now helping someone investigate a case, and some things had to be explained clearly, otherwise it would be difficult for the other party to write a report on the case. So she was not in a hurry. Instead, she looked at the cage with the big roosters in the corner of the yard outside the window several times to make sure they were quiet. She then looked back at the corpse in the house, thought for a moment, and asked Jian Wuliang to reduce the number of torches in everyone's hands.

Jian Wuliang: "That's right, just in case there are any remnants of that strange poison that spontaneously combusted."

He was very cooperative, raising his hand to ask his subordinates to cooperate. The man's slender fingers pointed to the sketch of Yan Guangxue's room and said slowly, "The bookshelf here is not the right size, and the arrangement is a bit strange. It must have been replaced temporarily and in a hurry. I guess it was originally a treasure rack, and the owner cherished it and wanted to show it off. Because this position makes it easy for guests to see it when they sit down, it's a kind of silent show-off."

"It used to hold some antiques, calligraphy, and paintings, but later on, everything was gone and it looked too empty, so I quickly replaced it with a bookshelf."

"This Lord Yan has a sense of dignity, but he is financially strapped and his family is in dire straits. However, as an official, it is impossible for him to suddenly encounter a huge financial hole and hastily sell off his once cherished antiques, calligraphy, and paintings. There is only one possibility."

Jian Wuliang: "He actually gambled? And the creditors came to his house, so he had to sell his antiques to pay off the debts. But he was afraid of being embarrassed, so he hurriedly installed a bookshelf to replace the treasure rack."

"He's short of money too."

Among the five people, two are already extremely short of money.

But the Dali Temple did not find out about Yan Guangxue's gambling, which shows that this person was hiding a lot. There was a gambling venue in Chang'an City that secretly provided for these dignitaries - and the Dali Temple did not even know about it.

The others didn't know yet, but judging from Yan and Zhao, they were both extremely short of money. Once they got the treasure map or treasure book, they would be really anxious and anxious to uncover the secret of the treasure map.

As soon as I got home, I took the blueprint and burned it in front of the candle...

Jiang Hui and Jian Wuliang suddenly thought of the same thing and looked at Yan Siqing.

"Is the treasure map poisonous? Only when they roasted it over a fire did they inhale the poisonous smoke..."

"Flint dust?"

Yan Siqing also had the same suspicion, but she was also a little unsure.

"Flint powder is highly toxic, even a small amount can be fatal. They were desperate for money and endured the strange smoke from it, so it's not surprising that they died. But the cause of death was burnt, so it wasn't just ordinary flint powder. A large amount would have to be inhaled to burn the whole body, and inhaling it into the human body is different from burning a candle."

"It also needs to fly down the throat and into the stomach, burning it from the inside out."

"The final autopsy will only define it as self-immolation, because they were indeed burned to death."

"I've read in my family's medical knowledge that there's a rare golden phosphorus insect in this world. It lives deep in phosphate mines, can hibernate in cold weather, and emerge from the ground in extremely hot conditions."

"Perhaps the relevant secrets are mentioned in the confidential volumes held by the copper officials in the Ministry of Works who manage the mining areas. After all, there are countless mines in the kingdom, and there are bound to be casualties. My ancestors also helped the Ministry of Works deal with related situations, which is why they left records in our family medicine books."

"The murderer cultivated them, but in order to hide them well and avoid being discovered, he should have taken the cooked eggs and hidden them in books that were supposed to contain treasures. When heated by candlelight, they flew out and were inhaled by the five victims, causing the poison to take effect and they burned themselves."

Jian Wuliang went from listening attentively to gradually straightening his back against the table, his cautiousness was visibly evident.

He was considering the rationality of Yan Siqing's inferences, and was also trying to determine whether her seemingly reasonable inferences were supported by real insights, or whether she was deceiving him.

After all, you are the one who is ultimately responsible for submitting the case files and reporting to your superiors, and you are the one who is held accountable.

But he also relied on his many years of experience in observing people's words and expressions to investigate cases and judge people... Of course, it was really embarrassing in front of the talented "Mr. Yan".

But he could also tell that she was serious and confident.

The calm demeanor that comes from being knowledgeable and having many insights, even more practical experience, knowing all about the world and understanding the worldly affairs is too obvious.

He had seen it in some great scholars and elders. These people had either accumulated their knowledge through many vicissitudes of life or were gifted and extremely talented.

It is true that Yan Siqing suffered from the disadvantage of being a woman and was bound to be bound by worldly affairs, but her family background, foundation, talent, and experience since childhood, as well as her long-term business dealings with businessmen who had sailed along the Silk Road, were enough to make Jian Wuliang trust her knowledge.

Moreover, she seemed to understand his suspicions, so she mentioned the secret scrolls of the Ministry of Works. Since there were official documents for comparison, it would provide him with solid evidence to report to his superiors.

This is important.

"Golden phosphorus insects, golden phosphorus insects, there are such strange insects in the world, and they have even been recorded by the Ministry of Industry?" He believed it, but was amazed.

The Dali Temple disciples were also puzzled, "If the mining area has witnessed this thing, why have we never heard of it?"

Yan Siqing glanced at them and said nothing, seeming to be a little shy.

Only Jiang Hui wasn't too concerned. He said, "The mineral deposits are a matter of national importance, connected to the military affairs of the Ministry of War and the affairs of precious treasures and luxury goods. The former is national defense, and the latter is financial gain. They are no small matter. This insect is so cunning and can kill people invisibly. If it gets out, and someone rebels against the court and spreads the story of ghosts, gods, insects and poison, as in this case, and uses it as a spear to attack the government, causing public resentment and unrest, it will be no small matter."

As far as the imperial court was concerned, the death of a few people or a group of people was nothing compared to the threat that shook the foundation of the country.

Many secrets cannot be spread to the public at all.

People's livelihood is important, but it is also true that the people are dull and easily deceived and pushed. Once unrest occurs, local chaos will arise and war will break out. Such man-made disasters are no less serious than natural disasters.

However, he is the only member of the Jiang family who can say this, but others cannot, otherwise it would be a serious offense.

Yan Siqing avoided the question, and the others understood it.

Jian Wuliang looked at Yan Siqing deeply. He guessed that she had already thought that the golden phosphorus insect might be a killer insect, but she did not bring it up directly. Instead, she laid the groundwork for the previous reasoning... She avoided mentioning the mining area because it would involve the Yan family, and the Yan family...

Jian Wuliang felt a pang of guilt at this moment and asked, "Mr. Yan, based on these clues and your reasoning, you connected the treasure map and the cause of death to the golden phosphorus bugs, and finally guessed that it was the golden phosphorus bugs. Do you have any other evidence, or can we conduct other investigations to reach a conclusion?"

This time it’s not that Jian Wuliang relies on Yan Siqing, but it’s better for everyone to solve the case as soon as possible. No matter how proud and greedy he is, he knows what is important and what is not.

It was almost dawn, and I thought that once the sun rose, the host would be unable to stop the powerful and influential people from prying into my affairs, and they would all swarm in...

Jian Wuliang's expression turned cold.

Yan Siqing was silent for a moment, put her hands behind her back, and took two steps back. Because she was slender and elegant and calm, this step back was a bit strange, but it made people look at her unconsciously.

In fact, she was not so sure. After all, it was just theory on paper. She had not even been to the scene. If she was very sure, she would seem arrogant.

"I hadn't thought of insects at first. After all, there are countless strange objects and poisons in the world, poisons from metal and stone, poisons from flowers and plants, poisons from sacrifices and health preservation, and so on. There are so many unpredictable things. Even the great doctors haven't witnessed them all. Who knows if some foreigners in some remote corners have discovered strange poisons? But then there's this thing about these big roosters."

She was not a god and did not know enough about the case. At first, she was surprised by the strange phenomenon of the roosters crowing late at night, but she suspected that the roosters had been drugged and had become crazy. Later, she looked at their feathers. Jian Wuliang had also checked them in advance and found that they were fine, so there might be something fishy about the corpses.

She examined the body with suspicion and compared the clues, and later realized that it was a golden phosphorus beetle.

"I think either ghosts really do exist, or this is just the natural order of things."

Jian Wuliang's brows furrowed, as if he had thought of something. He buckled his sword with one hand, but Jiang Hui had already waved his hand.

He gestured towards the bodies.

Those present were either elite soldiers from the palace or officials from the Dali Temple. They were all very agile and stood in awe when they saw the gestures of their two masters.

Ruoqin: "Oh my god! There are bugs in the corpse? And golden phosphorus bugs!"

"What! My Lord, be careful!"

"I say these roosters are going crazy. Do they know there are bugs in these corpses?"

"Young Madam, be careful, step back!"

Jiang Hui reacted faster and had already moved.

"Ruoqin, keep an eye on the torches in their hands."

"The rest of you retreat..."

He quietly moved to Yan Siqing's side and said in a low voice: "These corpses are too dangerous, are they worth the risk?"

He had no intention of blaming her, but he suppressed his anxiety and concern, and his body was already blocking her way, keeping some distance - because Xiaoyun and others had quickly come to her side as instructed to take her out.

Jiang Hui was to cover the rear.

Although Yan Siqing had just retreated, she knew that if she expressed her doubts, others would become nervous. She was the only unbeatable burden here, so it was best to retreat first. The person in front of her blocked her tightly, and his back was tall and clear.

In fact, when I first met her, I really thought she was naughty and had the spirit of a young general.

But later....she knew that the other person was so strong that he could force people into extreme weakness.

Being in his arms was like being in a cage, unable to break free.

She averted her eyes and explained cautiously, "These roosters must have sensed the presence of the golden phosphorus bugs when the bodies were brought in this evening, so they rushed over. They've stopped crowing since then. It's probably because most of the eggs left inside the bodies are insect eggs, which don't wake up easily. From what I know, the eggs of these golden phosphorus bugs take at least two months to develop. Even Yan Guangxue, the first to die, died less than a month ago. The eggs weren't mature enough to fly out, so the roosters stopped crowing."

"Be careful not to let the torches touch the throats of the corpses. Just stimulate them to break out of the eggs."

"I suspect the eggs are hidden inside the tongue."

"But it's best to be vigilant. Find a cool, open area tomorrow during the day and use some method to cut open the tongue and verify it."

"As someone who is not good at fighting, I will not burden you all."

She had no intention of participating in the follow-up and stayed here to be protected. She had done everything she could, and the rest was the job of these two people in charge.

Everyone: “!!”

No, Master Yan, you are really brave! Aren't you afraid at all?

But after she said that, it didn't seem so dangerous anymore.

As long as no golden phosphorus bugs appear, it's fine.

The people at the palace relaxed a little, but Jiang Hui was not so reassured. He frowned as he looked at the corpses and still gestured to his subordinates to escort Yan Siqing away quickly.

Jian Wuliang also agreed to arrange another autopsy to verify the facts.

"If we find these insect eggs, then we know the truth, and it's definitely not a ghost. From then on, we can go find the real culprit who hid the treasure book."

However, someone among the Dali Temple's disciples trembled with fear, saying in a voice that was almost tearful: "Sir Shaoqing, Master Yan, those big roosters...are not actually refusing to crow on their own."

What?

Yan Siqing and others looked at him.

Jian Wuliang also paused and stared at him with a suspicious look on his face.

The man then said with a sad face: "We fed these chickens some wine..."

What.....

Then the contents of these corpses may not be insect eggs...

Everyone looked grim, and Yan Siqing had only one thought: I was careless after all. I never expected this. If I had known earlier, I would have gone closer to check the chickens in the cage, maybe I would have smelled the alcohol.

Although shocked, everyone reacted quickly.

Accidents can happen faster!

Jiang Hui seemed to have heard it and quickly moved, "Alert!"

At this moment... whoosh! On the high slope of the mountain to the left of the Zen room, a ghostly shadow, hiding in the deep bamboo forest, quietly aimed at the flickering torchlight in the window of the Zen room.

call out!

Shoot an arrow.

The guard outside heard the noise, but before he could react, it had already broken the window!

Jiang Hui had sharp hearing and heard the sound of breaking air. He immediately drew his sword to block Yan Siqing's arrow, but the arrow broke through the window and did not attack anyone. Instead, it shot towards the light source - hitting the torch in a person's hand, shooting the torch out of the palm of the hand and directly landing on a corpse.

With a rub, the white cloth caught fire.

The fire is burning!

Damn, the root of the corpse’s tongue...Puff puff puff.

Everyone seemed to hear the sound of something breaking through rotten flesh, and then fluorescent red sparks spontaneously burst out from the chest cavity of the corpse, carrying with them rotten fluid. They were small, and the sparks were shocking.

Then they flapped their thin, almost tiny wings...

Buzz flew over quickly.