“The palace maids and eunuchs who accompanied us know nothing.” Commander Yue slammed his fist on a pillar beside him. “They used all sorts of torture methods, so it shouldn’t be fake.”
"What about Granny Ding?" Dingxiang asked again.
Commander Yue hesitated slightly: "She kept calling out for the Crown Princess, so we can't use torture. We can only ask her a few questions."
"What's the use of that?!"
Dingxiang rolled her eyes.
“Don’t blame Commander Yue, after all, Granny Ding is the person the Crown Princess trusts the most.” At this moment, Granny Fangqi spoke up, “However, it’s inconvenient for him, but I, this old woman, have no such concerns.”
She twitched the corners of her mouth, revealing a cold smile.
"I'll go and interrogate them! Torture them if necessary!"
After saying that, Granny Fangqi walked with firm steps toward the woodshed where Granny Ding was imprisoned.
Dingxiang gave her a thumbs-up as she walked away, then turned and went inside.
But she had barely sat down for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when she heard a scream from outside.
Upon closer inspection, it was indeed Fangqi's.
Startled, Dingxiang jumped up and ran outside.
"What's wrong? What happened again?"
Granny Fangqi was helped back by Commander Yue, and both of them looked very unwell.
"Granny Ding is dead."
Those five simple words exploded in Dingxiang's mind like a bombshell.
"Dead? How did he die?"
Dingxiang was so surprised that she forgot to lower her voice and shouted.
The shout reached inside the house and woke Song Xibai.
"What happened? Who died?"
She rubbed her head and struggled to sit up, holding onto Fu Liu's arm.
She was a light sleeper, her mind constantly preoccupied with the Crown Prince, her heart never at ease, and she would be awakened by the slightest noise.
Dingxiang slapped her mouth in annoyance.
The three entered the house and, facing Song Xibai's stern gaze, had no choice but to recount the events in detail.
Song Xibai asked in a deep voice, "How did you die?"
"Suicide." Commander Yue clenched his fist and said in a deep voice, "She took poison."
"Taking poison? She was ordered to leave the palace, and it wasn't a mission that would necessarily lead to her death. Why would she carry poison with her?"
Song Xibai murmured, then exhaled.
"Take me to see it."
The three were shocked and tried to dissuade him.
"That won't do!"
"Master, how can you go to that filthy place?"
"You've only just calmed down a bit, don't get scared."
But Song Xibai said firmly, "I'm much better now. The woodshed is just a few steps away, nothing will happen."
Commander Yue was in a difficult position.
In the end, it was Dingxiang who suggested a solution that satisfied both sides.
"Move the bamboo couch over there!"
Commander Yue thought this was a good idea, so he called over a man to help, and together they carried the bamboo couch to the woodshed.
Outside the woodshed, two guards stood nervously on either side, fearing they would be held accountable.
As soon as she entered, Song Xibai wrinkled her nose.
"Can you smell something strange?"
"It's not surprising that the woodshed smells because it's filled with a lot of miscellaneous items."
Commander Yue dared not let Song Xibai get too close, so he placed a bamboo couch at the doorway.
Song Xibai waved to Dingxiang.
"Go and get it checked out."
Dingxiang nodded, walked to Ding Mama's body, reached out and touched her body, and then forcefully pried open her mouth to examine her closely.
Then, she took out a small knife from her waist, stabbed it into Granny Ding's throat, and then cut it open.
The movements were so fluid and graceful that even Commander Yue was dumbfounded.
"Your swordsmanship is quite good! Steady, accurate, and ruthless. Where did you learn it?"
Dingxiang casually replied, "I learned it by helping my family kill fish."
When Song Xibai lived in the Ding family's house, he would practice anatomy with Dingxiang. Back then, they mostly practiced dissection on various kinds of fish, as well as chickens, ducks, rabbits, and mice.
Dingxiang's medical skills were mostly learned from her grandfather, but Song Xibai's subtle influence on her was also significant.
"Commander Yue, come quick!"
Dingxiang suddenly cried out.
Commander Yue hurriedly ran over, squatted down, and looked in the direction she pointed.
There was a half-dissolved pill stuck in Granny Ding's throat and esophagus.
She carefully used a knife to remove the pill, stared at it for a while, then poked it with the silver needle she always carried, before running back to Song Xibai.
Song Xibai stared at the pill for a long time, then suddenly turned his head and asked.
What are some of the commonly used poisons in the palace?
"It's nothing more than poison, arsenic, or the like," replied Granny Fangqi.
“This isn’t one of those common poisons used in the palace.” Song Xibai’s gaze was intense. “Smell it. Don’t you think it has a faint floral fragrance?”
Commander Yue was taken aback: "Poisonous flower?"
"It's not very obvious. They probably added something else. Dingxiang, go find Physician Sun and see what's in here."
Song Xibai gave the instructions methodically.
Dingxiang carefully wrapped the half pill in a handkerchief, as if she were wrapping a shard of porcelain, and then ran out.
Song Xibai then turned to Commander Yue: "Ask those two at the door, besides you, has anyone else come in or come near?"
Commander Yue frowned, acknowledged the order, and left.
Finally, Song Xibai looked at Granny Fangqi.
"Granny, you've been in the palace for so long, do you think Granny Ding is the kind of person who would commit suicide?"
Granny Fangqi sighed.
"Granny Ding is extremely loyal to the Crown Princess. If it's the Crown Princess's order, nothing is impossible."
"But the poison didn't go into the stomach; it got stuck in the throat. Even the most potent poison wouldn't kill someone instantly if it wasn't absorbed, right?"
“From the time Commander Yue left the woodshed to when you came here, Granny, how long has it been? Even a deadly poison like aconite takes half an hour to take effect.”
"Master, do you mean she was murdered?"
Granny Fangqi's face turned deathly pale in an instant.
Song Xibai nodded.
"The person who killed her originally intended to poison her, but when he fed her the poison, Ding Mama probably struggled too violently, or perhaps he was a novice, so she didn't swallow the medicine."
In his desperation, he could only grab her throat and strangle her to death.
Song Xibai seemed to be talking to Granny Fangqi, but it also seemed like she was talking to herself.
"Strangle him?"
Granny Fangqi's eyes widened.
Song Xibai blinked, came to her senses, and pointed at Granny Ding's corpse.
“Look at her throat, there are two obvious purple marks, it’s obvious they were pinched.”
At this point, a sudden thought flashed through Song Xibai's mind.
"That's right! Since he was strangled, we only need to check his handprints to find out who it was!"
Her eyes were as bright as day.
At this moment, Commander Yue also returned.
"The two guards at the gate said that quite a few people had approached, but only three had actually entered."
Song Xibai turned her head sharply.
Which three?
"Besides me and Fangqi, the only ones left are..."
He paused, a complex expression appearing in his eyes.
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