However, before she could ask, Marquis Wu'an suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear!" and said excitedly, "I just remembered something!"
Everyone hurriedly asked, "What is it?"
"Didn't we send a zither to Heng'er when he came over for dinner tonight to play for him?"
"He really liked it and couldn't put it down. He fiddled with it for quite a while."
The Marquis's wife also said, "That is indeed the case."
After hearing this, Shen Qiyin silently looked at Ruan Xinghu, who hadn't said a word, and seeing that she seemed to be taking a relaxed tone, she guessed that this was also what Ruan Xinghu originally wanted to talk about.
It was probably because of Jiang Jiyao's identity that she hesitated to speak immediately.
The group entered Wei Heng's room again, and Marquis Wu'an ordered someone to take down the zither that Jiang Jiyao had given to Wei Heng and show it to Shen Qiyin. Sure enough, they found that the zither had been tampered with.
"There is a very subtle fragrance on the lacquer of this zither, similar to sandalwood, which is not easy to detect. You have to get close to it to find that it is different from the fragrance of lacquer."
"Oh."
Wei Xuan suddenly gave a cold laugh, which seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet atmosphere.
Marquis Wu'an immediately glanced over and asked, "What the hell is that noise?"
Wei Xuan: "..."
Shen Qiyin turned to look at him and felt that this person seemed to be hostile towards her.
Logically speaking, since I came to his residence to treat his brother's illness, even if he didn't treat me with great courtesy, there was no need for him to be so hostile and confrontational.
It seems that it was probably his "good sister" who whispered something in his ear.
Shen Qiyin knew perfectly well what was going on, but she didn't expose it. Instead, she asked, "What advice does Your Highness have for me?"
"You just said that this so-called 'Dream Guide' is colorless and odorless, but now you're saying it has a faint fragrance. Your words don't make sense, so it's obvious that you're lying!"
"Oh." Shen Qiyin gave her a look as if she were looking at someone who was "idiot" and asked, "Fine, I lied. So what?"
"And then what?"
"My purpose is... I can't just be doing this for fun, poisoning Young Master Wei, can I?"
"I heard that you had a quarrel with Ji Yao a few days ago. Who knows if you didn't use it to frame her?"
“Yes, what the young master said makes sense.” Shen Qiyin nodded in agreement, then suddenly looked at Marquis Wu’an and asked, “Do you think so too, Marquis?”
Marquis Wu'an felt as if his old face had been slapped repeatedly.
With a gloomy face, he walked over to Wei Xuan, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him out like a chick, leaving behind the words: "You two talk first, we're going out to take care of some things."
What's the matter?
Shen Qiyin didn't see it, but she heard Wei Xuan's screams and pleas for mercy.
Ruan Xinghu looked at Shen Qiyin apologetically and apologized on behalf of Wei Xuan, saying, "The young master is just being straightforward, I hope you won't take it to heart."
Shen Qiyin smiled faintly, "It's alright. I actually like someone as simple-minded as the young master." He's like a complete idiot, both foolish and restless, and it's no trouble at all to deal with him.
As they were talking, the "ouch" sound outside stopped.
Marquis Wu'an strode in, followed by a grinning Wei Xuan.
Shen Qiyin waited for him to return before saying, "The lacquer used for the zither is mostly made of large wood. When it is mixed with the juice of the moon-gazing grass, it will emit a scent similar to sandalwood."
"And the Moon-Gazing Grass happens to be used to prepare the Dream-Inducing Agent."
"Some qin makers, in order to make their qins stand out, would try to add the juice of some herbs to the lacquer to create a lacquer that could emit a fragrance."
"Although adding the juice of the moonflower to lacquer can fill a room with fragrance, it can also cause dizziness and exhaustion, so this method did not become widespread."
"But this taboo is something that almost every qin maker knows."
"If Your Highness does not believe me, you can go to the city and find a zither maker; you will know the answer with a simple question."
Wei Xuan, forgetting his mistakes, couldn't help but ask again after hearing Shen Qiyin's words, "You can make a zither?"
"Won't."
"Then how did you know that?"
“I have been learning the zither since I was a child, and my teacher once told me about this.”
Later, she mentioned it casually, which made her junior brother take it to heart.
This "Dream-Inducing" poison was originally invented by him and intended for sale to wandering martial arts practitioners, but unexpectedly, it ended up in this secluded mansion.
"No! Something's not right!" Wei Xuan's thick eyebrows furrowed, his expression of doubt never fading. "You said this zither is poisonous, then why is Ji Yao unharmed?"
"have no idea."
"I don't know?!" Wei Xuan's brow furrowed even more.
"Your Highness, please understand that I am merely a doctor, not a constable from the Jingzhao Prefecture who investigates cases and catches thieves. It is impossible for me to answer all your questions."
“I will only tell you what I saw,” Shen Qiyin said, then suddenly pointed to the zither that had just been put back in its case: “That zither is poisoned. If you don’t believe me, pick it up and hold it in your arms for a while.”
"Wait and see if you get confused or not, then you'll know whether what I said is true or not."
Upon hearing this, Wei Xuan found himself in a dilemma.
If he doesn't try, it means he believes Shen Qiyin's words.
But if I try it, what if I actually get poisoned?
Seeing his indecisive and stubborn behavior, Marquis Wu'an was furious and wished he could drag him outside and kick him a couple more times.
Ruan Xinghu remained indifferent, observing the situation with a cold eye.
Finally, it was the Marquis's wife who gave him a way out, saying, "Xuan'er, don't act rashly."
“I just remembered that when I sent the zither to Heng’er, I originally intended to play it for her. But before I could finish the piece, she suddenly said she felt a little dizzy.”
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