Chapter 98 Ironclad Evidence Revealed, the True Colors Revealed
Li Qiao is dead.
Just as the Hundred Cavalry, acting on Li Tai's confession, quietly surrounded the seemingly ordinary back alley of the "Anxi Spice Shop" in the West Market, preparing to secretly arrest this manager of a branch of the Longxi Li family, they discovered their target was a still-warm corpse lying on the floor of his own study. The cause of death was poison; amber liquid remained in the wine glass, different in composition from the poison Li Xiang had ingested, yet equally potent and swift. The scene was eerily clean; apart from a brush washer that Li Qiao had knocked over in his panic, there were no signs of struggle or intrusion. Was the poison his own, or was it a "forced suicide"? It was impossible to determine.
The spice shop owner and his assistant had already "returned home to visit relatives" the night before, leaving only ordinary goods in the shop, with no clues related to poisons or secret transactions. The old eunuch from Da'an Palace who had acted as a go-between had "retired to his hometown" shortly after Li Yuan's death, and his hometown was now deserted, as if it had never existed.
The trail seemed to end abruptly with Li Qiao's death.
But Li Chengqian was not surprised; in fact, it was within his expectations. How could a family like the Longxi Li clan not have a backup plan, not leave room for self-preservation? Li Qiao was merely a pawn that could be discarded at any time. His death proved the authenticity of Li Tai's confession and also proved that the other side had become alert and begun to cover their tracks.
The overt investigation has temporarily stalled, but the covert battles are intensifying. The Hundred Cavalry Division and the Eastern Palace's secret guards have joined forces, shifting their focus to more covert areas: the flow of supplies, unusual accounts, and hidden interpersonal networks.
Persistence pays off. A seemingly insignificant clue gradually comes to light.
Several months ago, a secluded estate near the Qinling Mountains belonging to the Li family of Longxi, under the guise of "repairing the ancestral hall and preparing sacrificial implements," secretly purchased a small quantity of extremely high-quality cinnabar and azurite from Sichuan through several middlemen. These two minerals are commonly used in Taoist alchemy and the preparation of certain special pigments, and are not unusual. However, the quantity purchased far exceeded the needs of ordinary sacrifices or alchemy workshops, and the transportation route deliberately bypassed official roads and major towns, ultimately disappearing into the vast forests behind the estate.
Almost simultaneously, a merchant from Longyou Road mentioned that in a remote mining area controlled by the Li family in Longxi (ostensibly mining ordinary stone), some "special stone" that was sealed very tightly and whose specific purpose was unknown was occasionally transported out in the past year or two, and its whereabouts were unknown.
More importantly, through secret access to the Imperial Medical Bureau's dusty archives and inquiries with elderly imperial physicians and itinerant doctors (some of whom had been secretly controlled), it was discovered that the scattered records about the strange poison "Qianji Yin" were mostly related to certain alchemists and poison masters who had secluded themselves in the Qinling Mountains during the previous dynasty. The lineage of these alchemists was vaguely connected to certain ancient family branches in Longxi.
"They likely have a secret location somewhere in the Qinling Mountains where they research or store special drugs (including poisons)." Inside the secret chamber of the Eastern Palace, a trusted advisor responsible for intelligence gathering drew a circle on a map at a location in the Qinling Mountains. "That manor might be an outpost or a supply depot; the real workshops should be hidden deeper in the mountains. The cinnabar and azurite from Sichuan, and the special stones from Longyou, are all raw materials or catalysts that might be used in some mixed drugs or poisons."
Li Chengqian stared at the circle on the map, his eyes icy: "Can you find the exact location?"
“It’s difficult.” The advisor shook his head. “The Qinling Mountains are vast and the terrain is complex. The enemy is deliberately hiding. A large-scale search of the mountains is impractical and would easily alert them. Our people are trying to find clues from the daily supplies at the manor, the movement of people, and the porters who transport the ‘special stone’, but this will take time, and the enemy has likely already increased their vigilance.”
Time… time was what Li Chengqian lacked most. Li Tai was still imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court. Although a confession had been obtained, there was a lack of conclusive evidence directly implicating the Longxi Li clan. While his father tacitly approved his investigation, if there was no progress for a long time, there was no guarantee that the court wouldn't hastily close the Li Tai case due to pressure (especially the observation and possible backlash from other powerful families). At that point, it would be even more difficult to take action against the Longxi Li clan.
We must find irrefutable evidence, locate the drug manufacturing or storage site, and catch the perpetrators red-handed!
Just as Li Chengqian was racking his brains for a breakthrough, an unexpected message arrived: Wu Meiniang requested an audience, as she had important matters to discuss.
Since Li Xiang's untimely death, Wu Zetian had lived a secluded life, rarely venturing out except for necessary palace duties, and had become terribly thin. Although Li Chengqian knew of her grief, he was also overwhelmed with his own affairs and offered little comfort. Her request to see him now must have a reason.
Inside the warm pavilion, Wu Meiniang's complexion was still poor, but her eyes were much clearer than in recent days, even carrying a calm sharpness. She dismissed those around her and said directly to Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, I may have... found a clue that could lead to the source of that poison."
Li Chengqian perked up: "Speak."
"Your Highness, do you still remember when I first entered the Eastern Palace, out of curiosity about the first aid and disease prevention methods taught by the Immortal (Wang Yi), I read through many medical classics of the Imperial Medical Bureau and even identified some medicinal herbs with the Immortal?" Wu Meiniang said slowly, "After Li Xiang's accident, my heart and soul were torn apart, and I couldn't sleep day or night, repeatedly recalling the scene before his illness, especially the things he used. Later, I suddenly remembered that about ten days before the incident, Li Xiang had scraped his skin while playing and used a new 'Jade Complexion Regenerating Ointment' sent by the Imperial Medical Bureau. The ointment had a pleasant fragrance, and the wound healed quickly after use, so I didn't pay much attention to it. But now that I think about it..."
Pain and hatred flashed in her eyes: "I always felt there was a very faint, indescribable peculiar smell to that ointment, slightly different from the usual muscle-regenerating ointment. At the time, I just thought the Imperial Medical Bureau had improved the formula. But now... I suspect the problem might lie with that ointment! 'Qianji Yin' can slowly penetrate through moisturizers, so wouldn't muscle-regenerating ointment... be an even better carrier? And since it's for healing, the examination might not be as strict as for things that are ingested."
Li Chengqian's pupils constricted sharply! That's it! They had been focusing their investigation on diet and daily moisturizers, but had overlooked the occasional wound medicine! Moreover, items sent by the Imperial Medical Bureau inherently carried a certain "authoritative" quality, making it easier to lower one's guard!
"Is there any ointment left? Who in the Imperial Medical Bureau is in charge of it?" Li Chengqian asked urgently.
"The remainder... was taken away as usual shortly after Li Xiang used it, since his wounds had healed. As for who handled it..." Wu Meiniang frowned, "I only remember that it was a routine item distributed by the Imperial Medical Bureau to the palaces every season. The specific person who handled it needs to be checked in the records. But I suspect that if the poison was indeed administered through this method, the other party must have already erased the traces."
Li Chengqian paced back and forth in the room, thinking rapidly. Even if the plaster had been disposed of, and the records of the Imperial Medical Bureau might have been altered, this was still a clear and highly indicative clue! There must be something fishy going on within the Imperial Medical Bureau! Moreover, someone who could access the preparation of medicines and tamper with them so discreetly was definitely not an ordinary physician or apprentice.
"Leave this matter to me," Li Chengqian decided decisively. "Your remembering this matter is of utmost importance. Is there anything else unusual?"
Wu Meiniang shook her head, then said, "There's one more thing... it concerns Master Wang." She paused, observing Li Chengqian's expression. "A few days before Li Xiang's accident, Master Wang sent me a box of calming incense she had concocted herself, saying that autumn dryness makes one easily startled, and that Li Xiang and I should burn some in the evening to calm our minds. I... I had something on my mind and didn't light it. Afterwards... I had my suspicions, but after careful examination, the incense was fine, and Master Wang had absolutely no connection to this matter. I mention this to say... perhaps she also tried to approach me through other seemingly 'reasonable' means, but failed."
Wu Zetian's words were half explanation and half reminder. They cleared Wang Yi of suspicion that he might have been used (she knew of Li Chengqian's special attention to Wang Yi), and also hinted at the variety and secrecy of the other party's poisoning methods.
When Li Chengqian heard Wang Yi's name, his eyes flickered almost imperceptibly before returning to their icy expression. "I understand. Rest assured, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."
After seeing Wu Meiniang off, Li Chengqian immediately summoned his spies planted in the Imperial Medical Bureau, as well as experts in medicine and interrogation from the Hundred Cavalry Division.
"The focus of the investigation is on all records of plasters and powders distributed by the Imperial Medical Bureau in the month before Li Xiang's incident, especially the batch and formula adjustment records of 'Yu Rong Sheng Ji Gao' (Jade Complexion Regenerating Skin Plaster), and the personnel involved. All relevant personnel are secretly controlled and interrogated separately, with a focus on whether there were any unusual instructions, unusual contacts, or any suspicious behavior during that period."
"At the same time," he added, his eyes flashing even colder, "we will conduct a secret investigation within the Imperial Medical Bureau into anyone who has had any connection with the Li family of Longxi, especially that secret family (including teacher-student relationships, fellow villagers, in-law relationships, and financial dealings). We will not let a single one escape!"
The Imperial Medical Bureau connection is like a lamp suddenly lit in the darkness; though faint, it may illuminate the path to the ultimate mastermind. If a breach can be made here, and irrefutable evidence directly implicating the Li family of Longxi in the poisoning of the imperial heir can be found, then he will have not only Li Tai's confession but also irrefutable evidence!
The map is nearing its end. The dagger is about to reveal itself.
Autumn deepened in Chang'an, the wind carrying a biting chill. A covert storm surrounding the Imperial Medical Academy, coupled with the ongoing search for a potential poison nest deep in the Qinling Mountains, was closing in with increasing speed and precision towards that deeply hidden behemoth. Li Chengqian, like a lone wolf thoroughly enraged yet all the more composed, clung tightly to the scent of its prey's blood, determined not to give up until it achieved its goal.
The undercurrents within the Imperial Medical Bureau were more turbulent and unpredictable than one might imagine.
After Li Chengqian issued the order, the Hundred Cavalry Division and the Eastern Palace's secret guards, like the most meticulous comb, began to scrutinize every record of the Imperial Medical Bureau over the past few months, every instance of medicine coming in and out, and the background and whereabouts of every relevant person. On the surface, the Imperial Medical Bureau remained orderly, with physicians conducting consultations and prescribing medicines as usual, and apprentices silently pounding and weighing herbs. However, an invisible, suffocating tension had already permeated every corner of the bureau.
The distribution records of the "Jade Complexion Regenerating Ointment" were quickly retrieved. The most recent batch was distributed five days before Li Xiang was injured. The records showed that the ointment was formulated and supervised by Sun Zhongjing, a senior physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau (a veteran physician known for his composure and taciturn nature, who had served in the Imperial Medical Bureau for nearly twenty years). It was then distributed to the Crown Prince's Palace and the residences of various princes and princesses as usual. The share received by the Crown Prince's Palace was the same as usual, and the record showed that it was signed by an ordinary eunuch from the Crown Prince's Pharmacy Bureau.
It looks flawless.
However, upon closer investigation into the preparation details, a discordant thread began to emerge. One of the apprentices responsible for dispensing the plaster left the capital on the third day after the incident, citing his mother's illness and the need to return to his hometown, and has not returned since. When the Imperial Guards traced his address to his hometown, they discovered it was fictitious; he had vanished into thin air. Another junior physician involved in the preparation, during an "accidental" night shift, "fell" into the deep well used for cleaning equipment within the Imperial Medical Bureau, and was pulled from the water, already lifeless. The Imperial Medical Bureau hastily concluded the case as an "accidental drowning."
Two lives, one missing and the other an "accident," both point to the formulation process of this batch of "Jade Complexion Regenerating Cream." This is no coincidence!
The pressure of the interrogation focused on the physician Sun Zhongjing. Initially, the elderly physician managed to maintain his composure, offering excuses such as "old age and senility, unable to remember clearly" and "negligence on the part of his subordinates, perhaps a minor adjustment to the prescription wasn't recorded." However, under the relentless, overlapping, and psychologically intense questioning and interrogation by the elite cavalry officers for several days, especially when they hinted that he might know about the forbidden and extremely potent poison "Qianji Yin," Sun Zhongjing's mental defenses began to crumble.
He was indeed afraid of the mastermind's threat to silence him, but he knew even better that once he was convicted of "participating in the murder of the eldest prince," what awaited him would be a fate worse than death—the extermination of his entire family!
Finally, during a late-night solitary interrogation, when the interrogator presented him with a bag of gold and pearls, far exceeding what his salary could accumulate, which had been secretly seized from Sun Zhongjing's hometown, and coldly informed him that his youngest son had recently "accidentally contracted an epidemic and was in critical condition" (in reality, it was a protective isolation and psychological pressure), Sun Zhongjing completely collapsed to the ground.
“It was…it was someone who forced me…” He wept uncontrollably, his voice hoarse. “That day…when I was preparing the ointment to stop bleeding and promote tissue regeneration, someone…someone slipped me a note with instructions on adjusting the dosage of several ingredients. They said…they said a certain important person needed a milder formula, and…and it must never be revealed. They also included a small packet of colorless and odorless ‘primer,’ insisting that it be added at the very end…”
"Who delivered the message? What kind of 'trigger'?" the interrogator pressed.
"The messenger was... a steward from the Medicine Bureau with whom I had some dealings, surnamed Wu... But thinking back, Steward Wu was probably acting under orders. That 'initiator'... I... I secretly tested a little of it. Its properties were peculiar, not an ordinary medicinal material, but my knowledge was too limited to identify what it was... I only noticed a very faint fishy or astringent smell, which dissipated when heated..." Sun Zhongjing described, trembling. "That person said that if I didn't do as he said, he would expose my past... my past mistake of using a potent drug that caused a concubine to miscarry (actually, a handle used to frame me)... I... I was confused for a moment, thinking it was just ordinary palace intrigue, and that adjusting a prescription wouldn't cause any harm... I never imagined that it would be... would be the poison that harmed the eldest prince!"
Where is Steward Wu now?
"I...I don't know...I haven't seen you since that day..."
The interrogators presented Sun Zhongjing's confession, along with the bag of gold beads used as evidence (several of which had a unique design and matched the characteristics of privately minted gold ingots that had been found to have circulated from a certain place in Longxi), to Li Chengqian overnight.
Almost simultaneously, another, even more thrilling piece of news came from the direction of the Qinling Mountains.
After nearly a month of secret investigation, bribing informants with large sums of money, and employing skilled mountain trackers from the army, the Hundred Cavalry Division finally located a secluded valley deep in the mountains behind the Li family's manor in Longxi. It seemed to be a treacherous place that even ordinary hunters would not dare to venture into, but at night, faint, unnatural lights would occasionally flicker, and there were carefully concealed warning traps and sentries at the entrance of the valley.
A crack squad, comprised of top-tier elite warriors from the Hundred Cavalry Division and assassins from the Eastern Palace, stealthily infiltrated the valley on a stormy night. Deep within, they discovered several sturdy stone huts built into the mountainside, disguised as rocks or trees! The huts were rudimentary yet well-equipped, containing alchemy furnaces, medicine grinders, various oddly shaped utensils, numerous sealed bottles and jars, and dried, exotic herbs. In a stone cabinet in the innermost room, the search team found several small ceramic jars sealed tightly with oiled paper and wax, bearing ancient, unrecognizable symbols.
Under extreme caution, a poison expert secretly dispatched from the Imperial Medical Bureau (who was already under strict control) opened one of the earthenware jars on the spot. Inside was a small amount of fine, odorless, grayish-white powder. The expert took a tiny sample for testing, and moments later, his expression changed drastically!
"It's...it's a variant of 'Traction Tool'! It's extremely pure, and...several of its auxiliary ingredients have 70% similarity to the residual characteristics of the poison that the Crown Prince was poisoned with! This place...even if this isn't the original preparation site, it's definitely an important storage and improvement base!"
The perpetrator was caught red-handed!
The search team dared not linger. After quickly making rubbings of some symbols at the scene, sampling key evidence, and drawing a detailed map, they quietly withdrew under the cover of night and torrential rain. Less than two hours after they left, a raging fire broke out in the valley, clearly an act of destroying evidence after the other side noticed something amiss. But the crucial physical evidence and intelligence had already been obtained.
The secret chamber of the Eastern Palace was brightly lit.
Before Li Chengqian were several items: Sun Zhongjing's confession and the special gold ingots; a pottery jar (which had been properly sealed) brought back from the secret stronghold in the Qinling Mountains containing what appeared to be a variant of the "Tethering Machine"; a sample of the strange symbols that had been rubbed; and a detailed map of the valley stronghold drawn by the Hundred Cavalry.
The evidence is irrefutable!
Sun Zhongjing's confession pointed to collusion between the palace (the Bureau of Medicine) and the Imperial Medical Bureau. Although the person directly in charge, Steward Wu, had disappeared, the process of "minorly adjusting the formula" and "adding unknown ingredients" was clear, and the bribes he received were related to Longxi. This constituted one link in the chain of evidence for the channels through which poison entered the Eastern Palace.
The discovery of the Qinling stronghold provided decisive evidence! The poison stored there was highly correlated with the poison that Li Xiang had been poisoned with, and the stronghold was controlled by a secret branch of the Longxi Li clan. This directly proves that the Longxi Li clan not only had the capability to manufacture such rare poisons, but also actually possessed a secret base for storing and even modifying them!
Li Tai's confession, Sun Zhongjing's testimony, physical evidence from the Qinling Mountains, and the gold ingots with Longxi characteristics that flowed to Sun Zhongjing... all these clues ultimately point to the same goal, like rivers flowing into the sea—the hidden family power of the Li clan of Longxi!
They are the masterminds behind providing the "Tethering Mechanism" poison and bribing traitors within the Imperial Medical Bureau to adulterate the poison into the Crown Prince's medicine for his injuries! Their motives may be to cooperate with Li Tai's revenge, or to strike at the Crown Prince who is becoming increasingly intertwined with the aristocratic families, or perhaps... there are even deeper schemes belonging to the aristocratic families themselves, which even Li Yuan may not fully know.
Li Chengqian's fingers slowly brushed across the cold, rough surface of the pottery jar. His eyes no longer held the initial rage, but instead held a bottomless killing intent, solidified with blood and ice.
“Good…very good.” He muttered to himself, his voice eerily calm. “The Li family of Longxi…you finally…can’t hide anymore.”
The diagram has been completely exhausted. The dagger has been fully revealed.
Now is the time to unsheathe this dagger, stained with blood and hatred, and deliver the fatal blow.
He needed one last thing—his father's decision, or rather, his father's permission for him to draw his sword.
"Change your clothes," Li Chengqian stood up and said to the trusted eunuch standing beside him, "I need to see my father immediately."
This time, he brought not apologies and speculation, but overwhelming evidence, a bloodstained blade pointing directly at the core of the powerful clans. He wanted to see how his father, Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, would choose when faced with evidence powerful enough to shake the very foundations of the nation.
Should we continue to maintain that fragile balance, hesitant to act against the powerful clans? Or... for the sake of the imperial family's dignity, for the sake of the deceased imperial grandson, and for the sake of the future stability of imperial power, should we strike with that long-overdue, yet inevitably devastating blow?
The night was as dark as ink. On the road from the East Palace to the Liangyi Hall, Crown Prince Li Chengqian's palanquin sped along in silence, as if carrying an immense weight, heading towards the eye of the storm that would deliver the final judgment.
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