Chapter 227: Poisoning

In the dim human-shaped room with bunk beds, Chen Ji stood calmly by the beds. He held an oil lamp and bent down to observe, but found that blood tears flowed from everyone's eyes.

The blood tears did not flow down along the tear ducts, but flowed outwards, passing through the temples to both sides, indicating that these people were lying on the bed and died in their sleep.

Chen Ji raised the oil lamp in his hand and lifted his head to look at the beams.

There was no one hiding; the murderer could not be found.

Just now, the sound of footsteps in the corridor came suddenly and disappeared just as suddenly, as if a wronged soul was trapped in this post station and killed dozens of people.

Chen family's maidservants, young servants, two bunk beds with a total of thirty-four people, who were joyfully heading to the capital more than ten days ago, have died in Guyuan like this today, unclear.

World affairs are impermanent.

Xiao Man stood at the door, hesitant to enter the room: "Young... young master, they died so miserably! Why are all seven orifices bleeding, as if their souls were sucked away?"

Chen Ji turned his head to look at her: "I thought you feared neither heaven nor earth."

Xiao Man's voice trembled as she asked: "Young master, are you not afraid?"

Chen Ji no longer bothered to pretend in front of Xiao Man. He reached out to touch the carotid artery of a corpse; there was no pulse at all. The body still had residual warmth; the death time was not long.

Thump, thump, thump, the sound of footsteps came from the stairs.

Liang Shi was supported by Dong Zhi and walked down the stairs slowly and methodically: "What happened just now? Stop shouting like this isn't your home. If outsiders hear it, they will say that my Chen family people don't understand rules... Ah!"

As soon as Liang Shi stepped into the human-shaped room with bunk beds, she was immediately shocked and retreated continuously, losing all composure. Fortunately, Dong Zhi supported her, otherwise she would have fallen to the ground.

Liang Shi took a deep breath for a moment, then only forcibly swallowed a mouthful of saliva, looking at the dark room door and asking: "This... what is this!"

Chen Wenzong and Chen Wenxiao heard her exclamation and hurried down the stairs: "Mother, what is it?"

Chen Wenzong wanted to enter the human-shaped room, but Liang Shi held onto his sleeve tightly: "Wenzong, don't go in, it's not clean inside!"

Chen Wenzong calmly said: "Mother, I am a meritorious scholar with a body of upright righteousness; ghosts and monsters cannot approach my body."

After saying that, he struggled free from Liang Shi's hand and walked in to check.

Seeing so many corpses with bleeding tears lying together for the first time, Chen Wenzong's body swayed a little but quickly steadied his mind.

He looked at Chen Ji: "You hurried downstairs just now because of this?"

Chen Ji nodded: "Xiao Man wanted to find the post station attendant for a new quilt, but found that the attendant had died behind the post station counter with seven orifices bleeding."

Chen Wenzong endured the fear and checked the corpses one by one.

Zhang Xia took two steps forward and asked Chen Ji in a low voice: "How did they die? This room originally housed twenty young servants, but now there are only nineteen corpses..."

Before she finished speaking, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor again.

Xiao Man instantly hid behind Chen Ji, peeking out half of her head to quietly size up the corner of the corridor.

Liang Shi retreated in panic, pulling Dong Zhi in front to block. Chen Wenxiao fell to the ground and used his hands and feet to retreat backward.

The next moment, Wang Gui's figure appeared from the corner. He was startled to see the crowd: "Madam, young master... why are you here?"

Chen Wenxiao asked hysterically: "Are you human or ghost!"

Wang Gui was completely confused: "Second young master, what do you mean? I am Wang Gui! You don't recognize me?"

Chen Ji took a big step forward, first touching the temperature of Wang Gui's wrist, then lowering his head to look at the shadow at his feet, confirming it was Wang Gui without a doubt: "Where did you go just now?"

Wang Gui said in confusion: "I went to the latrine."

Chen Wenxiao climbed up from the ground and asked loudly: "Everyone in the room died, why are you alright?"

"Died?" Wang Gui raised his voice in extreme surprise: "Young master, who died?"

Chen Wenxiao pointed at the dark room door: "Go in and see for yourself!"

Wang Gui walked into the room suspiciously, then exclaimed and came out again, his legs so scared they were soft: "How is this happening? Everything was fine just now!"

The crowd retreated to the courtyard, far away from those rooms. Liang Shi stood in the cold wind and muttered: "Perhaps this post station is haunted? Why don't we quickly leave this place and go to the provincial governor's office to find the master."

Chen Wenzong shook his head: "Mother, Guyuan is not peaceful at night. If they dare to rob things in broad daylight, it will be even more so at night. If we go out rashly, we might encounter bandits again on the road."

Chen Wenxiao suddenly spoke: "Then someone still needs to go and tell father, right? Such a big matter, he needs to come back to decide."

But who would go?

The crowd looked at each other; no one spoke first.

Wang Gui looked at Chen Ji and said tremblingly: "Third young master, you go. You have that red date horse; it runs fast!"

Xiao Man immediately pointed her finger at Wang Gui's nose, her eyes angry: "Why should my young master go? Didn't your mother teach you...

Pointing a small hand, start with mom."

Xiao Man was truly angry this time, actually scolding Wang Gui fiercely.

Liang Shi angrily interrupted: "Enough! When did my Chen family have such a vulgar maidservant? Tomorrow I will sell you off and let you stay in Guyuan."

Chen Ji said unmoved: "Madam, please calm your anger. This is not the time to sell a maidservant. Let's think about how to survive."

Zhang Xia suddenly pulled Chen Ji aside and said in a low voice: "Four years ago, there was an unsolved case in the capital. A supervising censor of positive seventh rank suddenly died violently at home. The death appearance was also said to be bleeding from seven orifices; six people in the entire family died. Seven years ago, there was also an unsolved case in Shaanxi province. A prefect of positive fifth rank died violently in a privately kept concubine residence with the same death appearance; four people died. This death appearance is extremely rare. People on the streets are all rumored that a fierce ghost claimed lives, but I don't think so. It should be poisoning. Only... I haven't heard of such ruthless poison before."

Chen Ji thought for a moment, turned his head to look at Chen Wenzong: "Elder brother, did you eat dinner at the post station?"

Chen Wenzong shook his head: "No."

Chen Ji looked at Liang Shi again: "Madam, did you eat?"

Liang Shi replied: "No."

Chen Ji looked at Wang Gui once more: "What about you?"

Wang Gui answered with a pale face: "No, the food at this post station is coarse and unpalatable, hard to swallow."

Chen Ji said calmly: "It should be poisoning."

Assassins are very particular about using poison.

In storytelling masters' storybooks, people often die with seven orifices bleeding after being poisoned, which is used to add to the horror of the story. But in reality, it is not easy to make someone die with seven orifices bleeding after being poisoned.

But Chen Ji knew there was one type of poison that could: cardiac glycoside drugs.

After overdosing on cardiac glycoside drugs, the poisoned person's heart muscle will contract rapidly, causing multiple organ failure, and leading to a rapid rise in blood pressure and ruptured capillaries.

Combined with strong sedatives, it can quietly cause people to die with seven orifices bleeding.

Chen Ji was certain in his heart that the killer had poisoned the food at the post station. Chen Wenzong, Chen Wenxiao, Liang Shi, and Wang Gui, who were used to fine dining every day, naturally could not get used to the food at the post station and luckily escaped the disaster.

He and Zhang Xia et al. ate too much mutton at noon, so they couldn't eat dinner.

Chen Ji wondered if it was the border army who poisoned them?

Was the opponent suddenly sending mutton a coincidence, or did they, out of consideration for Mr. Wang, deliberately let him eat his fill beforehand to avoid poisoning?

Chen Ji lowered his head and pondered: If the border army really wanted to poison the Chen family, what was the opponent's motive?

The Chen family had just arrived, with no recent grudges or previous enmities with the border army. Making things difficult at the city gate was still understandable, after all, it was a minor matter, and no one could do anything to this group of border soldiers.

But now, the family members of a court official of positive fourth rank have been poisoned, and thirty-four people have died. If this spreads to the capital, it will be a shocking major case. This matter is no longer a matter for the Chen family, but involves the court's face and must be investigated thoroughly.

Why did the border army do this? Just to cut off the prince's wings?

Things are not that simple.

At this time, Chen Wenxiao said to Xiao Man: "Since you are not willing for Chen Ji to go, then you go to the provincial governor's office."

Xiao Man rolled her eyes: "I won't go. I am the young master's maidservant. If the young master tells me to go, then I will go."

Chen Wenxiao said angrily: "Chen Ji, look at your maidservant, so disrespectful, actually talking to the main family like this!"

Chen Ji said calmly: "You should still think about how to survive tonight. There are assassins who want to poison the entire Chen family. We are lucky to be alive because we did not eat the food at the post station. If the opponent finds out, they might come again. If you want to live, quickly send someone to the provincial governor's office. The others here should huddle together and wait for Lord Chen to lead the prince's guards to rescue us."

Zhang Zheng said casually: "You are all too hesitant. If it doesn't work, then I... Ai yo!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Xia twisted Zhang Zheng's soft waist flesh fiercely and said in a low voice: "Brother, shut up. We listen to Chen Ji's arrangements. Now is not the time for you to be reckless."

Chen Wenxiao looked at Wang Gui: "You go!"

Wang Gui shrank back a little: "Second young master, I don't know where the provincial governor's office is."

Chen Wenxiao said angrily: "If you don't go, who will? My Chen family has raised you for so many years; even a dog would know to bark a couple of times at this point!"

Chen Wenzong said in a low voice: "Chen Wenxiao! A gentleman is careful with his words!"

Chen Wenxiao muttered in a low voice: "I'm not wrong either..."

Wang Gui's face changed several times. He looked at Liang Shi, but Liang Shi looked away and did not speak.

He gritted his teeth: "Second young master is right; I will go..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Wenzong said in a low voice: "The Master says, 'Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.'"

He turned to Zhang Xia and said: "Second Miss Zhang, please lend me your warhorse. I will go to the provincial governor's office now to ask father to lead the prince's guards back."

Zhang Xia thought for a moment and said: "Date Date definitely won't let you ride it. You take the one my brother rode."

Chen Wenzong nodded: "Okay."

Liang Shi hurried forward and grabbed his wrist: "Wenzong, absolutely not. Your body is worth a thousand pieces of gold; a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall!"

Chen Wenzong took a deep breath and explained calmly: "Mother, 'a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall' does not apply here. It means that a gentleman should prevent disaster before it happens, not that a gentleman should be cowardly. You don't need to say more. Chen Ji is right; we cannot delay any longer to avoid the assassins coming back to commit crimes."

After saying that, he led the warhorse out of the stable, regardless of Liang Shi's attempts to stop him, flipped onto the horse, and galloped into the night.