Chapter 551: Chapter 551: Looks Like Poisoning

Having worked at the Ministry of Justice for many years, Fan Chengzhuo had witnessed countless interrogation methods and was long past being surprised by them.

But hearing Shen Yanchuan’s words, his heart still pounded uncontrollably.

Who didn’t know what the men of the Black Cavalry Guard were capable of!

They could make a dead man talk, let alone a living one!

’If they really fell into Shen Yanchuan’s hands, then I’m afraid...’

Fan Chengzhuo’s expression was grim. He furrowed his brow and said, "Princely Heir, this incident happened at the Ministry of Justice, after all. I am undeniably responsible, so how can I stand aside? We should still—"

"Mr. Fan already has enough on his plate." Shen Yanchuan glanced back at the ruins, which were still emitting plumes of white smoke, and shook his head with a hint of regret. "This fire must have caused you a great deal of trouble, Mr. Fan. Dealing with all that is hard enough. As for this assassination attempt, it was likely someone seeking revenge on me. Since it almost implicated you, how could I possibly trouble you further with it?"

Fan Chengzhuo felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

Shen Yanchuan’s words were like a dagger stabbing straight into his heart.

He stiffly turned his neck to look at the scorched ruins.

The material losses were secondary. More importantly, the inmates had rioted and nearly broken down the gates of the Ministry of Justice. Even now, the bodies of several prisoners killed in the conflict lay on the ground.

’All of this—it would all be blamed on him!’

Fan Chengzhuo was about to say more when he suddenly heard a frightened scream from nearby.

He turned to see that Ye Chutang had already washed her hands and was beginning to perform an autopsy on the Southern Hu Blade Men!

Knife in hand, she made a single, light slice, cutting open the already tattered clothes of one of the Southern Hu Blade Men.

Most of the people present had never witnessed such a scene. Seeing Ye Chutang actually begin right then and there, the more squeamish ones cried out and hastily turned their heads away.

Ye Chutang remained undisturbed, her hands never pausing for a moment.

Someone whispered, "Look at that... Second Miss Ye is such a young woman, and even she isn’t afraid. How are these men scared to death? It’s utterly disgraceful!"

This comment immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

"Exactly! And to think they receive a stipend from the court! They’re not even as brave as a woman!"

"Besides, Second Miss Ye is doing this for our sake. Otherwise, with those Southern Hu Blade Men dying mysteriously in the Ministry of Justice Prison, which one of us present could claim to be uninvolved?"

The faces of the men being criticized flushed crimson. They wanted to argue but knew they were in the wrong, so they could only shut their mouths in shame.

Perhaps it was Ye Chutang’s profound composure, but the focused calm she exuded gradually spread to the surrounding crowd. The clamor of voices subsided, eventually giving way to silence.

Countless eyes were fixed on her hands.

Suddenly, someone let out a small "Huh?"

"That’s strange. These men have been locked in the Ministry of Justice for some time. They have wounds, but none of them look fatal. So how exactly did they die?"

Someone else quickly replied with a shrug, "What’s so strange about that? The wounds might not look fatal at first glance, but who knows if there were other causes? I hear these Southern Hu Blade Men are all Death Warriors, incredibly tight-lipped. If you don’t use a few special methods, they won’t say a thing."

The men of the Ministry of Justice had plenty of ways to handle prisoners who refused to talk.

It wasn’t uncommon for someone to end up dead in the process, whether intentionally or not.

But...

"But that’s exactly why it shouldn’t have happened! They were Southern Hu Blade Men! If they’re dead, how can the interrogation continue? They had to be kept alive!"

A hush fell over the crowd.

The point was valid.

The Ministry of Justice held countless prisoners; one more or one less was no great matter.

But these men were different—His Majesty himself had issued a decree to thoroughly investigate their origins!

Now that they were all dead, how could the investigation possibly continue?

The officials responsible for this case, from the highest to the lowest, would all face severe reprimand!

"If that’s the case, they should have been guarded more carefully. How could they have died?"

Someone, slow on the uptake, finally put the pieces together. They looked at Ye Chutang, then at Shen Yanchuan, and understanding dawned.

’The Princely Heir is clearly the one who wants this investigated!’

’Ye Chutang has no connection to these people or this affair. She’s deliberately wading into these muddy waters, and she’s doing it for Shen Yanchuan!’

...

Ye Chutang examined the wounds on each of the Southern Hu Blade Men, her brow furrowing slightly.

While these injuries would have caused immense pain, they were indeed not fatal.

She then carefully examined their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses, all of which showed traces of crimson blood.

At some point, Shen Yanchuan had appeared at her side.

"What are your findings?"

Ye Chutang said pensively, "It looks like they died from poison."

"Looks like?"

Shen Yanchuan immediately seized on the nuance in her words.

Ye Chutang hummed in agreement and turned her head to look at him. "Bleeding from their orifices and dying so suddenly... it certainly looks like poisoning."

This was what Shen Yanchuan had suspected as well.

When he learned that the men had all died simultaneously within a short span of time, he had deduced that poison was the most likely culprit.

He just hadn’t expected Ye Chutang to phrase it like that.

’Her meaning was perfectly clear—it looked like poison, but it definitely wasn’t!’

"Then what was the cause?"

Shen Yanchuan’s gaze swept over the corpses, his sharp brows drawing together.

They had numerous wounds, a clear sign of harsh interrogation. However, the men from the Ministry of Justice knew better; they wouldn’t have used lethal force on these particular prisoners.

Unless someone had deliberately used some despicable, underhanded method.

But now, it seemed that wasn’t the case either.

Ye Chutang’s examination was meticulous; there were no objects like silver needles or iron nails on their bodies.

Ye Chutang gazed at the bodies again, lost in thought.

Fan Chengzhuo stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Seeing this, he scoffed inwardly.

’She talks a good game, but in the end, she’s found nothing, hasn’t she?’

He said impatiently, "Second Miss Ye, are you finished? If so, I’ll have my men take the bodies away. The weather is freezing, so they’ll decompose slowly, but we can’t just leave them lying here. Besides, autopsies are troublesome matters. It’s perfectly fine if you can’t figure it out immediately, Second Miss Ye. Just leave it to my subordinates."

He glanced around.

"Where are the forensic doctors? Where did they all run off to? Get over here, now!"

Ye Chutang could, of course, hear the condescension in his tone, but she paid it no mind.

After staring at the corpse for several seconds, her gaze suddenly sharpened.

She took a step forward, positioned herself beside the body, and leaned in slightly.

The gleaming, sharp edge of her knife came to rest on the man’s chest.

Fan Chengzhuo frowned. "Second Miss Ye, you—"

"I haven’t finished my examination. Why are you in such a hurry, Mr. Fan?" Ye Chutang said without raising her head.

Fan Chengzhuo choked, utterly incredulous.

"Are you going to dissect the body in public?! That’s completely unacceptable!"

Ye Chutang’s eyes narrowed. Her slender, pale fingers tightened their grip, and she brought the knife down—swiftly and decisively!

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