Chapter 369 - 367: The Source of the Poison (First Update)

Chapter 369: Chapter 367: The Source of the Poison (First Update)

Rather than this, it would be better to stay outside the palace and leverage the reputation gained from that epidemic to vigorously develop his Guangming Hall, which holds more promise.

Lin Chengzhao’s character isn’t great, but his mind is sharp.

However, even with such great reputation, the development of Guangming Hall still lags behind their Tianyi Hall. That Lin Chengzhao had to resort to such insidious tactics to harm her father shows just how flimsy Lin Chengzhao’s medical skills really are.

Xu Jing was slightly taken aback and immediately sensed something was amiss, "If that’s the case, then why was it he who developed the special medicine for treating the epidemic? Isn’t there something fishy about this?"

Zhou Qi was silent for a moment and then said, "At the time, Emperor Xuanheng had already given the greatest credit for controlling the epidemic to Lin Chengzhao. Even if other doctors familiar with Lin Chengzhao sensed something suspicious, they didn’t dare to speak out. Moreover, many of their thoughts were just conjectures, without any evidence.

However, a rumor quietly circulated among the people, suggesting that the epidemic was not a real epidemic. It was said that it was orchestrated by the Lin Family because only they knew the truth behind it. Naturally, only Lin Chengzhao would be able to develop the special medicine."

Xu Jing was momentarily stunned.

This indeed seemed like something Lin Chengzhao could do.

However, at that time, Guangming Hall was just a small clinic, yet Lin Chengzhao dared to do such a thing, which shows how ambitious this guy is!

Zhou Qi, with a bit of mockery, said, "Although this is just a rumor, many doctors who went to help in the affected areas said the epidemic was very strange. Although the symptoms of the patients—fever, vomiting, chills, and heat—matched those of an epidemic, usually an epidemic would spread very sporadically and quickly. No matter how you tried to block it, once a patient escaped, they could infect a large area and create a new outbreak.

But during that epidemic, even at its worst, it only spread to three provinces. Other provinces had patients who managed to escape, but strangely, outside those three provinces, no patients infected others, as if some magical force contained the epidemic within those three provinces."

Xu Jing’s eyes darkened as she said, "This sounds indeed unlike an epidemic but rather like... some kind of regional mass poisoning."

The most terrifying aspect of an epidemic is its horrific infectiousness. Whether in ancient or modern times, the first action during an epidemic is to lock down the affected area. However, even today, it’s impossible to completely seal it off; there will always be some that escape, and once even one escapes, the epidemic becomes uncontrollable.

So in ancient times, when medical standards were low, incidents of destroying cities to prevent the spread of the epidemic were common.

An epidemic that only spread obediently within three provinces—Xu Jing had never heard of such a thing.

Zhou Qi nodded, with the corners of his mouth slightly pressed, "Many speculated the same at the time. After all, there had been instances in the past where mass poisoning was mistaken for an epidemic. During the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s time, there was a similar mishap. The enemy army secretly poisoned the river near the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s camp, causing many soldiers to be poisoned.

At that time, nearby prefectures and counties had minor outbreaks, and the Grand Ancestor Emperor initially thought his soldiers had caught the epidemic. Later, the accompanying doctors noticed that animals drinking from the river showed similar symptoms and realized the problem lay in the water source.

But when doctors secretly checked the water sources in those three provinces, they found nothing wrong."

This means if the epidemic was truly mass poisoning, the problem wasn’t in the water.

Xu Jing pondered for a moment, "The poison doesn’t necessarily have to be in the water. Given that many first think of water when pondering poisoning, it’s too conspicuous.

Things simultaneously circulating in those three provinces, frequently interacted with by the common people, could also be the source. For instance, grains, tea, oil—things regularly used by the populace.

In such a case, the source might come from grain shops or tea shops with branches in all three provinces, or worse, the poison might be hidden in things people use daily, like lamp oil. If poison is mixed in, lighting a lamp would cause poisoning."

Listening, Zhou Xian was taken aback.

Besides water, there are so many channels for poisoning?

Zhou Qi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, "Indeed, Miss Xu is perceptive. However, back then, no one dared to voice such suspicions, so the authorities didn’t investigate. Now, investigating what happened in that epidemic twenty-four years ago isn’t something just anyone can do.

I am telling Miss Xu this because when I had my men infiltrate the Lin Family, one of my men saw a manager from Guangming Hall secretly embezzling a significant amount of money. This angered Lin Chengzhao, and Lin Chengzhao wanted to expel him from Guangming Hall, but he went berserk in front of Guangming Hall, shouting, ’Don’t think I don’t know what your Lin Family did twenty-four years ago!’

But before he could say much, Lin Chengzhao calmly invited him back inside, and within a few days, he was found hanged at home.

I immediately realized this must be hiding the truth about the epidemic twenty-four years ago. Yet afterward, my men found no further clues related to this matter."

Xu Jing furrowed her brows, unable to resist asking, "What did the county government conclude after investigating this case?"

Seeing the Lin Family still thriving now, Xu Jing knew the incident hadn’t impacted them much.

Sure enough, Zhou Qi was full of mockery, "The county government said that the manager indeed committed suicide. He was expelled from Guangming Hall, felt hopeless about his future, and perhaps despair drove him to take his own life."

Xu Jing’s eyebrows knitted tighter, "Did the forensic doctor conduct an autopsy?"

The ridicule on Zhou Qi’s face deepened instantly, "No, the county government said this case was self-evident and didn’t require forensic examination."

Xu Jing: "..."

This is far too perfunctory!

Wait a moment, she recalled that Zhou Qi’s father passed away more than three years ago, meaning the manager’s case must have occurred within those three years.

And Great Chu officials serve terms of three years, which means, back then, the County Magistrate of Anping County was likely...

Xu Jing took a deep breath and asked, "Who was the County Magistrate of Anping County at that time?"

Zhou Qi glanced at Xu Jing and said solemnly, "That person is someone Miss Xu knows—Sun Youcai, County Magistrate Sun, the very one who nearly wrongfully accused Miss Xu back then."