Water Margin: Did we kill Zheng Tu today?

Chapter 91 Investigation

After kowtowing, Zhang Sheng did not get up. He smiled obsequiously and said, "I dare not ask for more. I only hope that in the future, you, sir, will have great mercy and recommend me to Old Man Xia, the Chief Censor, as a clerk. That would be enough for me to live a comfortable life."

It turns out that this Chief Clerk Xia was named Xia Yanling, also known as Longxi. His official position was the Chief Thousand-Household Officer of the Shandong Provincial Judicial Office, the head official in charge of criminal matters in Qinghe County, and he was known as Chief Clerk Xia.

Ximen Qing often associated with him, and getting two people into the government office was just a matter of a word.

Upon hearing this, Ximen Qing laughed heartily and pointed at the two men with his riding whip: "You two cunning scoundrels! The matter hasn't been settled yet, and you're already asking for rewards. Fine, as long as you handle things well, not only will you be accepted by Old Man Xia, but you'll also be given a more respectable place!"

The two were overjoyed upon hearing this and kowtowed several more times.

Zhang Sheng, the scoundrel, carefully put away the silver and patted his chest, saying, "Don't worry, sir! That Physician Jiang is just a weak and feeble-minded doctor; dealing with him is a sure thing!"

Ximen Qing nodded and added, "Remember, do it well. If you mess it up, you two know what the consequences will be."

These words, spoken in a calm tone, sent a chill down the spines of both Lu Hua and Zhang Sheng.

The two men quickly replied, "We understand! We understand!"

Ximen Qing whipped his horse, ignoring them, and the two, master and servant, slowly left the alley.

After Ximen Qing had gone far away, Lu Hua and Zhang Sheng exchanged a glance, their eyes both flashing with joy.

The two men looked at the large sum of silver, weighing it in their hands. Lu Hua grinned and said, "These four or five taels of silver! That'll be enough for us to live happily for quite some time!"

Zhang Sheng replied, "The money is a small matter; the job at Old Man Xia's yamen is the real issue! If we can get in, we'll be officials too!"

The two were filled with passion, and immediately found a quiet corner to squat down and discuss it in detail.

Having made up their minds, the two looked at the silver in their hands, their hearts itching with desire, and they went to find a place to gamble again.

………………

Upon receiving Zheng Tu's urgent message, Wu Song rode at breakneck speed, without stopping.

By the time they arrived at Wujia Village in Zishi Street, Qinghe County, their backs were soaked with sweat.

He dismounted, casually tied the horse to the ground, and rushed into the courtyard.

Upon reaching the second floor, they saw their elder brother, Wu Dalang, lying on the bed. Although his complexion was somewhat poor, his breathing was steady, and his high fever had subsided.

Pan Jinlian was sitting by the bed, taking good care of her.

Despite his grief over his brother's misfortune, Wu Song felt somewhat relieved to see that his life was no longer in danger.

"Fortunately, Wu Er met such a loyal and righteous brother as his own! If it weren't for his vigilance and thoroughness, my brother's life would probably be in danger!"

When Pan Jinlian saw Wu Song return, she quickly got up and told him everything Zheng Tu had arranged: how he had invited more than a dozen famous doctors for consultation, how he had determined that it was poison rather than disease, how he had changed the prescription, and how he had given instructions on diet and daily life...

Upon hearing this, Wu Song felt even more grateful.

It is truly remarkable that so many things could be handled so thoroughly and properly in such a short period of time.

"Sister-in-law, you've worked hard. The rest is up to Wu Er!"

Wu Song narrowed his tiger-like eyes, his gaze instantly becoming sharp.

He had been traveling the world for many years, and when he stopped at inns, he had seen many of the dirty tricks used by those shady inns, such as using sleeping potions and poisoning people's intestines.

Furthermore, when he first became an apprentice, his master taught him how to identify poisons and examine traces.

Knowing that his brother was suffering from a slow-acting poison, which must have accumulated over time to take effect.

There was one thing that puzzled Wu Song: his elder brother and sister-in-law lived in the same house, and their food should have come from the same source. If someone had poisoned them, why was only his elder brother poisoned, while his sister-in-law was unharmed?

"Is it because my older brother has a large appetite, and the more he eats, the more severe the poisoning?"

Wu Song couldn't help but shake his head.

He pondered for a moment, then immediately went out and brought back a seasoned coroner and a doctor knowledgeable in pharmacology.

A thorough examination of the Wu family's food, including steamed buns, wine, meat, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and even the rice jar in the corner and the pots and pans on the stove, revealed no trace of poison.

Wu Song stood in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, frowning in deep thought.

He repeatedly compared the differences between his brother and sister-in-law: they ate and lived together, so why was only one of them poisoned?

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck him, and he immediately summoned Pan Jinlian and questioned her in detail.

This question suddenly made everything clear!

Wu Song said no more and strode into the main room, arriving at the half-person-high earthenware water vat in the corner.

This vat is quite large, capable of holding five or six buckets of water, and is usually filled by water carriers on regular days.

With a exertion of his arms, Wu Song managed to lift the large water vat, weighing over a hundred pounds, up to the ground!

He walked steadily into the courtyard, gently placed the water vat down, and there wasn't a ripple in the vat. He did it with ease, showing his amazing strength!

Wu Song bent down and examined the water in the vat closely against the sunlight.

A layer of extremely fine black powder was found at the bottom of the jar, which was mixed with the color of the glaze on the bottom of the jar and almost blended into one.

If it's in dim indoor lighting, you won't be able to get a single sound out!

Wu Song had a vague idea in his mind, but he still wanted to test it with practical evidence.

He took a bamboo tube, scooped up some water from the vat, carefully scraped off some black powder and mixed it in, then grabbed a chick and forced several mouthfuls of cold water mixed with the powder into the chick's beak.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, but after a while, the chicken became unsteady on its feet, walked unsteadily, and eventually collapsed to the ground.

He then boiled another batch of water from the vat, let it cool, and fed it to the other chicken. That chicken, however, was lively and showed no signs of distress. After a long time, it remained the same.

It turns out that the inquiry was related to drinking water.

Wu Dalang was frugal by nature and also loved the coolness of drinking water. During the day, he would carry a load of steamed buns along the street and sell them. When he returned home, he would be extremely thirsty and would scoop up fresh water from the water vat in the corner of his house to drink directly, never wanting to waste firewood to boil water. This was a habit he had developed since childhood, partly to save money on firewood and rice, and partly for convenience.

But Pan Jinlian was a pampered woman. She disliked the raw water because it was fishy and astringent, fearing it would harm her spleen and stomach. Every day, she would boil water, either warm a bowl of honey water or brew clear tea, and never touched the cold water in the vat.

"Just as I expected!"

Wu Song straightened up, all his doubts dissipating.

This poison is slow-acting; it dissolves in water and requires constant consumption of raw water over many days for it to take effect. Once the water is boiled, the poison evaporates completely with the steam.

Pan Jinlian drank boiled water every day. Even though she used water from a vat to wash rice and vegetables, the poison had long been removed after cooking, so she was not contaminated with any poison.

Wu Dalang, however, drank raw water every day, which caused poison to accumulate in his lungs and internal organs, gradually worsening his condition until he was bedridden.

Once Wu Song resolved this doubt, he felt a little relieved, but then a surge of anger rushed to his head.

This method is truly insidious! If it weren't for Zheng Tu's keen observation and vigilance, and his decision to consult with a group of doctors, his elder brother's life would likely have been lost in a very confusing way!

While feeling grateful for Zheng Tu's kindness, a murderous intent began to rise in his heart.

Who on earth would use such a wicked method to harm my brother?

"You wicked scoundrel... Wu Er will surely teach you a lesson, to make you pay for your crimes in blood!"