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墨書 Inktalez
"A true man acts with integrity, as bright as the sun and moon."
This is a well-known line from the "Book of Jin," personally compiled by Fang Xuanling. However, the author of this line met an untimely death, which seems to be a twist of fate.
There is no need for further investigation; the Xu Zhen could already see from Li Shimin's expression that there must be hidden motives behind Fang Xuanling's death.
The Xu Zhen initially wanted to summon Di Renjie from Bianzhou, but at this time, Elder Di was still young and lacked experience. Involving him in this matter would only be detrimental.
Having realized this, the Xu Zhen abandoned that idea and privately summoned Qingxiazi, Li Chunfeng, and Liu Shenwei to form a temporary secret investigation team to look into Fang Xuanling's death.
The Zhenguan Era had already passed twenty-two springs and autumns. Although the conflict between civil and military officials had eased somewhat, it remained severe. Among the civil officials, there were two factions: Fang Xuanling aligned with Ma Zhou and Liu Ji, while he had deep conflicts with Changsun Wuji.
Changsun Wuji was a trusted elder of Crown Prince Li Zhi. Therefore, setting aside any biases against Changsun Wuji, the Xu Zhen believed that the Eastern Palace was the primary suspect.
Since she had involved Qingxiazi and others in this matter, the Xu Zhen would not hold back any information. Both Qingxiazi and Li Chunfeng, as well as Liu Shenwei, were capable of serving closely by Li Shimin's side. Aware of the gravity of the situation, they would not leak any information.
Everyone believed that the concerns and thoughts of the Xu Zhen were reasonable. The Sovereign must have sensed that there was something suspicious about Fang Xuanling's death and surely had his own doubts.
However, as a ruler, Li Shimin could not afford to be misled. At such a critical moment, he dared not trust anyone lightly, which led him to allow Xu Zhen to conduct a secret investigation.
After discussing among themselves, the four went together to pay their respects at Fang Xuanling's residence.
Fang Yi'ai greeted them in mourning attire and came out to welcome them. The Xu Zhen showed her sorrowful expression as she accompanied everyone to pay tribute before Fang Xuanling's spirit before moving to the backyard to talk.
Long ago, during the rivalry between Li Chengqian and Li Zhi for favor and legitimacy, the Xu Zhen had grown estranged from Li Zhi. Strictly speaking, although she tried hard to remain neutral, she had helped Li Chengqian more than Li Zhi. As a result, Fang Yi'ai and Chai Lingwu, who were part of Li Chengqian's faction, held gratitude towards the Xu Zhen.
Although so much time had passed without Fang Yi'ai and Chai Lingwu being implicated in any scandals, they still reminisced about King Wei Li Tai.
For the future of her family, Fang Yi'ai had no choice but to seek new support; otherwise, if Changsun Wuji continued to suppress them without Fang Xuanling's backing, how would they survive?
The Xu Zhen was favored by the Sovereign and nearly reached a position of power within just five years—a speed that few could aspire to. Fang Yi'ai believed she had an old friendship with the Xu Zhen; who could be a more suitable ally than her?
With these thoughts in mind, Fang Yi'ai became more respectful towards the Xu Zhen. She answered all inquiries from her with gratitude.
"Consort, please accept my condolences. Minister Fang was born great, and even in his final moments, he received the Sovereign's favor, sharing a meal with the Sovereign. As a minister, to be with such a wise ruler is indeed a death without regrets..." Xu Zhen sighed lightly, comforting Fang Yi'ai.
However, Fang Yi'ai remained silent, her brow furrowed, hesitating to speak, her expression filled with sorrow and a hint of indignation. Xu Zhen observed her closely and continued to ask, "If there is something difficult to say, please feel free to share. Although I am just a martial man, I understand that the Minister serves the country and the people. If you do not mind, you may speak freely with me; I would not dare refuse."
Upon hearing Xu Zhen's words, Fang Yi'ai's face showed difficulty as she glanced at Qingxiazi and the others. Xu Zhen smiled reassuringly and said to Fang Yi'ai, "These individuals are all my trusted old friends; you may speak without worry."
Only then did Fang Yi'ai grit her teeth and make up her mind. She grasped Xu Zhen's wrist tightly, her eyes moist as she pleaded, "Please, General, save my family!"
Fang Yi'ai attempted to bow down in gratitude, but Xu Zhen hurriedly supported her up, repeatedly saying it was unnecessary. Fang Yi'ai then returned to her seat and composed herself, saying, "General, it is not that I am overly suspicious; rather, there are strange occurrences that cannot help but raise doubts!"
Xu Zhenxin felt a chill run down his spine upon realizing that Fang Yi'ai was not foolish; she likely sensed something amiss. However, Xu Zhen still feigned surprise as Fang Yi'ai continued.
"This matter is of great importance. If I did not regard General Xu as a key minister of the nation, I would not confide in you so openly. I suspect that my father's death was due to foul play rather than illness!"
At these words, Xu Zhen's eyes widened in shock, and Qingxiazi and the others also displayed expressions of astonishment. Indeed, if a high-ranking minister had been poisoned, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar in the court!
"Consort, be cautious with your words! This is a serious matter; do not speak loudly!" Xu Zhen glanced at Li Chunfeng, who understood and promptly moved to stand by the door, looking around before nodding in agreement.
Xu Zhen took a deep breath before seriously looking at Fang Yi'ai and asking, "Do you understand what consequences this matter could entail?"
Fang Yi'ai knew the gravity of the situation; however, for the sake of her father and clan, she had no choice but to take the risk of trusting Xu Zhen this once. She gritted her teeth and nodded heavily.
Xu Zhen exchanged glances with Qingxiazi before they both nodded in agreement. Qingxiazi then spoke softly: "To be honest with you, Consort, the General has similar thoughts. The reason for coming to your residence today is precisely to investigate this matter thoroughly and restore justice for Minister Fang."
Upon hearing this, Fang Yi'ai's eyes brightened with tears of gratitude as she said: "My lord has always served the country and its people diligently until his last breath. Yet there are still those in court who harbor resentment and secretly plot against him; how can one not feel sorrow and indignation! As long as we can uncover the true culprit, Fang Jun will go through fire and water!"
After speaking, Fang Yi'ai solemnly left her seat to bow to Xu Zhen and the others. This time Xu Zhen nodded in acknowledgment and accepted the gesture calmly.
With Fang Yi'ai's support secured, everyone ceased being polite and began exchanging their suspicions openly to fill in gaps in their understanding. The focus quickly shifted to the royal meals.
Due to Minister Fang Xuanling's heavy workload draining his energy and his advanced age causing physical weakness compounded by severe illness, he could hardly hold on for long. However, after receiving careful nourishment from royal meals, his vitality had significantly improved.
However, just a few days before his passing, the personnel in charge of the Culinary Department of the Imperial Kitchen Bureau and the Pharmaceutical Temple were changed. Although the royal meals were personally instructed by the Sovereign, Fang Yi'ai did not dare to be careless. After careful inquiries, he learned that the Sovereign, in gratitude to Crown Prince Renxiao, had entrusted the specific affairs of the Imperial Kitchen Bureau to Crown Prince Li Zhi!
Fang Yi'ai had initially assisted Li Chengqian and was well aware of Li Zhi's influence. Moreover, Fang Xuanling had gone so far as to fall out with Changsun Wuji in order to pull Fang Yi'ai out of the quagmire of vying for favor and legitimacy. Now that Li Zhi was overseeing the royal meals, Fang Yi'ai had to be extra cautious.
However, before he could uncover anything, Fang Xuanling suddenly passed away.
This only heightened Fang Yi'ai's suspicions. Yet, with the Sovereign's orders in place, he had already begun mourning and funeral arrangements without any investigation. Now it was too late to look into matters.
Fortunately, the Fang family appreciated the Sovereign's kindness and left behind a gilded silver plate from the Imperial Kitchen Bureau for the family to remember his grace. They could start their investigation from this gilded silver plate.
However, Liu Shenwei carefully examined the gilded silver plate and found no poison. The Xu Zhen then thought that since Fang Xuanling was already on the brink of death, even without poisoning, he wouldn't live much longer. Why were Li Zhi and Changsun Wuji so eager for Fang Xuanling to die?
After much contemplation, Xu Zhen felt a pang of sorrow because he realized that perhaps Fang Xuanling's death was closely related to his return to Chang'an!
"It must be Murong Hanzhu!"
Xu Zhen gritted his teeth and quickly deduced the reason behind it. It wasn't self-deprecation; in the past, he might not have known how much Li Zhi and others feared him. But now, the only person the Sovereign could rely on was him, Xu Zhen. Changsun Wuji feared that Xu Zhen would grow too powerful and might assist Li Jue against him in the future. Thus, they wanted to use Fang Xuanling's death to curb Xu Zhen's growth!
Xu Zhen's direction was correct, but one point was wrong: Changsun Wuji did not advocate for this matter. Although he had old grievances with Fang Xuanling, his vision was not so short-sighted. The one who came up with this idea was Murong Hanzhu!
The Imperial Kitchen Bureau had a strict management system. Although royal meals were granted, after dining, all utensils would be returned to the Imperial Kitchen Bureau. Relying solely on this gilded silver plate would not yield any useful information.
Just when they were at a loss for strategies, Qingxiazi pondered for a moment and quietly said, "The person in charge of meals at your residence should have assisted the Imperial Kitchen Bureau, right? Does anyone in your household remember the daily menu?"
Qingxiazi was indeed shrewd; with Li Zhi and others' cunningness, how could they leave behind obvious traces of poisoning? The problem might very well lie within the menu!
Fang Yi'ai's eyes lit up as he hurriedly summoned the person in charge of meals from his household.
Although this person was an elderly father-in-law with white hair and beard, he was a senior figure in the Fang residence who had followed Fang Xuanling for decades with unwavering loyalty. He attended to every detail meticulously and was truly a capable steward.
This father-in-law might have experienced some memory decline due to age; however, his lifelong experience as a steward had instilled in him excellent habits. He took out a booklet from his pocket and began flipping through it after moistening his fingers.
Before long, he indeed turned several pages, and there it was—the recipe for imperial meals sent by the Imperial Kitchen Bureau!
This recipe was also something that could not be shared outside. The Old Steward had relied entirely on his understanding of meals to record the recipes, hoping to prepare some imperial dishes for Fang Xuanling in the future.
The Xu Zhen took the recipe and handed it to Liu Shenwei, who carefully read through it with a serious expression that grew increasingly grave.
"Pinellia... how could there be Pinellia..."
Liu Shenwei spread the booklet on the table and pointed to the second-to-last line, which contained the words "Pinellia"!
"This Pinellia is a good medicine; the Imperial Kitchen Bureau often includes medicinal dishes, and other prescriptions are listed as well. We also frequently use Pinellia in our meals without any signs of poisoning. Why does Doctor Liu focus on this Pinellia? What is its pharmacology?"
The Old Steward, being knowledgeable about meals himself, was puzzled by Liu Shenwei's emphasis on Pinellia and asked in confusion.
Liu Shenwei chuckled lightly and said, "This Pinellia is indeed a good medicine; however, raw Pinellia is a highly toxic substance!"
Everyone's expressions changed upon hearing this. Could this be the main reason behind Fang Xuanling's condition?
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