Chapter 546 - 362: Are You Really Having an Affair with Him?
Liu Qingsong held his forehead, "If it really is poisoning, this matter has just become even more complicated!"
"How can we determine what kind of poison it is?" He Sizheng temporarily set aside distractions and focused his attention on the case, "To him, there was nothing more crucial than solving the case."
"Based on the state the body exhibited, I suspect the murderer used aconitum to kill. Death by aconitum doesn’t leave distinctive traces during an autopsy; signs of asphyxiation are more apparent. It is essentially undetectable, which is why aconitum can be considered an essential medicine for murder," Ran Yan answered.
Liu Qingsong wiped the sweat from his temples, "Essential medicine... Are you joking?"
Ran Yan replied indifferently, "I’m stating the facts."
"So, you’re saying that once poisoned by aconitum, the cause of death cannot be discovered?" He Sizheng asked, unwilling to accept this without question.
"Not necessarily," Ran Yan extended her hand to gently press between the chest and abdomen of the corpse, "If we’re lucky, when we open the abdominal cavity, we might find aconitum residue in the stomach, and the mucosa and serosa might show some bleeding. However, the remaining toxicity of aconitum is easily destroyed by decomposition gases, and if we don’t perform an autopsy promptly, we cannot detect the poison."
Under the conditions of the Great Tang, even if an autopsy was performed, it was unlikely that the toxicity of aconitum could be detected. Even if Ran Yan could produce anhydrous ethanol and all the other items needed for testing toxicity, it would be fruitless if no one in the Great Tang could understand the test report. Moreover, using a silver needle to test for poison is not reliable for all poisons; it’s basically a matter of luck.
"He Sizheng might as well start with the clues on Dou Si-niang’s body, such as this handprint. Personally, I don’t think it is likely to be from a woman. According to the testimony of Dou Si-niang’s personal maid Shao Yao, she was always with Dou Si-niang, and only went to the door to call for a Servant to bring a bowl of soup to relieve the heat after noticing something unusual on Dou Si-niang’s face," Ran Yan spoke with half her face covered by a mask, which made her voice sound somewhat muffled. Seeing He Sizheng nod, she continued, "If we scrutinize her testimony, she said she had gone to fetch a bowl of soup for cooling down and upon returning, she saw the Lady bleeding from the face. It might be worth checking with the Servant to confirm how long Shao Yao was away and whether it was enough time for someone to break in and attack Dou Si-niang."
"Does this mean that Lady Duan Liang has no suspicion?" He Sizheng, just now recovering from the shock of the autopsy, looked inquiringly at Ran Yan.
Knowing that the Ministry of Justice wouldn’t allow her to autopsy Dou Si-niang’s body, Ran Yan took off her gloves and threw them into the box. Hearing He Sizheng’s question, she answered, "May I ask He Sizheng a few questions?"