Fabre in Sacheon's Tang-Chapter 122: Poisoning (4)

As I tried to figure out how to smooth things over, an odd ticklish sensation crept up my spine.

I glanced around.

Everyone was staring at me.

Right... I had just let out a laugh in the middle of this serious situation. No wonder I had become the center of attention.

Sensing my discomfort, Hwa-eun spoke up, probably to help me out.

"So-ryong? What is it? What’s wrong?"

"Just a moment."

The weight of their stares was intense, but I quickly leaned in and whispered into Hwa-eun’s ear to confirm my suspicion.

I had to be absolutely sure—because if I was wrong, this was going to be really embarrassing.

"Please, just let this be wrong..."

Because if it wasn’t, I’d have to turn to Eunbong and tell her, "You’ve been using cinnabar-based lipstick, and with all the... intense kissing you’ve been doing with Ji-ryong, you’ve slowly poisoned him."

[Hwa-eun, uh... what do you call that thing women put on their lips? Is it called yeonji?]

[You mean lip color? Why are you asking this all of a sudden?]

[It’s important...]

Hwa-eun blinked in confusion, clearly baffled by my question.

Still, as I nodded seriously, she eventually answered.

[Yes, it’s called yeonji.]

A match. Good.

Now, I had to ask about the ingredients.

[Then... does yeonji ever contain zhusha?]

[Yeonji? No, it’s usually made from safflower. The flowers are processed to remove yellow pigments, leaving only the red color.]

"Huh? That’s not it? Then why is Ji-ryong poisoned?"

I was about to rethink my entire theory when Hwa-eun continued.

[The one made with zhusha isn’t called yeonji, but danji. It’s more expensive, so only noblewomen or palace ladies use it.]

"Ah, damn. So I was right after all."

There was no getting around it now.

I had confirmed enough. And considering I had just let out an ill-timed laugh, I ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) needed to act quickly before everyone started thinking I was some kind of lunatic.

Turning to Zhuge Hu, I decided to handle this quietly.

"Lord Zhuge Hu, Ji-ryong’s condition isn’t going to worsen, so could you have everyone step outside for a moment? I, uh... I think I might have figured out who caused this. But it’s better if we talk in private..."

"What?! You’ve figured it out?!"

"You found the culprit?!"

Their reactions were way bigger than I had anticipated.

I had hoped for a discreet resolution, but everyone’s eyes widened in shock, their gazes sharpening with urgency.

"Who is it?! Speak now! If you’re worried they’ll try to escape, don’t be! I’ve already ensured no one can leave the premises!"

"No, it’s not that..."

I had intended to protect someone’s social reputation—specifically, the future bride of the Zhuge family.

But it seemed everyone had taken my words in a completely different direction.

Zhuge Hu’s expression turned grave.

"Ah! Are you hesitating because of their status? Are you afraid of offending their faction? Don’t worry about that.

You might not know this yet, but you belong to the Tang Clan. And now, you’re also connected to the Beast Palace.

Moreover, this concerns my nephew’s poisoning. The Zhuge family will stand behind you. And don’t forget—the Alliance Lord himself is watching over you!"

"Indeed. Young hero, speak without fear. The Moonlit Palace will also stand with the Zhuge family to support you."

"No, that’s really not the issue here..."

Zhuge Hu started listing powerful factions like he was building a fortress of influence behind me.

Hwa-eun, too, chimed in, urging me on.

"So-ryong, it’s good to be cautious, but at this point, you might be seen as disrespectful. Lord Zhuge Hu has already ensured that only trustworthy people are present."

"Exactly, Dok-hwa."

"That’s right, my lady."

"Indeed, young hero. Everyone here either belongs to the Zhuge family or is a physician indebted to Lord Zhuge Hu."

"No, you idiots, Eunbong is about to be publicly executed by society!"

I had carefully chosen my words to prevent this from escalating, but these people were completely missing the point and pressing me for answers.

I glanced around before hesitantly asking,

"Are you really sure about this?"

"Of course! Just say it already!"

"Please, young hero, tell us!"

"Ugh, screw it. If they’re fine with it..."

Before making the final reveal, I turned to Eunbong.

"Alright, but first, I need to ask... Eunbong, do you have the danji you use on your lips with you?"

"Danji? Yes, of course, but... why do you ask?"

"Could you show it to me for a moment?"

"Shouldn’t you name the culprit first—"

"This is very important!"

Gungbong, thinking I was avoiding the subject, started to protest, but I cut him off with a loud shout.

Startled, Eunbong quickly pulled out a small lacquered box from her sleeve.

— Click.

Inside was a deep, vivid red pigment.

The same shade that had been on Eunbong’s lips.

I handed the box to Hwa-eun and whispered urgently.

[Can you check how much zhusha is in this?]

[?]

A giant question mark might as well have floated above Hwa-eun’s head.

She had no idea why I was suddenly asking this.

To make it clearer, I subtly gestured toward the danji and then toward her lips, before leaning in and whispering two words.

[Kissing.]

[!]

The moment the word left my lips, the question mark over her head snapped into a giant exclamation point.

Her eyes widened in shock, and her entire body turned bright red from the tips of her ears to her collar.

Even someone as innocent as Hwa-eun immediately understood.

Her hands trembled as she fumbled for the silver needle she kept in her sleeve. She pricked the danji and carefully examined it.

After a few moments, still avoiding my gaze, she gave a tiny nod.

The zhusha content was high.

I sighed deeply before turning back to the crowd, who were waiting expectantly.

"Alright... I will now reveal the two people responsible for this incident."

"Two?!"

"There are two culprits?!"

"Of course! Such things are rarely done alone!"

"I mean, sure, but do you think someone can kiss themselves?"

These people were still imagining something else entirely, but whatever.

Taking the danji firmly in hand, I finally made the announcement.

"Eunbong."

"Yes, young hero? Please, tell us quickly!"

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She answered cheerfully, completely oblivious that I had just named her.

"And Ji-ryong."

"...?"

"...???"

"...???"

A heavy silence fell over the room.

A few moments after I spoke, the same confused question mark that had hovered over Hwa-eun’s head earlier now appeared above everyone in the room.

And then, after a brief pause—

Eunbong, who had just realized the meaning of my words, shouted in shock.

"Are you saying I helped Ji-ryong poison himself?!"

"No, that’s not what I meant."

But that was just her reaction.

The rest of the people in the room were still utterly clueless, their question marks firmly in place.

Except for one.

Zhuge Hu, the seasoned strategist of the martial alliance, didn’t immediately react like the others. He was the type to search for deeper meaning rather than jump to conclusions.

But...

Since he was about as romantically aware as a rock, he still hadn’t put the pieces together.

"So-ryong, there must be a reason for this. Explain it clearly—I don’t understand at all."

"Understood. Eunbong, calm down and listen."

After soothing the trembling Eunbong, I began my explanation.

"The substance Ji-ryong was poisoned by, hong, is derived from zhusha by burning it. The process releases highly toxic fumes that can be deadly if inhaled, which is why extreme caution is required when handling it.

But the problem is... even without directly consuming hong or inhaling its fumes, one can still suffer poisoning."

"You mean it’s possible to be poisoned without ingesting or inhaling it?"

"Yes, sir. Specifically, if someone consumes zhusha, the raw ingredient of hong. While it’s less toxic in its raw form, prolonged exposure over time can still lead to poisoning."

"So you’re saying Ji-ryong has been ingesting zhusha regularly and was poisoned by the hong within it?"

"Exactly, sir."

Zhuge Hu, being the sharp military mind that he was, quickly followed my train of thought.

But rather than stopping there, he went a step further and started analyzing the missing pieces.

"In that case... where has Ji-ryong been consuming zhusha from? Based on your accusation involving both Eunbong and Ji-ryong... was this some kind of mistake between them?"

While he was deep in thought, I retrieved the lacquered box of danji—the special lip color made from zhusha—that Hwa-eun had tested earlier.

I held it up for Zhuge Hu to see.

"Ordinary lip color is made from safflower. But this danji is made with zhusha."

The moment I said this, the gears finally clicked into place for several people in the room.

The floating question marks above their heads popped one by one, transforming into exclamation points.

"Aha!"

"Oh..."

"Ah... I see."

"Huh? Wait, what?"

A few people still hadn’t figured it out.

Unsurprisingly, those who remained confused were mostly the older gentlemen in the room—those whose romantic instincts had long since withered away.

And, unfortunately, Zhuge Hu was among them.

"So you’re saying Ji-ryong was poisoned by consuming danji... but why would he be eating danji in the first place? Why would a man repeatedly consume something meant for a woman’s lips—"

At this point, I figured I should just spell it out.

Turning to Eunbong, who still hadn’t fully processed the situation, I delivered the final blow.

"Kissing."

And just like that, every last question mark in the room popped.

The wave of realization spread through the crowd, followed by a chorus of exclamations.

"Ah..."

"Ooooh..."

"Ahem!"

The older men, now enlightened, let out awkward coughs.

Meanwhile, some of the younger warriors in the room were visibly trying to suppress grins.

Hwa-eun and the other women, on the other hand, had turned bright red, their ears burning.

And Eunbong?

The poor woman collapsed onto Ji-ryong’s chest, utterly humiliated, unable to lift her head. She weakly pounded his chest with her fists in mortification.

Thud. Thud.

Considering how frequent the exposure must have been, I had a feeling Ji-ryong bore more responsibility in this than Eunbong did.

Just as I was about to consider the matter settled, Zhuge Hu’s voice cut through the murmurs.

"I understand what happened... but didn’t you say zhusha poisoning is difficult to acquire? Just how frequently must Ji-ryong have been exposed to be affected so severely?"

His question, though reasonable, sent a new kind of tension through the room.

Slowly, everyone turned their gazes toward the back of Eunbong’s head.

Hwa-eun, now blushing furiously, hesitantly asked,

"To, um... properly determine the level of poisoning, we need to understand the frequency of exposure..."

Zhuge Hu’s ears perked up.

"Oh? So there’s a treatment?"

"Yes, but... we need a precise estimate of how often..."

It was as if Hwa-eun was pronouncing a death sentence.

Eunbong, still face-down on Ji-ryong’s chest, trembled. Then, she slowly lifted her head, her expression empty, her lips barely moving as she whispered.

"...M-morning and night..."

A pause.

Then, a voice of reason—the ever-analytical Hwa-eun.

"That alone wouldn’t have been enough to cause poisoning this severe."

Eunbong stiffened.

Hwa-eun gently grasped her shoulder and, without a shred of hesitation, pressed further.

"Be honest. How often?"

At that moment, Eunbong’s whole body shuddered.

Then, she finally broke.

"All the time!" she wailed. "Anytime we were alone! Huwaaaahhh!"

The entire room fell into stunned silence.

And then—

Thud! Thud!

Eunbong, overwhelmed with embarrassment, started hammering Ji-ryong’s chest with renewed vigor.

I let out a deep sigh.

"Well... I guess I saved one person. But another one just died. No... maybe I saved them both just to let them die anyway."

And that was the conclusion of the martial alliance’s poisoned nephew case.