As they were leaving, something else happened.
The King was dead.
At that moment, Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu were at the door, carrying their luggage and preparing to leave.
The weather today was not good either, with a heavy, overcast sky.
The news struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly causing a stir in the palace.
By the time Shen Qingqing arrived, a crowd had already gathered outside the King's bedroom.
Servants downstairs were peeking into the room from the doorway.
The old man and King hurried over.
The old man was impatient, "What's going on now?"
Pei Xing looked at him with red eyes, "I know I've been troubling everyone, and I'm very sorry, but I'd like to ask for your help with this matter."
"Got it, got it."
The old man always had a bad attitude towards him, but considering the circumstances of his father's death, he forced himself to maintain a calm demeanor.
He went in to examine first, and Shen Qingqing followed closely behind.
Pei Lie, standing at the door, looked at her with deep sorrow on his face, his voice hoarse and choked, "Miss Shen, I'm counting on you."
Shen Qingqing sighed inwardly. Although he had argued with the King, his father still held a very important place in his heart.
She simply said two words, "Don't worry."
Pei Lie nodded heavily. Hearing hurried footsteps behind him, he turned to see his brother, leaning on a crutch, staggering towards him.
"Why are you here?"
He quickly went to support his brother and was about to escort him back without a word.
Pei Ji, of course, was unwilling. He tightly gripped his elder brother's arm with his good hand, "I heard that Father King had an accident. Is he... is he alright?"
He asked cautiously, afraid of hearing news he couldn't bear.
Pei Lie was silent for a moment and avoided the question, "Don't worry about these things. You haven't recovered yet, so go back and rest!"
"Brother!"
Pei Ji refused to leave, and the two brothers were at an impasse.
Finally, Fu Jingshu, standing at the door, spoke, "Let him in."
"What?"
Pei Lie frowned and glared at him.
Fu Jingshu said calmly, "Do you think he'll be at peace if you don't let him in?"
Pei Lie was taken aback.
"This matter can't be hidden, and he'll find out sooner or later. Instead of him finding out from someone else or even overthinking it, it's better to let him see the truth now."
Fu Jingshu's gaze was calm.
Pei Lie was speechless. He had to admit that what the other person said made sense. As the saying goes, a long pain is worse than a short one; pain sooner or later is still pain.
He slowly lowered his hand, which had been blocking the way.
Pei Ji immediately walked towards the room, giving Fu Jingshu a grateful look. As soon as he entered, he saw the King lying peacefully on the bed.
His head buzzed. In that instant, all the people, sounds, and images faded away, leaving only the six-foot-wide bed and the person sleeping peacefully on it.
Is Father King asleep?
He thought with almost bewilderment.
Slowly, the chaotic sounds from afar grew louder and reached his ears, and he finally faced reality.
His legs gave out, and he almost fell to the ground.
Shen Qingqing turned and saw him, frowning, "Why are you here?"
"My Father King..."
Shen Qingqing paused, glanced at Fu Jingshu, took a deep breath, and said, "As you can see, he's gone."
Pei Ji closed his eyes, overcome with grief.
Shen Qingqing handed the examination over to the old man and then began to survey the room.
All the decorations and furnishings looked fine.
There were no signs of struggle or fighting. This kind of peace most likely indicated poisoning.
As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, the old man spoke, "The cause of death has been confirmed: poisoning."
Shen Qingqing stood by the bed and looked at the King, "He's too peaceful. Did the poison he was given cause no pain and lead to death silently?"
The old man, who was taking off his gloves, paused when he heard this, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. "It should be. But to be able to develop such a potent poison..."
In his knowledge, in recent years, only Pei Xi could.
Could there be another master poisoner?
"What poison did he take?" Pei Ji suddenly asked.
"We're not sure yet," Shen Qingqing replied. "We've only confirmed poisoning. The specific toxin needs further analysis, and his body may need to be kept for a few more days."
He couldn't be cremated until the poison was identified.
Pei Ji said hoarsely, "Okay."
Shen Qingqing patted his shoulder. She never expected that he would be the one with the deepest feelings for the King. "My condolences."
Pei Ji discussed it with his two elder brothers and decided to keep their Father King's body in this room for now and assign guards.
In addition, they would keep it from their mother for now.
"Can we keep it a secret?" In just a few days, Pei Lie was exhausted, and he had lost a lot of weight.
"We have to, even if we can't keep it a secret," Pei Xing said solemnly. "Given the relationship between Mother and Father King, if she were to know that Father King had died, she would be devastated."
Pei Ji also agreed. Enduring his grief, he said, "Second Brother is right. Mother's health is not good now, and she needs rest. She hasn't woken up yet, so it's still possible to seal the news."
Because their mother's health was poor, she and Father King had not slept together last night.
"I'll take care of this," Pei Lie said at this moment, feeling most conflicted.
He and his father had the best relationship. However, after everything that had happened, he was very disappointed in his father. But even so, he didn't wish him dead.
He was his father.
He turned and left with a fierce aura, his face filled with killing intent.
Whoever killed his father would have to pay with their life!
The matter was thus kept secret.
The servants who knew the news were detained. Pei Lie did not want to silence them, deciding to release them after the truth was revealed. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
After two hours of analysis, the old man finally identified the poison.
Pei Lie and his two brothers were all summoned. Pei Ji sat in a wheelchair, pushed by Pei Lie. As soon as he entered, he eagerly asked,
"What poison is it?"
"One-Day Drunkenness," the old man replied.
Pei Ji was stunned. "Doesn't that name sound like a type of alcohol?"
"You're right," the old man said, pushing the analysis report on the table towards him.
The report listed the ingredients and the symptoms caused by this poison.
The ingredients were complex, and the symptoms were terrifying.
This poison did not cause suffering. After ingestion, it induced reactions similar to being drunk, with a blissful intoxication, making one feel as if they were floating in the air.
Reason and intellect were lost, leaving only drunkenness.
Finally, one would die silently.
This was the terrifying aspect of this poison. Even if someone saw it, they wouldn't recognize it as a symptom of poisoning; they would still think the person was drunk.
His death was painless, and thus he died very peacefully.
"This was not originally used to poison people," the old man said slowly.
Pei Ji's eyes flickered, "Why do you know so much about this poison?"
"You suspect me?" the old man retorted.
"...No." Pei Ji's somewhat muddled mind suddenly cleared. He rubbed his forehead, "I'm sorry, I'm a bit jumpy right now..."
Pei Lie patted his shoulder, "These two are not the ones who administered the poison."
He was referring to the old man and Shen Qingqing.
If they had wanted to act, they would have done so long ago. There would be no need to wait until everything was settled.