Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 15: Painting the Face with Bones
Yan Mingzhang looked at the skeleton calmly, as if he were having a conversation with her. Everyone fell silent.

It took him a long time to start painting.

He first picked up his brush and dipped it into the inkstone, the ink on the tip barely spitting out. Then, he gently placed the tip of the brush on the rice paper and began to outline the skull. His strokes were steady and powerful, each one precisely delineating the skull's shape and lines.

Next, he began to depict the details of the face. Based on the structure of the skull, he deduced the direction and shape of the facial muscles. His pen moved quickly across the paper, his eyebrows slightly raised, his eyes deep, his nose straight.

As he stroked the brush, a face gradually emerged on the paper. Although it was only an outline, that face already felt familiar. Rong Wanyin stood by, her eyes fixed on the painting, a strange feeling welling up in her heart.

Yan Mingzhang continued to paint. He began to paint the shape of the lips, the slightly upturned corners of the mouth, as if with a hint of a smile; he painted the outline of the cheeks, the soft lines seemed to show the gentleness of life.

Finally, Yan Mingzhang put down his brush, and a vivid portrait appeared before everyone. That face bore a striking resemblance to Sister Xin.

Mo Yun's eyes widened, his mouth opened wide, his face full of shock: "This looks like..."

Rong Wanyin unconsciously covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes gleaming with shock and confusion. As she stared at the portrait, her doubts grew deeper and deeper. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "How...how is this possible? How could she be so similar to Sister Xin..."

The servants around also gathered around, looked at the portrait, and exclaimed in amazement, but did not dare to say what they were thinking.

Wen Xin ignored it and just stared at the portrait without saying a word.

"She's back...ah...she's here for revenge!" When Mrs. Wen saw the portrait, she seemed to be possessed by an evil spirit. She frantically pulled at her hair, her eyes wide open, filled with fear and despair. It was as if she had really seen the wronged spirit that was seeking her life. Suddenly, she turned to Wen Xin and screamed, "Don't kill me...I don't dare anymore...please let me go!"

"Oh no! Madam Wen is going crazy again!" The housekeeper looked panicked and shouted hurriedly, "Come and hold her back!" As soon as the words fell, several servants hurried over, raising a cloud of dust that fell on the skeleton. Everyone's attention was attracted by Madam Wen's crazy behavior. Only Yan Mingzhang and Rong Wanyin noticed that Wen Xin slowly squatted down, took out a handkerchief, and gently wiped the dust off the bones one by one. Her eyes were focused and gentle, as if the chaos around her had nothing to do with her. At this moment, her world was only filled with these bones.

While everyone was restraining Madam Wen, the housekeeper hurried to Yan Mingzhang and whispered, "Sir, Madam's madness often breaks out because of the female ghost. She had a similar situation some time ago, but now the frequency of the attacks is increasing." After hearing this, Yan Mingzhang frowned slightly, and then ordered Doctor Yan to prescribe a tranquilizer for Madam Wen.

"It seems we have to wait until tomorrow to find a way out. It's getting late, and any rash action in this dark night will only increase the danger." Yan Mingzhang looked at the night sky and said solemnly, with a bit of helplessness and worry in his tone.

"I wonder if Miss Yin can read?" After Yan Mingzhang settled everyone, he turned around and smiled at Rong Wanyin who was eating a thousand-layer pastry.

Rong Wanyin quickly swallowed the pastry in her mouth, brushed off the crumbs on her hands, and said with anticipation: "Yes! Yes! Not only can I write, I can also investigate cases! Do you want to help me investigate a case? I'm really good at this!"

Rong Wanyin suddenly realized that she was still breaking up with this person! She couldn't show too much enthusiasm.

She suppressed her smile and cleared her throat. "What's wrong? Do you need help?" Rong Wanyin thought to herself: This is a job I'm familiar with. She's read a lot of books about solving cases. This is her favorite kind of book! She fantasizes about being a detective every day, and now she finally has the chance to show her skills.

Yan Mingzhang looked at the crumbs around Rong Wanyin's mouth, feeling a little conflicted. After thinking for a while, he handed the handkerchief over and pointed at his own mouth before saying, "Then I'll trouble you, Miss Rong!" The corners of his mouth rose slightly with an imperceptible smile, which looked particularly warm under the candlelight.

Rong Wanyin felt a little embarrassed. She took the handkerchief, wiped her mouth and said, "Master Yan, tell me, what do you want me to do?"

Rong Wanyin did not have the shyness and reserve of an ordinary woman. After wiping her mouth, she was about to hand the handkerchief back, but when she saw that the handkerchief was dirty and greasy from wiping herself, she took it back embarrassedly: "I... I'll wash it and give it to you." A blush appeared on her face.

Yan Mingzhang smiled and nodded, motioning her to come into the house.

The desk in the study was already prepared with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. Yan Mingzhang gestured for her to come in. "Please, Miss Rong. I don't like to bring too many people with me when I go out, so I only brought two guards this time. I didn't bring any other people with me. I'll be examining the case later, so I'd like to trouble you to help me record it."

"That's easy, leave it to me!" Rong Wanyin raised her head and smiled.

Yan Mingzhang nodded in thanks and then said to Doctor Yan, "Doctor Yan, please take a closer look at these physical evidences to see if there is any trace of arsenic."

Doctor Yan took out a silver knife and a silver needle and checked all the items again. After washing his hands, he shook his head at Yan Mingzhang: "Only this tea was mixed with arsenic and croton, and there were traces of croton powder on the kraft paper, but the amount was too small to detect whether there was arsenic. No other items were found. Of course, it is also possible that the amount was small and it could not be found." His tone was calm and his expression was focused, worthy of being an experienced doctor.

"By the way, there's one more thing I'd like to verify." Yan Mingzhang stroked the jade flute in his hand. "Is Madam Wen's spleen and stomach not in good condition?"

"Indeed." Doctor Yan nodded. "Sir, do you also understand medicine?"

Yan Mingzhang smiled slightly and shook his head. "I'm just guessing. I think Madam Wen often eats Poria cocos cakes, which are said to be good for the stomach, so I made this guess. By the way, Doctor Yan, are there any drugs that can cause chronic poisoning and then cause mental confusion and crazy symptoms?"

Doctor Yan stroked his beard and said, "Of course, things like Datura, Strychnos nux vomica, and Aconitum can all be used..."

Yan Mingzhang nodded: "If you want to add it to the white Poria cocos cake, which one is suitable?"

Doctor Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then it can only be the poison of the Datura flower. Datura has white flowers and a light, slightly sweet smell. If it is added to the Poria cake, it shouldn't be so easy to detect."

(End of this chapter)