"What's this?" Wei Shuxuan looked up at Xin Zizhao. Xin Zizhao was actually quite surprised too. It was the first time he had dissected a rat's head and seen its internal structure.
The dissected head of the rat was filled with blood. Wei Shuxuan looked at the flowing blood feathers inside the rat's brain. It was a cerebral hemorrhage, or what the people here called a stroke. These rats had also died of a stroke. It seemed that this Phoenix Feather Mirror was really dangerous. It could cause a person to die of a cerebral hemorrhage within three days.
"Is this the result of your experiment?" Xin Zizhao asked Wei Shuxuan. He used the small knife in his hand to prod the rat's brain, and the blood that filled the brain immediately flowed out, covering the whole table and emitting a strong stench.
"Yes, I just wanted to prove this. It seems my hypothesis is correct."
"What hypothesis?"
"The Phoenix Feather Mirror will kill people on sunny days," Wei Shuxuan smiled. She asked Xin Zizhao, "What do you think is the biggest difference between a sunny day and a cloudy day? I mean an obvious difference."
".....The difference?" Xin Zizhao thought for a while. "It must be the difference in the intensity of the light."
"Right, it's the light. I couldn't figure out why the Phoenix Feather Mirror would kill people on sunny days. But then I saw the small window above the Wind and Rain Hall, and I knew. At a certain moment, the sunlight that shines through that window will turn into strong light."
"You mean that the strong light will make the Phoenix Feather Mirror kill people?" Xin Zizhao quickly understood what Wei Shuxuan meant.
"Yes, I think that the strong light probably makes the Phoenix Feather Mirror release a poisonous substance. If a human or an animal inhales it, it will cause the brain to bleed, and finally die within three days."
"Do you know what that poisonous substance is?"
"I don't know....." Wei Shuxuan thought that if there were modern advanced instruments here, they should be able to figure out what that substance was.
"The Phoenix Feather Mirror releases a poisonous substance?" Xin Zizhao was a bit confused. "Is it the mirror surface or the frame that releases the poisonous substance?"
Asked by Xin Zizhao like this, Wei Shuxuan was stunned. She really hadn't thought about this question. But, as far as she knew, it was basically impossible for the metal material used to make the mirror surface to produce toxins when exposed to strong light. And even if it did, it would be chronic poisoning caused by long - term exposure, and it would never flare up so quickly.
Now the only remaining possibility was the frame. She had taken a quick look at the Phoenix Feather Mirror before. The frame seemed to be..... made of wood, right?
So, Wei Shuxuan turned to Xin Zizhao and asked, "Xin Zizhao, do you remember what the frame of the Phoenix Feather Mirror was made of?"
"I remember it was wood, but I don't know what kind of wood it was. The frame felt very smooth, finely polished, and the color was a light brown. It looked like a very ordinary mirror."
Xin Zizhao was cleaning up the dead rats on the table, and Wei Shuxuan sat on one side thinking. It must be the wood that was problematic. She remembered that in modern times, there was a kind of tree that would release poisonous substances when exposed to strong light. But was there such a tree here?
"By the way, when was the Qiangfeng Kingdom established?" Wei Shuxuan asked Xin Zizhao. She thought he should know this kind of historical question.
"It's only been a little over a hundred years since its establishment....."
"So short?" Wei Shuxuan had thought that the Qiangfeng Kingdom had been established for quite a long time.
"It's not as long - established as the Yulong Kingdom. The Yulong Kingdom has a history of at least five hundred years. Don't you know this?" Xin Zizhao looked at Wei Shuxuan suspiciously. Wei Shuxuan panicked and quickly lowered her head. Oh no, she had exposed herself.
"Is this one of the secrets you've been hiding from me?" Xin Zizhao asked her.
Wei Shuxuan lowered her head and hesitated before nodding. Xin Zizhao glanced at her and didn't continue to press for details.
"Okay, the experiment is over. How do you plan to announce the result of this murder case to the outside world?"
"Of course, I'll announce it according to the facts. What else do you want me to do?" Wei Shuxuan raised her eyebrows.
"No, if we do that, it will give the Qiangfeng Kingdom a reason to start a war against us."
Xin Zizhao immediately rejected Wei Shuxuan's idea. Wei Shuxuan didn't quite understand these state affairs. "Why do you say so?"
"If we blame it on the Phoenix Feather Mirror, it means that our Yulong Kingdom is dissatisfied with their sacred treasure in the Qiangfeng Kingdom. The thing they revere as a treasure has been regarded as a murder weapon. Naturally, they won't be happy about it. They will surely come to cause trouble for us. What we have to do is not to give them any excuse to pick on us."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"You'll know soon."
Seeing that Xin Zizhao was still as kind to her as ever and didn't get angry with her for hiding some things from him, Wei Shuxuan felt relieved. She had been back for so long, but she still hadn't figured out how to confess to Xin Zizhao that she wasn't the real Wei Shuxuan. And there were also Wei Wei, Ge Long'an, and Ge Zian. She didn't know how to explain things to them.
A few days later, Xin Zizhao announced to the outside world that since the three palace maids who had previously managed the Wind and Rain Hall had all died suddenly of a stroke, considering that the work of managing the Wind and Rain Hall was cumbersome and there was a shortage of manpower in the palace, it was decided that no one would be assigned to take care of the Wind and Rain Hall anymore.
After finding out the real cause, Wei Shuxuan ordered people to give a proper burial to the three innocent dead palace maids and gave a large sum of money as a settlement to their families outside the palace as compensation.
This matter could be considered to have come to an end.
In order to prevent the Phoenix Feather Mirror from harming people again, Xin Zizhao had people lock the Phoenix Feather Mirror in an iron box and seal it in the basement of the palace.
"Finally, I can relax!" Wei Shuxuan lay comfortably on the lounge chair, basking in the sun.
"Didn't you say you wanted to inspect the people's livelihood? Do you still want to go out with me?" Xin Zizhao walked to Wei Shuxuan's side, lowered his head, and his shadow blocked the bright sunlight that fell on Wei Shuxuan's face.
"Of course I do!" As soon as she heard that they were going out, Wei Shuxuan quickly sat up from the lounge chair, looked up at Xin Zizhao, and asked, "But, have you finished your state affairs?"
"Of course I have. There have been no natural disasters recently. The people are well - fed and well - clothed. All that's discussed in the morning court are just trivial matters. I'll temporarily hand over the court to Prime Minister Dan. I'll go out with you to inspect the people's livelihood. It's been a long time since we went out together."
"That's right," Wei Shuxuan couldn't help but sigh. But at this moment, she thought of a question. "Do you still plan to make good relations with the Qiangfeng Kingdom?"