Duan Leng, more reliable than the camp’s military doctors, identified the poison as a scorpion venom. These scorpions were common in the deep mountains of Guangnan. The venom was transparent and colorless, with a sweet wine-like fragrance, hence locals called it the “Drunk Scorpion”. Soaking live scorpions in alcohol to extract the venom created a poison called “Tomorrow’s Drunk”.
The poison’s most distinctive feature was that it wouldn’t take effect immediately but would activate at noon the next day. Since the poison was indistinguishable from water or alcohol and had a delayed effect, victims rarely noticed it, making rescue impossible, and death was certain once the poison took hold.
The southwestern region had been damp and rainy recently. Fu Shen sometimes experienced leg pain, and Du Leng had suggested drinking a little alcohol nightly to dispel dampness. It was this detail that gave Xue Sheng’s people an opportunity.
Fortunately, Fu Shen had been brought back to the southwestern camp by Duan Guihong rather than captured by the imperial army. Duan Guihong might lack many things, but he had autumn white grass, which had once saved Fu Ting Xin’s life in the northern grasslands and now saved Fu Shen’s.
The incident of being publicly berated before the troops seemed to have deeply embarrassed Yan Xiaohan, and upon returning to the military, he strictly ordered all troops not to leak this matter. However, Fu Shen’s death was already shrouded in suspicion, and the stricter the military order, the more people believed what Duan Guihong said, causing rumors to spread even wider. Some even claimed that the Emperor of Changzhi was wary of Fu Shen’s excessive military power and had secretly dispatched his confidants to assassinate Fu Shen, then framing Duan Guihong afterward.
The obituary and street rumors spread to the capital, shocking the entire court. The Northern Frontier garrison was on the brink of mutiny, with four generals submitting multiple petitions requesting a thorough investigation from the court.
Facing overwhelming public opinion, the Emperor of Changzhi was forced to reconvene the Yanying Hall to discuss posthumous honors for Fu Shen and how to fill the vacant position.
