Chang Yiyan nodded.

Dragging her cumbersome body up from the ground, she wiped away her tears, lifted her feet to leave the mourning hall, then suddenly stopped and said to Ji Yunshu.

“Brother Ji, my father was most afraid of dirt when he was alive. I want him to be buried neatly and tidily. Can you not dirty his clothes?”

In other words, please for heaven’s sake don’t dissect my father!

Otherwise my father won’t let you go even as a ghost!

Ji Yunshu nodded affirmatively.

After Chang Yiyan left, Ji Yunshu also began to handle official business.

Walking to the coffin’s side, she looked inside.

Inside, Old Master Chang’s face was pale with a greenish tinge, his eye sockets sunken, cheekbones protruding, and the corners of his lips curved downward. He had clearly been dead for several days. Fortunately, it had been raining these past few days, and soapberry powder and atractylodes had been sprinkled around the corpse, so the stench wasn’t too severe.

“Are there gloves?”

Steward Chang quickly had someone fetch a pair of gloves for her, then brought over a chair and placed it nearby.

He said respectfully to Jingrong, “Your Highness, why not take a seat? I’ll have someone brew a pot of tea.”

Tea?

In a mourning hall?

Jingrong’s mouth twitched. He sat on the chair and said, “No need for tea.”

This prince doesn’t like drinking tea in mourning halls.

Inauspicious!

Steward Chang’s mouth twitched. He retreated to the side and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Jingrong’s gaze stared unblinkingly at Ji Yunshu.

Watching this young scholar solve cases had always been his greatest pleasure.

Thrilling!

Ji Yunshu put on the gloves and reached her hand into the coffin, gently turning Old Master Chang’s head to reveal the strangulation mark on his neck. The imprint left by the hemp rope was clearly visible—red with a tinge of blue. Apart from that one mark, there was nothing else.

Then she pried open Old Master Chang’s mouth. His tongue pressed against the bottom, with the tip curled upward. Combined with both hands presenting an inward curl and both feet stretched straight, all the evidence indicated death by hanging.

Could it be—

Really suicide?

Three people collectively committing suicide?

That didn’t make sense either!

Could it be vengeful spirits seeking their lives?

No, how could there be vengeful spirits seeking lives in this world?

Fang Mingsan stepped forward to inquire, “Master Ji, how is it? Have you discovered anything?”

“The deceased did indeed die by suicide.”

“Then… does that mean there’s no murderer?”

Ji Yunshu’s brow furrowed. “Not necessarily.”

“What do you mean?”

“If the deceased chose suicide, why would he struggle forcefully when making that choice? The degree of hand curling is very severe, and moreover, his eyes were wide open at death, with a ferocious expression on his face?”

Everyone stared at her eagerly, wanting to hear more.

Ji Yunshu didn’t say everything, but instead turned to ask Steward Chang, “Are the clothes Old Master Chang wore when he died still here?”

“Yes.”

“I trouble you to bring them.”

“Is there something unusual about the clothes?”

“Bring them first for me to see. Without substantive evidence, I cannot say for certain.”

Steward Chang said “Oh” and immediately had someone bring the clothes.

The clothes of wealthy families were truly different—a superior brocade robe with an exceptionally striking embroidered pattern. Even those boots were the same, quite comparable to the boots Jingrong wore.

Ji Yunshu carefully examined the clothes and suddenly noticed a cluster of stains on the sleeve cuff. She touched it, then brought it to her nose to smell, but couldn’t determine what it was.

A moment later, she noticed those shoes. Because it had been raining heavily the night Old Master Chang committed suicide, the soles were covered with mud.

So that was quite normal!

But there was one thing…

The style of the shoes seemed very strange to her. This type of sole wasn’t flat, and the central position of the sole wasn’t flat or flush with the ground either—it was recessed inward.

So—

She took the shoe and compared it with the deceased.

Her eyes suddenly deepened, and she silently took the shoe away!

Just as she removed it, her eyes caught sight of a tattoo on the deceased’s ankle.

The tattoo’s design was very unique—a moon, and next to the moon was an “X” shape.

Ji Yunshu had seen plenty of examples of prominent families having tattoos on their bodies, but such a design aroused curiosity.

She asked Steward Chang, “Why would your master have such a pattern tattooed on his body?”

The steward replied, “I don’t know.”

Ji Yunshu asked no more. “Thank you. The corpse examination is complete. He can be buried early tomorrow morning.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Mingsan quickly asked, “Master Ji, haven’t you discovered anything?”

She said nothing and had people bring Old Master Chang’s clothes and shoes to the yamen.

A murder had occurred, yet instead of properly examining the corpse, she was bringing the dead man’s clothes and shoes back?

What did this mean?

On the road back to the county yamen residence, Ji Yunshu remained deep in thought without speaking.

Jingrong reached out to touch her. “Speak up. What evidence did you find that you must wait until we return to say?”

Ji Yunshu stared at him.

“Others don’t know what’s in your mind, but this prince does. Speak—is there a problem with those clothes and shoes?”

“Yes, there’s a big problem. I believe Old Master Chang didn’t commit suicide.”

“How can you tell?”

“Back at the yamen, I’ll explain.”

…

Half an hour later, they returned to the yamen.

Ji Yunshu tossed the clothes she’d brought back to Muruo, saying, “I don’t know what the mark on this garment’s sleeve cuff is. I’ll have to trouble you.”

Muruo picked up a small bamboo rod to lift the clothes, saying with a disgusted expression, “You really think I’m an encyclopedia?”

“I believe you have a way.”

“Fine. Since you trust me so much, I’ll help you investigate.”

He tossed the clothes onto a table nearby.

Fang Mingsan and the others watched, completely baffled!

Ji Yunshu then said to him, “Magistrate Fang, if the evidence I’ve found is correct, then Old Master Chang was absolutely not claimed by vengeful spirits, nor did he commit suicide. It’s highly likely to be murder.”

Mm?

Wen Lingyang quickly took out paper and brush and asked, “Does Master Ji have any evidence?”

Ji Yunshu said, “If a person dies by suicide, even if they struggle violently before death and their hands present a curled shape, as they struggle and the suffocating sensation in their throat grows stronger, their eyeballs will either roll upward or downward.”

“That’s not right. The coroner went to look, and Old Master Chang’s eyes were enlarged, staring straight ahead.” Wen Lingyang was puzzled.

“That’s precisely the suspicious point. For people who die by hanging, unless they saw something before death, and what they saw must have terrified them greatly, only then would their eyeballs stare straight ahead in a focused state. Moreover, the degree and force of Old Master Chang’s finger curling was too great. All of this is sufficient proof that when he was hanging, he truly and definitely saw something.”

Fang Mingsan pondered. “If that’s the case, what did he see?”

“The murderer!”

“The murderer? Old Master Chang saw the murderer before death? This…”

How was that possible?

Jingrong and Muruo sat to the side in silent observation.

But Fang Mingsan and the others were somewhat confused.

Several pressed with questions. “Master Ji, if it really was the murderer’s doing, then why…”