All along the way, Suzhen earnestly explained to everyone the difference between doctors and coroners, talking at length, but no one paid attention. She was on the verge of tears until they reached He Sai’s government office.

After announcing their arrival, a clerk hurried out saying Minister He was receiving guests inside—Prime Minister Quan and Assistant Minister Li had come. He also said the Prime Minister and Minister requested Master Li to enter.

What a coincidence—what was A San doing here now? Suzhen’s heart skipped a beat, but she only said to let the Prime Minister and Minister He visit, asking the clerk to take her directly to the morgue.

The clerk reported to He Sai, and without delay, led Suzhen’s group to the morgue.

Still outside the door, seeing the white lantern hanging from the eaves, everyone felt the atmosphere turn sinister.

A thin coroner with squinted, yellowed eyes came out to greet them. In his forties, he introduced himself as surnamed Wang.

The clerk said Master Li Chief Justice had come to examine the bodies. Coroner Wang made a welcoming gesture, but his eyes clearly flashed with disdain.

Before the hot-tempered Zhuiming could act, Lian Xin was ready to teach him a lesson. Suzhen held back both, thinking someone seemed to have anticipated her coming here.

Upon entering, Lian Xin trembled slightly, grabbing at Suzhen’s belt. Suzhen’s poor belt nearly got stripped off by her. In anger, she threw Lian Xin to Wuqing, whom she liked least. Wuqing silently looked at his own belt, then silently tore off a section and handed it to Lian Xin. Lian Xin was stunned, bared her teeth fiercely at him, then bounced in first herself.

Suzhen glanced at Mochou, who shook her head, indicating she could hold up. The group followed inside.

Suzhen had only taken two steps when Lian Xin, screaming, bounced back and crashed into her arms.

Suzhen resignedly held Lian Xin’s hand. She saw the interior wasn’t large, with dim lighting and no windows on the walls—only a hole in the roof covered with iron bars.

This was designed to better preserve corpses.

Inside were four or five board beds arranged horizontally. Each bed had something bulging, covered with white cloth, clearly in human shape.

Some cloths were stained with congealed oily beads, others with dark red and moldy green.

Against the wall was a long wooden table with many instruments the group had never seen before.

These weren’t the most frightening part.

It was the rancid, putrid stench that assaulted all seven orifices, making everything in their stomachs surge toward their throats.

Lian Xin pressed against Suzhen’s back. The men weren’t much better off, all frowning, except Mochou, who stood steadily.

Coroner Wang seemed unaffected, his small eyes blinking as he stared at Suzhen, “Will you examine them yourself, sir, or shall I remove the cloths?”

Suzhen was also trembling inside but kept her face calm, “No hurry. Please bring some ginger slices and sesame oil, Brother Wang. Also, get some soap pods and atractylodes to burn and place beside each corpse.”

Coroner Wang’s expression changed slightly. He slowly removed the pouch from his waist, revealing exactly what Suzhen had requested.

He said in a strange tone, “Oh, you’re an expert, sir.”

The clerk also smiled ingratiatingly, “Indeed!”

Everyone was surprised and delighted. Following Suzhen’s instructions, they put ginger slices in their mouths and dabbed sesame oil on their noses. The nauseating feeling immediately lessened. When the atractylodes and other items were burned, most of the stench in the room dissipated.

Seeing everyone’s expectant faces, Suzhen felt like crying inside. Gritting her teeth, she still looked at Coroner Wang, “Gloves, thank you.”

Coroner Wang’s gaze darkened as he handed her a pair of gloves.

Suzhen asked Coroner Wang for the madam’s location and slowly walked to the corpse on the far edge.

After swallowing several mouthfuls of saliva, she finally yanked her hand up and pulled off the cloth covering the madam.

What met her eyes was the madam’s slightly swollen, already decomposing face, those nearly bursting eyeballs, blood and foamy liquid seeping from her mouth, half her face sticky—everywhere filled with terror and resentment.

Suzhen’s stomach churned and she almost vomited. She forced herself to endure, gently removing the madam’s clothes. Though it was severe winter and the body was well-preserved, the madam had been dead for five or six days and green decay had begun appearing on her body. That green oil covering her belly, those multiple wounds that split intestines and cracked bones… she nearly turned and fled.

Of course, she did nothing of the sort.

She remembered what Mochou had said and quickly examined Huamei and Baihe’s corpses as well.

Though she wasn’t a coroner, the wounds caused by golden hairpins versus sword blades differed greatly—the former small and round, the latter flat with larger horizontal cross-sections. Moreover, Huamei’s body showed obvious bruises that had settled into purplish-black patches after death.

At that time, Huamei had been viciously kicked by Pei Fengji.

This coroner’s previous report was complete bullshit!

Finally, she could no longer suppress it. From the beginning, images of her parents, brother, and Hong Xiao had flashed through her mind. Had they looked this terrifying after death?

She tore off her gloves, threw them forcefully to the ground, and turned to throw herself into Lengxue’s embrace.

The entire morgue fell so silent it seemed even a needle dropping could be heard.

She knew how strange this looked, but just this once would be enough.

She would eventually completely control all her emotions and vulnerabilities.

Lengxue was initially stunned, his face reddening, then he reached out to hold her tightly, ignoring others’ gazes.

When the dizziness in her head passed, Suzhen gently broke free from Lengxue, glanced at the dumbstruck Zhuiming and others, and was thinking how to give a reasonable explanation—like she had just felt nauseous and weak—when she looked up and met Lian Xin’s wide-staring eyes, looking blankly at her, then at the people by the door.

Wait, there were people at the door? Suzhen was startled and followed her gaze, seeing Quan Feitong and Li Zhaoting at the front, with He Sai accompanying them, and behind the three, Lian Yu’s group stood prominently.

Whether due to the truly dim lighting inside or other reasons, everyone’s complexions looked poor. Li Zhaoting’s, Quan Feitong’s, and Lian Yu’s especially so.