Through the bright lanterns, the eye-catching bridal sedan chair stood out. Yet within its dim, narrow confines sat a headless bride in vibrant red wedding attire. If one didn’t look carefully, one might think a living person occupied the sedan.
Yue Jia was drenched in cold sweat, a chill running up his spine. He stood frozen like a statue until various screams and chaotic commotion brought him back to his senses. With a swift motion, he dropped the sedan curtain.
“What’s happening?! Am I… am I seeing things?!”
The Imperial Princess stood in disbelief, staring at the lowered curtain of the sedan chair, then at the terrified expressions of those around her, momentarily stunned.
Marquis An Yang Yue Qiong strode forward and lifted the curtain again. Wei Yan Zhi followed closely, peering inside through the sedan window. Upon looking, Wei Yan Zhi stumbled back two steps, face turning pale and eyes reddening!
“No, impossible, this can’t be—”
“We spoke just this afternoon, this can’t be possible!”
The incident occurred too suddenly. Two maids following the bridal sedan rushed forward, one lifting the window. They simultaneously screamed in horror and retreated, falling to the ground after a few steps and breaking into tears!
“Young Lady! How could this happen to Young Lady, heavens, Young Lady…”
“Young Lady is dead… our Young Lady is dead, how could this be…”
The news quickly spread throughout Duke Song’s household, with most people falling to their knees in shocked grief.
This was supposed to be Jinzhou’s grandest wedding in a century. No one expected a death, let alone such a horrifying scene of a headless bride. The guests, who had waited all day, wanted nothing more than to leave Marquis An Yang’s residence after recovering from their shock.
“This is inauspicious, the bride dying on her wedding day.”
“Did you all see clearly? The bride had no head. Thank heavens we were in a crowd, or this old woman would have died from fright. Let’s leave quickly, this is a murder case, the officials will arrive soon. We shouldn’t get involved in trouble!”
As guests discussed among themselves, most retreated toward the manor gates, with only a few bold ones stealing glances at the bridal sedan. Marquis An Yang Yue Qiong patted Yue Jia’s back to help him compose himself, then bowed to the guests, “Everyone, I deeply apologize. Today’s wedding cannot proceed. I’m sorry to have wasted half your day. As it’s getting late, I’ll have servants escort you all home. Another day, I shall personally visit each of you to express my apologies.”
Hearing this, the crowd naturally responded with “We wouldn’t dare.” At that moment, a short, plump man in fine clothes stepped out from the crowd. “Marquis! Should we dispatch personnel immediately? This is a murder case, what are your thoughts, Marquis…”
The speaker was Jinzhou’s Prefect Huo Huai Xin. Since this was a murder case, it naturally fell under his jurisdiction. However, as the matter involved the Marquis An Yang’s household, he needed to consult Yue Qiong’s wishes. Yue Qiong immediately bowed, “Brother Huo, this matter is of grave importance. I trouble you with this task!”
The deceased young lady was the daughter of Duke Song from the capital, and she died en route to her wedding. If Duke Song’s household raised an issue, the Marquis An Yang’s household would inevitably be implicated. If they couldn’t get to the bottom of this, the Marquis’s reputation would be ruined!
Huo Huai Xin understood Yue Qiong’s meaning and immediately ordered his subordinates, “Summon Captain Qi and his men at once!”
As his subordinate acknowledged the order and left, Huo Huai Xin approached the bridal sedan. Though short and slightly plump with unremarkable features, his small eyes revealed shrewdness and insight. After examining the sedan’s interior, he turned calmly and said, “Marquis, while we await the captain’s arrival, let’s first pacify today’s guests. The bride died en route, unrelated to the Marquis An Yang’s household.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yan Zhi, his eyes still red, immediately stepped forward. “No, Marquis, Xiao Rou died in Jinzhou Prefecture. She came here to marry into the Marquis An Yang’s household. You can’t dismiss this matter. You… you must seek justice for Xiao Rou!”
Realizing Wei Yan Zhi had misunderstood, Yue Qiong hurriedly explained, “Worthy nephew, don’t be hasty. Prefect Huo didn’t mean it that way. Rest assured, the Marquis An Yang’s household will see this through to the end. With Prefect Huo here, we’ll certainly uncover the truth. Nephew, please lead the Duke’s household servants to stay at our residence. You’ve accompanied the bride all this way, and we’ll need your cooperation in this matter.”
Huo Huai Xin nodded quickly, “Exactly right. Please compose yourselves first, as we’ll need to question each of you shortly.”
Wei Yan Zhi nodded as if his soul had been extracted, his eyes filled with pain. Meanwhile, the Imperial Princess, clutching her chest, was escorted to the inner courtyard by Yan Chi and Lady Jiang. Though Yan Chi had spent years on battlefields and wasn’t afraid of death, this incident still shocked him considerably.
Song Rou was a new bride – who would kill her in such a cruel manner?
“Madam, please don’t grieve too much. This happened so suddenly, but your health is most important.”
The Imperial Princess held her chest, sighing repeatedly, “How could this happen so suddenly… that girl was only seventeen, she was to be my grandson’s wife, how could she…” She suddenly grabbed Lady Jiang’s hand, “Discuss with Yue Qiong and send someone to the capital immediately to report this death. We’ve only lost a wedding ceremony, but Duke Song’s household has lost a beloved daughter, ah…”
Lady Jiang repeatedly agreed. The Imperial Princess then grabbed Yan Chi, “Little Seven, when are you leaving? The wedding’s canceled, you…”
Yan Chi quickly shook his head, “Great-aunt, don’t worry. His Majesty gave me two months’ leave. I can stay for quite some time. Now that the household has encountered this incident, I might as well stay and see if I can help.”
The Imperial Princess’s eyes filled with gratitude as she was escorted to rest in the inner courtyard. Yan Chi didn’t linger, heading straight back toward the manor gates. Tonight’s events were truly bizarre and horrifying. He wanted to help the household and was also intrigued to investigate.
“Young Lady! Let’s leave quickly! How are you not afraid at all! Your servant will surely have nightmares tonight. It’s too frightening. Why did your servant have to squeeze through to see the bride? Your servant will be scared of bridal sedans from now on…”
Since the main gate was blocked by the bridal sedan, nobody wanted to pass through there. Instead, they entered the manor and passed through the flower hall toward the western gate. Qin Wan was the last to enter the gates, her brows furrowed and eyes narrowed, still walking unhurriedly.
How could the bride be dead? And dead within the bridal sedan.
Not poisoned, not wounded, but her head deliberately severed.
Qin Wan paused. Where was the bride’s head?
“Young Lady, what’s wrong? Were you frightened?”
Fu Ling noticed Qin Wan’s expression of concern. Qin Wan came back to her senses and shook her head.
Years ago, when her father was just a minor judicial officer, he was investigating a murder case involving wives and concubines. Her mother gave birth to her in a carriage while her father was investigating the case.
It was said that while her father examined corpses, her mother would nurse her outside. As she grew older, she even served as her father’s assistant, helping record case details and victims’ injuries. Her father was skilled in medicine and a forensics expert, the two fields being closely related. Eventually, she learned forensic techniques from her father as well.
Her open-minded father often took her along to examine bodies and investigate cases.
Later, it was her mother who felt that a young lady shouldn’t be involved with criminal investigations and forensics, and had her formally study medicine under Sun Xi, the Medicine King. After her father was promoted to Chief Minister of the Court of Judicature, the family settled in the capital. Though she became a sheltered noblelady, her father’s case files remained her daily reading.
Her father had sighed, lamenting that she wasn’t born male.
Qin Wan returned from her thoughts, “Once dead, consciousness ceases. Tales of ghosts and spirits are mere rumors. There’s no need to fear.”
Fu Ling shook her head, pulling Qin Wan to walk faster, “Your servant is still scared. Young Lady, let’s hurry. This is a murder case, we shouldn’t get involved in trouble. The Marquis An Yang’s household will surely suffer from this.”
Qin Wan maintained her unhurried pace, “It’s unrelated to the Marquis An Yang’s household. The bride died en route and had been dead for at least two hours. Regardless, it has nothing to do with the Marquis An Yang’s household.”
In the corridor on the other side of the wall, Yan Chi paused. How did she know the bride had been dead for at least two hours?
With this thought arising, Yan Chi turned toward the corner of the flower wall.
Not only unafraid of death but also aware of the bride’s time of death?
Yan Chi quickened his pace, instantly reaching the end of the flower wall.
As he emerged from behind the wall, he immediately spotted an elegant silhouette in the distant lantern light.
His pupils contracted as Yan Chi’s phoenix eyes narrowed.
He had seen many women, countless beauties of incomparable charm.
But this one was different from all ordinary beauty.