Huo Huaixin looked at Qin Wan, unaware that the Anyang Marquis Manor had another young lady.
Moreover, this young lady had the quality of a secluded orchid and the beauty of the bright moon – not from an ordinary family. Thinking of the many noble guests who had come from the capital for the manor’s celebration, Huo Huaixin frowned. Could she be some princess from the capital?
“Prefect Huo, this is the Ninth Miss of the Qin family.”
Huo Huaixin’s eyebrows trembled. The Qin family, Ninth Miss…
He knew the Qin family and was quite familiar with the family head, Qin An. However, he had only met the Fifth and Sixth Misses of the Qin family. This Ninth Miss, the only daughter of the second branch residing in Jinzhou, he had never encountered…
Wait… Huo Huaixin narrowed his eyes slightly.
Could this Ninth Miss be the one who had supposedly died over half a month ago, with the funeral hall already prepared, only to come back to life?!
As one of the few noble official families in Jinzhou, such private matters usually spread. Though he didn’t normally concern himself with the inner affairs of other households, this matter had been brought up by his wife, Yuan.
Not for any other reason than Yuan claiming this Ninth Miss was an ill-fated star who had caused her parents’ deaths. She had said the cause of that strange incident was that the Ninth Miss had feelings for their son, Huo Ning, but he had no interest in her, so she had jumped into the lake.
This Ninth Miss was someone the entire Loyal and Brave Marquis Manor deliberately ignored. Yuan not only looked down on her orphaned status but also despised her fate. At the time, she had worried the matter would escalate and damage Huo Ning’s reputation.
When he had inquired further then, Yuan had said this Ninth Miss had no talent, no virtue, no beauty, and was timid and cowardly with none of the bearings of a noble family. At such a young age, she knew no shame and had jumped into a lake over matters of the heart. Such a person who couldn’t enter refined society dreaming of becoming their son’s wife was simply delusional.
Huo Huaixin’s heart gradually tightened. Yuan had been wrong, terribly wrong.
“So it’s the Ninth Miss of the Qin family—”
After a brief pause, Huo Huaixin straightened his back. For some reason, thinking of Yuan saying this Ninth Miss had jumped into the lake for Huo Ning, he felt a secret delight. At this thought, Huo Huaixin frowned again, remembering that at yesterday’s banquet, he had heard that the Imperial Princess had summoned a young lady to keep her company all day…
Huo Huaixin’s eyes showed confusion. “Why is Ninth Miss here?”
Despite her grief, Madam Jiang remembered to speak for Qin Wan. “Prefect, you must know that a few days ago, Mother collapsed from illness on the street, and it was Ninth Miss who saved her. Today with this incident and Mother critically ill, Ninth Miss has come to help with treatment. Mother’s illness won’t be resolved quickly, so Ninth Miss will stay at our manor for a few days.”
A bright light flared in Huo Huaixin’s eyes. Due to the separation between public and private affairs, though he had heard about someone saving the Imperial Princess while handling official business, he hadn’t known it was Qin Wan!
Huo Huaixin softened his tone, showing the appreciation of an elder for a favored junior. “So the young miracle doctor everyone’s been talking about these past days is Ninth Miss? I never imagined that at such a young age, Ninth Miss would already have such skill…”
Yan Chi frowned slightly. Though Prefect Huo had a decent record and was generally fair and strict in his duties, from his changing expressions these past moments, Yan Chi was certain he knew about the rumors of Qin Wan jumping into the lake for Huo Ning.
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, immediately seeing what Huo Huaixin was thinking…
Having navigated official circles for many years, this man was an expert at weighing advantages and disadvantages. His gaze toward Qin Wan already showed satisfaction and appreciation, and given Qin Wan’s current relationship with the Anyang Marquis Manor, surely he must have some plans.
“Indeed, Miss Qin is an honored guest of the Marquis Manor. She saved our aunt and is a benefactor to both the Marquis Manor and the Yan family.”
As soon as Yan Chi spoke, Huo Huaixin became somewhat fearful.
Being a benefactor of the Marquis Manor was one thing, but the Yan family was the imperial family. Though the Imperial Princess’s status was certainly noble, why would the Crown Prince of the Enlightened Prince casually elevate Miss Qin to such a high position?
Huo Huaixin hesitated to speak, but Yan Chi didn’t give him the chance. “Prefect Huo hasn’t answered Ninth Miss’s question yet. Why, when the cause of death hasn’t been determined, are you so certain the Second Young Master beat someone to death?”
Huo Huaixin immediately collected himself, not forgetting that Miss Qin had questioned his verdict.
Clearing his throat, Huo Huaixin said gently, “Ninth Miss doesn’t understand. The yamen’s coroner has already examined the corpse. Lin Daxing was indeed beaten to death. Why did he only cough blood after the Second Young Master left? That’s because Lin Daxing’s injuries were all internal – broken ribs piercing internal organs is common.”
After a slight pause, Huo Huaixin added with particular concern, “These matters might frighten Ninth Miss, better not to hear more.”
Madam Jiang and Yue Ning’s eyebrows trembled as they listened – the Prefect was severely underestimating Qin Wan!
While Huo Huaixin maintained a kindly demeanor, Qin Wan stepped forward. “Without performing an autopsy, how can you prove the deceased died from pierced internal organs? Of the five organs – heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys – which of Lin Daxing’s was pierced?”
The gentle smile froze on Huo Huaixin’s face. Faced with Qin Wan’s clear, sharp gaze, he found himself speechless.
The internal organs couldn’t be seen – how could he know which was pierced?
“Ninth Miss, regardless of which organ was pierced, it was all caused by the Second Young Master’s beating. Why does this need further investigation?”
Qin Wan frowned, her expression becoming serious. “Errors in prison cases often arise from initial mistakes. Prefect, not conducting a thorough examination can lead to biased cases and wrongful convictions—”
Huo Huaixin frowned as if a sore spot had been touched. “Ninth Miss is too young to understand criminal cases. Under my supervision, there has never been a wrongful conviction. In this case, we have both witness testimony and physical evidence, and the Second Young Master himself has confessed. What more examination is needed?”
Officials valued their reputation above all. If Huo Huaixin wanted to continue advancing, he absolutely couldn’t allow himself to be associated with wrongful convictions.
Qin Wan’s frown deepened. Dark clouds roiled in her eyes, and she pressed her lips together before speaking. “In the 235th year of the Great Zhou calendar, in March, Lord Shen Yi, then Deputy Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, compiled the ‘Judicial Review Court’s Revised Records of Washing Away Injustice.’ The book states that in prison cases, nothing is more serious than capital punishment, in capital punishment, nothing is more serious than initial circumstances, and in initial circumstances, nothing is more serious than examination. Officials handling cases cannot simply conclude matters based on a single testimony. In this case, many details remain unclear, including such an important clue as the cause of death – how can you make such a hasty judgment?”
Qin Wan’s back was straight as a sword, her words falling like hammer blows. This version of her was very different from her usual self, who though cold and resilient appeared gentle and elegant. Her sharp edge was exposed, her presence overwhelming. Even Huo Huaixin stepped back under her questioning.
“You—” Huo Huaixin’s face reddened, and unable to refute, he could only say, “Don’t mention Shen Yi! As Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, he was executed along with his entire family for showing favoritism, harboring criminals, and deceiving the emperor. Taking his words as maxims is simply ridiculous!”
Qin Wan’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. Her fists clenched, and under Huo Huaixin’s guilty gaze, her throat felt blocked as if by a piece of iron, because while she knew her father had been wronged, she couldn’t cry out against the injustice.
Tears welled up in her nose, but Qin Wan bit down hard on her teeth to hold them back.
No, she couldn’t cry. Father was watching her. These people… these people were just ignorant of the truth, and the capital’s case had already been concluded. Involving the imperial court, she couldn’t openly defend her father.
From the moment she had returned from death, she knew this was a dark path she had to walk alone. The words in her heart, her anger and hatred, could never be shared with anyone, no matter when or where.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Wan’s face turned pale as she said, “I, Qin Wan, am just a commoner. I don’t know if Shen Yi showed favoritism or deceived the emperor, I only know that this ‘Judicial Review Court’s Revised Records of Washing Away Injustice’ was his painstaking work, a criminal justice classic that could go down in history. At the time, this text was printed by the Imperial Academy’s Literary Institute and distributed to local government offices. I don’t believe the Prefect hasn’t read it.”
Huo Huaixin still couldn’t speak. He stared at Qin Wan in astonishment, never expecting a young lady to know so much.
Yes, he had read it, not only read it but studied and memorized it.
Back then, he had just been promoted to Prefect, full of passion to establish virtue for heaven and earth and secure the welfare of the people, but things were different now.
Both ashamed and angry, Huo Huaixin turned and vented his anger on the coroner Xu He standing behind him. “Xu He, what’s wrong with you?! Why haven’t you examined the corpse thoroughly?!”
Having heard the entire dispute clearly, Xu He immediately knelt. “Sir, I lack experience and have never performed an autopsy before… besides, you’ve never asked me to perform one…”
Huo Huaixin kicked Xu He. “Stop talking nonsense! What do we keep you at the yamen for? Can’t you even handle such a small matter?!”
Huo Huaixin had lost his composure, while Qin Wan silently shook her head looking at Xu He, who appeared to be only in his early thirties.
In the profession of coroners, Xu He was still too young. The accuracy of examinations depends entirely on the depth of experience. Moreover, autopsies were extremely difficult – without proper teaching and opportunities to practice, how could he dare to attempt one?
Qin Wan smiled slightly at Huo Huaixin’s exasperated appearance. “Prefect, please calm down. I say all this only because I feel you’ve been too hasty with this case.” After a brief pause, Qin Wan continued, “If I can prove this case isn’t so simple, what will the Prefect do?”
Huo Huaixin turned around, staring at Qin Wan with wide eyes. “You? How would you prove it?”
Qin Wan’s smile was faint. “First, tell me what you’ll do if I can prove it?”
Huo Huaixin puffed up his chest. At his age, he had been provoked to anger by Qin Wan. “You tell me, whatever you say goes. Let’s see what ability Ninth Miss has!”
Qin Wan’s smile remained light, her eyes bright and clear, reflecting the manor’s brilliant lanterns like a deep spring full of stars. “I wouldn’t dare ask much of the Prefect. How about copying the ‘Judicial Review Court’s Revised Records of Washing Away Injustice’ ten times?”
Copy the book?! And it had to be Shen Yi’s book that he had just mocked?!
Huo Huaixin’s face burned, but he had already given his word – how could he take it back now?
“Fine! As you wish! But how will you prove it?!”
Qin Wan’s smile faded, her gaze suddenly becoming deep and dark.
She looked at Huo Huaixin, her voice like a blade, “I want to examine the corpse.”