“How did Miss come to examine corpses?” After holding it in all night, Fuling finally asked. She had wanted to get to the bottom of it last night, but seeing how exhausted Qin Wan was, she only felt sympathy and forced herself not to ask.
Qin Wan put down her porridge spoon and wiped her lips with a silk handkerchief before responding, “As a healer who can treat all ailments, naturally, I can also help examine corpses. Should I have watched Second Young Master be wrongly accused?”
Fuling pressed her lips together, “But… but if others learn that Miss has touched a dead person, what then… Besides, examining corpses is done by coroners, who are of low status. How could Miss…”
Qin Wan stood up, “What does it matter if I’ve touched a dead person? I’ve even lain in a coffin myself.”
Fuling was suddenly at a loss for words. Seeing Qin Wan’s composed demeanor, she felt she needn’t worry too much.
Qin Wan wore the sky-blue damask dress with embroidered flowers that Madam Jiang had given her last night. The dress flowed gracefully, its gauze-like mist as if cut from the springtime’s indigo mountain haze or a patch of crystal-clear sky. It complemented Qin Wan’s jade-like complexion, making her appear exceptionally pure and beautiful.
“Don’t worry, only a few people know about this. Outside, they only know I practice medicine, not that I helped examine a corpse.” It was still early, and as Qin Wan pushed open the window, she found the courtyard’s scenery increasingly elegant and pleasant.
Qin Wan paused, suddenly turning to look at Fuling, “Would you like to learn medicine with me?”
Fuling was stunned, staring at Qin Wan in bewilderment.
She was just a servant, and though she had resolved to follow Qin Wan, she had never expected to receive anything from her. Having enough food and warm clothes was sufficient. She was confused about how Qin Wan had such excellent medical skills and had never imagined she would teach her.
“This servant… why would Miss think of teaching this servant medicine?”
Qin Wan felt somewhat apologetic toward Fuling. She wasn’t Qin Wan, yet now she had become Qin Wan, unwittingly receiving this little maid’s loyalty, while the maid didn’t know her true mistress had already passed away.
In this world, it was extremely difficult for women to survive. If something were to happen one day, she didn’t want this little maid to hang herself again for her sake. Teaching her medicine would firstly mean she wouldn’t have to hide everything from her, and secondly, having a skill was always beneficial.
“Life is difficult for us master and servant. Before, I was too soft and didn’t think things through thoroughly. Now I don’t want to be bullied anymore. Practicing medicine to save people not only accumulates virtue but also provides a way to make a living.”
Fuling’s eyes immediately reddened, “Miss… alright, whatever Miss says. Fuling is willing to learn!”
Qin Wan’s lips curved slightly, revealing a dimple on her right cheek, “That’s good then. We’ll start from the simple and progress to the difficult, learning as much as fate allows.”
Fuling nodded repeatedly, about to speak when footsteps were heard outside. Qin Wan turned to see Lu Yun hurrying over, “Young Miss Nine, the Princess Supreme has awakened. Please come quickly—”
Qin Wan’s expression turned serious, and she immediately left. She had been waiting for news from there.
Moving quickly, they reached the Princess Supreme’s Wooden Hairpin Flower Courtyard in less than half a cup of tea’s time. Madam Jiang, Yue Qiong, and others were all there. Seeing Qin Wan arrive, they hurriedly made their way. Without time for formal greetings, Qin Wan went straight to the Princess Supreme’s bedside.
On the bed, the Princess Supreme had her eyes slightly open, clearly awake.
“Your Highness Princess Supreme?”
Qin Wan spoke softly, calling gently near the Princess Supreme’s ear. The Princess Supreme’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her lips moved, but no words came out. Qin Wan checked her pupils, felt her pulse, and examined the wound before finally letting out a breath.
“My Lord, Madam, Her Highness’s wound shows no signs of infection, and her pulse has stabilized. This time it should be successful, though we can’t be careless going forward. It will still be quite difficult for the Princess Supreme to recover completely.”
Qin Wan’s words reassured everyone, and Madam Jiang couldn’t help but immediately press her palms together to pray to the Buddha.
The day before yesterday, Yue Jia’s wedding had gone awry, yesterday the Princess Supreme had been critically ill, and Yue Qing had been accused of murder. The entire An Yang Marquis’s mansion had been in dire straits. However, in just one night, except for Yue Jia’s wedding which remained a pain in everyone’s hearts, the other two matters had passed safely through the crisis, all thanks to Qin Wan alone.
“The Princess Supreme’s awakening is a good sign, but she needs quiet rest. My Lord and Madam can rest assured.”
Qin Wan added another sentence. Seeing the Princess Supreme drift back to sleep, everyone began to withdraw. Just as they had taken two steps out, Yang Xi came hurrying from outside, “My Lord, the Magistrate has arrived. He says the truth about Lin Daxing’s case has been discovered, and he requests My Lord, Madam, and the young masters and misses to hear the case. The Magistrate specifically asked for Young Miss Nine to attend as well—”
Yue Qiong and Madam Jiang exchanged glances, and Madam Jiang quickly took Qin Wan toward the front courtyard.
In the front courtyard, Huo Huaixin was indeed waiting. Though only one night had passed, he still wore last night’s formal clothes, now full of wrinkles. Huo Huaixin himself had dark circles under his eyes and stubble on his chin, clearly having not slept all night!
Seeing Yue Qiong and the others arrive, Huo Huaixin quickly cupped his hands, “My Lord, Madam, with Young Miss Nine’s help last night, I returned to the yamen and thoroughly reinvestigated the case through the night. Now the killer has been found!”
Huo Huaixin didn’t even sit down. Though exhausted and dejected, his eyes were extremely bright.
Yue Qing couldn’t help but ask, “Who is the killer?”
Huo Huaixin furrowed his brow and looked toward Qin Wan, “The killer is none other than Wei Wu, whom Young Miss Nine discovered was lying!”
Everyone exclaimed in surprise. Huo Huaixin continued, “After returning to the yamen, though Wei Wu still insisted it was Second Young Master, I left him aside and questioned the others separately. When questioned more, their testimonies didn’t match up. It turns out they didn’t all discover Lin Daxing together – Wei Wu found him first. It was also Wei Wu who insisted everyone help Lin Daxing seek justice, saying they would get a share of the compensation money from the An Yang Marquis’s mansion!”
Having uncovered the truth in one night, Huo Huaixin hadn’t disappointed everyone, and he spoke with more confidence than the night before.
“Upon hearing this, I knew Wei Wu must have serious issues. While questioning him, I ordered people to search his home. During the search, they found bloody clothing. Moreover, when questioning others, they said that although Wei Wu was a foreman, he used to do pile-driving work and regularly used an iron hammer. Combining the bloody clothes with everyone’s testimony and Young Miss Nine’s examination report, when confronted with this evidence, Wei Wu’s deception was completely exposed. By this morning’s interrogation, he had confessed everything!”
Yue Qing frowned, “He killed Lin Daxing?”
Huo Huaixin nodded, “Indeed. That day after the Second Young Master beat Lin Daxing, Lin Daxing wanted to buy medicine for his injuries but had no money, so he went to foreman Wei Wu to ask for his overdue wages. Wei Wu was an alcoholic who often withheld his workers’ wages, and that day he had just spent all his money on wine, so how could he pay?”
“Lin Daxing knew about this habit of his and started cursing and exposing him, even threatening to tell the guard captain of the city defense. Wei Wu panicked, and during their scuffle, he swung his hammer and struck. Lin Daxing immediately coughed blood and died. Wei Wu was terrified, but remembering that Lin Daxing had recently fought with Second Young Master, he framed him for the murder.”
Having finished his explanation in one breath, Huo Huaixin’s face showed both the satisfaction of catching the real killer and a hint of pride. Although he had nearly wrongly accused Yue Qing, solving the entire case in one night showed remarkable efficiency.
With the facts of the case clear, it was an explanation owed to the Yue family and Qin Wan. Madam Jiang showed disgust, “That Wei Wu claimed to seek justice for Lin Daxing, I thought he was righteous, but he turned out to be the killer himself!”
Yue Jia and Yue Ning also showed agreement, but Qin Wan’s expression remained unchanged. She had already guessed this.
The evil in people’s hearts was beyond what ordinary good people could imagine. Think about it – Wei Wu and Lin Daxing weren’t family or close friends, yet he dared to confront the An Yang Marquis’s mansion for him. He was either seeking profit or trying to cover something up; there was only a small chance he was standing up for a brother. Yet when she discovered he was lying – why would an upright person lie?
“This time we almost created a wrongful conviction, fortunately, we had Young Miss Nine. Young Miss Nine, rest assured, my bet with you stands – I’ll copy the books as promised. Now that the case is concluded, I can finally rest easy, otherwise, I would have truly failed My Lord.”
Yue Qiong patted Huo Huaixin’s shoulder, “Brother Huo is upright and candid. Since this case has been solved, let’s not mention it again. Lin Daxing’s death still has some connection to Qing’er, so let Qing’er handle the aftermath and compensation.”
Yue Qing quickly bowed, “That’s exactly right. Magistrate, please be assured, I will certainly take full care of Lin Daxing’s mother.”
This outcome was quite satisfactory. Huo Huaixin cupped his hands again, “I admire My Lord’s great virtue. Now that everything has been explained clearly, I shall take my leave. Having not slept all night, and needing to go to the public mortuary this afternoon, I bid farewell.”
Yue Qiong quickly frowned, “Going to the mortuary – is it about Miss Song…”
Huo Huaixin nodded, “Indeed. Speaking of which, this case is the most difficult one. My Lord understands, I won’t say more. Rest assured, My Lord, as soon as there’s any news, the Marquis’s mansion will be the first to know.”
Huo Huaixin bowed once more and turned to leave. Qin Wan frowned and asked, “Is there no clue at all in Miss Song’s case?”
Yue Qiong turned and sighed, “None. Logically, when the killer murdered someone in the bridal sedan, they should have left some traces, but that sedan had no mechanism, and not even extra bloodstains were found. It’s as if Miss Song’s head was taken away by thin air…”
Madam Jiang’s expression changed several times, “Could it be a ghost seeking revenge—”
Taking a living person’s head in a bridal sedan under everyone’s watch, yet leaving no trace – it was both brutal and beyond human capability. It did indeed seem like a ghost seeking revenge, but were there ghosts in this world?
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes – more frightening than ghosts were humans.