Qin Wan’s brows furrowed deeply. The funeral home was on fire?! The funeral home was on fire?!
They had just decided last night to examine the corpse this morning, yet tonight the funeral home caught fire?!
Qin Wan took a deep breath, “When did the fire start? What’s the current situation?”
“The fire started late last night. At dawn, the funeral home guards reported the situation to the government office. Magistrate Huo went to the funeral home first, and seeing the unfavorable situation, he sent someone to the Marquis’s mansion. Both the Marquis and the Master have gone there now. The Marquis asked me to inform Ninth Miss that because of this big fire, the corpse examination might not be possible, so Miss need not go there for now.”
Though it was early as planned, even now the sky was barely a dim gray and had not yet brightened. The autumn morning’s chill made Qin Wan feel cold. She wrapped her cloak tighter and said with furrowed brows, “Whether we can examine it or not, we’ll only know once we get there.”
Bai Feng was startled. Qin Wan continued, “I’ll still trouble Guard Bai to take me to the funeral home.”
Hearing this, Bai Feng’s eternally calm face showed a faint smile. Qin Wan was slightly surprised, “What is it?”
Bai Feng stepped aside, pointing to a small horse carriage covered in blue cloth parked not far from the mansion gate. “The Marquis and Master both said to just inform Miss that there was no need to go, but Master later said to bring the carriage anyway. Given Miss’s personality, he thought you would likely want to go to the funeral home, and it wouldn’t be appropriate if I had only come on horseback.”
Qin Wan blinked, somehow feeling uncomfortable under Bai Feng’s slightly smiling gaze. As she walked toward the carriage, she thought about how Yan Chi was indeed sharp-eyed and perceptive to have accurately predicted her thoughts.
After boarding the carriage, Qin Wan settled her mind. Last night, everyone present had been trustworthy. Princess Tai Chang had set the corpse examination for this morning precisely to prevent any overnight complications, yet in just one night, something had still gone wrong.
First attempting to kill her, then upon learning about the funeral home examination, setting fire to it – the purpose was truly obvious.
The more desperately the person behind this tried to prevent her from examining the corpse, the more it showed their fear and the more likely there were important clues to be found on Song Rou’s body.
Thinking this way, Qin Wan only hoped Song Rou’s corpse hadn’t been burned beyond recognition.
“Miss, autumn is dry, and the funeral home is full of incense and old paper effigies – it’s indeed very dangerous. Since there was a fire, Miss Song’s remains have probably been burned beyond recognition. There’s no use in you going.”
Qin Wan shook her head, “Whether we can examine the corpse or not, we’ll only know after seeing it.”
Fu Ling silently nodded, mentally noting down everything Qin Wan had said.
As the carriage wheels rolled on, the cabin fell silent. Qin Wan carefully considered everyone’s expressions, finding Wei Yan Zhi’s particularly strange. She collected herself, and before long, the carriage stopped in front of the funeral home.
By now, the sky had only barely begun to brighten. As the carriage steadied, Qin Wan stepped down and saw Huo Huai Xin striding out from inside. “Ninth Miss is here? Ah, there was a fire last night. Ninth Miss didn’t need to make this trip today. We’ve made Miss come all this way for nothing…”
Before he finished speaking, Yan Chi and Yue Qiong had already walked out. Qin Wan curtsied to them all, “Has the cause of the fire been determined?”
As Qin Wan asked, she noticed smoke still rising from the left rear side of the funeral home, unsure if the fire had been completely extinguished.
“The cause… we don’t know yet. However, the funeral home is indeed prone to fires. This funeral home has been here for many years, most of the beams are decayed, and with the constant incense smoke plus paper effigies everywhere, even a small spark could start a fire. Uncle Kuan has watched over the funeral home for many years without incident, but last night…”
“Is the fire out? Which areas were burned?”
Qin Wan showed no intention of leaving. She merely glanced at the still-intact entrance of the funeral home, unable to determine from this angle which areas had been burned. Huo Huai Xin sighed, “The fire is temporarily out. The main damage is to three or four rooms on the left side, and while the other rooms are fine, the most important was the side hall where Miss Song was placed.”
Huo Huai Xin gestured with his hand, his face full of worry. “We agreed last night to examine the corpse today, but now we can’t. Miss Song’s body has been burned beyond recognition. Ah, I don’t know what to do…”
“Would Magistrate allow Qin Wan to take a look?”
Huo Huai Xin certainly wouldn’t refuse, stepping aside and gesturing, “Ninth Miss, please come in. Though the funeral home is now filled with smoke and chaos, we apologize for the trouble…”
Qin Wan stepped up onto the stairs and met Yan Chi’s eyes. After their brief eye contact, Qin Wan looked into the funeral home where Uncle Kuan still stood in his black clothes in the darkness, nodding at her as she entered.
“Ninth Miss, this way. Miss Song’s remains have been moved from the side hall to that room.”
Huo Huai Xin pointed to another room, but Qin Wan walked to the front of the original side hall. Standing outside, she saw that as Huo Huai Xin had said, the left side rooms had indeed been severely burned, with the room housing Song Rou being the worst. The doors and windows were burned away, and one corner of the beam was barely hanging on.
“Fortunately, Uncle Kuan discovered it early, otherwise the entire funeral home might have burned down. Still, it’s such a pity. If only we had examined the corpse last night…”
As Huo Huai Xin lamented, Qin Wan frowned, “Only this room was burned so severely, but that doesn’t make sense. This room had many ice basins, and ice melts with water. There’s no reason this place should have burned the worst.”
Speaking, Qin Wan suddenly twitched her nose. She sniffed lightly a couple of times, then slowly walked forward. As she was about to enter the burned and dilapidated room, Yan Chi spoke, “Don’t go in, it’s dangerous.”
Qin Wan stopped, indeed not entering, but walked around the wall instead. She went straight to the window where the wooden frames had burned away, leaving only several square holes in the wall. Qin Wan looked outside, seeing only a row of dilapidated civilian houses. The houses closest to the funeral home had been uninhabited for many years.
“Ninth Miss, what is it?” Seeing Qin Wan’s contemplative expression, Huo Huai Xin couldn’t help asking.
“Don’t you smell it? There’s a strange odor…”
At these words, Huo Huai Xin walked over sniffing, “What smell? The funeral home only has incense and rot… oh, there is indeed some strange smell here…”
Yue Qiong and Yan Chi exchanged glances, and Yan Chi also came forward. He sniffed and suddenly frowned, “It’s tung oil—”
Qin Wan turned to look at Yan Chi, “Yes, it is tung oil.” She continued, “Strange that this room had so many ice basins yet they had no effect. So it was tung oil…”
Huo Huai Xin was slightly stunned, “The funeral home uses butter oil for lamps.”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “Tung oil is highly flammable, common, and not easily extinguished by water. If the funeral home doesn’t use tung oil, then this tung oil must have come from outside. Someone knew we were examining the corpse this morning, so they came late at night to start the fire. They knew tung oil would have a smell, but with the strong incense and corpse odors in the funeral home, they weren’t worried.”
Huo Huai Xin’s eyes trembled slightly, “Ninth Miss means the arsonist is the murderer? But how did the murderer know we were coming to examine the corpse this morning…” Then Huo Huai Xin frowned, “Among those present last night, was the murderer?”
Qin Wan nodded, “It’s possible…”
“But among those present last night, only Young Master Wei was from the Song family guard!”
With only the four of them present, Huo Huai Xin spoke directly.
Qin Wan raised her chin slightly, “Sometimes the person who seems least likely is the one most worth suspecting.” She walked toward the room Huo Huai Xin had pointed to earlier, “In any case, let’s examine the corpse first…”
Huo Huai Xin worried, “Ninth Miss, I’m afraid we can’t examine it anymore. You’ll understand when you see it.”
Qin Wan felt somewhat heavy-hearted. Given the degree of damage to the room earlier, Song Rou’s remains surely wouldn’t be well preserved. With this thought in mind, when Qin Wan saw Song Rou’s remains, she wasn’t as disappointed.
This was another side hall, much more spacious and bright compared to the previous one. Without all the colorful paper effigies and that striking red wedding dress, it lacked that horrifying feeling. Song Rou’s remains were placed on a long table, looking as ordinary as any corpse Qin Wan had seen before.
Song Rou’s body had just been moved here, and white vinegar was sprinkled in the corners of the room. Even so, it was still difficult to mask the rotting stench from the corpse, but it was precisely this putrid smell that slightly relieved Qin Wan’s heart.
If even the corpse smell had been burned away, then Qin Wan would truly have been helpless.
“It’s all charred, Ninth Miss, can it still be examined?”
Three days ago when Qin Wan came, the body had already begun to swell and decay. Another three days had passed, and even with ice basins, Song Rou’s body would have deteriorated further. But now it wasn’t so apparent, because Song Rou’s newly changed hemp clothing had been burned and stuck to her decomposing flesh, while her exposed hands, feet, and bare neck were all scorched black. Looking from afar, Qin Wan knew without touching that those tissues must now be as hard as leather.
Though Song Rou indeed appeared to be burned, Qin Wan nodded, “We can examine it.”
Huo Huai Xin’s eyes lit up, almost overjoyed, “It can still be examined even burned like this? Is Ninth Miss certain?”
Qin Wan nodded, “Are all the necessary items prepared?”
At this question, Huo Huai Xin’s face showed apology, “About that, I’m afraid we’ll need Miss to wait a moment. Earlier, Xu He came with the items, but after seeing this, both he and I thought the examination would be impossible, so I sent him back to the office. Please wait, Miss, I’ll send someone to fetch him right away. Two-quarters of an hour at most!”
Qin Wan nodded, and Huo Huai Xin turned to leave and give orders.
As Huo Huai Xin left, Yan Chi came forward, “How can you examine a body burned like this?”
Qin Wan explained, “Burns on a person can be classified into several degrees. The mildest results in redness and a burning sensation that can heal with some medicine, like when one gets too close to a charcoal fire in winter. More severe burns cause blisters, like being hit by sparks. These burns are extremely painful, must be kept dry, easily become infected, take many days to heal, and will leave scars.”
Since they had to wait for Xu He anyway, Qin Wan explained methodically to Yan Chi. Halfway through, Huo Huai Xin returned but didn’t interrupt as she continued slowly, “More severe cases, like Miss Song’s remains here, form black eschars where burned, feeling like leather to the touch, no longer having the texture of skin, and the surface temperature is extremely low. For the living, even burns of this degree can be treated if the affected area isn’t too large, though healing is very slow. For the deceased, examination involves looking at the internal tissues, and searching for traces in deeper flesh and organs, so even with surface burns like this, an internal examination is still possible. However, examining the surface becomes very difficult – for example, we can no longer see calluses on the hands.”
Huo Huai Xin couldn’t help asking, “What about even more severe cases?”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “More severe cases involve burning part or all of a person to a charcoal-like state.”
Huo Huai Xin’s eyes widened slightly, and Qin Wan continued, “Generally if someone is burned alive until they’re charcoal-like, the body will usually be in a contracted defensive position, black in color, light and brittle.”
After hearing Qin Wan’s explanation, Huo Huai Xin expressed great admiration, “Did Ninth Miss learn these things from medical books or Lord Shen Yi’s writings?”
Qin Wan turned to glance at him, “I learned some from Lord Shen’s medical texts, and combined with my medical studies, I’ve gained a more complete understanding.”
Huo Huai Xin praised repeatedly, “Ninth Miss knows both forensic techniques and possesses exceptional medical skills, truly different from ordinary coroners.”
Qin Wan’s lips curved slightly but she remained silent, then began examining Song Rou’s remains. The body’s surface had formed eschars from the burning, which covered the frightening purple-green postmortem lividity. Similarly, the nauseating bloody fluid and rotting flesh from the decomposition had been burned away. Song Rou’s corpse now looked more like an irregularly shaped piece of charred wood.
After examining for a moment, Qin Wan raised her chin, signaling Fu Ling to remove her cloak. Today, Fu Ling wasn’t as frightened as before, boldly stepping forward to assist Qin Wan, holding the cloak while standing aside. Fu Ling’s gaze toward Qin Wan was full of admiration – she had never imagined her young mistress could be so learned and talented.
Qin Wan took out a fragrance pouch from her sleeve pocket, then retrieved some Su He Xiang pills, giving one to Yan Chi and the others, while taking one herself. She drew out Han Yue, put on her protective gloves, and then took out a strange object from her sleeve to wear on her face.
It wasn’t quite a mask, as it only covered her mouth and nose. Moreover, it was made of cotton cloth, and stranger still, it had two loops that hung over her ears. Though its appearance was somewhat odd, it was indeed a simple yet clever way to prevent directly inhaling the unclean air during the autopsy and keep blood splatter from hitting her face. With her delicate features partially hidden, it intensified that meticulous coldness about her. The icy Han Yue seemed to become one with her, creating an inexplicably solemn and imposing presence.
She stood quietly before the long table observing the corpse, now fully prepared. After waiting a short while, Xu He came running in, sweating profusely, carrying a large box that seemed ill-suited to his frame…
“My Lord! I’ve arrived!”
Xu He was out of breath from running, but his eyes lit up when he saw Qin Wan standing behind the long table holding Han Yue. Not even bothering to bow to Yue Qiong and Yan Chi, he hurriedly opened the box to light the purifying incense, then set out the white vinegar and other items Qin Wan might need, and took out the examination papers and brushes. When he stood up, his legs were still somewhat weak!
He never imagined that when he and Huo Huai Xin thought the examination impossible, Qin Wan would say it could be done!
Xu He’s eyes shone with excitement. He wasn’t afraid of the charred corpse before him; he just hadn’t known how to proceed with such a body. Looking at Qin Wan, who now wore an additional face covering, Xu He couldn’t help but feel his blood boiling with enthusiasm!
“I’m going to begin. Please help record, Coroner Xu.”
Xu He nodded vigorously. This time, Yan Chi didn’t compete with Xu He for the task – in his view, standing aside to admire Qin Wan performing the examination was also quite wonderful.
Qin Wan collected herself and made her first incision two inches below the left ribs.
Han Yue’s unique design made it more delicate and convenient than any dissection knife she had seen before. Qin Wan began to appreciate Yan Chi’s generous gift. She didn’t immediately begin the internal examination, but instead gradually cleared away the eschars from the corpse’s abdomen – both the burned hemp clothing and the body’s original epidermis.
Huo Huai Xin had thought Song Rou’s body was completely charred, at least on the surface, but as Qin Wan used Han Yue to carefully clear away the eschars, the strangely colored flesh beneath the skin was revealed again. Huo Huai Xin felt acid rising in his stomach, but only managed to hold it down by clenching his teeth.
This wasn’t his first time watching Qin Wan perform an autopsy – how could he lose face now?!
Like Huo Huai Xin, Fu Ling could barely contain herself, because Qin Wan wasn’t just clearing a small area, but the entire region from Song Rou’s chest down to her lower abdomen. It was a large patch of mottled flesh – the body’s surface could no longer bleed, showing only purple-black blood vessel networks and yellow fatty masses that Fu Ling couldn’t identify, combined into a mottled and nauseating scene that challenged Fu Ling’s tolerance limit.
Yet Qin Wan maintained her calm expression.
“The body surface is severely burned. This examination will focus on internal dissection.”
After clearing the eschars from the chest and abdomen area, she began her incision. Han Yue easily cut through the corpse’s abdomen, releasing a powerful stench. Fu Ling, standing nearby, nearly fainted from the smell. It was hard to imagine what torture Qin Wan was enduring being closest to it, yet her knife never hesitated. She cut deep, quickly opening up the abdomen. Her knife moved carefully within the corpse’s abdomen, and soon she removed something and placed it on a nearby tray.
“The deceased died nearly nine days ago. Only small residue remains in the stomach, nature currently unknown.”
After saying this, her knife slowly moved downward toward Song Rou’s lower abdomen. Huo Huai Xin and the others watched her movements from a distance. This female autopsy was completely different from the male one they had witnessed before. The previous one had been fresh and bloody, while this one involved a decomposed and burned corpse, making it more challenging. Beyond the bloody aspects, it presented nauseating scenes that most people couldn’t tolerate, yet Qin Wan remained as composed as before.
While Huo Huai Xin had mostly admired Qin Wan before, now he felt deep respect. Looking at Qin Wan, then thinking of his own Huo Ning who had been secluded these past days, Huo Huai Xin could only sigh deeply – he probably wouldn’t have the chance to make Qin Wan his daughter-in-law. Huo Ning didn’t have such fortune, nor did the Huo family!
Qin Wan’s hand movements were minimal but extremely steady. At one point, her slightly bent form suddenly stiffened – a change noticed even by Yue Qiong at the furthest distance. Huo Huai Xin couldn’t help asking, “Ninth Miss, what is it?”
Qin Wan came to her senses, seeming to want to confirm something as she bent down to examine further for a moment. Soon, she straightened up, her eyes showing not just their usual calmness but also additional gravity and disbelief.
Huo Huai Xin and Yue Qiong exchanged glances before Huo Huai Xin asked again, “Ninth Miss, what’s wrong? What happened?”
Qin Wan glanced at Huo Huai Xin, then at Yue Qiong, before lowering her eyes and speaking in her usual calm examination voice, “The deceased’s pelvis is larger and tilted backward, with wider pubic bones than typical for women, and the uterus is positioned lower…”
Qin Wan’s voice held a trace of difficulty. When she finished, Huo Huai Xin anxiously asked, “What does that mean?”
Xu He dropped his examination papers and brush with a “plop,” “My Lord… Ninth Miss means… means Miss Song had been pregnant before this…”
“What?!” Huo Huai Xin’s eyes suddenly widened. Looking over, he saw Yue Qiong’s brows tightly knitted, his face deathly pale. Huo Huai Xin’s throat tightened, “Marquis, this…”
The marriage alliance between the Song Duke’s mansion and the An Yang Marquis’s household had seemed like a good thing, and with the Emperor’s blessing, it could even be considered an imperial marriage. Yet now they discovered that the Song family’s daughter had been pregnant before?!
Song Rou’s birth chart showed she was only seventeen this year, in the prime of youth – how could she have been pregnant?!
Thinking this through, it became clear that Song Rou had engaged in improper behavior before, not only committing those unsavory acts but also becoming pregnant. The Song Duke’s mansion must have known this. Yue Qiong clenched his fists, thinking of the earlier discovery that all of Song Rou’s attendants had been replaced. He finally understood the reason – it was to conceal this matter!
Yue Qiong wasn’t one to lose his temper or act rashly. He merely said in a deep voice, “Let’s wait for Ninth Miss to finish! This may not be related to her murder case… this… is another matter entirely!”
By the last word, his tone carried a dangerous edge. Huo Huai Xin understood Yue Qiong’s resentment at being deceived and was also shocked by the Song Duke mansion’s audacity, but he didn’t want to be drawn into the struggle between these two powerful families. He quickly followed Yue Qiong’s lead and changed the subject, “Ninth Miss, please continue…”
“Based on the width of the deceased’s pelvis and the degree of backward tilt, the pregnancy wasn’t full-term, and the uterus has returned to its original size. I estimate she miscarried two months ago.”
Qin Wan’s tone remained steady, “The private areas and lower abdomen are too decomposed to determine the exact time of miscarriage, but I can estimate the pregnancy was between five and six months, likely an early miscarriage.”
The miscarriage happened two months ago, with the pregnancy at five to six months – calculating backward, this coincided with the time of the bite mark on Song Rou’s shoulder. This confirmed Qin Wan’s earlier suspicions: Song Rou had indeed been intimate with another man, and had even become pregnant. But who was the man she had been intimate with?
Connecting this with what Yue Ning had said about how the Song family originally intended to have Wei Yan Zhi’s legitimate elder brother escort the bride but changed their minds at the last moment – could it be… that Wei Yan Zhi’s elder brother had been involved with Song Rou? But what did this have to do with Song Rou’s death?
“By this calculation, she miscarried one month before the wedding, and after recovering, she got married.” Huo Huai Xin spoke rather nervously, afraid of triggering Yue Qiong’s anger. Fortunately, Yue Qiong knew the gravity of the situation.
Yue Qiong also said, “The Song family’s daughter had been intimate with another man before this, likely someone very close to the Duke’s mansion. But this time Wei Yan Zhi came as the escort – surely the Duke wouldn’t have sent the man who had been intimate with his daughter to escort her?”
Yue Qiong’s expression darkened with anger. The Song Duke’s mansion, knowing Song Rou had been intimate with another man, still married such an impure daughter to the unsuspecting An Yang Marquis’s household – this was an extreme insult to the An Yang Marquis’s mansion. They had replaced Song Rou’s attendants to cover things up, but they wouldn’t dare let the man who had been intimate with Song Rou escort her. No matter how arrogant the Song Duke’s mansion was, they wouldn’t dare act so brazenly!
Huo Huai Xin nodded, “Yes, that makes sense. Also, Young Master Wei mentioned that his legitimate elder brother was originally supposed to escort the bride but broke his leg in a horse-riding accident, leading to the last-minute change. Could it be…”
Huo Huai Xin looked at Yue Qiong, who gave a cold laugh, “It’s certainly possible. Moreover, I believe Young Master Wei couldn’t have been completely ignorant of this matter. When we return to the mansion, I must question him thoroughly.”
“But how did Song Rou die? Young Master Wei’s elder brother didn’t even come!”
While Huo Huai Xin and Yue Qiong discussed this, Qin Wan continued examining Song Rou’s internal organs. Gradually, sweat gathered on her forehead as the room’s putrid stench grew stronger, overpowering even the purifying incense. Qin Wan raised her hand, awkwardly wiping her forehead with her arm, her brows tightly furrowed.
Though she had discovered a shocking secret, this secret had no direct connection to the case. Qin Wan wanted to find clues directly related to the case. She felt somewhat anxious – this examination would likely cause difficulties for Princess Tai Chang and Yan Chi. If she couldn’t find useful evidence, they would have wasted an opportunity, and as time passed, Song Rou’s body would decay further, making it impossible to find anything.
Qin Wan’s expression was grave. Nine days had passed, the external examination revealed nothing special, and even after finding the murder site, they still couldn’t locate Song Rou’s head. Qin Wan instinctively felt the most crucial evidence would be on Song Rou’s head, yet it remained missing…
Unwilling to give up, Qin Wan examined Song Rou’s stomach again. After so much time, this was the most likely place to find other clues. Song Rou’s body had begun decomposing from the private areas, and in ten to fifteen days, her internal organs would be consumed by maggots. By then, even an examination would reveal nothing.
After nine days, very little remained in Song Rou’s stomach, mixed with other decomposed matter in a nauseating black mush. Qin Wan scraped every corner of Song Rou’s stomach clean, then looked at Xu He, “Bring water.”
Xu He hurriedly fetched clean water. Qin Wan pondered for a moment, “Could you find a white porcelain teacup?”
Naturally, Huo Huai Xin would fulfill any of Qin Wan’s requests, but being in a funeral home had its limitations. “Please wait, Ninth Miss. I’ll send someone to buy the best one from the street.”
“No need, as long as it’s clean.”
At Qin Wan’s instruction, both Xu He and Huo Huai Xin left.
Shortly after, Xu He returned holding a teacup with a chipped rim, “Will this do, Ninth Miss?”
Qin Wan took it, noting that despite the chipped rim, the inside was mirror-bright. She nodded immediately, turned, and placed all the contaminated matter from the tray into the teacup, then added clean water. This dissolved the matter, and after letting it settle, she poured off the dirty water. After repeating this several times, only some sediment remained in the cup.
“Ninth Miss, what are you doing?”
Qin Wan pressed her lips together and said, “These are from Song Rou’s stomach. I want to see if there’s anything related to the case.” She paused, “There’s too little, and it’s too decomposed to decide.”
Speaking thus, Qin Wan continued examining the body. Soon, a horrible stench of excrement spread out!
Huo Huai Xin couldn’t help covering his nose and mouth, “Ninth Miss, this…”
“When a body decomposes, it produces foul gases inside, causing stomach contents to flow into the intestines.”
Huo Huai Xin glanced at Xu He, who also looked barely able to endure. However, he understood Qin Wan’s meaning – she had likely opened the deceased’s large intestine, which typically contained excrement.
Shortly after, Qin Wan placed something else on the tray. When Xu He saw it, he almost vomited – the black mass was the corpse’s excrement…
Huo Huai Xin could no longer help turning away. While Yan Chi wasn’t afraid of blood, even he couldn’t help frowning at the room’s current smell. Looking at Qin Wan, though, he saw only concentration and tension in her expression, without any trace of disgust. He was quite moved by this, and his frown gradually relaxed.
Following the same method, soon more sediment appeared at the bottom of the white porcelain teacup.
Huo Huai Xin blinked, suppressing the acid rising in his stomach, “Ahem, actually, discovering Miss Song’s previous pregnancy is already extremely helpful. I believe others didn’t know about this, but Wei Yan Zhi must have known. Pregnancy and miscarriage are such major events, impossible to hide from everyone – they could only try to cover it up. Wei Yan Zhi must know something.”
He paused, then looked at Yue Qiong, “Marquis, why don’t we return to the mansion now to question Wei Yan Zhi, see what he has to say…” Then looking at Qin Wan, “Ninth Miss should come too.”
Qin Wan was indeed curious about what Wei Yan Zhi would say. Looking at the corpse before her, she had explored all the investigative angles she could think of. The rest would depend on Huo Huai Xin gathering clues. After pondering for a moment, she nodded and then did some basic processing of the body. Except for the exposed flesh of the chest and abdomen that couldn’t be covered, it looked as if it hadn’t been examined. After washing her hands, Qin Wan took out a silk handkerchief and wrapped up all the sediment from the bottom of the white porcelain teacup.
Xu He asked in surprise, “What is Ninth Miss doing?”
Qin Wan replied calmly, “Taking it back to see if we can identify what these are. After nine days, her stomach should have been empty, yet these sediments remain. They must be something other than food.”
Xu He nodded, while Huo Huai Xin didn’t hold much hope. Song Rou had traveled south under difficult conditions – it wouldn’t be strange if some hard-to-digest dry rations remained. He gave instructions to Uncle Kuan, then led everyone straight to the Marquis’s mansion.
In the carriage, Qin Wan sat lost in thought, holding the still-malodorous silk handkerchief. Fu Ling frowned, somewhat disgustedly taking the handkerchief, “It’s so smelly, let your servant hold it, Miss. Don’t touch it anymore. We’re going to the Marquis’s mansion – Miss should put on some fragrance.” She took out her handkerchief and wrapped it layer upon layer until the smell couldn’t be detected, then put it in her sleeve pocket.
Qin Wan instructed, “Don’t lose it under any circumstances.”
Fu Ling nodded. Though she disliked the smell, she would take Qin Wan’s instructions to heart!
Thinking this, Fu Ling sighed, “I never imagined such a universally envied marriage would have this kind of background. If I were the Marquis, I’d probably be furious enough to collapse…”
Qin Wan shook her head at Fu Ling, “Don’t speak more of this matter.”
Fu Ling quickly lowered her voice, “I understand. Once I leave the carriage, I won’t say a single word.”
Qin Wan nodded, then closed her eyes in thought.
No one had expected this marriage to have such a scandal. As Song Rou was the Duke’s legitimate daughter, they would naturally suppress this matter. But for the An Yang Marquis’s household, this was a terrible humiliation. The Duke’s mansion must have discovered it and arranged Song Rou’s miscarriage. To prevent her from ending up with that man, they took advantage of their connection to the Imperial Consort to have the Emperor arrange a distant marriage. With Song Rou coming to Jin Zhou, if properly concealed, the Marquis’s household might never have discovered the past…
The Song Duke’s mansion had taken an enormous risk in doing this. If the matter came to light, the An Yang Marquis’s household would surely become their enemy. But why would they rather marry their daughter far away than make the best of a bad situation and marry her to that man?
In Great Zhou, if a young lady had such an incident while still unmarried, the family would usually make the best of it and marry her to that man, thus protecting the family’s reputation without risk. But the Song Duke’s mansion didn’t do this…
Suddenly, Qin Wan’s eyes darkened. There could be only one reason – that man was despised by the Duke’s mansion, or perhaps his family status was far too different from theirs. Marrying Song Rou to him would have been another kind of disgrace! Rather than let everyone laugh at the Duke’s mansion, they’d rather take a risk. As long as Song Rou herself was careful, this matter would likely remain hidden, and on the surface, the Duke’s mansion would appear to have made an excellent marriage match…
As Qin Wan’s thoughts settled, a shadow crossed her mind.
Since this case began, she had examined the corpse twice, been frightened once, and last night had nearly been killed, yet she had never arbitrarily determined a suspect. Besides the information from these few examinations, she knew nothing of other minor details, and it would be inadvisable to identify suspects without knowing these, as it might affect her later judgment.
However, by now, Qin Wan had a suspect in mind. If her suspicion was correct, things would be complicated because they had absolutely no direct evidence pointing to that person…
“Miss, we’ve arrived…”
Fu Ling’s voice brought Qin Wan back to her senses. She sat up as the carriage slowly came to a stop. Qin Wan and Fu Ling descended from the carriage one after another. Yue Qiong came over and said, “Ninth Miss, we must tell Mother about this, but I fear knowledge of it might agitate her condition. Please keep an eye on her later.”
Qin Wan curtseyed, “Yes, please rest assured, Marquis.”
Yue Qiong nodded and led everyone into the mansion, heading straight for Princess Tai Chang’s courtyard.
Someone had already gone ahead to announce Yue Qiong’s return, and by the time they reached Princess Tai Chang’s courtyard, she was already sitting fully dressed, waiting for them. As soon as they entered, Princess Tai Chang’s stern gaze fell upon them. Yue Qiong led everyone in paying their respects. Princess Tai Chang gave a cold laugh and said, “Looking at your expressions, I know things have reached an extremely bad state.”
Princess Tai Chang looked directly at Yue Qiong, “Qiong’er, tell me. Let’s see just how bold the Song family is!”
Yue Qiong sighed, stepped forward, and began speaking softly.
Qin Wan listened from the side, feeling the princess’s inner chamber had never been more oppressive and heavy.