The long table had just been moved out, and all the bones placed upon it had been cleaned thoroughly, free of any mud. When Qin Wan walked behind the long table, she immediately noticed the few bones in Xu He’s hands.
Xu He continued, “Miss Nine, these bones were arranged roughly based on size. I’m not sure if there are any mistakes. Miss Nine, please take a look. Here and here, the bones are about the same size, but I noticed there seems to be an extra finger bone. Perhaps I arranged them incorrectly?”
Xu He was trying to assemble bones just like Qin Wan did. At a glance, Qin Wan noticed that Xu He learned things extremely quickly. Apart from some misplaced fragments, there weren’t any major issues overall.
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “Let me see…” She examined everything carefully, looking at the piles of bones on the long table. After a while, her expression darkened slightly, “This seems to be… six fingers…”
Xu He was briefly stunned, “Six fingers?”
In some places, people with six fingers were considered blessed, while others saw it as inauspicious. However, Qin Wan knew it was a medical condition. She took several finger bones from the side to compare and nodded with certainty, “It’s six fingers. The extra finger grew next to the thumb. Look, you can still see traces of the epiphysis here.”
Xu He looked closely and indeed saw a connection mark. He then sighed, “It seems a little girl with six fingers was captured. So many children’s bones, who knows what it was all for…”
As they spoke, Yan Chi walked out from the bamboo grove. Seeing him, Qin Wan hurried over to bow, “Your Highness.”
Yan Chi nodded, “You didn’t need to come so early.”
Qin Wan shook her head, “It’s nothing.” Looking around, she didn’t see Huo Huaixin’s shadow. “Where is the Magistrate? Did last night’s questioning reveal anything?”
Yan Chi shook his head, “I haven’t seen the detailed records yet, but probably nothing was revealed.”
“Then Third Uncle…” Qin Wan didn’t want to say “Third Uncle,” but to avoid revealing any inconsistencies, she had to use this form of address. As she spoke, Yan Chi’s expression darkened slightly, “Haven’t questioned him yet. They say Master Qin was mentally confused last night and caused a commotion for half the night before fainting. Just moments ago, Magistrate Huo went to check on him and said he hadn’t woken up yet.”
Qin Wan’s brows furrowed tightly, “Then we can only wait. What about the others?”
Yan Chi walked toward the long table, speaking as he walked, “The young masters and misses of the household are currently unrelated to the events of that year. After questioning last night, they were allowed to return to their quarters but were not permitted to move about freely. The Old Madam and Madam must know the inside story of what happened back then. Magistrate Huo has already had people watching outside their courtyards.”
The main members of the Qin family’s third branch were quite a few, and since it was an event from ten years ago, indeed only the elders would know. But thinking of Qin Li’s strange behavior previously, Qin Wan suddenly felt that Qin Li must know something as well.
Qin Wan made a mental note of this while continuing to assemble the skeleton with Xu He.
With the mud cleaned off, it became easier to see the marks on the bones. Although Qin Wan hadn’t discovered anything yet, she didn’t dare be careless. As Fu Ling had said, not only was there a well opening under the flower shed, but quite a bit had been dug up nearby as well. The entire courtyard now had a deep trench dug into it, and white bones could occasionally be found in the mud at the bottom.
“Nine young girls’ skeletons have been discovered so far. These girls couldn’t all have been homeless children…” Xu He muttered while helping to clean the bones.
Hearing this, Qin Wan’s thoughts focused, and she quickly said to Yan Chi, “Your Highness, I remember there was a file in the Jin Zhou Prefecture office about a twelve-year-old girl who went missing ten years ago?”
Yan Chi nodded, and Qin Wan glanced at the long table, “With so many young girls, it’s impossible that no one reported them missing to the authorities. If Jin Zhou Prefecture doesn’t have enough cases, they’re likely from neighboring prefectures.”
Yan Chi frowned, “The neighboring prefectures are only Jian Zhou and Hu Zhou. I’ll send people to inquire immediately.”
Qin Wan responded with an “Mm,” and seeing Yan Chi walk aside to instruct Bai Feng, she turned back to continue assembling the skeletons. With so many bones, they needed to roughly determine how many people’s remains there were. Although the number of skulls could determine the count, Qin Wan didn’t know if anything was missed in the mud below, so she was particularly thorough and careful.
After Qin Wan had worked for about half an hour, more yamen runners came from the direction of the bamboo grove.
“Your Highness, we’ve found another skull…”
Qin Wan’s brows furrowed slightly, and Xu He’s voice became somewhat unsteady, “Ten people… Jin Zhou Prefecture hasn’t seen such a major case in many years. This case probably needs to be reported to the Ministry of Justice.”
Yan Chi, with a grave expression, followed the yamen runner toward the bamboo grove. Another half hour later, two yamen runners came out carrying a basket full of bones. The rain in the sky became increasingly fine, and by noon, it had almost stopped. All the yamen officers were at the Qin residence, and Huo Huaixin had ordered the kitchen to prepare lunch, finally giving everyone time to rest. It was only then that Qin Wan returned to Ting Lan Court for her meal.
“Miss, the servant who just delivered food to the main courtyard said that Third Master seems to be going mad…”
Qin Wan was eating when she heard this and raised her eyebrows, “Going mad? Could he be pretending?”
Given the previous lesson of Yan Chi treating Qin An for foolishness, Qin Wan’s first thought was that Qin Li might be pretending this time as well. Fu Ling also frowned and said, “Perhaps. Maybe now that things have been exposed, the Third Master has no choice but to feign madness to cover up his crimes. Miss, I’ve heard that in some wealthy households, having many concubines isn’t enough, they also find other forms of entertainment. Could it be…”
Fu Ling’s eyebrows trembled as she spoke, seeming afraid to imagine further.
Looking at the food before her, Qin Wan also lost her appetite. She took another sip of soup before putting down her chopsticks.
As soon as she set down her chopsticks, Qin Wan looked out the window and saw that the rain that had been falling for days had stopped. Just as she was about to go out, a clear voice rang out…
“Strange, how did the rain stop just as I reached the gate!”
Hearing these words, Qin Wan’s expression brightened, and her eyes couldn’t help but show traces of joy. She turned and quickly walked out the door, indeed seeing a graceful figure entering the courtyard, “Why has the Princess come…”
Qin Wan curtsied, but Yue Ning merely snorted and walked straight past her into the room.
“After your family’s incident, I had wanted to come see you, but thought it might be improper so I didn’t. These past few days, the news about the Qin residence has spread throughout Jin Zhou City. You haven’t returned to the Marquis’s mansion, and both Grandmother and Mother were worried, so they sent me to check on you.” Yue Ning sat down by the bed as she spoke, then looked Qin Wan up and down for a moment, “You seem to have lost quite a bit of weight.”
Qin Wan smiled as she entered the room, “How could that be? Thank you to the Grand Princess and Madam for their concern.”
Not having seen Yue Ning for many days, Qin Wan was quite happy and stepped forward to pour tea for her. Fu Ling, standing to the side, was also delighted – after all that had happened, it felt wonderful to have someone visit her young miss.
After a pause, the faint smile at the corners of Qin Wan’s lips faded slightly, “Has it truly spread throughout Jin Zhou City?”
Yue Ning sighed, and since they were discussing the Qin family matters, she couldn’t jest any more, “Yes, though I don’t know how it spread. Some say many children’s bones were dug up from an abandoned well in the Qin residence. Some say the master of the Qin household practiced evil sorcery, others say there were man-eating fox spirits hidden in the residence, and some say many of the Qin family’s descendants had short lives due to poor fortune…”
Qin Wan served Yue Ning a cup of tea but felt a little turmoil in her heart. With so many servants in the Qin residence and coming-and-going yamen runners, this matter couldn’t be kept secret anyway. In this small Jin Zhou City where strange events were rare, this incident would likely become a topic of conversation among the common people for a long time to come.
“This matter is too big to keep hidden,” sighing, Qin Wan smiled bitterly, “At this point, the Qin family’s reputation hardly matters anymore. Since such heinous acts were committed, being discussed by others is only natural.”
Yue Ning’s expression tightened, “Just how many remains were there…”
“Ten sets of remains, and they’re still digging. There might be more.”
Yue Ning’s hands gripped her teacup slightly tighter, “This… truly deserves death.”
Qin Wan nodded, “The questioning hasn’t begun yet, so we don’t know the specific reasons, but just seeing so many children’s bones makes one’s scalp tingle. No matter who it is, anyone who knows about this cannot escape responsibility.”
“No wonder you haven’t been to the Marquis’s mansion. Grandmother also said this Qin family matter is no small thing.”
Qin Wan hurriedly asked, “How is the Grand Princess’s health? And how is Young Master Wei’s leg? The prescriptions I brought last time were meant to last at least ten to fifteen days. These past few days have been full of incidents at home, so I haven’t been able to visit.”
Yue Ning set down her teacup and reassured her, “All is well. Grandmother’s health improves day by day, and Young Master Wei’s leg injury has almost healed. As you said, he’s been very obedient these days.”
Qin Wan nodded, then suddenly remembered something, “Oh right, what about the people from the Song Ducal Manor in the capital?”
Hearing this, Yue Ning snorted coldly, “Song Rou’s father came, bringing many precious treasures as an apology, but Grandmother returned them all without accepting a single piece. Lord Song stayed at the mansion for two days, seeking an audience with Grandmother several times without success. He could only speak nicely to my father, who responded briefly, saying only that this matter awaited the Emperor’s judgment. Just yesterday, Prince Chi’s people brought news that in the capital, His Majesty has reduced the Song family’s hereditary privileges, changing their title from Duke to Marquis and limiting inheritance to three generations. There’s also movement in the palace – though His Majesty hasn’t said anything yet, people have already begun creating obstacles for the Song family’s young lady who entered the palace.”
Because the Song Ducal Manor held a hereditary dukedom, they ranked among the top nobility in the capital. Now that their title had changed from Duke to Marquis and was limited to three generations, meaning after Song Rou’s father inherited the title and one more generation passed, it would be gone. Unless the younger generation of the Song family achieved great merit and earned additional hereditary privileges, the Song Ducal Manor would become just the Song Manor, no different from the Wei Manor.
“His Majesty feels guilty and dares not fail to give the Grand Princess an explanation.”
Yue Ning snorted lightly, “Grandmother is still angry and didn’t want Song Rou’s father to stay long. Considering he just lost his daughter, she didn’t make things difficult and let him return to the capital early.”
Qin Wan sighed, “So this matter is finally settled.”
Yue Ning narrowed her eyes, “It’s probably not settled. While it appears to be a matter between the Ducal Manor and An Yang Marquis Manor, now that it involves the Ducal title and that person in the palace, things have become complicated. I don’t know the specifics, but yesterday I heard Grandmother and Father talking, saying that court factions are fighting fiercely, and some want to use this incident to their advantage.”
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes, “The court factions are fighting fiercely? Wasn’t the Crown Prince position already decided?”
“Yes, it was decided, but… His Majesty is still in his prime, who can say what will happen in the future? At court, there are arguments for selecting the eldest son, the legitimate son, or the worthy son. Once they catch the Crown Prince making a mistake, the political climate in the capital will shift again. You’ve read many books and lived in the capital when you were young, so you must know how attractive that position is. As long as the Crown Prince hasn’t ascended the throne, others will always have a chance.”
Yue Ning spoke with solemnity, and as Qin Wan looked at her, she faintly saw shadows of Yue Qiong. Though Yue Ning’s appearance took after Lady Jiang, her personality and temperament were more like the Grand Princess and Yue Qiong. Qin Wan nodded, “I understand. Though the Grand Princess is angry, she likely doesn’t want this incident to be blown out of proportion.”
Yue Ning’s eyes brightened, “You truly are perceptive! That’s exactly what Grandmother thinks. Although we’re in Jin Zhou, court matters, especially those concerning succession, always have far-reaching implications. Grandmother doesn’t want to get involved!”
Qin Wan felt her heart sink. Though she had only visited the palace three times, all during annual feasts where she accompanied her mother to pay respects and receive imperial favors, even these few visits had let her feel the palace’s dignity and undercurrents. Combined with her father’s occasional remarks and the bloody records in history books, she understood without much thought how terrifying power struggles could be.
“The Grand Princess has great wisdom and naturally knows what’s best.”
Yue Ning nodded, then suddenly stood up, “Besides checking on you, I came to help. Come, take me to see if there’s anything I can do…”
Qin Wan’s eyes focused, “I’m afraid there’s nothing suitable for the Princess to do. Surely the Princess can’t dig with everyone else? The Magistrate has assigned enough yamen runners, there’s no need for the Princess’s help…”
“Then what are you doing?”
Yue Ning turned to ask Qin Wan, who hesitated for a moment before answering, “I’m helping to organize the excavated bones.”
Yue Ning lifted her chin, “Well, there you have it. I can do that too. Come on, take me to see…”
As she spoke, Yue Ning moved to pull Qin Wan along. Qin Wan smiled wryly, “Those are all stark white human bones, can the Princess really handle it? I’m worried about frightening the Princess… We have myself and Coroner Xu there, there’s no need for the Princess…”
Yue Ning’s brows furrowed increasingly, “If Xu He can do it, why can’t I? Quickly, lead the way…”
Qin Wan felt helpless in her heart, but seeing Yue Ning’s determination, she had no choice but to lead her toward the bamboo grove. Yue Ning maintained a serious expression and proper stride, looking like a yamen runner on official business. However, just as they were about to reach the flower shed, her steps suddenly halted, “Wait… up there, on that table, it’s not…”
Qin Wan calmly nodded, “Those are indeed the excavated remains.”
After a pause, Qin Wan added, “There are still more that haven’t been cleaned…”