After alighting from the carriage, Qin Wan’s expression was filled with astonishment. “The Jin Prince Mansion? Wasn’t this place sealed off?”

Yang Zhan’s expression was equally complex as he glanced at the mansion’s main gate. “Indeed, it was sealed and has remained vacant for a year. However, last night, the patrol guards were alerted by some disturbances from within while patrolling the area.”

“Disturbed by something inside?!”

Qin Wan grew increasingly bewildered. Yang Zhan nodded, “Yes, someone was wailing and howling inside. This is an imperial residence – ordinary people aren’t permitted entry. Upon hearing the commotion, the patrol guards forced entry and discovered there truly was someone inside…”

“A thief who had scaled the wall was wailing in the back courtyard, adamantly claiming he had seen a ghost. The patrol guards were about to apprehend him when they too witnessed the ghost fire,” Yang Zhan explained.

“Ghost fire?!” Qin Wan inquired as they entered the residence together.

The mansion’s layout matched that of both the Rui Prince Mansion and Yi Prince Mansion, yet appeared even more decrepit than the Rui Prince residence. Dense weeds flourished throughout the courtyard, while moss and ivy grew unchecked up the courtyard walls. All chambers they passed had their doors firmly sealed, with cobwebs and dust coating the beams and lintels. Beyond the covered corridors, fallen leaves blanketed the flower beds.

While walking, Yang Zhan continued, “They reported seeing ghost fire. Six patrol guards were present last night, and all six witnessed it. Given their numbers, they weren’t frightened away. They all drew their swords and approached the location of the ghost fire—”

“And then discovered a corpse?”

Yang Zhan confirmed with a nod.

Qin Wan’s brows furrowed deeply. “A dead body found in the Jin Prince Mansion!”

Yang Zhan nodded again. “This mansion is now imperial property. The doors are usually locked. When they broke in last night, the seals remained intact. Despite the disturbance inside, the patrol guards had no alternative. No one anticipated finding a corpse here. Last year in late July when the Jin Prince’s case concluded, all servants were dismissed, those found guilty were exiled, and everything belonging to the Jin Prince was confiscated. The mansion was essentially empty. No one expected a death here.”

Qin Wan’s brows knitted together. “What does Magistrate Zheng say?”

Yang Zhan’s lips tightened. “Magistrate Zheng has reported the case to the imperial court. However, when the patrol guards discovered the irregularity last night, they immediately reported it to the yamen. The yamen cannot pretend ignorance.”

As widely known, the Jin Prince’s case had sparked a bloody storm last year. Throughout this year, nobody in the capital dared mention the Jin Prince’s name. Though the Jin Prince Mansion stood abandoned, apart from reckless thieves, no one dared venture there. How could there be a dead body? Who would dare enter this place during the past year?!

More critically, with a corpse suddenly appearing in the Jin Prince Mansion, how would the court view this case? Would they allow the Lin’an Prefecture to investigate normally, or transfer it to the Court of Judicial Review and Ministry of Justice?!

Lost in these thoughts, Qin Wan followed the mansion’s corridor deeper inside. Yamen runners stood guard at various gates throughout the mansion, all bowing respectfully upon seeing her. Shortly after, Yang Zhan led Qin Wan into the main courtyard. Upon entering, she observed an overgrown courtyard, and Yang Zhan guided her toward the rear courtyard.

“This is the main courtyard. Reportedly, the thief fled in terror last night, wailing and crying outside the main courtyard. Since the corridor outside the main courtyard wasn’t far from the main gate, and the night was exceptionally quiet, the patrolling guards heard him. However, the corpse is in the back, not the front…”

Following a side corridor toward the rear, they soon reached what was once a flower bed behind the main courtyard, now a wilderness of weeds. Among the overgrowth, Qin Wan immediately spotted exposed human bones.

“We’ve already excavated partially. It’s a complete skeleton, but to allow the Young Miss to examine it, we haven’t fully unearthed it. Please take a look first, Young Miss. If you need it completely excavated, just command us.”

Two yamen runners guarding the back courtyard immediately bowed upon seeing Qin Wan. She waved them off and stepped forward.

The desolate ground had been half-excavated. Qin Wan could make out a complete skeleton, though not entirely reduced to bare bones. The flesh had severely decomposed, forming a yellowish-brown, wax-like substance clinging to the bones. Fragments of partially decomposed clothing remained visible, indicating this person hadn’t died recently.

A flash of insight crossed her mind, and her eyes instantly darkened.

Yang Zhan stood nearby as Qin Wan approached the excavated pit for a closer look. Qin Wan observed, “The body appears to have been hastily buried here, later exposed by rainfall. As for the ghost fire…”

Qin Wan spoke gravely, “I’ve read in ancient texts about ghost fire appearing where there are dead bodies.”

Yang Zhan frowned, “Could it be that in the mystical realm, this person’s vengeful spirit manifested as ghost fire to attract attention?”

Qin Wan’s lips trembled slightly at his words. “If you wish to interpret it that way, it’s not impossible.”

She carefully examined the soil pile, the burial depth, and the surrounding area of the back courtyard before standing up. “Very well, you may fully excavate it now…”

Yang Zhan nodded and immediately gave orders. The watching yamen runners quickly began digging. Qin Wan observed from the side as they worked. Soon, a complete skeleton was laid out on a felt blanket placed nearby.

Qin Wan crouched down, examining while speaking, “The body wasn’t buried very deep, suggesting a hasty burial. Initial estimates indicate this person died over a year ago. I’ll need to examine the remains to determine the cause of death.”

At these words, Yang Zhan’s expression changed dramatically. Over a year ago?!

It was now early August – over a year ago would mean before last August, which meant…

Yang Zhan’s face shifted slightly as Qin Wan looked up and asked, “What does Magistrate Zheng say?”

Yang Zhan shook his head, “The Magistrate awaits word from the court. This case was reported this morning, and we don’t know yet how it will be handled. Our investigation is merely procedural.”

Qin Wan lowered her gaze, her expression quite grave. This meant the court might intervene upon learning of the incident at the Jin Prince Mansion. If the Court of Judicial Review sent people to force the Lin’an Prefecture to withdraw and take complete control of the case, the prefecture would be unable to continue investigating. The case might become unresolved – it could be thoroughly investigated, or more likely, fade away unresolved. Qin Wan understood this clearly in her heart but steadied herself and began examining the corpse.

Since Yang Zhan had requested Qin Wan’s help, the examination tools were fully prepared. Qin Wan donned her protective gloves and began cleaning the skeleton. The watching yamen runners found the scene quite shocking.

Though Qin Wan’s reputation was well-established, witnessing her examine corpses remained incredible. That such an elegant, dignified lady would choose to work with dead bodies and skeletons seemed unfathomable.

Qin Wan didn’t bother seeking better examination conditions, carefully investigating right there on the felt blanket. She meticulously cleaned the surface soil from the skeleton and examined the remains from head to toe.

“The deceased was male, likely between Twenty and Twenty-Three years old, standing Six Chi and Half tall.”

“The fatal wound is on the chest. There’s a mark from a sharp weapon on the left chest bone. The killer likely struck from the front, at this angle, precisely piercing the heart.”

Only a skeleton remained with waxy decomposed flesh attached; the internal organs and flesh were long gone, eliminating many useful clues. Now they could only deduce the cause of death from the bone marks.

“Based on the weapon marks, it was likely a sword or dagger with a blade less than Two Cun wide. Besides this, no other wounds were found on the body. The deceased was of large build and wore fine silk clothing at the time of death. No other effective identifying marks were found.”

After stating these findings, Qin Wan carefully examined them again. This time, when checking the skull, her brows suddenly furrowed. She focused on the nasal bridge area of the skeleton, suddenly taking out a knife to carefully scrape away the waxy matter from the skull. As she scraped, the skull’s original features became more visible. Qin Wan stared at the depression in the nasal bridge area, lost in deep thought. The nearby yamen runners and Yang Zhan watched in confusion.

Yang Zhan had been taking notes of Qin Wan’s observations. Seeing her reaction, he quickly asked, “Young Miss, what is it?”

Qin Wan took a shallow breath, composing herself before speaking, “The deceased was of large build, quite rare among Da Zhou men. Moreover, the depression at his nasal bridge and between the brow bones is deeper than typical for Da Zhou men.”

Yang Zhan looked at Qin Wan in confusion, seemingly not understanding her meaning.

Qin Wan explained, “Deeper depressions indicate more pronounced facial features, which is very common among the Rong people or those from Western Regions.”

“Rong people?!” Yang Zhan exclaimed in surprise. “How could Rong people enter Da Zhou? And reach the capital, even entering the Jin Prince Mansion?”

Qin Wan shook her head, “Not necessarily Rong people, perhaps someone with Rong or Western Region ancestry.”

Yang Zhan blinked, suddenly understanding, and quickly noted this down.

Qin Wan looked over the remains once more and sighed, “That’s all we can determine for now. This person’s death occurred between One Year and One Year and Two Months ago, which places it between June and August of last year.”

June to August-exactly the two months following the Jin Prince case.

Yang Zhan’s brows furrowed deeply. How could this be…

The Jin Prince Mansion wasn’t immediately sealed – that happened after the case concluded in late July. Before then, the original staff remained in the mansion, initially allowed free movement, and later guarded by soldiers until the Jin Prince committed suicide to avoid punishment. Only then did everyone face judgment. Yang Zhan was in the capital then and knew the general situation. So when did this person die? And end up buried in the main courtyard’s back garden?

It was too bizarre… too bizarre…

Yang Zhan and Qin Wan both fell into deep thought. Just then, multiple voices carried from outside – footsteps and conversation. Qin Wan heard Magistrate Zheng Baishi’s voice. Soon, Zheng Baishi’s figure appeared around the corner.

Magistrate Zheng led the way, followed by a group of others. Qin Wan looked carefully and immediately noticed Li Muyun.

Zheng Baishi and Li Muyun arriving together meant…

Qin Wan and Yang Zhan exchanged glances, both harboring unsettling feelings. Seeing Qin Wan present, Zheng Baishi immediately stepped forward to bow, while Li Muyun cupped his hands in greeting from behind.

Qin Wan asked, “Did Magistrate Zheng come from the palace?”

Zheng Baishi nodded, while Li Muyun smiled at Qin Wan from the side.

Zheng Baishi asked, “Has Young Miss completed the examination? Were there any findings?”

Nearby, Yang Zhan showed Zheng Baishi his notes from earlier. As Zheng Baishi read, he exclaimed, “Rong or Western Region ancestry?! How is that possible?!”

Behind him, Li Muyun’s eyebrows also raised slightly.

Qin Wan confirmed, “Indeed it is so.” Then looking at Li Muyun, she added, “Would Master Li care to examine as well?”

The Court of Judicial Review regularly handled cases and reviewed major cases, so officials like Li Muyun naturally possessed some knowledge of corpse examination. At her suggestion, Li Muyun indeed stepped forward to examine the skeleton. After looking, Li Muyun nodded, “Indeed, the nasal bone depression is quite severe, unlike Zhou people’s features.”

Zheng Baishi remained skeptical for a moment before Yang Zhan asked, “Master, will this case be investigated?”

Zheng Baishi raised his eyebrows, seemingly understanding Yang Zhan’s meaning. He immediately nodded, “Of course, certainly it must be investigated! This case occurred in the capital region, and last night’s disturbance was significant. On our way here, we saw many people gathered outside watching. How can we not investigate and set the record straight?!”

Qin Wan felt relieved upon hearing this. Earlier when she arrived, she had noticed the street outside the alley was indeed busier than usual.

Yang Zhan also seemed relieved. Looking at the notes, Zheng Baishi said, “Thank you for your trouble again today, Young Miss.”

Qin Wan quickly replied, “No trouble at all, it’s my duty. I’ve only conducted an initial examination of these remains. Magistrate Zheng should have the coroner examine them again.”

Zheng Baishi nodded, “Unfortunately, this person died too long ago. We likely won’t find many traces in the surroundings.”

After a year, any natural traces would have been erased by the thick weeds.

Zheng Baishi pointed to several yamen runners, “First move the remains to an empty room outside. Master Li and I will review them carefully against the Young Miss’s examination report. This case cannot be handled carelessly…”

Qin Wan nodded. Several yamen runners began moving the remains away, with Li Muyun following. Zheng Baishi and Yang Zhan also walked out, but Qin Wan unhurriedly remained in place, looking around. Suddenly, her brows furrowed.