Chapter 611: Injured by a Sharp Weapon

As soon as Gu Jiu Ling finished speaking, the two coroners standing before the coffin froze in place.

They had long heard that the Princess Consort of Rui in Shang Jing possessed some medical skill, but now, as coroners who examine corpses, could it be that the Princess Consort also had accomplishments in this area?

The onlookers around also flashed a look of surprise; ordinary noble ladies would avoid such a scene if they could, yet who would have thought the Princess Consort would step forward herself to examine the corpse.

Each of their faces flashed a hint of surprise; indeed, the Princess Consort lived up to the rumors in Shang Jing—she was a formidable figure.

Gu Jiu Ling paid no heed to the whispered gossip and the contemptuous, astonished glances aimed at her; today she wanted to see exactly how Lin Jingyuan had died.

She had originally wanted to go to the Lin mansion herself to view Lin Jingyuan's corpse, but she hadn't expected the Lin family to have already moved to Jiangnan.

Even the whereabouts of Lin Jingyuan's corpse were unknown.

Gu Jiu Ling and the Lin family were now irreconcilable; if she insisted on viewing Lin Jingyuan's corpse, she feared it would stir up trouble.

Since the Lin family did not want outsiders to interfere, she decided not to go.

Yet, though she avoided trouble, trouble found her.

Today she would take this opportunity to see exactly how Lin Jingyuan had died.

Gu Jiu Ling walked up to the coffin, and her expression momentarily stiffened.

This coffin was not made of ordinary yang wood; it was actually special nanmu, a wood resistant to insects and slow to decay, showing how highly the Lin family valued this eldest son.

Thinking of this, Gu Jiu Ling couldn't help but think of Old Madam Lin, who had doted on this grandson all her life, only to see him die so tragically.

Gu Jiu Ling gathered her focus and fixed her gaze on the corpse inside the coffin.

Lin Jingyuan's face was covered with a white cloth, his body had been washed clean, and he was dressed in a plain white hemp garment.

Ice was piled all around, presumably to prevent the corpse from rotting.

Gu Jiu Ling raised her hand to rest on Lin Jingyuan's chest, and the older coroner finally could not help but whisper, "Princess Consort, I dare say one thing: the autopsy must not damage the corpse; if you accidentally disturb it, you may learn nothing at all—please be careful, Princess Consort."

Gu Jiu Ling secretly sneered, thinking they looked down on her as a mere woman.

She snorted coldly, lifted her hand, and flung open Lin Jingyuan's collar.

The older coroner moved his lips as if to speak, but the nephew beside him grabbed his arm.

This person must be mad, daring to contradict the Princess Consort to her face; since she wants to look, let her look.

Gu Jiu Ling pulled open Lin Jingyuan's collar and looked, her brows furrowing tightly.

A sharp weapon had pierced a large hole in Lin Jingyuan's chest; the wound was so huge it almost went straight through his body—such a severe injury would surely be fatal.

Gu Jiu Ling steadied herself, raised her hand to his face, and lightly pinched the white cloth covering his face.

She yanked it off, focused her gaze, and gasped in shock.

At that moment, the younger coroner's brows also knotted tightly—truly disrespectful to the deceased.

Earlier they had already viewed the young master's corpse at the charitable burial house, and his face had shown no distinctive features.

That was why they had covered the dead man's face; they did not want Gu Jiu Ling to handle it so casually, yet they dared not speak out.

Gu Jiu Ling raised her hand and pinched the corpse's cheek, forcing its mouth open.

Gu Jiu Ling's eyes flickered; she then released her grip, took the handkerchief offered by Jiu Yue beside her, lightly wiped her hands, and stepped back.

Only then did the two coroners step forward to examine Lin Jingyuan's wounds closely.

Soon after, the two knelt before Bai Xiaosheng and reported, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, the young master Lin was injured by a sharp weapon."

Bai Xiaosheng frowned, wondering if he still needed these two fools to repeat themselves.

Anyone with clear eyes could see that Lin Jingyuan's chest had been pierced through by a sharp weapon.

"Someone! Go investigate Lin Jingyuan's movements when he first went south, and be sure to catch the killer!"

Bai Xiaosheng, seeing that the night had grown deeper, also did not want to waste more time in this place.

The civil officials kept arguing, and he had also looked into the case; as for whether they could topple Xiao Yin, Bai Xiaosheng thought these fools were merely deceiving themselves.

"Your Highness, this commoner dares to say a few more words!" He Wanshan suddenly stepped forward and knelt before Bai Xiaosheng.

Bai Xiaosheng blinked slightly; He Wanshan, who merely carried the late emperor's death‑waiver medal and had some local prestige, was now repeatedly blocking him, the Crown Prince, as if he thought himself indispensable.

"He Wanshan, what do you mean? Do you really think that holding the late emperor's death‑waiver medal means I can't touch you?"

"Please calm your anger, Your Highness; I don't mean that—I feel the wound on Master Lin is suspicious."

As soon as He Wanshan finished speaking, the people around began to whisper among themselves.

Bai Xiaosheng's eyes narrowed slowly, and he coldly snorted, "Empty words—such a major case isn't something a mere commoner can just say whatever he likes about."

He Wanshan knocked his head heavily again, then said slowly, "In my youth I also roamed the jianghu, working as a caravan guard in the Longxi region; later I returned home to farm and built a manor where I lived peacefully."

"Because I often escorted caravans, I naturally know all kinds of weapons."

"Back when I followed the caravan troop, many of my comrades were killed, and I have seen countless injuries caused by swords, spears, and other blades."

"The penetrating wound on Master Lin's body surely wasn't made by an ordinary weapon; it must have been an extremely sharp heavy sword to cause such lethal damage."

Upon hearing it was a heavy sword, everyone around turned their gaze to Xiao Yin.

In this world, only a weapon capable of a one‑hit kill that pierces a person and can be used unseen on the river could possess such power—most likely the Dragon Spring Sword wielded by Prince Rui.

Moreover, Xiao Yin had once disguised himself and sneaked into the memorial hall of Chen Zhuo Chen; such underhanded tactics were not his first time.

Now that He Wanshan had spelled it out, everyone believed the deed must have been Xiao Yin's.

Bai Xiaosheng's face shifted slightly, his eyes flickering, yet he said nothing.

The few civil officials who had previously demanded a re‑investigation of Master Lin's wrongful case once again knelt before Bai Xiaosheng and said, "Your Highness, Elder He says the wound was caused by a sharp heavy weapon; we beg you to thoroughly examine the Dragon Spring Sword in Prince Rui's hands."

Gu Jiu Ling laughed softly: "What an elaborate frame‑up against my lord; the Dragon Qian Sword is indeed a sharp heavy sword, but you cannot condemn my lord as the killer based solely on one wound on Lin Jingyuan's body—where is the justice?"

"My father once kept several concubines, all gentle and charming, yet they later ran off with his silver—could it be that your household's concubines stole his wealth?"

"They're all concubines, all gentle and lovely!"

As soon as Gu Jiu Ling said that, a burst of jeering laughter rose from the crowd.

The people on the manor had never seen the Princess Consort; upon seeing her now, they found her quite amusing.

Those few civil officials instantly froze, then protested: "If that's the case, why not ask Prince Rui to hand over the Dragon Spring Sword so we can compare it closely; if we have wronged him, we will gladly make amends."