Chapter 46: Visiting and Seeking Advice (2)

Watching that back that could be considered fleeing in panic, Lou Xiyan's lips curled up slightly. Ling'er, where are you running to?!

In this confrontation, Zhuo Qing was magnificently defeated.

Walking out of Lou Xiyan's line of sight, Zhuo Qing finally slowed her pace. Why was she running? It was too embarrassing.

The depressed mood made Zhuo Qing somewhat absent-minded. Walking into the front hall, Dan Yulan put down the tea that had long since gone cold in his hand and stood up, saying, "Please forgive me for the presumptuous visit, Madam."

Madam? Zhuo Qing was depressed again! Glancing at him, she asked straightforwardly, "What's the matter?"

Zhuo Qing got straight to the point, and Dan Yulan didn't beat around the bush either, asking, "Dan has a question I would like to ask Madam Lou for advice."

"Speak."

"The deceased's fatal wound was a weapon piercing through the chest, stabbing the heart to death. What I want to ask is, how much retraction will an average person's heart show after death? And how long after death does this retraction occur? If I want to compare the weapon, what aspects should I consider?" After witnessing her dissection that day, he hadn't been able to calm down for a long time after returning. Her familiarity with the human body had actually reached that level!

As expected, it was about the autopsy. Zhuo Qing's heart, which had been in turmoil because of Lou Xiyan, slowly calmed down. By comparison, she preferred this kind of situation where she could maintain self-control.

Zhuo Qing replied in a deep voice, "After an average person dies, the heart will shrink slightly, but it is not obvious. A puncture wound to the myocardium will cause contraction, and the wound will mostly be smaller than the cross-section of the weapon. If you want to do a weapon comparison, it is best to do it within 12 hours. Because after a person dies, the organs will undergo autolysis, which will affect your judgment. If you can store the body in an ice cellar, you can delay the autolysis and decay."

Dan Yulan nodded in enlightenment and replied, "I understand. The deceased also had knife wounds on other parts of the body, but after examination, I found that the wound on the deceased's chest was slightly different from the wounds elsewhere. I hope to confirm the weapon through the dual comparison of the myocardium and the chest muscle."

"Hmm." Zhuo Qing suggested, "That is correct. It is best to also compare the tears in the clothing; clothing basically does not shrink."

As for the retraction of the myocardium, Dan Yulan really didn't know, so he asked humbly, "If I describe it orally, can you make a judgment?"

Zhuo Qing shook her head honestly: "I can only give my opinion based on your oral description. I must see the body to make the most accurate judgment."

But she couldn't leave the mansion now and couldn't perform the autopsy herself. After thinking for a moment, Zhuo Qing asked, "Do you have a picture of the weapon with you?" To do such a detailed comparison, that weapon must be somewhat special.

Dan Yulan took out something wrapped in a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to Zhuo Qing.

He really trusted her, actually bringing the weapon over.

Opening the handkerchief, inside was a silvery-bright flying dagger. The blade was thin, about two inches long, with sharp double edges, shaped like a leaf. There was also a depression in the very center of the blade like the veins of a leaf. This flying dagger looked so familiar.

Zhuo Qing's face changed slightly, and she asked, "Is this weapon the suspect's?"

Dan Yulan also saw that her face was wrong, but still replied: "Yes."

"Is that person named Qian Jing?" Although the flying dagger was special, the world of martial arts was vast; it might not necessarily be his! Zhuo Qing held onto a glimmer of hope, though she herself understood that the chance was slim.

"Yes."

Dan Yulan's firm answer made Zhuo Qing's heart go cold. It really was him.

Zhuo Qing's willow brows were tightly furrowed. Dan Yulan secretly observed her expression, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Do you know him?"

Zhuo Qing met Dan Yulan's probing gaze, nodded slightly, and replied evasively, "I've only seen him twice. At the time, I just happened to see him playing with this kind of weapon." She wasn't lying, it was just that those two times, Qian Jing happened to have saved her life. But she didn't intend to let Dan Yulan know about these things. After all, if she were too closely related to a criminal suspect, it would make Dan Yulan question her professional judgment.

While observing the thin blade in her hand, Zhuo Qing asked feignedly casually, "I heard he is a bounty hunter. Is the deceased a high-profile criminal of the imperial court?" If it were a high-profile criminal of the imperial court, and he was killed while resisting arrest, as a bounty hunter, Qian Jing's crime shouldn't be too great.

Dan Yulan had been paying attention to Zhuo Qing's expression and replied blandly, "No, the deceased was a Protector General of the General's Mansion."

General's Mansion? How could it get involved with the General's Mansion? This case was likely complicated. If the General's Mansion refused to let the matter go, even if Qian Jing really had some hidden circumstances, it would be hard for him to escape death.

Even more worried about Qian Jing's situation, she figured it was impossible to pry information out of Dan Yulan, so Zhuo Qing simply asked directly, "Can you tell me about the case?"

"I'm sorry."

As she expected, Zhuo Qing smiled knowingly and said, "It's okay, I understand. I want to see the body."

Dan Yulan didn't object to this, but said somewhat embarrassedly, "Do you want to go now? I'm afraid the body won't be able to be preserved for that long." He had long heard that of the Qing sisters, one was in the Heavenly Prison and the other was confined to the Prime Minister's Mansion. He highly doubted she could leave the mansion.

Of course she couldn't now! Zhuo Qing was somewhat annoyed. Jing Sa's tall figure appeared in the front hall again. Zhuo Qing looked up and asked in confusion, "What is it again?" If there was nothing, he would absolutely not appear before her.

With no extra expression on his face, Jing Sa replied coldly, "People from the General's Mansion are here."

"What?" People from the General's Mansion also came to find her? Zhuo Qing suddenly had a feeling of not knowing whether to laugh or cry. It was truly lively today.

Hearing "General's Mansion," Dan Yulan's eyes also flashed, but he didn't say anything, standing silently to the side.

A cold gaze swept over Dan Yulan's calm face. Jing Sa didn't avoid it and replied directly, "Lady Qing Mo fainted at the General's Mansion. A doctor has seen her, but she hasn't woken up for two days. She previously said that her illness was a stubborn disease she had since childhood, and only you could cure it. So now, the people from the General's Mansion have sent her to the Prime Minister's Mansion and are waiting in the flower hall."

Qing Mo? That rumored timid and cowardly third sister, or perhaps Gu Yun! Zhuo Qing's heart felt nervous for no reason.

Dan Yulan bowed slightly and replied, "If Madam has matters to attend to, please go ahead. This official will take his leave."

Just as Dan Yulan was about to leave, Zhuo Qing suddenly whispered, "Keep the body in the ice cellar first. I will find a way to go see it in the next few days." She didn't believe Qian Jing would kill someone, at least not without reason!

Dan Yulan hesitated for a while, but finally replied, "Alright." After bowing again, Dan Yulan left the front hall, and Zhuo Qing also couldn't wait to say to Jing Sa, "Go to the flower hall."

If Qing Mo really was Gu Yun, then it was truly heaven's blessing. What if she wasn't? She didn't know of any miracle drug that could cure Qing Mo's illness? Zhuo Qing walked in a hurry, her heart pounding, and soon, she arrived in front of the flower hall.

"You are Qingfeng?"

Just as Zhuo Qing stepped into the hall, a male voice carrying arrogance and unruliness sounded coldly.

Zhuo Qing looked up. The man was very young, looking less than twenty, with a clear face, arrogance between his brows, and a persistent light in his eyes, quite imposing. Unfortunately, Zhuo Qing was very repulsed by men who had no manners.

Skipping over him directly, Zhuo Qing scanned the flower hall. In the center of the flower hall, there was a rack similar to a stretcher, with a small canopy on it, and a layer of gauze curtain outside. Through the swaying light gauze, a woman's figure could be vaguely seen. Besides the young man, there were four burly men in the flower hall dressed in strong clothing, with solemn faces. Even though they weren't wearing armor, it wouldn't make anyone mistake the fact that they were soldiers.

Not seeing Su Ling's figure, Zhuo Qing frowned slightly. It seemed that Qing Mo wasn't favored by Su Ling in the General's Mansion; she had been unconscious for two days, and he hadn't even appeared.

Meeting a pair of gentle eyes, Zhuo Qing smiled somewhat unnaturally: "Xiyan, you are still here?"

"I heard your sister fell ill, so I came over to take a look." Only discovering his existence at the end, it was evident that he hadn't tried hard enough.

Facing Lou Xiyan's gaze that was somewhat overly gentle, Zhuo Qing was extremely embarrassed. A man who was too handsome was indeed a disaster, and a man who was both handsome and gentle was a disaster among disasters! Did he think the people in the hall were dead?!

Apparently, Zhuo Qing's worry was somewhat superfluous. Several soldiers were simply looking straight ahead, while the young man stared at Zhuo Qing, looking thoughtful, not noticing the "flirting" between the two at all.

Lou Xiyan raised his eyebrows slightly. It seemed his "Ling'er" was still not used to his "gentleness." It didn't matter, he would make her get used to it. Retracting his gaze, Lou Xiyan looked at the young man beside him and introduced, "This is General Su Ling's third brother, General Su Yu."

Meeting the man's probing gaze, Zhuo Qing nodded coldly and walked directly to the stretcher. Lifting the gauze curtain lightly, she saw the woman on the stretcher clearly, and Zhuo Qing was distracted for a moment.

Qingfeng and Qing Ling looked extremely alike, and Zhuo Qing thought Qing Mo should be about the same. But seeing the woman before her clearly, Zhuo Qing finally understood why she hadn't mistaken her. Qing Mo had a delicate little face, a full forehead, long eyelashes, and small cherry lips. The whole person looked unbelievably small. Was she even fifteen yet?! This was basically a "loli"!

This person was Gu Yun! Thinking of this, Zhuo Qing felt like she was on the verge of a breakdown.

Even though her heart was in turmoil, except for that initial flash of surprise, her face remained as cold as ever. Her hand was placed on Qing Mo's wrist in a feigned gesture, but what Zhuo Qing was actually observing was her face.

Su Yu didn't take Zhuo Qing's rudeness to heart at all, because he was used to it!

When he first saw this woman, he didn't quite believe she was Qing Mo's sister, but after witnessing her attitude, he believed it. They were indeed sisters, equally arrogant.

Zhuo Qing withdrew her hand and lowered the gauze curtain. Lou Xiyan asked with concern, "How is it? Do you want to find a few Imperial Physicians to take a look?" Seeing the flash of confusion in her eyes just now, Lou Xiyan was worried that she had forgotten how to treat her.

Zhuo Qing shook her head and replied, "It's fine. First, carry her into my room and prepare silver needles for me. If it really doesn't work, it won't be too late to invite an Imperial Physician." She wanted to seize this opportunity to be alone with Qing Mo. If she couldn't wake her up, then she would invite an Imperial Physician!

After Su Yu nodded lightly, the four generals lifted the stretcher. The group walked to the Zhaixing Pavilion, and Qing Mo was placed on Zhuo Qing's bed. Zhuo Qing turned back and said to Lou Xiyan, "Xiyan, you go attend to your business. Just let Jing Sa stay and help me."

"Alright." Without saying much more, Lou Xiyan turned and left the Zhaixing Pavilion.

After helping Qing Mo cover herself with the quilt, Zhuo Qing stood with her back to Su Yu, who was standing outside the screen, and said, "General Su Yu, acupuncture cannot be finished in a moment. Why don't you go back to the mansion first? When she wakes up, I will send someone to send her back."

"No need for trouble. You start the treatment, I will wait outside." Su Yu's firm voice was very loud.

Zhuo Qing rolled her eyes and replied, "As you wish."

Soon, the door was slammed shut with a bang.

Looking at the bright silver needles on the table, and then looking at the delicate woman before her who seemed like she would break if touched, Zhuo Qing was worried. What should she do next?!

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 47 =====