Chapter 48: Seeing Gu Yun Again (2)

"The deceased has thirteen sharp weapon wounds: four on the arms, six on the legs, two on the abdomen, and one on the chest. The wound dimensions are between one inch and one point one inches, the cuts are neat, and there is no obvious enlargement of the wounds. The fatal wound of the deceased is in the left chest heart position, which is a penetrating stab wound, and the wound is one inch long. Judging from the cross-section of the wound, the weapon should be a double-edged sharp weapon."

The ice cellar filled with ice cubes was biting cold, and the coffins lined up made one couldn't help but swallow saliva. Several oil lamps seemed to feel this yin energy, shaking violently even without wind. In the coffin, a man with a withered face lay stiffly. On his body, a pair of slender hands were carefully checking and measuring every wound, and a cold woman's voice was narrating coldly and in detail, which was somewhat creepy in such an environment.

"The cause of death of the deceased was the rupture of the heart and the large blood vessels in the chest, severe internal bleeding, lung compression and collapse, leading to mediastinal displacement, causing death from respiratory and circulatory failure."

Finding the fatal wound in the heart position, Zhuo Qing reached out and said: "Flying dagger."

The small official busy recording on the side hurriedly handed over the flying dagger, then gripped the brush in his hand tightly. It was too cold... how much longer did they have to perform the autopsy!

After comparing for a while, Zhuo Qing whispered: "Dan Yulan, come and take a look."

Dan Yulan walked to Zhuo Qing's side and saw her place the flying dagger parallel to the heart, slowly bringing the cross-section close. By comparison, the wound was much wider than the cross-section of the flying dagger. He had also discovered this point during the dissection, which was why he had come to ask her. "The myocardial wound is much larger than the weapon, which means the one that pierced the deceased's heart was not the flying dagger?"

Zhuo Qing shook her head and replied coldly: "Cannot be sure. The ice cellar temperature is not low enough, and the delivery time was too late, the organs have already undergone slight autolysis. Moreover, internal organ injuries caused by double-edged sharp weapons can possibly lead to wound enlargement."

This... this temperature is not low enough?! The small official, while moving his stiff hands, looked admiringly at Prime Minister Lou behind the woman. He draped a thick cloak over the woman, while he himself stood in the ice cellar for nearly half an hour wearing only a thin outer robe, and could still remain calm. Wasn't he cold?!

Zhuo Qing returned the flying dagger to Dan Yulan and asked strangely: "Why do you think this wound was not caused by this kind of flying dagger?"

"The deceased had thirteen such wounds on his body, but the yamen runners only found twelve flying daggers at the scene. And this wound, although it indeed looks like it was caused by a flying dagger, both the force and position of the strike are different from the other wounds." The other wounds were obviously shallow and were in non-fatal parts such as hands and feet. Why did this one strike the heart, and with such force that it pierced through the body!

Zhuo Qing agreed with his analysis; this was indeed somewhat strange.

Draped in Lou Xiyan's cloak, Zhuo Qing didn't feel particularly cold. Looking at Lou Xiyan behind her, she really should thank him properly.

When he returned in the afternoon, he told her that Yan Hongtian had already investigated the facts, and it was indeed the negligence of Haoyue officials that had mixed them up. Now Qingfeng had returned to the palace and was conferred the title of Consort Qing, and she no longer needed to be confined. As soon as she heard she didn't need to be confined, she rushed to the Criminal Justice Office. He accompanied her all the way, and Zhuo Qing felt a bit embarrassed, now even causing him to wait foolishly in the ice cellar for half an hour. Zhuo Qing took off her gloves and said: "There is only this much information on the body for now, let's go out first."

The three left the ice cellar, and Lou Xiyan, who had been silent, suddenly said: "Criminal Justice Official Dan, we would like to see Qian Jing, may we?" Zhuo Qing was slightly stunned. She did want to see Qian Jing, but she had originally planned to go herself tomorrow. She didn't expect him to speak first.

"Of course, please, both of you." Lou Xiyan was in charge of the Ministry of Justice, and since he had already spoken, Dan Yulan had no reason to refuse.

The autopsy room wasn't far from the Ministry of Justice prison. Just as the three approached the gate of the prison where the prisoners were held, they saw a man and a woman and a small official having a small dispute. Seeing Dan Yulan's figure, the official clearly looked relieved, hurried to him, and said: "Criminal Justice Official, the people from the General's Mansion say they want to see the prisoner. What do you think?"

Before Dan Yulan could reply, a loud male voice had already sounded first: "Criminal Justice Official Dan."

Su Yu saw the people behind Dan Yulan, his brows furrowed unconsciously, but he still respectfully called out: "Prime Minister Lou." Why was Lou Xiyan here too?

Lou Xiyan nodded lightly, which counted as a greeting. Compared to Su Yu's obviously exposed surprise, no trace of abnormality could be seen on Lou Xiyan's face.

Dan Yulan bowed slightly and replied: "General Su Yu."

Su Yu walked to Dan Yulan. Perhaps it was the unique imposing manner of a soldier. Although his voice couldn't be considered loud, the imposing manner in his words was still somewhat pressing: "The one who died this time was a Protector General of the General's Mansion. I hope this case can be tried publicly. Criminal Justice Official Dan shouldn't object, right?"

Dan Yulan's face remained unchanged, and he replied calmly: "Of course, handling cases impartially is this official's principle for judging cases. If General Su is interested, please feel free." With so many people "concerned," this case didn't seem easy to handle.

Dan Yulan and Su Yu walked in front, but the woman beside Su Yu didn't follow, instead waiting for Zhuo Qing to come over.

Gu Yun stood by waiting for her, full of energy. Zhuo Qing smiled: "You really are a person of action." She didn't doubt this at all; this was Gu Yun.

Gu Yun ignored Zhuo Qing, her bright eyes scanning Lou Xiyan unscrupulously from top to bottom. With a bit of a smile, Gu Yun asked lightly: "Lou Xiyan?"

The woman before her, or perhaps she should be called a little girl, had long black hair not lightly tied into a bun like ordinary women, nor coiled into a hair crown like men, but tightly bound with a blue silk ribbon. Her ink-black hair swayed casually behind her, and a simple dark blue long skirt wrapped tightly around her like strong clothing, making her figure appear even thinner and smaller, but not weak. A very special woman. Lou Xiyan nodded gently and replied: "I am."

"Qing Mo." Gu Yun introduced herself while scoring this man in her heart. Handsome face, gentle and elegant, tall and straight, extraordinary temperament. In layman's terms, he was rich, powerful, stylish, and had style. Alright, she gave him ninety-nine points.

This woman's eyes didn't flicker at all, as if looking straight into one's heart. Confronting such eyes absolutely required courage. The Qing sisters seemed to be extraordinary. Meeting Gu Yun's scrutinizing gaze, Lou Xiyan returned a generous smile and asked: "Is Lady Qing's body better?" She was carried into the Prime Minister's Mansion in the afternoon, and now she was so energetic. Was Qing Ling's medical skill really that amazing, or...

"Thank you for your concern, I'm much better." Gu Yun answered frankly, without a trace of panic.

After walking for a while, they discovered that Gu Yun hadn't followed, but was chatting and laughing with Lou Xiyan. Su Yu had a black face, glared at her, and roared: "Hey, are you done talking? Are we going or not?" As soon as she woke up, she dragged him to the prison in a hurry, and now she was chatting leisurely with others!

Gu Yun nodded lightly to Lou Xiyan and walked toward Su Yu. As she passed by him, she suddenly threw a punch, hitting Su Yu right in the stomach, quickly withdrew her hand, and continued walking as if nothing had happened. Su Yu clutched his stomach, cursing constantly, but still followed her obediently.

Lou Xiyan and Zhuo Qing both saw this scene. The two smiled at each other and followed behind them, but a trace of helplessness flashed in Zhuo Qing's eyes, and a trace of deep thought crossed Lou Xiyan's eyes.

Passing through a passage, in the last cell, a lean man lay flat on the stone bed, with his legs crossed high, shaking them from time to time. With a dry blade of grass in his mouth, his face was full of leisure and contentment, as if he wasn't lying on a stone bed in a prison, but on a high bed with warm pillows.

The prison door opened, and a group of people walked in. Fortunately, the cell wasn't small, otherwise it would have been a bit crowded.

Qian Jing stood up, sat cross-legged, looked at the group of people who had swarmed in, and laughed: "Why is it so lively tonight?" When his eyes swept over Zhuo Qing's face, a flash of surprise flashed in Qian Jing's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

"Qian Jing, what exactly happened last night? Why were you at Yang Lu's house, and why did you fight with him? You'd better tell the truth about the ins and outs of this matter."

Glancing sideways at the serious Dan Yulan, with the blade of grass in his mouth, Qian Jing replied impatiently: "I've already said it many times. The reason I went to his house is because I accidentally bumped into his wife in front of the Wanli Money House, and he wouldn't let it go, and we had a bit of an argument. During the pushing and shoving, I discovered that he was actually carrying a large stack of banknotes and a token in his arms. How much salary can a Protector General have in a month? I guessed he must be a person with evil intentions. I followed him secretly at the time. Who knew I would be discovered when I was at his house? We fought after only a few words. I released the flying dagger just for self-defense, I didn't want to kill him at all, and I don't know why his chest was actually pierced by a knife! That's how it is."

It seemed that if he didn't ask, he wouldn't elaborate. Dan Yulan continued to ask: "Besides you and Yang Lu, who else was in the room?"

"His wife, and a thin man."

Dan Yulan looked at the official beside him, and the official immediately replied: "Reporting to the official, the man he mentioned is named Li Zhi, a city guard stationed at the East City Gate. He has known Yang Lu for many years. He is quite honest, just likes to gamble, and has not married yet."

Dan Yulan continued to ask: "After Yang Lu fell to the ground, who approached the body?"

Qian Jing frowned and pondered for a while, then replied: "His wife and that man both went to support him, and there were two other men attracted by the fighting sounds and his wife's screams. The room was in a mess, and there were many people."

Gu Yun leaned against the position closest to the prison door, her back against the stone wall, her arms crossed over her chest, her sharp eyes secretly observing the surroundings and every expression of Qian Jing. Silently listening to a conversation between Qian Jing and Dan Yulan, Gu Yun suddenly stood up straight and walked out of the prison door. Seeing this, Zhuo Qing also followed. She believed that Yun must have found a clue.

Following by her side, Zhuo Qing asked: "How is it?"

After walking a distance away from the prison door, Gu Yun turned slightly to let the people in the cell not see her face and not read her lip-reading. Gu Yun then said in an extremely low voice: "He is hiding some things. Perhaps we should find a time to see him alone." Qian Jing's words were vague, as if he had spoken, but in fact, he hadn't explained anything clearly. He didn't trust those officials, and she hoped he would trust Qing.

Gu Yun understood the faint gaze behind her but didn't care, continuing to ask: "Any discoveries on the body?"

"The deceased had thirteen sharp weapon wounds, the fatal wound was in the left chest heart position, a penetrating stab wound, and the cause of death was severe internal bleeding from the rupture of the heart and large blood vessels. There were thirteen wounds on the body, but it is said that the yamen runners only found twelve flying daggers at the scene, and one was missing mysteriously."

Missing mysteriously? In other words, the real murder weapon was gone! Gu Yun lifted her feet and was about to leave. Zhuo Qing asked anxiously: "Where are you going?"

Gu Yun replied blandly without looking back: "The crime scene."

Glancing at the questioning still continuing in the cell, Zhuo Qing asked strangely: "Going now?" Didn't they need to ask questions first?

Finally turning her head, Gu Yun glanced at the cell and replied directly: "They won't be able to ask anything, it's just a waste of time." If Qian Jing wanted to say it, he would have said it long ago; if he didn't want to say it, asking again wouldn't yield any results.

After speaking, Gu Yun walked toward the outside of the prison door again. Zhuo Qing raised her eyebrows lightly, and regardless of the people still questioning in the cell, she chased after Gu Yun and asked: "Where are we going now?" Did she know where the crime scene was?

Gu Yun smiled lightly, raised her hand slightly, and replied: "Just ask the people behind us and you'll know."

Zhuo Qing was stunned. Ask who? Turning her head, she saw Su Yu, who had just been in the cell, had followed over at some point. Behind him, Lou Xiyan was walking slowly, as unhurried as ever.

In just a moment, the small cell that had been crowded with people was left with only the three stunned people looking at each other. The official looked carefully at Dan Yulan, whose face was slightly gloomy, and asked in a low voice: "Official?"

His intuition told him that the girl must have noticed something he didn't know, and he was very curious!

Leaving the bewildered official behind, Dan Yulan also chased after their backs.

The small official scratched his head. What was going on tonight?

The cell suddenly became quiet. Qian Jing bit the blade of grass in his mouth, flipped nimbly onto the cold stone bed, pillowing his hands behind his head. His phoenix eyes flashed with a sharp light, where was there any trace of his previous sloppiness?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 49 =====