Chapter 454: Autopsy and an Uncanny Sense of Familiarity

Outside the red Damen of the Shi residence, two snow‑white white silks have already been hung.

When the wind blows, it rustles, and even the red lanterns on the lintel are covered with a layer of white silk, exuding a bone‑chilling chill.

Stepping over the threshold, all the servants in the courtyard wear coarse hemp mourning robes, heads bowed, tears streaming.

In the courtyard center, a long bench supports a pitch‑black coffin, its lid half‑closed, faintly revealing the pallid face of Shi Qingwen inside.

Beside the coffin, members of the Shi family kneel on the ground, their cries rising and falling.

At the front, a woman of about twenty‑three or four, dressed in a plain mourning skirt, a white hairpin in her bun, sobs so hard her body sways, slaps the coffin with both hands, and hoarsely shouts, "Lord!"

Next to her, several children also wear tiny mourning garments, their faces smeared with tears and snot, crying, "Father!"

"Wuwuwu!"

Shi Xiu Yun leads Chen Yan, Gao Jiong and others through the crowd; seeing this, he furrows his brows, raises his voice and shouts, "Stop crying!"

"Lord Chen Yan has arrived!"

"We have come to find the true culprit for Father!"

The wailing instantly diminishes by more than half; everyone looks up at Chen Yan, clad in a dark Brothel, eyes full of grief and astonishment: "Could this be the contemporary Qing Tian who returned victorious from Hezhou?!"

The Shi family members rise from the ground, smooth their crumpled mourning robes, and together bow to Chen Yan, their voices still tinged with lingering sobs yet respectful: "Greetings, Lord Chen Yan!"

Chen Yan scans the crowd, finally resting his gaze on Shi Xiu Yun, and asks, "Gongzi Shi, who are these people...?"

Although he asks so, his eyes subtly linger on those women.

Indeed the old saying proves true: to look pretty in mourning!

It has a certain charm; no wonder Xiaori likes to film stories about the bereaved…

Shi Xiu Yun steps aside to stand by the woman and introduces, "This is my father's wife, my step‑mother, Wei Shi!"

Wei Lanxi, hearing this, quickly wipes away her tears, gently presses the reddened corner of her eye with a handkerchief, then kneels before Chen Yan, her voice still choked yet fully courteous: "Shi Wei Shi has seen Lord Chen Yan!"

She wears a plain white mourning skirt, her jet‑black hair bound with a single plain silver hairpin, a few stray strands tucked at the temples, making her already delicate face appear even paler.

Is this the new wife of Shi Qingwen? This old fellow eats quite well… Chen Yan scans up and down, mutters to himself, lifts a hand in a feigned support, the Brothel sleeve swaying lightly, and in a deep voice says, "No need for formalities!"

He recalls the records stating this woman is only twenty‑three, while Shi Qingwen is already nearing his fifties…

The damn feudal society!

Shi Xiu Yun turns to another woman beside him, younger than Wei Lanxi, her plain mourning attire soaked with tears and slightly wrinkled.

Her shoulders continue to tremble, crying more sorrowfully than anyone present, even her fingertips turn white from gripping the handkerchief tightly.

Shi Xiu Yun softens his voice a bit and introduces, "This is my wife, Su Shi!"

Su Linyue, hearing her name mentioned, forces herself to sit up, quickly wipes tears with a handkerchief, though her eyes are swollen and her complexion pale, she still maintains decorum, kneels before Chen Yan, her voice heavy with sobs: "Shi Su Shi has seen Lord Chen Yan!"

"Please, Lord, you must find the one who harmed Laoren, so Laoren may close his eyes!"

Chen Yan hears this and nods slightly.

I must admit, wearing mourning clothes in the rain of pear blossoms is still quite pretty…

Shi Xiu Yun's gaze shifts to a young man standing nearby, about eighteen or nineteen, also in coarse hemp mourning robes, hands folded inside his sleeves, head slightly lowered, mouth a straight line, his face showing a hint of sorrow, yet his eyes are dry, without a single tear mark.

He introduces, "This is my second younger brother, Shi Wo Yu!"

Shi Wo Yu, hearing his name, slowly lifts his head, revealing a slightly green yet somewhat detached face, bows lightly to Chen Yan, and says in an even tone, "A humble subject has seen Lord Chen Yan!"

While speaking, his gaze flicks quickly at Chen Yan, then drops swiftly onto the Blue Bricks on the ground, showing a hint of discomfort.

After Shi Xiu Yun finishes the introductions, Chen Yan turns his head, his eyes landing on Gao Jiong, and orders, "A Jiong, arrange for people to interrogate them!"

Gao Jiong immediately clasps his fists and replies, "Yes."

He then turns to the accompanying yamen officers behind him, gives a glance, and whispers a few instructions.

Soon, several yamen officers step forward, following Gao Jiong's plan, first escorting Wei Lanxi to a side hall, while the others are taken to various rooms in turn.

Ensuring the interrogations do not interfere with each other.

Chen Yan, one hand behind his back, first glances at the pitch‑black coffin in the courtyard center, then returns his gaze to Shi Xiu Yun, and after a brief preamble asks, "Gongzi Shi, our household wishes to have the coroner examine your father's remains to more quickly determine the cause of death and catch the murderer; may we proceed?"

Shi Xiu Yun nods vigorously, his voice tinged with clenched‑tooth resolve: "Lord, feel free to proceed!"

He pauses, inhales deeply, his clenched fist's knuckles turning white, then continues, "As long as the murderer can be brought to justice, I will cooperate…"

His once‑reddened eye sockets now brim with hatred toward the murderer.

Chen Yan turns his head backward, his gaze landing on the elderly man carrying a vermilion lacquer box, dressed in a cyan long robe, and orders, "Chu Wu Zuo, begin!"

Chu Wu Zuo, nearing his sixties, his temples frosted white, steps forward at once, fists clasped, bows, and says in a steady, powerful voice, "As you command!"

When his words finish, he carries the box to the coffin, first signals two yamen officers to gently support the coffin lid, and then pulls out the tools from the box one by one.

A silver probe, a thin‑blade knife, white gauze, and a yellowed autopsy record…

His movements are methodical.

Chu Wu Zuo leans forward to examine Shi Qingwen's face, his fingers gently pressing the deceased's cheek and jaw, then lifts the eyelid to inspect the pupil, murmuring, "Pale complexion, lips bluish‑purple, conjunctiva without hemorrhage points…"

He then unfastens Shi Qingwen's collar, focuses on the dagger wound in the throat, carefully inserts the probe to gauge depth and angle.

His other hand swiftly records on the autopsy sheet, the pen tip scratching the paper with a faint "shhh" sound.

The courtyard wind lifts fallen leaves, brushes the white silk beside the coffin, yet it does not disturb his actions at all; even the complex gazes from the Shi family do not distract him in the slightest.

Elsewhere, Chen Yan sits on a pear‑flower wood chair brought by the yamen officers, hands clasped on his knees, slowly closes his eyes, and begins to cultivate his spirit.

After Half Hour Rest passes, Chu Wu Zuo carefully packs the autopsy tools back into the vermilion lacquer box, wipes his hands with gauze, then briskly walks to Chen Yan, bows slightly and says, "Lord, the examination is complete…"

Chen Yan slowly opens his eyes, no trace of drowsiness in them, his gaze fixed on Chu Wu Zuo, and calmly asks, "How is it?"

"It matches what Gongzi Shi said!"

Chu Wu Zuo nods, hands over the autopsy record, his voice lowered a few notches, "Shi Yuanwai has multiple scratches of varying depth, but none hit vital organs…"

He pauses, then continues, "The ultimate fatal wound is indeed the throat slash; the dagger penetrated more than three inches, severing the trachea and carotid, leading to massive blood loss and death!"

Zhu Yi, who stood beside Chu Wu Zuo and observed the entire autopsy, nods lightly, indicating his agreement.

"Good."

Chen Yan took the autopsy checklist, glanced over it, lightly tapped the paper with his fingertip, then looked up at Chu Wu Zuo and said, "Thank you for your hard work…".

Chu Wu Zuo clasped his hands and replied, "I dare not," then lifted the lacquered small box and stepped aside, quietly waiting for the next arrangement.

Just then Gao Jiong hurried from the side hall, his face bearing a hint of solemnity, and upon approaching bowed and reported, "Lord, the interrogation results are out…".

Chen Yan folded the autopsy checklist, slipped it into his sleeve, and with calm eyes looked at him, asking, "How is it?".

Gao Jiong pressed his lips together, lowered his voice and answered, "They all saw Shi Yuanwai's suicide…".

The wording was almost word‑for‑word.

Chen Yan slowly nodded, said nothing more, and simply raised his hand to signal him to step down.

Gao Jiong understood and also stepped back beside Chu Wu Zuo, waiting together.

Then Chen Yan's gaze turned to Shi Gongzi standing not far away, his tone calm yet probing, "Young Master Shi, do you think your father could have committed suicide?".

Shi Xiuwun almost instantly shook his head, his chest rising slightly, his eyes full of resolve, and answered firmly, "No!".

He took a half‑step forward, his voice suddenly rising a few degrees, "I, a mere son, do not believe my father would kill himself!".

Moreover, some things a son like Shi Xiuwun should not say in front of Lord Chen Yan…

If his own father had no attachment to the mortal world, he would not have continued so many strings, taken so many concubines!

There must be something wrong in this!

Chen Yan gave a slight nod, "My office thinks the same…".

He paused, his eyes sweeping over the Shi family in the courtyard, his tone growing more layered, "But if it wasn't suicide, it could only be homicide!".

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiuwun let out a "thump" and knelt to the ground, his knees striking the Blue Bricks with a dull sound.

He pressed his hands to the ground, his forehead almost touching the floor, pleading, "Please, Lord Chen Yan, arbitrate for my father!".

Chen Yan rose, the hem of his robe brushing the chair as he moved, reached out and helped Shi Xiuwun to his feet, and calmly said, "My office still has no clue…".

"The case is bizarre; we must deliberate at length and investigate carefully!".

Having said that, he turned his head toward Gao Jiong and continued, "A Jiong, leave a few people in the Shi residence to continue the inquiry; we'll return to the county office first!".

Gao Jiong stepped forward immediately, clasped his fists and bowed, replying, "Yes."

On the carriage returning to the county office.

Chen Yan leaned against the carriage wall, his fingertip absent‑mindedly rubbing the autopsy checklist in his sleeve, then lifted his eyes to the robust figure opposite him, Hongye, whose ink‑black hair was tied high, and said in a deep voice, "When night falls and the world is quiet, you will sneak Miss Yun over the wall into the Shi residence and re‑examine the body, avoiding everyone!".

Hongye heard this, tightened the Long Sword in her bosom, showed no hesitation, and replied, "Yes."

Gao Jiong's brows twitched slightly, and he couldn't help asking, "Lord, you don't believe Chu Wu Zuo's autopsy result?".

"No!"

Chen Yan slowly shook his head, a playful curl forming at the corner of his mouth.

He paused, his eyes scanning the street scene outside the carriage window, and said meaningfully, "My office feels that some things are beyond Chu Wu Zuo's examination…".

As for Shi Yuanwai's manner of death, it always gives me, Chen, a strange sense of familiarity…

Because I have used similar methods before.

"Beyond examination?"

Gao Jiong's brows knit tightly, and he fell into thought.

Chen Yan withdrew his gaze from the window, turned to Zhu Yi on the other side, and said, "Inform the You Xian faction's Embroidered‑Cloth envoy to investigate the Shi family thoroughly…".

Zhu Yi immediately nodded, "Yes."

Gao Jiong saw this, seemed to realize something, and tentatively asked, "Lord, you also sensed it?".

"Hmm."

Chen Yan smiled wryly, his eyes gaining a sharper edge, "This whole family is off‑kilter…".