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墨書 Inktalez
In order to preserve the crime scene as much as possible, the examination room in Area B had been cleared.
Huayang Princess hurried over and paused for a moment upon seeing the deceased lying in a pool of blood. Then, she rushed forward with all her might. The victim was still seated, his face drooping down onto the examination desk, and there were splatters of blood on the floor in front of him.
Huayang first reached out to check his carotid artery, and her initial sensation was one of coldness and stiffness; there was no pulse. She then turned the deceased's head slightly, and when her gaze met his unblinking eyes, she instinctively took a step back and exclaimed, "Fifth Brother!"
At that moment, Shi Yun stepped forward to confirm once more.
Huayang nodded slowly, "Yes, it’s my Fifth Brother."
Shi Yun felt a wave of frustration wash over him; the wrinkles on his forehead could have squashed a mosquito. He summoned the proctor from Area B, but the proctor was in poor condition himself—his hair was gray, his eyes were vacant, and he trembled uncontrollably. Shi Yun, impatient with his stammering, pulled him closer and demanded to know how the Fifth Prince had died.
"Your Highness?!?" The proctor let out a shrill cry before fainting from shock.
Shi Yun could only shake him off in disgust. Useless! Fainting in front of the Foreign Group—how embarrassing.
Before arriving, Sang Qingxiao had asked Li Cu about the entire situation, but this Little Girl found it too boring and took a long nap. She hadn’t seen anything; she only realized something was wrong when she heard about someone dying in the courtyard. She knew she had slacked off and made a mistake but was currently hiding somewhere reflecting on her actions.
Shi Yun gathered all the witnesses, and their responses were consistent: they were either focused on answering questions or diligently monitoring the exam and hadn’t paid attention to any commotion near the deceased. The only thing they could confirm was that before he coughed up blood, he hadn’t reported any health issues nor had anyone else lingered near him.
Shi Yun then called over his fellow examiners and guards who had shared meals with him. They stated that Da Yu's Fifth Prince had always been in good health without any unusual symptoms.
The case had reached a stalemate.
Shi Yun asked Huayang Princess if an autopsy could be conducted.
An autopsy?!
Huayang's pupils dilated in shock; before she could respond, others from Dayu shouted in protest.
"The body of the Fifth Prince cannot be... cannot be touched at all! His Highness’s noble body must be preserved properly."
Now that the prince had encountered trouble on Great Jing's territory, they hadn’t even begun to seek trouble with them yet they were already thinking about desecrating the prince’s body. How could they possibly think that without an autopsy they wouldn’t solve the case?
Shi Yun replied that it was merely to ensure a more accurate conclusion. It was also to provide solid evidence during the resolution of the case to silence Dayu's people.
Shi Yun privately felt that this did not seem like the work of someone from Great Jing. Da Yu's Fifth Prince had been concealing his identity, only using the title of a high official's son. Riri's performance was not outstanding; she merely stirred things up subtly. If it weren't for Huayang Princess's revelation, Great Jing would have remained unaware.
Moreover, Qi Xiaomian had only informed him about this matter, and out of caution, he had yet to report it, pretending to be oblivious. Therefore, it was unlikely that anyone from the Court would use the prince's identity for their schemes. Besides him and Qi Xiaomian, the only others who knew were likely the people from Small Tavern. Could it be that someone from Small Tavern was behind this?
Shi Yun cast a discreet glance at Sang Qingxiao. That familiar face, the renowned surname, and since her arrival in Jingjing City, there had been constant disturbances in the Court. Upon closer inspection, he noticed her presence in various incidents; although her appearances seemed justified, too many justifications could indicate a problem.
Tracing back her background revealed nothing amiss; her past was too simple and straightforward—an abandoned child? Ha! Just as he contemplated whether to hand this case over to The Office of Censors, given his connection to the suspect, someone from the palace arrived. The leader was none other than the currently prominent Gentle Wen Gonggong.
Shi Yun had heard of his methods; he was a sycophant. Shi Yun disliked his style and watched him warily. "I thought His Majesty would send Dragon Guard."
Gentle seemed oblivious to the rejection in his words and smiled. "Cai Gonggong fell ill and had a high fever last night. Fortunately, it subsided this morning, but he is still weak. His Majesty is considerate of him and allowed him to rest. Knowing I lack experience, I was given this opportunity to practice."
"Chancellor, rest assured, I will speak less and observe more; I won't meddle unnecessarily. Any trivial matters can be assigned to me."
"How did he get such a high fever?" Shi Yun asked with concern.
Sighing, Gentle replied, "Cai Gonggong has an old injury. If he had listened to the physician and taken care of himself, he wouldn't have lingering issues. But he has a heart for the world and neglects his health while busying himself every day."
"Now that he's getting older, some old injuries can't be suppressed anymore. In the dead of night, I've even heard him stifling groans of pain."
"If you have time, Chancellor, you might go to the palace and advise him not to overexert himself; taking care of his health is paramount."
"You have a kind heart."
We are all drifting people living like ants; seeing Cai Gonggong now feels like looking at my future self—it's merely empathy.
Yet he is someone who knows how to perform and speak well; no wonder he earns His Majesty's favor. However, his arrival is quite timely; it allows for arrangements with Yongxin Marquis to investigate together and supervise each other to avoid favoritism and mistakes.
Though no hierarchy was explicitly stated, Gentle, nearing forty years old, still lowered himself before Qi Xiaomian. "Does Marquis have any instructions?"
"Perhaps Wen Gonggong could assist in inquiries and take notes?"
Qi Xiaomian stepped aside and handed over the preliminary tasks of the case to Gentle. Observing for a while revealed that this person worked very methodically; during inquiries, he hit all the right points—he was strategic and thoughtful.
"I need to go to the palace," Shi Yun said. "I must see Cai Gonggong."
Shi Yun worried about Cai Zhuo's health and was even more concerned about how his status might be affected, which could subsequently influence court affairs.
After Shi Yun left, the Coroner finally arrived. Unable to perform an autopsy on the body, they could only summon all the coroners from the Capital to observe and discuss the situation, hoping to gather more information through collective insights.
This compromise, however, did not gain the approval of the Dayu Group. They raised a ruckus, loudly proclaiming that so many people had come into contact with the prince's body, which was a great disrespect.
It was Huayang who stepped in, using her status to suppress their chaos. Although they no longer shouted loudly, their whispered comments were still quite bothersome. Even their own princess began to voice her complaints, criticizing her for turning against her own kin, for being a woman who could not rise to prominence, and for disregarding familial bonds.
Huayang had long grown accustomed to such remarks and chose to ignore them. She approached Qi Xiaomian and proposed that they investigate together.
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