Zhong Li looked at the female corpse before her. Clad in a crimson silk robe and embroidered shoes with golden trim, she was clearly a noble lady from a prominent family. People of such status were rarely brought to Dali Temple. They prioritized reputation and family honor, opting for swift burials and discreet handling of affairs for most cases. Only matters demanding thorough investigation would reach them.
With a sigh, Zhong Li donned her gloves and began a meticulous examination of the corpse’s torso, limbs, and features. The deceased was rather plump. Due to the season and the time elapsed since death, a pungent, indescribable odor wafted towards Zhong Li as she moved the body.
“Minor abrasions on the fingertips of the right arm,” she murmured to herself, her movements precise and unceasing.
Her gaze then shifted to the corpse’s face. At first glance, the body appeared to be merely sleeping, with nothing outwardly remarkable. But Zhong Li was no ordinary examiner. Her scrutiny was intense. She discerned faint, dried bloodstains around the deceased’s nasal cavity.
A preliminary judgment of the woman’s cause of death began to form in her mind. She promptly retrieved a cotton swab from her medical kit, dipped it in warm water, and gently wiped around the corpse’s facial features. As she suspected, the swab came away stained with blood.
Zhong Li’s eyes narrowed. She picked up a small razor from her kit and quickly shaved off the corpse’s hair.
“As expected, there’s damage to the skull. If I’m not mistaken, it was caused by a fall from a height, leading to internal injury,” she stated her analysis. Reaching for a cleaned scalpel from her waist, she proceeded to examine the corpse’s internal organs to confirm her hypothesis.
Just as she began to make an incision in the corpse’s chest, the door to the autopsy room burst open with a resounding crash. Before Zhong Li could react, an angry roar filled the air.
“Lan Heng, look at what your subordinates are doing!”
Zhong Li looked up at the sound, spotting a middle-aged man in a dark blue silk shirt pointing at her furiously. Had they not been in Dali Temple, she suspected he might have torn the autopsy room apart.
“What am I doing, Lan…”
“What are you doing? Don’t you know yourself?” Zhong Li’s gaze fell upon Lan Heng, who stood beside the irate man. As she was about to ask what the problem was, the middle-aged man rushed to her side, pointing at the female corpse on her table. “This is my wife. Who gave you permission to dissect her?”
Zhong Li froze, looking at Lan Heng. Seeing his nod, confirming the man’s words, she then glanced at Xu Qing and Fan Ren, who followed Lan Heng, and understood instantly.
“My apologies. There was a female corpse here, and I assumed…”
“Assumed what?” The middle-aged man’s beard bristled with rage. “Do you think I’m ignorant of Dali Temple’s rules? Do you have the signed consent from the deceased’s family for the autopsy?”
Zhong Li shook her head, unsure of what to say. She had been negligent; even if she was set up, it was her own professional oversight.
“My apologies, no. I…”
“No, you…”
“Marquis Anping!” The middle-aged man was about to continue berating Zhong Li when Lan Heng quickly interrupted him. He cupped his hands in a gesture of respect. “This oversight was on Dali Temple’s part. However, since your wife’s body is here, it will be examined sooner or later. Zhong Siting is Dali Temple’s most outstanding coroner. Her actions are with the hope of solving the case quickly and allowing Madam to be laid to rest.”
“Is that so?” Marquis Anping, Chang Ji, looked at Zhong Li, having heard of this female coroner.
Zhong Li took a deep breath and cupped her hands. “Lord Chang, this was indeed Zhong Li’s oversight. But rest assured, I will ensure your wife’s body is restored to its complete state before burial.”
“Including her hair?” Chang Ji asked, glancing at the neatly shaven head of the corpse.
“Including it!” Zhong Li glanced at the pile of hair on the floor and nodded.
“Hmph!” Chang Ji finally relented after receiving Zhong Li’s assurance. He looked at Lan Heng, who was bowing respectfully. “On Lord Lan’s account, I will let this matter slide for now. Do not forget your promise. If you cannot restore my wife to her original state, I will not hesitate to impeach you before His Majesty.”
With that, Chang Ji swept his sleeve and departed.
Lan Heng glanced at Zhong Li before quickly following Chang Ji.
Xu Qing walked over to Zhong Li, his gaze sweeping over the corpse, which had been cut open by her. “Zhong Siting, aren’t you usually very meticulous? How did such a major blunder happen today?”
Zhong Li shot Xu Qing a sidelong glance, then looked at Fan Ren beside him. “Lord Xu speaks the truth. Zhong Li will be exceptionally careful in the future.”
“That’s good!” Xu Qing smiled and waved, leading Fan Ren out of the autopsy room.
“Li’er!” As soon as Xu Qing left, someone entered from outside the autopsy room.
Zhong Li looked up to see Hua Yao.
“Yao’er,” Zhong Li replied softly, rummaging through a box.
“Li’er, what are you doing?” Hua Yao approached her and asked, observing her busy movements.
“Finding distilled water and my homemade alcohol to clean the corpse and restore the body of the Marquis Anping’s First Madam,” Zhong Li answered calmly.
“Oh!” Hua Yao nodded and leaned closer, whispering, “Were you framed by that Xu Qing?”
Zhong Li blinked, looking at Hua Yao in surprise.
Hua Yao waved her hands. “Li’er, don’t look at me as just a pampered young lady from the Hua family. I’ll tell you, the more pampered we are, the more we see of concubines fighting for favor and framing each other. I caught a glimpse of what was happening here just now, and seeing Xu Qing’s smug expression as he left, combined with knowing your personality, I guessed it right away.”
Zhong Li smiled. “Yes, nothing escapes you. It’s my fault too; I was groggy from sleep and didn’t follow Dali Temple’s regulations.”
“What does this have to do with you? Lord Lan agreed to let you rest. Xu Qing is openly exploiting you! And with this incident, you probably won’t be able to investigate the case of Marquis Anping anymore!” Hua Yao exclaimed, crossing her arms in anger.
Zhong Li looked at Hua Yao’s adorable expression, her anger dissipating instantly. She asked, “From what you’re saying, is it very important that I investigate the Marquis Anping case?”
Hua Yao covered her mouth in surprise. “Li’er doesn’t know?”
Zhong Li shook her head.
“Today in court, the Crown Prince and Lord Lan praised you highly before His Majesty. His Majesty said that if you could thoroughly investigate this case of Marquis Anping, he would promote you. Now, you’ve offended Marquis Anping, and that opportunity is surely gone. Now, I can only pray that Marquis Anping doesn’t speak ill of you before His Majesty.” Hua Yao said.
“So that’s how it is,” Zhong Li understood immediately after Hua Yao’s explanation. It made sense why Xu Qing was so unhappy with her upon her return. If she were promoted, she would be only one rank below Xu Qing. It had taken Xu Qing many years to reach the position of Dali Temple’s Assistant Minister of Justice, while she had achieved it in just over half a year. His animosity towards her was quite natural.
“Don’t worry,” Zhong Li said as she sewed the corpse’s body. “Xu Qing won’t be able to solve this case.”
“Ah? Why?” Hua Yao widened her almond-shaped eyes.
Zhong Li didn’t answer her question, instead asking, “By the way, why are you at Dali Temple instead of returning to the Hua family?”
When Hua Yao heard Zhong Li’s question, a hint of mystery appeared in her eyes. “Guess?”
Zhong Li smiled faintly and didn’t reply.
Knowing Zhong Li’s personality, Hua Yao disliked such guessing games and stated directly, “His Majesty has granted me permission to join Dali Temple. From now on, I will be learning forensic examination from Li’er.”
What?
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li turned to look at Hua Yao, who wore a triumphant expression. The profession of coroner was considered lower than even the lowest professions. If General Hua heard that his daughter was pursuing this line of work to chase after a man, his beard would likely twitch with anger.
“Li’er,” Hua Yao seemed to read Zhong Li’s thoughts and looked at her with a serious expression. “I admit I like Lord Lan, but… I admire you even more, Li’er. I have been frail since childhood and unable to practice martial arts. Seeing my father and brother fighting on the battlefield for Southern Yue, I always blamed my own unaccomplished body.
Until I saw the intense focus and confidence you exude when solving cases and performing autopsies, I decided to become the next you.”
Zhong Li was stunned. She hadn’t expected that her unfashionable profession in this ancient era would be admired by a noble daughter.
“So, from now on, I will follow you every day. We are both sisters and disciples!” Hua Yao finished, hooking her arm around Zhong Li’s and nuzzling against her.