Magistrate Liu sighed and walked into the inner hall. When he emerged, he held a case file.
Zhong Li took it and began to read.
The file detailed the bizarre death of a peasant woman south of An Ding County, who was found naked in her home. The scene was chaotic, and the initial suspicion of the yamen was that robbers had broken in, committed rape and murder, and then stolen valuables.
However, after a site inspection, it was discovered that while there were signs of disturbance and theft from the peasant woman's makeup box, the silver bracelet on the deceased's wrist was still there. This led to suspicion that someone had entered the house with the pretense of theft to commit murder.
Subsequently, the yamen investigated the peasant woman's social circle, narrowing down the suspects to three individuals. After thorough investigation, all three had alibis, and the case fell into a deadlock.
Zhong Li closed the case file and looked at Magistrate Liu, who was watching her expectantly. "I've reviewed the investigative process, and there don't seem to be any issues in the middle. However, I have a question for Magistrate Liu."
"Lord Zhong, please speak your mind," Magistrate Liu replied.
"Where is the autopsy report? I don't see any attached pages," Zhong Li asked.
Upon hearing this, Magistrate Liu sighed. "I heard that Lord Zhong used to be from An Ding County?"
"Yes! I helped Magistrate Zhang with some autopsies before," Zhong Li stated frankly.
Magistrate Liu rubbed his aching head. "If that's the case, then Lord Zhong also knows that An Ding County doesn't have any good coroners. The bodies are all in the morgue right now. It's just that the weather is cold, otherwise... they'd probably all be rotten by now!"
He couldn't help but sigh as he spoke.
Seeing Magistrate Liu like this, and glancing at Lu Wuxie, who remained silent, Zhong Li decided against drinking tea. She picked up the small medicine box placed aside and said, "Lead the way!"
Magistrate Liu's face lit up with joy. Without even taking the time to straighten his official hat, he hurried ahead towards the morgue.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie followed behind.
Although Magistrate Liu had long since disappeared from sight, they were familiar with the area and weren't afraid of getting lost.
"Does Mo Cang have no intention of explaining anything?" Zhong Li asked, glancing sideways at Lu Wuxie as he took her medicine box and carried it for her.
Lu Wuxie smiled and replied, "What does Li'er want to know?"
"What I want to know depends on what you are willing to say," Zhong Li answered ambiguously.
Lu Wuxie's smile deepened. Zhong Li was very clever, deflecting the question back to him and silently observing his reaction. As someone with a strong survival instinct, how could he make a mistake on the same question twice?
"Magistrate Liu is indeed an old acquaintance of mine," he said candidly. "The Kingdom of Nan Yue holds imperial examinations every three years. I met him eight years ago. At that time, he was already past thirty, making him the oldest candidate in the entire examination. I was barely an adult then, and my father, to train me, requested the position of Examiner."
"At first, everything was fine. You know how the imperial examinations in the Kingdom of Nan Yue are conducted. Everyone answered their own questions, and there were no issues. Until half a month later, when the results of the examinations were released, this Elder Liu caused a scene at the imperial list, attempting suicide."
"Attempted suicide?" Zhong Li mused when she heard this, "He didn't pass?"
"Yes!" Lu Wuxie nodded. "He made quite a scene, even involving people from the Jingzhao Prefecture. Initially, the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture intended to detain him. I happened to be passing by at the time, and he looked familiar, so I spoke a few words on his behalf."
"And then?" Zhong Li inquired.
"At first, I didn't intend to have much to do with him. Unexpectedly, after he learned my identity, he begged to become my retainer," Lu Wuxie said, shaking his head with a smile as if recalling past events. "I was planning for the future. How could a notorious prodigal son like myself take on retainers? But he was very persistent, so I asked him to write an essay for me as a form of repayment. Little did I know, when I saw his essay, I finally understood why he had tried to commit suicide in front of the imperial list."
"A pearl obscured by dust?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie nodded. "Yes, he truly possessed literary talent and insight into state affairs. However, due to his impoverished background, and the fact that state affairs were controlled by Fu Chong at the time, he never received a satisfactory result despite taking the examinations for many years."
"Then what did you do?" Zhong Li asked.
"Fu Chong and the Empress were quite wary of me. Moreover, my wings were not yet fully grown, so I couldn't possibly place him in the court. Thus, I sent him to the Feiyuan Pavilion." Lu Wuxie replied.
"To help you manage the Feiyuan Pavilion?" Zhong Li asked.
Lu Wuxie thought for a moment and answered, "Yes and no. The Feiyuan Pavilion doesn't really require much management; everyone has their own tasks to attend to. Elder Liu is honest and intelligent. I found him a minor official position somewhere, allowing him to bide his time. It wasn't until last year, when the Jia family incident occurred, that I took the opportunity to dismiss Magistrate Zhang. I then maneuvered through the court to outwardly distance him from me, and only then did I naturally place him here. An Ding County is the closest to Jincheng. Having my man here allows for greater stability, whether we need to advance or retreat in our actions."
Zhong Li nodded upon hearing this. "So, after all our arduous efforts of fleeing and escaping through winding paths, we can rest for two days in An Ding County, is that right?"
"Yes," Lu Wuxie nodded, adding, "An Ding County was also the first to know when something happened in Jincheng. With Elder Liu here, my information will be more readily available."
"What about the case?" Zhong Li asked again.
"What case?" Lu Wuxie pulled her into his embrace and whispered.
Zhong Li gently pushed him away. "Don't pretend. Elder Liu asked me to solve the case just now, and you watched me silently. Did you want me to take it?"
"I apologize!" Lu Wuxie smiled and kissed her forehead. "Elder Liu is one of my trusted confidantes and a friend. I genuinely hoped that Li'er would assist him, but I didn't want to force you, so I could only remain silent."
"Alright, considering how sincerely you've acted, I accept!" Zhong Li's tone lifted slightly, with a hint of teasing.
Lu Wuxie squeezed her hand and whispered, "Thank you, Madam!"
"Who is your Madam!" Zhong Li playfully rolled her eyes at him.
The morgue was cold in winter, and with little ventilation, the smell was rather unpleasant.
Magistrate Liu led the way, holding a lantern. Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie followed behind.
Passing by one cold corpse after another, they reached the innermost part of the morgue.
"Young Master, Lord, the deceased, Madam Hu, is here."
Zhong Li followed Magistrate Liu's voice and looked at the slab. A white cloth covered the noticeably contoured body, and a rotting hand dangled down. A cold breeze blew in from the door, carrying a pungent stench.
"Let's begin," she said, taking out two pairs of gloves and masks from her怀. She handed one set to Lu Wuxie.
Seeing how proficient the two were, Magistrate Liu called for his subordinates to bring the autopsy gloves and put them on, then stood aside to observe and learn.
Zhong Li, not having expected Magistrate Liu to be this kind of person, curved her lips slightly beneath her mask.