The moment Zhong Li finished speaking, all the stewards and maids of the Xie manor looked on in horror.
Zhen Shi stood opposite her, looking at her as if she were a monster.
“Master Zhong, do you know what you are saying?”
Zhong Li looked back at Zhen Shi and repeated, “Second Madam, this official is preparing to dissect Old Master Xie’s body.”
Zhen Shi stared at her intently. She knew about Zhong Li’s relationship with Lu Wuxie and her position in the Dali Temple, but she never imagined that this new young lady would try to suppress her with her official rank.
She narrowed her eyes and said, “Zhong Li, don’t push your luck. Although my Xie family has retired from officialdom, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. We are still prominent figures in this Southern Yue Kingdom. My daughter, Xie Yunxi, is also the Consort of Prince Xian…”
“This Prince agrees.”
As Zhen Shi was speaking, Lu Wuxie, who had been staring at the ruins, suddenly interjected.
At the same time, everyone’s gaze fell on Lu Wuxie.
Zhen Shi looked at him, seemingly surprised by his statement. She stepped forward and said, “My Lord, do you know what you are saying?”
Lu Wuxie swept his arrogant gaze over Zhen Shi and said, “I do. Do you have an opinion?”
Zhen Shi gazed at him. She knew she was not the matriarch of the Xie manor, and Lu Wuxie, given his status, did not need to show her any particular respect. However, Xie Yunxi was his stepmother, and how could he publicly embarrass her like this?
“My Lord, you should understand that the person who died here is your maternal grandfather. It is well known that one should cherish one’s body and be buried with a complete body. If there is any accident during the dissection, can you bear the responsibility?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Wuxie’s gaze sharpened, and he stared at Zhen Shi.
Zhen Shi was startled and began to have second thoughts. Lu Wuxie’s reputation for debauchery had spread throughout the Southern Yue Kingdom, but today he seemed so strange. Even his gaze made her feel a chill down her spine.
“Zhen Shi, you heard just now that there is something suspicious about Grandfather’s death. Why are you blocking this?” Lu Wuxie asked in a low voice.
As Zhen Shi was about to retort, Lu Wuxie continued, “This Prince is from the Ministry of Justice. If there is any dispute regarding the case, I have the right to demand a thorough investigation. Moreover, you are merely a concubine of the Xie family. When did it become your place to make decisions for the Xie family?”
“You!” Zhen Shi was stunned. She never expected Lu Wuxie to suppress her with the Xie family’s hierarchy. Indeed! She had a daughter who was a prince’s consort, but no matter how hard she tried, Xie Xu had never mentioned her status. Even though Xie Xu disliked the woman kneeling in the ancestral hall, he had no intention of bestowing upon her the title of principal wife.
Lu Wuxie, too lazy to bother with Zhen Shi any longer, waved to Lin Jin.
Lin Jin glanced at the constables who were actively helping to extinguish the fire in the courtyard. Together, they began to move Xie Xu’s body to the yamen.
Lu Wuxie slowly descended from the ruins, took Zhong Li’s hand, and walked out. As he left, he uttered a sentence, “The ruins are the scene of the crime. If any unauthorized personnel enter, don’t blame this Prince for arresting them as suspects.”
Zhong Li sat in the carriage, looking at the man curled up in the corner opposite her.
Usually, at this time, he would be lazily leaning against the carriage, basking in the fire. Now, his eyes were hollow, and he was clearly disoriented.
“My Lord, please accept my condolences. The dead cannot be brought back to life,” she said comfortingly.
Lu Wuxie raised his eyes and looked at the beautiful woman opposite him, saying, “Li’er, can you restore this burnt body?”
Zhong Li was taken aback and shook her head.
Lu Wuxie’s eyes, which had held a flicker of hope, became dim.
“However…” Zhong Li thought for a moment and said, “If my Lord wishes, I can actually make a human skin mask for my maternal grandfather. After the case is over, my grandfather can be buried with the mask. But for the body itself, Zhong Li is indeed unable to help.”
Lu Wuxie felt a little relieved upon hearing this. He lifted the curtain and looked at the people coming and going on Yonghua Street, saying, “My mother’s hometown is Jinzhou. Because my father was an official, we moved to Jincheng, and then due to court affairs, we moved back.
I remember my grandfather as a very gentle person. Although I had anticipated this, I still find it difficult to accept, especially… watching the people around me leave one by one.”
Zhong Li knew that Lu Wuxie was dissolute, but she also knew that he was actually a person who valued loyalty and righteousness the most. Otherwise, he would not have been so concerned about the Consort of Prince Xian for so long after she had passed away.
“My Lord, please rest assured. I will definitely examine my maternal grandfather’s body clearly and thoroughly!”
Yamen Morgue.
The entire room’s stench of decay was filled with the smell of scorched flesh.
Zhong Li stood beside Xie Xu’s body and opened the medicine chest in front of her, beginning her work.
Xie Xu was old, and his body had already begun to show various age-related illnesses. As Zhong Li conducted the autopsy, she discovered that most of his teeth had fallen out, his bones were somewhat osteoporotic, and his heart was enlarged.
She thought to herself that even with this body, he was still engaged in daily womanizing. Even if no fatal cause was found within his body, he was likely to die suddenly at any moment at the Baiyan Tower.
Based on the stiffness of the body, Zhong Li judged that Xie Xu had died sometime in the middle of the night. However, due to the fire, to make a more precise judgment, she needed to examine the deceased’s stomach.
Ancient people were particular about their food. Xie Xu’s stomach was still quite healthy. Inside, besides some congee that was almost fully digested, there was some undigested minced meat. She deduced that he had eaten it while drinking and feasting at the Baihua Tower.
As Zhong Li examined the contents with her tools, she suddenly discovered something in the residual food. Her expression froze, and disbelief appeared in her eyes.
Lu Wuxie saw Zhong Li off to the yamen and did not linger, instead taking Lin Jin back to the Xie residence.
The Xie family had already declined, and now with the loss of its master, the manor was bound to be in chaos.
When he returned to the manor, arguments had already broken out near the ruins where Xie Xu had been burned to death.
He saw Zhen Shi, led by her head maid Sixi and two or three other maids, crying and preparing to rush into the ruins. Judging by the sorghum wine and chicken in her hands, she was likely going to pay respects.
In fact, Lu Wuxie had not had a deep impression of Zhen Shi initially. After all, she was merely a concubine that his maternal grandfather had taken in early on. As for her background, it seemed she was a foot-washing maid brought from her maiden family by his maternal grandmother.
It was only after he experienced that incident and received his maternal grandfather’s letter this time that he predicted these people would start to stir.
“Lin Jin,” Lu Wuxie said.
Lin Jin bowed and led the many constables behind him toward Zhen Shi.
With the sounds of women’s curses, the ruins gradually returned to quiet.
Lu Wuxie lifted the hem of his robe and walked back towards the ruins. The grief he felt earlier, coupled with the need to safely send his maternal grandfather’s body to the yamen, had prevented him from confirming it. Now, he was alone in the courtyard. If he remembered correctly, he seemed to have discovered something when his maternal grandfather’s body was moved.
Indeed, as he reached the spot where Xie Xu had died, something silver and shiny caught his attention.
Lu Wuxie quickly crouched down and dug through the soil and charcoal burying the object. A Judge’s Brush thus came into his view.
He picked up the brush, which had yet to be wiped clean of dust, when the sound of footsteps approached from a distance.
Lu Wuxie subtly hid the Judge’s Brush under his sleeve and turned back.
It turned out to be a maid, hurrying towards him. He recognized the maid as Xiang Jie, who served his maternal grandmother.
“My Lord!” Xiang Jie ran to him, bowed, and saluted.
“What is it?” Lu Wuxie frowned, afraid that his maternal grandmother, Madam Liang, had also met with an accident.
Xiang Jie gasped for breath and said, “The Eldest Madam… The Eldest Madam is looking for you!”