Xu Qing watched Zhong Li, who was still continuing the autopsy, his attention fully focused on the short dagger that she had placed beside Ming Xia’s body.
That dagger was different from the ones ordinary generals used. The handle and the blade were roughly the same length, and the blade was shaped like a semi-arc, narrower at the tip, wider in the middle, and narrower at the back. This also explained the peculiar trapezoidal wounds on the corpse.
“As expected!”
Just as Xu Qing was lost in thought, Zhong Li, who was still examining the corpse, let out a sound.
He lowered his head towards the source of the sound, and the stomach acid he had almost swallowed rose again.
“Ugh…” He covered his mouth, his pupils widening. Zhong Li had, at some point, dissected Ming Xia’s body. All her internal organs had been pulled out, resembling a pot of rotten mixed ingredients, emitting a greenish liquid and a pungent stench.
“If you’re going to throw up, go outside!” Zhong Li spoke coldly without even lifting her eyes, sensing the strange gaze from above.
Xu Qing was startled, his face flushing slightly. Was he being disliked?
Catching sight of Lu Wuxie looking at him with a hint of playfulness, his expression stiffened. He coughed awkwardly and said, “Young friend, do not misunderstand. This official is the Deputy Minister of Dali Temple. I can handle this.”
“…”
His response was a period of silence.
Xu Qing scratched his head dejectedly. Seeing Zhong Li still hunched over Ming Xia’s lower body, he couldn’t help but ask, “Young friend, did you discover something just now?”
Finally, Zhong Li nodded this time, but she didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she asked Xu Qing a question.
“What was the situation when you found Ming Xia?”
Under normal circumstances, if a small coroner asked a Deputy Minister of Dali Temple such a question, Xu Qing would have refused to say a word. However, the case was still unsolved, and it might even be linked to an old case. Rumors were already spreading among the public, and if it wasn’t solved soon, Chang’an City could fall into panic again.
Xu Qing knew it wasn’t the time to be arrogant. After organizing his thoughts, he said, “It was quite coincidental. On the night Ming Xia was murdered, I and a few constables were patrolling Liu Lane. Some citizens reported that someone was killing people in Mao’er Hutong. By the time we arrived, we saw Ming Xia lying in a pool of blood, her appearance unrecognizable.”
“And what about Miao Jie?” Zhong Li asked again. “I heard that Dali Temple apprehended Miao Jie smoothly?”
Xu Qing nodded. “Yes, I examined Ming Xia’s body at the time, and her body temperature was still high. I concluded she had just been killed, so I ordered my subordinates to seal off Liu Lane. Afterwards, we encountered Miao Jie, who was covered in blood. And then…”
Zhong Li understood. According to Xu Qing’s account, Miao Jie had simply run into the trap?
“So you interrogated Miao Jie that night?”
“We did.”
Zhong Li pursed her lips. Based on what she had learned from Zeng Fan at the Ministry of Justice, Miao Jie would definitely not have confessed. After all, they had only apprehended the person. There was no murder weapon or evidence. The few witnesses had only caught a glimpse of the suspect’s back in the middle of the night and thought it resembled Miao Jie’s. No wonder Dali Temple didn’t dare to let Minister Chen pass sentence. If it got out, it would be equivalent to Dali Temple handling a muddled case.
If this spread to the public, the authority of Dali Temple would be completely discredited.
Thinking of this, her gaze fell on Ming Xia’s corpse again. She said, “The deceased suffered severe abuse and… sexual assault before her death.”
Upon hearing this, the two people standing opposite Zhong Li raised their eyebrows.
Zhong Li pointed at Ming Xia’s neck with one finger and continued, “The cause of death was a throat slitting. The killer’s technique was extremely precise, severing both the trachea and the artery with just one stroke. After that, the killer proceeded to cut off pieces of flesh from her body, but…”
“But what?” Xu Qing and Lu Wuxie asked in unison.
“If I remember correctly, Miao Jie is a blacksmith?” Zhong Li did not answer immediately but changed the subject to ask.
“Yes,” Xu Qing replied truthfully.
“The wounds on Ming Xia’s body were neat and smooth. In some places, it was even difficult to cut, yet the killer was able to leisurely cut off pieces of flesh. Could Miao Jie, a blacksmith, achieve this?” Zhong Li voiced her doubts.
Xu Qing looked at the corpse. They had been so busy solving the case that they hadn’t paid attention to the wounds on the body. Now, hearing the young friend opposite speak, it was indeed true.
“Then, according to young friend’s opinion…”
Zhong Li pondered for a moment and said, “If the killer is indeed Miao Jie, then his skills need to be investigated thoroughly. If not… I suspect the killer is a physician or someone who frequently engages in professions like butchers, including the executioners from the Ministry of Justice.
After all, to possess such knife skills, one would need at least one or two years of relevant experience, not five or six, to be able to cut flesh while avoiding bone, doing so with ease.”
After speaking, Zhong Li no longer paid attention to Xu Qing’s thoughtful expression. She turned and walked to the desk, picking up the prepared brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to begin writing.
After a short while, she held a post-mortem report.
Xu Qing took it from her hand and glanced at it, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
This post-mortem report was different from those of Dali Temple. Besides some information about the corpse, it even included whether the deceased had any serious illnesses before her death, as well as a summary of the oral statements about the case.
As his gaze moved down, he caught sight of the delicate handwriting at the end of the report—Zhong Li. He couldn’t help but wonder to himself, this name sounded like a woman’s name.
Xu Qing swallowed a few times, his gaze slowly shifting from the report to Zhong Li’s chest. Before he could get a clear look, a figure blocked his view.
“Your Highness?” Xu Qing looked up and met the face of the man who was half a head taller than him.
“What are you looking at?” Lu Wuxie’s tone was still nonchalant, but the smile that didn’t reach his eyes gave off a chilling feeling.
Xu Qing coughed lightly, unsure how to answer. Zhong Li’s voice rang out again.
“Master Xu!”
Xu Qing was called back to his senses. Without thinking, he stepped past the man in front of him and quickly walked to Zhong Li’s side.
“Zhong… Young friend, are you calling me?”
Zhong Li was tidying up the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Hearing Xu Qing’s words, her movements paused. She turned to look at the man on her side who was rubbing his arms vigorously. “Master Xu, are you cold?”
Xu Qing’s hands stopped. He turned to glance at Lu Wuxie, who was also slowly walking towards them. He had an illusion that he had just brushed past the King of Hell.
“Uh… Sort of,” he replied, a smile tugging at his lips.
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li picked up a small box placed in the corner. “I had originally planned to repair the corpse before leaving. Since Master Xu is cold, I will come in alone to repair it after I finish my tasks.”
“Does young friend have any other matters?” Xu Qing walked beside Zhong Li, his eyes only daring to look forward.
“When I was examining the corpse, I noticed Ming Xia’s hair bun was messy, guessing it was disturbed during a struggle with the killer. So I also checked Ming Xia’s personal belongings and found that a few items were missing. I wonder if Master Xu found them at the scene?” Zhong Li asked.
“Yes. Young friend, please wait for this official in the front hall. This official will be right back.” After speaking, Xu Qing seemed to have oiled his feet and disappeared in a flash.