Chapter 1 An Unusual Corpse

On the surface of the water.

A dark shadow drifted slowly, its pale clothes bleached white by the water, black hair dancing in the ripples.

Even from several meters away, Jiang Chen could tell that the corpse drifting towards them was young.

In Great Wei, only unmarried women wore their hair loose. Coupled with the vibrant dress on the female corpse, her age was easily discernible.

At this moment, the others on the boat also noticed the abnormality on the lake, and their eyes flashed with pity and anger.

Because the female corpse's abdomen had been hollowed out!

The area where her heart and spleen should have been was empty, with open, stark white ribs covered in water plants, shrimp, and crabs, making it difficult to look at.

Even more chilling was that the flesh around the female corpse's abdomen was jagged, as if gnawed by some foreign object.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen tightened his grip on Jia Yao'er's face.

Under the Emperor's feet, such a heinous crime had occurred! Were the Capital Prefecture and the Ministry of Justice useless?!

He turned his head and said sternly, "Xu Mu, go ashore, retrieve the body, and notify the Imperial Capital authorities!"

"Tell those officials in charge of criminal justice to get over here!"

His cold words made Xu Mu shiver. He immediately responded, "Yes, Your Majesty! I will take care of it!"

Jia Yao'er, with her eyes covered, was puzzled and very curious about what was happening outside.

But hearing Jiang Chen's tone, she didn't dare to move rashly. She stayed obediently in his arms and said carefully, "Your Majesty, can you let me go?"

"It's not proper for men and women to touch. It's not good for you to hold me like this..."

As she spoke, she raised her arm and gently pushed Jiang Chen's arm.

Her timid appearance was like a kitten, making one's heart itch.

If it were normal times, Jiang Chen would never let go of such a beautiful woman in such a charming state, and would definitely play with her and admire her.

But at this moment, he was not in the mood.

He released her and said in a deep voice, "Let's end our conversation here for today. When the boat docks, I will send someone to take you back. We'll talk again another day."

Hearing this, Jia Yao'er became anxious, "Your Majesty, what happened?"

"Although Yao'er is a woman, she has some skills and may be able to help if she stays by Your Majesty's side!"

"I appreciate your kindness, but this is not something you should be involved in... Go home and rest."

After Jiang Chen finished speaking, he remained silent, his cold eyes fixed on the lake, not knowing what he was thinking.

Although Jia Yao'er was unwilling, seeing that he was in a bad mood, she didn't dare to speak again and stood silently in place.

Soon, the boat docked.

Xu Mu, soaked to the skin, came up to him, "Your Majesty, the body has been retrieved."

"This woman is about seventeen or eighteen years old and still a virgin. Besides her internal organs being hollowed out, there are no other wounds on her body. The preliminary estimate of the time of death is last night."

Jiang Chen nodded and looked at the female corpse on the ground, his expression becoming even colder.

Such a tragic death made it hard for him not to suspect a conspiracy.

The people in the capital already had complaints about the Xu family because of the rumors, and even thought that Noble Consort Shu was a bewitching concubine who would bring disaster to the country. If this matter was exposed, it might push the Xu family into an even more dangerous situation.

He absolutely could not ignore it!

"Where are the officials I asked you to call? Why haven't they arrived yet?" Jiang Chen frowned.

Xu Mu wiped the water from his face and said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, the officials are all working in the city, which is far from here. It takes time to notify them."

Hearing this, Jiang Chen sneered, "Is that so? Such a big thing happened, and they haven't received the news yet. It's obvious how lazy these guys are on weekdays."

"When I find out the truth, I will definitely teach these good-for-nothings a lesson!"

Xu Mu didn't dare to say anything and listened silently, feeling a little sympathy for the officials in the criminal justice system.

While the two were talking, the people gradually gathered around the female corpse, whispering and speculating!

After all, the woman's death was so tragic, and it happened in the most secure Imperial Capital. No matter who did it, it was absolutely inexcusable!

This scene made Jiang Chen even more unhappy, knowing that this accident would probably spread throughout the city soon.

"Xu Mu, send someone to urge them again!"

"Even if the officials don't come, have the people from the yamen collect the body first, and give this woman a resting place."

Hearing this, Xu Mu nodded and was about to leave when a contemptuous roar rang out from the crowd not far away.

"Get out of the way! The Imperial Capital yamen is handling a case! All you lowly commoners, get away from here!"

As the voice came, the originally dense crowd suddenly separated, fearfully leaving a small path wide enough for three people to walk side by side, allowing the yamen runners to pass.

"Tsk, this woman didn't die in the right place. How could she be seen by a noble, who then contacted our yamen, causing the adults to be scolded for nothing!"

"Who says otherwise? We were comfortably in the yamen, just waiting to get off work, but suddenly we were dragged out. What a jinx!"

"Stop talking nonsense, quickly collect the body for this woman, and then go to the brothel for a few drinks..."

A group of runners walked out of the crowd, complaining and glaring at the surrounding people, full of arrogance.

This arrogant posture instantly attracted the attention of Jiang Chen and his party.

"What great prestige! If it weren't for today's accident, I wouldn't have known that the Imperial Capital yamen travels with such glory!"

"This posture is no different from that of imperial relatives!"

Hearing this, the imperial guards standing beside him changed their expressions and were about to step forward to reprimand him, but Jiang Chen stopped them with a look, and they stopped moving.

Not noticing Jiang Chen and the others in the distance, the yamen runners gathered around the female corpse, and the leader among them spoke first, "Uncover the cloth on this woman's body and conduct an on-site autopsy. Anyway, she's already dead, so there's no need to worry about her reputation."

"Didn't the person who notified us say that her internal organs were missing? Let's take a look for ourselves to see if that's really the case!"

As he spoke, he was about to use the scabbard to lift the cloak covering the corpse.

Just at this moment.

*Pa!*

Jiang Chen rushed up and kicked him, sending the constable flying three feet away in front of everyone.

This sudden change stunned everyone present.

It wasn't until the kicked runner struggled to get up and roared that everyone woke up.

"You bastard! How dare you hit me? Do you know what crime it is to assault an official in Great Wei?!"

"Everyone, get him! Arrest this pretty boy and throw him in jail!"

"I'll take good care of him when I get back!"

The runner leader was furious, staring at Jiang Chen with a ferocious face that made people shudder.

The subordinates around him quickly reacted, drew their sabers from their waists, and approached Jiang Chen menacingly, ready to capture him on the spot.

Their practiced movements showed that this was not the first time they had done such a thing to abuse their power.

At this moment, Jiang Chen's face became even colder, and he said sternly, "Is this how your Imperial Capital yamen treats the people?"