Chapter 61: Accompanying the Autopsy

Ministry of Justice Morgue

Qin Niansheng stood beside the mortuary bed, sighing heavily. Months had passed, yet no one had arrived to succeed his master as the official coroner. The last coroner sent to take over had been forcefully taken away by the Court of Judicial Review. Over these months, under Lu Ziqing’s unyielding pressure, Qin Niansheng’s days had been bleak and interminable.

To make matters worse, word had it that kindly Lord Dong was about to retire to his hometown, and the next Minister of Justice would certainly be none other than the stern-faced Lord Lu.

"Alas!" Qin Niansheng couldn't help but heave another deep sigh. Perhaps it was time to consider if this job truly suited him, or if he ought to seek another path.

But what was he to do about the corpse before him?

According to the constables who delivered the body, the deceased was a young maid from the imperial palace. If she was a palace maid, she must have been a girl in her bloom, which made it all the more difficult for a youth as pure-hearted as himself to lay hands upon her.

A stern, authoritative cough interrupted his wandering thoughts.

Qin Niansheng knew that voice all too well. Lord Lu, the stern-faced one, had returned.

He straightened with a jolt, turned to the doorway, and bowed his head in salute. "Your humble servant greets Lord Lu."

Lord Lu did not answer, but instead turned to those behind him and, uncharacteristically respectful, said, "Prince Xuan, Princess Xuan, please."

Before Qin Niansheng’s gaping eyes, two figures entered the mortuary. No, to be exact, it was a lady and a chair.

A beauty of celestial grace, stunning as a goddess, pushed before her a nobleman whose features surpassed even Lord Lu’s in handsomeness and chill. The pair entered the room, and in an instant the gloomy, eerie morgue seemed to brighten as if touched by splendor. Qin Niansheng felt as though the very light in the room had grown dazzling.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted. From Lu Ziqing’s words just now, these two must be Prince Xuan and Princess Xuan. He hastily knelt and paid his respects.

“Your humble servant Qin Niansheng pays respects to Prince Xuan and Princess Xuan.”

A soft laugh escaped. Shen Qianmo, who hadn’t seen Qin Niansheng in some time, could not help but smile at his sycophantic demeanor and said with a hint of laughter, “Brother Qin, there’s no need for such formality. Do rise.”

Brother Qin? Qin Niansheng looked up in alarm after rising. Why did that title sound so familiar? Yet he was certain he had never met this ethereal, elegant Princess Xuan before. No one who had ever seen such a beauty could easily forget.

Meng Yuanheng, seeing the young coroner staring fixedly at Shen Qianmo in a daze, was displeased, his voice frigid as he barked, “Insolence!”

The rebuke, neither harsh nor soft, struck Qin Niansheng's ears with more authority than any scolding Lord Lu had ever given. His knees buckled, and he fell back to the ground, trembling, unsure what offense he had committed against Prince Xuan.

Shen Qianmo shot Meng Yuanheng a look of disapproval. Was there any need to be so fierce? See how he'd frightened poor Qin Niansheng.

In truth, she had taken quite a liking to the young man. Though a bit lazy, he was quick to understand and pure of heart; given time, he would surely become an excellent coroner—provided he wished to pursue this path.

Meng Yuanheng merely snorted coldly and turned away in silence.

This fellow, Shen Qianmo thought, had pleaded on the carriage to accompany her here for the autopsy, yet now acted so petulant. If she’d known, she’d have left him behind.

She rolled her eyes at him and spoke gently to Qin Niansheng. “Brother Qin, you may rise. Take me to the body that was just brought in.”

Had Prince Xuan and Princess Xuan come all this way just to see a corpse? Qin Niansheng was astonished, but dared not question further, glancing surreptitiously at Lu Ziqing.

Lu Ziqing’s face was stern and unpleasant as he gave a curt nod.

Since Lord Lu had no objection, Qin Niansheng led the three to the mortuary bed.

Standing by the corpse, Shen Qianmo felt her presence return. She seemed to transform, nodding to Lu Ziqing with authority. “Lord Lu, let’s begin the autopsy.”

What? Qin Niansheng nearly stumbled in shock. Had he heard right? Did this goddess-like Princess Xuan just say she would perform the autopsy?

Lu Ziqing wasted no time, fixing him with a grave stare. “Coroner Qin, prepare at once!”

Qin Niansheng shivered and immediately produced the full set of autopsy instruments he had prepared.

Shen Qianmo’s eyes gleamed. Clearly, Lu Ziqing had made progress; the equipment was complete, with masks, gloves, gowns, and several gleaming scalpels.

She gave Lu Ziqing an approving look.

Lu Ziqing’s stern face was tinged with discomfort. In truth, all he had done was copy the items Shen Qianmo had brought last time when disguised as Mo Xin—nothing worthy of pride.

Meng Yuanheng, seeing the silent exchange between the two, was visibly displeased. He stepped forward, took her hand, and called softly, “Mo’er.”

Seeing him jealous for no reason, Shen Qianmo shot him an exasperated glance. Then she donned the gown, fastened mask and gloves, and, turning her back to Meng Yuanheng, called, “Ah Heng, tie the sash for me.”

It was awkward to tie the gown’s sash with gloves on, and if she asked Lu Ziqing or Qin Niansheng, Meng Yuanheng would surely erupt on the spot.

With a stoic expression, Meng Yuanheng clumsily tied a knot around her waist, his mood visibly improving.

Qin Niansheng, seeing Shen Qianmo fully suited for autopsy, was dumbstruck. Eyes wide, he pointed at her, stammering, “You… you… you’re Young Master Mo Xin?”

He could not be mistaken. That gaze, that bearing—this must be the unrivaled autopsy expert, Mo Xin.

Shen Qianmo, her eyes the only part visible above the mask, gave him a look that said, “You’re not so slow after all.” Without hesitation, she lifted the white cloth covering the corpse, revealing the swollen, headless body of a young woman.

Still reeling from the shock of discovering that Princess Xuan was Mo Xin, Qin Niansheng turned and caught sight of the corpse, crying out in terror and leaping back. Since joining the Ministry of Justice, he had seen many corpses, but this one chilled his very bones. The manner of death was too horrifying—he suddenly felt nauseous.

Shen Qianmo had already begun her examination.

"The deceased is female, aged between fourteen and sixteen, standing five feet two inches tall. Estimated time of death is around the second watch of today."

She glanced at Qin Niansheng, still paralyzed by fear, and frowned in displeasure. “Brother Qin, record this.”

A coroner must not be afraid of corpses; it was the bare minimum of professionalism. Clearly, Qin Niansheng was still in need of experience.

Meeting Shen Qianmo’s stern gaze, Qin Niansheng snapped to attention, head bowed over his notes, his face ashen, feelings in turmoil.

“The head was severed with a sharp instrument and has not yet been found. The characters on her chest were pricked with a silver needle. Judging by the contraction of the neck wound and blood loss, the head was likely removed after death.”

After a careful inspection of the neck wound, Shen Qianmo concluded, “The characters on the chest were also likely inscribed post-mortem, judging by the size of the bleeding points.”

She examined the marks one by one, then paused as if noticing something. “Wait. The bleeding point at her heart is different from the others. Lord Lu, come take a look.”

Lu Ziqing immediately stepped forward and, under her direction, saw that the puncture at the heart was indeed deeper and bloodier than the rest.

“I suspect this was the fatal wound. Still, we can only be certain after the dissection.”

Lu Ziqing nodded, agreeing with her assessment.

Next came the examination of the lower body. The three men present all felt awkward.

Lu Ziqing remained composed; after all, he had seen Shen Qianmo examine a male corpse without flinching, let alone a female one.

Meng Yuanheng’s face was somewhat strained, but his self-control was excellent, and he betrayed little emotion.

Qin Niansheng, however, was the most embarrassed. Being a youth of tender years, full of innocent fantasies about women, this scene would likely scar him for life.

Only Shen Qianmo remained unperturbed, her tone steady. “No abnormalities found in the lower body; no signs of violation. There is a blue birthmark above the buttocks. No other notable findings.”

She straightened and instructed Qin Niansheng, “Prepare for dissection.”

Qin Niansheng quickly handed her the scalpel.

Shen Qianmo took the blade and warned Lu Ziqing and Qin Niansheng, who were standing nearby, “The corpse is freshly dead and may bleed profusely—step back.”

With a swift cut at the chest, a jet of blood spurted forth. Shen Qianmo, prepared, dodged aside, and the blood splattered onto the floor where Lu Ziqing and Qin Niansheng had been standing moments before.

They both cast her grateful looks; had she not warned them, the blood would have drenched them.

But Shen Qianmo had no time for thanks. Her focus was entirely on the body.

After a thorough internal examination, she found no irregularities in the organs—except in the heart, where a long, slender silver needle was embedded!

The needle was lodged deep in the heart—the true cause of death for the young maid.

Silver needles were most often weapons used by women. Combined with the scent she had detected on the black cloth, all clues seemed to point toward Consort Li.