diskusbooks Chapter 338 Autopsy
Chapter 338 Autopsy
When Luo An was examining the body, he gestured for Nian Yao to leave.
Nianyao said, "I'll help you out here."
Luo An immediately ordered, "Okay, take off his clothes, strip him naked."
Nianyao pouted and went out. Gu Yu suppressed a laugh as she closed the door and then undressed Qin Jiu.
Having ventured into the martial world in his youth, Qin Jiu had several old wounds on his chest and back. Apart from that, he had no new wounds, but he did have purplish-red patches on his calves and arms.
Luo An pressed hard, and the purplish-red patches gradually faded. Judging from the time, it must have died last night.
Jingze sought refuge with Qin Jiu at the Duke's mansion. Even if Liang Qingcheng is ruthless, she wouldn't kill the father of two children. So who is the murderer?
Luo An stood up, opened the window, and took a deep breath of cold air. The cold air penetrated his internal organs, making him shiver.
Not to mention Nianyao, even Luo An didn't believe that Qin Jiu committed suicide. However, given Qin Jiu's intelligence and skills, coupled with the caution he should have shown in Bianjing, it's impossible that he was strangled to death without leaving a trace.
Luo An closed the window and returned to Qin Jiu's side. He inserted long silver needles into Qin Jiu's body, from his chest to his abdomen, piercing all the meridians and organs. He then pressed all of Qin Jiu's joints and acupoints with his hands before signaling Gu Yu to help Qin Jiu put on his clothes.
Nianyao walked from left to right and then from right to left at the door, walking faster and faster, becoming more and more anxious. Not daring to urge Luo An, she simply ran to the back garden to pick flowers.
When Luo An opened the door and didn't see Nian Yao, his heart tightened slightly. Just as he was thinking that something might have happened, he saw Nian Yao running over with a large bouquet of white plum blossoms in her arms.
Nianyao asked, panting, "How are you?"
Luo An looked back and saw that Gu Yu had already covered the area with a white cloth.
During the three quiet years of the Great River Gang, besides Nan Fei, Qin Jiu spent the most time with him. They played countless games of chess, and time slipped away bit by bit with the rise and fall of the chess pieces.
Looking back now, I think life would have been very difficult for the Dahe Gang without Qin Jiu. Now, Nan Fei is gone, and Qin Jiu is gone too; they were both such young and brilliant people.
Fate is merciless, and life is unpredictable. When he witnessed the passing of someone he had spent every day with, Luo An felt as if death was incredibly close to him.
Luo An took the flowers from Nian Yao and placed them on the altar: "He was indeed hanged; there were no new wounds on his body."
The coroner had said this before, and Luo An repeated it again, as if it were the truth.
Nianyao was looking down, seemingly lost in thought. Luo An felt a pang of sadness seeing this and was about to take her hand.
Nianyao took a step back, put her hands behind her back, and looked up, saying, "You're lying."
Luo An felt sad and silently looked at her, unsure of what to say.
Nianyao then backed away: "You're all liars! You're lying, the Duke's mansion is lying, and Prince An is lying..."
Nianyao retreated ten feet, then suddenly turned and ran. She ran very fast. Luo An chased for a few steps and stopped. Nianyao quickly disappeared from sight.
Nianyao went to Wenxiang Pavilion first. Having grown up surrounded by men, she looked dashing in her deep purple, luxurious men's clothing. As soon as she entered, she tossed a gold ingot to the madam and specifically asked for the girl who had caused the son-in-law of the Duke of Liang's mansion and the late Grand Tutor's grandson to fight over the Duke's affections.
The madam smiled obsequiously, "Sir, you've come at a bad time. Xiangxiang has been redeemed. We have other beautiful girls here, come on over..."
The girls lined up and flirted in front of Nianyao, and the madam said, "Young master, please choose whichever you like."
A fragrant aroma wafted over, and Nianyao sneezed. She took out a silver ingot and held it up high: "You all know chess, music, calligraphy, and painting, right? Whoever can paint Miss Xiangxiang so lifelike that I'm satisfied, this one will be yours!"
The madam immediately pushed the last girl standing in front of Nianyao: "Young master, she used to be the daughter of an official, and she studied under Master Huang. Her painting skills are beyond question."
When Nianyao saw the madam about to take the silver ingot, she flipped her wrist and said to the girl, "Draw it first, and I'll give it to you when I'm satisfied."
The madam's expression darkened slightly, and she said to the girl, "Listen to the young master's instructions and paint well."
The madam left with a group of girls, and the girls silently laid out paper, ground ink, and began to paint. Nianyao, carrying the girls on her back, stood by the window and looked out. The streets were bustling with traffic and people, lively and prosperous.
Nianyao had never missed Chongming Island as much as she did now, missing the days when she drank, ate meat, fished, and sailed with her brothers. Back then, she had a sense of grounded warmth and simple happiness.
But Nianyao didn't feel that way in Bianjing. She only felt that Bianjing's winter was really cold, and the wind in Bianjing was even colder than the river wind on Chongming Island, stinging like a knife against one's face.
Something white seemed to be falling from the sky. Nianyao instinctively reached out to catch it; it was snowing. The snowflakes quickly melted in her palm, turning into water droplets.
The snow fell heavier and heavier, drifting and swirling in the air, its white flakes stinging the eyes. Nianyao suddenly remembered a line: "When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out, or snow being splashed with hot soup."
Nianyao kept her hand outstretched, watching the snowflakes melt into water in her palm, so focused that she didn't even hear the girl calling her.
The young woman waited a while and, seeing that Nianyao didn't react, quietly walked over and saw that Nianyao's face was covered in tears. The young woman quickly pulled Nianyao's hand back and closed the window: "Young master, there's a charcoal brazier over there; it's too cold here."
The girl pushed Nianyao toward the charcoal brazier, pressed her into a chair, took out a handkerchief to wipe the water from Nianyao's palms and tears from her face, and then brought over hot tea: "Young master, have a sip, your hands are almost frozen."
People can still endure indifference when they are vulnerable. But when they encounter kindness and care, they break down and cannot control themselves. Nianyao cried, "My brother is dead."
The girl paused for a moment, then said, "My brother is dead too."
Nianyao looked at her with teary eyes.
The girl said very seriously, "My father is dead, my mother is dead, my brother is dead, my sister is dead, my brother is dead, my wet nurse is dead, my maid is dead... and many, many more people are dead."
A long silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the fire in the charcoal brazier. Nianyao finished her tea, and the girl refilled it for her…
One drinks tea while the other pours it, and they continue in this cycle with perfect understanding until the pot of tea is empty.
Nianyao felt much warmer and twirled her teacup in her hand: "How did they die?"
The girl said, "The bandits robbed us on the road a long time ago, actually not that long ago, it happened at the beginning of the year. No, it was at the beginning of last year. Time flies, I've even forgotten it's a new year."
Nianyao asked, "What's your name?"
The girl said, "My name is Guan Xin..."
Concern? Nianyao was thinking that the madam knew how to speak and that her surname was Guan, so she assumed she was the daughter of an official.
Whether the girl was used to being misunderstood or had guessed Nianyao's thoughts, she said, "The 'guan' in 'official government,' and the 'xin' in 'daxin drum.' I was born at dawn, so my father gave me this name."
Born at dawn? Nianyao recalled that Xue Chenxi was also born at dawn. The difference in the quality of the names was immediately apparent. No, it wasn't. The most common is the most elegant. Both sounded good.
Nianyao said, "I have a daughter, who was also born at dawn."