Others only saw Chu Xinian as an ordinary young master from a prestigious family. Although he had a quick wit, it did not necessarily mean that he could investigate and solve cases. Moreover, a forensic doctor in the Great Yan Dynasty was considered a lowly position, so it was unthinkable that Chu Xinian would learn to dissect corpses. Not to mention that even Elder Yan Qinghe and others shook their heads in disagreement.
Xie Jingyuan did not want Chu Xinian to get involved in the trouble and tried to push him away, but they were stopped by the guards at the gate, their eyes instantly turning cold.
Prince Guangping, quickly stepped forward to mediate, “General Xie, today’s incident is my fault, causing this calamity. However, the cause of Young Master Jin’s death is still unclear. Please stay a little longer.”
Xie Jingyuan covered his lips with a handkerchief and coughed a few times, with an expressionless face as he pulled the cloak he wore over his shoulders and furrowed his thin eyebrows, he said, “I have been sick for a long time and it is time for me to take my medicine. Why won’t the Prince allow me to go out?”
His complexion was pale, his lips darker than usual, with a strange purplish tinge. He did not need to pretend; he looked quite ill. The Prince hesitated, not knowing what to do.
The Crown Prince, hearing this, looked and thought; no wonder Xie Jingyuan has been acting like a firecracker today. So he hasn’t taken his medicine. It was strange that he proposed a useful suggestion, “Since we can’t solve this case immediately, and there are so many people here, we can’t stay here indefinitely. In my opinion, we should record the names of everyone present and interrogate them when necessary.”
However, Jin Hai disagreed. Once the people left, it would be like releasing a tiger into the mountains. The noblemen might not leave, but there were many commoners present, and if they left the Capital, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack to track them down again.
Still, the guests did not want to stay here indefinitely either. Their voices grew louder as they argued, faces flushed and necks bulging, and it seemed that the Golden Scale Pavilion was about to become a marketplace.
Chu Xinian had remained silent throughout the argument. He reached out and tugged on Xie Jingyuan’s cloak, asking in a low voice, “General, are you tired and want to go home to rest?”
Not really, Xie Jingyuan was enjoying the show. But if they stayed longer, it might involve Chu Xinian. He smirked and said, “If that’s the case, just come with me. I don’t think anyone would dare stop us.”
“But that would only give the others something to gossip about” Chu Xiniann smiled as he adjusted his sleeve, “General, please wait a moment. Once the case is solved, we can return.”
“Solved?” Xie Jingyuan raised an eyebrow, “Who will solve it?”
Could it be that Chu Xinian wanted to perform an autopsy?
As soon as this thought arose, Xie Jingyuan saw Chu Xinian suddenly walk into the crowd and bow in all four directions, saying, “I am inexperienced and have limited skills. Today we have many distinguished guests, all with exceptional skills. Therefore, I do not dare to show off.”
The crowd did not understand what he meant, but still listened attentively and stepped back out of politeness.
Chu Xinian looked at Jin Hai and paused before continuing, “Young Master Jin was killed, and his parents must be deeply grieved. It is natural for them to want to personally clear their beloved son’s name. There is no need for us to stop them, and I believe the Emperor will also be understanding. As the authorities have not yet arrived, Lord Jin, please speak freely about what you wish to investigate. We will resolve doubts one by one and will not withhold any information.”
“Although I am not an expert in forensic examinations, I have some basic knowledge. Lord Jin, your pleas to the Crown Prince are in vain here. It would be better for you to investigate personally, how about we help you?”
After finishing his words, Chu Xinian made an inviting gesture, directing him toward Young Master Jin’s corpse, which had already cooled down.
Jin Hai’s facial muscles twitched continuously. He thought Mei Fengchen was inflexible and unable to adapt to the situation. When the Ministry of Justice officials arrived, he might find it difficult to get involved. It would be better to take this opportunity to investigate and see who was the most suspicious.
“Alright.” Jin Hai suddenly waved his sleeve, silencing the murmurs of the crowd. He said to Chu Xinian, “Today, I will follow your words and personally carry out the investigation. If I find out who the murderer is, I will show no mercy!”
As he uttered the last sentence, his aged eyes filled with fury, frightening everyone present into trembling, afraid to make a sound.
Young Master Jin’s body lay silently on the table. The mortal wound was in his head, not in a major artery, so only a small amount of blood had flowed and clotted.
Lord Jin stared at him with grief and trembling hands. Finally, he turned his head and looked at the crowd, “How did my son die?! And who discovered the corpse?!”
At that moment, Prince Guangping was tearing up a painting, and everyone had gathered around him to stop him, too preoccupied to notice anything else. They hadn’t even noticed the theft right under their noses, let alone a corpse.
The room was silent and no one responded.
At that moment, Chu Xinian suddenly walked over to Young Master Jin’s body before everyone’s eyes and laid him carefully on the floor. He rolled up his sleeves, unbuttoned his clothes, and calmly narrated the events, “Young Master Jin’s body still has residual heat. The time of death is no more than half an hour.”
Chu Xinian’s gaze traveled up and down, roughly scanning the body’s limbs and back.
“There are no visible external wounds on the body. The mortal wounds are on the head, with two bloody holes on the temple, as if it had been penetrated by a sharp object.”
As he spoke, he opened the corpse’s eyelids and lips.
“The eyeballs are protruding, the tip of the tongue is damaged and purple, blood is oozing from the ears, and he has convulsions in his hands. Before he died, he was poisoned and there are signs of a struggle.”
As Chu Xinian finished speaking, he looked around and saw a leftover cup of tea on the table in front of Young Master Jin. He got up from the floor, and ignoring Xie Jingyuan’s dangerous gaze, pulled a silver hairpin from the head of a noblewoman wearing a light yellow dress, “May I borrow this hairpin miss?”
The noblewoman let out a small cry of surprise but didn’t stop him. She looked at him curiously, wanting to know what Chu Xinian was going to do.
Everyone watched Chu Xinian stir the silver hairpin in the cup for a moment. When he took it out again, the silver fork had turned pitch black. They could not help but widen their eyes in shock and panic.
“There’s poison in the tea! What are we doing? I’ve drunk this tea too!”
“I… I’ve drunk it too. What should we do?!”
“Go find a doctor quickly!”
Chu Xinian smiled, lowered his head, and wiped his palms with a handkerchief. He spoke to calm the chaos, “There is no need to panic. This poison is very lethal. But only Young Master Jin’s cup has been poisoned.”
This was a premeditated and targeted assassination.
Jin Hai’s complexion changed as he quickly thought about whether he had offended an enemy. However, before he could speak, Chu Xinian asked, “May I know who the young woman who discovered Young Master Jin’s corpse?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
A woman dressed in white hesitated for a moment and stepped out from the crowd, bowing to Chu Xinian and Jin Hai, “I am Jiang Suqi. It was I who discovered Young Master Jin’s body.”
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She seemed to remember the horrible scene and frowned, using her sleeve to cover her face, unable to look at it again.
Chu Xinian, “Thank you for the insight, miss.”
He turned and looked at Jin Hai, asking slowly, “Is there anything else you would like to know, Lord Jin?”
Jin Hai was momentarily dumbfounded. He was in charge of the Jin Family’s affairs and usually dealt with business transactions. He had no experience in investigating cases. He waited for Chu Xinian to continue speaking, but, unexpectedly, the question was returned to him.
No one could survive in officialdom without being shrewd, especially someone like Jin Hai, who held a highly esteemed position. He quickly regained his composure, which a moment ago had been clouded by anger.
With an unsure expression, he scrutinized Chu Xinian and realized that the young man before him was quite capable. He softened his tone, “I just want to know who the murderer is.”
The old fox managed to corner Chu Xinian with a single sentence.
Chu Xinian remained silent and, after a moment, said, “It is possible to find the murderer, but our current priority is to find the murder weapon used to kill Young Master Jin.”
Although the meaning of his words was not clear to everyone, they instinctively lowered their heads and began to search together. Just then, someone suddenly exclaimed and pointed to a corner by a pillar, “Look! There’s an iron nail there – could it be the murder weapon that killed Young Master Jin!”
It was inappropriate to call it an iron nail. This object resembled a thin triangular cone, with a finely sharpened tip like an arrow and stained with blood. It was about half the size of the palm of one’s hand.
Chu Xinian walked over, picked up the object with a handkerchief, and placed it on the table for all to see.
Chu Jiaoping was standing next to the pillar. He noticed faint white markings on the crimson pillar and saw that the window was wide open. He looked outside, and on the opposite side of the lake was a grove of trees and rocks.
Chu Jiaoping frowned slightly, “Could it be that someone was hiding on the other side of the lake and watching the people inside the Golden Scale Pavilion through the window? And it turns out that Young Master Jin was leaning out of the window, so the assassin fired a concealed weapon at him from afar, piercing his brain, hitting the pillar, and falling to the ground?”
This explanation seemed plausible. Jin Hai was about to send someone to inspect the other side of the lake but was stopped by Chu Xinian, “Lord Jin, please remain calm and do not be carried away by illusions.”
His words contradicted Chu Jiaoping, raising doubts. Several mixed looks fell on Chu Xinian, wondering what he would come up with.
Chu Jiaoping did not care. He looked at his brother, whose temper had changed, “What illusions are there? Please speak clearly.”
Chu Xinian looked out the window and then sat cross-legged on Young Master Jin’s front seat. He addressed the crowd, “Young Master Jin and I are of similar build. Now I sit in his place. Lord Jin, please have a servant look out of the window to see if he can see me.”
Jin Hai immediately sent a servant. The servant stood by the window, but could not see the top of Chu Xinian’s head unless he stood on tiptoe and looked in. Then he returned to report, “Lord, I could not see Master Chu.”
Only then did Chu Xinian clarify for everyone, “Although Young Master Jin’s seat was next to the window, it was a blind spot from the outside. The assassin could not have observed his position from across the lake. That is the first point.”
“Secondly, if Young Master Jin had been killed by a ranged projectile, this slender triangular arrow would have been completely stained with blood. However, as you can see, only the tip is stained.”
Prince Guangping and the others quickly lowered their heads to check and discovered that indeed, the murder weapon had only blood on the tip.
But that was not all. Chu Xinian went on to refute Chu Jiaoping’s speculation, “Thirdly, if the murder weapon had been fired directly at Young Master Jin’s temple from the window, the flesh and skin of his left temple should have sunk inward, while the right temple should have protruded outward. This is the only way to match the force of an arrow.”
Chu Xinian rose from his seat and exposed Young Master Jin’s head wound to everyone, “However, the wounds on both sides of his temples are sunken inwards. It is evident that someone deliberately inflicted symmetrical wounds with the murder weapon to mislead us.”
“Fourthly, the marks left by the weapon on the pillar are messy and placed too high. They do not form a straight line with Young Master Jin’s upright posture, so they cannot be caused by it.”
And the fifth most important point.
Chu Xinian held up the cup of poisoned tea for all to see and said, “If the assassin had wanted to use a concealed weapon to kill him, why would he bother to poison the tea? The purpose of all this was simply to make us believe that the assassin committed the crime from the outside, to exonerate himself from suspicion.”
It was clear that the assassin had first poisoned the tea and then taken advantage of Young Master Jin’s paralysis from the poison to directly end his life, creating a series of deceptions.
Hearing this, everyone present fell into deep thought, half in awe and half in admiration of Chu Xinian.
Jin Hai clenched his fists tightly and asked, “So you’re saying that the assassin is still inside the Golden Scale Pavilion?”
Chu Xinian nodded, “Indeed.”
Prince Guangping felt inexplicably nervous upon hearing this. If the assassin was still inside the Golden Scale Pavilion, it was a serious matter! He bowed respectfully to Chu Xinian and pleaded, “Brother Chu, you have a divine talent for solving cases. Please find out the truth, clarify Young Master Jin’s innocence, and restore our innocence as well.”
Xie Jingyuan watched them secretly, trying to find some clues, but to no avail. Feeling bored, he raised an eyebrow. In truth, it was more appropriate to leave this matter to Chu Xinian.
“I will do my best,” Chu Xinian assured.
Chu Xinian wrapped the weapon in a handkerchief and made a squeezing motion in front of everyone. Only the blood-stained part of the arrow was visible, while the rest was firmly clenched in Chu Xinian’s palm.
“This object is too thin and sharp all over. The human bone is hard, so if the assassin used this object, he would have experienced resistance. There would be marks left on the palm. We just have to see which of us has these wounds on our hands to know the truth.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the Golden Scale Pavilion erupted in commotion. Jin Hai was the most agitated, wanting to rush to examine everyone’s hands individually.
Chu Xinian was the first to open his palm to prove his innocence. Then, he pulled Xie Jingyuan’s hand and opened it in front of everyone. None of his hands had fresh wounds.
The Crown Prince also stretched out his hand and said, “Neither do I.”
Yan Qinghe looked at Chu Xinian with approving eyes and sighed in admiration. He also rolled up his sleeves and showed his hands to everyone, “Me neither.”
With the lead of these few individuals, the rest also stretched out their hands to prove their innocence. However, at that moment, an unexpected event occurred. Jin Hai examined each person’s hands and discovered that no one had any suspicious wounds.
Jin Hai stammered, “Chu Xinian, then…. what… what should we do?”
Discussions began to break out around them.
“Didn’t Chu Xinian say that the assassin was inside the Golden Scale Pavilion, could he have been mistaken?”
“I think he’s just playing mind games. We should wait for the people from the Ministry of Justice to arrive.”
Xie Jingyuan frowned and asked Chu Xinian in a low voice, “Could it be that the assassin has already escaped?”
“General, please don’t worry.”
Chu Xinian patted him reassuringly, remaining calm and composed. He smiled faintly as he looked at Jin Hai and said, “Isn’t this a good thing? It shows that everyone here is fair and has never been involved in a murder case.
Prince Guangping hesitated and asked, “Brother Chu, then who is the murderer…?”
Chu Xinian’s gaze pierced through him and landed on a panicked maid dressed in pink. He smiled and said, “While the guests have been investigated, the servants have not. Miss, would you be willing to join me for inspection?”
All eyes turned to the maid. She had a charming appearance and a pale face. She hid her hands in her sleeves and refused to extend her hand.
Jin Hai stepped forward and forcibly opened her hand. He discovered several bloodstains on the palm of her right hand and couldn’t help but be shocked, “You killed my son!”
The maid gritted her teeth and glared at him, “So what if it was me? Your foolish son spent his time indulging in worldly pleasures. He was capricious by nature – even if he died a thousand times, it wouldn’t be enough!”
Some observers recognized the maid and said, “Hey, isn’t that Qinglan, the chief courtesan of Dianmo Pavilion? I heard that she was saved by Young Master Jin some time ago and changed her profession. How did she end up as a servant in Prince Guangping’s mansion?”
This story was another romantic entanglement.
The Young Master of the Jin Family was frivolous by nature and skilled in seduction. After deceiving Qinglan, he stopped caring for her. He even expelled her from his mansion even though she was three months pregnant.
Prince Guangping had a kind heart. One day, he saw her fainting on the road and decided to have her as a servant in his mansion. Little did he know that it would bring him trouble and end up in a murder case.
Jin Hai was heartbroken, regretting that he had not raised his son well and hating the woman who caused his death. Overwhelmed with grief and anger, he unsheathed the sword from the waist of a guard amid the choked cries of the crowd and was about to attack her. However, Chu Xinian reached out his hand to stop him, “Wait, Lord Jin!”
Hearing Chu Xinian’s words, Jin Hai’s movement with the sword stopped, and with bloodshot eyes, he looked at Chu Xinian, “Why are you stopping me!”
Chu Xinian slowly withdrew his hand and looked at the slightly bulging belly of the maidservant, “Lord Jin, this woman is pregnant, most likely carrying the lineage of your Jin Family. It would be best to investigate thoroughly before making a judgment.”
Clang!
Lord Jin was suddenly shocked as if struck by lightning. The sword fell from his hand and he staggered backward, supported by the people around him. His only heir was dead, and now the assassin carried the only lineage of the Jin Family. No one could accept such a turn of events.
Chu Xinian was not interested in other people’s family dramas. Seeing that the case had been solved, he pulled Xie Jingyuan and left the mansion. Unexpectedly, before they could get into the carriage, Prince Guangping caught up with them.
“Brother Chu, please wait!”
Xie Jingyuan observed coldly, sensing that Prince Guangping had a proclivity for same-sex relationships, always wanting to affectionately hold hands with everyone he met. For example, he was now clinging to Chu Xinian and refusing to let go.
Prince Guangping had come specifically to express his gratitude, “Thank you, Brother Chu, for finding out the truth today. Otherwise, I am afraid I would have had a hard time. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will visit you more often.”
Prince Chang and Prince Ping gradually went out and privately regretted the situation. Today, Chu Xinian exhausted the favors of these two families. He not only recovered the ancient painting for Prince Guangping but also discovered the injustice against Lord Jin’s only son. If they had known earlier, they would have shown goodwill beforehand.
“Please, Your Highness, there is no need to be so polite. I will pay a visit in the future.”
Chu Xinian discreetly withdrew his hand and was about to get into the carriage when suddenly, a noble lady in a pale yellow dress lifted the curtain of her sedan and called out to him. Chu Xininian instinctively looked up, and an embroidered sachet landed neatly in his arms.
“…”
The people of Great Yan were liberal-minded, and the women in the inner chambers were not so restricted. Throwing flowers and fruits was quite common. In today’s banquet, if we were to consider who attracted the most attention, it would undoubtedly be Chu Xinian. Many noble ladies felt their hearts stirred.
The sedan gradually drove away, leaving Chu Xinian standing alone and dazed. Xie Jingyuan grimaced and lifted the curtain, climbing into the carriage. He was so enraged that he felt sick.
Chu Xinian looked at the bag in his hand, thinking what to do. Unexpectedly, someone called out to him from behind. When he turned around, he saw that it was Jin Hai.
“Master Chu” Jin Hai suddenly looked much older, his whole person appeared haggard and unrecognizable. He bowed to Chu Xinian and said, “Today, the Jin Family owes you a debt of gratitude. If there is an opportunity in the future, we will certainly repay you. Once this matter is settled, I will come to visit you to apologize.”
Chu Xinian helped him up and said, “Lord Jin, please accept my condolences.”
While they were talking, a group of Yamen runners suddenly arrived on horseback, led by Mei Fengchen. He had received news from Prince Guangping’s mansion while investigating a case in Ling County and hurried over.
Chu Xinian smiled faintly, turned around, and climbed into the carriage. Now was not the time to interact with Mei Fengchen.
Mei Fengchen saw Jin Hai from a distance and immediately dismounted, “Lord Jin, where is the body now?”
Jin Hai closed his eyes and didn’t even want to answer, “He has been taken away.”
Mei Fengchen frowned, “He has been taken away, for what purpose?”
Jin u Hai suddenly opened his eyes and replied sharply, “Purpose? Naturally, we will preserve and bury him. Should we wait for the officials from the Ministry of Justice to come and pick up the body?”
With a cold growl, he turned angrily and walked away.
They didn’t come when someone died, they didn’t come when they were looking for the assassin. And now that everything was solved, they were showing up!
Chu Xinian sat inside the carriage and couldn’t help but laugh when he saw Mei Fengchen standing there, confused, looking astonished. He pulled down the curtain and looked at Xie Jingyuan in front of him, saying, “General, is today’s performance lively enough?”
However, Xie Jingyuan ignored him and stared at the delicate embroidered sachet in Chu Xinian’s hand, as if he could poke two holes in it with his eyes.
“Throw it away,” Xie Jingyuan said in a cold and icy voice, reminiscent of a poisonous snake lurking in a swampy place.
“Huh?” Chu Xinian slowly realized that Xie Jingyuan was referring to the sachet in his hand. He raised an eyebrow and smiled mysteriously, “Why should I?”
Seeing that Chu Xinian not only did not throw it away but dared to ask why, Xie Jingyuan narrowed his eyes and reached out to snatch it away. However, Chu Xinian was quick and hid it behind him. Coincidentally, the carriage shook, causing Xie Jingyuan to fall directly into his arms.
“Be careful, General!” Chu Xinian instinctively clung to him, barely steadying their positions. He lowered his head to check on Xie Jingyuan, asking, “Are you okay?”
Their posture made the carriage feel even narrower.
Xie Jingyuan remained motionless in Chu Xinian’s embrace, but reached out his hand to him in a disgruntled tone, “Hand over the sachet to me.”
He was like a dog that had found a bone and, for some reason, insisted on taking it.
Chu Xinian kept his hugging position without moving and looked at the sachet in his hand. It was exquisitely crafted and must have been worth a lot of money. He laughed in a deep voice, “General, do you know that nothing is free in this world? If you want this sachet, what are you going to give me in return?”
Xie Jingyuan grabbed his collar and threatened, “Are you going to give it to me or not?”
Chu Xinian’s white robe loosened, revealing a small part of his chest as he tugged on it. He grabbed Xie Jingyuan’s hand to prevent him from tearing off his clothes and said, “I’ve said it before, if the General wants this item, bring something to exchange with me, and I’ll give you whatever you want…”
His voice was low, magnetic, and inexplicably carried a hint of seduction.
Xie Jingyuan met Chu Chinian’s gaze, and his heart pounded, “What do you want?”
Chu Xinian found it amusing to tease him and replied, “General, you decide. If the item is worthless, I won’t make the exchange.”
Before Xie Jingyuan could reply, they suddenly heard a knock on the carriage wall from outside. In an instant, they parted as if they had been caught red-handed in an affair.
Chu Xinian straightened his robe, opened the curtain, and looked outside. It was the Crown Prince. His tone was indifferent as he said, “Your Highness?”
The Crown Prince was too lazy to ride the palanquin and instead rode a white steed, exuding a sense of authority. He smiled and bowed, feeling that Chu Xinian’s tone was out of place, “What’s wrong, are you angry with me?”
Chu Xinian neither confirmed nor denied it.
The Crown Prince laughed and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Xie Jingyuan would be the first to disagree.”
Chu Xinian unconsciously looked at the person beside him, but Xie Jingyuan did not look at him.
The Crown Prince tightened his grip on the reins and casually lowered his voice, “Aren’t you looking for evidence against Qin Daoyan? I have received information that the Qiang Tribe will soon enter the Capital to pay tribute. They want to open trade routes and have secretly sent him many gifts, hoping that Qin Daoyan will persuade the Emperor to agree.”
“Jin Hai is in charge of overseeing trade throughout the kingdom, and will no doubt make efforts in this matter. It won’t be amiss if the Jin Family owes you a favor.”
After speaking, the Crown Prince ignored Chu Xinian’s thoughtful gaze, waved the whip vigorously, producing a short, cracking sound in the air, and rode away with his guards.
Only now did Chu Xinian realize that the Crown Prince did not seem as foolish and impulsive as he appeared at first glance. He tucked his sachet into his sleeve and indicated to the coachman, “Take us to the back entrance of Prince Guangping’s residence.”
Xie Jingyuan couldn’t help but shoot him a scornful look, “What are you going to do?”
Chu Xinian smiled and replied, “General, have you forgotten? We haven’t caught the thief yet.”
The author has something to say: #The one riding the white horse is not necessarily a prince; he could also be Monk Tang#
The plot thickens!
Thank you for the update.