Before long, an elderly clerk dressed in dark gray entered the courtroom.
Ji Zhibai, by contrast, regained his composure and said nothing.
Fang Yun looked at the coroner and asked, "Did you ever examine the body of a man named Zhu Yueming?"
"Your Honor, this old man remembers."
"Then tell us." Fang Yun studied the elderly coroner, whose expression remained calm, without the slightest fear.
"That day, this old man was in the army camp. I heard that a convict sentenced to military service had died on the road, so I went to examine his body. When I saw the corpse, I questioned the bailiffs escorting him. They said he had been sickly ever since setting out, unable to adjust to the local climate and water throughout the journey. He had also been traveling beneath the blazing sun, and when they passed a river, he fell into it and drowned. This old man recorded every detail of the body's appearance and, based on the bailiffs' account, concluded that he had drowned."
Ji Zhibai silently breathed a sigh of relief, his expression easing.
Fang Yun nodded. "Summon the bailiffs who escorted Zhu Yueming!"
Soon, two bailiffs from Ning'an County entered the courtroom, looking perfectly at ease. After greeting Fang Yun, they did not forget to greet Ji Zhibai as well.
Fang Yun said, "Tell us again how Zhu Yueming died that day."
"Your Honor, that day, the two of us were escorting Zhu Yueming to the Eagle-Soaring Army. Shortly after we reached Yu River Bridge, a moment's inattention allowed Zhu Yueming to fall into the river by accident. Though we could both swim well, we panicked. It took us quite some time to enter the river to rescue him. Unfortunately, we were too late."
Fang Yun said, "Yu River Bridge on