Autopsy

Knowing that his elder brother, the Crown Prince, was a lecherous man, Xu Qi'an casually replied, but Biao Biao mistakenly thought he had solved the case.

"It's too early to draw a conclusion about whether His Highness the Crown Prince is innocent," Xu Qi'an shook his head.

The saying goes, "Drunkenness leads to promiscuity," meaning that men who drink too much are prone to becoming unruly and doing things they wouldn't normally dare to do. If it's truly as Lin'an described, and the Crown Prince has always been diligent and cautious, the more he suppressed his emotions, the more ferocious his outburst would be when drunk.

"Why does Your Highness believe that the Fourth Prince and the Empress framed the Crown Prince?" Xu Qi'an asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to investigate the case.

The Fourth Prince was Huaiqing's elder brother, both born to the Empress. Moreover, the Fourth Prince was the eldest legitimate son. Logically speaking, he was more legitimate than his elder brother in Lin'an.

However, because the struggle over the succession of the state two hundred years ago is still written in history and remains a significant part of the lives of scholars in the Great Feng, they have a psychological shadow over the struggle over the succession of the state.

Therefore, there was nothing wrong with Emperor Yuanjing making his eldest son, born out of wedlock, the crown prince.

"Of course the Empress wants the Fourth Prince to be the Crown Prince. Let me tell you, among all the princes, the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince are the most concerned about state affairs. If the Fourth Prince didn't want to be the Crown Prince, would he be so enthusiastic?"

"With a legitimate son already in the family, it is indeed against the rules for His Majesty to establish his eldest son, who was born out of wedlock, as the heir." In front of Biao Biao, Xu Qi'an did not shy away from any appearance of impropriety.

Even with the aura of being ordered to investigate a case, he wouldn't dare ask these questions. But in front of Biao Biao, he could speak without restraint.

They're all on our side.

"Because my mother was the most favored and the most beautiful back then." Biao Biao proudly raised her chin, her face as beautiful as a painting.

Based on what I saw at the ancestral worship ceremony, it was clear that the Empress was superior to Consort Chen. Her temperament and appearance, even though she was well past the age of a woman's most beautiful years, still far surpassed that of ordinary beauties. If the Empress were twenty years younger, her appearance would probably have surpassed that of Lin'an and Huaiqing.

However, being favored isn't solely based on looks; many other factors are involved, such as personality, social skills, and even techniques like speaking haltingly. In short, the factors are quite complex.

Did Emperor Yuanjing dislike his empress that much? Why did he choose a son born out of wedlock as crown prince?

Seeing Xu Qi'an remain silent in thought, Biao Biao suddenly became somewhat wary. "Do you think Huai Qing might be secretly manipulating this matter?"

Looking at the Second Princess's radiant face, as beautiful as a peach blossom, Xu Qi'an asked in return, "What if that's the case?"

Biao Biao first raised her delicate eyebrows, like a proud and spirited little hen, but the next moment she deflated, her eyebrows and eyes drooping.

"I must admit, Huaiqing is cunning, despicable, and shameless."

She said, feeling wronged, "I can't beat her."

"Hmm, the fact that Her Highness can openly admit to me that she can't defeat her nemesis Huaiqing shows that she trusts me more and more. "Xu Qi'an nodded slightly, somewhat satisfied.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety, realizing that someone had spoken up in the Earth Book chat group.

"Your Highness, I need to use the restroom. Please wait a moment." Xu Qi'an stood up, left the hall, and walked straight away.

The young eunuch waiting outside saw him come out and immediately followed, but seeing Xu Qi'an heading towards the latrine, he stopped and gave up following.

He went into the outhouse, took out a small jade mirror, and examined the contents of the message.

[Six: Master Jinlian, could you please block out other people for me? I have something to say to Number Three.]

What does Hengyuan want with me?

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society had different feelings upon seeing the message from Number Six. Based on the previous messages, some had already guessed that Number Three was the cousin of Xu Qi'an, who had died in the line of duty in Yunzhou.

Perhaps only number five possesses a calm and clear mind, free from many "distractions."

Number Four thought to himself, "The gong-wielding man named Xu Qi'an just died in the line of duty, and Hengyuan immediately sought out Number Three for a 'secret talk.' It seems he has also guessed Number Three's true identity."

When Li Miaozhen, number two, saw this message, she felt a little sad. They all thought number three was Xu Qi'an's cousin, but in fact, number three was him.

He had already died in the line of duty in Yunzhou.

The Heaven and Earth Society will never have a Number Three again.

Number One, observing from the screen, offered no opinion. Number Five, on the other hand, didn't think much of it, glanced at the message, and then tossed the Earth Book fragment aside.

[Nine: Okay.]

Li Miaozhen was taken aback, then suddenly realized that Master Jinlian probably wanted to explain this matter to Number Six in private.

Within the Heaven and Earth Society, Master Jinlian was the only one who knew everyone else's identities.

Xu Qi'an waited a few seconds, then saw a message from Heng Yuan transmitted through the jade mirror: [Number Three, I wish to see Lord Xu one last time.]

"Go ahead and see me, why are you texting me? Hmm, Hengyuan doesn't even know I've been resurrected yet. "Xu Qi'an replied cautiously.

[He has been resurrected. If you wish to see him, you can Nightwatchers's office to find him.]

After a long, long silence, finally, three words came through. "Really?"

In those three short words, Xu Qi'an could sense Master Hengyuan's excitement, elation, and disbelief. He had held it in for so long, and only managed to utter those three words.

[Um.]

Xu Qi'an's reply was equally simple and forceful.

[No wonder you refused to see me; I was even filled with resentment just now. Forgive me, forgive me. Lord Xu is a good man; good people are rewarded. Amitabha! I am overjoyed, overjoyed!]

At that moment, Xu Qi'an briefly told Master Hengyuan about how his "cousin" had been resurrected.

[Master, I don't want my identity to be revealed. I hope that if we happen to meet in the future, we can exchange a smile.]

[This humble monk knows.]

Okay, go ahead and smile at Erlang. Sorry, Master, I didn't have a choice before, but now I don't want to experience social death anymore.

After collecting the fragments of the Earth Book, they returned to the main hall. Biao Biao complained, "It took so long."

"I was thinking about the case just now, and I got so engrossed in it," Xu Qi'an explained casually. "Your Highness, I'm going to see Consort Fu's body next. Would you like to come?"

Biao Biao immediately stood up. "Mmm."

Consort Fu's body is stored in the palace's ice cellar. Judging from Emperor Yuanjing's attitude, Consort Fu will not be able to rest in peace until the case is thoroughly investigated.

Holding the gold medal, Xu Qi'an, led by Biao Biao and the young eunuch, arrived at the ice cellar, where the eunuch on duty led them inside.

In the cold ice cellar, Consort Fu lay quietly on a wooden board, covered with a white cloth.

Biao Biao shivered slightly and tightened her fox fur cloak.

"Princess, why don't we wait outside?" Xu Qi'an was worried that she might catch a cold, and also considered that Biao Biao might not have seen a corpse before.

Biao Biao stubbornly shook her head, "I also want to participate and do something for my brother, the Crown Prince."

Xu Qi'an instructed the young eunuch to remove the white cloth, and then, taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, he suddenly grasped the princess's soft hand and gently infused her with his vital energy.

Biao Biao's body stiffened, and she subconsciously shook her hand away, as if she had been stung by a scorpion.

But that rough, warm hand gripped her tightly, like an iron clamp. A feeling of shyness welled up inside her. She was the second princess, a pure and innocent noblewoman. When had she ever been defiled by a man?

He was so embarrassed, angry, and aggrieved.

The next moment, a warm current surged from his palm, flowing down his arm and warming his limbs and body, completely dispelling the chill of the ice cellar.

She no longer felt cold, and even wanted to lazily stretch her waist.

A low, menacing voice came from beside him. "Your Highness, the ice cellar is bitterly cold. If you don't leave, then this is the only way I can do it."

"Investigating the case is of paramount importance, but compared to Your Highness's precious health, it is utterly insignificant."

He held my hand to ward off the cold; compared to my health, investigating the case was insignificant. Biao Biao loves sweet words, and her anger vanished instantly, though she remained shy.

Feeling guilty, he glanced at the two eunuchs in front of him, spat lightly, and then subtly approached Xu Qi'an, using his wide cloak to obscure his vision and conceal the fact that his hand was being held.

"Oh my god, the princess's little hands are so soft, so smooth, so tender, "Xu Qi'an thought to herself.

To win a girl's heart, you must be proactive and bold. Teasing her occasionally will leave a lasting impression over time.

Of course, this only works for naive girls. If the other person is a car with high mileage and full of spare tires, then this trick is not suitable.

The method was simple: he smashed the front of his luxury car into her taillights.

"Lord Xu, what do you see?"

The young eunuch lifted the white cloth, not daring to look at Consort Fu's body any longer, and stepped aside.

Xu Qi'an released Lin'an's soft hand, walked to the body, and examined the concubine who had met with misfortune.

This was a beautiful woman; although her pale face marred her beauty, her features were still quite striking. She wore a white blouse, and her figure was curvaceous.

Xu Qi'an reached out to unbutton Consort Fu's clothes, but was stopped by a young eunuch who shook his head in alarm, "Lord Xu, you mustn't."

It still didn't work. I still wanted to dissect her. Xu Qi'an knew what was going on. He looked at the eunuch guarding the ice cellar and said:

"Let me see the autopsy report and the case file."

The eunuch left immediately, and a moment later returned with the booklet, handing it to Xu Qi'an.

There were no signs of rape, but there were bruises on her wrists and arms from being pinched. Her clothes were disheveled at the time of death, indicating that she had been violently torn. Her hair was messy at the time of death, which is consistent with the characteristics of resisting violence.

Attempted rape, followed by death from a fall. Xu Qi'an made this preliminary assessment.

Continuing to read, an inconspicuous record caught his attention:

He died facing the sky!

Huh? He died facing the sky?

Generally speaking, when someone commits suicide by jumping off a building, they face the ground and leap. The elaborate backward jumps seen in TV dramas, where the person faces the crowd, are actually quite rare.

Therefore, when a person falls to their death, they are lying face down, with their back to the sky and their face to the ground.

Of course, if it's a tall building, the human body will flip over due to air resistance and wind force during the fall.

However, according to the records, the pavilion where Consort Fu fell was two and a half stories high. So, the posture she took when she jumped is likely the same posture she took when she landed.

Was he pushed down by the Crown Prince?

This contradicts the judgment that Consort Fu refused to be humiliated and jumped to her death. There's no reason for her to push someone off the building. Well, it's possible that she was enraged and had violent tendencies while drunk.

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an once again reached for Consort Fu's corpse.

"Lord Xu!" The young eunuch stopped him, warning, "You must not disturb Consort Fu's remains."

This is His Majesty's woman; even in death, her remains are not to be desecrated by a subject.

"Fuck you." Xu Qi'an kicked him away. "I'm investigating a case by imperial decree. You can't touch this or that. What are you talking to me about?"

Not talking about chickens is Xu Qi'an's most basic quality.

The young eunuch, having been kicked, dared not utter a sound.

Xu Qi'an lifted Consort Fu's neck, touched the back of her head, and then moved his hands down from her shoulders to her back and then to her buttocks. Because her buttocks were plump, he had to knead them a few times in order to feel the bones.

According to the structure of the human body, when falling backward, the head and shoulder blades will be the first parts to come into contact with the ground, followed by the outermost part of the buttocks.

As the emperor's woman, she couldn't take off her clothes, Xu Qi'an couldn't check if the flesh on her buttocks was damaged; he could only confirm it by touch.

"He definitely fell backwards." He confirmed.

This rules out the possibility that someone manipulated Consort Fu's body or staged the scene afterward.

"What did you find?" Biao Biao asked immediately.

Xu Qi'an told Biao Biao about his discoveries and thoughts, but in reality, he was also telling the little eunuch who was supervising him.

"So, Consort Fu didn't jump off the building and die?" Biao Biao immediately extracted the core information.

"Not too stupid." Xu Qi'an said admiringly, "The princess is exceptionally intelligent, beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Biao Biao was delighted to hear that.

After leaving the ice cellar and washing his hands with the help of eunuchs, Xu Qi'an led Lin'an away.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. Let's stop here for today and come back tomorrow." Xu Qi'an glanced at the sundial.

3:15 PM (Shen Shi Yi Ke).

According to the Great Feng system, after the Spring Equinox, the end of the workday is at 3 PM. After the Autumn Equinox, the end of the workday is at the beginning of 3 PM.

Although the Spring Festival has passed, the Spring Equinox has not yet arrived, so the end of the workday is still in the early afternoon. And now, it is already a quarter of an hour past the time to leave work.

Emperor Yuanjing didn't pay me overtime again. It's time to go home. He waved goodbye to Lin'an.

At this very moment, Emperor Yuanjing was sitting in his bedchamber, engrossed in studying the Daoist scriptures.

Compared to the tedious memorials and the endless political affairs, Emperor Yuanjing was more drawn to and captivated by the Daoist scripture containing the secrets of immortality.

What is the most fascinating thing in the world?

It's power!

Human lifespan is limited, barely a few decades. Even if one holds power and overlooks the world, what good is it?

In the end, it will still succumb to time and turn into a handful of dust.

Only longevity and immortality are truly desirable, because they represent the ability to hold power forever.

Emperor Yuanjing put down his book, closed his eyes, and pondered its mysteries. Then he picked up his ginseng tea, took a sip, and exhaled softly.

Taking advantage of the lull, the head eunuch reported, "Your Majesty, Xu Qi'an has left the palace."

Emperor Yuanjing pondered for a moment and asked, "What did he do in the palace today?"

After all, Emperor Yuanjing had just appointed Xu Qi'an as the chief investigator, so he was quite concerned about how the Little Gong Society would investigate the case.

The old eunuch immediately summoned the young eunuch and brought him into the bedchamber.

The young eunuch lowered his head and bowed deeply.

Emperor Yuanjing sat languidly, glancing lightly at the young eunuch, and asked, "What has Xu Qi'an done? Is there any progress in the case?"

The old eunuch immediately said, "Tell His Majesty everything."

PS: This chapter is 4,000 words, 1,000 words short. I will make up the missing 6,000 words tomorrow morning.