Chapter 17: Found—the Breakthrough!

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The matter concerned Cheng Chumo’s life and future, and Cheng Yaojin’s reaction could hardly be described as anything but unpleasant. Upon receiving Cheng Chumo’s desperate plea, he rushed immediately to the palace, tears and snot streaming down his face as he poured out to Emperor Li Shimin the hardship of raising such a remarkable son.

His lamentations even gave Li Shimin a headache.

In the end, unable to withstand Cheng Yaojin’s wild tantrums, Li Shimin consented to Cheng Chumo’s request.

He permitted Cheng Chumo to jointly investigate the case with Liu Shuyi, imposing a strict deadline of three days to uncover the truth.

At the Ministry of Justice—

Listening to Cheng Chumo’s account, Liu Shuyi couldn’t help but ask, “Why three days again? Why do you all seem so attached to this particular timeframe?”

Cheng Chumo smiled awkwardly. “The killer sent the head to the palace; this is clearly a provocation against His Majesty. Had the emperor known this case wouldn’t be easy to solve, he wouldn’t have granted even a single day. Three days is already the maximum he’s willing to tolerate.”

Liu Shuyi pondered and found it understandable.

If the murderer dared to challenge him, that alone was irritating enough—let alone Li Shimin.

But come to think of it, the killer’s provocation toward him was comprehensible.

Why then provoke Li Shimin as well?

Surely he must know the consequences of angering the emperor—how many agencies would be mobilized to investigate?

Investigating alone versus collaborating with the Three Judicial Offices, the Imperial Guards, and the Metropolitan Commissioner’s Office—those are entirely different challenges.

Was it because the culprit was confident, believing the murder and cover-up were flawless and that he wouldn’t be caught?

Or was this a declaration to the court, a clear message of dissatisfaction at having an important pawn removed?

If so, the patron behind Zhao Chengyi must possess immense audacity and capability to openly defy the court.

Who could they be? What faction do they belong to? What is their purpose?

After some reflection, Liu Shuyi exhaled deeply, suppressing these tangled thoughts.

Now was not the time for speculation; the priority was to find the killer based on the two severed heads before him.

Watching the coroner sweat profusely as he worked, Liu Shuyi asked, “Any progress?”

The coroner wiped his brow, wearing an embarrassed expression. “Well... with only the heads and no bodies, there’s little detailed examination possible.”

“Besides, it’s the cold, frozen season. The heads are completely frozen solid—no chance for livor mortis to develop…”

Liu Shuyi frowned. “Get to the point.”

The coroner shook his head awkwardly. “Nothing conclusive, only that she was likely not poisoned.”

“Nothing conclusive and you waste my time babbling on!”

Cheng Chumo was no man of words, especially with urgency burning like fire on his eyebrows—he could not afford to lose even fifteen minutes.

He had hoped the coroner might bring useful clues, but no such luck.

He glanced at Liu Shuyi and asked, “Do you have any other coroners in the Ministry of Justice?”

Meaning, this one was useless; bring in another.

The coroner shrank back, whispering, “I’m already the most experienced…”

Cheng Chumo slapped his forehead in despair. “Heavens, must you truly ruin me?”

Liu Shuyi patted Cheng Chumo’s shoulder, signaling the coroner to leave.

He knew there was no other choice.

If this were the future, with advanced equipment and technology, even a frozen corpse could yield abundant data.

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But in ancient times, autopsy results depended entirely on the coroner’s skill and experience. Without technical support or devices, whether the coroner could be helpful was a gamble.

If one encountered a coroner like Song Ci, that would be a stroke of extraordinary luck.

If not, one could only hold their nose and accept it.

Clearly... he had not hit that jackpot.

Since the coroner was unreliable, Liu Shuyi decided to take matters into his own hands.

He approached the severed heads, examining the larger and smaller ones before him.

Confirmed by Cheng Chumo, the head sent into the palace by eagle was indeed the six-year-old son of Zhao Chengyi.

The entire Zhao family of three had perished.

The boy, Zhao Zhi, wore a child’s topknot; his innocent face was filled with confusion.

He seemed not to have expected the person before him to strike him down.

Perhaps the killer was swift; Zhao Zhi died before feeling pain.

Thus, his face lacked the contorted anger and despair that marked Zhao Chengyi’s wife’s expression, which emanated an overwhelming aura of grievance.

If there were any chance for resentment to transform into a vengeful spirit, the likelihood that the Zhao woman would become one was exceedingly high!

This also suggested she might have sensed the killer’s ill intent beforehand and struggled or pleaded.

Yet, obviously, it was all in vain.

The Zhao woman’s hair was disheveled, her long tresses stained with a bluish-gray powder.

Liu Shuyi lifted a pinch of the powder between his fingers, inspecting it closely.

“Gray dust?”

“And the blue?”

As he pondered, a clear, crisp voice rang beside him—like ice cubes clinking melodiously.

“The blue is incense ash.”

“Incense ash?”

Startled by the unfamiliar yet pleasant voice, Liu Shuyi turned to see two figures approaching.

One was familiar—the courteous and poised Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Du Gou, who had collaborated with him yesterday.

The other figure caught his breath.

A woman draped in white fox fur, tall and slender, with long legs and a jade-like green ornament between her brows.

Her clear eyes resembled a deep spring in the Tianshan Mountains—cool and distant, evoking a sense of remoteness that kept others at arm’s length.

Like a lotus flower once described in the classics—beautiful to behold, but untouchable.

She carried a black wooden box, which only enhanced the delicate whiteness of her skin.

The voice had just spoken was hers.

Du Gou introduced, “Deputy Minister Liu, this is my younger sister.”

“I am Du Ying,” the woman said, bowing with a formal male salute.

Though her bearing was chilly, she was composed and confident, without a hint of timidity.

Du Gou hurried to explain, “My sister has been ill since childhood. Father sent her to Mount Zhongnan for treatment under the medicine master Sun Simiao.”

“She followed Master Sun to study medicine and pharmacology, and just returned to Chang’an at noon today.”

“So if she sometimes acts a bit unruly, I hope Deputy Minister Liu can understand.”

Liu Shuyi was surprised.

He had not expected this uniquely poised woman to be not only Du Ruhuai’s daughter but also a disciple of the Medicine King Sun Simiao, having spent years in arduous training deep in the mountains.

That kind of endurance was extraordinary.

He smiled in return, “Miss Du’s experiences are remarkable. Her spirited nature and straightforward manner are quite normal.”

Du Gou sighed in relief that Liu Shuyi did not disdain his sister’s unusual background.

Father had asked him to play matchmaker, but he knew nothing about that! Besides, his sister was unlike the refined young ladies of noble families—he was truly anxious, fearing the match would fail before it even began.

He had it rough.

“When I trained with my master on Mount Zhongnan, he often burned incense in the temple. The ash left after the incense burned looks just like this.”

Du Ying looked at the blue powder between Liu Shuyi’s fingers and explained.

Incense burning in a temple?

Liu Shuyi’s eyes flickered with ideas.

At that moment, the cool and aloof disciple of the Medicine King approached the table with the heads, then reached out with her pale jade-like hand and lifted the Zhao woman’s head.

Watching this ethereal figure, both spirited and distant, handle the head heavy with resentment—turning it over and over, pinching and probing—Cheng Chumo’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“T-this is...”

He gaped, unable to form words.

Liu Shuyi was also surprised.

Du Ying showed no discomfort facing a severed head; instead, her clear eyes were filled with serious focus, as if the head were a precious jewel cherished by a lady.

“Deputy Minister Du, what is Miss Du doing?” Liu Shuyi asked Du Gou.

Fearing a misunderstanding that his sister was some kind of monster, Du Gou quickly explained, “My sister learned many skills from Master Sun, not only medicine but also forensic examination through medical knowledge and experience. Three years ago, she helped me examine a strange corpse, which aided in solving a case.”

“Soon after, she returned to Mount Zhongnan, so few know her abilities. This time, Father sent her with me, saying you might need her help.”

She can perform autopsies?

Well, it made sense—medical examiners needed medical knowledge. With sufficient skill, one could transition to forensic work.

Would she be the lucky break Liu Shuyi needed?

He looked directly at the elegant, cool female forensic examiner. “Miss Du, have you discovered anything?”

Du Ying’s clear eyes met his, noticing the anticipation there, so different from the doubt and surprise from the dark-skinned man beside her.

This made a flicker of astonishment cross her cool gaze.

After all, when she helped her brother with a corpse three years ago, he had been full of doubt and surprise.

She had not expected this refined gentleman to trust her so completely.

Her voice softened slightly. “There are obvious wounds on Mrs. Zhao’s face—red, swollen, and congested. It can be confirmed that these injuries were inflicted before death.”

Liu Shuyi’s eyes flashed as he quickly grasped Du Ying’s implication. “So, she struggled with the killer before dying?”

“Not necessarily a struggle—it could simply be that she was beaten.”

“That’s not important…”

Liu Shuyi’s mind raced as he pressed further. “Are there any post-mortem injuries?”

“No.”

“No…meaning she was not mutilated or dragged after death…”

His gaze suddenly shifted to the vacant, innocent child’s head beside him, eyes fixed intently on the small skull.

“I see now!”

“I understand!”

Suddenly, Liu Shuyi turned to the group. “I know where they were murdered!”

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