Chapter 2 Examining the Remains
The mourning hall was set up in the main hall of the front courtyard. Huo Yunzhan, dressed in mourning clothes, stood in front of the coffin, crying his heart out, beating his chest and stamping his feet, as if he had truly lost his beloved brother.
If Shen Qingci hadn't possessed memories of her past life, she probably would have been deceived by him as well.
The old lady of the Hou family cried so hard that she fainted several times. She was supported by servants and kept muttering, "My poor Zhan'er."
Dressed in pure white, Shen Qingci, supported by Wan Qing, slowly walked into the mourning hall.
Her gaze swept calmly over the cold coffin, then settled on the "heartbroken" man.
Huo Yunzhan, Huo Yunting.
These twin brothers look almost identical, making them difficult for ordinary people to tell apart.
But Shen Qingci, having been with Huo Yunzhan for several years, how could she not know those unique marks on his body?
When Huo Yunzhan was young and learning martial arts, he fell off a horse and suffered a serious injury to his left shinbone. Although he recovered, the bone left a mark that was different from that of ordinary people after healing, which could be felt with a slight touch.
Huo Yunting, on the other hand, had never suffered such a serious injury before.
Furthermore, Huo Yunzhan's right hand bones are slightly larger than normal due to his long-term use of a heavy spear, a mark left by his long-term martial arts training.
These are subtle differences that are difficult for outsiders to notice when concealed by ordinary clothing.
"Mother, please accept my condolences." Shen Qingci walked to the old lady of the Hou family, her voice low and gentle, yet carrying an inexplicable penetrating power. "Yun Zhan's sudden passing and the fact that I was unable to serve him by his side is already a great regret. Now that his coffin has returned, all I want is... to personally tidy up Yun Zhan's appearance one last time, so that I can put my mind at ease."
Upon hearing this, the weeping in the mourning hall subsided slightly.
Two months had passed; the body had long since decomposed. How could there be any talk of tidying up the body? Everyone was puzzled.
The old lady looked at her with teary eyes: "Qingci...this...the body is already cold, and you are pregnant, it's better not to..."
“Mother,” Shen Qingci knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face at just the right moment, “Yun Zhan is my husband, the father of the child in my womb. Even though he has turned to dust, I want to wipe away the dust of his journey so that he can leave with some dignity.”
"I beg my mother to grant my request, so that I may fulfill my duty as a wife one more time, and so that this unborn child may feel my father's last warmth!"
Her words were sincere and heartfelt, each word dripping with emotion, moving all who heard them.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yunzhan turned around, his face still streaked with tears, and said in a hoarse voice, "Sister-in-law, the remains... may be quite inconvenient. You are pregnant, so please don't grieve too much. Let the servants handle it."
Shen Qingci sneered inwardly. Inconvenient? You're just afraid your lies will be exposed!
She stubbornly kowtowed, pleading, "Please grant my request, Your Excellency! Please grant my request, Mother! I only wish to do it myself!"
Seeing Shen Qingci's deep affection, the old lady of the Marquis softened, and Huo Yunzhan nodded helplessly again.
Their agreement was within Shen Qingci's expectations. Who would doubt what a widow who deeply loved her deceased husband would do to a skeleton?
The coffin slowly opened.
A faint smell of decay mixed with the aroma of herbs wafted over, indicating that it had been processed.
Shen Qingci suppressed the turmoil and nausea in her heart and approached step by step.
Inside the coffin, there was indeed only a skeleton, covered in a brand-new general's uniform.
Wanqing followed behind Shen Qingci, holding her breath nervously, her mind filled with doubts.
Shen Qingci took a deep breath, as if she had made a great decision. She stretched out her trembling hand and first gently straightened the empty clothes. Then, her hand slid unintentionally to the left shinbone of the skeleton.
She closed her eyes, her fingertips gently touching and feeling the cold bones.
Sure enough! There was nothing there!
Her heart sank suddenly, yet she also felt a sense of relief, as if everything had finally settled.
It's him! It really is Huo Yunting!
To confirm further, she moved her hand to the right hand bone of the skeleton, gently grasped it, and felt the thickness of the finger bones.
Unlike Huo Yunzhan's fingers, which were somewhat thickened from years of using a gun, the fingers of this skeleton were more symmetrical.
Everything was in line with her judgment!
“Yun Zhan… my husband…” Shen Qingci could no longer hold back. She knelt down beside the coffin, tears streaming down her face. Her shoulders trembled violently, as if all her strength had collapsed at this moment.
No one saw the intense hatred and cold mockery in her lowered eyes.
"Miss..." Wanqing was behind her, her voice trembling with tears, yet also revealing an indescribable sense of surprise and doubt.
She had just clearly seen that the skeleton in the coffin did not match Huo Yunzhan's characteristics.
Shen Qingci cried her heart out, as if she wanted to pour out all her sorrow, until Wanqing and several old women persuaded and helped her to her feet, and she staggered to the side.
"Alright, Qingci, you've done your best. Go back and rest now, lest you truly harm your health and the child in your womb," said the old lady, her face streaked with tears.
Shen Qingci nodded weakly, and with Wan Qing's support, he left the nauseating mourning hall with heavy steps.
Upon returning to her courtyard and closing the door, the sorrow on Shen Qingci's face vanished instantly, leaving only a bone-chilling coldness and a barely perceptible weariness.
"Wanqing, do you still have any questions now?"
Wanqing's face was as pale as paper, and the scenes in the mourning hall just now were replaying in her mind.
Could it be... could it really be as Miss said?
“Miss, I…I still can’t believe it…Why would the General…do this?” Wanqing’s voice carried a final struggle.
"Could this just be a temporary measure on his part? General, surely you will come and explain to the young lady?"
"Explain to me?" Explaining something to her was something she had never done in her past life. Her voice turned colder: "Then go now and find out for me carefully where this Marquis of Yongning went, who he met, and what he did after escorting the coffin back to his mansion, besides crying for his deceased brother in the mourning hall!"
Wanqing was also eager to know the truth. She gritted her teeth, agreed, and quietly slipped out.
The night was as dark as ink, and crows cried mournfully.
Wanqing returned dejectedly, the last trace of color draining from her face.
"How is it?" Shen Qingci was sitting under the lamp, playing with a jade hairpin that was entirely green. It was a gift from Huo Yunzhan on her birthday, which she once treasured. But now, it just seemed glaring.
Wanqing knelt down with a thud, her voice filled with uncontrollable sobs and despair: "Miss...this servant...this servant has found out everything."
"I overheard the servants in the main courtyard gossiping... saying that as soon as the Marquis returned to the manor and settled the coffin, he immediately went to the main courtyard, saying he wanted to comfort his wife whom he hadn't seen for several months. He also... he sent the Marquis's wife many rare trinkets he brought back from Jiangnan, silks and jewelry, filling several boxes..."
Shen Qingci remained expressionless, but her heart felt as if it were being slowly immersed in ice water.
After a moment of silence, Shen Qingci stood up and said, "Let's go."
"Where did Miss go?"
Shen Qingci bit her lip: "Go eavesdrop."
Wanqing was startled: "Miss, this...this is absolutely impossible! What if someone finds out..."
"So what if they found out?" Shen Qingci sneered, her tone carrying a sense of desperation. "I want to see how deeply Huo Yunzhan and his dear sister-in-law are being treated!"
Her actions were, of course, intended to make Wanqing fully realize the true nature of that beast.
But it was also a desire to... completely give up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com