At this moment, the coroner Wang frankly admitted his mistake, and was clearly trying to curry favor with Lin Changfeng. If this constable were to report this matter to the county magistrate, his job would be in jeopardy! His father would definitely beat him to death!
However, he still couldn't bring himself to do it when facing Qin San Niang, after all, it was this woman who had made him lose face so badly!
Looking at the traditional Chinese characters on the autopsy report, Qin Sanniang frowned. The handwriting was really bad! She casually tossed it aside and said,
"Please have Coroner Wang read it aloud."
"Can't you read, woman?!" How could someone as skilled in coroner's work as Qin San Niang be illiterate?!
"Of course not, it's just that I can't understand the words."
Qin San Niang was just telling the truth. She was new here and had only learned simplified Chinese characters before. She had to guess and make mistakes when it came to traditional Chinese characters. If the characters were not written neatly, she really wouldn't recognize them!
Wang, the coroner, was unaware of these things. He thought to himself, "These words are clearly a criticism of my poor handwriting!" This infuriated him!
"Alright, alright, then I'll trouble Coroner Wang to read it." Lin Changfeng was naturally aware of the undercurrents between the two, but he felt that Coroner Wang was being a bit too petty as a man.
Hearing what Constable Lin said, Coroner Wang had no choice but to comply.
"The examination revealed that Wang Changnian was dead. He was only twenty years old, four feet eight inches tall, with a ruddy complexion, closed eyes, slightly open mouth, and his tongue protruding three-tenths of an inch from his teeth. There was a fatal strangulation mark below his throat, nine inches long, four-tenths of an inch wide, and two-tenths of an inch deep, purplish-red in color, extending diagonally to behind his right ear and straight into his hairline, with a figure-eight mark two and a half inches long without intersecting. His hands were slightly clenched. There was no other cause of death. He had indeed hanged himself before his death."
While the coroner was reading aloud, Qin Sanniang had already put on her gear and started working.
When Lin Changfeng and the guards saw her unabashedly pull down the deceased's pants, they were so surprised they almost dropped their jaws! But then they remembered that she was a coroner, and seeing Qin Sanniang's solemn eyes, they didn't dare to make a fuss.
The constables secretly wondered why this woman was examining the legs of a hanged corpse. If they hadn't witnessed Qin San Niang's skills, Lin Changfeng and the others would never have known that such a method of autopsy existed.
A quarter of an hour later, Qin San Niang had a plan in mind.
"Officer Lin, everything recorded by Coroner Wang is consistent with the deceased and there is nothing wrong with it."
Hearing her say that, the coroner Wang felt a little embarrassed. He had thought that this woman would deliberately make things difficult for him today, but he didn't expect her to agree with him. He felt a little proud, like a rooster that had won a fight.
"This is all my duty; it's a family recipe passed down through generations."
Coroner Wang quickly advised Lin Changfeng, implying that he had worked there for over a decade and that his father and grandfather were locals with some connections.
However, the person involved clearly didn't listen.
"So, according to Madam Qin, the deceased died by hanging?" Lin Changfeng was still somewhat uncertain, after all, there were still some strange and inexplicable aspects to the case. For example, what was the motive for suicide? Why would a privileged young man from a wealthy family, doted on by his parents, suddenly hang himself?!
"It wasn't suicide by hanging, it was murder!"
Sure enough, he knew this Lady Qin was no ordinary woman! Lin Changfeng smiled slightly and cupped his hands in a gesture of inquiry.
Take off your mask and gloves and put them in your bag. These things need to be disinfected before use. Resources are scarce and cannot be wasted!
"Wang's autopsy results did indeed resemble suicide by hanging, but there were still some differences. In some cases, although the cause of death was strangulation, it can be used to mislead people into believing that the deceased died by hanging!"
"Oh? I humbly request that Madam Qin bestow her guidance!" This time, the coroner Wang was truly eager to learn. He had personally examined the body. The deceased's father was a wealthy man who had given him many benefits. Although the examination revealed that his son had indeed committed suicide, he had used all his skills to ensure that the deceased was not wronged.
"When someone is strangled by an object, such as a window frame or a tree, and then fakes it as a suicide by hanging, the rope will not be crossed, the mark under the throat will be flat but very deep, dark in color, and will not appear behind the ears or hairline. Furthermore, there will be no bloodstains or black marks on the lower limbs. These are the key points for distinguishing between the two methods of death. This scholar was strangled before his death and then faked it as a suicide by hanging. The head constable can search the places he frequented before his death, focusing on window frames or the trees around his residence; perhaps there will be new discoveries."
If Wang, the coroner, still felt some disgust towards Qin Sanniang last night—after all, most coroners could tell whether a body had drowned or been suffocated and then disposed of—he was completely convinced after what happened today. This woman's skills were superb; even his own father, if he were to come out of retirement, would have to admit defeat.
If Qin San Niang knew his thoughts, she would definitely comfort him and tell him not to be discouraged. After all, your era is not so advanced. The earliest detailed record of the difference between hanging and strangulation is found in Song Ci's "Records of Injustice Rectified" from the Southern Song Dynasty.
Since it wasn't her own skill, Qin Sanniang didn't bother to keep it a secret. On the contrary, she hoped that more coroners and constables would know about it, so that there would be fewer wrongful convictions in the world!
Leaving the yamen, Qin Sanniang walked along the road, deep in thought. Based on her observations that morning, she was certain that the coroner, Wang, wasn't the mastermind behind her murder. Would the madam be? Of course not, since she had no reason to do so. Therefore, the person who killed her must be because of what happened today; they might even be the murderer or an accomplice in the killing of this scholar.
Meanwhile, Lin Changfeng in the yamen was pondering the news about Qin Sanniang. Someone had actually tried to assassinate her last night. If that was the case, then it was time to clean up his surroundings. This yamen really had all sorts of monsters and demons!
He bowed his head and gave a few instructions to the guard Fei Qi, who then obeyed and left.
Now that the autopsy has been performed, I only hope that Lin Changfeng can successfully catch the murderer, otherwise I fear my life will be in danger.
Fortunately, Lin Changfeng had heard about yesterday's events and had deployed hidden guards around him. Tan Sanniang glanced down at the one hundred taels of silver in her hand and the entry pass to Lin'an City, and felt that this deal was definitely worthwhile! Lin Changfeng was a man of principle!
Even though Lin'an City isn't easy to enter, now that those worries are gone, the journey south is much easier.
When I returned at noon, only Wu was embroidering in her room. She said she was going to make a small handbag for her two young ladies, so that they could put ordinary little things in it.
It wasn't until late afternoon that Liu and his entourage, looking radiant, led their newly purchased carriage back to their lodging.
When the young shop assistant saw the family's newly purchased tall horse, he quickly opened the back door, led them to the stable, and praised it to them for free.
Actually, this horse was quite ordinary, far inferior to those warhorses or horses that could travel a thousand miles a day.
But no one would mind. Horses are precious items, and families with carriages are usually quite wealthy. Even when fleeing famine, people would be wary of them.
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