Back at the Investigation Bureau, Leng Qiuling's body was already placed in the cold storage.
Su Yan stared blankly at the woman lying peacefully on the stone bed, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
At that moment, Shen Yao suddenly walked up behind her.
Shen Yao had already learned the whole story from Xie Yu and knew that Su Yan was sad for Leng Qiuling, so he comforted her, "Su Yan, don't be sad. This was Leng Qiuling's own choice."
Su Yan took a deep breath and shook her head at Chen Yao to indicate that she was fine.
"Lord Shen, I'm fine. I'm just lamenting that as a member of the judiciary, I've witnessed countless tragedies, yet I'm powerless to stop them from happening. The same was true of Wushuang from Pear Blossom Village before, and now it's even more so with Leng Qiuling. They want to retaliate against those who have harmed them, but they have to sacrifice themselves, while the perpetrators can rely on their power and live with a clear conscience. I just don't understand..."
Why is this world so cruel to women?
“Su Yan, this world has never been about black and white, or good and evil being rewarded and punished. I believe that one day in the future, women will be in charge, no longer treated as worthless, and will have the same rights and status as men.”
"Lord Shen, will this day really come?"
Shen Yao nodded firmly, "It will happen, because there are still people like you in this world. As long as there are still people like you in this world, that day will definitely come."
"Lord Shen, thank you for comforting me..."
At this moment, the gloom in Su Yan's heart was dispelled by Shen Yao's words.
After chatting, Su Yan was already dressed and ready to perform surgery on Leng Qiuling to remove the baby, who was about five months old.
Su Yan picked up the scalpel and made a cut along the middle of Leng Qiuling's stomach, slowly slicing through the fat and flesh inside.
The embryo inside the womb was carefully removed. The fetus already had a human shape. It was small, about the size of a palm.
Su Yan took out the fetus, placed it in an ice box, and prepared to take it to the temple to pray for blessings before cremating the body.
As for Leng Qiuling's body, her fate will be decided by Crown Prince Li Shen after the case is closed.
However, since the person is already dead, it is pointless to pursue the crime any further.
This case is almost over.
There was only one suspicious point: Su Yan had already investigated and found that none of Leng Qiuling's ancestors for three generations had been carpenters, let alone had any carving skills.
Given the mystery surrounding the origin of the puppet figures, Leng Qiuling seems more like a scapegoat.
Although Leng Qiuling has confessed and accepted punishment, Su Yan still has some unsettling feelings, but she has no evidence.
As for the Meng and Yan families, they stopped fighting after Leng Qiuling confessed, but a rift inevitably remained between them.
They disliked each other so much that they often argued heatedly in court.
Although the case has come to an end, Su Yan has not given up on continuing to investigate the craftsman who can carve wooden puppets.
Sure enough, she found a clue.
On the day of the imperial examination, Shen Yao, being a Lieutenant General, was responsible for maintaining the security of the examination venue and conducting daily patrols.
Su Yan and Xie Yu, having solved the case involving the Yan and Meng families, were highly valued by the Crown Prince and were also selected to supervise the examination.
Once the examination begins, the examination room must be closed for five days, and no one may enter or leave.
On the day she entered the examination hall, Su Yan saw a familiar figure outside the examination room and quickly chased after him, calling his name.
"Dongfang Yi, what brings you to this scientific expedition?"
Su Yan was quite surprised to see Dongfang Yi appear, after all, Luo Boze had very high standards for accepting disciples, and every disciple he taught was either a third-place or second-place scholar.
So when she saw Dongfang Yi, she was indeed quite surprised.
Upon hearing Su Yan's words, Dongfang Yi smiled with a hint of embarrassment. "Lord Su, I am of dull and foolish talent. I am grateful to the teacher for not abandoning me, and I have come here for the third time to take the exam."
Xie Yu was stunned when he heard this. Although he had only attended a few of Luo Boze's classes, he knew of Luo Boze's teaching ability.
None of the disciples he took in were cowards, so he never expected that Dongfang Yi could succeed by failing twice.
"Three times? I didn't expect you to have taken the test twice at such a young age. It's amazing that you still have such a good attitude..."
Xie Yu couldn't help but exclaim, but she didn't mean to mock Dongfang Yi.
As the saying goes, what is said without intention may be taken to heart by the listener. Xie Yu's words took on a different meaning in Dongfang Yi's ears, and his expression changed instantly.
Seeing that Xie Yu was being too talkative and causing trouble, Su Yan immediately stepped in as a peacemaker, explaining on Xie Yu's behalf, "Dongfang Yi, don't misunderstand what Dean Xie means. He just doesn't have your talent and ability and is just being a sour grapes. I believe you will definitely pass the exam this time."
Dongfang Yi smiled nonchalantly on the surface, but in reality he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Lord Su, I won't mind. I believe that Heaven will entrust great responsibilities to those who are first tested and tempered. This time, I will definitely pass the imperial examination..."
"That's right, I trust Dean Luo's judgment in people. When you graduate from high school, don't forget to treat me and Dean Xie to drinks..."
Dongfang Yi smiled and said, "Lord Su, I will. I need to go in now, so I'll take my leave."
“Okay…” Su Yan made way for Dongfang Yi.
Dongfang Yi bowed to Su Yan and Xie Yu, then headed towards the examination hall.
Looking at Dongfang Yi's scholarly demeanor, Su Yan couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions. She wished Su Bao'er could be as dedicated to her studies as he was.
Who knows, maybe she can become the mother of a top scholar in the future.
But dreams are always beautiful, while reality is always cruel. From the day Su Bao'er started school, Su Yan knew that Su Bao'er was not cut out for studying.
She wasn't a parent who hoped her son would become a dragon among men; she just wanted Su Bao'er to be happy and safe throughout her life.
Xie Yu, however, felt differently. Watching Dongfang Yi's departing figure, he sighed deeply and said, "He's a talented person, but it's such a pity..."
Su Yan didn't understand Xie Yu's meaning. "Dean Xie, why did you say it's a pity about Dongfang Yi?"
Xie Yu looked around warily, then whispered mysteriously in Su Yan's ear, "I don't know if it's true or not, but I heard some inside information a few days ago that Dongfang Yi comes from a poor background and his mother is a prostitute. He might be used as a pawn and replaced by someone else."
Upon hearing this, Su Yan frowned deeply. "Academician Xie, you must be joking with me. This time, the Crown Prince is supervising the exam, and cheating in the imperial examination can be fatal."
Xie Yu shrugged helplessly and chuckled, "I don't know if it's true or not, I just heard it..."
Although Xie Yu only mentioned it unintentionally, Su Yan couldn't help but think about it, since cheating in the imperial examinations was nothing new in every dynasty.
When Xie Yu saw that Su Yan was taking it to heart, he immediately panicked. He knew Su Yan's upright and incorruptible nature, and if something really went wrong, it could really be reported to the Crown Prince.
He quickly explained, "Don't believe me completely! I was just kidding. Let's hurry up and get into the examination hall..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com