Chapter 285 A Girl Like This
Jiang Qiyun strode forward and several yamen runners immediately made way for him.
The coroner was carrying the body out. Jiang Qiyun looked at the body. It should be that the person had not been dead for long. The body had begun to rot but was far from turning into bones.
It is impossible to tell whether the person is a man or a woman, or even have a facial feature. I don’t know how much hatred he has suffered. His face is cut left and right, and it is impossible to tell what he looked like before he was born.
With the naked eye alone, it is impossible to tell whether the corpse is Aunt Wu from the Qiao family.
Jiang Qiyun lowered his gaze, and when he saw the crotch of the corpse, he was slightly stunned. He seemed a little uncertain, so he pulled out the long sword of a yamen runner beside him and stabbed it.
Jiang Qiyun turned around and left, returning to Qiao Wanyan, and whispered, "It's a male corpse."
Qiao Wanyan frowned. A male corpse? If Qiao Yihuan was right, the person buried at the foot of Xunhui Mountain should be Aunt Wu.
But it is not ruled out that the wrong grave was dug, or the real body is not here.
The coroner in the distance also spoke up, "Sir, this body is a man. The cause of death was not a sword piercing the heart, but someone cut his neck."
Minister Qiao said, "Although Xunhui Mountain is not big, there are still many places at the foot of the mountain where bodies can be buried. This is not the case, so I'll trouble you to continue looking for graves and digging. Since we are looking for evidence, we have to find it before we can close the case, right?"
Minister Qiao then continued, "Although my eldest daughter sued me for killing her mother and burying her body at the foot of Xunhui Mountain, her mother died of an illness. The body is in the ancestral tomb of my Qiao family. The prefect has sent people to follow my family's steward to dig the tomb. I believe that if both parties work together to find it, this matter will eventually come to a conclusion."
The prefect nodded repeatedly, "Your Excellency Shangshu is right."
The yamen runners continued to dig a new grave, and soon Manager Chen came back with the yamen runners.
One of the yamen runners stepped forward and said, "Sir, we have dug out Wu's coffin from the Qiao family's ancestral tomb, but there is only a handful of ashes inside."
The prefect turned his head and glanced at Minister Qiao.
How can we be sure that it is Wu from a handful of ashes?
Manager Chen explained slowly, "Master, I have explained this to all the yamen runners at the Qiao family's ancestral tomb. Aunt Wu was infected with leprosy, a highly contagious disease. My master was afraid that leprosy could be contagious, so he ordered her cremation. Therefore, there is only a handful of ashes in the coffin."
The yamen runner said, "Sir, I did see only a handful of ashes. And there is only one grave in the Qiao family ancestral tomb that was built within a month. Judging from the moisture of the soil, it is definitely not a new grave within three days."
The prefect's expression changed slightly. It was a new grave but not one built in recent days. So it was not a new grave that Minister Qiao had someone build temporarily after he learned that the eldest daughter of the Qiao family had filed a lawsuit.
Leprosy is contagious, and to prevent the spread of the disease, the dead were cremated directly. This is perfect from any perspective.
But he had been an official for many years, and a case that was too perfect would only make people feel that something was wrong.
A girl would only dare to be so bold, even disregarding her life and face, unless she was forced into a corner. She would only dare to stand up if there was something true. Otherwise, if she lied, wouldn't she be embarrassing herself?
It is very likely that Aunt Wu was killed by Minister Qiao, but I am afraid that there will be no evidence today.
Not only today, I am afraid that we will never find conclusive evidence of Aunt Wu’s death in this lifetime, and we may not even find Aunt Wu’s body.
"In that case, there is no need to look for her anymore. Aunt Wu's body has already been cremated and buried in the Qiao family's ancestral tomb. I will go back and write the closing report."
Minister Qiao smiled and said, "How can this be done? My eldest daughter keeps saying that Wu was buried at the foot of Xunhui Mountain. We must search the foot of Xunhui Mountain thoroughly before we can close the case. Otherwise, if someone asks about it in the future, won't they say that the prefect is protecting his own people?"
The case can only be closed when all evidence can be found, and others can be silenced.
The prefect smiled and said, "Your Excellency Shangshu is right. Come here, dig up all the graves at the foot of Xunhui Mountain, whether new or old, and have the coroner identify any similar bodies and report to me!"
Everyone agreed.
Minister Qiao said again: "My daughter seems to be frightened, can I go and comfort her?"
The prefect said repeatedly, "Master Shangshu, please do as you please."
Minister Qiao walked up to Qiao Wanyan who was far away, and Zi Yuan immediately stepped aside and asked Jiang Qiyun to leave.
"Daddy?" Qiao Wanyan said softly, "Then Wu..."
Minister Qiao gently touched her head with a gentle and loving expression, "Don't be afraid, Yanyan. Wu's body is in the Qiao family's ancestral tomb. No one will ever find her body."
After Minister Qiao finished speaking, he glanced at the uninhabited area in the distance, "There are always many wild animals in this uninhabited area. The vicious dogs and wild wolves are very ferocious when they pounce on their prey and hunt them. Yanyan should avoid taking such remote paths to this deserted place when she goes out in the future. Otherwise, it would be bad if she encounters white bones and gets scared."
Qiao Wanyan blinked her bright eyes and understood instantly: "Don't worry, Daddy, I won't."
The handful of ashes in the Qiao family's ancestral tomb did not belong to Mrs. Wu. Her real body had long been torn apart and eaten by wild beasts.
A pile of bones were scattered everywhere. Even if a great immortal came, he would not be able to recognize that the bone belonged to Wu.
Or maybe the bones were chewed up and eaten.
Minister Qiao knew that she understood. His daughter was so smart.
Wu's body was indeed buried at the foot of Xunhui Mountain at first, but the secret guards in the mansion reported that after Qiao Yihuan made a scene in the ancestral hall that day, he left the mansion and went to the foot of Xunhui Mountain. He dug up the grave with his own hands and saw Wu with a pierced chest.
That night he had the bodies replaced, and the real Wu's body was thrown into the place where wild wolves lived. The secret guards watched with their own eyes as the body was eaten until only a pile of bones was left that could not be identified.
How could the Qiao family's ancestral tomb accommodate a woman like that?
The only one who would be buried with him would be Yanyan's mother, the woman he loved most in his life.
Manager Chen had once said before that this might be an exaggeration, but there was no need to be so cautious about just a concubine.
But since he succeeded as the head of the family, he has always been so cautious that he can live a peaceful life in the court.
If he was careless, how could he keep the Qiao family standing firm in Dayu? How could he protect his wife and daughter's lives and live safely?
"Dad will not go back today. The person under suspicion will naturally have to stay in the government office and wait for the day when he is cleared of all charges. Otherwise, he will be impeached and cause trouble."
He would not give even a chance to those who wanted him down, whether they were courtiers or the one in the palace.
Qiao Wanyan nodded, "Don't worry, Daddy, I will take good care of Mom. But I can't hide the fact that Daddy is not coming home, but I will definitely accompany Mom and not let her worry."
Minister Qiao smiled and said, "Our Yanyan is really Daddy's good daughter! With a daughter like this, Daddy will die without regrets in this life, and I am willing to do anything for you."
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