Chapter 68: How can the autopsy be explained by coincidence?
Shen Xingwan was slightly startled, frowned slightly, and looked at Feiyun.
"Visiting a grave? What grave?"
Feiyun replied in a low voice: "It seems to be the grave of some old woman in the Tang Mansion. Xiaochun didn't explain it very clearly."
Shen Xingwan hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Yan Jinghuan, "I'll go take a look."
Upon hearing this, Yan Jinghuan put down his chopsticks, stood up and said, "I'll go with you."
Shen Xingwan waved her hands and chuckled.
"It's just a small matter, why should I bother you?"
"I have disturbed you for a while. You should just focus on your government affairs."
Yan Jinghuan glanced at her, and curved his lips with a smile, "Okay, just think of it as you feeling sorry for me."
□□ said it softly, with a long trailing tone, and a hint of coquettishness.
Shen Xingwan couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, and turned her face away slightly, but still insisted: "Business is more important."
Seeing that she was so persistent, Yan Jinghuan did not force her anymore. He nodded, then called the servant to clear the dishes on the table. Shen Xingwan then took Feiyun out of the study.
Walking out of the study, through the winding corridor and arriving at the outer courtyard, Xiaochun was waiting there quietly.
As soon as he saw Shen Xingwan coming, he bowed quickly with a respectful attitude.
Shen Xingwan raised her hand to support him, and said in a gentle tone: "Get up."
She walked calmly into the courtyard, where the maids had already brought in a pear wood carved armchair and placed it under the cherry tree.
The spring sun shines through the cherry blossom branches, casting golden spots on the bluestone slabs. Shen Xingwan's skirt sways in the wind, breaking up the floating light on the ground.
Shen Xingwan sat down, smiled slightly, and looked at Xiaochun standing in front of him. Seeing that she was a little reserved, he said softly: "Don't be afraid. Tell me, which grave are you going to visit?"
Xiaochun lowered her head, twisted the corners of her clothes with her hands, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered: "In reply to Madam... When I was still young in the Tang Mansion, I was often taken care of by the mother of Sister Ruyi, the maidservant of Miss Tang Er."
"She treats me very well, just like her own daughter. I would go to visit her during the Qingming Festival every year."
She raised her eyes to glance at Shen Xingwan's face, and seeing that she showed no impatience, she mustered up the courage to continue speaking.
"Now I am about to follow Madam to the capital. I am afraid that I will never have the chance to come back. That is why I want to go to the tomb and sweep the graves before I leave to show my gratitude."
After listening to this, Shen Xingwan nodded slightly, with some approval in his eyes.
"You are a filial person."
"Go ahead. I'll have someone send a few more maids to accompany you with some sacrificial offerings so you can show your filial piety."
Xiaochun was overjoyed when she heard this, and immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Madam, for your help!"
Shen Xingwan reached out and helped her up. "It's just a small matter. There's no need to be so serious."
She looked at Xiaochun's slightly childish face and asked casually, "I see your mother is still alive. Ruyi is about the same age as you. How come her mother died so early?"
As soon as the words fell, Xiaochun, who was originally full of joy, suddenly became unhappy, with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
"I don't know how to explain this matter."
She pursed her lips, as if recalling something. After a moment, she sighed softly again.
"Auntie has never been in good health. She only complains of pain in her hands and feet occasionally, but she can take care of herself, so it's not a big deal."
"But for some reason, on the second day after Sister Ruyi went to the capital with Miss Tang Er, Aunt suddenly passed away..."
When Shen Xingwan heard this, her eyes narrowed and her fingertips gently stroked the armrest, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.
She frowned slightly, her eyes were as calm as water, and she spoke slowly.
"You mean... the second day when Ruyi followed Tang Lin'er to the capital?"
Xiaochun nodded, unable to hide her sadness.
"Yes...I still remember the day my aunt passed away."
"She was fine the night before, but suddenly died in the morning. People in the mansion said it was a recurrence of an old illness, but I always felt something was wrong..."
Shen Xingwan pondered for a moment and tapped his knees lightly with his fingertips. He understood in his heart that there must be another hidden story behind this matter.
Her eyes were deep and she glanced back at Feiyun.
Feiyun came over immediately, and Shen Xingwan lowered his voice and whispered in Feiyun's ear: "Ask someone to check the details of Ruyi's mother's death."
Upon hearing this, Feiyun immediately lowered her head and replied, "Yes, Miss."
Shen Xingwan smiled slightly, turned around, sat up straight, and looked at Xiaochun warmly.
"Xiaochun, just go and sweep the tombs with peace of mind. If you need anything, just ask the steward to withdraw it."
Xiaochun gave her a grateful look, quickly knelt down and nodded heavily: "Thank you, ma'am."
Shen Xingwan nodded, the smile on his lips still there, but his eyes fell thoughtfully on her leaving back.
The breeze blows through the pink and white cherry blossoms, and the petals fall colorfully.
She looked up at the petals flying in the sky, and a chill gradually grew in her eyes.
When Feiyun rushed back, Shen Xingwan had just finished his nap.
She had just sat up from the cushion when she saw Feiyun hurrying over.
There was a hint of nervousness between Feiyun's brows. As soon as she stepped into the house, she quickly glanced at the maids serving in the room.
Shen Xingwan's eyes turned slightly, and he understood in his heart, so he raised his hand and waved, saying in a calm voice: "You all go down, leave Feiyun to help me wash up."
The maids didn't dare to say anything more, and Qi Qifu retreated.
The room suddenly became quiet. Shen Xingwan then looked at Feiyun and waved gently, "Come over and talk."
Feiyun immediately came forward, leaned close to her ear, and said in a low voice: "Miss, I have already checked on Ruyi's mother."
"She used to be in charge of laundry at the Tang residence. She was exposed to water for a long time and indeed suffered from rheumatism. She would feel unbearable pain every time it rained. However, the disease was not serious. She just needed to take good care of herself on weekdays. There was no need to worry about her life."
Shen Xingwan frowned slightly, somewhat confused.
"If that's the case, how could she die suddenly?"
Feiyun pursed her lips and continued in a low voice: "I also couldn't figure this out, so after Xiaochun finished sweeping her grave, I took the initiative to bring the coroner to open the coffin and perform an autopsy."
Shen Xingwan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes flashed and he looked at Feiyun with surprise.
Feiyun quickly explained: "I know your temperament very well, young lady, and I know you will not give up."
"If I were to go back and forth to report and ask for your instructions, it would really take up too much time. You still have to hurry back to the capital today, so I decided to take the initiative and go ahead to avoid any more trouble."
Shen Xingwan looked at the little girl in front of her, with a little more admiration in her eyes.
"What was the result? Did you find anything?"
Feiyun heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that Shen Xingwan had no intention of blaming her, but her expression was still very solemn. She slowly said, "Miss, the corpse of that aunt is exactly the same as Miss Tang's corpse, extremely charred."
Shen Xingwan's heart suddenly jumped, his pupils shrank slightly, and he suddenly looked up at Feiyun, his fingertips gripping the armrests of the chair.
The charred bones...
She couldn't help but think of the scene when she inspected Miss Tang's remains that day.
Miss Tang's charred skeleton looked particularly eerie under the moonlight.
Now there is another identical charred corpse, how can it be explained by the word coincidence?
"Miss."
Feiyun observed her expression and lowered his voice.
"I was afraid that I might not be able to explain clearly and might delay your work, so I brought the coroner back with me. He is waiting outside the corner gate now. If you have any questions, you might as well ask him in person."
Shen Xingwan nodded, reached out and patted Feiyun on the shoulder. Although his voice was soft, it was very approving, "Well done."
She was very pleased that the little girl who used to be timid had now grown into her right-hand man whom she could rely on.
She stood up and straightened her clothes, "Let's go see the coroner."
Shen Xingwan was led by Feiyun to the corner gate and saw that the coroner was thin, with a gaunt face, and was wearing a half-worn blue cloth gown. Although his face looked a little weathered, his eyes were exceptionally clear.
Seeing her coming, the coroner hurried forward and bowed, saying respectfully: "Greetings, Madam. I pay my respects to you, Madam."
Shen Xingwan nodded slightly and asked directly: "Since you have opened the coffin for an autopsy, have you determined the cause of her death?"
The coroner looked solemn and said, "Madam, I have examined the body and I can guarantee with my head that this woman died suddenly of poisoning."
Shen Xingwan's eyes dimmed slightly.
"What kind of poison?"
"Judging from the traces left on the bones, it should be a highly poisonous substance like arsenic."
The coroner seemed puzzled as he spoke, "It's just... I've never seen a corpse this charred."
"As far as I know, the toxicity of arsenic alone is not enough to cause the bones to be charred to this extent."
Shen Xingwan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "If I give you this poison, can you verify the cause of death and confirm whether she died from this poison?"
Upon hearing this, the coroner's eyes lit up and he answered without hesitation: "Of course!"
He looked at Shen Xingwan confidently.
"My family has been practicing medicine for generations. I also studied medicine when I was young, but I became a coroner because I was more interested in autopsies."
"If there really is such a strange poison in the world, I must find out for sure!"
After hearing what he said, Shen Xingwan had made up his mind. He nodded slightly and then turned to Feiyun: "Give him some reward money and have someone settle him down and inform his family. This coroner will go to the capital with us today."
The coroner was stunned at first, but then he was overjoyed and quickly leaned forward and bowed: "Thank you, Madam, for your appreciation! I am willing to serve you at my utmost!"
He was originally a small coroner in the county town. No matter how high his vision was, it was limited by his background.
If he could follow this noble man of extraordinary bearing to the capital, his future would be limitless. How could he let go of such a great opportunity? I quickly agreed to it.
Shen Xingwan nodded calmly, "Get ready and leave later."
The coroner kowtowed repeatedly and was then taken away by Feiyun to be settled.
After lunch, Yan Jinghuan finished his official business and came to pick up Shen Xingwan.
He was dressed in a black brocade robe, with a jade belt around his waist, and walked steadily.
When I opened the door, a crisp, cool breeze blew in.
Shen Xingwan looked up and saw him standing in front of the door. He looked calm and had a faint smile on his face. His slender knuckles casually brushed across the door frame. "Is everything ready?"
"Um."
Shen Xingwan nodded, stood up and walked towards him.
Yan Jinghuan stretched out his hand and looked at her with a smile, "Let's go."
Shen Xingwan sighed helplessly. She couldn't get rid of him, so she raised her hand and placed it on his palm. He took the opportunity to squeeze it, and their fingers were interlocked.
The two walked out of the house side by side. The carriage was already ready outside. Yan Jinghuan helped her get on the carriage and told them to set off.
The wheels began to turn slowly, gradually speeding up, and headed steadily towards the capital.
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