Chapter 59: Losing Virginity in Detail
The rotten coffin was slowly opened with the joint efforts of everyone. The moment the lid was opened, a disgusting smell of mold and rot wafted into the air.
Shen Xingwan turned his head slightly to avoid the smell, held his breath and looked carefully.
Inside the coffin, there was a petite corpse wrapped in tattered and faded silk. The clothes had long since decayed away, leaving only mottled scraps of cloth and scattered gold embroidered threads all over the body, revealing the deceased's noble status.
The strangest thing was that the skeleton, which had been highly decayed and exposed, was a strange charred black color, as if it had been burned by flames or soaked in some strange poison.
Shen Xingwan frowned slightly, looking surprised.
She slowly raised her eyes, looked at the coroner standing there in a daze, and asked in a deep voice, "What's going on?"
The coroner took a step forward, squatted down and examined it carefully for a long time, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
He raised his hand to turn over a few pieces of already broken bones, and with a light pinch, a layer of black powder stained his fingertips.
He looked horrified and replied, "Madam, the deceased's bones are black, most likely he died of poisoning. The exact cause of death needs to be carefully examined to know."
Shen Xingwan glanced sideways at Yan Jinghuan.
Yan Jinghuan had no expression on his face. He just nodded slightly and said coldly, "Let's check it."
Upon receiving the order, the coroners did not dare to delay and had to quickly bend over to examine it carefully.
The smell inside the coffin was choking. They endured the discomfort and carefully examined every inch of the corpse. After a thorough autopsy, they stood up and reported solemnly: "My lord, my lady, the deceased has no external injuries and has never suffered from a serious illness. He died of poisoning."
Shen Xingwan narrowed his eyes slightly, "Do you know what kind of poison he was poisoned with?"
The coroner hesitated for a moment, looked at each other, and finally said, "Generally speaking, black bones are mostly caused by poisons such as arsenic."
"But the strange thing is that the degree of charring on this corpse is far beyond the ordinary, as if the bones are completely soaked in poisonous blood and have penetrated deep into the bone marrow. I have been a coroner for many years, but I have never seen such a poisonous substance."
"If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe that there are such horrible poisons in the world..."
Shen Xingwan's eyes grew colder as he heard this, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his lips. "What a coincidence! I know someone who has this strange poison in his hands."
She looked at the charred bones in the coffin with a deep gaze for a long time before waving her sleeves and signaling, "Rebury the bones properly, burn incense and offer sacrifices."
Everyone agreed, withdrew one by one, and did as ordered.
The night was dark and the breeze was cool. After everything was done, Shen Xingwan and Yan Jinghuan got on the carriage and returned home together.
On the way back, she told Yan Jinghuan everything about Tang Lin'er's life story and the fact that she had secretly kept snowflake arsenic.
Yan Jinghuan listened to her quietly before asking her, "Do you think it was Tang Lin'er who killed her elder sister?"
Shen Xingwan nodded, leaned in his arms, frowned and thought for a while, "This Miss Tang's death was so strange, I always feel that Tang Lin'er didn't just kill to vent her anger."
Yan Jinghuan raised his eyebrows and hugged her tightly, his slender fingertips occasionally running through her hair, looking lazy.
“Perhaps she is just afraid that after she and her elder sister come to the capital and live in the Prime Minister’s Residence, the Shen family will only pay attention to this elder sister and treat her coldly.”
Shen Xingwan shook her head. "Mother is not that kind of person. Tang Lin'er has been in the Shen Mansion for many years, and mother has always treated her with courtesy. If she had brought Miss Tang here at the beginning, she would have treated her equally."
"Um."
Yan Jinghuan seemed not to care about the sisters and responded with his eyes closed.
Shen Xingwan thought about it and looked up at his chin, "Isn't she afraid that the people who come to pick them up the next day will find out?"
"Hey, tell me, what kind of deep hatred could make someone take such a risk to kill someone overnight."
Yan Jinghuan didn't even raise his eyelids, "Kill him if you want, do you really need a reason?"
Shen Xingwan's body stiffened and she looked at him in a daze.
Yan Jinghuan felt the change in the person in his arms, opened his eyes and looked down at her, "What's wrong?"
Shen Xingwan frowned, sat up slightly and tried to break free from his embrace. Yan Jinghuan frowned, tightened his arms and held her back in his arms.
"What's wrong? What has offended you again?" He stared at her in confusion, observing the expression on her face.
Shen Xingwan turned her face away and said, "I didn't expect you to be so cold-blooded."
Yan Jinghuan was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. He put one arm around her slender waist and with the other hand pinched her chin with a little force to make her turn around and look at him.
He looked into her eyes and said seriously, "I can't be called a kind person. I only give you the little tenderness I have."
Seeing that she was still stiff and refused to get close to his arms, he sighed softly, and as if in compromise, he moved closer, resting his chin on her shoulder, rubbing his face against her snow-white cheek, and softening his tone.
"Okay, if you don't like it, I'll hide it carefully. From now on, I'll be a good person in front of you, okay?"
Shen Xingwan ignored him.
He hugged her from behind, and said in a more delicate tone, "My dear, I was wrong. I won't dare to do it again."
He wrapped his arms around her waist and swayed her gently, his cool lips pressed against her cheek, and he whispered softly, "Please spare me this time, okay..."
Like a succubus, Shen Xingwan was worn out by him and finally lost her temper. She softened and leaned back into his arms, allowing him to be intimate with her.
"I see you don't take it seriously at all."
Shen Xingwan felt unsatisfied, as if all the trouble he had taken to come to Yangzhou and find out the cause of Miss Tang's death was just like playing house in his eyes.
Yan Jinghuan smiled bitterly, "It's not a big deal. If you hate Tang Lin'er, I'll just go back to Beijing and kill her. Why bother with all this?"
Shen Xingwan was completely annoyed. She sat up and pushed him away, glaring at him, "She caused me so much suffering and instigated Wei Zilin to slaughter my entire Shen family. How could she just die in such an unclear way?"
Yan Jinghuan looked at her, and seeing that she was really angry, he didn't dare to be arrogant anymore. He sat up and looked at her straight in the face.
"So what do you want to do?"
"If we let her die like this, wouldn't that be too easy for her?" Shen Xingwan gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "I want her to die with a clear conscience."
Yan Jinghuan looked at her for a long time, then raised the corners of his lips, "Okay, what do you want to do? I'll help you."
The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, a group of people had gathered in front of the house. It was bustling and lively.
These were all the former servants of the Tang Mansion whom Yan Jinghuan had sent people to look for last night. There were more than ten people, both men and women, all dressed simply and with reserved expressions.
A breeze blew through the courtyard, blowing up the fallen flowers under the porch, creating a sense of silence and depression.
Shen Xingwan sat upright in the hall, with Feiyun standing beside him.
She put down the teacup in her hand, her eyes were cold, and she examined everyone standing in the hall one by one, and asked slowly: "When you were in the Tang Mansion, did you know about the past of Tang Lin'er, the second daughter of the Tang Mansion?"
Everyone looked at each other with hesitation.
Feiyun took a step forward and said loudly: "Madam asked a question, why don't you answer it quickly? If you answer well, you will be rewarded. If you dare to lie, you will suffer the consequences. Did you hear everything clearly?"
There was a rustling and whispering noise below, and then Feiyun coughed, and the place immediately fell silent.
After a long while, an elderly maid finally replied in a low voice: "Madam, Tang Lin'er has not been favored in the mansion since she was young."
"Mrs. Tang and Miss Di treated her very harshly, often punishing and humiliating her. Only Mr. Tang and her mother, Miss Yang, took good care of her."
As soon as these words were spoken, someone immediately echoed them in a low voice, and their words all expressed regret and pity for Tang Lin'er.
Shen Xingwan listened without changing his expression, but his eyes became a little darker.
She thought about it for a moment, and ordered Feiyun to take everyone to the courtyard to wait for orders, and then brought them in one by one to question them individually.
She called people in one by one for questioning, and asked them in detail about the past of the Tang family. She listened to them talking eloquently about their belongings, and carefully observed everyone's expressions. It was not until noon that she had finally asked enough questions.
These servants were not Tang Lin'er's close servants. Most of them were grooms, doormen, cooks, etc. They could not get close to Tang Lin'er on weekdays, so naturally they had no way of knowing Tang Lin'er's specific affairs.
Shen Xingwan was a little disappointed. Just as she was about to send away the last cleaning lady, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.
Feiyun gently pushed open the door and walked over, reporting softly: "Miss, a mother and daughter were just sent over. They have arrived."
Shen Xingwan raised her eyes and saw a mother and daughter being brought into the hall.
The woman was nearly forty years old, wearing a dark blue cloth shirt that was washed to a pale color, and her brows showed a hint of haggardness. The girl was only seventeen or eighteen years old, she lowered her head timidly, twisted the corner of her clothes with her fingers, and looked a little uneasy.
"Don't be afraid, I'm just asking a few questions." Shen Xingwan comforted them and asked them, "Who are you?"
The woman knelt down quickly, her voice trembling slightly, "To answer Madam's question, I was originally Miss Tang Ying's wet nurse, and everyone in the mansion used to call me Aunt Li."
She pulled the girl beside her and said timidly, "This is my daughter Xiaochun, who used to be Miss Tang's personal maid."
"I..." She hesitated, "After we left the Tang Mansion, we married far away. I didn't expect that someone would bring us here last night..."
Shen Xingwan nodded slightly, his eyes fell on the two of them, and slowly asked: "Since you have served Miss Tang Ying personally, I think you know her best."
"Let me ask you, has anything unusual happened to Miss Tang Ying in the past?"
Aunt Li's expression froze, her eyes flickered, and her lips opened and closed slightly, as if she had something to hide.
She lowered her head, her voice unclear: "I...I don't know..."
Shen Xingwan sneered, raised his hand and slapped the table, his voice was slightly cold.
"Don't know? Do you know what the punishment is for lying to me?"
Aunt Li's body trembled violently, and cold sweat oozed from her forehead. Xiaochun was so frightened that she trembled all over. She knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice: "Madam, please forgive me! I will tell you everything!"
Shen Xingwan raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes fell on her, motioning her to continue.
Xiaochun bit her lip and lowered her voice as if she was afraid of being heard: "Miss Tang...Miss Tang was once...deflowered..."
There was a sudden silence in the hall.
Shen Xingwan's fingertips paused slightly, and the coldness in his eyes grew deeper.
She lowered her eyes, not showing any sadness or joy, and said, "Tell me in detail."
Xiaochun lowered her head, her body trembling slightly, as if she was extremely scared, but under the cold pressure of Shen Xingwan, she finally dared not hide it, and tremblingly opened her mouth...
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