Chapter 22 Ruins
Everything in the house had collapsed due to the fire, but the stove, impervious to water and fire, still stood amid the ruins and embers.
Ling Tianshui inspected the surrounding area and said, "Judging from the burn marks, it seems the fire started in the wood storage behind the stove, and the flames ignited the beams above, ultimately burning the entire kitchen down."
The cook, A-Yu, was at a loss. "But every day after making lunch, before leaving the kitchen, we have to put out the fire and seal the hearth. We are very careful..."
"Does anyone usually come in and use the kitchen after you leave?"
"Mr. Shi! He is the chef of the imperial kitchen and his cooking skills are so good that we often ask him for advice on dishes. The county princess has a poor appetite, so he would borrow the kitchen to cook for her. Besides, his younger sister-in-law is still young, so he often comes to the kitchen to prepare some food for the children..." When she said this, her throat was choked, and she looked at the ruins of the kitchen in front of her and could no longer speak.
Qiandeng looked silently in front of the stove. If Shi Jingning was in the kitchen at that time and the firewood warehouse caught fire, it meant that he must have been busy in front of the stove and failed to take care of the back.
Ling Tianshui naturally thought of it as well, and immediately ordered everyone to come up and push away the collapsed brick wall and mud slabs next to the stove.
A thoroughly burnt corpse suddenly appeared below. Because it was burned by the fire and then crushed by the collapsed brick wall, not only was its face broken, but even its charred skeleton was broken in several places.
Everyone stared at the corpse in a daze, unable to speak for a moment.
Jin Tang swallowed hard and asked with difficulty, "County Lady, then...then should I ask the workers to pick out the bones first?"
Qian Deng raised his hand to stop him, took several deep breaths, and said with difficulty: "Go to Cui Mansion and ask Cui Shaoqing to come over."
The fire at the Changhua Palace had already alarmed the various districts in the north of the city.
Cui Fufeng, who had returned home for the winter solstice, rushed back upon learning of the fire in the palace. Shocked by the sight of the charred corpse in the kitchen, he immediately ordered the Dali Temple officials to come over.
Ling Tianshui also took out the coroner's rattan box, took out the tools, and started measuring the length of the body.
"The skeleton belongs to a young man, approximately five feet six inches tall, lying prone on the ground. Judging by the thickness of the bones and the traces of burnt corpse oil, he is of medium build."
Ling Tianshui put on thin leather gloves—because his previous gloves were too small, he had replaced them with a new pair. They fit snugly but still had room for movement, a perfect size—and examined the corpse's teeth and bones. "The teeth are white and neat, and the fractures are clean. He was in good health, free of disease and poison."
Cui Fufeng recorded the autopsy file, looked down at the bones, and whispered, "I remember the heights of the gentlemen. This length and build is indeed... Shi Jingning's."
Ling Tianshui nodded and continued to examine the condition of the corpse.
"Near the body were broken clay pots and a fallen small stove, with carbonized traces of medicinal residue between them, suggesting someone had been boiling medicine there at the time of the accident. Also, not far from the hand were small, burnt remains of an animal, suspected to be a fox, rabbit, raccoon, or otter."
Cui Fufeng raised his pen and pointed to the nearby animal pen, which had also been damaged by the fire. He said, "During the Winter Solstice Festival, the farm sent a batch of poultry, livestock, and game, which are being raised over there."
"So the deceased should have been decocting medicine in the kitchen and cooking food at the same time." Ling Tianshui said, and found that there was an obvious abnormality in the ashes at the waist of the corpse, so he brushed it away, revealing some things underneath that were immortal because of fire.
He glanced down, picked it up and took a look, then stood up and waved to Qiandeng.
Qiandeng's eyes were fixed on the corpse. When he saw him gesture, he was stunned for a moment, then took two steps closer stiffly.
Ling Tianshui said nothing, just threw the thing in his hand towards her.
The thing was still warm in his hand. Qiandeng held it tightly and took several deep breaths before he finally mustered up the courage to turn over his trembling hand and look at the thing in his palm.
They were two small objects tied together. One was a smoked black silver stick, with a clear trace of gold thread from the flute-drawing technique.
Those were the Phoenix Sticks issued by the Ministry of Rites to the first batch of young men when they entered the palace for selection.
As for the other piece… After wiping away the fireworks ashes from the outside, a small jade rabbit appeared in Qiandeng's hand. It already had a rounded shape, but the details like the ears and claws were still unfinished, clearly only halfway through.
Shangluo, who was standing nearby, took a look and exclaimed, "Ah!" in a trembling voice, "This... this is the rabbit Brother Jingning was carving when I went to play with him yesterday! I scared him and he even cut his hand!"
"It's the shape of the rabbit he carved..." Qiandeng naturally remembered that Shi Jingning could carve rabbits to practice.
In the afternoon, the young man brought her a carefully cooked small pink fish and persuaded her to eat some with a smile. After being rejected by her, the young man lowered his eyelashes to hide his confusion, but still held hope and gently asked her what she wanted to eat. Unexpectedly, this would be their last farewell.
However, because of the estrangement in her heart, her final attitude towards him was so cold that he left with sadness and regret.
Qiandeng's tears could no longer be held back and burst out.
Cui Fufeng looked at Qiandeng silently, clenched the case file in his hand, and whispered, "My condolences, County Lady."
Qiandeng looked at the remains half-buried in ashes on the ground, gasping for breath for a long time, and his blank mind gradually became clear.
"Ling Tianshui, tell me...were these bones broken during life, or after death?"
Ling Tianshui naturally understood what she meant. He picked up a few broken ribs and examined them carefully. He then replaced them one by one, then turned the skull over and examined it. He said, "Judging from the fracture marks, it must have been caused by the collapse of bricks after death. However, if the person was attacked shortly before death and the bones were subsequently burned by fire, it would be difficult to tell."
"Judging from his posture of death and the angle of the falling bricks and rocks," Qian Deng gritted his teeth, controlling his trembling hands. "Once he discovered the fire, he should have immediately fled. Why did he collapse by the stove, not toward the door?"
Ling Tianshui said, "It's not impossible. The pile of dry firewood in the firewood storage instantly ignited, and the vegetables and ingredients in the kitchen were immediately engulfed in flames, and the house was immediately filled with smoke. The doors and windows were made of wood, and the outside air rushed in, often to the point where the fire was most intense. He couldn't escape the sea of inferno, so naturally he could only take shelter where the fire was least intense - that is, under the brick wall. But the house was filled with thick smoke, and he lost consciousness before he could hide and fell, and was burned to ash."
His words were so calm that they were almost indifferent, making Qiandeng's heart even colder.
The Dali Temple runners rushed over overnight to record the scene and collect the remains.
Although it was just a pile of charred and broken bones, the deceased still needed to be treated decently, so they kept it properly and sent it to the charity cemetery to wait for the case to be closed.
The Dali Temple preliminarily determined that Shi Jingning died accidentally in a fire in the kitchen of the Changhua Palace.
The night was deep and a light snow fell from the sky, making the cold night even more desolate.
Jin Tang, Xue Xiyang, Meng Lanxi and the others were all covered in dust. Shang Luo was crying so hard that he was out of breath. Ji Linyou held him to prevent him from collapsing from exhaustion. "County Lady, I will take Shang Luo back to rest first."
Qiandeng nodded silently, and tiredly asked Aunt Xuanji to go to Liuhua Mountain House and spend the night with the children, but not to tell them the bad news about her eldest brother first.
Shangluo's face was pale. He looked at Qiandeng and then at Meng Lanxi. His lips trembled as he moved. He wanted to say something but didn't dare to. In the end, he buried his head and left sobbing.
When everyone had left, only Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng were left waiting for her. In the deep darkness, the three of them stood by the ruins of the fire, silent.
After a long time, Qiandeng turned back to the East Courtyard and motioned them to follow him.
The snow wasn't falling heavily, leaving a thin layer of white on the ground, like a pavement covered with translucent silk. The silk would rip if you stepped on it, leaving black footprints quietly on the bluestone, waiting coldly for the falling snow to fill them up again.
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