Chapter 53 The Secret in the Heart
"Please, Master Ling, please check again, especially the condition of her feet." Qian Deng took out the silk handkerchief she had just used to wipe Madam Dingxiang's hands and waved it towards him. "Don't get them mixed up."
How could Ling Tianshui not understand the meaning of her words? He raised his eyebrows and turned around to examine it in detail.
Qian Deng was flipping through the files when he suddenly remembered something: "Where's Meng Lanxi? Did you leave him alone in the mansion?"
Ling Tianshui examined the foot bones of the two corpses and said without looking up, "I took him to the Northern Court's Imperial Guard today. He will be fine there."
Qian Deng asked, "You've just arrived in Chang'an. Are you familiar with the soldiers of the Northern Yamen Imperial Guard? Can you trust them?"
Ling Tianshui paused for a moment and said, "It's okay. After all, we've been together for three months."
"All the gentlemen in my backyard have only been with me for three months." Qiandeng said.
Ling Tianshui knew what she meant and said, "Since I dare to set him up as a target in the backyard, I will definitely be able to protect him."
Qian Deng remained silent. Ling Tianshui stared at the two leg bones in his hands, comparing them carefully, while she stared at his profile, examining them closely.
Her gaze was intense, and although he didn't look up, he noticed it and asked, "What's wrong?"
"This target..." she pondered, but finally asked, "Wouldn't it be easier if you were the one to take it on? You wouldn't have to take care of others all the time."
The words were out, and it was impossible to take them back. She felt regretful in an instant, and her long, thick eyelashes drooped, blocking her vision, as if this could hide the emotions in her heart that should not be revealed.
Ling Tianshui raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, but his hands never stopped examining the remains. "I don't know anything about medicine, so how can I serve you?"
Qian Deng silently looked at his calm expression for a long time, then he let out a long sigh and said softly, "Is that so..."
Ling Tianshui's hand finally paused, and he glanced at her, his hard, stern brows covering his deep, deep eyes, and asked, "What else?"
Qiandeng pursed her lips, turned her eyes away, and said nothing more.
Footsteps were heard outside. It was Cui Fufeng who had arranged the affairs of the Dali Temple in Guozhou and was returning to Yizhuang.
Seeing the two of them sitting quietly in the house, he was a little surprised: "Have you finished the autopsy?"
Qian Deng lowered his eyes and looked at the blank file in his hand, feeling a little uneasy: "Not yet."
Ling Tianshui held up half of a charred foot and said, "The deceased's foot has signs of not fitting together."
Qian Deng recorded it in the file and asked, "What's not fitting together?"
"The left feet of both bodies are fine, but the right foot..." Ling Tianshui pointed at the ankle of the body on the left and said, "This one should be Shi Jingning's body. It has an extra layer of perichondrium."
Cui Fufeng stepped forward and examined the crushed and shattered foot with him. He examined the cartilage, which had been burned to a crisp and shriveled state, clinging to the bone like a layer of cicada molt, and said thoughtfully, "Since Shi Jingning has an extra layer of periosteum, then Yang Huaijiang's body must be missing one?"
Ling Tianshui nodded: "Cartilage is present in every joint. It won't disappear, it will only metastasize."
Cui Fufeng examined the two pieces of cartilage while Qiandeng recorded the remains in the case file. He asked him, "I've thought of something that might require a trip to Guozhou to verify. Could the Dali Temple send someone to help investigate?"
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Cui Fufeng agreed without hesitation. "Chang'an to Guozhou is only 400 miles away. Express post horses can take less than a day and a night. If you want the fastest way, you can send a pigeon. News will come in a few hours."
"Then I'll write you a list, listing all the things that need to be verified."
After Ling Tianshui thoroughly examined the bones again, he put all the autopsy items into the rattan box, took off the thin leather gloves on his hands, and washed his hands in the stream at the entrance of the charity cemetery.
He seemed to be casually chatting with the old man guarding the charity cemetery: "Old man, is everything quiet in the charity cemetery lately?"
The old man said angrily, "What you said is true. If the charity cemetery is not quiet, won't it be bad?"
"That's right. This little money will buy some wine to warm you up." Ling Tianshui didn't even smile. He simply took out a bunch of money and gave it to him. He asked, "It seems that the world has been relatively peaceful recently. There are only two charred bodies in our palace. Has anyone come to pay their respects these past two days?"
The old man put the money in his pocket and pointed at the two charred corpses covered with white cloth in the gloomy house. He said, "There really is one. He came here the day before yesterday. He was a man in his thirties. His arm seemed to be injured, and the back of his hand was covered with bruises. There was only one body here at the time. He said he came to pay tribute to an acquaintance, but he didn't even lift the cloth to look. I guess he was afraid of seeing the charred body, so he stayed for a while and then left."
"Oh?" Ling Tianshui became interested. "How do you know he never lifted the shroud?"
"After the coroners brought the body in, they laid out the bones. I was the one who covered it with the white cloth." The old man gestured, shook his hands, and pulled it from the feet upwards. "It's windy here, and the doors and windows are not tight. After covering the head, I tucked the corners of the cloth under the wooden board to prevent it from blowing away. So if he lifted the cloth to see the deceased's face, the corners of the cloth would definitely be pulled out."
Ling Tianshui asked, "Will you tuck the corners of the cloth at the feet in?"
"That won't happen. After all, the four corners are tied together. Wouldn't it swell up if the wind blows?"
Ling Tianshui nodded, thoughtfully: "Every industry has its own rules, and the old man is also a meticulous person."
He walked out of the charity cemetery and saw Qian Deng leaning on her horse and writing a list of things that needed to be verified in Guozhou, while Cui Fufeng was looking through the records she had highlighted on the file.
"I never thought that the county lady would point the finger of suspicion at the most unlikely person." Cui Fufeng said, but he was not at ease because of the case that was about to be revealed.
Qian Deng let out a long breath. In this cold and gloomy mountain, white mist filled her cheeks, making the melancholy between her brows even more intense. "No matter how deep the secrets in my heart are hidden, the things I have done and the experiences I have had, as long as they exist, cannot be completely erased."
Cui Fufeng nodded silently: "When the news from Guozhou comes back, perhaps we can get a glimpse of the real secrets underneath."
"The secret is still unknown, but I found out a little thing that may confirm the county lord's guess." Ling Tianshui led the horse over and briefly relayed the words of the old man from Shouyi Zhuang to them.
"So, we made the right decision to come to the charity cemetery this time. At least, all our guesses have been verified." Qian Deng breathed a sigh of relief, put on his veil and mounted his horse with ease. "Let's go."
Ling Tianshui jumped on his horse and whipped it when he suddenly felt an inexplicable throbbing in his heart and subconsciously turned around to look at Qiandeng.
The snow was still falling lightly, and the breeze gently blew up the hazy veil of the veil, making Qiandeng's face appear and disappear, like a newly blooming flower covered in snow mist, which made it difficult to see clearly, but made it look more ethereal and heart-shaking.
A thought as fast as lightning suddenly flashed through his mind, causing him to subconsciously pull the reins of the horse, and his upright body stiffened for a moment.
No matter how deep the secrets in your heart are hidden...
When she asked him why he set Meng Lanxi as a target instead of himself, what was hidden behind it?
What was behind the flickering eyes that looked at him and then avoided him?
——Why? It’s Meng Lanxi.
Why, not himself.
Because of this sudden realization, Ling Tianshui subconsciously tightened his grip on the reins.
He didn't even notice that he was slowing down. He was always tough and aggressive, always galloping on his horse regardless of the consequences, but now he slowed down and fell into a momentary trance.
For the first time in his life, he fell behind others, allowing Qian Deng and Cui Fufeng to ride past him and gallop forward.
Looking at the slender figure, he subconsciously raised his hand and looked at his palm.
In the dark night, the warmth from the unexpected collision still lingers in the palm of my hand.
Everything he thought he would carelessly forget, but it followed him like a shadow, surging like a tide on this gloomy winter day, making his body slightly hot and uncontrollable.
And she asked him why he sent her to Meng Lanxi.
As if he had glimpsed the most unsolved mystery in the world, he heard the pounding of his own heart in his chest, each one violent and unbearable, ringing in his ears.
But it was clear that Mrs. Meng was desperately holding his hand when she was dying, and she tried her best to say, promise me!
He promised her.
In this life, because of this promise, the matter is settled.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com