Seeing the bright moon
Since traveling through time, Gui Yao has not often seen corpses.
To add a little, human corpse.
The Gui family was founded by Imperial Physician Gui, the grandfather of the original owner, who retired with his relatives and settled in Xiaohe Village in the southwest.
Gui Yao had been doing a lot of side quests over the years collecting mind-reading notes in the village, and while playing with cats and dogs, she had chatted with many villagers. She also realized that the original owner's background seemed different from what her uncle had said, and that she had grown up in Xiaohe Village since childhood.
But she still can't be completely sure of this guess.
Whenever she wanted to explore the original owner's memories, she would have a splitting headache, just like now.
Gui Yao gripped the armrest tightly, trying to distract herself from her thoughts. She made no sound, but someone beside her gently asked, "Can you bear it?"
She paused, turned her head to meet the lady's eyes, and could actually see some worry in them.
In the past, her weak physique could help her retreat a step and block many verbal battles, but now, she is determined to stay here.
She covered her heart and sighed softly, "It's okay."
Guiyao, I'm locked in this chair today, and no one can get me away.
"Yaoyao, come and wipe the sweat off your aunt."
...Okay, I'll be right there!
My aunt comes from a family of coroners, and her three brothers are now working in the capital.
Guiyao heard from the villagers that her aunt had previously cooperated with the government and followed all the rules.
But she had long since changed all the rules and gone her own way: if there was a death in the village, she would be the first to go, and if there was a grievance brought in from the city, she would also go.
That year, my uncle picked up an old man who had starved to death from the barren mountains, and it was she who examined him.
My uncle is a doctor who treats living people.
But he had been standing beside his aunt for ten years, just like now, holding two wooden trays in his hands, with the tools on them marked as clean and dirty by his left and right hands.
Guiyao had already made up her mind about her aunt's transformation.
It was because of the epidemic that year that the original owner's parents and the son of his uncle and aunt all died.
As she thought about it, she took the handkerchief prepared by the maid beside her, stood beside her aunt and wiped the sweat off her face. Her eyes moved from her aunt's frown to the girl lying quietly in the coffin.
The girl's face was a distinct bluish-purple color, and her slightly exposed teeth were stained red with blood.
The wound on the body's neck had clearly been properly treated.
It seems that the autopsy has reached its final stage.
Gui Yao's knowledge of forensic medicine was indeed limited, so she could only conclude one thing:
This wound was definitely not a cat scratch.
After a moment, she withdrew her gaze, put the soaked handkerchief back, bowed to her uncle, and turned back to her seat.
The atmosphere was much quieter than in the morning. Everyone's eyes were focused on the coffin, and the cold air from the ice wrapped around the plaque in the hall.
"Practicing the Vow to be Reborn"
Gui Yao took this opportunity to look at the Governor Li.
According to local customs, relatives are required to leave the scene during an autopsy. Her aunt explained to her that the living are worried that the dead will disturb their yang energy, so they have to avoid them.
The people in the General's Mansion are not afraid, so why doesn't the Governor Li intervene... Compared to human relations, no one in the government really mentioned it at this moment. Seeing that her aunt had washed her hands, Gui Yao sat upright and listened carefully.
"The deceased is Li Yueming.
At sixteen, he has no previous illness and a well-proportioned figure."
"Obvious knife marks can be seen on the neck."
Two fingers below the Adam's apple, slanting towards the left shoulder, four centimeters long, as thin as a thread, only deep enough to reach the subcutaneous tissue, without cutting the throat or blood vessels, the wound edge was neat and without curling, as if caused by a thin knife.
Is it a finishing blow? Gui Yao silently noted it down.
It is a very common routine to fake a knife wound to prevent people from seeing the fatal wound at a glance. Here, there is an intention to fake a cat scratch.
"The deceased's face was swollen and blue, his lips were blue and his tongue was protruding. Blood covered the bruises on his neck. The cause of death was asphyxiation."
The modus operandi should be to strangle the victim from behind the neck with an object until he suffocated, but the deceased did not show any signs of struggling.
"There's no doubt he was murdered," said my aunt.
The crime scene is unknown, the time is unknown, the motive is in doubt, and the number of murderers is in doubt. There are many doubts.
Gui Yao coughed lightly and watched the coffin being carried away by six people. The prefect Li had not yet stood up. The high-spirited attitude he had in the morning to seek justice was gone. Now it seemed as if his mind had been eaten away, leaving only an empty shell.
Wiping her sweat, she leaned slightly towards the Madam, and just as she was about to observe, her eyes met hers again. Perhaps it was because the chill surrounding the coffin hadn't completely dissipated, or perhaps it was because the Madam's eyes were calm and penetrating, but Gui Yao briefly felt a sense of guilt.
"Do you have something to say?" The lady's voice was light.
Gui Yao shook her head and said weakly, "I just don't understand. Can this cat really kill people?"
As soon as the words fell, someone slammed the table and stood up.
"This is ridiculous, ridiculous." Li Fuyin supported himself with his hands and knelt on the ground. Although he was smiling, his smile was extremely sad. "My Li family has contributed a lot to assisting the late emperor and deserves to be enshrined in the imperial temple. We can be said to be a family of loyal heroes."
He cried and complained, "Sister, if I report this to the emperor, do you think the emperor will reveal the truth about my Li family?"
Bodhisattvas practice their vows and are reborn in the Pure Land.
Gui Yao suddenly raised her head, not understanding why the general's mansion had such a plaque in the hall. The surroundings were silent. When the black shadow walked forward calmly and knocked Li Fuyin unconscious with his hand, she lowered her head again. She wanted to say something, but could only remain silent.
"I sympathize with your grief over the loss of your daughter, but Prefect Li has had a headache, and what he said is mad and insane, making a fool of himself for everyone. Li Yueming is my nephew, and I, Li Yuqing, will help her clear up this case."
“The General’s Mansion has sent someone to the Lu family to deliver a summons.
Tomorrow at noon, I invite you all to come to Xianyu Mansion to testify and make a judgment."
Gui Yao stood up with everyone else and saluted the lady, and then ten people took their leave through the main gate.
She was stunned for a moment, her eyes falling on their backs, and then she realized that not all the people there were from the general's mansion.
She stood there without moving, then suddenly turned around.
The lady's hand gently rested on her shoulder, and she lost much of her previous aura. She said in a gentle tone: "Among all the officials and nobles in Xianyu City, the Zheng family is unique."
Li Yuqing lowered his eyes and straightened Guiyao's clothes, with a faint smile on his cheek.
"Li Yueming's marriage was originally arranged with the eldest son of the Zheng family. Unfortunately, the eldest son died early due to bad luck, so the Zheng family pushed the second son out."
"Xiaoyao, I see that you are quite interested in this case."
"Why don't you tell me, mother-in-law, whether you think it's proper for a brother to inherit the throne after his death, or not?"
Gui Yao had to slightly raise her head when looking at Li Yuqing. She was completely confused at the moment, but her bright eyes still showed seven parts of obedience and three parts of weakness.
The woman who had been stern and harsh since their first meeting was now gentle and kind to her, as if she were caring for a child. Was Gui Yao moved? Gui Yao did not dare to move, and replied in a low voice: "I think this action is in accordance with etiquette, but..."
Before she could finish her twists and turns, a hand suddenly stopped at her lips.
Gui Yao subconsciously stopped breathing, lowered her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. A faint scent of ink filled her nostrils. She raised her head slightly and could see Ren Beixi's almost perfect jaw line.
Something hard gripped her waist, and she subconsciously whimpered softly. Only then did she feel the hilt of the sword, which she had seen several times, move back a few inches.
"Mother, Lord Gui is looking for her." Ren Beixi said in a deep voice.
Li Yuqing smiled and said, "I heard Lan Fang say at noon that you took her to Zhulinju. I didn't expect that you two could chat with each other. This is good, this is good. It can be said that you are in love with each other."
Guiyao bit her lip, feeling miserable as she was caught between the mother and son. She simply unzipped her sleeves, revealing the red mole next to the white cloth that wrapped her.
"To answer Madam, my daughter was accidentally injured and Erlang applied medicine for me, that's all." She was much shorter than the other two and thought she was retreating to advance. However, to others, the three of them standing there had the same expressions and demeanor.
At this point, Li Yuqing waved his hand.
Gui Yao walked forward, her steps still as usual. When she reached the corner, she turned back and saw Ren Beixi holding the scabbard at his waist with his right hand, just following her slowly, looking neither anxious nor impatient.
"General Ren, General Ren." Gui Yao saw that he was so free and was a little curious about what he would do every day in the future.
Ren Beixi saw her stop and stopped too.
"I'm asking to go home this time to get married. After the wedding, I need to report back to the capital."
Gui Yao opened her mouth, meaning that this man didn't have to work before getting married, just like her. Thinking of this, she walked much faster and stopped only when she returned to her residence.
"You just said your uncle is looking for me?"
Guiyao was puzzled.
"I was looking for it just now, but I'm not looking for it now."
Ren Beixi was indifferent.
Ren Beixi just watched as Gui Yao began to shake things out of her sleeves: a handkerchief, a purse, a dagger was taken out and put back in again, a silver needle was taken out and put back in again, and then a light pink purse.
Gui Yao hooked her finger at him, rummaged through her purse for a long time, and found the key. After looking around, she unlocked the door and walked in. She looked at Ren Beixi and tilted her head: "Come in."
The sky gradually darkened, and it was probably the end of the You hour.
The crescent moon hung silently in the sky. When Gui Yao saw Ren Beixi coming in, she stuck her head out to take a look and then closed the door tightly. The room suddenly became dark, with only the light blue light coming from the window cracks, which showed that it was almost night.
The room was completely quiet. Ren Beixi could see clearly before closing the door that there was no one inside.
Gui Yao made a "hush" gesture, and suddenly realized that neither she nor he could see. She raised her hand and blew away the fire starter she had just held. She raised her head slightly, and the firelight from her hand passed into Ren Beixi's indifferent eyes.
For no reason, he thought of last night.
The corners of the man's eyes trembled slightly, and there was a breeze. He leaned over and closed the window.
Her earlobes were slightly red, and she walked straight to the bed, holding on to the tables and chairs around her. The curtains were as thin as brocade and satin, the same color as the ribbon in her bun, and she was so beautiful that it was shocking.
“Meow meow meow!”
The tortoise shell on the bed remained alert and only recognized Guiyao after hearing her imitated cat meow. It gently retracted its outstretched claws into its patterned pads and nudged Miaomiao who was sleeping beside it.
The firelight spread from the bed to the lamp outside the bed.
Gui Yao lit the lamp and blew out the tinder as she walked towards Ren Beixi. Her eyes were clear and in the silence around her, her breathing seemed much heavier because of her illness and excitement.
But her hand, the warm touch was indeed gentle.
Gui Yao pulled Ren Beixi to the bed and pointed it out to him.
On the pitch-black bed, a cat, blending into the moonlight, sat upright.
The left eye is a beautiful yellow, while the right eye is the same deep blue as Miaomiao's next to him.
Guiyao held the lamp and the light was transformed by her.
And now, the tortoiseshell cat's eyes have changed because of the light.
One on the left, one on the right, one red, one green.
This is enough to prove that Li Fuyin was concealing something about the case.
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