Chapter 156 The Person Hiding in the Dark
"You promised me."
"I promise."
"You swear to me."
"I swear..."
"you……"
"Alright, Brother Shao." Xiao Yu stepped between Shao Mingjie and Xu Chuchu. "She's committed and she won't regret it."
It was already late at night, and the concubines who were guarding the queen's mourning hall had all gone back to rest. Only the second prince was still crying over his dead mother.
Shao Mingjie made up an excuse to examine the body and asked the second prince to go back.
Although the Second Prince was unhappy that Shao Mingjie was examining his mother's remains, he was determined to find out the truth and did not stop him.
Shao Mingjie took the opportunity to let Xiao Yu and Xu Chuchu in and asked them to examine the body again, but he repeatedly reminded Xu Chuchu not to dissect the body, otherwise his handsome head would be in danger if discovered.
"Don't worry, I'm not a professional coroner. I won't be able to tell anything even if I do an autopsy." Xu Chuchu would certainly not sell out his teammates.
She didn't like Shao Zhi, but she didn't implicate Shao Mingjie. This guy was a little confused and often arrogant, but he was actually not a bad person.
Shao Mingjie's attitude towards her was similar. He knew very well that Shao Zhi was at fault first, and Xu Chuchu had fulfilled her promise of "not dealing with Shao Zhi as long as she didn't do anything wrong again", so he had no qualms in his heart.
"I won't stay here any longer. People from the Ministry of Justice could come at any moment, and it would be troublesome if they find us here." Shao Mingjie said, "You two better be careful. If there's any movement, hide."
"Don't worry." Xiao Yu agreed.
After separating, the two of them sneaked into the mourning hall. Although it was the middle of the night, the lights were bright inside, so they were not worried about not being able to see clearly.
The queen's body was placed in a jade coffin. The body had been prepared by the embalmer, dressed in gorgeous clothes and applied with exquisite makeup, and looked like she was sleeping soundly.
Xu Chuchu stood beside the coffin, gently touching the back of the queen's neck through a handkerchief, preparing to check her exposed skin. As soon as he started, he secretly said that something was wrong.
"Oh no, the body has been moved." She frowned.
"Why do you think so?" Xiao Yu asked hurriedly.
Xu Chuchu looked up and said, "A person's body will become stiff within an hour or two after death, and will begin to relax within one to two days. But look at the Queen. She's been dead for almost four hours, and her body is still not stiff."
"How could this be?" Xiao Yu also fiddled with the queen's arm and found that her joints moved freely and her skin showed no signs of stiffness.
He hesitated for a moment, then slowly rolled up the queen's sleeves, exposing her arms, and found that her skin was covered with corpse spots of various sizes.
"Lividity spots are also abnormal," Xiao Yu whispered. "It's only been half a day since he died, how could there be so many?"
He looked at the queen's face again and said, "There are some on her face and neck too, but they are all covered by the powder."
Xu Chuchu nodded and placed her hand on the queen's chest: "I'll check her internal organs."
She probed her spiritual power into the queen's body. This method could roughly check whether the deceased's organs were damaged, but it was not as clear as a direct autopsy.
But now there is no other way except this method. The queen cannot perform an autopsy, and she doesn't know how to do it.
As she examined him, her eyes widened: "The Queen..."
"Wait." Xiao Yu suddenly interrupted her and turned to look at the inner corner of the mourning hall.
There was no light on the inside, and it was pitch black.
Xu Chuchu extended her spiritual power curiously, and suddenly felt the breathing of a living person in the shadows!
Anyone?!
There is someone hiding in the dark?
When did you come and how long have you been watching them?!
Xu Chuchu was not afraid of ghosts or gods, but she got goosebumps.
Xiao Yu didn't know how to use his spiritual power to detect things, so he was afraid that he might have noticed something. He said coldly, "Since you've arrived early, why don't you just show up?"
The person in the dark did not move. Xu Chuchu found that his breathing was still steady and he did not panic because he was discovered.
Could it be that... he fell asleep?
Oh, how is that possible? What is she thinking?
The only person who could sneak in in the middle of the night to look for a corpse, other than nosy investigators like them, is the murderer!
"Don't move?" Xiao Yu slowly took two steps in that direction. "Or do you want me to come and invite you personally?"
This time, there was finally a response.
The outline of a tall man gradually appeared and slowly walked into the light.
"Fourth brother, this is Master Xu." He nodded at the two of them.
Xu Chuchu looked at this familiar figure, her eyes almost popping out: "Crown Prince?! I mean, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
The person hiding was actually the crown prince? When did he come? During the autopsy, or before? Did he tamper with the body?! Could it be that he really had the queen killed in order to seize the throne?
"Your Highness." Xiao Yu turned her head to look at him. "I never knew that Your Highness and the Queen were so close, and that they would come to keep vigil all night."
"Fourth brother." The prince didn't seem annoyed at all by Xiao Yu's taunts. "You're excellent in every way, except that you can be a little too suspicious. I'm a suspect just like you, and my purpose here is naturally the same. Relying entirely on the young man from the Shao family is... a bit risky."
Hearing someone's evaluation of Xiao Yu, Xu Chuchu couldn't help but feel a sense of agreement. She looked at the prince a few more times. This was the first time she had the opportunity to look closely at Xiao Yu's family.
Although the prince is Xiao Yu's elder brother, he is more than ten years older than Xiao Yu. He is less delicate and tender, but more mature and experienced. He has a short beard and obvious fine lines on his forehead.
Unlike the second prince who looks like a fool, the crown prince has a broad face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, which shows his sincere and down-to-earth appearance.
Xiao Yu didn't accept his explanation and asked, "Since we have the same goal, has Your Highness found any useful information?"
"There's something wrong with the Queen's body." The Crown Prince must have heard what they said and said bluntly, "But it's not the passive hands and feet after her death, but before her death."
"Before death?" Xiao Yu asked.
"Strictly speaking," the prince paused, "the queen has been dead for some time."
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