Chapter 459 She is not Tang'er
Qingye only felt a dull pain in his heart, as if it was empty and not solid.
A fishy and salty taste rose up in the throat.
"Where is Xia Ning?" He exuded a coldness.
When Xia Ning learned that Xu Qingye had returned, he walked in from outside the yard and knelt down in front of him.
"I failed to protect the county lady. I shall be punished for my crime even if I die. I am willing to accept the punishment!"
Xu Qingye's voice was slightly hoarse, and veins bulged on his clenched fists. "Where exactly did Tang'er get into trouble? Who did it? Where is his body buried?"
Xia Ning felt extremely heavy.
"Not long after I and my master left Yingshan City, we were followed by a masked man. I dropped my master off in a secluded place and let her hide. I drove the carriage to lure the man in black away. After killing him, I did not find any items that could represent his identity. I guessed that he was King Heng's man. I came back to look for my master and found her hairpin on a cliff downstream of Cuihua River. After searching for more than a month, I found her body in a cave."
She handed the hairpin and jade pendant to Xu Qingye.
"This lotus jade pendant was found on the corpse. When we found it, the corpse had already rotted, so we didn't bring the person back and buried him directly in the cave."
The man took the hairpin and jade pendant with trembling hands.
He didn't expect that his trip to the capital would mean they would be separated forever.
If I had known this, I should have brought her along.
He gently stroked the jade pendant in his hand, and the scenes of their past interactions flashed through his mind one by one. He remembered her saying that as long as he didn't let go of her hand, she would never leave.
Now that he didn't let her go, she still left.
After blood oozed from the corner of Xu Qingye's lips, he began to cough violently.
Seeing this, Jiang was so scared that she rushed forward to support him.
"Qingye, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!" She wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "If Tang'er saw you like this, she wouldn't be at peace. You know, she always hopes that you'll be well."
Xu Qingye coughed violently for a while and gasped for breath before he controlled his emotions. By then, his eyes were already bloodshot.
He looked at Xia Ning again, still retaining a glimmer of fantasy in his heart.
"If she fell off a cliff, why did she end up in a cave? In addition to the jade pendant, is there anything else that can prove her identity? Are you sure someone didn't steal her identity? Have you asked a coroner to perform an autopsy?"
Xia Ning was speechless after being asked by Xu Qingye, and tried desperately to recall the corpse he saw that day in his mind.
"When we saw the body, it was unrecognizable. The clothes on her body were the same ones the owner was wearing before she disappeared. At that time, we thought that maybe a kind-hearted person who passed by couldn't bear to see her body exposed in the wilderness, so he placed her there."
"take me!"
Xu Qingye said this and was about to go out.
Jiang was worried and hurriedly pulled him back.
"Qingye, mother also hopes that Tang'er is still alive now, but so many people searched for more than a month before finding the body, it can't be fake, why don't you take a rest first?"
Xu Qingye patted her hands in a dull voice.
"Don't worry, mother. Tang'er said before that whether she is around or not, I have to live well and I will be fine."
At this point, he couldn't help but choke up.
I don’t know what kind of mood she was in when she said this, it was as if the outcome was predetermined by fate.
Then he threw away the thoughts in his mind.
No, she must still be alive!
"Xianing, let's go!"
Xu Qingye mounted the horse again. Seeing this, Guiping hurriedly gave the other horse to Xia Ning.
The two of them first went to Zhuqing Lane, found the coroner Xu who had been helping Lord Zhu with the autopsy, and then, under the leadership of Xia Ning, went to the cave where the body was buried.
When he saw the small mound and the tombstone standing beside it, Xu Qingye's eyes seemed to be stung. He turned his back and took a deep breath.
"Xia Ning, assist the coroner Xu in the autopsy. Try not to damage the body. Just tell me the age, height and cause of death of the deceased. I will make my own judgment."
Quarter of an hour later, Coroner Xu took off his gloves and mask.
"The deceased is a female, about 17 or 18 years old. She has fractures in her skull and ribs. It is believed that she fell from a height, which was the main cause of death. Judging from the degree of decomposition of the body, she died four months ago. She was about 4 feet 7 (1.57 meters) tall."
Hearing this, Xu Qingye turned his head and looked at him.
"He is four feet seven inches tall. Can you confirm that?"
Coroner Xu nodded, "Based on my many years of autopsy experience, even if this woman is taller than 4'7, she will definitely not be taller than 4'8 (1.6 meters)."
Xu Qingye didn't know what his mood was at the moment.
Tang'er was nearly five feet tall (the heroine was about 1.65 meters tall), and the current female corpse was less than four feet eight inches tall, a difference of two inches in height.
Coroner Xu has been working in the autopsy business for decades. Even if he makes a mistake in judgment, the error will not be larger than two inches.
Therefore, this female corpse could not possibly be Tang'er!
He looked at the female corpse on the ground and suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
The person in the dark went to great lengths to disguise the female corpse as Tang'er's, even destroying her appearance to mislead himself.
He looked at Coroner Xu.
"I hope that Coroner Xu will not tell anyone about this matter."
Xu the coroner bowed.
"Don't worry, Master Xu. Every profession has its own rules. I will forget about this matter once I leave here."
Upon seeing this, Xia Ning hurriedly helped Coroner Xu pack up the autopsy tools and then sent him out of the cave. He also took out three taels of silver from his waist and stuffed them into his hand.
"This place is not far from the official road. Please trouble the coroner Xu to go up by himself."
Coroner Xu took the silver and nodded quickly.
"Don't worry, girl. I'm familiar with the roads around here."
Although those who worked in this industry were helping the government, their wages were not high. When they first entered the industry, they were paid 600 coins per month. After three years, the salary increased to 1 tael and 2 coins. They were not respected either.
Nowadays, one can earn three taels of silver for one trip, which is equivalent to more than two months' income.
worth!
After returning, I must buy a pot of good wine to celebrate.
Xia Ning watched him go away before turning back to the cave. Seeing Xu Qingye still looking at the female corpse on the ground, and his expression was no longer as sad as when he came, he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, I remember that the master is much taller than four feet eight?"
The last time I came back, the body had already decayed and was lying down, so I couldn't tell how long it was. I was so sad that I didn't think about it.
Fortunately, my uncle is smart.
Xu Qingye nodded, "She is not Tang'er!"
After saying that, he destroyed the tombstone and turned to leave the cave.
The person in the dark would disguise Tang'er like this to make them all misunderstand, which just proves that Tang'er is still alive. But where will she be taken? Who took her away?
Xia Ning followed Xu Qingye out of the cave.
"If the master is still alive, the fetus in her belly should be eight and a half months old now. I don't know if it is still safe."
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