Chapter 35 The Chief Coroner of the Capital
The connection between Yang An and Fang Qing lies in the crucial conclusion he reached while inside the house, facing the twelve different red seals.
He held the throwing knife that had been stuck at the entrance of Fang Qing's residence, and pondered the word "preface" it had brought to his mind many times.
The running script has a bland ink but elegant brushstrokes.
The paper was thin and readily available, just like the small knife; it was something that could be bought anywhere in the marketplace.
The seals, bearing the characters for "preface," "Yang An," and "Fang Qing," numbered twelve. The subtle connection between them piqued Li Jin's curiosity, making him increasingly intrigued.
Li Jin could sense that behind these two cases, there seemed to be a force pulling him from Linyang to Xiaolin County, and then from Xiaolin County to Yiyang.
What force, and who, with what purpose, led him deeper and deeper, yet only showed him the tip of the iceberg? Only revealed a hazy outline?
The answers to these questions will probably only be found by continuing to explore and delve deeper.
The carriage slowly made its way north, traveling along the official road for more than ten days. Finally, just before the Dragon Boat Festival, it came into view of the towering city walls of the capital.
The Great Wei, this vast and beautiful empire, its capital city, with its most magnificent and imposing city gates, welcomes guests from all directions and welcomes friends from all over the world.
Jin Shu, sitting in front of the carriage, was captivated by the magnificent scene before her, and stood there dumbfounded, her face filled with shock.
If her past life's calendar were to rewind a thousand years, the most prosperous time in Chinese history would probably have been a scene as magnificent and awe-inspiring as this.
"Is this Mr. Jin's first time in Beijing?" Li Jin said with a smile, lifting the curtain behind Jin Shu.
"The capital city is governed by the neighborhood system, which is laid out like a chessboard. Each neighborhood is separated by a wall, and a curfew is enforced. However, the constables and yamen runners, as well as the Imperial Guards, are not subject to this curfew system."
"The central axis is Zhuquemen Street, which leads directly to the imperial city. It has twelve city gates. There is a commercial market in both the east and west parts of the city. Your residence is in Chongrenfang, which is just one street away from my Prince Jing's Mansion."
At this point, Jin Shu paused for a moment: "Just across the street?!"
Li Jin nodded, speaking with reason and evidence: "Yes, this way Jin Rong won't have to travel far to study and attend classes."
Just as Jin Shu was about to express her gratitude, Li Jin added, "There may be urgent cases at night, which will make it convenient for you to handle them."
His smile was gentle and refined, his eyebrows curving into a crescent moon.
Jin Shu chuckled dryly, then turned to her and said seriously, "Your Highness, working overtime will result in extra pay, you know."
"When the money arrives, I arrive; when the money doesn't arrive, I go to sleep."
Li Jin was stunned by those words. After a long while, he said with great admiration, "Do you know that there aren't many people in this Great Wei who can bargain with me?"
To everyone's surprise, Jin Shu raised a finger and solemnly declared, "One tael of silver for a night shift."
Li Jin was impressed by this money-grubbing attitude, gave him a thumbs up, and admired him from the bottom of his heart: "Two taels for the whole night, no more!"
After saying that, he pulled down the curtain, crossed his arms, and looked at Jin Rong, who was sitting opposite him, seemingly unconcerned.
Li Jin complained, "Don't be like him in the future, so petty and narrow-minded."
“If my brother, Prince Jing, were to have three or four a night, I guarantee his heart would be as vast as the ocean.”
Li Jin was stunned. Looking at his serious expression, she took a deep breath.
People who aren't family don't enter the same door...
The carriage passed through the towering city gate, but instead of going directly to Chongrenfang, it traveled all the way along Zhuquemen Street without stopping. After being checked by a group of armored guards, it entered the heart of the imperial city.
This was the first time Jin Shu had been so close to the center of imperial power.
After walking a short distance along Chengtianmen Street, the carriage stopped in front of a grand gate with white walls and black tiles, exuding an exceptionally solemn air. Above, the imperial calligraphy of the words "Six Doors" in gold ink, vigorous and powerful, displayed majesty on the plaque.
“From now on, this will be a place Mr. Jin often comes to.” Li Jin jumped down lightly, turned around and picked up Jin Rong, placing him beside her.
Jin Shu looked at the three big characters "Six Doors" and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Ultimately, he couldn't escape his old profession. After going around in circles, from one world to another, he found himself shouldering the same responsibilities in his second life.
To let the dead speak and to clear the name of the innocent, Jin Shu was overwhelmed with emotion at this moment.
Zhou Zheng drove the carriage to the side, and Li Jin, holding Jin Rong's hand, glanced at Jin Shu with a smile: "What are you still standing there for? Come with me."
As expected of the core institution of the Three Judicial Offices under the Great Wei Dynasty, the entire Six Doors is filled with gray walls and black pillars, exuding majesty.
Stone lions are usually placed on either side of the main gate, but on the left and right sides of the six gates, there are two statues of Jie Zhi.
“Judicial fairness.” Li Jin smiled from inside the door. “As intelligent as you are, sir, I need not say more.”
Jie Zhi is a symbol of fairness and justice.
Perhaps it is all preordained, for although we live in different times and spaces, we share some similarities in culture.
Perhaps I will come here after I die; it is a destiny, an inevitability.
Jin Shu smiled, turned around, and stepped over the threshold of the six doors.
Halfway down a main road inside the gate, a familiar figure came towards us anxiously.
"Sect Master, it's urgent." Yun Fei cupped his hands and bowed.
Seeing his serious expression, Li Jin hesitated for a moment before handing Jin Rong's hand to Jin Shu: "Go with Lord Zhou to the coroner's office and familiarize yourself with the way."
After saying that, he walked away with his hands behind his back, disappearing into the depths of the corridor with Yunfei.
Although it's called the coroner's office, it's actually a fairly large courtyard with a main hall, side rooms, and special rooms used for examinations.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Jin Rong was attracted by the lotus pond on the side and squatted down to play by the pond.
"Young Master Jin, you can rest assured that there are people secretly protecting you while you play here. There won't be any problems," Zhou Zheng said, leading Jin Shu towards the main hall.
“The coroner’s office is usually not crowded. Even with Mr. Jin, there are at most three or five people.” Zhou Zheng explained, seeing her surprised expression. “The sect leader has very high standards. Apart from the top coroners in the capital, you are the first coroner to be able to stay at the Six Doors.”
The main hall was quite large. Stepping over the threshold, one was greeted by rows of antique display shelves, filled to the brim with scrolls. There were also some human anatomy diagrams and structural diagrams of organs hanging on the walls.
Although it is done in black and white ink, the example picture is extremely detailed.
Adding to this, with just a few strokes, the location of the fatal wound on the human body was outlined with precision and without error. Jin Shu felt a surge of admiration for this coroner she had never met.
It is truly admirable that such detailed human figures could be drawn in the feudal era without the aid of instruments.
In the corner, there was a large square table made of rosewood, on which were placed writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and a stick of sandalwood incense was lit, with blue smoke rising straight up.
Zhou Zheng said, "The chief coroner is not always around; you will have the opportunity to meet him in the future."
But no sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.
The man known as the chief coroner, with a full head of white hair and dressed in black, was thin but walked with great speed. He strode straight into the main hall and said, "Lord Zhou, what are you joking about? How could I not be here on the day the coroner's office adds staff?"
He glanced at Zhou Zheng, then his gaze fell on Jin Shu.
Yan Zhao is not a common name, but the title of "Grand Coroner" is known to almost everyone in the Great Wei Dynasty.
He had a life-or-death friendship with Emperor Li Yi of the Great Wei Dynasty, and was the only person Li Yi could trust within the entire Six Doors.
Jin Shu paused for a moment, then cupped her hands in greeting: "Jin Shu greets Lord Yan."
With a bean sprout-like physique, a feminine aura, and the characteristics of the meridians on the cheekbones, forehead, and neck, as well as the proportions of the hands and arms and the shape of the upper and lower body, Yan Zhao only needed a breath to determine that the person in front of him was a woman disguised as a man.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and let out a cold snort.
What a scoundrel Prince Jing, Li Jin! He said he would personally go to Dingzhou to bring back a successor of the Corpse-Speaking Technique, but he ended up bringing back a woman instead.
Since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty, this is the first person to have concealed their female identity and infiltrated the Six Doors.
Looking at Jin Shu's respectful demeanor, he said cryptically, "I really don't know what he's thinking. Bringing back this bean sprout, is he planning to cultivate an experimental field in my coroner's office?"
If he could tell that it was a woman, then Li Jin certainly couldn't possibly not know Mr. Jin's true gender!
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