Bone Painting Coroner

Chapter 214: The Headless Case (Begin)

Someone had died at the relay station, and the deceased was not a random person. Unexpectedly, it was Yuchi Lin. Apparently, he died in his room. There was blood everywhere, and his head laid on the floor.

When Ji Yunshu heard that, her heart tightened. After much deliberating, she went to find Jing Rong. Upon arriving, the minor official who had come to report the news had just left.

Jing Rong stood outside of the anteroom with his hands clasped behind his back, and a frown locked between his brows.

Yuchi Lin was considered a great general in Qujiang. For such a character to be beheaded in Great Lin, this matter was extremely grave. Qi Zhen had probably flung his cup in anger over this mess.

Ji Yunshu walked in and was greeted with Jing Rong’s baffled expression. He looked at her unreadable expression.

“Did General Yuchi die?” She inquired.

“Hm. Someone chopped off his head and he died in the relay station.” Jing Rong answered.

“How did he die?”

Jing Rong didn’t respond. He looked at her with the same expression. His lips moved, wanting to say something, but he hesitated. “The murderer used a sword to behead him. The whole room smelled of wine, so he might have killed under the influence of alcohol.”

“Who is the murderer?”

Jing Rong’s expression darkened as he spat out a name. “Ji Li!”

‘Ji Li?’ Ji Yunshu thought she misheard, but it was Ji Li, her crafty eldest brother.

“How can it be? How can he kill General Yuchi?” She asked in disbelief.

“After the banquet concluded yesterday, General Yuchi had invited Ji Li to the relay station to continue drinking wine. Early this morning, someone came into the room to check on them and saw Ji Li standing next to the deceased Yuchi Lin with a sword in his hand.”

“He can’t be labeled as the murderer based on that alone.”

“There were only Qujiang people in the relay station and our imperial guards were standing guard outside, so it’s impossible for anyone else to enter. Other than Ji Li, no one else came in.” Jing Rong stated the facts.

However, with her occupational disease, Ji Yunshu was deep in her contemplation. Before they find factual evidence of murder, they couldn’t charge him with that crime.

“Your Highness is thinking that Ji Li might have impulsively killed General Yuchi under the influence of alcohol. However, this is only your conjecture. Regardless if they are Qujiang people or not, as long as they are human, they are all suspects.”

“Then, how do you explain the sword in Ji Li’s hand?”

“Let’s suppose that he was drunk and asleep. Then when he woke up, the sword was in his hand.”

“You mean that someone might have deliberately placed the sword in his hand?”

“I do not mean that it is the absolute truth. This is merely a possibility. As long as we don’t have solid evidence, we can’t jump to conclusions. Otherwise, an innocent will die.”

They both conversed in succinct speech but were unable to agree with each other, sticking to their own opinions.

Ji Yunshu was too lazy to argue with him. She hoped he could understand her meaning later since miscarriage of justice in this world was far too common. Even in the modern day where they had all the advanced technology, there were still many cases where justice was improperly meted out. It often occurred because people often mixed up their subjective conjectures with incomplete facts and evidences.

Jing Rong was a good “child” who was “well-educated” by Ji Yunshu pertaining those matters. So, he dispelled the complacent thoughts he had. He squinted at Ji Yunshu and asked, “Your eldest brother and second brother wanted you dead. So, why are you protecting them even now?”

She knew he would ask that question. She leaned forward. “I am not protecting them. A human life is priceless, so we must rigorously seek for the undeniable proofs.”

“Then, pack up.”

“Huh?” She exclaimed in incomprehension.

“The official, who just came, notified me to bring you out.”

“Isn’t it just the governor finding people to do things for him?”

What do they want from her?

Jing Rong didn’t wish for her to get involved in this case. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do anything about it. “Since you solved the missing girls case, which had no progress for several months, your name had spread throughout the capital. Because of your high fame, you are loaded with corresponding responsibility. You can’t blame the capital governor, since this is an order from my imperial father.”

They are just forcing her into a corner! Ji Yunshu was mad which shown on her face. “I am not the government coroner nor someone in the imperial court. I am penniless, and I refuse to be their cheap labor!” She exclaimed in displeasure.

Her thought right now was completely focused on her remuneration. The dignified atmosphere was shattered by her demands.

Jing Rong wiped his sweat. “Don’t worry. The rewards will be abundant. Even if the government doesn’t give you any, this Prince will pay you handsomely. I give you my word.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I am serious.”

‘If you become this Prince’s consort, will there be a need for you to worry about money? I can guarantee that you will be covered in silver and gold from head to toes, and eat delicacies and exotic foods without being worry about anything!’ Unbeknown to her, he was inwardly scheming of ways to tempt her. However, his earlier words had made her excited, so she quickly fetched the sandalwood box which contained her knives. Then, she left for the relay station with him.

When they arrived, they saw the capital governor and his men encircling the relay station. They went in and saw those Qujiang officers and soldiers assuming a battle stance; their hands gripped their swords, ready to unsheath them at anytime. Their commanding general was dead, so how can they sit still and do nothing?

The governor approached Ji Yunshu and nodded at her. “Teacher Ji, you have come. I’ll have to really trouble you for this matter.”

“It’s no trouble at all!” She faintly replied.

The governor pointed upstairs. “The corpse is upstairs.”

“Ah!”

The governor leaned near Jing Rong’s ear and whispered, “General Ji is already detained in the Ministry of Justice’s prison.”

Jing Rong hummed in acquiescence. Meanwhile, Ji Yunshu went upstairs, but even before she could enter the crime scene, many swords had blocked her way. The Qujiang soldiers were robust men, and each of them was similar to a fiendish monster.

“Everyone, please let me pass.” Ji Yunshu spoke calmly.

“Your people killed our general, and you still have the gall to send that kind of person to desecrate our general’s corpse. Don’t even think about it!” A soldier viciously said.

‘That kind of person?’ Was he talking about her? Ji Yunshu wasn’t angry at his words. She shook his head and spoke with much patience. “If you want to know who killed your general, let me go examine his body. If there is no need to cut him, I will not unnecessarily stain my hands with blood.”

“The murderer is your army’s secretary! What’s the point of investigating? We will never let you enter.”

“How can you say so when not everything is clear?”

This was giving her a major headache!

The soldiers didn’t listen to a word she said. He gritted his teeth and shouted, “Go away!” Following his words, he wanted to push her, but a voice coming from the second floor stopped him.

“Stop!” They turned to the source of the voice and saw Su Ziluo had arrived.

“Teacher Su!” The soldiers were extremely respectful to him.

Su Ziluo’s expression was cold. He raised his eyes and looked at Ji Yunshu. “The corpse is inside, please go in, Teacher Ji.”

When the Qujiang soldiers heard his words, they couldn’t ignore it. “Teacher Su, you…”

“Everyone, get out. This matter will be handled by Teacher Ji. I believe he will certainly be able to find the culprit.”

The soldiers didn’t dare to argue with him. They hesitated for a moment before they obediently retreated to the sides to make way.

Ji Yunshu’s gaze swept Su Ziluo. From this distance, she could clearly observe with more scrutiny his features: his eyebrows, his eyes, his nose and his thin lips. Everything was so similar to Ji Pei.

“Teacher Ji?” Su Ziluo called her, which snapped her back to reality.