"What?"
Nan Yujin shot to his feet, his face etched with anxiety.
It wouldn't be long before Feng Luan performed the second needle treatment for his mother. Now that Feng Luan was in prison, what would happen to his mother's illness?
The servant said, "Young Master, why don't you ask the Master?"
He was insignificant, and after lurking outside the Ministry of Justice for a long time, he hadn't learned anything. He only heard that not only Feng Luan, but also several officials from the Ministry of Justice had been arrested and imprisoned. He heard that blood had even been shed on the spot.
However, what exactly happened, whether Feng Luan was truly the killer, and what kind of punishment he would receive, the people at the Ministry of Justice remained tight-lipped, claiming to know nothing. If he asked too much, they almost got angry.
Now, the only person the young master could turn to was his father.
For his mother, Nan Yujin went to find Nan Zhaoyin.
"Who? Feng Luan?"
Nan Zhaoyin's brows furrowed. He had indeed heard about the case involving Liu Yujing's legitimate son. Two days ago, the Minister of Justice, Zou Chengyi, had even been reprimanded for it. However, he generally paid no attention to such cases from the Ministry of Justice, and it was only now that he heard that Feng Luan from Yaowang Valley was involved in this case.
"You think he's not the killer?" Nan Zhaoyin asked.
Nan Yujin could not answer with certainty. He was not familiar with Feng Luan, so how could he know his disposition? He could only say, "I hope he isn't!"
Nan Zhaoyin put down the book in his hand and stared intently at Nan Yujin. The scrutiny and pressure in his gaze made Nan Yujin almost unable to breathe. Cold sweat broke out on his back, and his hands, hanging naturally within his wide sleeves, clenched into fists.
The veins on the back of his hands bulged.
"So, what do you want me to do?" Nan Zhaoyin said, word by word.
Nan Yujin felt his throat dry and unbearable. He swallowed a few times, trying to moisten his throat, but the voice that came out was still hoarse: "Father, Mother she..."
"I'm asking you, what do you want me to do?" Nan Zhaoyin didn't want to listen to his roundabout nonsense.
"I want to know the details of this case and Feng Luan's current situation."
"Good!"
"Wait and see!"
Nan Zhaoyin withdrew his gaze from Nan Yujin, his eyes lowered as he picked up the book again.
"Thank you, Father!"
After Nan Yujin took his leave, a figure appeared in the study.
"Master, someone from the Ministry of Justice came earlier and took the prescription that Feng Luan left with Nan Yujin."
"Prescription?"
"Yes, the prescription!"
"Did they say why?"
"The people from the Ministry of Justice didn't say much. This subordinate guesses it might be related to the handwriting. Master, that..."
"That's enough, no need to say more."
"You may go!"
"Yes!"
Nan Zhaoyin turned a page of the book.
...
At night, Qin Xiaorong drew the bed curtains and fell into a deep sleep.
Zou Chengyi stood in the adjacent prison cell, looking at the four-foot-wide canopy bed, the gilded embroidered cotton bolster on the soft couch, then down at the table laden with seasonal fruits, and finally his gaze fell upon the maid who was serving Feng Luan tea and shelling nuts.
The scent of powder wafted from the hole by the head of the bed, drifting from the next room. Zou Chengyi felt a moment of disorientation, as if he were standing in a room in a brothel, not in the Ministry of Justice prison.
His eye twitched, and he wished he could bore a hole into Feng Luan with his gaze.
"Sir, why are you standing? Please, sit down!"
Nan Shiying, however, looked hospitable, as if saying, 'Don't be polite, make yourself at home.' Zou Chengyi took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and reminded her in a low voice, "It's getting late."
"Oh, oh, that's right!"
Nan Shiying stood up and turned to Lu Wan, saying, "I'll be back soon."
"Young Master, I..."
"Wait here!"
Nan Shiying glanced at Lu Wan, who, understanding, lowered her head: "Yes, this servant will wait for Young Master to return."
...
Under the cover of night, Zou Chengyi took Nan Shiying to the morgue. Previously, only Liu Ling's body was stored in the Ministry of Justice morgue. Now, there were five more.
They were Yuan Yi, the coroner from the Jingzhao Prefecture; Wang Er from Sishui Street; Zhao Jun, the Ministry of Justice coroner; and the couple Sun Bing.
The candlelight in the morgue flickered, the shadows dimming and brightening. Accompanied by the cold wind, Zou Chengyi couldn't help but tighten his collar, feeling that the weather tonight was exceptionally cold.
Nan Shiying had initially only wanted to test whether the poison taken by Wang Er was the same as the poison found in the mouths of Zhao Jun and the Sun Bing couple. Now, she thought, since she was here, she might as well examine them all. m..oΓg
She lifted the white cloth from the bodies and found Liu Ling.
"What are you doing?" Zou Chengyi asked when he saw Nan Shiying's actions.
Nan Shiying raised her eyebrows, turned to look at him, and said, "It's obvious!"
"You..."
Zou Chengyi wanted to say something else, but his words were cut short when Nan Shiying picked up a knife and reopened the wound on Liu Ling's chest that Zhao Jun had sewn up.
Her hand had already entered Liu Ling's chest cavity.
If he wasn't mistaken, she had entered it with her bare hands!
She hadn't even brought gloves!
The smell in the morgue was a foul odor produced by the fermentation of blood mixed with decaying flesh over time, so strong that it made one feel as if they were smelling rotten meat that had expired, been thrown into a cesspool, then fished out and placed in swill. Zou Chengyi's face turned pale with nausea, and seeing Nan Shiying's actions now, his stomach churned.
The candlelight fell on her face, stretching a smile that radiated from her. In the quiet of the night, it was far more terrifying than the gruesome corpses lying on the wooden boards.
Zou Chengyi was reminded once again of the descriptions of her by the people of Yuzhou.
She truly was a living bodhisattva!
Liu Ling had indeed died from 'Floating Sun Half-Day Scattered,' but what was interesting was that he had more than just 'Floating Sun Half-Day Scattered' in his body.
His spleen was as hard as stone, and his heart, while its color and hardness were normal, was slightly swollen. It was not obvious and easily overlooked.
"This is interesting!"
Nan Shiying's face was almost pressed against Liu Ling's chest. She forcefully pried open the incision on his chest with her hand, her nose tip almost touching the internal organs, about to be stained with dirty blood.
Zou Chengyi was silent for two seconds, then walked to the window and opened it a crack.
"Lord Zou, Liu Ling not only had 'Floating Sun Half-Day Scattered' in his body, but also a paralytic drug. It's likely a medicine called 'Stone Blood Orchid.' This poison is not fatal, but it renders the entire body immobile. And... after the effect wears off, it causes the blood to boil."
"In other words, this drug would keep Liu Ling's blood warm for a period after his death. One benefit of this state is that it could obscure the time of Liu Ling's death and delay the appearance of rigor mortis. That means he, Yuan Yi, the coroner of the Jingzhao Prefecture, might not have actually seen the rigor mortis." Nan Shiying pointed at Yuan Yi's corpse and said!