Coroner's Diary

Qin Li's eyes reddened as he called out softly, "Grandmother—"

Yan Chi and Qin Guan exchanged a glance. Regardless of Qin Chen's past actions, this time he had truly gone in to save Jiang Shi. If the body beside Qin Chen now was Cai He, it would undoubtedly chill the hearts of the people from the Qin Mansion even more.

"Let's prepare them for burial first," Qin Guan said, then turned to Qin Li. "Second Brother, can you still hold on?"

Qin Li lowered his gaze, quickly wiping the corner of his eye before looking up and nodding. "I can hold on, I can hold on—"

Qin Guan hesitated slightly before saying, "Eldest Brother's Wife has given birth. It's a daughter."

Qin Li froze, his expression momentarily complex, though a faint light flickered in his eyes.

"That's good, that's good... At least Eldest Brother has an heir now."

Qin Li sniffled and coughed lightly. After a moment's thought, Qin Guan added, "Madam fainted earlier. If she hears this news, she'll likely be even more distressed. The Qin Manor now depends on you, Second Brother, to hold things together."

In the past, the Qin Manor had Jiang Shi at the top and Lin Shi and Qin Chen below. But now, Jiang Shi was dead, Qin Chen was dead, and Lin Shi, in her grief, might either be unable to focus on affairs or even fall seriously ill. Looking around, Qin Li was truly the only man left who could step forward and uphold the family's dignity. Once an overlooked illegitimate son by both Jiang Shi and Lin Shi, his position was now vastly different.

Qin Li coughed twice more. "Ninth Sister is right. I understand."

Qin Guan sighed and looked toward the Buddhist shrine behind the main house. The once spacious and elegant main rooms had been burned to rubble, the surrounding walls reduced to charred ruins. Through the blackened wreckage, the shrine could still be seen, still surrounded by flames. Qin Guan knew that within it lay another set of charred remains.

Her eyes darkened briefly before she steeled herself and said, "I need to check on Eldest Brother's Wife. She was in danger earlier. I'll leave this place to you, Second Brother."

Qin Li quickly nodded. "Alright... alright!"

Qin Guan turned to Yan Chi, who tilted his chin slightly. "Go ahead. I'll keep an eye on things here."

Qin Guan frowned. "But Your Highness's injuries—"

"It's nothing," Yan Chi said with a faint smile. "A minor matter."

Qin Guan disagreed. "Under normal circumstances, perhaps. But now is different—"

"How so?" Yan Chi's eyes brightened as he pressed her.

Qin Guan opened her mouth to speak but paused. "Now... now that a physician is right before Your Highness, naturally it's different—"

Qin Li, seeming to understand something, added, "Your Highness should go. I can manage here."

Yan Chi and Qin Guan locked eyes for a moment before he smiled slightly. "Very well, let's go then."

Qin Guan turned and headed straight for Orchid Isle Courtyard. Yan Chi followed behind her, and for some reason, she instinctively sensed his unusually good mood. Puzzled, she quickened her pace, and soon they arrived at the courtyard gates.

Entering, Qin Guan spotted Wan Xing standing guard at the door. Seeing her eased Qin Guan's mind slightly. Wan Xing curtsied, and Qin Guan turned to Yan Chi. "Your Highness, please come in—"

Yan Chi stepped across the threshold—his second time entering Orchid Isle Courtyard.

As Qin Guan walked toward the inner rooms, she asked, "How is Fuling?"

Wan Xing hurriedly replied, "Sister Fuling has been unconscious since she was brought back. She still hasn't woken up."Qin Guan felt a surge of urgency upon hearing these words and hurriedly stepped into the main chamber. At the doorway, she quickened her pace toward the inner room, only turning back to address Yan Chi, "Please wait a moment, Crown Prince."

With a glance at Wan Xing, she added, "Please escort His Highness to the Warm Chamber."

Yan Chi nodded, and Qin Guan proceeded into the inner room. Fuling had been placed in a side chamber adjacent to the inner room—her usual quarters. Covered with a brocade quilt, she appeared unharmed. Qin Guan swiftly approached to check her pulse and, after a moment, let out a relieved sigh. Fortunately, Qin Chen had only harbored murderous intent toward her, while Fuling had suffered lighter injuries.

After tucking Fuling in securely, Qin Guan returned to her own bedchamber. She retrieved several commonly used medicines from a tall cabinet nearby before heading to the Warm Chamber. As she reached the door, she noticed the room was silent, with Wan Xing stationed outside. Not only Wan Xing but also Wan Tao, Wan Tang, and even Wan Li had emerged today. The four of them stood outside, presenting a rather pleasing sight.

Yet, when she had entered earlier, these three had been nowhere to be seen.

Qin Guan didn’t step out but instead gave Wan Xing another glance. Seeing her dull expression, Qin Guan felt a sense of reassurance.

Turning away, Qin Guan strode directly into the Warm Chamber. As she approached, she saw Yan Chi standing before her writing desk.

This chamber was where she usually practiced calligraphy, and what Yan Chi was examining was a new piece she had copied just the night before. The sound of her footsteps alerted Yan Chi, who slowly turned and remarked, "Your handwriting is excellent."

Feeling slightly uneasy, Qin Guan smiled and moved toward the low couch by the window. "Please have a seat, Your Highness."

Adopting the demeanor of a physician, Qin Guan watched as Yan Chi complied without hesitation. Since the injury was on his shoulder, he naturally loosened his collar. Qin Guan pursed her lips, suddenly finding the scene somewhat peculiar...

Late at night, a man and a woman alone in a room, disrobing...

"What are you waiting for?"

The sudden question snapped Qin Guan out of her thoughts. Looking down, she saw Yan Chi’s shoulder now exposed. A palm-sized patch of reddened skin bore blisters, most of which had ruptured, leaving a gruesome, festering wound. Frowning, Qin Guan steadied herself. She took out the prepared ointment, cleaned the wound, and then carefully applied the powder to his shoulder. Yan Chi sat upright while Qin Guan leaned slightly forward, her hair brushing against his arm, her shallow breaths grazing his shoulder, stirring an unbearable itch within him.

"Thankfully, you’re unharmed," Yan Chi suddenly spoke, gazing at Qin Guan’s profile and her faintly pink earlobes.

Qin Guan turned to meet his eyes, where a shimmering light flickered like scattered stars, yet clearly reflected her own image. She had always thought Yan Chi inscrutable—his phoenix eyes concealing an abyss of endless darkness beneath their brilliance. But now, outside the window was the coldest, darkest hour before dawn, yet Yan Chi’s eyes were inexplicably bright and clear, as if the stars of the wintry night had been warmed by the room’s lamplight, carrying a tenderness that caught Qin Guan off guard.

Qin Guan pressed firmly onto Yan Chi’s shoulder—

"Ah—" The swift motion made Yan Chi gasp in surprise. Qin Guan averted her gaze and said, "I must also thank Your Highness for your timely rescue—"Yan Chi frowned slightly, gazing at Qin Guan's composed profile before hesitantly asking, "What exactly happened that night?"

Qin Guan's hands never paused in her work. "Your Highness means the night I fell into the lake?"

Yan Chi fixed his gaze on her. "Was what Cai He said true?"

At this, Qin Guan gave a bitter smile. "It should be true..."

Yan Chi's eyes darkened immediately. "How so?"

Only after finishing the dressing on Yan Chi's wound did Qin Guan straighten up. "When I woke up, I truly couldn't remember anything."

Yan Chi raised an eyebrow slightly, seeming skeptical. Qin Guan turned to put down the bottle of medicinal powder and continued calmly, "But Your Highness knows I can perform corpse examinations... Though my mind was unclear during those days, the marks left on my body don't lie. As soon as I woke up, I noticed strangulation marks on my neck, along with minor injuries on my legs and hands. From these wounds, I could tell my fall into the lake wasn't accidental..."

She turned back, her expression grave. "The curvature and span of the strangulation marks on my neck were extensive, clearly made by a man. Since I was pulled from Crescent Lake, I went back there. Perhaps by coincidence, I found branches from the Purple Bamboo Forest in the lake. At that point, I realized I was likely strangled in the Purple Bamboo Forest into a death-like state, but the murderer thought I was already dead and threw me into Crescent Lake..."

Qin Guan paused. "Discovering all this took several days, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't recall what exactly happened that night. So I could only search for clues in secret. After investigating many possibilities, I suspected numerous people—but never Qin Chen. Perhaps because everyone in the manor knew I couldn't remember, he didn't attempt to kill me again. However, as I kept digging and prepared to question the gatekeeper about whether he had left Qin Manor that night, he somehow found out. Thinking I'd remembered the events of that night, he decided to kill me."

Yan Chi looked at Qin Guan, momentarily stunned.

This was an experience even the most imaginative storytellers would struggle to concoct—Qin Guan was murdered yet "came back to life." Though she could have immediately identified her killer, she lost her memory. So while appearing calm on the surface, she secretly investigated who had tried to kill her.

"Knowing someone in Qin Manor wanted you dead, how could you dare stay here?"

Qin Guan lowered her eyes with a bitter smile. "First, I had nowhere else to go. Second, though I'd forgotten my past and my temperament had changed somewhat, I knew my former self wouldn't have gone to the Purple Bamboo Forest without reason. Before this, no one in the manor truly wanted me dead. The only explanation for my murder was that I'd accidentally witnessed something I shouldn't have."

She then met Yan Chi's gaze again. "The killer wanted me dead to silence me. But since I'd already forgotten everything, there was no reason for him to risk killing me again. For him, my amnesia was the best possible outcome."

Yan Chi stared at Qin Guan, the shock in his heart still unshaken.No matter how you look at it, Qin Guan's courage and insight exceeded his expectations. In both cases, she played a crucial role. Yet, in truth, these cases had nothing to do with her. Though she intervened, she remained ostensibly safe. But her own murder was different—knowing full well the danger lurking in the manor, she still managed to accomplish so much.

How could an ordinary young woman from the inner chambers achieve this?

Suddenly, Yan Chi recalled what Qin Chen had said after being caught red-handed...

Qin Chen had asked her, "Who are you?"

In an instant, a strange sense of absurdity washed over Yan Chi. He realized Qin Chen's words had affected him, even making him consider the possibility of what Qin Chen had implied.

But if the person standing before him wasn't the Ninth Miss of the Qin family, then who was she?

Her temperament had changed, her medical skills had surfaced, yet no one said her appearance had altered.

Could there possibly be two identical Qin Guans in this world? And if the current Qin Guan wasn’t the original Ninth Miss, then where was the original? Surely she couldn’t still be lying at the bottom of Crescent Lake...

"Your Highness doesn’t believe me?"

Noticing Yan Chi's silence, Qin Guan suddenly spoke up. Yan Chi shook his head. "It’s not that I don’t believe you. It’s just... incredible. At that time, you must have suspected many people. Qin Manor was fraught with danger for you, yet you remained composed here. Even after gaining the Grand Princess’s favor, you never sought her help. If at first you had nowhere to go, later you did—yet you didn’t. You wanted to find the killer on your own."

Yan Chi held back more complicated thoughts. When they first met, he had been struck by Qin Guan’s beauty. Later, her courage, wisdom, and achievements in medicine and corpse examination—he had known since her first case. But now, this revelation gave him a deeper understanding of her.

The image of Qin Guan in his mind grew even more resilient and vivid. He saw a strength and fearlessness in her that she hadn’t fully revealed before. This Qin Guan, embodying all these virtues, even evoked a sense of admiration in him.

Yan Chi knew deeply that this was unprecedented. Not just among women—no man in the world had ever moved him so profoundly. Though his expression remained neutral, inwardly, he suddenly treated the matter with gravity.

There were many forms of affection between men and women. Once, he had been arrogant and impulsive, dismissing all worldly affairs beyond court intrigues. Apart from the one on the throne, he believed he could control the fate of all under heaven. Yet today, he abruptly realized that "all under heaven" did not include Qin Guan.

Qin Guan smiled faintly. "Your Highness overestimates me. I merely chose no longer to hide what I knew and could do, then used my knowledge to gauge the level of danger. If death truly came knocking, believe me, I would have fled straight to the Marquis’s estate for protection."

She chuckled at her own words, then gestured to Yan Chi’s open collar. "Your wound is treated. I must go see Eldest Brother’s Wife now. Please take care, and avoid getting the wound wet these next few days."

Yan Chi stood, his expression inexplicably solemn.

He nodded without a word and followed Qin Guan out.He walked behind Qin Guan. From his perspective, she appeared slender and delicate—so much so that even an ordinary soldier could easily overpower her. Yet Yan Chi knew with absolute certainty that even if she were trampled into the dirt, she would still be stronger than anyone else in the world...

Yan Chi didn’t say where he was going but followed Qin Guan all the way to the gates of Windward Courtyard.

Just as Qin Guan reached the entrance, a maidservant hurried out. The moment she spotted Qin Guan, her face lit up with joy. "I was just about to look for Ninth Miss! Young mistress has woken up!"