Coroner's Diary

Following Qin Guan's indication, Yan Chi looked over and indeed saw distinct bruising on both sides of Fu Desheng's jaw and around his Adam's apple.

Yan Chi pondered for a moment, "So it's possible this person was indeed someone Fu Desheng knew? If he had encountered a violent assailant, he wouldn't have casually turned his back to them."

Qin Guan hummed in agreement, "Based on what we've discovered so far, that seems likely."

Though candles illuminated the tent, the light still fell short of daylight. Qin Guan frowned slightly, feeling the visibility was insufficient. Noticing her concern, Yan Chi moved the candlestand closer. Qin Guan bent over and glanced up at Yan Chi.

As their eyes met, a spark from the candle flame flickered and vanished, leaving a starlike glimmer in their gazes. Yan Chi reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Qin Guan's ear. She curved her lips in a faint smile before lowering her head again to examine the wound on Fu Desheng's neck. Soon, her smile faded, replaced by solemn intensity.

"The wound is quite deep, and the bleeding hasn't fully stopped yet. It's not suitable for dissection now. We'll likely have to wait until tomorrow to determine the wound's trajectory," Qin Guan murmured while gently inspecting the torn edges around the injury. "The outermost part is irregular, probably abrasions from the weapon. This likely occurred when Fu Desheng used his last bit of strength to break free after being struck. With such a severe injury, removing the weapon would have been extremely dangerous. Not only did Fu Desheng struggle to escape, he also managed to walk from the pharmacy to the edge of the square. This is why he died so quickly."

After examining a few other areas, Qin Guan signaled Yan Chi to turn Fu Desheng over.

Upon turning him, they first noticed several old scarred wounds on Fu Desheng's body. This veteran general of Xiliang, over forty years old, had led troops for decades and devoted his life to military service for his country, only to meet his end in a foreign land.

Qin Guan's expression grew stern as she carefully inspected the bruising on Fu Desheng's back.

"There are bruises on the deceased's left shoulder, showing a dotted linear pattern. This was likely caused when the assailant tried to grab his shoulder before he broke free. Additionally, there's another bruise on his lower back—small in area, unlike those caused by fists or kicks..."

Qin Guan's brow furrowed deeply as she suddenly asked, "Where was the candlestick found?"

Yan Chi promptly replied, "It was discovered at the pharmacy entrance."

Qin Guan nodded, "It's highly probable the assailant struck him with the candlestick!"

Yan Chi considered this, "Fu Desheng broke free. The assailant first grabbed his shoulder with the left hand, but he broke free again. Then the assailant struck Fu Desheng with the candlestick held in the right hand. Despite the heavy blow, Fu Desheng still managed to escape. The assailant didn't dare pursue him, and Fu Desheng collapsed from blood loss upon reaching the square."

Qin Guan affirmed, "That's exactly what must have happened."

After further examination revealed no other obvious injuries, Qin Guan straightened up. "The time since death is too short—some deeper bruises may not have surfaced yet. We'll have to continue the examination tomorrow!"After pondering further, Qin Guan added, "Fu Desheng's martial arts are quite good, yet someone managed to lock his throat from behind. This suggests the person must have been someone who didn't raise his full vigilance—either a pharmacy assistant or someone whose presence in the pharmacy wouldn’t seem out of place, or perhaps an acquaintance. Moreover, this person not only fits one of these conditions but is also highly skilled in martial arts. An ordinary person, even if Fu Desheng was completely off guard, wouldn’t be able to kill him so easily, right?"

Yan Chi nodded. "Exactly. Even if Fu Desheng was caught off guard, if someone suddenly approached, he would instinctively be on alert. Yet the killer gave him no chance, which shows the killer acted extremely quickly. This person is not only highly skilled but also had a strange motive for killing Fu Desheng. The fact that Fu Desheng didn’t strike first indicates he didn’t find the person suspicious."

This question was worth delving into, and for a moment, neither Yan Chi nor Qin Guan spoke.

"Fu Desheng was killed in the pharmacy, yet he didn’t initially become suspicious…" Yan Chi murmured.

Qin Guan said, "You should know that these past few days, I’ve personally handled all the medicine. However, others believe Crown Prince Tuoba’s medicine was prepared in the pharmacy. Could it be because of this?"

Yan Chi narrowed his phoenix eyes. "The pharmacy has been ransacked, and the medicine jars were tampered with. We don’t yet know if poison was added. You’ll need to check later. If a pharmacy assistant was tampering with the medicine and Fu Desheng stumbled upon it, the assistant might have concocted an excuse to placate him. But knowing that if Fu Desheng reported it, others would grow suspicious, the killer took the opportunity to strike when Fu Desheng let his guard down."

"Very likely—" Qin Guan frowned. "But this person shouldn’t be a pharmacy assistant. Which assistant would possess such high martial arts skills? Could it be someone from Northern Wei, someone with considerable martial prowess?"

Yan Chi nodded. Qin Guan glanced again at Fu Desheng’s body. "Fu Desheng’s injury would have caused profuse bleeding. I suspect the killer must have gotten blood on themselves. It would be best if we could search for traces along the Path now!"

Yan Chi’s gaze hardened. "We must investigate the pharmacy assistants, as well as other suspects. Let’s leave for now. Tomorrow, find an opportunity to return and examine the scene."

It was late, and the camp was crowded with prying eyes. Moreover, Fu Desheng’s body had not yet cooled, so there was little benefit in Qin Guan staying longer. She covered Fu Desheng’s body with his clothes before leaving with Yan Chi.

"Return to Tuoba Hong’s tent and keep watch for now."

Qin Guan nodded and hurried toward Tuoba Hong’s tent, while Yan Chi led his men back to the banquet square.

By now, the square had mostly emptied. Those who had remained at the banquet earlier were cleared of suspicion, but the camp needed to be secured and investigated. Yan Huai and Lin Zhang had already arranged for all guests to be escorted away. Seeing Yan Chi return, Yan Huai quickly asked, "Has Ninth girl found anything?"

Yan Chi replied, "Fu Desheng was killed in the pharmacy, likely because he stumbled upon someone causing trouble there. However, because this person’s identity was such that their presence in the pharmacy wouldn’t seem unusual to Fu Desheng, he didn’t become suspicious initially. That’s why the killer was able to ambush him from behind. The killer struck with lethal precision, indicating high martial skill and familiarity with combat. For now, I plan to search for anyone who could have visited the pharmacy at that time without raising suspicion."Yan Huai raised an eyebrow, "At this time, going to the pharmacy without arousing suspicion would only be possible for the pharmacy's own apprentices or the Northern Wei attendants. Liu Yun is also ill, so it's not impossible for Western Liang attendants to go as well."

Yan Chi nodded, "That is indeed possible."

Yan Huai immediately said, "Good, then you investigate. I shall return to the main tent and await your news!"

Yan Chi acknowledged the order and led his men toward the direction of the Northern Wei tents!

Qin Guan returned to Tuoba Hong's tent, where Tuoba Wu immediately stood up, "How did it go?"

Qin Guan shook her head, "He's gone."

Tuoba Wu's eyes widened in shock, "How? How could he just die like that?"

Qin Guan sighed. She still carried a faint scent of blood—who would have thought a night banquet would lead to a murder case? "General Fu was ambushed and killed. The murderer stabbed a candlestick into his neck, causing blood to gush out. He collapsed and died just as he reached the edge of the square."

Tuoba Wu's eyes widened further, "Another life lost!"

Seeing Tuoba Wu's frightened expression, Qin Guan refrained from mentioning that this might be connected to the Northern Wei case and merely offered some comfort. Tuoba Wu glanced at the medicine pot and stove in the corner of the tent and whispered, "Why are we doing this?"

Since this morning, under the pretense of fumigating the tent, Qin Guan had been brewing medicine inside. Only Tuoba Wu knew that the delivered medicine was sprinkled in the corners for fumigation, while the medicine Qin Guan brewed was what Tuoba Hong actually drank. This deception was naturally to protect Tuoba Hong, but Tuoba Wu still had some doubts.

After a moment's thought, Qin Guan explained, "The medicine is crucial. If someone intends to harm Crown Prince Tuoba now, the only way would be through the medicine. That's why I'm using this deception. Moreover, if the culprit tries to tamper with the medicine, we can catch them in the act."

Tuoba Wu nodded but before she could speak, voices were heard outside. Exchanging a glance, she and Qin Guan stepped out. Outside, they saw Yan Chi leading his men for questioning, followed by Xu Chang and others, all with indignant and grim expressions. Tuoba Wu asked in surprise, "What happened?"

Xu Chang immediately bowed and said, "Your Highness, the heir apparent suspects that General Fu's death tonight was committed by someone from Northern Wei."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Wu became furious and glared at Yan Chi, "Your Highness, how can you say that?!"

Yan Chi looked at her, "Did the guards at the entrance leave their posts?"

Besides the guards Yan Chi had assigned, there were also Northern Wei's own guards. By asking this, Yan Chi was referring to the Northern Wei guards. Tuoba Wu immediately turned to one of them, "Did any of you leave?"

The two guards shook their heads, "No, none of us left."

Tuoba Wu lifted her chin defiantly, "What else do you have to say, Your Highness?"

Yan Chi made no comment and turned to Xu Chang, "Take me to inspect the other Northern Wei envoys' tents."

Xu Chang nodded, his face still weary. Earlier, he and his tentmates had been sleeping when Yan Chi suddenly barged in with his men, announcing Fu Desheng's death. Why should Western Liang's affairs involve Northern Wei? When Tuoba Hong had been in trouble, Liu Yun had been gleeful. Now that Western Liang was also in turmoil, Xu Chang felt a sense of vindication!Watching Yan Chi depart, Tuoba Wu snorted lightly, "Since it's been proven that Liu Yun isn't the one who harmed my elder brother, are we supposed to take revenge by killing people from Western Liang?! Why come interrogate us?"

Qin Guan sighed, "Princess, General Fu was attacked in the medicine storage."

Tuoba Wu turned around, blinking, "Medicine storage? What does the medicine storage have to do with our Northern Wei?"

Qin Guan led Tuoba Wu into the main tent before quietly explaining what hadn't been said earlier. Upon hearing this, Tuoba Wu frowned, the anger on her face finally subsiding...

Meanwhile, Yan Che and Yan Qi, having finished searching the entire camp, arrived at Yan Huai's tent.

Yan Che reported, "Your son led troops to search the eastern half of the camp. Aside from catching a squad of lazy imperial guards, nothing else was found!"

Yan Qi raised an eyebrow, "Father, your son here has actually captured two suspects."

Both Yan Che and Yan Huai turned to look at Yan Qi. Yan Che had searched for so long without finding anyone suspicious, so how had Yan Qi managed to?

With a bright, triumphant gleam in his eyes, Yan Qi stated firmly, "Father, these two suspects were found outside the horse grounds. Both reeked of alcohol. When we found them, one was grabbing the other while they were quarreling. When your son questioned them, each accused the other of behaving suspiciously."

Yan Huai quickly asked, "Are they captured?"

Yan Qi nodded, "Captured. They've been tied up and await punishment."

Yan Huai nodded, "Good. Let's wait for Yan Chi to return and report. I wonder if he has any results."

Yan Qi glanced in Yan Che's direction and said solemnly, "During tonight's grand banquet, such a bloody incident occurred in the camp. Besides blaming the murderer, the camp's defenses are clearly inadequate. Otherwise, the perpetrator couldn't have escaped so easily. After the previous incident, Father intended to impose strict curfew in the camp, but I wonder what arrangements Crown Prince has made?"

This was clearly holding Yan Che, who was in charge of the hunt, accountable.

Yan Che frowned, "Father, your son..."

Just as Yan Che was about to explain, Yan Huai raised a hand to stop him, "Now isn't the time for this. Let's see how Yan Chi is doing. When Liu Yun wakes tomorrow, he'll surely make a huge scene. We'd better have an explanation by tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yan Chi entered from outside. After bowing, Yan Huai urgently asked, "What did you find?"

Yan Chi's expression was grave, "Your Majesty, not much was gained. The attendants from Northern Wei and Western Liang showed no suspicious behavior tonight. As for the medicine boy from the pharmacy, he was sent to the medicine storage to sort herbs during dusk this afternoon."

Yan Huai raised an eyebrow, "Sort herbs?!"

Yan Chi nodded, "It was Ninth Miss's order this afternoon. Crown Prince Tuoba needs medicinal soup and injury treatment medicine. The supply in the pharmacy alone wasn't enough. However, Western Liang's Third Prince was also receiving treatment this afternoon, so the medicine boy didn't dare leave. He only left when the grand banquet began in the evening. But the guards outside the pharmacy were deliberately diverted."

The expressions of Yan Huai and the others changed slightly. Yan Chi continued, "Before the incident, the guards outside the pharmacy said they saw a shadow flash past behind the building. Finding it strange, they gave chase toward the northwest direction. They didn't find anyone, and when they returned, they learned about General Fu's incident."

Yan Huai quickly asked, "From the earlier corpse examination, were you able to deduce any other characteristics of the murderer?"Yan Chi shook his head, "Not for now. General Fu just passed away today. Without dissection, deeper injuries cannot be detected. We'll conduct another corpse examination tomorrow and will likely uncover more."

Both Yan Qi and Yan Chi frowned simultaneously. Yan Qi couldn't help but ask, "Corpse examination? Didn't the camp bring any coroner along?"

Yan Huai frowned, realizing he had slipped up. Seeing this, Yan Chi quickly explained, "It's my personal guard. While training in martial arts, he also mastered forensic techniques. He's not a coroner from any official office."

Yan Qi nodded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he recalled the scene at the mortuary temple in Lin'an City three months ago. Didn't Yan Chi have someone skilled in corpse examination by his side?

With this thought, Yan Qi's brow furrowed deeply. Had that person also come along on this hunting expedition?!