Coroner's Diary

Qin Guan's heart skipped a beat as she looked out the window. The night outside was as dark as ink—it was already past midnight!

She glanced at the people in the room. Ning Buyi was explaining painting techniques to Yue Ning, while the others stood by respectfully, waiting for Yue Ning to select a painting. No one had left. Could it be that the case had nothing to do with the people at the painting gallery?

Qin Guan pressed her lips together and stepped forward. "It's getting late. You should decide quickly who to hire."

Yue Ning had already made up her mind but had been stalling to see how long she could wait. At Qin Guan's urging, she immediately picked two people, arranged for them to come to the manor the next day to paint, and then left with Qin Guan.

As soon as they stepped out of the gallery, Qin Guan spotted a plainclothes constable waiting outside. He hurried over upon seeing her. "My Lady, there's been a death at the mill. The boss sent me to report to the Marquis Manor, but when I arrived, I learned you hadn't returned from Marquis Anyang Manor. I went there next and only then found out you were here—"

The back-and-forth had wasted considerable time. Qin Guan glanced at the sky. "When was the incident discovered?"

"Just before midnight. This time, we had people stationed at all three locations. Our men were guarding the mill, and everything was quiet until about two incense sticks' time before midnight, when a loud noise suddenly came from inside. The boss led us in and found someone crushed to death under the stone mill in a back room."

Qin Guan frowned. "Did the killer break in from the back?"

The constable shook his head. "We had people posted all around the mill. It should have been impossible for anyone to enter without alerting us. Moreover, as soon as the noise happened, our men rushed in from all directions. We have no idea how the killer escaped."

The constable looked troubled. After hearing this, Qin Guan said, "Where is Zhan Butou now? I'll go there immediately—"

The constable quickly replied, "Please stay calm, My Lady. The boss only sent me to inform you, not to ask you to perform a Corpse Examination. The victim... was crushed beyond recognition. There's no need for an examination anyway. Besides, it's so late, and I'm not even sure if the boss is still in the southern district. You should return to the manor early."

Understanding Zhan Yang's intention, Qin Guan sighed. "Very well. I'll go to the magistrate's office first thing tomorrow morning."

The constable acknowledged repeatedly before taking his leave. Yue Ning, noticing Qin Guan's grave expression, asked, "Well? Are you still going to the southern district?"

Qin Guan shook her head. "No, I'll see you home first."

Yue Ning smiled and declined, getting into the carriage but instructing the coachman to head to Loyal Marquis Manor. Skilled in martial arts, she feared nothing no matter how dark the night. "We've been keeping watch here, yet the crime still happened. It's clear this case has nothing to do with the painting gallery."

Qin Guan sighed. "Then I overthought it. With no special clues to go on, I pinned too much hope on the one possibility we found. Our visit today at least puts that doubt to rest."

As she spoke, Qin Guan sighed again. "Five people are dead. With two more, the killer's altar will be complete."

She lifted the curtain and gazed out at the starless, moonless night sky. "What is the killer's true purpose..."A soft murmur dissipated in the cool breeze of early summer's long night, yet Qin Guan could not unravel the answer to this question.

……

……

Early the next morning, Qin Guan headed to the prefectural magistrate's office. Upon arrival, Zheng Baishi was not there—only Zhan Yang was waiting inside. Seeing Qin Guan, Zhan Yang sighed and said, "His Lordship had to enter the palace today. At this hour, he still hasn't emerged, I fear he may face reprimand."

This case had already claimed five lives, far more depraved than last year's lustful demon case. As the chief official of the capital's prefectural office, Zheng Baishi was bound to be censured, and the matter might even become entangled in factional struggles.

In any other place, no homicide would carry such weight, but here in the capital, the slightest stir in official circles could unleash a storm of monumental proportions...

Qin Guan replied, "The Emperor is wise. Lord Zheng likely won't be treated too harshly. Zhan Butou, where is the body?"

Hearing Qin Guan's question, Zhan Yang hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, perhaps you shouldn't examine this corpse."

Qhan Guan was slightly surprised, "Why is that?"

"This body has been smashed beyond recognition. The victim was undoubtedly crushed to death, and little else can likely be determined from examination. There's no need for you to see it..."

Qin Guan sighed helplessly, "Don't worry about me. Has the body been brought back? Unlike death by burning, blunt force trauma often leaves significant clues. Even if conventional examination proves difficult, let me take a look. Otherwise, I can't contribute much."

Hearing this, Zhan Yang felt somewhat ashamed and quickly said, "The body has been retrieved. In that case, please accompany me to the Mortuary Temple—"

Zhan Yang and Qin Guan set out together, heading straight for the southern city's Mortuary Temple. Upon arrival, they saw a corpse on the corpse table that was no longer recognizable as human. A stone mill had crushed the victim's chest, smashing half the face and reducing the entire chest and shoulders to pulp, with only the area below the abdomen remaining intact.

Though it was already early summer, ice basins were placed around the room containing the body, and incense burned. Yet even so, such a mangled corpse would soon decompose—after just one night, the stench of death was already considerable.

Though Qin Guan was accustomed to autopsies, this manner of death was particularly gruesome. She felt a slight discomfort in her stomach.

Despite her unease, Qin Guan showed no outward sign. Though the face was destroyed, they could discern a man in his forties with graying temples. The victim's skin was sallow, dark, and rough, with grime packed under the fingernails of his intact hands. His hands were veiny and crisscrossed with cracks, revealing numerous old scars upon closer inspection—clearly someone who had performed heavy manual labor for years.

"Has the victim's identity been determined?"

Zhan Yang shook his head, "Not yet. We're still conducting investigations."Qin Guan nodded and began circling the deceased to examine their clothing. The clothes were very ordinary, but since the person had been beaten to death, there was a lot of blood, and now the garments were completely stained with dried blood. Frowning, Qin Guan suddenly noticed the deceased's shoes. The shoes were severely worn, with the fabric at the toes so thin it was almost torn through. On the front sole of the shoe, there was a thin layer of grime. Qin Guan leaned down, scraped off the thin residue, and examined it closely. "It seems like... wood shavings..."

Zhan Yang also stepped closer to look. "Wood shavings?"

Qin Guan nodded and then carefully inspected the deceased's hands. The fingertips and palms were covered in thick calluses, with the left index finger bearing particularly many scars. "This person might have been a carpenter, or someone who frequently used knives and was prone to injuries—like artisans who weave bamboo baskets or perhaps blacksmiths who work with iron."

After Qin Guan finished speaking, Zhan Yang had a clear idea. "Alright, we'll investigate in that direction later."

Once that was settled, Qin Guan added, "Last night, I heard from the yamen that guards were posted on all sides, yet the murderer still managed to escape. Is that true?"

Zhan Yang nodded. "Yes, I was also guarding the mill last night, but I have no idea how the murderer got away."

Qin Guan recalled the layout of the mill. Although the outer walls were dilapidated, they still posed an obstacle for anyone coming and going. Moreover, Zhan Yang was highly skilled in martial arts, making it very difficult for someone to slip away right under his nose.

"Tell me about the scene where the victim died."

Upon hearing this, Zhan Yang replied, "When we went to the mill earlier, we found a stone mill hoisted up in the main hall. But this time, the victim died in a row of low, small rooms behind the main building. Those rooms had damaged doors and windows, with collapsed walls. To us, they were hazardous structures—anyone entering could have been crushed by a collapse. Yet, the murderer killed the victim inside one of them. The stone mill was dropped from the roof beam, and the victim was squarely crushed to death. Last night was starless and moonless, and even though we were stationed outside, we didn't see any light inside the room..."

"Did any of you go to the mill yesterday?"

At this question, Zhan Yang quickly responded, "We went once in the morning, but to avoid alerting anyone, our people didn't linger there. It wasn't until evening that we set up the ambush."

The murderer had planned to strike at midnight, so arriving early would have been pointless. But how did they escape?

"What did the break in the rope look like?"

Zhan Yang walked over to a long table and picked up the rope. "There's no cut on the rope—it wasn't severed. The murderer must have looped the rope over the roof beam, tied it to the stone mill to hoist it up, and then released it, letting the stone mill fall and crush the victim. So, the murderer must have been there at the time."

Qin Guan frowned deeply as he looked at the rope Zhan Yang held. The entire rope was long and as thick as a fist, with no signs of being cut—only some wear and tear. But if the murderer had been at the crime scene, how did they escape?

"Did you carry torches when you entered the scene?"Zhan Yang nodded quickly. "That's right. There were more than ten of us with torches, making the mill almost as bright as daylight. Yet even so, we didn't find a single ghostly shadow."

Hearing this, Qin Guan grew even more puzzled. She bent down and went to examine the intact parts of the deceased. After a thorough inspection, she found some black powder beneath the victim's broken nasal bone.

"Is this datura leaf powder again?!"

Zhan Yang remembered that Hu Dequan had such powder in his body when he died!

Qin Guan nodded. "Indeed it is. The victim was likely drugged unconscious before being brought to the scene."

Logically, that made sense. But if so, wouldn't the killer carrying a person into the mill be more easily detected? Why hadn't Zhan Yang and his men noticed anything?

"Could it be... the victim was already there, and the killer came later?"

Qin Guan suddenly thought of this possibility. Zhan Yang's eyes lit up slightly. "That's certainly possible. How long can this leaf powder keep someone unconscious?"

Qin Guan pondered briefly. "At least one or two hours, up to one or two days. There's quite a bit of powder in his nasal cavity - with this dosage, he would have been unconscious for at least a day."

Zhan Yang's eyes brightened. "That must be it! The killer drugged the victim early, then waited until reaching the mill. He knew we only guard the outside at night, and since he's quite skilled in martial arts, he could come and go silently. The killer had previously hoisted the millstone in the main hall - he must have visited the mill more than once. Perhaps there's some secret passage in the mill we haven't discovered—"

Qin Guan sighed. "It's a pity we can't find any other clues for now. The killer has left very few traces on both victims. He knows the authorities are investigating this case thoroughly and must be taking extra precautions."

Zhan Yang looked grave. Once the killer became cautious, it would be even harder to find crucial evidence. With five people already dead, if seven were killed and the killer completed his altar, he would likely disappear without a trace, making the case even more difficult to solve.

"Shall we go to the mill?"

Qin Guan wanted to visit the mill again. Seeing her dedication, Zhan Yang quickly agreed. But before they could leave, Tong Yu entered from outside. "Zhan Butou, the third son of Marquis Weiyuan is here."

Zhan Yang and Qin Guan exchanged glances. "Please show the third young master in—" Zhan Yang said.

As Qin Guan and Zhan Yang stepped out of the front hall, they saw Wu Yu approaching hurriedly. Wu Yu first bowed before saying, "Zhan Butou, I went to the magistrate's office earlier, but neither Lord Zheng nor you were there, so I came to the Mortuary Temple. Zhan Butou, is there any news about my elder brother?"

Zhan Yang smiled wryly. "Not so quickly. The office is currently reviewing unidentified deaths from recent years to see if any cases resemble your brother's situation. After four years, if we were to investigate immediately, we wouldn't know where to start." Besides, everyone at the magistrate's office was busy with this serial murder case.

Wu Yu nodded understandingly. "That's why I'm here. After reporting to the authorities, I went back and questioned my brother's former servants again. From what they said, I learned my brother had enemies outside. I'm wondering if he might have been targeted for revenge..."Wu Yu took out a piece of paper. "I've written the identities and names of these people here. I hope it will be helpful to Zhan Butou."

Zhan Yang took it and gave it a quick glance. Wu Yu continued, "Both Fourth Brother and Eldest Brother have met with misfortune. Fourth Brother is Mother's treasured darling, and Father carries deep guilt toward Eldest Brother. Now I'm being pressured by both Father and Mother, leaving me with no choice. I hope I haven't caused Zhan Butou any trouble. I entrust Eldest Brother's matter to you."

Zhan Yang waved his hand dismissively. "This is all part of my duty. You can rest assured."

As he spoke, Zhan Yang glanced at the paper again. "But Third Young Master only listed Eldest Young Master's enemies here without mentioning the reasons for their conflicts. It would be best if Third Young Master could explain everything. This will help our investigation. Otherwise, if we go questioning people without evidence and they deny it, we can't reasonably suspect them without grounds—"

Hearing this, Wu Yu gave a bitter smile. "Well..."

Zhan Yang raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter? Is there something inconvenient for Third Young Master to mention?"

Wu Yu sighed helplessly. "My Eldest Brother... doesn't have many faults except for one—his weakness for women. Back when he wanted to bring that courtesan into our residence, it was purely because of her beauty... Most of these enemies were made through competing for beauties and jealousy over romantic entanglements..."