"The deceased, Lin Daxing, is male, approximately five feet six inches in height..."
Qin Guan's gaze was solemn as her gauntlet-clad hand rested on Lin Daxing's head.
With meticulous precision, she examined every inch of Lin Daxing's face—first prying open his eyes, then inspecting behind his ears and neck before speaking calmly, "The deceased's corneas are clouded, though the pupils remain somewhat visible. Bruising is present on the forehead, nose, and right cheek—bluish-purple patches with no open wounds or facial bone fractures, likely caused by fist strikes."
Her fingers then moved to Lin Daxing's jaw. With a slight force, his cracked lips parted slightly. "A significant amount of reddish-brown blood clots are present between the lips and teeth, indicating profuse vomiting of blood at the time of death."
Continuing downward, Qin Guan's gaze sharpened as she observed, "The chest area of his clothing is heavily bloodstained, with noticeable tears at the shoulders, back, and knees—evidence of a struggle."
Without hesitation, she began removing Lin Daxing's garments.
Her movements were swift, her expression grave and reverent. Yet, outside the room, Jiang Shi and the others wore uneasy expressions.
Xu He, the only one among them with prior experience in corpse examinations, quickly explained, "Removing clothing is standard procedure to examine injuries thoroughly."
Yue Qiong patted Jiang Shi's shoulder. "Madam, perhaps you'd prefer to wait elsewhere?"
Jiang Shi pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No need. If Guan'er can personally conduct the examination, surely I can bear to watch?"
Inside, Qin Guan swiftly stripped Lin Daxing of his upper garments. Just as the onlookers thought she was done, she proceeded to undo his trousers. Even Xu He couldn't suppress a twitch of his eye—who would have imagined such a delicate, beautiful young woman could disrobe a male corpse without flinching?
The group struggled to maintain composure, their shock barely concealed. Only Yan Chi's gaze deepened, his astonishment mingled with anticipation, as if sensing this was merely the beginning.
He watched with growing fascination, convinced that Qin Guan held boundless potential.
Once Lin Daxing lay bare on the examination table, Qin Guan's expression grew even more solemn. As she turned the body, she stated, "Purple cadaveric spots are primarily distributed across the back, buttocks, and posterior thighs, fading slightly under pressure. Rigor mortis is present throughout. Based on these signs, time of death was between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning."
Yue Qiong's eyes narrowed as he turned to Huo Huaixin. "Brother Huo, your examination report states between 7:00 and 9:00, yet Wei Wu and others clearly testified Lin Daxing died around 7:45."
Xu He flushed crimson and dropped to his knees. "This humble one's skills are lacking. I beg the Marquis's forgiveness."
Yue Qiong waved a hand. "This isn't the time for that."
Xu He rose awkwardly, his disbelief growing as he stared into the room.
By now, Huo Huaixin was convinced of Qin Guan's expertise, though he wiped his brow and remained skeptical of her ability to overturn the case. "Marquis, Xu He's estimation may lack precision, but... it doesn't significantly impact the case. Unless Ninth Miss uncovers new evidence..."
Yue Qiong understood this well, his gaze fixed intently on the scene before him.On the long table, Qin Guan's gaze meticulously swept over every inch of Lin Daxing's body. She carefully examined each wound from top to bottom, even inspecting Lin Daxing's genitalia without hesitation...
Outside the room, Yue Qing and the others couldn't help but gasp in shock, while Jiang Shi silently turned her head away.
Yue Ning, who had been standing nearby recording the details, had initially maintained a solemn and upright posture, embodying an air of righteous determination. But by this point, even she couldn't suppress a slight tremor in her brow and averted her eyes, unable to bear the sight any longer.
Noticing her distraction, Qin Guan sternly commanded, "Record—"
That single word immediately made Yue Ning lift her head. In this moment, her self-proclaimed martial prowess, which she prided as rivaling any man's, was utterly overshadowed by Qin Guan's presence. She faltered, yet Qin Guan remained as composed and solemn as ever.
"The deceased has patchy bruising on the chest and left lower ribs, caused by blunt force trauma. The crescent-shaped bruises on the abdomen, thighs, and calves are primarily from kicks. Additionally, there are minor linear abrasions on the chest, thighs, knees, and ankles, likely from falling or being dragged. Furthermore, small gravel particles are embedded in the knee wounds, indicating a struggle during the incident."
As she spoke, Qin Guan's hand rested on Lin Daxing's chest and abdomen.
Lin Daxing had been dead for six hours, and rigor mortis had fully set in, with slight abdominal bloating. Yet, for Qin Guan—who was highly skilled in medicine and had inherited Shen Yi's expertise—the subtle abnormalities detected by her fingertips were unmistakable.
"The deceased has fractures in the third and fourth ribs on the right side. It is unclear whether they punctured any internal organs."
At this point, Xu He's eyes widened even further outside, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on every detail of Qin Guan's examination.
Everything she had described so far, even if his own findings had been less precise, he had still checked. But what came next was something he had never considered. He wanted to see how Qin Guan would overturn the case for the second son of Marquis Anyang Manor!
Everyone expected Qin Guan to immediately begin the autopsy. To their surprise, however, she walked over and retrieved a prepared bottle of white vinegar. Dipping a cloth into it, she carefully wiped it over Lin Daxing's entire chest and abdomen.
Huo Huaixin frowned and turned to Xu He. "Why is she doing that?"
Xu He shook his head blankly. "I don't know. I’ve only seen vinegar used in the Mortuary Temple to mask odors, never applied directly to a corpse."
Though the onlookers outside spoke in hushed tones, the open window allowed Qin Guan to hear them clearly. Her expression remained icy as she focused on the body. Just when they thought she wouldn’t respond, she spoke: "Vinegar penetrates the skin, revealing deeper bruises that are otherwise hard to detect."
Xu He's eyes lit up as if he had uncovered a secret technique, silently repeating her words three times to commit them to memory.
A few moments later, Qin Guan's gaze sharpened. Amid the abrasions and bruises on Lin Daxing's chest, a deep purple bruise suddenly became visible.
"A circular, deep purple bruise has appeared on the left side of the deceased's chest!"
Qin Guan narrowed her eyes and declared coldly, "This was caused by a heavy blow from a hammer-like blunt object!"
Huo Huaixin's eyes bulged, cold sweat pouring down his temples like rain.
Yue Qiong's voice grew grave. "Brother Huo, what is the meaning of this?"
Yue Qing, invigorated, added, "Prefect, my weapon is a longsword, which I keep in the military barracks. Today, I only fought Lin Daxing with my bare hands—I never used any blunt object against him..."Huo Huaixin wiped his sweat with trembling hands, his voice barely steady as he spoke, "It's just a wound. Lin Daxing was a laborer—bumps and bruises were nothing unusual. Today, he died from vomiting blood, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was caused by this injury. Besides, Wei Wu and the others saw it—he only started vomiting blood after fighting with the Second Young Master..."
Yue Qing frowned and was about to argue when Qin Guan inside the room straightened up.
"The Prefect is right. Finding a single wound doesn’t prove anything. Although this wound is more severe than the ones the Second Young Master left on Lin Daxing, his vomiting blood may not have been caused by it."
After saying this, Qin Guan took out Xu He’s case.
Inside Xu He’s case was a complete set of knives, hammers, forceps, and scissors. Qin Guan picked up the smallest knife, steadied herself for a moment, and then stood before the long table. Everyone knew what she was about to do.
Yue Ning, standing closest to Qin Guan, instinctively held her breath. She watched as Qin Guan bent over, pressed her fingers against Lin Daxing’s abdomen a few times, then made a decisive cut with the knife.
The sharp blade sliced open Lin Daxing’s pale, slightly swollen belly. Contrary to Yue Ning’s expectations, no gushing blood sprayed out. Instead, a sour, rotten stench filled the air. Soon after, Yue Ning saw the bloody mess of Lin Daxing’s abdomen and the cleanly severed flesh. Though Lin Daxing had been dead for some time, his exterior marred by cadaveric spots and the pallor of death, his internal organs remained vividly red and raw...
Yue Ning clenched her jaw, watching Qin Guan’s composed and steady expression as she leaned slightly forward. But as more and more blood spilled from Lin Daxing’s organs, Yue Ning could no longer bear it—she turned and bolted from the room.
She dashed out of the side chamber, and the moment she stepped outside, she doubled over and retched violently.
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