Jiang Shi and Yue Qing quickly rushed over. "Ning'er, are you alright?"
Yue Ning leaned against the railing of the corridor outside, vomiting until tears streamed down her face. Her mouth was filled with bitterness, and she felt as if all her strength had been drained. Never in her life had she been in such a wretched state.
Yue Ning was overwhelmed with shame. If the inner chamber was a battlefield, then she was nothing but a deserter!
With this thought, she turned to look back. Through a corner of the window lattice, she could still see Qin Guan's focused profile.
Yue Ning's face flushed with heat. Suddenly, she realized how disrespectful her earlier dismissiveness toward Qin Guan had been!
"Quick, Lü Yun, fetch some water!" Jiang Shi said, heartbroken. "Child, you shouldn't have pushed yourself. Even I couldn't bear watching from outside, let alone you being inside. Drink some water to wash away the taste..."
While helping Yue Ning wipe her lips, Jiang Shi instructed Lü Yun to clean up the mess on the ground. Yue Qing and Yue Jia supported Yue Ning as she sat down nearby, while Yue Qiong and Huo Huaixin stood by, their expressions grave.
It wasn’t just Yue Ning who couldn’t endure it—even the two of them felt queasy.
Killing on the battlefield was entirely different from dissection, and watching executions from the spectator stands was nothing like this. Seeing Qin Guan meticulously lay out the victim’s organs before their eyes, the prolonged and detailed spectacle sent shivers down their spines.
Only Yan Chi and Xu He remained by the window, watching Qin Guan.
Yue Ning’s distress hadn’t disturbed her. Qin Guan’s gaze remained fixed, her body bent in a steady arc. Her hands were unwavering as she made precise incisions from the abdomen upward. From Yan Chi’s angle, Lin Daxing lay eviscerated—a scene so gruesome and horrifying that even Yan Chi couldn’t bear to look for long. Yet Qin Guan remained composed and unruffled.
Was it simply because she was a physician?
She was so young. Even if she had practiced medicine, the lives she had saved likely numbered fewer than a hundred. Moreover, not every physician could deduce the cause of injury just by examining wounds—only Coroners of the highest skill and experience could do that. Otherwise, why wouldn’t the authorities just hire ordinary physicians for corpse examinations?
Time passed slowly. The stench of blood and decay seeped from the inner chamber, and Xu He’s face gradually paled. Finally, he could no longer endure it and retreated to the doorway, gulping in the fresh air outside.
Qin Guan’s movements paused briefly. Being watched by others was different from working alone. She wasn’t as detached as her father had been. The sound of Xu He’s departure allowed her to fully relax and refocus.
Instinctively, Qin Guan rolled her stiff neck—but the motion made her freeze.
She had assumed the window would be empty by now, yet Yan Chi still stood there.
And now, his usually intense gaze held no trace of pressure. Instead, it was like the ink-dark night outside, like the serene glow of moonlight, like the warm flicker of lamplight—softly resting upon her.
His silent, attentive presence, unwilling to disturb her, made Qin Guan’s heart skip a beat.
Today was only the second time Qin Guan had met this Demon King.
Whether from hearsay or her own impressions upon seeing him, she knew full well that this nobleman stood high above others, wielding immense power. Though his nature might be loyal and upright, his methods and schemes were certainly not those of a benevolent man.She respected his lofty status and revered his achievements in defending the nation, yet she harbored no further curiosity or closeness toward him. In her eyes, their encounter was merely a coincidence within the walls of Marquis Anyang Manor, and she believed there would be no further intersection between them.
Their eyes met for just a moment, yet in that brief exchange, countless thoughts surged through Qin Guan’s mind. It was as if she had glimpsed another side of the Crown Prince—one rarely seen, like a clear and tender glance piercing through the bitter cold of a winter’s night.
Qin Guan quickly averted her gaze, her lips pressed tightly together as her knife descended with swift precision.
The stench of blood and decay grew thicker, yet the corners of Yan Chi’s lips curled slightly.
This brief exchange felt different from all the other glances they had shared throughout the day.
The vast expanse of Marquis Anyang Manor and the Yue family seemed to fade away, leaving only him and her beneath the dim glow of the evening lanterns, like two ink strokes accidentally brushing against each other. Though the contact was fleeting, her ethereal essence seeped into him like ink, spreading slowly and deeply through his veins, igniting an intense desire to know her completely.
By the time Yue Ning had recovered, nearly a quarter of an hour had passed. She was listless, her earlier vigor entirely drained. Jiang Shi’s face was etched with concern as she glanced toward the window. "Even Ning'er, with her resilient nature, couldn’t bear it. I can’t imagine how Guan'er is holding up..."
Huo Huaixin had regained his composure and checked the water clock beside him. "It’s been nearly half an hour. I wonder if Ninth Miss can uncover the cause. If, after all this, it turns out Xu He was right about the ribs piercing the organs..." He glanced at Yue Qing. "I fear the second young master will be even more disheartened."
Yue Qing shook his head. "I’ve already given my testimony and signed my confession. My situation couldn’t be worse. Even if Ninth Miss’s findings don’t change anything, at least I’ll accept my fate with conviction."
Huo Huaixin’s unease returned. He had no wish to prosecute the son of Marquis Anyang Manor. Even though Yue Qiong was a man of integrity, he feared creating discord with the household. But now that things had come to this, was he to admit he had misjudged the case? If so, not only would he lose face before Marquis Anyang Manor, but in the eyes of Qin Guan—a mere sixteen-year-old girl—he would be nothing more than a bumbling official who nearly condemned an innocent man while spouting nonsense.
"Exactly. Let’s ensure today’s events aren’t spoken of carelessly," Jiang Shi instructed, casting a meaningful glance around the room. Qin Guan’s reputation already bore the weight of being called ill-fated for her parents. If word got out that she was involved in a corpse examination, even more unsavory rumors might spread.
Aside from Huo Huaixin and Xu He, only the Yue family’s immediate members were present, along with Lü Yun and Wei Yanzhi.
Wei Yanzhi quickly nodded. "This humble scholar understands. You needn’t worry, madam."
Jiang Shi then asked, "Where is Guan'er’s maid?"
Lü Yun replied, "She’s waiting outside."
Jiang Shi gave a slight nod before turning her anxious gaze back to the window. The outcome of Qin Guan’s examination would determine Yue Qing’s future, and she naturally hoped it would be in his favor.
Just then, Qin Guan straightened up inside the side chamber. "Would the Crown Prince please summon Lord Huo and the Marquis?"
The group, already nearby, immediately heard her words.
Realizing the results were in, they hurried back to the window.
The moment Huo Huaixin took his place, he fixed his gaze intently on Qin Guan. "Well?"As her words fell, Qin Guan reached into Lin Daxing's chest. When she withdrew her hand, a bloody, mangled mass of crimson lay in her palm. Huo Huaixin instinctively asked, "What is this?"
As Huo Huaixin posed the question, the others also fixed their gazes on Qin Guan's palm.
The object resembled a lump of rotting flesh. Yue Ning felt her stomach churn once more at the sight.
"This is the victim's heart. As the prefect can see, it has been shattered beyond recognition..."
Ignoring Huo Huaixin and the others whose faces had instantly drained of color, Qin Guan stated gravely, "Among the victim's internal organs, only the heart is ruptured. The cause of death was this single blunt force trauma to the chest. The murderer... is not the second young master."
OpenNovel