Jing Yi let out a long sigh of relief. "No problem with that, Wang Ye, Imperial Concubine. You two carry on with your work, carry on..."
"..."
Even after Chu Chu helped him to the bed, removed the towel, and wrapped him in the quilt, Xiao Jin Yu's face remained flushed and steaming.
He could already imagine how Jing Yi must be slapping the table in uproarious laughter while describing his earlier state to the people outside...
The culprit herself was still grinning as she kissed his bright red cheek and placed the child in his bare arms. "Wang Ye, let Ping'er see how you investigate cases too!"
Just as Xiao Jin Yu felt a headache coming on, he heard the little one in his arms chirp clearly, "Daddy, investigate case!"
Xiao Jin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he patted Qing Ping's soft little body. "What case to investigate... Be good, it's dark now, time to sleep."
Qing Ping pouted unhappily, his two soft little hands exploring Xiao Jin Yu's chest. "Investigate Daddy!"
Xiao Jin Yu was momentarily stunned by the serious expression on the little one's face, but Chu Chu's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wang Ye, he wants to learn corpse examination!"
"...Do I really look that much like a corpse?"
"Look how carefully he's examining you!"
Xiao Jin Yu initially didn't take Chu Chu's words seriously, but the more he watched, the more peculiar it seemed. This one-year-old child was actually accurately touching the positions of his various internal organs, even pressing clearly on those spots several times. The focused expression was exactly like when Chu Chu conducted corpse examinations, sending chills down Xiao Jin Yu's spine. He feared the next words from the boy would be asking Chu Chu for a knife, wanting to cut him open for a look... Heaven knew if he could bring himself to refuse his son.
After thoroughly examining Xiao Jin Yu's increasingly stiff body, Qing Ping even pressed his little ear against Xiao Jin Yu's chest to listen for a while before lifting his head and saying with utmost seriousness, "Daddy, acupuncture, medicine!"
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback.
Acupuncture... medicine?
Xiao Jin Yu suddenly remembered—after returning to the capital, Ye Qian Qiu had been continuously treating his injured organs. Every ten days or half month, he would routinely check on him. Besides checking his pulse, he would unfasten his clothes and press along his body in sequence, asking about Xiao Jin Yu's sensations. Each examination would be followed by either acupuncture or medication, a practice that continued to this year.
During Ye Qian Qiu's examinations, Qing Ping would always lie in the nearby cradle, straining to turn his head and watch with wide eyes. Xiao Jin Yu had thought the little one was merely curious, never imagining he was secretly learning...
An indescribable warmth rose in Xiao Jin Yu's heart. Unconsciously, a smile touched his lips as he bent down to kiss his son's little head. "Good boy..."
Chu Chu pouted slightly in disappointment. "He wants to be a doctor..." Then after a moment's thought, she brightened up again. "Being a doctor is even better! This way both the living and dead in our family will have someone to take care of!"
"...!"
After lulling Qing Ping to sleep, Xiao Jin Yu wanted to get up and review case files, but his entire frame felt as if it had been taken apart. Every movement brought intense soreness, forcing him to work half-reclined against the headboard.
Not wanting to disturb him, Chu Chu curled up beside him quietly waiting for him to ask for her help. However, after a long while with no word from Xiao Jin Yu, she drifted into a hazy sleep. She only woke when startled by Xiao Jin Yu's coughing—dawn was nearly breaking.Xiao Jin Yu was still leaning against the headboard, with only two boxes left from the pile of case files on the bedside table. Yet his eyes were already bloodshot from exhaustion, his face deathly pale. He tightly covered his mouth to suppress his coughs, afraid of disturbing Qing Ping, who slept as lightly as he did.
Chu Chu hurriedly sat up and gently patted his back. When his coughing subsided slightly, she got out of bed to fetch him a cup of water. After watching him take a few slow sips, she tried to help him lie down to rest, but Xiao Jin Yu waved his hand dismissively. Leaning against Chu Chu for a moment, he finally spoke softly, "It's nothing... it will pass after this hour..."
During the Yin hour, the lung meridian opens and circulates. Ever since his internal organs were damaged, Xiao Jin Yu would always cough uncontrollably at this time. However, with careful recuperation, the symptoms hadn't recurred since the beginning of spring this year. Unexpectedly, with the weather just turning cooler and a single night of staying up late, he was back to this state...
"Wang Ye," Chu Chu couldn't help worrying upon seeing him like this after not witnessing his illness for some time, "you should rest. Didn't you say guests are coming tomorrow..."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly, glancing at the three boxes by the bedside. "I'll sleep after finishing these..."
Chu Chu snatched the pages still loosely held in his hand. "By the time you finish, it'll be dawn!"
Her eyes inadvertently swept over the papers, immediately recognizing the top page as a Corpse Manifest. Flipping through, she realized the entire stack in her hands consisted of autopsy reports.
"Wang Ye..." Chu Chu stared at Xiao Jin Yu in astonishment, her last traces of sleepiness vanishing completely. "What kind of case is this? How could so many people have died?"
Xiao Jin Yu offered a faint, bitter smile, pointing to the large pile of case file boxes he had finished reading and placed on the floor. "Only two boxes here aren't autopsy reports... There are over thirty thousand deceased."
Chu Chu's eyes widened in shock. "Thirty thousand! Then... how many years would the killer need to kill that many people!"
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head gently. "It only took one night... They were all buried alive."
Chu Chu quickly scanned several Corpse Manifests, confirming that the cause of death column indeed stated "buried alive."
"These... who were these people?"
"During Daozong Emperor's reign... that's the emperor before last that you mentioned, my imperial father... these were the officers and soldiers stationed at Liangzhou military camp during his rule..."
Chu Chu's eyes widened further. "Was it done by the Turkic people?"
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head slightly. "Our own people... The great general of Liangzhou military camp at that time, Ning Jun Wang Xiao Heng... who happens to be my cousin."
"Then... why would he kill his own soldiers?"
"According to the trial results from that year, he colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country... The morning after thirty thousand officers and soldiers were buried alive, before the capital had even received the news, Turkic troops stormed into Liangzhou City... If General Leng, who was stationed nearby at the time, hadn't made a decisive move and led his troops to fight without awaiting imperial orders, Liangzhou would have become Turkic territory..."
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