Chu Chu was still completely absorbed in pondering the issue of Xiao Jin Yu's legs when she suddenly heard these words. Meeting his clear, cold gaze, her heart panicked and she "swish"-ed her head behind Wu Jiang's back as well.
"Wang Ye, she's still just a young girl. Sending her there might be... inappropriate."
Heaven and conscience be my witness, Wu Jiang's so-called "inappropriate" had no other meaning - it was purely because that corpse was truly...
But Chu Chu didn't hear it that way at all. This was clearly looking down on her abilities!
How could Big Brother be like this!
Angry as she was, Chu Chu hadn't forgotten about the spanking matter. So from behind Wu Jiang's tall and sturdy frame, she bargained with Xiao Jin Yu, "Corpse examination is no problem, but if I go, you have to promise not to spank me."
"As long as you examine it correctly."
"You'll keep your word?"
"Wu Jiang can bear witness."
"Any method of examination is allowed?"
"As long as you examine it correctly."
"Then... I need to go back and get some tools for corpse examination."
"Agreed."
"And... can I go after eating?"
"No."
The Hall of Ten Admonishments was where Prince An Manor's own people held discussions. Before capital region cases formally taken over by Prince An Manor were solved, all important evidence along with corpses were stored here. Thus it was heavily guarded day and night, its strictness no less than that of the Three Thoughts Pavilion.
Chu Chu followed behind them all the way to the Hall of Ten Admonishments. Xiao Jin Yu and Wu Jiang kept speaking in low voices throughout the journey. Chu Chu couldn't hear them clearly, nor was she in the mood to listen. The only thing weighing on her mind along the way was one matter.
She had spoken so many disrespectful words and done so many disrespectful things to this Prince An who was said to have the worst temper - could examining one corpse really cancel all that out?
Or had he already thought of other ways to punish her!
Though Zizhu County was small, Chu Chu had witnessed finger pressing, whipping, and branding irons. Compared to those, having one's bottom beaten black and blue was really like tickling.
In a place like the capital, in a place like Prince An Manor, things more terrifying than presses, whips and branding irons were probably too numerous to count!
Though Big Brother was her witness, Big Brother was his guard after all - in the end, wasn't it still his say that mattered? They were on the same side!
So when she saw those fierce-looking guards under the lanterns at the courtyard gate of the Hall of Ten Admonishments from afar, Chu Chu steeled herself, stopped walking, stood firmly in place, mustered all her courage and loudly declared to Xiao Jin Yu ahead, "I'm not going to examine the corpse! Just spank me instead!"
This shout was so heroic that even those guards heard it clearly.
She really wouldn't feel at ease without taking a beating. "Be first then examine, or examine first then beat - you choose."
"Then..." Chu Chu actually weighed this seriously, finally making a earnest decision, "Better to examine the corpse first. If my bottom gets beaten sore, I'll get distracted during the examination and might make mistakes."
Xiao Jin Yu let out a soft breath. "Agreed."
Only then did Chu Chu follow them into the Hall of Ten Admonishments with complete peace of mind.
☆、10 Jujube Ginger Soup (Ten)
The two men led her through the central discussion hall, then along the corridor behind the hall all the way to the deep end, stopping before a small door firmly guarded by two soldiers.
The door had clearly been modified - widened then narrowed, narrowed to the point where Xiao Jin Yu's wheelchair couldn't pass through.Wu Jiang stepped forward and gently pushed the door open a crack, moving aside from the doorway to let Chu Chu through. "It's the one on the corpse examination platform," he told her. "His name is Xue Yue."
He didn't expect this girl—who couldn't even figure out who Prince An was—to know who Xue Yue might be. He only hoped she wouldn't get so excited that she examined the wrong body.
Chu Chu looked at Wu Jiang, then at Xiao Jin Yu. "Am I going in alone?"
Xiao Jin Yu was slightly taken aback. "Are you afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of with a dead person?" Chu Chu nearly jumped in protest. "But if I'm alone, with no clerk, who's going to fill out the corpse manifest?"
"There's no need to fill out the corpse manifest for now. Just report directly after the examination."
Chu Chu blinked. "Aren't you afraid I'll slack off and make things up?"
"You can try."
Chu Chu stayed inside for a full two hours, and by the time she came out, it was almost the fourth watch of the night.
Wu Jiang was gone, leaving only Xiao Jin Yu sitting upright in the council hall, swiftly reviewing official documents at a speed that seemed to require no thought at all. To his left, two tall stacks of processed documents were piled high, while to his right, two even taller stacks awaited his attention.
Noticing Chu Chu's entrance, Xiao Jin Yu immediately set down his brush, even though the document in his hand was only missing the final stroke of his name.
"Finished the examination?"
Chu Chu placed the small bundle in her hands onto the desk in front of Xiao Jin Yu and let out a relieved sigh. "Everything's been examined clearly."
Xiao Jin Yu set his brush on the brush rest and casually pushed a cup of tea toward Chu Chu.
Chu Chu stared at the cup but didn't move.
"There's no poison in the tea."
Chu Chu still didn't move.
"I haven't touched it."
Only then did Chu Chu step forward, pick up the cup, and gulp down the tea in one go.
Xiao Jin Yu's lips twitched slightly. Was she disgusted by him...?
Chu Chu was indeed disgusted by him, but not in the way Xiao Jin Yu thought. It was because Mr. Dong had said that commoners shouldn't casually touch things that members of the imperial family had handled, as it might bring bad luck.
Considering she was about to be beaten until her bottom was sore—already a miserable enough fate—she certainly didn't want to invite any more misfortune!
After draining the cup completely, Chu Chu set it down and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "May I report now?"
Xiao Jin Yu spread a blank corpse manifest in front of him, picked up his brush again, and dipped it in ink on the edge of the inkstone. "Go ahead."
Chu Chu acknowledged, cleared her throat, and just as Xiao Jin Yu was about to start writing, he heard a clear, drawn-out voice from in front of the desk: "Your humble servant reports to Prince An, may you live a thousand years—"
Xiao Jin Yu's face darkened. "Talk about the corpse."
"Yes!" Chu Chu straightened up from her deep ninety-degree bow, and her tone returned to normal as she began describing the corpse. "The deceased is male, approximately twenty years old, standing five feet five inches tall."
OpenNovel