Xiao Jin Yu set down his brush, calmly writing "twenty-one" in the age column and "five chi four cun seven fen" in the height column before responding softly to signal her to continue.
"The corpse shows yellowish-purple discoloration with slight decomposition. Given the current seasonal climate, death likely occurred four to five days ago."
Xiao Jin Yu noted down a "four".
They had just met three mornings ago - at most he could have been dead for four days.
"Twenty-three shallow blade wounds, thirty-five whip marks, seventeen nail scratches, nine bruise patterns from choking. These vary in age, the oldest dating back about three months, the newest from just days ago. None struck vital areas or were fatal. There are also numerous minor abrasions, with no signs of poisoning."
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly. Xue Yue had never mentioned this, and he himself hadn't detected it either.
"The deceased likely had just eaten before being killed, or was interrupted during a meal. His stomach contained considerable undigested food - identifiable items include rice, chicken, fish, shiitake mushrooms, fresh bamboo shoots, and wine."
Xiao Jin Yu paused his writing and looked up at her. "Stomach?"
Chu Chu earnestly circled the corresponding area on her own body. "Right here, inside."
Having gone half a month without a proper meal, Xiao Jin Yu was acutely aware of where his own stomach was. "Yes, inside. So... how do you know what was in his stomach?"
This person seemed quite educated - how could he not understand something so straightforward? "Isn't it obvious? You just cut it open and look!"
Cut it open?!
She dissected Xue Yue?!
Xiao Jin Yu felt dizzy, his head throbbing as his face turned pale. "You... cut him open?"
Even Chu Chu, who was poor at reading expressions, could sense the danger. Before Xiao Jin Yu could speak further, she looked at him with a wounded expression. "You agreed I could examine him however I wanted."
Xiao Jin Yu's pale face darkened, his eyes looking as if he wanted to devour her whole.
This person was quite handsome when calm, but with this expression he was truly terrifying. Chu Chu quietly retreated half a step, putting slightly more distance between them. "Should I... continue?"
Xiao Jin Yu picked up his brush again, his voice slightly hoarse as if forced from his throat. "Continue."
Since she'd already cut him open, not letting her explain would make the dissection pointless!
Chu Chu licked her lips and continued. "The corpse was naked, emitting a musk fragrance all over. The penis was erect, with residue on the external skin and retention inside the urethra..."
Xiao Jin Yu's brush paused. Urethra?
What else had she cut open?!
"...It strongly suggests death during sexual activity. However, after shaving all body hair, we discovered a three-inch iron nail embedded in the Baihui point at the crown of the head. We cannot determine which occurred first, only that the cause of death must be one of these two."
Xiao Jin Yu's near-frenzy abruptly shifted to astonishment as Chu Chu added, "Moreover... the musk scent on this corpse is identical to the one I examined this morning at the Ministry of Justice. It's likely both consumed the same aphrodisiac before death, and in considerable quantities."
Aphrodisiac?
From what he knew, Xue Yue had always avoided women - his level of celibacy would make even the abbots of several major temples in the capital bow in respect.
Who could have made him take aphrodisiacs, and in such quantity?Seeing Xiao Jin Yu standing there frowning without moving for quite a while and not writing what she had just said on the corpse manifest, Chu Chu thought he didn’t believe her. Pouting, she stepped forward and untied the small bundle placed on the desk. "I’m not fooling you—I have evidence."
As she spoke, Chu Chu pulled out several handkerchiefs from the small bundle, each clearly wrapped around something, and carefully unfolded them one by one in front of Xiao Jin Yu.
"These were found in his stomach. Look—these are grains of rice, chicken, fish, fish skin, shiitake mushrooms, and fresh bamboo shoots. They were swallowed without being chewed properly. This person must have eaten in a great hurry..." She even waved her hand over them, fanning the air toward Xiao Jin Yu. "You can smell it, right? The alcohol scent is really strong here!"
Xiao Jin Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, and his face turned pale.
"This was wiped from the inner side of his thigh and the outer skin of his □, and this was taken from inside the canal..."
Xiao Jin Yu’s face grew even paler.
"I don’t need to explain this one, do I? Even if you haven’t seen anyone else’s, you’ve surely seen your own."
Xiao Jin Yu’s face darkened completely.
"As for the musk scent... I couldn’t extract it, but the strongest musk fragrance came from his navel. If you don’t believe me, have someone bring the corpse out and take a closer sniff—you’ll know right away."
Was she just acting so convincingly, or had heaven deliberately sent her to torment him?
Xiao Jin Yu took several deep breaths, set down his brush, and called out sternly to the outside, "Attendants."
In the blink of an eye, a stern-faced guard swiftly entered the hall. "Wang Ye."
"Take her out, and then..."
Chu Chu was taken aback when she realized he meant to have her taken out, not the corpse. When the word "then" followed, she suddenly snapped back to her senses. "Wait!"
"Wait for what?"
Chu Chu stole a glance at the guard standing rigidly beside her—a man built like an ox. How much force would he use if he were to administer a spanking? She timidly looked at Xiao Jin Yu. "Can you wait a little... before spanking me?"
Chu Chu had no idea that beneath his calm exterior, Xiao Jin Yu was fighting the urge to immediately press her over a long bench and give her a sound thrashing himself.
"What else do you want?"
Chu Chu pursed her lips and blinked her eyes, full of innocence. "I haven’t eaten yet."
Xiao Jin Yu’s mouth twitched. She had just dissected a corpse so thoroughly, with items extracted from it laid out right before her eyes, and she could still think about eating...
"Take her out," Xiao Jin Yu didn’t even have the heart to sigh. He picked up his brush again and finished signing the "Yu" character on the document in front of him. "Then summon Jing Yi to see me at once."
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