"Your Highness, I just heard you say outside that these four generals died of illness."
Xiao Jinyu's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Did this prince say that?"
Wu Chen froze, and everyone else seemed equally stunned. Xiao Jinyu turned to Jing Yi. "What exactly did this prince say earlier?"
Jing Yi bowed his head over the record book, replying in a voice both gentle and assured, "Your Highness, according to the coroner's examination, all died due to illness." After speaking, he looked up and offered Xiao Jinyu a respectfully demure smile that appeared utterly genuine. It made Xiao Jinyu want to roll his eyes at him.
However, Xue Ming found himself momentarily captivated by that smile, forgetting even that his half-brother lay eviscerated on the hall's table. It wasn't until Xiao Jinyu coughed twice that he suddenly snapped back to reality. Jing Yi seemed to notice Xue Ming's unusual reaction and deliberately added fuel to the fire by gifting him an especially tender smile. Xue Ming's typically cold face flushed bright red instantly, his entire body feeling as if it had suddenly been thrown into a raging inferno.
Fortunately, everyone's attention remained focused on the suspect who looked nothing like a murderer.
"Wu Chen, do you understand now?"
Not only did Wu Chen fail to understand—no one present understood.
"This humble servant is foolish. Please enlighten us, Prince An."
"This prince only stated that these four individuals died due to illness. I never said they died from illness."
The group of physicians exchanged bewildered glances. Ashina Suwu looked ready to cry; he had thought his Chinese had reached near-native proficiency, but hearing Xiao Jinyu's words now gave him the sudden impulse to eliminate all these Han people in one go.
"They indeed all suffered from illnesses—the same illness... However, they didn't die from the illness. Rather, you exploited their condition to deliberately murder them." Xiao Jinyu glanced toward Chu Chu, who was listening intently, the coldness in his gaze softening slightly. "Chu Chu..."
Chu Chu quickly stepped forward. "Chu Chu is here!"
"Tell them how these four victims were murdered."
"Yes!"
☆ Chapter 84: Fragrant Roasted Whole Lamb (20)
Chu Chu walked past Wu Chen with her head held high and chest out. She rolled up her sleeves, put on white cloth gloves, crouched down, and lifted the white cloth covering the first corpse. Gazing clearly at the body, she stated, "This person's mouth is open and eyes wide, with faint cross-shaped ligature marks on the front of the neck. The marks indicate force was applied slightly forward toward both sides—he was strangled to death. He died on a sickbed in the Medical Tent. Someone in the Medical Tent witnessed him strangling himself with his own trouser belt. He was discovered before he had drawn his last breath, but it was already too late. He died just after midnight."
As she spoke, Chu Chu gestured over the naked corpse. Xiao Jinyu's brow furrowed slightly, and the others grew pale. In contrast, Chu Chu's small face flushed with excitement. She decisively lifted the second white cloth.
"This person's eyes are bulging, fists clenched, with white blisters on the body." Chu Chu pulled out a pair of scissors and snipped open the carefully sutured incision on the corpse's chest. She reached in and pulled open the chest cavity, pointing at the overflowing contents inside. "The autopsy reveals water in both the stomach and windpipe, with blood spots on the lungs—he drowned."Xiao Jinyu suddenly recalled the steaming bowl of lamb offal soup from lunch, her stomach involuntarily clenching. She had only mentioned needing to examine the bodies during the session, but never specified it would be like this...
The faces of those present had paled to match Xiao Jinyu's complexion. Several physicians knelt on the ground, trembling with their heads bowed. Xue Ming's ruddy face had turned ashen gray, while Du Li had buried himself in Ashina Suwu's arms, refusing to come out no matter what, leaving Ashina Suwu's face alternating between dark and pale.
Chu Chu carefully closed the incision and continued speaking clearly, "According to Constable Leng, he drowned with his head submerged in a bathtub while bathing. Since several people were waiting in his tent to discuss matters and remained there the whole time, it's confirmed he drowned himself. He died around 9-11 PM and had been dead for nearly half an hour when discovered."
Before anyone could recover from the gruesome sight, Chu Chu efficiently uncovered the third white sheet.
"This body is completely charred black with limbs curled and contracted. There's congealed fat on the surface, the flesh inside is thoroughly cooked, and internal organs are about eighty percent stewed..."
Ashina Suwu, who had eaten a full plate of roasted lamb for lunch, immediately felt his stomach churning violently. He cursed his youthful curiosity repeatedly in his heart - why had he been so foolish to study Chinese? Now he deserved to understand every gruesome detail so clearly...
Chu Chu carefully opened the autopsy incision running from the throat to the abdomen of the charred corpse, pointing along its length, "...There's soot in the corpse's mouth, nose, throat, windpipe and lungs, indicating he was burned to death. Constable Leng also confirmed that many witnesses saw him shouting for his mother while rushing into the fire and burning alive."
Xue Ming, pale-faced, glanced nervously at Jing Yi, who was bowing his head rapidly recording Chu Chu's every word. Compared to various corpses, being ordered by Xiao Jinyu to redo the case files was far more terrifying... Seeing the unfazed beauty, Xue Ming felt his face flush with shame. He quickly straightened his back, composed his expression, and forced himself to look directly at the charred corpse, even nodding solemnly.
"This one..." Chu Chu lifted the final white sheet, "He cut open his own abdomen, damaged several organs, and died from excessive blood loss. When I arrived, he hadn't yet passed away, with both hands still moving around inside his own belly."
As Chu Chu opened Xue Qin's abdomen and pointed out the various cuts on the internal organs, everyone present felt their scalps tingling and stomachs turning cold. Ashina Suwu silently turned his gaze toward Leng Peishan across the room, only to find Leng Peishan staring back at him with a greenish complexion and red-rimmed eyes, suddenly giving him the illusion of fellow sufferers in this world.
Chu Chu pressed her lips together, "They all committed suicide, but none of them did so willingly."
Ashina Suwu felt his forehead darken at her words. This must be what Chinese people meant by couples growing to resemble each other - these two even shared the same convoluted way of speaking...
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