"Wrap her back up exactly as she was and carry her up, then return her to the coffin."
"...!"
When Chu Chu returned from the examination, Xiao Jin Yu was still slowly sipping that cup of ginger tea. Before she could even get close, Xiao Jin Yu asked with slight urgency, "Finished the examination?"
"Yes!" Chu Chu looked around, "Wang Ye, where is Grand Tutor Xue?"
"He went to see Xue Ming..." Xiao Jin Yu set down his cup, took Chu Chu's hand and pulled her close, his brow lightly furrowed, "Chu Chu, did you find anything?"
Seeing Xiao Jin Yu's clearly anxious expression, Chu Chu blinked her eyes, "Wang Ye, Grand Tutor Xue said that after I examined this body, you would tell me why you married me."
Xiao Jin Yu was taken aback, silent for a moment before revealing a faint bitter smile as he looked at the expectant person before him, "Chu Chu... did Grand Tutor Xue tell you who you were examining?"
"Daozong Emperor's Consort Wen. Grand Tutor Xue said she died suddenly from illness twenty-five years ago."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded faintly, "Right... she was Consort Wen, conferred by Daozong Emperor. The palace records state she died of sudden illness in the 26th year of Zhidao... When I was very young, there were palace rumors that she was actually my birth mother. Shi Niang said it was just jealous people making up stories about my legitimate birth status... Later, somehow, no one spoke of it anymore."
Chu Chu was shocked, her eyes and mouth both widening in surprise.
"Before I moved out of the palace, I secretly investigated. Consort Wen's medical records had been altered - though they were supposed to cover five years, the ink strokes were clearly done in one go... By then, the imperial physician from that time had long passed away."
Chu Chu placed her hand over Xiao Jin Yu's cold one, "Since you suspected the cause of her death, why didn't you ever conduct a corpse examination?"
Xiao Jin Yu smiled faintly, the smile tinged with bitterness, as he reached out to stroke Chu Chu's concerned face, "Opening a coffin is no small matter, especially with palace affairs always being so complex... By the time I resolved to petition for an exhumation and examination, I could no longer handle corpses..."
Chu Chu frowned. She understood better than anyone that exhumation examinations were the most thankless tasks in the coroner's profession. Not only did they offend both the dead and the living, but the most headache-inducing part was that bodies buried too long would be reduced to skeletons when the coffin was opened. Trying to find evidence from old bones was harder than picking out a single sesame seed from a bag of rice. Moreover, if nothing conclusive was found, the examiner would inevitably face punishment and lifelong criticism. Among three generations of Chu family coroners, only Grandpa Chu had encountered two exhumation cases in his youth. For a prince wanting to examine his own father's consort - one who might be his birth mother - Chu Chu certainly understood all the considerations involved.
Xiao Jin Yu quietly watched Chu Chu, looking into her eyes that remained as bright and lively as two years ago, "Chu Chu, do you remember how we met?"
Chu Chu was startled, not understanding why Xiao Jin Yu suddenly asked this, but answered directly, "Of course I remember! You were given to me by the Emperor!"
Xiao Jin Yu choked, his forehead darkening slightly, "That's not..."
Chu Chu's almond eyes widened, "Yes, it was!""Yes, yes..." Xiao Jin Yu was caught between laughter and tears, "But that's not what I was asking... I was asking if you remember why we met for the first time?"
Chu Chu thought for a moment, "Outside the Ministry of Justice, I thought you were the emperor and kowtowed to you."
Xiao Jin Yu sighed silently and patted her head, which seemed lost in thought, "Why did you come to the Ministry of Justice?"
"For the exam! To become a coroner... I passed, but you still didn't want me!"
It was the first time Xiao Jin Yu realized his patient guidance could fail so thoroughly.
Looking at the pouting girl before him, he found himself unusually choosing to give up, "Chu Chu... do you remember it was Jing Yi who told you to take the Ministry of Justice exam?"
This made Chu Chu even angrier, "Exactly! Brother Jing tricked me into thinking it was a Six Doors exam, that's why I went!"
"...Do you know why he deceived you?"
Chu Chu pouted, "No idea. You high-ranking officials all love to lie anyway."
Xiao Jin Yu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "He wasn't lying to you... He was helping me find a coroner with clean background, simple origins, bold yet careful... When he met you on the street, he wanted to use the Ministry of Justice exam to test your skills and let me meet you."
Chu Chu blinked, "So you took a liking to me then?"
Xiao Jin Yu felt embarrassed, "You could say that..."
Finally understanding, Chu Chu asked, "Was it all to have me examine Consort Wen's corpse?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly. Having made this decision and found the right person, he now couldn't bear to let her take risks with him... Tampering with palace medical records was a crime of deceiving the emperor. The person who did this must have powerful backing to dare such an act. Whenever he thought about the treacherous intrigues in the palace, Xiao Jin Yu didn't want to drag her into this pit of fire.
He had never told Chu Chu about this, afraid she might leave in anger. Gripping her hand tightly, he carefully watched her expression, but saw no trace of anger - instead, she was smiling sweetly, "Chu Chu... you're not angry?"
Chu Chu leaned down and lightly kissed his pale cheek, "You liking my corpse examination skills is still liking me, just like how I like your case-solving abilities, right?"
Xiao Jin Yu was startled, then chuckled softly, "Right... thank you."
☆ Chapter 118: Manchu Han Imperial Feast (10)
"This is my first time conducting a coffin autopsy! If my findings are correct, you can thank me then!" Chu Chu didn't know how he had kept such an important matter to himself for so many years. Seeing the urgency he couldn't hide in his eyes, her heart ached, wishing she could tell him all her examination results in one breath. "From the pelvis of the corpse, the deceased had just given birth before death. She probably died shortly after delivering the child."
Xiao Jin Yu remained expressionless and nodded slightly, but Chu Chu clearly felt his hand tremble slightly. She couldn't help but cover his cold hand with her other free one.
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