Thinking this, Chu Chu was about to step into the side hall when she noticed someone approaching from the far end of the corridor in her peripheral vision. She promptly withdrew her foot.
She had firmly remembered Jing Yi's words: when meeting officials from the Ministry of Justice, one must pay respects.
Turning her head, Chu Chu realized the approaching person wasn't wearing official robes at all.
Not only was he not in official attire, but he was also seated in a wheelchair.
Not only was he in a wheelchair, but his face and head were covered in injuries!
Chu Chu froze momentarily. How could there be someone like this in the Ministry of Justice?
Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through her mind. Her eyes lit up, and she dashed over with quick, light steps.
The person in the wheelchair was clearly startled by her sudden approach. With a press of his hand, he halted the wheelchair.
Before even properly steadying herself, Chu Chu smiled sweetly and declared in a clear, crisp voice, "You must be the living corpse!"
In Chu Chu's bright, almond-shaped eyes, Xiao Jin Yu clearly saw the stunned expression that instantly overtook his own features.
Even years later, he remained firmly convinced that not a single person in the entire country could face him with such an expression and tone, so affectionately calling him a living corpse.
While Xiao Jin Yu was still frozen in shock, Chu Chu had already unabashedly looked him over from head to toe, finally settling her gaze on his legs. "They really know how to pick people! You look like you've suffered plenty of injuries!"
Being stared so directly at his legs, Xiao Jin Yu finally snapped out of his daze. "You..."
Chu Chu cut him off, "I'm Chu Chu, the charming Chu Chu! I'm here to take the coroner exam—I'll be examining your injuries inside later."
With that, she darted behind his wheelchair. "You look so thin and frail, yet someone hurt you like this. Let me push you inside!"
"No need."
Chu Chu started pushing the wheelchair forward anyway.
"Hey, don't stand on ceremony with me!"
"..."
When Chu Chu pushed Xiao Jin Yu into the room, Jing Yi was leisurely drinking tea with the supervising clerk.
He knew Xiao Jin Yu wouldn't enter the autopsy room, so he had come directly to this second examination room early in the morning to wait for him.
He also knew Chu Chu was assigned number one, so she would definitely be the first to appear in this room.
But even with a knife to his throat, he never would have imagined these two would enter in such a combination. The moment he looked up and saw them, he spat out a mouthful of tea in shock.
The clerk sprang up from his chair, splashing tea all over himself. The teacup fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
Prince An's face... his complexion...
Completely unaware of what their reactions implied, Chu Chu recognized Jing Yi immediately and rushed over joyfully, calling out, "Brother Jing! You're here too!"
Earlier, when she told Seventh Uncle this was a Six Doors exam, he didn't believe her, insisting the Six Doors were just a myth. She had been genuinely worried for a while, but now here was someone from Six Doors serving as an examiner! Let's see what Seventh Uncle has to say about that!
"Cough... yes... cough, cough..."
The clerk's palms were drenched in cold sweat. He was about to kneel and bow to Xiao Jin Yu when the latter shot him a glance and gave a slight shake of his head.
Having navigated official circles in the capital, the clerk immediately understood. Swallowing hard to bolster his courage, he desperately steadied his voice and asked Chu Chu, "You're number one? Number one, Chu Chu?"
Chu Chu quickly handed over her wooden token. "Yes!"
"This test is for injury examination. Are you... are you prepared?"Chu Chu looked at Xiao Jin Yu with a beaming smile. "I'm ready!"
"Alright, alright..."
The Clerk was about to raise his voice to summon the injured person originally scheduled to appear in the room a quarter of an hour later, but his mouth froze mid-action as soon as it opened.
He and Jing Yi watched wide-eyed as Chu Chu strode over to Xiao Jin Yu, reached out her small hands, cupped his face, and began examining it.
Caught off guard by her sudden touch, Xiao Jin Yu had no time to wheel his chair backward. Startled, he leaned his head back against the chair rest.
But Chu Chu showed no intention of letting go. Instead, she spoke to him softly, "Don’t be afraid, I won’t hurt you."
"..."
Before he could recover from the shock, Chu Chu leaned in closer. Her small nose sniffed a few times near the wound on his forehead, then moved down to the injury on his nose bridge.
Her forehead nearly brushed against his, her bangs swaying back and forth before his eyes, her warm breath clearly washing over his face.
Xiao Jin Yu had to hold his breath, not daring to move a muscle. He could feel his face flushing with an unprecedented shade of red.
By the time Chu Chu finally pulled her head back, satisfied with her inspection and sniffing, Xiao Jin Yu let out a deep exhale. He had a strong premonition that if she had lingered any longer, he would have fainted on the spot.
Jing Yi’s eyes were still wide, the Clerk’s mouth still agape, and Xiao Jin Yu’s face still flushed. Yet Chu Chu had already begun speaking in her clear, bright voice, getting down to business.
"The wounds haven’t been treated with any medicine. Judging by their appearance, they must have occurred within the last day. Both the head injury and the nose bridge injury were caused by rapid impact with a hard object. However, aside from bruising, the head wound also shows uniform, minor abrasions, likely from being struck by roughly polished hardwood. The injury on the nose bridge is smooth but has deeper bruising, probably from a heavier, flatter, and smoother hard object."
Only after she finished speaking did the three men snap out of their daze, quickly regaining their composure.
Jing Yi was the first to speak, his voice slightly unsteady. "So, what’s the conclusion?"
Chu Chu blinked in confusion. "Conclusion?"
"As in, what do you infer the murder weapon was, and who might have done it?"
Chu Chu shook her head and waved her hands emphatically, speaking earnestly, "Examination is examination—it either is or isn’t. Making inferences isn’t part of a coroner’s duties. I can’t speak recklessly."
Jing Yi glanced at Xiao Jin Yu. The redness on his face hadn’t fully faded, but his expression showed that he agreed with Chu Chu’s words—at least seventy percent.
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