Grandma Chu looked hesitantly at Grandpa Chu. "This child... can it be done?"
Before Grandpa Chu could respond, Chu Chu struggled free from Grandma Chu's embrace, hopping anxiously. "Yes! Definitely! He's already recovered! Completely recovered!"
Grandpa Chu tapped his cane against Chu Chu's ankle, his face stern. "He's not even anxious, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"He is anxious! More anxious than me! Much more!"
Xiao Jin Yu had been sleeping groggily from the medicine, half-awake when he overheard the Chu family discussing the wedding. Initially too embarrassed to open his eyes, he soon realized that if he didn't intervene, he might never dare face the Chu family again.
Hearing two coughs beside him, Grandpa Chu immediately stood up from the bedside, stepping back a few paces while glaring at Xiao Jin Yu.
Meanwhile, Chu Chu hurried over. "You're awake?"
Under the collective gaze of the entire family, a faint blush spread across Xiao Jin Yu's pale cheeks. He tried to sit up, but the lingering effects of the medicine left him weak and unable to muster much strength. Chu Chu showed no intention of helping.
Ignoring his embarrassment, Chu Chu carefully tucked in the quilt corners, wrapping him snugly before gently stroking his sunken stomach through the covers. "You must be starving. What would you like to eat? I'll make it for you... Mr. Gu said you can eat anything now!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face flushed deeply as he whispered, "I'm not hungry..."
Grandpa Chu coughed loudly twice, drawing everyone's attention away from Xiao Jin Yu before declaring sternly, "Three days without food and still not hungry? What zodiac sign are you... If you don't want to eat, then don't think about marrying our Chu girl!"
Xiao Jin Yu hurriedly replied, "I want..."
Grandpa Chu stared at Xiao Jin Yu, whose face had turned crimson. "Want what to eat?"
Seeing Xiao Jin Yu frozen by the question, Chu Chu discreetly pointed toward her own ribcage.
They'd previously agreed she'd make him pork rib soup, which he still hadn't tasted!
Xiao Jin Yu stared blankly for a moment before suddenly understanding and blurting out, "Chu Chu..." The moment he said it, he wished he could suffocate himself under the quilt. Under the intense gaze of five pairs of wide eyes from the Chu family, he flusteredly explained, "No... that's not what I meant..."
Grandpa Chu gave him a meaningful sidelong glance. "I know exactly what you mean," he muttered, "You really are more impatient than Chu girl... Well, tomorrow it is then. Everything's ready anyway. I'll go make preparations..." Grandpa Chu left the room, followed by Chu Chu's father. "I'll help... Nothing else matters much, but we at least need to prepare a proper Nuptial Chamber."
Chu He laughed. "Besides the Nuptial Chamber, there's not much to prepare. As long as you two have fun! It's not like we need to invite anyone anyway!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face had been burning with such embarrassment he nearly fainted, but at Chu He's last words, he managed to compose himself slightly. "We should invite... distant relatives and nearby neighbors alike. We'll host the banquet in the courtyard..."
Chu Chu stared in surprise—she'd always thought he disliked crowds. "Why?"
"People around should all know that the Chu family girl is already spoken for..."Grandma Chu felt a warmth in her heart at these words, but Chu He still scratched his head, "Everyone thinks our Coroners Family is unlucky. What if we set up a banquet and no one comes?"
"The wedding invitations have already been sent out. Someone will surely come..."
Chu He was taken aback, "When did you send out the invitations?"
Before Xiao Jin Yu could answer, a faint voice came from the ceiling beam, "Just finished sending them."
Jing Yi had originally intended to wait until the Chu family had left before coming down, but upon hearing about the task that had once again exhausted him, he couldn't resist interjecting and gracefully descended from the beam.
"Brother Jing!"
Grandma Chu stared at Jing Yi as if she had seen a ghost, while Chu He quickly supported her, "Grandma, this is Lord Jing, a high official from the capital, and a good one at that."
Jing Yi waved his hands repeatedly, looking flattered, "I dare not accept such praise... I'm just an errand boy." He glanced at the person on the bed, whose face was flushed with embarrassment, "I need to discuss some official matters with him. Would it be possible to have a moment alone?"
"Of course, of course..." Chu He said hurriedly, "Grandma, Chu girl, shall we go prepare the meal?"
Grandma Chu looked at this official who seemed even less like one than Xiao Jin Yu, but still nodded, "Ah, yes... Lord Jing, will you stay for dinner as well?"
Jing Yi narrowed his fox-like eyes and smiled innocently, "Yes, thank you, Grandma!"
As soon as the Chu family left, Jing Yi approached Xiao Jin Yu's bedside, his smile taking on a meaningful tone, "Wang Ye, you must be starving, right?"
Xiao Jin Yu shot him a merciless glare, and Jing Yi quickly cleared his throat twice, his expression instantly turning serious, "Well... this case is almost ready to be closed. Everything else is prepared, except for your testimony... Everything else is straightforward, but as for Qin Ye's cause of death, what exactly was it?"
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly, "Sudden death..."
Jing Yi raised an eyebrow, "Are we writing 'sudden death' in the records, or was it truly sudden death?"
"What do you think?"
"You decide."
Xiao Jin Yu coughed twice, "It can be considered true sudden death... If a proper corpse examination were conducted, it would show he died from a sudden heart condition... However, the cause of the sudden heart condition was the poison carried by the Intelligence Agency personnel. I'm afraid the coroner might inadvertently harm innocent people if not careful..."
Jing Yi's fox-like eyes widened in shock. He knew that members of the Imperial Surveillance Agency ingested poison upon joining the agency. They reported every two days, and upon reporting, they received medicine to control the poison's effects. Otherwise, they would die from the poison. That was why he wasn't surprised that Dong Yan had died in the cellar. What puzzled him was how the poison from a corpse that had already been dismembered could kill a living person. A chill ran down his spine, "That poison... will it kill anyone who touches it?"
Xiao Jin Yu shook his head slightly, "Only if ingested..."
"Ingested? How could it be ingested?"
Xiao Jin Yu furrowed his brow, "Do you really want to know..."
Jing Yi nodded vigorously. If he didn't get to the bottom of this, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
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