Chapter 414: Quickly Summon the Coroner
The Moon-Plucking Pavilion was usually seldom visited.
Snow covered the courtyard everywhere, but at this moment, the pure white snow was stained with a shocking crimson.
Yun Chu saw Nie Zhou lying on his side on the ground, the back of his head covered in blood, his official robes completely soaked through with blood.
A wine flask lay not far from his body, its contents spilled and mingling with the melted snow.
"Lord Nie..."
Yun Chu murmured involuntarily.
Someone she had just seen yesterday was now separated from her by life and death.
She respected Nie Zhou's character, admired his courage in charging forward, and had even thought that after this matter was resolved, she would bestow a large mansion upon the Nie family.
She had heard Nie Zhou mention his eldest son, who was sixteen this year and had just achieved excellent results in the metropolitan examination, preparing to participate in the palace examination next spring. She had also thought that regardless of how his eldest son performed, she would ensure he became a Presented Scholar among the top three... and would arrange a marriage for Nie Zhou's eldest son.
But now, Nie Zhou was dead.
He had died just a few days before the New Year's Eve family reunion.
Behind her, the crowd murmured discussions.
"Jumping from such a height shows he was determined to die."
"Why would Lord Nie be so desperate?"
"Why choose such a painful way to die, alas."
"Lord Nie was deeply trusted by the Empress Dowager recently, his career soaring—how could this happen, alas..."
Just then, a man rushed out from the crowd, wailing loudly: "Elder brother, how could you leave us like this... what will we all do without you..."
Yun Chu looked over; this man was Nie Zhou's younger brother, named Nie Shen, a minor seventh-rank official in the court who originally wasn't qualified to attend the Emperor's birthday banquet. But since Nie Zhou couldn't come, he had given the invitation to Nie Shen.
"Your Majesty, my elder brother was too grief-stricken, drowning his sorrows in drink. Who would have thought he would accidentally fall..." Nie Shen cried as he threw himself toward Nie Zhou. "This subject will take my elder brother home immediately..."
"Wait." Yun Chu stopped him, her voice cold as she asked, "Why was your elder brother so grief-stricken?"
"This morning, our mother passed away..." Nie Shen said, fighting back tears. "But since today is the Emperor's birthday, elder brother said he feared it would offend the Dragon Body, so we didn't announce the funeral... With no need to care for mother, elder brother came to the palace to present his birthday gift to the Emperor—a piece of calligraphy he wrote himself. Perhaps elder brother was too sad, so he brought a flask of wine to the Moon-Plucking Pavilion to drown his sorrows, and accidentally... Your Majesty, Emperor, my elder brother would never intentionally die by falling in the palace. I beg Your Majesty not to punish him posthumously..."
In the Great Jin Dynasty, intentionally dying in the palace was considered extremely unlucky, especially on the Emperor's birthday. Being punished for such an act wasn't unusual.
"Guards." Chu Rui spoke calmly. "Take Lord Nie's body out of the palace, help prepare the coffin, and set up the funeral hall..."
Four Imperial Guards entered and approached Nie Zhou's body, preparing to lift it onto a stretcher.
Yun Chu's voice was icy: "Aren't you being too hasty to dispose of the body before the matter has been thoroughly investigated?"
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?" Lin Qiang, the head of the Imperial Guards, spoke up. "Lord Nie served Great Jin tirelessly until his death. Now that he has died from an accidental fall, he should be laid to rest promptly."
"Yes, yes. With Lord Nie's tragic death, having him lie here surrounded by so many onlookers is truly somewhat disrespectful."
"Quickly take him back to the Nie family so we can go pay our respects and offer incense.""But Her Majesty the Empress Dowager says the matter hasn't been fully investigated yet."
"It's quite clear that Lord Nie accidentally fell by himself. What more is there to investigate..."
Yun Chu lifted her gaze to Chu Rui.
Chu Rui still maintained his pale complexion as before, but now dressed in the Regent's official robes and wearing an official hat, he had long shed his previous sickly appearance, radiating full authority.
Her eyes met Chu Rui's, yet she could discern no emotion in his gaze.
Had she not known this man's methods, she might have truly believed this to be nothing more than an accidental fall, letting the matter pass—and Nie Zhou would never rest in peace.
"Someone, summon the coroner." Yun Chu paused, then added, "Summon all the coroners."
Chu Rui narrowed his eyes: "What is Her Majesty the Empress Dowager suspecting?"
Yun Chu turned to the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review: "Has Minister Chang noticed nothing amiss?"
Minister Chang, originally merely a fourth-rank official in the Court of Judicial Review, had been promoted single-handedly by Chu Rui and had since become his most loyal dog.
As a second-rank senior official, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review was primarily responsible for investigating cases. He could participate in all major investigations, including various legal matters within the palace, and even involved in important court policies—a truly powerful court official wielding substantial authority.
Minister Chang spoke: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager did not permit this official to approach the body, so naturally I couldn't observe anything."
Yun Chu stepped aside: "Then please conduct a thorough investigation, Minister Chang."
Initially, she had feared Minister Chang might disturb the scene, hence she prevented Chu Rui's people from approaching.
But now, she had almost deduced what had happened. All that remained was for the coroners to examine the body, and the truth would be revealed.
Minister Chang stepped forward, crouched down to carefully inspect the body, and questioned several palace maids from the Moon-Gazing Pavilion for details.
"Lord Nie was already quite drunk when he arrived at the Moon-Gazing Pavilion."
"Lord Nie said he just wanted to go up to clear his mind and told us maids not to follow, so we continued sweeping the fallen leaves."
"We were all busy in the backyard when we heard a loud thud. We came to the front to see what happened and found Lord Nie had fallen. Shortly after, Sister Qiutong arrived..."
Minister Chang nodded repeatedly, then turned back to Yun Chu: "Your Majesty, based on this official's investigation, Lord Nie, grieving the loss of a close relative and overwhelmed with sorrow, drank to drown his sorrows, accidentally fell from the building, hit the back of his head, and died from excessive bleeding."
Yun Chu looked at him: "Is Minister Chang certain Lord Nie died from bleeding due to hitting the back of his head?"
Just as Minister Chang was about to nod.
Suddenly, he felt a chilling glare from Chu Rui.
He dared not say more, for the more he spoke, the more mistakes he might make.
Before long, the coroners arrived.
There were five coroners in total, led by the renowned Coroner Zhen of the capital, whom most people recognized.
Coroner Zhen crouched down, carefully examined the body, then bowed and said: "Reporting to Your Majesty and Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, the deceased died from severe head trauma and excessive blood loss."
"Is that so?" Yun Chu walked over, pointing at Nie Zhou's face, "Then may I ask, what are these red dots around Lord Nie's eyes and face?"
Coroner Zhen's eyes flickered.
The deceased's face was covered in blood, the tiny red dots barely noticeable. Typically only coroners would notice such details—he hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to be so observant.
He replied: "It's because the deceased suffered a heavy blow to the head, causing internal bleeding, which manifests externally like this."
As the lead coroner, when he spoke, the others dared not voice contrary opinions.Yun Chu said calmly, "Coroner Zhen is indeed skilled, but I wish to hear others' opinions."
This essentially meant telling Coroner Zhen to remain silent.
She pointed at the most inconspicuous coroner and said, "You shall examine the body. The others are not permitted to speak."
Trembling with fear, the man stepped forward and carefully inspected Nie Zhou's corpse, examining it thoroughly from all angles.
Then he fell to his knees with a thud and stammered, "Your... Your Majesty, my... my findings differ from... from Coroner Zhen's..."
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