Examine Bodies At The Courthouse – Do You Dare To?

Inside Xinya Teahouse, in a private room next to the window, the sun shone brightly.

Song Caitang walked in and immediately saw the Old Madam’s face.

Her forehead was wide, her skin glowing. Her hair was graying, but her brows were full. They were slightly raised, which made her look a little more masculine and gave her a bolder aura. Her eyes didn’t look cloudy at all. They were quiet and calm, exuding the same wisdom that her brows did. They also looked like they were sharp enough to see through anyone’s thoughts.

But she didn’t seem to be a nasty or strict person at all. Her gaze was confident and clever, but it was also filled with love and gentleness for those younger than herself.

Song Caitang observed the older lady’s facial features. Based on her skull shape and features, she was certain that this lady must have been a great beauty when she was younger.

“Miss Song.”

“Old Madam,” Song Caitang bowed.

Old Madam Li smiled and motioned to Song Caitang to take a seat. Auntie Liu had already poured her a cup of tea and placed it in front of her.

“I hope my sudden invitation didn’t scare you, Miss Song.”

Song Caitang smiled, “And why would it? To be invited so politely by an older person is my privilege as a young person.”

Old Madam Li waited for her to finish speaking, then tilted her head slightly, “Your accent…you’re not local?”

“I’m living with my mother’s side of the family. Her family’s surname is Guan, and they’re local.” Song Caitang noticed that Old Madam Li seemed very interested in her and didn’t have any ill intentions. So, she smiled to reveal her cute dimples and put a little more liveliness in her voice, “I had an accident at home, hit my head, and was an idiot for a long time, and there are so many things I don’t remember clearly anymore. If you ask me where I’m from, I wouldn’t be able to tell you!”

Old Madam Li laughed and pointed to Auntie Liu behind her, “Look at what a clever and adorable girl she is!”

Auntie Liu chimed in, “Of course! Look at Miss Song’s eyes and the way she carries herself! Of course, she’s no blockhead. Miss Song is such an outstanding individual! You’re getting on in age, but you’ve got such a keen eye!”

Song Caitang quickly responded in a modest manner.

They asked after each other for a while, and the atmosphere in the room became livelier. They also felt closer to one another now, but the old lady still did not state her agenda. Song Caitang still had no idea who this Old Madam Li really was and why she wanted to talk to her.

Old Madam Li saw that Song Caitang’s gaze remained clear and bright, was patient enough, and didn’t feel bored even after making small talk with an old person for so long. Song Caitang didn’t seem the least annoyed at all, which made the old lady give an approving nod inside.

“Aren’t you curious about who I am and why I’ve asked you to have tea with me?”

Song Caitang held up her teacup, looked very seriously at Old Madam Li, then said a little embarrassedly, “I’m very curious, and I’ve been trying to hold it in all this time, but I feel a little embarrassed to ask.”

“Hahaha!” These words made Old Madam Li laugh loudly for a long time. She used a handkerchief to dab her tears away, “What an honest child!”

“Don’t you know how to ask leading questions and try to fish information out of me?”

Most educated young ladies, regardless of whether they were from wealthy families or not, would know how to do that sort of thing.

Song Caitang smiled, “I’m just being lazy, and I don’t want to have to think of words to say and all that. At my age, no matter how clever I think I am, I’m definitely not clever to you. You’d be able to see through any of my tricks immediately. You’re the one who came to look for me, so you’d talk about it sooner or later. Trying to fish it out of you is…a waste of my brain.”

“Just listen to her! She’s made being lazy sound so good!” Old Madam Li had a good laugh, then put on a straight face as she glanced a little cheekily at Song Caitang, “You are deliberately being lazy, which gives me the urge to make things a little difficult for you. Why don’t you guess who I am and why I’m looking for you?”

Song Caitang raised her eyebrows slightly, and her black pupils twinkled, “Sure.”

She looked out of the window and saw the street where she had just rescued a man who was presumed to be dead.

If this was an opportunity…she had to catch hold of it!

She didn’t mind showing this old lady what she was capable of, and she didn’t think she needed to hide anything at all. After pausing to think, she asked, “Old Madam, have we…met before?”

Old Madam Li’s eyes lit up.

This was a good question!

She smiled and replied, “I’ve met you today!”

Song Caitang fluttered her eyes, “Old Madam, don’t bully me just because I’m young. You know very well that I’m not asking about today.”

This girl was sometimes so nonchalant and easygoing, then sometimes so quick-witted and charming, yet she always kept her eye on the ball. This girl was really clever.

Old Madam Li continued smiling brightly, “I’ve seen you once.”

She didn’t say when and didn’t say where.

But Song Caitang knew the answers immediately.

The old lady couldn’t have met her while she was still an idiot since she was completely useless at that point in time, and the old lady wouldn’t have wanted to chat with her in private. She hadn’t regained her senses for a long time. She did a quick count – it had been barely four days. Yet Old Madam Li said she had seen her before…

Besides the day at the coffin home, she had spent the other days in the Guan manor and hadn’t gone out at all. Old Madam Li had never gone to the Guan manor before, so she couldn’t have seen her there. That means she saw her before she returned to the house.

The conversation they had earlier was very casual and relaxed. Old Madam Li did not purposely keep anything a secret or find it uncomfortable to say anything. The way she looked so deeply at her told her that they must have met before. It couldn’t be that Old Madam Li happened to see her along the streets and thought it was some amazing fate encounter or bullshit like that.

If that was the case, she must have seen her at the coffin home.

She must have done something to have attracted the old lady’s attention.

She paused to think seriously about it. She only did two things inside the coffin home. One was to examine dead bodies, and the other was to argue with First Madam Wu.

And the reason why she could argue with First Madam Wu with such confidence and force First Madam Wu to back down was because of her ability to examine dead bodies. She had found clues on those bodies and deduced the truth behind their deaths…

So…was Old Madam Li interested in her ability to examine dead bodies? Or her ability to argue with someone?

Her guess was that it wasn’t the latter.

To be honest, she wasn’t really that good at arguing with others. She was only good at using logic to persuade others or use facts to disprove others. When it came to scheming and quarreling with empty words, women of this era, especially someone who had made it to Old Madam status in a big and complicated family, would definitely be a thousand times better at such things than her. Old Madam Li wouldn’t need someone skilled in this aspect.

And then when she put that together with how she revived Mao San along the streets earlier…

Song Caitang’s eyes widened slightly, and her watery eyes sparkled with intelligence, “I think you’ve come to look for me because of my skill.”

Old Madam Li’s expression didn’t change at all as she continued to smile kindly at Song Caitang, “Your skill…of attending to the dead?”

She wasn’t specific, but Song Caitang was even more certain now. It was definitely this!

“I’m not trying to brag, but this skill of mine is eerily accurate. Very few can compare to me.”

Old Madam Li grunted but didn’t speak, as though she was waiting for Song Caitang to continue.

Song Caitang continued thinking.

If the old lady wanted her to attend to the dead, it meant that someone around her was dead, and she wanted to know why.

If this dead person were related to her somehow, even if they were a servant, it would be impossible for Old Madam Li to have no expression on her face at all. The fact that she was so calm, so emotionless, and just a tiny bit anxious meant that this dead person was not related to her at all.

The dead person was not related to her, but she was so concerned…

She looked carefully at the old lady’s clothing and actions. The old lady had tried her best to behave as normally as possible without giving anything away, but there were some habits that were impossible to hide.

Song Caitang immediately had an idea.

“Old Madam, are you related to someone working for the authorities?”

Once she asked that question, even Auntie Liu started clapping and cheering, “Miss Song is really very, very clever!” She looked at Old Madam Li and said, “Look at how smart Miss Song is! When she makes full use of her brain, all of us look like fools next to her!”

Song Caitang waved her hands and laughed, “That’s all I can deduce. I don’t know any more than this.”

Her premonition had been accurate. She had to seize this chance!

Old Madam Li looked at Song Caitang quietly as though she was observing her carefully. She only started speaking again after a long time.

“My surname is Li, but my husband’s surname is Wen. We have a grandson whose name is Wen Yuansi, and he’s our magistrate. There’s been a case recently, but as a fairly far-flung prefecture, the authorities and police are always so busy, and they can’t take care of everything. My grandson is good at judging cases, but he doesn’t have enough manpower to investigate the case. All the coroners have been sent elsewhere to investigate other things, so they have not been able to confirm the cause of death of the victim in this case. So, when I saw what you were capable of, I couldn’t help but want to talk to you. It’s just that…”

“Examining dead bodies for a court case will require you to sign a report, and you will have to be responsible for that. Do you dare to take this on?”

“Why not?” Song Caitang had a look of excitement in her eyes now. This was an opportunity that had fallen into her lap, and she must be stupid not to seize it right away, “As long as you believe in me, I will make sure that everyone will be in awe of your incredibly keen eye!”

Old Madam Li frowned slightly, then let out a long sigh. She looked dotingly at Song Caitang and said, “Examining the dead is a job despised by society. As a young lady, this will be a difficult path for you…”

If she didn’t have any choice or feel so anxious about this matter, she wouldn’t have wanted to make life difficult for a young woman.

This girl was a magnanimous and adventurous one. There were some things that were not obvious right now, but Old Madam Li couldn’t pretend they didn’t exist.