Magistrate Wen Yuansi

It was very cold on the mountain.

Initially, Song Caitang didn’t feel cold. But as the carriage climbed the mountain road and the sunlight peeking through the trees faded, Song Caitang started to blow on her hands. This journey seemed a little on the long side.

And this mountain seemed to be rather high.

“Are you feeling cold?” Old Madam Li put the prayer beads in her hands down and got a small brazier for Song Caitang so that she could warm her hands, “We’re almost there.”

Song Caitang didn’t try to refuse the old lady’s kind intentions and took the small brazier from her. She smiled brightly and moved to sit right next to Old Madam Li, “Great!”

The carriage continued on the rocky road and entered Tianhua Temple’s main gate. The guesthouses were toward the west after going past the gate, but the carriage didn’t stop and continued on the path eastwards instead.

And it went on for quite some time.

Not only that. The atmosphere around here was different too.

Tianhua Temple was the most famous and popular temple here. Once the carriage went past the main gate, she felt like she was at a historical monument in some far-flung place. The west side of the temple grounds had rooms meant for worshippers to stay in, so they were neat and luxuriously furnished. But as the carriage moved eastward, the air slowly became more and more gloomy.

The road was fine, but the houses and yards here were not very well arranged and felt a little cramped. There were few people around, and it was extremely quiet. Only a few rooms were lit with candles and the smell…

Song Caitang took a sniff. It was a little humid and carried the unique smell of rotting soil that mountains like this had. The thick smell of incense that was present when they first entered was a lot less obvious here.

A black bird flew through the forest and screeched loudly.

In this dim and quiet place, it was hard to see anyone clearly, and there were shadows everywhere. Such a screech only made the place more frightening.

“Don’t be scared,” Old Madam Li got off the carriage with Auntie Liu’s help. She gently comforted Song Caitang, “It’s just a bird.”

Song Caitang had been a coroner for years now, so she had been through a lot herself. It was just a little dark and deserted now, that’s all.

Her expression was relaxed, and her voice chirpy, “I’m here to examine a dead body, so why would I be scared? This long journey must have taken more of a toll on you, Old Madam. I’m sure you’re very tired, so please take a good rest later.”

Old Madam Li’s smile widened, “I will do that. Your room has already been prepared. Take a short rest and have some food, I will look for you later.”

Song Caitang nodded and followed one of the staff to a small room.

The room wasn’t very large, but it was clean and tidy. There was hot water and hot tea, and a brazier had also been provided. The beddings were brand new too.

Song Caitang looked around her. She was probably going to stay here for a couple of days.

After washing her hands and drinking some tea, Qingqiao came in with her large wooden box, “Young Mistress, there’s hardly anyone around here. It’s so scary.”

“This place is just dark at night, don’t frighten yourself for nothing.”

Song Caitang opened the window and looked westward.

The main temple hall was in the northwest direction, while the accommodation for worshippers was in the west. The rooms on the east side didn’t look like a place where the aristocrats would stay in. In fact, anybody with some money or status wouldn’t want to stay here either.

She thought that she had been invited here to investigate the case regarding the aristocratic woman who had died, but it seemed like it wasn’t the case after all.

After she had eaten, Qingqiao came in to say that someone was here.

Song Caitang got up to welcome her guest.

“Caitang, come and meet my grandson,” Old Madam Li was smiling as she walked into the room with the help of a young man.

Her grandson? Magistrate Wen Yuansi?

Song Caitang looked at the young man and couldn’t help applauding his looks inwardly when she saw his facial features.

Wen Yuansi was simply too good-looking.

His forehead was wide, his face very pleasant to look at, his brows full and long. His features weren’t especially delicate or anything like that, but when put together, they exuded an especially warm aura. Looking at him was like looking at a lovely piece of jade or the bright moon in the sky. One felt immediately at ease with him.

But he had a resolute look in his eyes, and his lips were slightly pursed. It was clear that this man was not one who gave in easily.

This was a man who was probably very principled.

Song Caitang had noticed that when Wen Yuansi helped his grandmother into the room, he walked very slowly and put his arm in a very low position. Having to stoop like this was definitely not comfortable for him since he was much taller, but that was an excellent height for the old lady. He was also a considerate and filial young man.

He was young, principled, looked like he had a strong sense of justice, and had an intelligent spark in his eyes, yet also meticulous and gentle in taking care of others…

It was hard not to like this magistrate.

“Miss Song,” Wen Yuansi helped his grandmother to take a seat, then put a palm over his fist to greet her.

Song Caitang bowed in response, “Magistrate Wen.”

“I heard from my grandmother that you are trained in examining dead bodies.”

Song Caitang was observing Wen Yuansi, but he was also observing her.

She had a pair of long brows, and the ends tilted upwards slightly. The angle of her brows was gentle and pretty – she didn’t look coquettish and didn’t look manly either. They made her look confident and intelligent. She had a high nose, smooth skin, jet-black eyes, and shapely pink lips. She exuded an energy that was clear, pure, gentle, and attractive.

This young lady…seemed really young to be doing something like this.

Old Madam Li held a cup of tea in her hands and said, “What I’m really saying is that Miss Song is very talented. She can analyze dead bodies, she can differentiate wounds, she’s basically an expert in this field, and nobody is better than she is.”

Wen Yuansi sighed in exasperation, “Grandmother…”

He hadn’t said anything, and his grandmother was already putting a good word in for her.

Song Caitang laughed.

Wen Yuansi was a figure of authority with great responsibility, after all. Others could recommend her or say good things about her, but he had never seen what she was capable of, and it was only right for him to see her skills for himself.

She could understand why Wen Yuansi was observing her, and she could also understand why Old Madam Li was defending her, “Old Madam, don’t worry. I might not be able to boast about anything else, but I’m pretty confident when it comes to dead bodies.”

She was a confident woman who did not behave daintily or look frail in front of others like women of this age did. An opportunity was right in front of her, so she was determined to seize it. Her eyes glowed with a greater passion and sparkled more brightly than before.

Wen Yuansi looked down as he used the cover of his teacup to push the froth of his tea aside, “My grandmother said that you are able to accurately determine the cause of death, time of death, and even what the deceased went through before dying all by looking at the dead body.”

Song Caitang smiled faintly, “That’s not very difficult. Signs of these things are left behind on the body. The body looks different depending on how long the person has been dead. You will understand after you’ve seen enough bodies. Even if the body doesn’t have any injuries, the degree to which their eyes are clouded over, the position and special characteristics of the blood clots formed after death – all of these can help to determine the time of death. As for what the person went through…the deceased would have interacted with their surroundings or things in the place they went to. As long as you take the time to examine every detail, it isn’t too difficult to deduce certain facts.”

Wen Yuansi put his cup down and looked at her, “And you can also differentiate wounds?”

“Are you talking about how I revived someone yesterday?”

Song Caitang spotted Old Madam Li nodding slightly, and her smile widened, “In order to extort money from others, these swindlers will keep improving their techniques and find new ways all the time. But when it comes to wounds, making them look realistic is actually not that easy. You just have to look a little closer. Most coroners should be able to tell the difference.”

She reminded Wen Yuansi, “But the effect of using zelkova tree sap is pretty realistic, so if you run into something like that, you’ve got to take note…”

The two of them started talking about methods of examining bodies, techniques for making deductions and cracking cases, and so on.

The room was very quiet, so the only sound accompanying their voices was the sound of wood pieces crackling in the brazier. The flames of the candles in the room swayed gently, making their shadows long against the window.

The night didn’t seem so cold now.

Fifteen minutes into the conversation, Wen Yuansi looked very seriously at Song Caitang again.

This young lady was really young, but she was very knowledgeable. She was very open and sincere in her speech. She was capable, yet she never thought of keeping it a secret.

That was very rare indeed.

As a magistrate, Wen Yuansi had seen several cases and knew a thing or two about examining corpses. But this young lady not only knew how to examine one but also knew several unorthodox methods to do so and could differentiate wounds too. It was rare enough to find someone who knew such things, yet she was even willing to share her knowledge with others…

Most men wouldn’t be so generous.

Conducting autopsies wasn’t something that one could learn if they wanted to. And even those who had studied this field might not know this much either. He was surprised but also filled with great admiration for her.

A young lady like her was so capable – he didn’t dare to boast about his own achievements anymore.

He smiled and said, “I’m really sorry about having to ask you to help me with this case. You’re so capable while I’m the one in a rut with no coroner to help me, so I should have gone to invite you here personally. But I’ve been so busy, so even though I had already heard about you from my grandmother, I couldn’t find the time to do so. I ended up making my grandmother invite you here, and I had to trouble you to make your own way here as well – I really hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s alright, don’t worry.” Song Caitang shook her head, then asked, “Where’s the body now?”

“It’s right here.”

The entire room fell deathly silent, and Wen Yuansi realized he said the wrong thing. He cleared his throat and clarified, “It’s within the temple, and it’s not too far from here.” He stood up and said, “About this case – I need just one thing from you, and that is to confirm who this person is.”

Song Caitang frowned a little.

She just had to confirm the identity of this person and not find out the cause of death?

“Let’s take a look at the body first.”

She was an eager worker, and Wen Yuansi needed to crack this case urgently, so he stretched his arm out to lead the way, “Miss Song, this way, please.”

Their thoughts were pretty in sync.

After they left, Old Madam Li sighed and looked at Auntie Liu, “They’ve forgotten the old lady again.”

Auntie Liu laughed as she helped her up, “Young Master and Miss Song are attending to work matters, so it’ll be so tiring if you have to catch up with them. I don’t think you need to worry about them. Why don’t we go back to the room, and you catch some sleep? Then they wouldn’t have to worry about your health.”

“You have such a glib tongue!” Old Madam Li smacked Auntie Liu’s hand jokingly and smiled as she looked out of the window, “Alright then, let’s leave the work to the youngsters. We shall go back and turn in early.”