SHUT UP!!

Before they could get to the room, Qingqiao got a shock from the tremendous crowd in front of her, “Young Mistress…there are so many people!”

Why were there so many people? And where did they come from?!

Wasn’t Tianhua Temple supposed to be a very quiet place? They just came here the night before, and there was nobody in sight, not even a shadow! Even the birds flying through branches and screeching were frightening! How did so many people suddenly appear overnight?

And they were all crowding in front of the room with the corpse! And all men!

What were they waiting for? Was there something to see?

Could it be…her Young Mistress?

Her Young Mistress was supposed to dissect the corpse, after all…

Qingqiao’s palm grew sweaty. She gulped and did her best to straighten her back.

No matter what, today was a big day. She had to maintain her composure, she had to make sure her legs didn’t give way. She had to make sure she didn’t embarrass her Young Mistress!

“Look! It’s this woman! The one who’s supposed to be cutting the body open!”

“Humph! A woman, no less! How audacious!”

“Cut a body open? Look at those tiny fingers of hers. They could probably wield an embroidery needle, but a knife? Don’t end up cutting yourself instead of the body!”

“Bro, don’t put it that way. Think about it. If she really does end up doing that, this pretty girl will have that helpless look on her face and even start crying…that’s a beautiful sight to behold in itself. We definitely didn’t come here for nothing!”

“Examining the dead requires technique and experience. There are proper procedures to follow. A high-level coroner would never dare to cut a body open like this. This woman is too bold for her own good. Do you even know how to differentiate wounds? Do you know the rules? Do you know how to write the autopsy report? I’m sure she doesn’t know how to do anything, yet she’s monkeying around here.”

The crowd murmured among themselves and said all sorts of nasty things. It was obvious that they had purposely come here to mock Song Caitang.

Song Caitang looked at the burgeoning crowd in front of the door and frowned slightly. There were at least 30 or 40 people here. She was rather surprised herself too…

…until she spotted Wen Yuansi standing behind the entire crowd.

Wen Yuansi had held a more administrative job all his life and probably never worked out. He was buried in the crowd and couldn’t squeeze his way through, so he could only give her an awkward smile and an apologetic expression.

Song Caitang got it now.

Wen Yuansi wasn’t the one who called all these people over, but this happened because of him.

Because of him…

Song Caitang lowered her eyes slightly as a glint flashed in them.

This was office politics. Everyone was fighting to claim credit, fighting to be first. Sometimes one side would gain the upper hand, and sometimes the other side would. Both covert and overt schemes were at play all the time. Wen Yuansi was trying to fight for her to get a chance to be part of the investigation team, but others did not agree or hoped to topple him…so they used this method to make things difficult for everyone involved.

The nasty words and their strength in numbers were quite frightening, but this was Song Caitang they were talking about. She was born a bold character, and she wasn’t scared of threats!

She looked toward Wen Yuansi through the crowd. Her lips curled upward slightly into a beautiful smile.

Wen Yuansi was surprised for a moment before he broke into a smile as well. There was even a twinkle in his eye.

This Miss Song always pleasantly surprised him.

This expression, this brilliant display of confidence, seemed to be telling him to be rest assured because she was definitely capable of doing what she had promised him.

She had promised one thing – as long as he was willing to believe in her and allow her to do what she said she could, she was going to make everyone be in awe of his judgment of her!

In that instant, Wen Yuansi felt his heart beating like a drum. He was looking forward to what was going to happen next.

Someone tapped his arm lightly. It was Magistrate Zhang, “That’s her? That’s Miss Song?”

Wen Yuansi was still smiling, “That’s her.”

Magistrate Zhang squeezed through the crowd and walked toward Song Caitang, “Miss Song, you’re here!”

Song Caitang stared at him quizzically. Who was this guy?

After speaking to Wen Yuansi the night before, Magistrate Zhang couldn’t sleep. He felt like he had come to the crossroads of his future. He had been in office for many years without anybody powerful to rely on. He had made it this far because he was able to think differently and be flexible in the way he worked. When needed, he had to be reliable some of the time, scheming some of the time. He needed connections everywhere. And at important times like these, he had to analyze the situation carefully and pick a side. As long as he picked the right side, then his future was sure regardless of his actual capabilities.

Also, one had to take a side without hesitation. The effect of sending charcoal in the freezing snow was always more impactful compared to adding flowers to an already beautiful piece of fabric. Once he had made his decision, he couldn’t remain behind the crowd anymore. It was best to make sure everyone knew where he stood as early as possible! He had to announce it loudly, had to be bold about it. He wanted everyone to know that he, Zhang Gushen, supported this Miss Song!

His original intention was to spread the word around so that Zhao Zhi, a man from the palace, would know that he was seriously investigating a case. Meanwhile, he also asked Wen Yuansi and his grandmother to ask him to take note of this case privately. He didn’t expect the word to spread so quickly that it alarmed the provincial governor.

The governor had always gone against him and disliked Wen Yuansi as well. So…he sent all these people to make life difficult for him.

If things turned out well today, then he, Wen Yuansi, and Miss Song would become famous, and their futures would be bright. But if things turned out badly…that was the end of his career.

He kicked the people around him aside discreetly and continued walking toward Song Caitang. He had a warm and friendly smile on his face, “Miss Song, my surname is Zhang, and I’m the prefectural governor. Even though Magistrate Wen is fully in charge of this case…” He glanced to the side as he spoke but couldn’t find Wen Yuansi at all.

Where did he go? Where was he?

He took a second glance and finally found him…stuck behind the crowd, unable to move a single inch forward.

ARGH!

Governor Zhang glared at Wen Yuansi, then turned to continue speaking to Song Caitang, “Magistrate Wen is a humble and poised gentleman who takes his time, so it’s taking him a while to get here…but don’t be afraid! I’m right here! Go ahead and do what you have to, and I’ll make sure that everything will be fine!”

As he spoke, he scanned the crowd around him from the corner of his eye. The message he was sending to her was clear: he wasn’t the one who arranged for all these people to come! Please don’t misunderstand!

Song Caitang looked at Wen Yuansi, who was still stuck at the back, then looked at Governor Zhang in front of her. She understood where he stood and bowed politely, “Thank you so much, Governor Zhang.”

“No worries! I just hope that Miss Song will put in your best efforts and help to crack this case!” said Governor Zhang as he stroked his beard with a solemn look on his face.

There was a twinkle in Song Caitang’s eyes, “Don’t worry, Governor Zhang. I will certainly put in my best efforts.”

This prefectural governor was a clever man too.

“Miss Song, this way, please.”

“After you, Governor Zhang.”

Once they arrived at the room, Governor Zhang noticed the box that Qingqiao had placed on the floor and asked, “This lady here is…”

Song Caitang replied, “She’s my assistant.”

When Qingqiao heard her Young Mistress introduce her this way, she straightened up a little more, and her actions became even more careful but nimble. She was Song Caitang’s assistant! She had to hold it together!

She opened the wooden box, and everything inside could be seen. Besides the usual alcohol, warm water, ginger, and so on that most coroners would use, the thing that caught everyone’s attention was the row of shiny, sharp tools.

These were small knives with handles longer than the knife itself. The blades were curved at strange angles, and there were a few of each. There were also tiny tweezers, clips, scissors…and some other odd-shaped tools that nobody could name.

All of them had a blade exposed and shone threateningly in the light as they were all placed in one neat row. The box was lined with soft fabric, but these sharp things still looked scary.

“These are…”

“That’s right. I will need to use them today.”

The shine of the blade and Song Caitang’s smiling face… Governor Zhang felt his heart pound with fear.

When he first saw her, he felt that this young lady was very pretty, and her smile was gentle and warm. But now…

Oh my god! She’s so scary! She wasn’t gentle and warm at all!!!

Song Caitang washed her hands with warm water.

Qingqiao retrieved the atractylodes and honey locust plants from the wooden box, put them into a trough, and lit them on fire. Song Caitang held her hands above the flames and allowed the smoke to dry her hands.

“Alcohol.”

Qingqiao got the alcohol and poured it on her hands.

Song Caitang was very serious as she rubbed it on her hands, then placed a little under her nose.

“Ginger.”

Qingqiao opened one of the small boxes to take out a slice of fresh ginger that she had cut before coming and placed it in Song Caitang’s mouth.

“Coat.”

Qingqiao took out the large overcoat that they had rushed to make and helped Song Caitang to put it on.

It looked like an extra large apron with sleeves and ribbons at the back to tie it up. Song Caitang couldn’t wear it by herself, but once she got it on, the coat covered her entirely. Not even a corner of her dress could be seen.

While Qingqiao tied the ribbons, she put on some gloves.

Due to time constraints, she couldn’t really find the right material. These gloves were made from ordinary fabric that was thick enough to protect her skin. It was a little waterproof and not elastic at all. Thankfully, Qingqiao had measured her hands well, so the measurements were perfect and made for a pair of usable gloves.

“Face towel.”

Qingqiao took out a small, soft towel stuffed with a thin layer of cotton. She placed it over Song Caitang’s nose and mouth and tied it behind her head.

This series of actions were done smoothly and at a steady pace. It was very calming to watch.

But the crowd outside didn’t think so.

In order to make the room as bright as possible, all the doors and windows were opened to their maximum. The people around the room could see everything that was happening inside clearly. Tongues immediately started wagging.

“My, my! That’s something new!”

“She’s just going to examine a body! Why does she need to add so many useless steps?”

“She’s a woman, alright. Even at such a time, she’s worried about her clothes and makeup! HA!”

Governor Zhang was a little embarrassed by these people.

He was an official, so he could use his authority to chase them away. But these people were sent by the provincial governor to make things difficult for him. The governor did not explicitly say that he had sent these people, so Governor Zhang couldn’t fight them in the open either.

“It’s alright,” he consoled Song Caitang, “This is not some shameful procedure that we have to keep hidden from sight. They can watch all they want.”

Song Caitang smiled, “It is as you say.”

She was happy to have more people watch her at first, but now…

They kept talking about how a woman was this and a woman was that – they were being so noisy!

There was a tinge of anger in her eyes.

SHUT UP! She wished she could yell at them. SHUT UP!!

“For the autopsy report…” Her black, clear eyes were calm again, “I need someone to take down notes.”

“I’ll do it!”

Wen Yuansi had finally made it through the crowd and into the room. He took the brush from her, “I’ll help you to write everything down.”

Song Caitang nodded, “Thank you, Magistrate Wen.”

She then walked to the body lying on the table and pulled off the cloth.

“I’ll begin now.”

She looked down at the body and spoke with a clear voice as her fingers lightly touched the body, “The victim is male, around 30 years of age, 6’8. Hair untied, clothing in disarray. There are several holes in his top, suspected to be caused by sharp rocks. No severe loss of blood. No wounds were caused by a weapon. Upon removal of his clothing, a large number of marks left behind by punches can be seen on his chest and abdomen.”