A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 4 Two Lives in One Corpse

Mu Qingcheng removed the copper nails one by one and lifted the deceased onto the bamboo mat.

The thin autumn sunlight shone on the deceased's pale face, the previous ferocious appearance was gone, as if he were just sleeping, peaceful and serene.

Mu Qingcheng lifted the deceased's collar and cuffs to examine him, and said, "The rigor mortis has begun to spread, and the skin has begun to turn black. The estimated time of death is two to three hours ago."

“It’s almost the end of the Si hour now. Counting back, the time of death would be the Mao hour!” Lin, the clerk, said, counting on his fingers.

Mu Qingcheng nodded.

Lin Shuban quickly made a record.

"The deceased had hair that reached his waist, no hair bun, no hair ornaments, and no makeup, earrings, or necklaces."

Mu Qingcheng pried open the deceased's eyelids and mouth, and announced in turn: "Both eyes are closed, eyeballs are intact, both nostrils are closed, mouth is closed, tongue does not touch teeth, and there are no obvious wounds on the lower jaw."

After arranging for someone to come over, Song Shuyu anxiously asked, "What was the cause of death?"

Mu Qingcheng replied, "Judging from the physical characteristics, there are no signs of poisoning or hanging. Other causes of death are still under investigation."

"Okay, take your time and investigate carefully, there's no rush." ​​Song Shuyu said this to comfort her, but her eyes clearly showed impatience.

Seeing this, Mu Qingcheng paused and asked, "My lord, what has happened?"

Song Shuyu covered his mouth with his hand and said in a low voice, "I suddenly remembered something. Li Yunyao's mother and the Empress Dowager in the palace were once close friends."

"Oh, is Your Excellency afraid of the Empress Dowager's wrath?" Mu Qingcheng understood somewhat.

Song Shuyu's expression turned serious. "I'm afraid you'll suffer an undeserved disaster!"

"Hehe." Mu Qingcheng chuckled unexpectedly, his tone languid. "I'm just a coroner. I've done my duty by investigating the cause of death for the deceased to the best of my ability. How could the Empress Dowager blame me? Besides, if I were in trouble, would you, sir, stand idly by? You are the Empress Dowager's own nephew!"

Suddenly, Song Shuyu flicked Mu Qingcheng's forehead with his finger, feigning anger, and said, "You audacious girl, you certainly know how to scheme against me!"

"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng's face darkened. "Men and women should not touch each other. Please have some self-respect!"

Song Shuyu was so angry that he laughed. "Hmph, I don't know who it was that cornered me in the alley back then, clinging to my leg and begging me to let her participate in the recruitment assessment for coroners in the Jingzhao Prefecture!"

"Your Excellency, I was only clinging to your leg, and it was a request, not a plea." Mu Qingcheng's bright eyes were fixed on Song Shuyu, her tone very serious.

Song Shuyu squatted down, leaned close to Mu Qingcheng, and gritted her teeth slightly, "What's the difference? Why didn't the coroner Mu say that men and women shouldn't touch each other back then?"

"Ahem." Mu Qing cleared his throat, adopting a serious demeanor. "Please make way, sir, I need to continue the autopsy."

Song Shuyu glanced at the corpse out of the corner of his eye and felt another chill run down his spine. He threw down a sentence, "Don't be afraid, examine it boldly, I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong!" and hurriedly retreated.

Fortunately, it was autumn, the weather was chilly, and the person had only recently died; otherwise, the stench of the corpse would have been even more unbearable for Song Shuyu. Mu Qingcheng then examined the deceased's head, crown, fontanelle, temples, and throat, finding no injuries. Other parts of the body involved a woman's privacy and required further examination after undressing in the morgue to reach a conclusion.

The only visible source of bleeding is the abdomen, and the dagger that was inserted into the navel.

"The deceased had an oval face, firm skin without any excess fat, and slightly plump limbs, but not to the extent of her protruding abdomen..."

As Mu Qingcheng spoke, her expression suddenly turned stern. She patted the deceased from below his heart to his navel, and found it as hard as iron!
"grown ups!"

Mu Qingcheng had been assisting her father in investigating cases and examining corpses since she was eight years old. In the eleven years since, she had examined no fewer than a hundred corpses and had long since become so composed that she could remain unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed. But at this moment, her voice trembled uncontrollably: "Sir, please find an experienced midwife to help me confirm something!"

Song Shuyu was taken aback. "What?"

Mu Qingcheng was not yet married, and Song Shuyu was also an unmarried man. Neither of them was familiar with the matter of a woman's pregnancy. The two looked at each other for a long time before Song Shuyu finally understood Mu Qingcheng's hint. His handsome face flushed, and he called someone over and gave a few instructions.

Among the onlookers was Dr. Yunci, a renowned gynecologist from Dongshi Street. She was skilled in treating women and delivering babies. Upon hearing that the government had invited her, she came to help without hesitation.

"Dr. Yunci, would you please examine whether the deceased was pregnant?"

"Yes."

This was also the first time that Doctor Yunci had examined a dead person for pregnancy. Since he could not take the pulse, he could only confirm it by manipulating the body. After a series of procedures, he frowned deeply. "Reporting to Lord Song, the deceased was indeed pregnant, about four months along. The fetus is this big and already has a human form."

Song Shuyu was so shocked that she took a step back. She, who had not dared to look at the dead body for long, now stared intently at the dead body's stomach, and her words became incoherent, "It's already... a fully formed child? Two lives lost!"

Doctor Yunci replied, "Yes."

Lin Shuban brought over the autopsy report and had Dr. Yunci sign and put her fingerprint on it. Dr. Yunci almost dropped her brush and staggered as she left, clearly deeply shaken.

Mu Qingcheng didn't know how to comfort Song Shuyu. This young master, who had been protected under someone's wings since childhood and had never seen much sorrow, must have suffered quite a blow.

"Coroner Mu, this knife..." Lin, the clerk, tried to remain calm and guessed, "This knife killed the child and also caused the mother to lose too much blood, so both mother and child died?"

Mu Qingcheng did not respond immediately. She measured the exact location and angle at which the knife was stuck in the victim's navel, then pulled out the knife and measured the total length, width, thickness of the blade, and the depth of the stab wound, instructing Lin Shuban to record it in detail.

"Was the cause of death what Lin Shuban said? Can we confirm that it was murder?" Song Shuyu asked impatiently.

Mu Qingcheng shook her head, "It's not certain yet."

"Why?"

"A second examination is needed to check for any other injuries on the deceased's body. If so, whether they were fatal, and whether the knife was used to stab the deceased before or after death, all need to be determined through further examination. In addition, based on the angle of the knife, it is possible that the deceased inflicted the injury himself. Of course, this is not a definitive conclusion and further testing is needed to confirm it."

"What? You mean, the deceased stabbed himself? And deliberately stabbed the child?" Song Shuyu was dumbfounded, he simply couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Mu Qingcheng believed her wording was precise enough, but Song Shuyu only listened to half of it. She could only emphasize again: "My lord, this is only a speculation based on surface evidence, not a final conclusion. Please be patient!"

The new book is being updated regularly. My darlings, feel free to jump in!
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(End of this chapter)