An Autopsy
Zuo Yao was the first to greet him.
He cupped his hands, "Your Highness."
It was a reminder to Qiao Yi, confirming his suspicions.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "You... You're Your Highness?"
It was a very surprised tone.
Qiao Zihua was stunned, fear and panic appeared on his face as he looked at the person who bullied him in the brothel.
"You know this prince?" Jing Rong pretended not to know him.
"I... You..." Qiao Zihua pointed at him.
The next moment, his hand was slapped down by Qiao Yi, "Bastard, how dare you address me in front of Your Highness."
He retracted his hand into his sleeves in pain, not daring to make a sound.
Qiao Yi immediately cupped his hands and bowed, "I didn't know Your Highness was here, please forgive my son for offending you."
"It was an unintentional act, why would this prince take it to heart?"
"Thank you, Your Highness."
"What Master Qiao said just now, this Prince has heard it all from outside. When your younger brother Qiao Zheng was an official, this Prince had conversed with him a few times. He has an elder brother in the Daoist school and is regarded as a pillar of support. He can be said to be modest and skillful. Unexpectedly, Master Qiao has come to the yamen with the intention of denouncing him. What? Is there something wrong with the imperial court investigating a case? "
His voice was bone-chilling, his smile intimidating.
The onlookers panicked.
Qiao Yi hurriedly said, "Your Highness misunderstood, this Qiao just wanted to see Teacher Ji and ask for the reason. After all, the case was closed three years ago, why would it be reopened now?"
"There are omissions in the case, a retrial is inevitable."
"But..."
"Enough, since the Supreme Court has already allowed a retrial, it's useless for you to say anything more. If this prince were you, I would return to my residence and wait quietly. As the saying goes, a clean conscience does not fear ghosts knocking on the door."
Qiao Yi choked, not knowing how to continue.
North Courtyard.
Ji Yunshu flipped through the case file sent by Zuo Yao in the room.
Everything written on it was what she had heard.
To put it bluntly, it was useless waste paper.
Shi Ziran waited for a long time, urging her twice, "Teacher Ji, are you really not going?"
She smiled, put down the case file, and called Qiao'er to bring the cat over.
"Have you eaten?"
"Yes."
She picked it up and gently tapped the kitten's head with her white finger. "Little guy, let's go and take a look at the excitement. Let's see what that fierce tiger looks like."
Then, he carried the kitten out excitedly.
As soon as she arrived at the court, she saw the Qiao Family being 'dismissed' by Jing Rong.
Qiao Yi stopped in his tracks when he saw a delicate and pretty scholar walk in.
He scrutinized her.
This person was clean and had regular facial features. His eyes, in particular, looked very clear and bright. He was not shrewd or scheming at all, but he was somewhat intelligent.
Her figure was magnificent!
The lofty and unyielding character still existed!
But —
But it was also very strange.
How could a grown man carry a cat in his arms?
Zuo Yao hurriedly reminded, "Master Qiao, this is the Teacher Ji sent by the Supreme Court to investigate the case."
Qiao Yi was shocked. "So, you are Teacher Ji?"
Ji Yunshu said gently, "I heard that Master Qiao is looking for this humble one?"
Qiao Yi naturally did not dare to be as impulsive as before. He maintained a restrained tone. "I heard that the Supreme Court wants to reopen the case and even sent you, so I came to the yamen to ask about the situation."
"I see." She played it down. "There's something fishy about the case, so it naturally needs to be reopened."
"Fishy?" Qiao Yi did not understand. "Three years ago, there was concrete evidence that the woman committed suicide. How can there be something fishy about it?"
Ji Yunshu did not pay attention to his question, nor did she respond.
She glanced at Qiao Zihua, who was cowering at the side, and walked towards him with the cat in her arms.
When he saw the cat in her arms, Qiao Zihua suddenly screamed in fright. Goosebumps rose all over his body. His fingers curled up and his face contorted.
"Ah! Take it away! "He lowered his head and waved his sleeves forcefully.
He immediately hid behind Madam Qiao.
Madam Qiao's expression was slightly embarrassed. She grabbed her son's hand and comforted him. Then, she softly explained to Ji Yunshu, "Teacher Ji, Zihua has never seen furry animals since he was young, so the cat in your arms …"
She did not finish her sentence.
Ji Yunshu pretended to be enlightened. She hurriedly put the cat on the ground and stroked its tiny head.
"Look, you've scared him."
"Meow ~"
"Go, find Qiao 'er."
The kitten seemed to be able to understand her words.
"Meow ~"
Then, it ran out with its short legs.
It was very cute.
She then looked at Qiao Zihua, who was behind Madam Qiao. "I didn't know that Young Master Qiao is afraid of cats. If you were scared just now, this humble one would like to apologize."
Qiao Zihua's forehead was full of sweat. He lifted his sleeve to wipe it. Seeing that the cat had left, he awkwardly tidied up his clothes and straightened his expression.
He said stiffly, "It's just a cat. Why would I be scared?"
He glanced at Ji Yunshu, then at Jing Rong.
These two people were obviously the two he met in the brothel a few days ago. Now, they were pretending not to know him.
But on second thought, it was indeed not a glorious thing for a prince to appear in a brothel and bump into him.
After all, how could a prince visit a brothel?
After thinking about it, he shut his mouth.
Ji Yunshu smiled and turned to Qiao Yi. "Old Master Qiao, this humble one said that the case is strange, and it is not without reason. As for whether Young Master Qiao committed the murder or not, everything will wait until the truth is revealed. At that time, if the person was really killed by your young master, the chains in the prison will naturally serve him. If not, from now on, your young master will be cleared of suspicion, and the people of Yufu will no longer gossip about it. The Qiao Estate will naturally be cleared of any wrongdoing. I wonder if Old Master Qiao is satisfied with this answer?"
Satisfied!
What else could he say?
Qiao Yi said, "The person has been dead for three years. How are we going to investigate?"
The corners of her lips curled up indifferently. She slowly spat out four words, "Open the coffin and examine the corpse."
Open the coffin and examine the corpse!
These four words smashed into the court, like the sound of a gong being struck, shaking the entire court.
Qiao Yi's deep eyes narrowed as he questioned, "It's been three years. The corpse has already turned into a pile of bones. Examine the corpse? How? "
How ridiculous!
"Old Master Qiao need not worry about this."
"Then … since Teacher Ji has already said so, this Qiao has nothing else to say. I will take my leave." He cupped his hands towards Jing Rong. "Your Highness, this Qiao will take his leave."
Jing Rong nodded.
Although Qiao Yi was unwilling, he still left with his men in the end.
After they left, the yamen finally regained its peace and quiet.
Zuo Yao stepped forward and asked, "Teacher Ji, since you want to investigate the case, where do you want to start?"
She frowned. Lord Zuo, didn't this humble one just say? Choose an auspicious day to open the coffin and examine the corpse. "
Zuo Yao was startled. He looked at her in surprise and opened his mouth, taking two steps back.
He lowered his head. "Yes."
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