Shan Yulan regained his composure and said, "Please, Miss Qing."
As she passed him and stepped onto the golden carpet, Zhuo Qing lowered her voice and hissed through gritted teeth, "You're ruthless!"
Startled, Shan Yulan gave a bitter smile. It seemed he had truly offended this Lady Qing today. Should she find another chance, she would certainly make him suffer.
Yet the emperor's expression moments ago was subtly intriguing. Glancing over once more, he saw the eunuch still prostrate, wiping spilled wine from the floor. Yan Hongtian had already withdrawn his gaze and picked up another cup of wine, as if nothing had happened.
Zhuo Qing approached the Seventh Princess. Xu Xunsi gave her a once-over and asked, "And she is?"
"This is…" Shan Yulan glanced at Lou Xiyan before continuing, "A family member of Minister Lou. She is familiar with some basic forensic methods and will perform the examination for the princess. Does Your Highness the Third Prince have any objections?"
"Minister Lou?"
This woman was indeed beautiful, but clad in a guard's uniform and with a disfigured cheek—was she truly related to Lou Xiyan?
Xu Xunsi looked toward Lou Xiyan for confirmation. With poise, Lou Xiyan rose and walked to Zhuo Qing's side. Taking her hand gently, he looked at her with familiar tenderness and a gentle smile, declaring, "She is, indeed, my wife."
What?!
Zhuo Qing's face darkened—did they really have to go this far for the act?
Su Ling's hand froze on his wine cup for a moment before he resumed drinking as if nothing had occurred.
Shan Yulan stood in deep thought…
On the floor, Yan Ruxuan nearly collapsed. Her tear-brimmed eyes locked onto the backs of Lou Xiyan and the woman standing hand in hand. Since when did he have a wife?! What about me? What about me?!
The eunuch pouring wine trembled. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead, and his hands began to shake uncontrollably—for only he had seen the veins bulging on the emperor's hand as he gripped his cup tightly enough for it to creak under the pressure.
That word—wife—was not to be used lightly!
Tonight, court officials had barely recovered from one shock before being struck by another. It had merely been rumored that the emperor had gifted a beauty to Minister Lou; when had that turned into Lou taking a wife?
The entire hall fell into a stunned silence once more.
Why would Minister Lou's wife appear in such guise? Why that disfigured appearance? And why now, in the imperial hall?
No answers came, only the sight of Lou Xiyan clasping her hand, eyes filled with unwavering affection. Even with doubts churning within him, Xu Xunsi dared not question her identity.
If the wife of Minister Lou personally conducted the autopsy, what could he possibly object to?
Xu Xunsi could only reply, "Since she is Lady Lou, I naturally have no objections."
Releasing Zhuo Qing's hand, Lou Xiyan spoke gently, "Go ahead. I'll be waiting nearby."
Zhuo Qing could hardly stomach such tenderness. She nodded quickly and approached Shan Yulan. "Where will the autopsy be done?"
Shan Yulan was about to answer when Yan Hongtian's cold, volatile voice cut in: "Right here, in the grand hall."
Very well. Excellent. Truly splendid.
The damnable woman dared to pretend not to know him! He would love to see how she, who once trembled at the sight of a dead rabbit, would handle a corpse!
"Bring the screens," Yan Hongtian whispered to a nearby eunuch, who immediately nodded and rushed out.
An autopsy… in the grand hall?
The courtiers swallowed hard. But given the emperor's unpredictable moods, none dared object. Even Xu Xunsi was momentarily too stunned to protest.
Before they could react, four palace maids stepped forward with a piece of white cotton fabric over two feet high, setting it up in a square to enclose Xu Yanyun's body. It was just tall enough to obscure the corpse from view.
Isn't that a little… low?
As puzzled murmurs stirred in their hearts, another group of eunuchs arrived bearing a roll of sheer gauze. Eight of them stretched it above their heads, creating a second veil outside the cotton square. With this dual-layered screen, the corpse could no longer be seen.
Zhuo Qing stood outside the shimmering veil, a frown on her face. What is this? An autopsy or a masquerade ball? What's with all this floating fabric?
Annoyed, she lifted the first gauze curtain.
From behind her, Shan Yulan's voice sounded: "Miss Qing, please proceed."
Turning back, she saw a servant by his side holding a tray with a pair of white gloves and an iron pair of scissors.
She had just been worrying about this—without gloves, it would be difficult to focus. She picked them up. The gloves were supple yet resilient; satisfactory enough.
Behind Shan Yulan, a young male servant holding pen and paper stood waiting.
Zhuo Qing raised an eyebrow. Shan Yulan may be exasperating, but he was undeniably professional. Clearly, success never comes without cause.
Taking the tray, she lifted the gauze and stepped over the low cotton screen, finally approaching the corpse.
Crouching down, she carefully cut open Xu Yanyun's clothing.
Beneath the gauze canopy, Zhuo Qing's face was calm and cold, not a trace of fear or panic.
Now the gathered officials understood the purpose of the two-layered screen. The cotton veil hid the body from view, but the gauze was nearly transparent—Zhuo Qing's every movement was clearly visible.
Stripped of garments, the corpse was fully revealed. Zhuo Qing's sharp, intelligent eyes locked onto the body as her cool, clear voice echoed through the hall:
"The deceased is female, between sixteen and twenty-two years of age. There are no signs of livor mortis or rigor mortis; time of death estimated at half an hour ago.
The complexion is ashen with a bluish tint, eyes bulging, mouth slightly agape. Dark, purplish blood can be seen at the nose, mouth, and eyes."
She gently raised the stiffened hand, clearly tensed in death, examined it carefully, then repeated the inspection at the feet. Leaving no detail unnoticed, she finally said:
"The skin has a faint bluish hue. Fingertips and nails are darkened, as are the toenails. The throat shows swelling and distinct bruising. The abdomen appears normal."
Strange. Typically, when someone dies from oral poisoning, the nails of the hands and feet share a consistent coloration. Moreover, if the toxin manifests on the skin, the throat, esophagus, and stomach—the areas where the poison lingers longest—should show even more pronounced signs.
Could it be an unusual venom from the Chi Huan silkworm?
Lacking a toxin analysis, her hands could only work while her mind raced.
With practiced hands, Zhuo Qing gently turned the corpse over and meticulously examined every inch of the back. Only then did she continue:
"No abnormalities on the back. The skin surface shows no visible trauma."
A preliminary conclusion: the neurotoxins in snake venom likely inhibited respiratory and vascular centers, causing respiratory and circulatory failure. Cytotoxins may have caused hemolysis and tissue necrosis, leading to rapid death.
Yet something still felt off.
Kneeling beside the body, Zhuo Qing deftly unbound the elaborate bun atop the head, removing a golden hairpin. Inserting her fingers into the hair, she began to part the strands.
Her silence stretched on.
Xu Xunsi grew impatient. "Are you done yet?"
But no one answered him.
All eyes were locked on the indistinct silhouette behind the veil—poised, focused, striking.
His words hung awkwardly in the air. Xu Xunsi coughed, trying to cover his embarrassment. "Very well. Since the examination is done, I shall take my sister's body away now."
Just as he finished speaking, a glint of clarity flashed through Zhuo Qing's eyes. Her frosty voice rang out once more:
"Wait."
She had finally found it.
Carefully lifting the hair at the back of the head, she continued in a calm tone:
"One inch above the nape's hairline, a small puncture wound is visible. The edges are clean, the surrounding scalp tinged bluish-black. Pressing the wound yields a small amount of black pus."