Zhong Li looked at the earthenware pot in her hands, filled with silver of various denominations. It contained the copper coins she had saved when she first arrived in Jincheng, the loose silver she had accumulated during her tenure as Zhong Siling, and the imperial reward for cracking the case of the Goddess Cult.
It was exactly one hundred taels, no more, no less.
She sighed, tucked the pot away, and stood up to leave the detached courtyard.
The courtyard was not far from Dali Temple.
Zhong Li reached her destination about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, carrying the earthenware pot.
Hua Yao had been waiting eagerly at the entrance. Seeing Zhong Li, she hurried forward and pulled her towards Dali Temple.
"Where is she?" Zhong Li asked as they walked.
"Who?" Hua Yao replied, taking Zhong Li's usual medicine chest from a constable and nudging her towards the autopsy room. "The body is ready, Li'er, you can begin."
As she spoke, she pulled Zhong Li to stand before a corpse, took the earthenware pot from her hands, and placed her usual dissection knife into them.
Zhong Li looked at Hua Yao, who was acting unusually, and then at the quiet courtyard outside the autopsy room.
Hua Yao might have a boisterous personality, but that didn't mean she was always like this.
She pulled back a corner of the sheet covering the body, confirming it was Qiong'er. "I ask you, where is Qiong'er's mother?"
Hua Yao froze, then thought for a moment. "She went back!"
"Back? She doesn't want the money anymore?" Zhong Li asked.
"I reasoned with her, appealed to her emotions, and suddenly she understood and was willing to make a contribution to Dali Temple's investigation, so she went back," Hua Yao said.
Zhong Li smiled, putting down the dissection knife. "Yao'er, do you know that when people lie, their eyes tend to look upward and to the right."
"What?" Hua Yao looked bewildered, her eyes involuntarily shifting to the side again.
"Qiong'er's mother has three children. Silver is essential for her survival. She doesn't even have the leisure to find the truth for her own daughter, so how could she do something for Dali Temple? Tell me honestly, where is Qiong'er's mother?" Zhong Li asked.
Hua Yao sighed, seeming to deflate. She swayed unsteadily to find a chair and sat down. "She really went back, just back with the money."
"The money? Where did she get it?" Zhong Li asked again.
"I gave her my private savings," Hua Yao mumbled.
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes, walked to Hua Yao's side, and lifted her chin. "Your private savings?"
Hua Yao nodded, about to answer, but then seemed to remember something and quickly covered her eyes.
Seeing her act like a little child, Zhong Li couldn't help but laugh. After a long while, she slowly pulled Hua Yao's hand away from her face and asked, "The Prince has arrived, hasn't he?"
Hua Yao's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Zhong Li. "Li'er, how did you know?"
Zhong Li remained silent, her gaze lowered. The dragon’s breath incense on Lu Wu Xie was imported from Northern Di, and its scent was slightly different from elsewhere. She could recognize it.
"The Prince heard about the murder at Hua Man Lou, and the special envoy was also present. He was accompanying the envoy today. He came to Dali Temple to inquire about things, fearing any complications," Hua Yao said, pursing her lips and placing her hands at her sides, looking demure.
"So he happened to encounter Qiong'er's mother, who came to Dali Temple demanding money?" Zhong Li asked.
"Mmm," Hua Yao nodded. "Li'er, you don't know, after you left, Qiong'er's mother led her three children, wailing as if mourning, which attracted quite a crowd of onlookers. Later, we brought Qiong'er's body back to the autopsy room, but her mother refused to come in, waiting at the entrance to demand money. Fortunately, the Prince arrived and managed to send her away."
"I said I would pay the money, why did you let the Prince pay?" Zhong Li asked Hua Yao.
Hua Yao sighed with a look of helplessness. "Li'er, you know the Emperor dislikes it when common people make a scene like this, as if the court had done something wrong. Moreover, some people like to stir up trouble. The longer Qiong'er's mother stayed at Dali Temple, the more gossip there would be, which is why I allowed the Prince to pay."
Zhong Li listened and then simply looked at Hua Yao. After a while, she asked, "Did the Prince know that I would pay the hundred taels? Or did he ask you who would pay this hundred taels?"
Hua Yao knew she couldn't deceive Zhong Li and obediently nodded.
"Alright, I understand," Zhong Li said after her questions. She took a mask from the small medicine chest and put it on, then began her work.
Seeing her enter her professional mode so quickly, Hua Yao was initially a little uneasy. It wasn't until she saw Zhong Li begin to reposition the female corpse that she quickly put on a mask and started to assist.
Qiong'er had fallen from a height, and her skull fracture was indeed normal. Her internal organs had also suffered varying degrees of bleeding and damage due to the impact.
Zhong Li examined the body very carefully, even finding old injuries that Qiong'er had sustained previously.
"Her arm was fractured before?" Hua Yao asked, looking at the arm bones Zhong Li had exposed. "Judging by her age, she looks about twenty. Based on the bone healing, this fracture must be at least a year old?"
"Approximately. Bone and tendon injuries take a hundred days to heal, and without the aid of a cast, it should be an old injury from a year ago," Zhong Li said.
"Cast?" Hua Yao looked at Zhong Li blankly.
Zhong Li had no intention of explaining, knowing that the more she explained, the more confused others would become.
"Li'er, there doesn't seem to be anything else worth noting," Hua Yao continued to follow Zhong Li in the dissection. They had examined everything. Apart from the marks on the body indicating death from a fall, the deceased had not been poisoned, nor did she have any fatal external wounds. It seemed as though everything pointed to one conclusion: that Qiong'er had indeed committed suicide.
"That shouldn't be. How could something so inexplicable happen?" Zhong Li, fearing she might have missed any details, continued to examine the body meticulously.
Hua Yao looked at the night scenery outside the window. They had been working for several hours and hadn't even eaten dinner. She was now so hungry her stomach was sticking to her back.
"Could it really just be a coincidence?" Hua Yao mused, voicing her thoughts.
Zhong Li glanced at her, waiting for her to continue.
"Coincidentally, after Jin Yi committed suicide, Qiong'er also had thoughts of ending her life."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Li stopped her movements and shook her head. "Impossible!"
Hua Yao looked inexplicably puzzled.
Zhong Li explained, "Even if the reasons stated in the suicide notes of these two are sufficient, why did both of them wear red clothing, red embroidered shoes, have their nails dyed red, and wear red lipstick?"
"This..." Hua Yao was speechless.
"The only explanations are that these two planned it together, or we have overlooked something," Zhong Li said, then her expression suddenly froze as she looked at the body before her.
Hua Yao was still lazily rubbing her stiff waist, and seeing Zhong Li like this, she stopped and leaned over. "Li'er, have you found something?"
Zhong Li did not answer immediately. Instead, she picked up a clean handkerchief stained with clear wine from the side and gently wiped Qiong'er's skin.
After a moment, she said, "Several major acupuncture points on the deceased – Zusanli, Gongsun, Shenmen, Shaohai, and Xinshu – have all been treated with golden needles."