Autopsy

"The beginning of the hour of Chen..." Wang Gangfeng also chewed over this time, his gaze deep, pondering something unknown.

Zhu Qi added, "The time of death determined by Elder Zhang basically matches the scene's environment and the drying degree of the ink on the suicide note."

"Upon preliminary inspection, the ink on the suicide note was also written during that time frame."

All the evidence seemed to point seamlessly to the same conclusion:

Xiao Michang wrote a suicide note confessing his guilt and implicating the Ministry of Rites in his study at the beginning of the hour of Chen, and then hanged himself from the beam.

No one disturbed him during this period until the butler discovered him around the hour of Si and reported the case.

Gu Chengyin walked up to the wooden bed and said to Zhang Shan, "Elder Zhang, may I, the Marquis, take a look with my own eyes?"

"Naturally, Marquis Gu, please."

Zhang Shan respectfully stepped forward and carefully lifted the white cloth covering the corpse.

The corpse of a middle-aged man wearing white inner garments was revealed.

His face was livid, his eyes slightly bulging, and his tongue slightly protruding. A deep purple ligature mark on his neck was extremely glaring, which were the typical characteristics of death by hanging.

The corpse had already stiffened, and the skin was grayish-white, carrying the icy texture unique to death.

Cui Zilu only glanced at it and was so frightened that she immediately closed her eyes, tightly grasping the corner of Gu Chengyin's clothes, turning her face slightly behind him, not daring to look again.

The strong visual impact and the icy breath of death made her stomach churn. The excitement and thrill from just now were mostly suppressed by real fear.

Gu Chengyin's expression remained unchanged, his gaze focused intently on the corpse, especially on details like the ligature mark on the neck, the hands, and the facial expression.

He was not a professional coroner, but the keen perception brought by his cultivation allowed him to catch some more subtle things.

"Elder Zhang."

After carefully examining the ligature mark, Gu Chengyin asked, "From this hanging groove, can we determine if the deceased suffocated instantly when suspended? Are there any signs of struggle? Is there anything special about the knot of the rope?"

Zhang Shan replied, "To answer Marquis Gu, judging from the shape and depth of the hanging groove, the force was even and formed all at once. It should be that the sudden drop of body weight caused pressure on the cervical vertebrae and blocked the airway, making the dying process relatively fast."

"The posture of the corpse is natural, and there are no collision injuries caused by struggling and waving of the hands and feet, or scratch marks from fingernails, which fits the characteristics of instant loss of consciousness during suicide by hanging."

"The rope knot is a common slipknot, the tying method is ordinary, and the wear of the rope end is consistent with the rest of the rope, with nothing special."

He pointed to a certain part of the ligature mark: "However, this old man noticed that the distribution of blood stasis and intradermal bleeding points in the empty space behind the ear of the hanging groove is a bit too standard, as if... the position had been carefully arranged."

"Of course, this might just be this old man being overly suspicious. If the body position happened to be just right during the hanging, it could also form a similar effect."

"Too standard?" Gu Chengyin caught this term. "Does Elder Zhang mean that it is possible the deceased already had no, or almost no, ability to move independently when he was suspended?"

Zhang Shan answered cautiously, "This old man dares not make a rash judgment, but according to experience, even if a person hanging themselves falls into an instant coma before death..."

"...the body's instincts might still have slight twitches or shifts, which would reflect more complex subtle changes in the hanging groove and livor mortis."

"But Lord Xiao's corpse... these changes seem a bit too clean. Of course, individual differences are huge, and it is not impossible to have a special case of hanging in a completely relaxed state."

Wang Gangfeng interjected, "Elder Zhang, can we detect if the deceased had taken any drugs before death? Such as anesthetics, poisons, or an overdose of sedatives?"

Zhang Shan shook his head. "Lord Wang, to detect these, an autopsy is required, and samples of the stomach contents, blood, and liver must be taken."

"Currently, relying solely on external observation, it cannot be determined. However, there is no residue of foreign objects in the deceased's mouth and nose, and the pupil size is within the normal range of postmortem changes."

"There are no special drug rashes or unusual odors on the body surface, so at least some common severe poisons or obvious anesthetics can be ruled out."

"As for whether he took drugs with an exact dosage that left no obvious traces, further testing is needed."

Autopsying a corpse was not something easily done in Great Luo, especially when the subject was an imperial official. It required higher-level authorization or the consent of the family.

"Marquis Gu, what do you think...?" Zhu Qi softly asked for instructions seeing Gu Chengyin deep in thought.

Gu Chengyin withdrew his gaze, covered the corpse with the white cloth again, and turned to face Zhu Qi and Wang Gangfeng. "Elder Zhang is experienced and his judgment is meticulous."

"At present, I believe the preliminary conclusion for the case of Xiao Michang, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, is suicide."

"Do you two lords have any objections?"

Zhu Qi and Wang Gangfeng exchanged a glance and both shook their heads, indicating no objections.

Gu Chengyin nodded and continued, "Although the preliminary conclusion is suicide, the contents of the suicide note cannot go uninvestigated."

He paused and issued an order, "Lord Zhu."

"Please give your orders, Marquis Gu," Zhu Qi said solemnly.

"You are a head catcher of the Ministry of Justice. In terms of investigating cases, neither I nor Lord Wang is as professional as you, so I only have two requirements."

"First, thoroughly investigate all locations where Xiao Michang might have hidden wealth, and find the massive embezzled funds mentioned in the suicide note."

"Second, reconstruct Xiao Michang's whereabouts over the past ten days. Where he went, who he met, and what they talked about, compile all of this."

Zhu Qi quickly noted it down and cupped his fists, "This humble official understands. I will arrange for manpower to investigate separately right away!"

Gu Chengyin then looked at Wang Gangfeng. "Lord Wang, as for the Chief Surveillance Bureau, I believe we should immediately station ourselves in the Ministry of Revenue and thoroughly investigate from top to bottom."

"If the embezzlement of the national treasury is true, it is impossible for Xiao Michang to have done it alone. Perhaps there will be unexpected clues."

Wang Gangfeng nodded. "This official will immediately report to the Chief Censor and begin stationing in the Ministry of Revenue for a thorough investigation."

With the arrangements settled, Gu Chengyin glanced once more at the wooden bed covered with the white cloth and said:

"As for the Ministry of Rites and the autopsy, we will talk about it after I go to the Grand Secretariat to report. Elder Zhang, I will have to trouble you to wait a little longer."

Zhang Shan hastily expressed that he wouldn't dare consider it a trouble.

"Since that is the case, you two lords, let us act separately."

Zhu Qi and Wang Gangfeng cupped their hands in a salute to Gu Chengyin and left first.

Just then, Gu Chengyin felt a gentle tug on his sleeve. Looking down, he saw Cui Zilu with a pale little face.

She was looking at him with eyes like a frightened fawn. She was clearly terrified but was still holding on, refusing to show her cowardice.

"Are you scared?" Gu Chengyin asked in a low voice, his tone softening a bit.

Cui Zilu bit her lower lip, shook her head, and then nodded. She whispered, "A... a little bit. But more than that, I feel Vice Minister Xiao is so pitiful."

Gu Chengyin patted her hand that was clutching the corner of his clothes and said gently:

"It is cold here. Let's go outside first."

......

Gu Chengyin led Cui Zilu out of the Left Vice Minister's estate and boarded the carriage, while simultaneously instructing the driver:

"To the Crown Prince's Palace."

Inside the carriage, it was only then that Cui Zilu truly relaxed.

She let out a long breath, and then her long-suppressed excitement erupted like ignited fireworks.

She no longer cared about her status and forgot the fear of facing the corpse just a moment ago.