Taking the Princess as My Wife - Chapter 7

“She has long since been found and is awaiting marriage.”

The following day, after Liu Ruheng handed over the memorial and yesterday’s recorded testimony to the Vice Minister, she and Cheng Xuehai went together to organize the relevant case files, re-copying the autopsy records for all eleven corpses.

Once the transcription was complete, Cheng Xuehai spoke up first: “Let us go and check the condition of the twelfth corpse. Did you bring the talismans?”

Liu Ruheng nodded, thinking to herself, “These talismans cost one tael of silver each; it would be a huge loss not to bring them.”

The place they were headed was not far from yesterday’s public hall. When Liu Ruheng reached the entrance, she felt a sudden burst of cold air and shivered.

Although the weather lately wasn’t hot, it wasn’t supposed to be this cold either. Liu Ruheng’s steps faltered slightly as she asked, “Master Cheng, are there some kind of mechanisms here? It is actually quite cold for this time of year.”

Cheng Xuehai laughed twice. “An ice cellar was built beneath this place. Corpses are kept in the rooms; if it weren’t a bit colder, no one would be able to stand the smell.”

He pulled his robes tighter, wrapping himself up as he remarked, “It is indeed much colder here. Once we step back out, I’ll brew a cup of hot tea for you. You likely haven’t tasted my handiwork yet.”

Upon entering the room, the temperature was even more frigid than outside. Several basins of ice sat silently in the corners of the room, radiating a chill.

Liu Ruheng followed closely behind Cheng Xuehai, feeling nervous. This was her first time entering a mortuary.

The lighting in the mortuary was dim. The lanterns hanging on the walls were not fully lit, as candles had to be rationed when no one was around.

A bailiff wrapped in a thin padded cotton coat was in the room. Seeing Liu Ruheng and Cheng Xuehai, he first offered his greetings and then asked, “Are the two masters here to find that twelfth corpse?”

Cheng Xuehai nodded slightly, his expression returning to the stern look Liu Ruheng had first seen. “Master Liu and I have come to take a look. Where is the twelfth corpse?”

The bailiff stood up and picked up a lit lantern from his side. He carried the lantern toward the corner of the room where the most ice basins were placed, saying as he walked, “I ask for the masters’ forbearance; the smell here might be a bit heavy.”

Liu Ruheng followed at a moderate distance behind the two, her heart racing. This was her first time in close contact with a corpse.

Cheng Xuehai and the bailiff were veterans who had worked in the Court of Judicial Review for a long time; they were long accustomed to corpses.

However, after witnessing the tragic state of a colleague, Cheng Xuehai was somewhat worried about Liu Ruheng. Although he felt a bit of resentment that this new colleague had the “dog-shit luck” to be betrothed to the Princess, he felt she was a decent person—steadfast and hardworking, much better than those cowardly bookworms who only knew how to read.

“Master Liu, if you are afraid, you may step out first. It won’t be a problem for me to examine the body alone.”

Liu Ruheng shook her head and said firmly, “Thank you for your concern, Master Cheng. However, since I am in the Court of Judicial Review, I must eventually experience these things. I cannot trouble you every single time.”

Seeing Liu Ruheng like this, Cheng Xuehai didn’t say more, but in his heart, he admired her a bit more.

If Liu Ruheng hadn’t been betrothed, and if he had a daughter of a similar age to Liu Ruheng, he would certainly have entertained the thought of marrying his daughter to her.

The bailiff stopped his pace. He set down the lantern in his hand and lit the lanterns surrounding the corpse, making the area much brighter.

The excavated corpses were all covered with white cloth.

Having brought the two there, the bailiff was arranged by Cheng Xuehai to stand nearby to record the findings.

Before beginning the autopsy, Cheng Xuehai took three sticks of incense from the desk in the corner and led Liu Ruheng in a bow toward the corpse.

Then, Cheng Xuehai took a handkerchief from his robe and covered his nose and mouth. After tying the handkerchief, his voice sounded muffled: “Today we are just doing a simple check. If we were to perform a formal autopsy like a coroner, we certainly couldn’t be this ill-equipped.”

Seeing this, Liu Ruheng nodded and followed Cheng Xuehai’s lead, tying on her own handkerchief.

The corpse lay on a bamboo mat, the mud on its body already washed clean. The moment she truly saw the corpse, Liu Ruheng actually calmed down; her previous nervousness seemed to have vanished.

“When examining a corpse that died unnaturally, one must check the wounds on the deceased one by one. One must not refuse to examine it simply by claiming the corpse is decomposed.”

Cheng Xuehai taught Liu Ruheng as he examined, “What I just described is the initial examination; we are here today for the re-examination. Watch my movements while I check, to prevent any damage to the corpse.”

Cheng Xuehai’s movements were light and slow. He called out every injury on the corpse, while Liu Ruheng watched his actions and observed the wounds on the body to see if they matched his descriptions.

While moving, Liu Ruheng noticed a dark red mark shaped like a gourd on the side of the corpse’s waist. She asked, “Is that a birthmark on the side of the waist?”

Cheng Xuehai’s hand paused. He carefully examined the area Liu Ruheng mentioned and said with certainty, “It is indeed a birthmark. However, using a birthmark to determine the murder weapon or the killer might be…” He stopped mid-sentence, looking pleasantly surprised. “We can give it a try!”

After finishing the examination of the marks on the body, Cheng Xuehai led Liu Ruheng in offering another three sticks of incense to the corpse. He muttered some words under his breath, and finally, led Liu Ruheng in another bow to the body.

“When dealing with a corpse, one must maintain reverence and respect. One must never commit sins of the tongue against the deceased.”

After leaving the mortuary, Cheng Xuehai and Liu Ruheng finally removed the handkerchiefs covering their noses and mouths. When her tension was high, Liu Ruheng hadn’t noticed anything, but now that she was out and relaxed, she smelled the faint stench lingering on herself and Cheng Xuehai. Her face turned pale instantly; she didn’t know whether to throw away the handkerchief in her hand or put it back on her person.

Cheng Xuehai was clearly used to such smells. Seeing Liu Ruheng’s expression, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “You certainly can endure. In my years as an official at the Court of Judicial Review, I’ve seen many who vomited the first time they touched a corpse. You are more capable than them.”

With a pale face, Liu Ruheng felt quite disgusted by the smell on her body.

Cheng Xuehai laughed heartily, seeing her distaste. He said, “In a moment, come with me to boil some vinegar to smoke ourselves; then the stench will disappear.”

Liu Ruheng gave an “En,” and asked curiously, “I never knew vinegar had such a miraculous use before. Does the Master know why boiling vinegar can remove the odor?”

Cheng Xuehai couldn’t explain the reason either. He deliberately stiffened his face and scolded with a smile, “You certainly know how to pick questions to make things difficult for me.”

Right next to the mortuary was a room specifically for boiling vinegar. While boiling the vinegar, Cheng Xuehai shared another interesting anecdote.

Originally, after an autopsy, a charcoal brazier would be placed about three to five paces away. When a person passed by, some vinegar would be splashed onto it, and the stench would naturally vanish. However, because the mortuary was filled with ice during hot weather, burning charcoal would increase the consumption of ice. Since then, they began boiling vinegar in the small side room after finishing an autopsy.

Liu Ruheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

After finishing the vinegar smoking and organizing the records of the two autopsies, Liu Ruheng and Cheng Xuehai each transcribed another copy. Afterward, Liu Ruheng volunteered, saying she wanted to go to the local magistrate’s office to see if there were any leads regarding this corpse.

Cheng Xuehai told Liu Ruheng that if she wanted to go out, she just needed to write a report and hand it to the Vice Minister, as long as there was a valid reason.

Liu Ruheng quickly finished the report and walked toward the County Magistrate’s office.

The County Magistrate’s office stored information regarding cases large and small within the capital. Liu Ruheng’s objective was clear: to look up the records of missing young women in recent times.

During today’s examination, she discovered that the corpse’s hands did not have the calluses produced by manual labor. Clearly, she was a child raised with pampering at home. If such a child disappeared, her family would certainly report it to the authorities.

The distance from the Court of Judicial Review to the County Magistrate’s office was not far. Liu Ruheng had only walked for about fifteen minutes and was nearly there, but she paused her steps as she passed a marketplace. She saw a horse being sold.

The plan to go to the magistrate’s office was temporarily set aside. Liu Ruheng went forward to ask the price and felt it was quite reasonable. However, this horse was still a bit small, and fodder would be a huge ongoing expense in the future, so she hesitated.

Coincidentally, the seller was in a hurry to sell; he lowered the price slightly and promised to throw in some fodder, so the deal was struck.

Riding on horseback, Liu Ruheng was in an exceptionally good mood.

Before long, she arrived at the magistrate’s office. Liu Ruheng handed the horse over to a bailiff. Upon meeting the person in charge of documents, she showed her official token and successfully obtained the files.

There were three missing person cases in the capital recently that fit the criteria. After Liu Ruheng transcribed the addresses, she took her horse to find the family members.

The first was a couple who ran a steamed bun shop in the west of the city; the one who had gone missing was their granddaughter. When Liu Ruheng arrived, they were busy running their shop and doing business. Once the customers had left, Liu Ruheng stepped forward and asked if their missing granddaughter had a red, gourd-shaped birthmark on her waist.

The couple’s expressions turned very ugly, and they nearly threw Liu Ruheng out directly. Seeing that Liu Ruheng was wearing an official uniform, they could only say: “We beg the officer not to ruin our granddaughter’s reputation. She has long since been found and is awaiting marriage.”

Liu Ruheng apologized and went to look for the next family.

That family also did business in the west of the city, but they ran a noodle shop.

By the time Liu Ruheng arrived, the doors of the noodle shop were tightly shut. She asked other shopkeepers nearby and learned that since their daughter went missing, the couple had no heart for business and had been focused solely on going out to find her. At this time, they should have just returned.

A nearby shopkeeper added disdainfully, “She’s just a ‘money-losing commodity’ a daughter; they should just have another one. In my opinion, those two are just stupid.”

Liu Ruheng’s brow furrowed. She rarely showed a cold face, but she said, “Please watch your words. If you commit too many sins of the tongue, retribution will follow.” After speaking, she turned without looking back and walked toward the noodle shop. After knocking gently on the door, it was soon opened by a middle-aged couple with haggard faces.

After being led inside by the couple, Liu Ruheng hesitated for a moment but still asked: “Does your daughter have a red, gourd-shaped birthmark on her body?”

Support Taking the Princess as My Wife