The punishment of the female imperial court

Chapter 271 Confrontation
It was almost dawn, the curfew had just been lifted, and the cold was biting. Yu Qiansi walked on the frozen ground and came to the neighborhood where the charity cemetery was located.

The beggar huddled in the corner of the street heard the clinking of copper coins in the broken bowl. He opened his eyes slightly and caught a glimpse of dark red. He muttered vaguely, wrapped the pile of rags of unidentifiable color around him tighter and huddled deeper into the pitiful warmth that was created by his body temperature.

Yu Qiansi stopped in front of the mottled and peeling wooden door of the charity cemetery. She breathed in the cold air, which smelled of rotten wood and old dust. She raised her head slightly and looked at the blurred words "Yi Zhuang" on the lintel. She didn't know what she was thinking. The breath she exhaled condensed into a small ball of white mist, which lingered for a long time.

After a long time, she raised her hand and knocked on the cold door with her knuckles. The sound was particularly clear in the quiet morning.

The door creaked open a crack, revealing Zhang Yilun's pale and thin face. He was wrapped in a washed-out cotton jacket, and his body was so thin that it seemed like it could be blown down by a gust of wind. Due to long-term lack of sunlight and deliberate lack of food, his face was a sickly pale color.

He saw Yu Qiansi outside the door. Panic, pain, and anger flashed across her eyes, which were always a little timid and evasive, and finally turned into a dead silence.

Yu Qiansi said nothing, stepped sideways into the door, and closed the heavy wooden door with her backhand, isolating the cold outside. She turned around, her eyes fell on Zhang Yilun as if it was real. The courtyard was filled with the mixed smell of old wood, herbs and a faint antiseptic solution.

"Do we still need to test each other?" Her voice carried far in the empty courtyard, and there was a storm hidden under the calm.

Zhang Yilun's thin body trembled uncontrollably, like a dead leaf in the cold wind. He lowered his eyes, staring at his bony, equally pale hands, and a bitter, self-deprecating arc appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Sister Yu doesn't believe me?" His voice was dry and hoarse.

"Yilun," Yu Qiansi took a step closer. In the dim light, she could see the dark circles under his eyes and his chest heaving slightly with excitement. "You didn't believe me either. I told you that there are many things involved. When the people who know the inside story return to the capital, I will tell you the whole story. But you didn't believe me." There was a hint of imperceptible disappointment in her tone.

Zhang Yilun raised his head abruptly, his pale face flushed abnormally with anger, this blush looked particularly glaring and sickly on his bloodless face. He almost growled: "I heard him say with my own ears that Huanyan was used up ten years ago! Sister Yu, are you going to continue to lie to me?" His chest rose and fell violently, his eyes were filled with the flames of hurt and stubbornness.

Yu Qiansi was slightly surprised: "So, it was you who made the noise in the bamboo forest yesterday." Then, she frowned, obviously angry: "How many times have I told you to make plans before taking action! Even if he is the person you should avenge," she pointed behind her, "you shouldn't be so reckless! The coroner in the Dali Temple is an extremely serious person. If he didn't die of illness, as long as he had a breath left, he would crawl back to the Dali Temple for an autopsy. By then, he would naturally find out what you did!" Her voice became stern, "Yilun, you are a coroner! A coroner speaks for the dead and restores justice to the world! How could you tamper with a corpse! This is the greatest blasphemy to the dead, and it is also a stain on your father's craftsmanship!"

Zhang Yilun's thin body trembled twice, lowered his eyes, and laughed at himself: "Sister Yu doesn't believe me?"

"Yilun, you didn't believe me either. I told you that there were many things involved. When the person who knew the inside story returned to the capital, I would tell you the whole story. But you didn't believe me."

Zhang Yilun's pale face flushed with anger. He looked very sick. "I heard him say with my own ears that Huanyan was used up ten years ago. Sister Yu, are you going to continue to lie to me?"

Yu Qiansi was a little angry: "How many times have I said that you should plan before you act. Even if he is the person you should avenge, you should not be so reckless. The coroner of the Dali Temple is a very serious man. If he did not die of illness, he would go back and re-examine the autopsy, and would naturally find out what you did. Yilun, you are a coroner! How could you tamper with the corpse!" Zhang Yilun's face turned even paler after being scolded by her. He subconsciously took a step back, avoiding her eyes, and did not dare to look directly into her sharp gaze.

"Who on earth bewitched you to do this?" Yu Qiansi took a step closer, his voice cold and deep, with an unquestionable sense of oppression.

At this moment, there was a light "bang" sound, and a black shadow swiftly climbed over the wall and landed in the small courtyard of the charity cemetery. It was Bo Yi. He was dressed in a black suit, which made him look tall and sturdy. His breath was slightly short, and it was obvious that he was in a hurry.

"That's right," Bo Yi stopped, his eyes swept over Zhang Yilun, and finally landed on Yu Qiansi, "The dying coroner in the Dali Temple was fed medicine last night, and he should recover in the next two days."

The moment their eyes met, everything was said without words.

It seems that he left last night and must have got the news and went after the person who poisoned and then fed the medicine.

When Zhang Yilun saw Boyi, his eyes instantly turned red, like an enraged cub, he let out a low growl and rushed over regardless of the consequences!
Yu Qiansi reacted very quickly, and in a flash, she blocked in front of Zhang Yilun and firmly grasped his thin wrist. The wrist was cold and sharp, with almost no flesh. "You are weak, what can you do if you rush over? Are you going to die in vain?" Her voice was filled with anxiety and sternness, "Can you be more rational!"

After restraining Zhang Yilun, Yu Qiansi said to Boyi quickly without turning around: "Boyi, there is a mezzanine on the side wall near the window in the room. Go save him first!"

When Zhang Yilun heard the words "save" and "mezzanine", his struggling movements suddenly stopped. He stared at Yu Qiansi blankly, his eyes full of shock and disbelief: "You really... know." His voice was as soft as a whisper.

Bo Yi was stunned for a moment. Although he didn't understand why, his trust in Yu Qiansi made him turn around and rush into the morgue without hesitation. The room was dimly lit and simply furnished. There were only a few morgue beds and a few cabinets for storing sundries. The wall near the window looked like an ordinary adobe wall, and there was no sign of a mezzanine. He groped around in confusion.

At this moment, "dong...dong...dong..." several dull knocking sounds came from the wall near the window! The sound was not loud, but it was extremely clear.

Bo Yi immediately leaned over and carefully examined the wall in the dim light coming in from the window. He ran his fingers across the rough wall and finally felt a tiny bulge in an inconspicuous gap. He pressed hard!
With a slight "click" sound, a wall panel slid silently inwards, revealing a narrow mezzanine space. When Bo Yi saw the situation inside, even though he had a lot of experience, he couldn't help but be shocked.

There was actually another "Zhang Yilun" curled up in the mezzanine.