A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 302 Ancient Bones (3)

Southern Prison.

Morgue.

After finishing all the recent backlog of criminal cases, Mu Qingcheng began examining the five sets of ancient skeletons found on Eagle Beak Mountain.

Due to the heavy workload, Mu Qingcheng transferred coroner Tian and coroner Jiang, as well as six clerks, including her apprentices He Ye and Wu Liu.

"Steaming bones for autopsy must be done on a clear day." Mu Qingcheng stood outside the morgue, feeling the warm sunshine of early spring. "Be careful that the sun doesn't set too early. Let's hurry up and start with skeleton number one, examining each one one by one."

The officials brought over a dozen buckets of water and several large wooden basins to clean the remains. Then they dug a cellar in the courtyard, five feet long, three feet wide, and two feet deep.

Mu Qingcheng used hemp thread to string the bones together in the shape of the human skeleton and placed them on the mat.

The coroner was in charge of connecting the second skeleton.

Jiang, the coroner, instructed the officials and servants to use firewood and charcoal to heat the cellar until the ground was red-hot.

After extinguishing the open flames, He Ye and Wu Liu followed orders, brought two liters of fine wine and five liters of vinegar, poured them into the cellar, and while the heat was still on, carried the No. 1 skeleton into the cellar pit, covered it with a straw mat, and steamed the bones.

While waiting, they cleaned the remaining three skeletons, numbered them, but did not reconnect them.

He Ye was puzzled. "Master Mu, didn't you say that steaming bones takes one to two hours? We're just killing time anyway, why don't we finish it all at once?"

“We can’t finish today.” Mu Qingcheng glanced at the sun. “The sun will set in three hours at most, we won’t make it in time. If it’s cloudy or rainy tomorrow, we won’t be able to use the bone-steaming method to test it.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Liu immediately asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"

The coroner took a sip of water. "As the saying goes, on a sunny day, you steam the bones; on a cloudy day, you boil them."

"Boiled bones?"

The officials stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with shock!
Jiang the coroner laughed and said, "What are you all standing there for? Go get paper and pen, get ready to write cheat sheets!"

Wu Liu and He Ye were overjoyed.

Mu Qingcheng imparted all his knowledge, "First, prepare a jar as a tool for boiling the bones. Then, put the bones, vinegar, salt, and white plums into the jar, just like cooking something in a pot, and simmer it over charcoal. After boiling for hundreds or thousands of minutes, take out the bones, wash them clean with water, and examine them in the sun. If there are any wounds, the blood will seep into the injured areas of the bones, turning them red or bluish-black. You also need to carefully check whether the bones are cracked. It is important to remember that you cannot use tinware to boil the bones, otherwise the bones will turn light black."

A tall, slender figure entered through the archway.

"Lord Lu!"

"Greetings, Lord Lu!"

The sharp-eyed clerk spotted the newcomer and hurriedly knelt down to pay his respects.

Lu Xun wore a sky-blue casual robe with a matching overcoat, his hair was secured with a single ribbon, and he wore no jewelry or jade ornaments, appearing very simple and unadorned.

He slowly stopped and stood still in the light and shadow.

A line of poetry came to Mu Qingcheng's mind: "A gentleman as fine as jade, unparalleled in the world."

But the next moment, Mu Qingcheng's eyes widened slightly. When Mu Xun went to the capital to take the imperial examination and left Jiangnan, he was dressed in the same outfit!
"Qinger."

Lu Xun called out to her, a faint smile appearing on his handsome face, "I have something to tell you."

In front of outsiders, he always addressed her as "Master Mu," but now he suddenly called her "Qing'er," which shocked the coroner and others, who stared wide-eyed as if they had just heard something big!

Mu Qingcheng felt a headache coming on. She took off her pigskin gloves and apron, washed her hands, and walked towards Lu Xun, saying unhappily, "Shouldn't Lord Lu distinguish between public and private matters?" Lu Xun replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "I wasn't wearing official robes; I was doing private business."

"Ahem." Mu Qingcheng was speechless. "What is it? I'm performing an autopsy, I'm busy."

Lu Xun walked past her, looked towards the cellar, and his gaze suddenly darkened. "When will we have the results?"

Mu Qingcheng said, "It will take at least two or three days."

"What's the situation now?"

"The bones are being steamed; it will take another hour."

"Then come with me first."

Lu Xun turned and walked outside.

After a few steps, he found Mu Qingcheng standing still. He sighed inwardly, grabbed her arm, and took her away.

Coroner Tian and Coroner Jiang exchanged a glance, both of them sweating for Song Shuyu!

……

The yamen was bustling with people coming and going. Mu Qingcheng didn't want to attract criticism, and he was also afraid that if Song Shuyu found out, she would rekindle her long-standing jealousy.

Therefore, she took Lu Xun to the side room.

The two sat down facing each other, and the maid served tea before leaving.

Mu Qingcheng didn't want to beat around the bush and asked directly, "You've just been promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, shouldn't you be busy reorganizing official business and personnel?"

Lu Xun was furious. "Even a donkey pulling a millstone needs time to rest, right? What, are you hoping I'll die from overwork?"

Mu Qingcheng rarely saw Lu Xun suffer setbacks. At least during their eight years in Jiangnan, the two of them got along well and never quarreled. In her memory, he had always been a dignified, polite, and gentle gentleman. Since their reunion in the capital, he had either been hurt by her cold treatment or bullied by Song Shuyu. His joys and sorrows were fully displayed, making him seem much more vibrant than before.

"When I longed for you to live, why didn't you come back to life?" Mu Qingcheng picked up her teacup and sipped, her expression calm.

Lu Xun suddenly became depressed. He was silent for a moment before saying, "Qing'er, I owe you an explanation. I will tell you after you have examined the remains."

"Then what brings you here today?" Mu Qingcheng put down her teacup, her eyes full of helplessness. "Did you deliberately wear this outfit because you're afraid I'll forget our past relationship?"

Lu Xun's lips curled up, revealing a triumphant smile. "I knew then that Qing'er was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. She was angry with me, but she didn't really hold a grudge against me."

"Big brother, I'm very busy, can you get to the point?" Mu Qingcheng couldn't hold back any longer. If she kept rambling on, Song Shuyu might come crashing down on her!
Lu Xun finally took out the items and explained his purpose: "I promised you that I would retrieve the case files for you and take you to the cemetery. Today, I have come to fulfill my promise."

Seeing the case file he handed her, Mu Qingcheng was stunned. "Now that you're standing right in front of me, do I still need to look at the case file? And the cemetery, isn't that even more redundant?"

"The corpses in the cemetery are obviously fake, so there's really no need to go see them."

Lu Xun stared at the case file in his hand, his gaze deep and complex. "But you can take a look at some of the things recorded in the case file. Qing'er, whether you believe it or not, my faking my death and cutting off contact was for my own sake, as well as for your and my godfather's safety."

Mu Qingcheng was a professional criminal investigator. From Lu Xun's subsequent treatment of her, she became certain that Lu Xun had not changed his mind. His actions must have had a great reason. His three years of forbearance, letting her hide in the capital and refusing to acknowledge her, were just like when her father took her away from the capital. They were all doing it to protect her, for the sake of a future together.

But now, there is an additional variable—Song Shuyu.

(End of this chapter)