Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 41 Bone Washing
Suddenly, a beam of silver light flashed and pierced Zhao Ruwen's palm directly. He felt pain and retracted his right hand.

"Stop! You still have time to run now, but once the officers and soldiers from the yamen arrive, you won't be able to run away!" Rong Wanyin held a soft sword in one hand, and the sword body was cold and intimidating.

"Run? Do you think I want to run? No one can stop me today." Zhao Ruwen held the dagger against Xiuniang's neck with his left hand. The dagger cut the flesh and blood flowed out.

Rong Wanyin was afraid to act rashly. A gust of wind blew, and a leaf fell. Zhao Ruwen was momentarily distracted, and Rong Wanyin
He threw the soft sword high up and kicked the hilt with a side kick. The soft sword flew out and scratched Zhao Ruwen's arm. Unfortunately, it was a soft sword. Even if it was a dagger, it would have crippled his arm.

Suddenly, another person climbed up from the wall, and a hidden weapon flew out of his hand and pierced Zhao Ruwen's left shoulder. He fell to the ground and screamed in pain because of the unbearable pain.

"Hey, it's been a while since I used it. My aim is still pretty good!" Mo Yun was very proud on the wall.

"Open the door for me quickly!" A slightly angry voice came from outside the courtyard wall.

Mo Yun stuck out his tongue, rolled down the wall and opened the door.

Yan Mingzhang rushed into the yard and saw that Rong Wanyin and Xiuniang were both fine. He breathed a sigh of relief and was almost exhausted.

"Sir, another female corpse has been found!" Changfeng arrived with the yamen runners and brought the latest news.

"It's tied up. First... pull me up!" A dull voice came from the bottom of the dry well. A yamen runner was pulled up, and he immediately lay down on the side of the well and vomited violently.

The body was slowly hoisted up, and a sickening stench filled the air. Most of the body was covered in dark brown mud, and her hair was tangled and stuck to her face. Her neck was broken, and the body was so decomposed that her face was no longer visible. It was completely rotten, and even her skull was visible! Fat, white maggots were burrowing into her body. She had been dead for at least a month or two.

Yan Mingzhang suppressed his discomfort and moved closer to inspect. When he saw the faded red-soled peony-embroidered shoes, his eyes froze. This must be the first victim!

The face of the corpse has been rotted away to the bones, making it impossible to determine the identity of the deceased!
Rong Wanyin was almost fainting. Her sense of smell was already unusually sharp, and now she was really about to suffocate.

But Yan Mingzhang was determined: "First, carry the body back to the cemetery, and then prepare more wood ash, mugwort, and vinegar. I want to wash the bones and restore the deceased's face."

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Washing bones? How could they do this? Is this even possible?

----

It has to be done no matter what. Zhao Ruwen denies his identity, and this is the only way to confirm the identity of the deceased.

Yan Mingzhang rolled up his sleeves, donned a thick linen apron, and donned specially made cowhide gloves. He then ordered a yamen runner to bring a large basin of clean water. He carefully sifted the wood ash by hand, slowly poured it into the water, and gently stirred it with a wooden stick. After the ash water settled, Changfeng lit the wormwood and covered Yan Mingzhang's mouth and nose with a thick, damp cloth soaked in vinegar.

"Sir, let me do it! Tell me what to do." Changfeng felt a little reluctant and stopped Yan Mingzhang.

"Yes, sir, let Changfeng and I come, you can just say it." Mo Yun was rarely serious.

"It's okay. You don't know how to do it. I just saw it in a book. This is my first time doing it." Yan Mingzhang calmly took the skull and carefully immersed it in water.

Su Zhan grimaced as he watched, closing his eyes to avoid looking, then opening them again out of curiosity, complaining inwardly, "No one said being an official required this level of achievement. If I had known I'd have to perform autopsies... When my grandfather asked me to be an official, I would never have done it, even if I were beaten to death!"

----

The skull soaked overnight. The next morning, Yan Mingzhang returned to the autopsy room. Donning gloves, he gently lifted the skull from the ash and water, placing it on a clean white cloth. By this time, the decayed flesh had softened considerably. He picked up a soft brush, dipped it in clean water, and began scrubbing it carefully. He then ordered a yamen runner to bring rice vinegar, dipped a cloth in it, and meticulously wiped every crevice of the skull. As the stench of decay gradually dissipated, a complete skull gradually emerged.

The tip of the brush instantly outlined the appearance of the deceased on the white rice paper.

Rong Wanyin frowned slightly, a little curious: "How do you know whether the deceased has double eyelids or single eyelids, thick lips or thin lips?"

Mo Yun patted his chest, feeling quite proud. "I know this. Coroner Lu said that the upper edge of the skull's eye sockets is round and smooth, and the distance between the brow bone and the eye sockets is a little far. The deceased most likely had double eyelids."

After a pause, Mo Yun pointed to the alveolar bone of the skull and continued shamelessly, "Looking at this alveolar bone again, the front part is obviously protruding forward, and the width of the mouth cleft is also quite wide. Based on my many years of experience in solving cases, I judge that the deceased should have thick lips."

Rong Wanyin suddenly understood and nodded.

Chang Feng glanced at Mo Yun, patted his shoulder, and said jokingly, "You, you only learned a little bit from Lu the Coroner, and now you're showing off your skills here, even though you have many years of experience in handling cases. You really have no shame."

Mo Yun patted his chest unconvincedly: "Hey, Changfeng, I'm not bragging..."

"Come and help!" Mo Yun was interrupted by Yan Mingzhang before he could finish his words.

Mo Yun raised his chin towards Changfeng and walked quickly over to help.

Changfeng and Rong Wanyin couldn't help laughing.

----

In the yamen prison, when Zhao Ruwen saw the portrait, he collapsed to the ground. However, he still refused to plead guilty. After all, all the direct evidence pointed to Xu Lizhun's murder.

"Why is it Xu Lizhun?" Yan Mingzhang's voice was slightly cold, and he looked at Zhao Ruwen calmly.

"I don't understand, what are you saying..." Zhao Ruwen felt guilty and looked away, not daring to look at him.

"Because he bribed the examiner to take your place." Yan Mingzhang's words were not a question, but a statement.

"How do you know... I've studied so hard for so many years, why does he take away everything that belongs to me?" Zhao Ruwen gnashed his teeth in hatred. "But this doesn't prove anything. Is it illegal to hate someone?"

"Did you know that the soles of the shoes you gave to Xu Lizhun had been repaired before?" Yan Mingzhang's voice was low and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

"Mend it? Can't these be Xu Lizhun's own shoes? Does mending them prove that they are mine? Do you want to frame me?" Zhao Ruwen still refused to plead guilty.

"The owner of the shoe store once said that even for an embroiderer, each person's embroidery technique is slightly different. The shoe prints left by the murderer at the crime scene and the way the soles are repaired are the same as the ways to repair the other pairs of shoes in your home." Yan Mingzhang said lightly.

"It could also be that bitch... who seduced Xu Lizhun and helped him mend his shoes!" Zhao Ruwen felt guilty, but still refused to plead guilty. "You have no evidence!"

"No, I have proof."

(End of this chapter)