The system couldn’t help but ask Song Que: “He’s right, why don’t you take the imperial examination? In the ancient world, the imperial examination was the only way to advance in social class. You study diligently every day, your learning is quite impressive, and everyone around you admires you. You should be able to achieve good results in the imperial examination.”
Song Que didn’t want to say it at first, for fear of angering it, but seeing the system ask sincerely, he couldn’t ignore it. He said: “Well, it’s mainly because I’m lazy.”
System: “…You weren’t like this in the previous world.”
Song Que chuckled, and after a moment he explained: “I’ve come to understand that the imperial examinations are quite different from the modern college entrance exams. It not only depends on your personal ability, but also who your teacher is, and the relationship between your classmates also needs to be managed. Whether you succeed through hard work or not, you still need to demonstrate your diligence. If I study while handling cases, people might think I’m frivolous.. In short, if you want to take the imperial examination route, you should do it wholeheartedly. After obtaining a rank, all official positions are determined by others, which is less preferable than my current freedom. Take my friend Wutong as an example. As a county magistrate, investigating cases is only a small part of his scope of responsibilities. If he were to focus solely on that, his career would stagnate. I don’t want to divide my focus. If I want to write a work worthy of being handed down through generations, I can’t just rely on the experiences of others; I must correct and expand upon what has been done before for my book to have value.”
Due to the requirements of the script, he had deliberately focused only on ancient forensic works, avoiding modern forensic literature to prevent issues arising from advanced techniques and thinking. Now, he had no choice but to accumulate experience through extensive practical work, identifying problems and drawing conclusions firsthand..
The system said: “But those authors are not in this world, there’s no precedent.”
Song Que said: “They may not be in the eyes of others, but they are still in my heart.”
The system could not resist him, but still secretly worried whether Song Que could complete the task at hand if things continued this way. After all, the number of people in the county was limited. Although Song Que’s reputation was so famous here and reached neighboring counties, the progress of the task was still limited. The system has a hunch that if Song Que was allowed to continue like this, it would really have to wait for Song Que’s book to be published before making any significant moves. But if the progress really couldn’t be pushed forward, what should Song Que do next?
Song Que seemed to read the system’s thoughts, he comforted it when the system was silent: “Don’t worry too much, I just don’t want to be distracted and don’t like the hustle and bustle, but when the opportunity comes, I will naturally seize it. If worse comes to worst, in the future, Brother Wutong and Brother Qiong will help promote my forensic medicine. If you are really worried, I will pay more attention to Song Yi’s study and try to cultivate another talent. Wouldn’t it be great to have three people promoting my book together then.”
System: you’re just too lazy to take the imperial examination anyway, so you’d rather teach two more people, right?
It felt very tired and didn’t want to talk to its host anymore today.
Song Que called out a couple of times. He knew that the system was pretending to be dead again, but it did not affect his mood.
When Song Que and Ji Qiong returned to the mansion, he went to see Master Song first as usual. After years of recuperation, Master Song’s condition had improved slightly. Although he still had difficulty moving, he could finally speak. Aunt Song was there keeping him company and chatting to pass the time. Seeing Song Que returned, she happily said: “Zizhao, your cousin has sent a letter.”
Song Que was also a little surprised. Su Xiuxiu had lived in the Song Mansion for several years, and she had an excellent sense of propriety and tact in her interactions. She was a very considerate person. Song Que had a good impression of her.
Two years ago, when Su Xiuxiu got married, he had acted as the elder brother to escort her to the bridal sedan chair, carrying her on his back. At that time, he had felt a mixture of emotions, somewhat melancholic about marrying off his younger sister..
However, the family that Su Xiuxiu married soon moved away from the county. They were not far away, their correspondence was limited in normal days.. As a result, Song Que didn’t often think about them. Now he said in surprise: “What did my cousin say?”
Aunt Song smiled and said, “Xiuxiu is pregnant. Calculating the time, it’s been four or five months now.”
Su Xiuxiu didn’t get pregnant in the first year after she got married, and being in a distant place added to Aunt Song’s worries. Although Aunt Song didn’t say it, she was often lost in thought. She couldn’t stop worrying that her daughter was managing with her mother-in-law and uncertain about her well-being. Now there was finally good news. Although it cannot be said that everything goes smoothly during the pregnancy, Aunt Song can finally have one less thing to worry about.
Song Que said congratulations, thought for a while and said, “Aunt, do you want to visit cousin?”
Aunt Song was stunned. Of course she wanted to, but she couldn’t go alone. What reason could she give for her visit?
Seeing her hesitation, Song Que understood and said with a smile: “Why don’t I accompany auntie on the trip? We will naturally take care of our own food, lodging, and transportation without relying on others. That way, visiting will be easier to arrange..”
Aunt Song was excited at first, and then hesitated. Said: “Zishuo, are you able to leave?”
Although these cases weren’t happening every day and weren’t all difficult. The officers were gradually trained by him, but Song Que was different after all. He was like a stone that guards the mountain. Magistrate Gao might not let him go.
[镇山石 (zhen shan shi) a metaphor refers to someone who is steadfast, immovable, or holds a position of authority or importance]
Even if work was not mentioned, Master Song wasn’t fit for traveling considering his health.
Song Que said: “Auntie don’t have to worry about Magister Gao. Right now, Magister Gao is actually hoping I take some time off.”
Gao Fenglin originally relied on him for emergencies, but now he wished Song Que would resign from his job and study hard for the imperial examination.
Song Que looked at Master Song who was sitting on the bed, and changed the topic: “As for my father, how about letting brother Qiong and my younger brother take care of him for a while? The round trip is less than a month, and with me escorting Auntie, it will be safer.”
Master Song was extremely repulsive to Song Yi and Song Shu at first.
But he lay in bed all day long and couldn’t hear the gossip outside. Although he would still get upset when he thought about how others might mock him, he didn’t have to face it in person. He gradually became less angry. Song Shu was very well-behaved. Song Que made her diligently attend to every detail, she obediently complied, respectful and well-behaved. On the other hand, Song Yi has a vengeful personality, as evident from the way he kicked Song Que back then. Those unpleasant words Master Song scolded him were deeply etched in his heart. Song Que was afraid that he might develop a twisted personality and stray from the right path. Song Que patiently guided and corrected him from the sidelines. Over time, Song Yi slowly forgave Master Song.
Human hearts were all flesh. After a few years of getting along with each other, Master Song’s attitude has completely softened. Although the family couldn’t be described as harmonious, they also avoided outright conflicts.
[人心都是肉长的 (ren xin dou shi rou zhang de) It figuratively expresses that people’s emotions and feelings are universal and sensitive, regardless of their outward appearance or demeanor. Although some people are relatively indifferent and not very enthusiastic when getting along with others, they will also develop a good impression of those who treat them well and become familiar with them after a long period of getting along with them]
Hearing Song Que’s arrangement, Master Song muttered “stinky boy” but did not refute him. Although it was considered a well-intentioned act for Song Que to send Aunt Song to visit her married niece. Master Song felt that Song Yi’s presence to care for him was deliberately arranged.
Song Yi has also grown up. Having been with Song Que for so many years, he still followed certain rules in his actions. No matter what happens, Ji Qiong was nearby to supervise. Master Song’s expression showed relief, and he felt somewhat reassured in his heart.
Everything in the mansion was arranged properly, but Song Que and his party could not make the trip right away. What Aunt Song was worried about still happened. Two corpses were retrieved from the Changshi River in the county. They were badly decomposed and unrecognizable. Standard post-mortem examinations could not be carried out. It was also difficult to confirm the identity of the corpses. Song Que needed to stay and take charge of the overall situation.
Song Que had no choice but to postpone the schedule of sending his aunt to see his cousin, and took Ji Qiong to handle the case first.
Song Que’s requirements for the autopsy process have been deeply rooted in the hearts. He didn’t need to supervise from the side. The required soup and pellets were already prepared. Song Que drank a bowl of Sanshen Soup, rolled up his sleeves and went in. Speaking of which, his cousin made this outfit for him, and it was specially designed with arrow sleeves for the convenience of his work. Although Song Que didn’t handle things directly, it was embarrassing that his robes often brushed against the corpse.
Ji Qiong followed Song Que and had seen a lot, but this time he turned around and went out to vomit. The officers next to him looked at him with sympathy and understanding. They had already vomited once themselves.
Song Que also felt a little nauseous, but he couldn’t show it, so he could only frown and endure it.
The two corpses had been soaked in the water for who knows how long. Their entire bodies swelled and turned green. Their bulging eyes and stretched lips, with hair falling out, made their faces unrecognizable—a scene reminiscent of grotesque giants.
As Coroner Su said, under this circumstance, standard post-mortem examinations were completely impractical.
The simplest judgment can be made from the basic organs. This was a male and a female corpse. Further assessments were inconclusive, Song Que made a decisive decision: “Peel off the superficial skin and examine again.”
In the past few years, As Song Que’s reputation grew, the unconventional tests he could perform have also increased in the eyes of contemporaries.While primarily adhering to conventional post-mortem examinations to respect public sentiment and perceptions, when faced with impasses, Song Que would boldly take decisive actions.
After Song Que gave an order, Coroner Su started to take action. The officer who had just finished vomiting went out to vomit again. Ji Qiong’s face turned pale. Song Que said to him, “If you can’t handle it, you can go outside.”
He didn’t intend to train Ji Qiong in forensic or criminal investigation skills.
Ji Qiong gritted his teeth and shook his head, despite his pale and greenish complexion, he forced himself to endure..
Seeing Ji Qionng’s condition, Song Que didn’t try to persuade him any more and went forward to observe the clothes of the two people. Compared to the degree of decomposition of the corpse itself, the clothes were relatively well preserved. Although the original color could hardly be seen, judging from the style, they didn’t appear to be from impoverished families, though not wealthy either. Their conditions seemed better than Ji Qiong in his younger years but not as affluent as the Song family.
Song Que noticed the slight bulge in the female corpse’s abdomen, which appeared to be caused by bloating from decomposition. He wanted to wait until Coroner Su peeled off all the superficial skin so everything would become clear. However, he couldn’t help but be intrigued by that subtle curvature.
Song Que felt a little agitated and went out to get some air.
Ji Qiong hurriedly chased him out and asked, “Sir, what’s wrong?”
Song Que said, “I don’t know why, but after seeing those two corpses, I can’t shake this feeling of unease. It’s making me uncomfortable. Do you feel the same?”
Ji Qiong covered his chest and said with some embarrassment: “I also feel uneasy, but it’s different from how you’re feeling, Sir.”
He was simply scared and disgusted by the gruesome sight of the bodies, feeling afraid. However, Song Que obviously didn’t mean this.
Song Que and Ji Qiong sat outside the door for a while and then went back. Coroner Su had only only completed about half of the work, but he had already started to discern some things. The flesh beneath the peeled skin was mostly pale, indicating that there were likely no injuries sustained while alive. Under these circumstances, the bloodstain at the back of the woman’s neck appeared very prominent. Judging from the shape, it looked like a blunt force injury like a wooden stick or similar object. It didn’t look like a wound caused by an accident, but more like the person had been attacked from behind while alive.
“Sir…”
Coroner Su suddenly exclaimed, as if he was startled. Song Que turned around and saw that the belly of the female corpse was still clearly bulging after its superficial skin had been peeled off. He glanced at Coroner Su, and both of them thought of a possibility. .
“Cut open the abdomen.”
Song Que made a decision, but he comforted himself that there could be various medical explanations for the abdominal swelling. This reassurance faded into insignificance after Coroner Su cut open her abdomen.
Inside was a male infant, covered in hair, with well-formed features, at least four or five months old.
He and his mother went to the underworld together.
