Gao Fenglin took Ji Qiong away with him, but this handsome young man was sullen and unhappy all the way. Gao Fenglin who was feeling melancholic not only did not comfort him, but also took him to drink and recite poetry. It wasn’t until his furious wife yanked him by the ear and dragged him back to their room that he finally settled down.
Gao Fenglin and his party arrived in the capital. After some adjustments, Gao Fenglin brought his wife and Ji Qiong to visit his teacher.
Madam Gao hadn’t seen her parents for many years, and she burst into tears when they met. At that moment, Gao Fenglin wasn’t the beloved disciple of his teacher, but the unfortunate son-in-law, awkwardly standing by and scratching his nose. Once his wife and his teacher finished reminiscing, Gao Fenglin finally pulled Ji Qiong forward. His teacher had largely stopped accepting disciples, but since it was someone brought by Gao Fenglin, he felt inclined to take the time to test him. The teacher was also quite surprised by this test and asked him where he got this person.
This inevitably led to the mention of Song Que. When it came to discussing this close friend, Gao Fenglin spoke at length. Finally, he talked about the conversation between him and Song Que and sighed deeply.
The teacher was surprised to hear this. Such a person was either seeking fame or a rare transcendent person. Although his disciple sometimes had a bad temper, he was still good at judging people. With this thought in mind, the scholar began to feel interested. However, before he could speak, a voice came from behind the screen: “Is there really such a person in the world? Could it be that you have been deceived by a person seeking fame?”
Upon hearing that voice, Gao Fenglin was immediately filled with anger. From behind the screen stepped a rather flamboyant figure. The teacher sighed. He knew that the two of them did not get along, and had asked Ge Gu to stay away when Gao Fenglin arrived. As a result, Ge Gu was also restless and insisted on coming out to provoke his junior.
Gao Fenglin’s tendency to hold a grudge against beauty had originally been cured by Song Que. However, upon seeing the instigator of his troubles, those feelings suddenly resurfaced, even intensifying.
Ge Gu joked with him: “You admire Song Que so much, he must be quite ugly, right?”
Gao Fenglin cursed angrily: “Bullshit! Zishou is much more handsome than you. And unlike you, he doesn’t rely on his looks to gain an advantage”
Ge Gu said calmly: “That’s because he is stupid. He doesn’t even know how to take advantage of his strength.”
After exchanging several remarks, Ge Gu finally made an excuse to leave first. Once he was gone, the teacher said to Gao Fenglin, “You two grew up together as brothers. Even if you don’t support each other, you shouldn’t make it so ugly. Your senior brother is now a close minister to the emperor, and your return to the capital this time is partly thanks to his efforts.”
No matter how awkward Gao Fenglin felt, Ge Gu really did have matters to attend to as he hurriedly left the residence. After years of struggle, the emperor finally managed to oust the deeply entrenched old officials. With the court now in a state of transition, it was the perfect time to bring in fresh talent. Although his junior brother had many flaws, there must be something exceptional about him for Ge Gu to praise him. Although Ge Gu felt that Gao Fenglin was boasting, he believed that Song Que must still have genuine talent. As long as there was a public assessment, and exceptions were made for appointments to create a buzz, it could yield significant results. The upcoming selection by the emperor would likely yield significant rewards.
Even though Song Que was thousands of miles away, it could be said that trouble was falling right into his lap. Although this trouble could be considered a good thing in a strict sense, it still left him feeling dizzy and confused.
The emperor summoned him and said that there was a remarkable person in Nanjun named Song Que who was skilled in examining corpses and solving cases with precision as if the dead were alive. He was to be summoned for an investigation, and if his abilities were found to be true, he would be granted a residence and an official position.
Now it truly feels like ‘ten years of studying in the cold with no one to ask, suddenly achieving fame and being known throughout the world’. Almost everyone is asking, Who is Song Que?
[十年寒窗无人问，一举成名天下知 (shí nián hán chuāng wú rén wèn, yì jǔ chěng míng tiān xìà zhī) a sentence from an ancient Chinese opera that often used to describe the story of a person who silently worked hard and finally achieved something]
The system popped up to remind Song Que that the progress bar had advanced significantly. Song Que lamented: “Your system is really superficial.”
The system was too lazy to respond to him.
Although Song Que was lazy, the opportunity was right in front of him, not to mention that this was the emperor’s summons. He quickly packed his belongings and set off alone for the capital. The capital was prosperous, and full of remarkable individuals, but someone like Song Que was still unique. With a single package, dressed in a blue robe, and holding an oiled paper umbrella, he strolled leisurely into the eyes of the crowd.
Everyone has a love of beauty. Song Que had not yet met the emperor, who had been ready to roll up his sleeves and do something big, but he had already attracted everyone’s attention due to his exceptional looks.
Ge Gu gave this assessment a grand name, calling it the “Talent Inquiry and Recruitment Conference.” However, only Song Que was being tested. Although the emperor wanted to preside over the event personally and build a reputation, it couldn’t be fully publicized and remained primarily for the court officials. Ge Gu, being astute, summoned the scholars from the academy, hoping to use their writing skills to spread the word and enhance his reputation.
On the day of the assessment, Song Que finally got to see the emperor. This ambitious ruler was in his early thirties, had a beard, looked energetic and very amiable. He didn’t seem to enjoy using his authority to intimidate others, yet his presence exuded the grandeur of noble birth. Below him, a crowd of young scholars, who had been chattering away, fell silent upon seeing the figure in bright yellow. Only when Song Que appeared did they make some noise, not expecting him to be the one they were talking about.
When the emperor saw Song Que in this state, and thought about what Ge Gu said about his literary talent and exceptional investigative skills, he felt quite pleased. The more outstanding Song Que appeared, the more this event became a remarkable story.
The assessment was quite simple, divided into two parts. One tested Song Que’s so-called exceptional talent, while the other evaluated Song Que’s so-called extraordinary investigative skills.
The assessment of talent was quite easy. The teachers from several prestigious academies were present. At first, they asked some very basic questions. Song Que answered them calmly and unhurriedly, while the other scholars below snickered, thinking that they could easily answer the same questions and wondering how he could be called a talented scholar.
Song Que had a solid foundation. Although the Song family had a limited collection of books, Gao Fenglin had many, and in addition to solving cases, Song Que spent his time reading. Later, in order to teach Ji Qiong, he took the trouble to re-lay the foundation. No matter how the teachers questioned him—whether straightforwardly, indirectly, or randomly—he remained unfazed. Although the questions were basic, with so many teachers taking turns to ask, the flow of questioning became quite erratic. At first, the scholar felt fine, but gradually, some realized they couldn’t keep up. On the other hand, under the gaze of so many, Song Que remained completely calm. The speed of answering never changed, and he answered with great ease.
The teachers also became interested and started to give some unusual, tricky, and difficult questions. The scholars below were starting to feel overwhelmed, with less than half of those who usually excelled in their studies able to keep up, and none of them were as composed as Song Que.
Song Que, found the questions entertaining, feeling as if he was playing a game of question and answer. Some of the questions were really interesting to think about, and he had never felt so happy since he came to this world.
The emperor sitting on the throne was truly satisfied. As long as Song Que performed adequately in the assessment of knowledge, it would meet the general standards for the imperial examination. Allowing him to appoint Song Que to an official position and silence the censors. He wanted to make an exception to grant an official position, but unlike a foolish ruler, he wanted to do so based on reason and evidence.
The teachers became increasingly engaged in the assessment, even expressing some frustration at Song Que’s apparent lack of ambition. They thought how wonderful it would be if such a promising talent could be refined under their guidance. They began to ask more open-ended questions, and Song Que was delighted upon hearing it when he heard them. He knew that as long as he provided reasonable answers, he would be fine.
Song Que loved this the most. Apart from his impressive ability to quote classics, his proficiency in various logical methods was enough for him to provide the most comprehensive answers in the shortest time. Some of his answers made the older scholars nod thoughtfully, while some even made some teachers fall into deep thought.
At this point, the scholars below were left speechless, even the top performers among them felt inferior in silent comparison. The only consolation they could find was perhaps their age. Song Que was already twenty-six or twenty-seven, and would be thirty in a few years, while most of the scholars in the audience were still in their early twenties, much younger. They also thought about how Song Que had come from such humble beginnings, having never studied in an academy in the capital, yet he was still outstanding to an extraordinary degree.
The assessment on stage came to an end. Both sides felt very satisfied and even a little reluctant to end. Song Que bowed to several of the teachers, expressing his gratitude for their generous instruction, demonstrating true humility and politeness, with no trace of arrogance despite his talent.
The emperor’s eyes were full of smiles. Song Que’s performance had exceeded his expectations, and he began to look forward to Song Que’s next performance.
Song Que’s performance also won over the examiners and the scholars who had observed the entire assessment.. Although they sometimes could be quite rigid, they were remarkably tolerant of those who excelled or surpassed them in talent. Even knowing that the upcoming questions would involve cases related to corpses, they didn’t express any disdain; instead, they were eager to see what new insights Song Que could bring.
With the emperor present, the officials from the Ministry of Justice naturally could not bring actual corpses before them, so they sent a few experienced officials to conduct the assessment verbally.
These individuals were all practical workers. Although they were not as dedicated as Song Que, their years of experience had indeed led them to develop some insights. The eldest among them asked, “How can we examine a corpse for hidden injuries?”
Song Que’s eyes flicked as he understood that “hidden injuries” referred to subcutaneous bruising. He said, “Take unripe plum fruits and soak them in saltwater until they turn a pale blue, then mash them into a paste and apply it to the surface of the corpse; the bloodstains will become visible. Alternatively, you can warm the corpse on a heated bed and, after it warms up, wash it with wine and vinegar; the bloodstains will also appear. For bone injuries, an oil umbrella can be used for examination; if the marks are unclear, you can apply white plum and wine vinegar.”
Though the official was familiar with the method of using wine and vinegar for examination, he had never heard of the other techniques. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to consider Song Que’s answer correct or incorrect.
The emperor raised an eyebrow, realizing the issue at hand. Assessing forensic knowledge through verbal questioning was challenging, and these officials might not necessarily outshine Song Que in this area. Thinking of this, the emperor made a decision: “Bring forth the unclaimed corpses from the department and summon the coroner, allowing Song Que to demonstrate his examination skills on-site. Whatever cause of death he can ascertain will count as a noteworthy accomplishment.”
Once the emperor spoke, no one dared to contradict him. Although there was a bit of an uproar among the people below, they ultimately did not have the courage to voice any opposition.
While waiting, Song Que was not idle. He engaged in a discussion with a slightly younger official about the methods for examining drowning cases.
The official said, “The most effective method is to fill the skull with water to test for sand. When a person drowns, they will struggle and gasp for air while in the water, inhaling a lot of silt and sand. If the body is thrown into the water after death, it will naturally not inhale water, and thus there will be no sand.”
Song Que said, “It is indeed a reference, but we should not make rash judgments. If it was in clear water, even if the person drowned, the skull water test might not show any sand. Conversely, if the water is murky, the ear and nasal passages are naturally open, so even if the person was thrown into the water after death, mud and sand can still enter with the water. Judging solely by this method would be too far-fetched.”
Song Que’s explanation was clear and easy to understand. Not only the experienced officials of the Ministry of Justice, but even the scholars below grasped his points, and some started to think about how to make their own judgment.
The official asked, “In your opinion, how should we proceed?”
Song Que didn’t immediately mention autopsy procedures, knowing that could be done slowly. He only said, “The method involving sand can serve as a reference. Based on that, if there is a significant amount of froth in the mouth and nose, it indicates the person drowned while alive, as the froth is produced from inhaling the drowning liquid. If the body was thrown into the water after death, it would be difficult for froth to form.”
