Chapter 36 : The First Autopsy (Part 2)
36: The First Autopsy (Part 2)
"Deceased Lin Daxing, male, height approximately five chi, six cun…"
Qin Wan's gaze was deep and focused. Her gloved hands rested on Lin Daxing's head.
Her eyes meticulously scanned every part of Lin Daxing's face. She first pried open Lin Daxing's eyes, then examined his hairline, behind his ears, and his neck before speaking slowly, "The deceased's eye membranes are cloudy, pupils still visible. Bruises are present on the forehead, nose, and right cheek. The wounds are bluish-purple and patchy, no open wounds, facial bones undamaged. Likely caused by fist strikes."
As she spoke, Qin Wan's hand moved to Lin Daxing's chin. With a slight exertion, Lin Daxing's dry, cracked lips parted slightly. "There are large amounts of reddish-brown blood clots between the deceased's lips and teeth, left from vomiting copious blood at the time of death."
After saying this, Qin Wan continued downward along the neck, her gaze suddenly sharpening. "The front of his robe is heavily stained with blood. There are obvious tears on the shoulders, back, and knees, sustained during a fight with another person."
With these words, Qin Wan began to remove Lin Daxing's clothing.
Her movements were brisk, her expression somber and solemn. But outside, Jiang‑shi and the others wore complex expressions.
Xu He was the only one among them who had actually performed multiple autopsies. He hurriedly explained, "During an autopsy, to examine wounds, the deceased's clothing is always removed. This facilitates the examination."
Yue Qiong patted Jiang‑shi's shoulder. "Madam, perhaps wait over there?"
Jiang‑shi pressed her lips together and shook her head. "No need. If Wan'er can personally conduct an autopsy, can't I even watch?"
Inside the room, Qin Wan quickly stripped Lin Daxing of his upper garments. Everyone thought that was it, but to their surprise, after removing the upper clothing, Qin Wan proceeded to undo Lin Daxing's trouser belt. At this, even Xu He's eyelids twitched. Who could have imagined that such a beautiful, delicate young girl could unflinchingly undo a male corpse's trousers?
Everyone was inwardly shocked, struggling to maintain calm expressions. Only Yan Chi's gaze grew increasingly deep. Although he, too, was extremely astonished, he seemed to know this was only the beginning.
He felt both anticipation and excitement, as if already convinced Qin Wan held limitless possibilities.
When Lin Daxing lay completely naked on the long table, Qin Wan's expression grew even more solemn. As she turned the body over, she said, "Purple lividity is primarily distributed on the deceased's back, buttocks, and the backs of his legs. Finger pressure causes slight fading. Rigor mortis has spread throughout the body. Based on lividity and rigor mortis, the time of death is between the second quarter of the Chen hour and halfway through the Chen hour."
Yue Qiong's expression changed. He turned to Huo Huaixin. "Brother Huo, the examination report you sent stated between the Chen hour and the Si hour. Yet Wei Wu and the others clearly stated Lin Daxing died around the third quarter of the Chen hour."
Beside them, Xu He flushed red and hastily knelt before Yue Qiong. "This lowly one's skills are inadequate. Please forgive me, Marquis."
Yue Qiong waved a hand. "Now is not the time for this."
Xu He rose sheepishly. When he looked back into the room, the disbelief in his eyes was even stronger.
By now, Huo Huaixin already believed Qin Wan truly knew how to perform an autopsy. He wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his forehead but still didn't believe Qin Wan could overturn the case. "Marquis, the time Xu He determined was indeed not precise enough. However… however, this doesn't significantly impact the case itself. Unless Ninth Young Miss finds evidence, otherwise…"
Yue Qiong naturally understood this principle, so he fixed his gaze intently on the room.
On the long table, Qin Wan's eyes carefully scanned every inch of Lin Daxing's body. She inspected each wound meticulously from top to bottom. Even when passing Lin Daxing's male organ, she examined and checked it…
Outside the window, Yue Qing and the others couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. Jiang‑shi silently turned her head away.
Yue Ning, standing nearby recording, had initially maintained a grave expression, back straight, embodying a righteous and fearless stance. But at this point, she also couldn't help but tremble slightly and avert her gaze, unable to continue watching.
Qin Wan noticed her distraction and said sternly, "Record."
That single word immediately made Yue Ning lift her head. At this moment, her pride in her martial prowess, comparable to a man's, was utterly overshadowed by Qin Wan. She had faltered, yet Qin Wan remained just as solemn and composed.
"Deceased has patchy bruises on the front of the chest and left side under the ribs, caused by blows. Crescent-shaped bruises on the abdomen, thighs, and calves are mostly caused by kicks. Additionally, there are minor linear abrasions on the chest, front of thighs, knees, and ankles, likely from falling or being dragged. Furthermore, there are small amounts of sand and gravel particles within the wounds on the knees, likely left during the altercation at the time of the incident."
As she spoke, Qin Wan's hand came to rest on Lin Daxing's chest and abdomen.
Lin Daxing had been dead for six shichen. Rigor mortis had set in, and the abdomen was slightly distended. But for Qin Wan, skilled in medicine and having received Shen Yi's true teachings, the faint abnormalities transmitted through her fingertips were still accurately captured.
"Deceased's third and fourth ribs on the right side are fractured. Whether internal organs were pierced is unknown."
Hearing this, Xu He's eyes outside widened even further, almost unblinkingly watching every detail of Qin Wan's actions.
Because for the previous parts, even if his examination results weren't precise, he had at least checked. But what came next was something he had never considered. He wanted to see how Qin Wan would clear the Second Young Master of the Anyang Marquis's household!
Everyone thought Qin Wan would immediately begin the autopsy. But to their surprise, she walked to the side and brought over the prepared white vinegar. She dipped a cloth in the vinegar and carefully wiped it over Lin Daxing's entire chest and abdomen.
Huo Huaixin frowned, looking at Xu He. "Why is she doing this?"
Xu He shook his head blankly. "This lowly one doesn't know. This lowly one only knows that sometimes aged vinegar is sprinkled in the mortuary to reduce odor, but I've never seen anyone rub vinegar on a corpse."
The people outside the window spoke in hushed tones, but with only a window separating them and the lattice open, Qin Wan could hear their conversation. Her expression cold and focused as she stared at the corpse, just as everyone thought she wouldn't respond, they heard her speak. "Vinegar can penetrate the corpse's surface, making some difficult-to-detect deep bruises visible."
Xu He's eyes lit up as if discovering a secret treasure. He hurriedly recited the information to himself three times.
A few moments later, Qin Wan's eyes sharpened. On Lin Daxing's chest, amidst the existing abrasions and bruises, a deep purple bruise had actually appeared!
"A deep purple, circular bruise has appeared on the left side of the deceased's chest!"
Qin Wan narrowed her eyes for a moment, her voice cold. "Caused by a heavy blow from a hammer-shaped blunt object!"
Huo Huaixin's eyes widened. Cold sweat poured down his temples like rain.
Yue Qiong's tone grew grave. "Brother Huo, what is the meaning of this?"
Yue Qing, also perking up beside him, said, "Prefect, my weapon is a long sword, and it's usually kept in the military camp. Today, I only fought Lin Daxing with my bare fists. I absolutely did not use any blunt object to strike him…"
Huo Huaixin's hands trembled as he wiped his sweat, his voice straining to maintain strength. "It's just one bruise. Lin Daxing was a laborer. Occasionally bumping or knocking into things isn't strange. But today he died vomiting blood. It's not necessarily because of this injury that he vomited blood. Moreover, Wei Wu and the others saw it. He vomited blood and died after fighting with the Second Young Master…"
Yue Qing frowned, wanting to say more, but inside the room, Qin Wan straightened up.
"Prefect is correct. Finding one bruise doesn't prove much. Although this bruise is more severe than the ones Second Young Master left on Lin Daxing, Lin Daxing's vomiting of blood isn't necessarily caused by this injury."
After saying this, Qin Wan took out Xu He's case.
Xu He's case contained a complete set of knives, hammers, forceps, and scissors. Qin Wan selected the smallest knife. After steadying herself for a moment, she stood before the long table. With this motion, everyone knew what she was about to do.
Yue Ning was closest to Qin Wan. She instinctively held her breath. She saw Qin Wan bend over, press her hand against Lin Daxing's abdomen a few times, then, as if having chosen the spot, she made an incision with the knife.
Lin Daxing's pale, slightly distended abdomen was slit open by the sharp blade. Contrary to Yue Ning's expectations, no gushing torrent of blood spurted out. But soon, a sour, rotten odor spread. Immediately after, Yue Ning saw Lin Daxing's bloody, flesh-exposed abdomen and the neat cut through human flesh. Even though Lin Daxing had been dead for some time, his exterior covered with lividity and the gray pallor of death, inside his abdominal cavity, it was still vivid and bloody…
Yue Ning watched Qin Wan, who leaned slightly forward, her face calm and composed, and desperately clenched her teeth. But as more and more blood from Lin Daxing's internal organs seeped out, Yue Ning finally couldn't bear it and ran out!
She ran out of the side room in one breath. As soon as she stepped outside the door, she vomited with a loud "wretch!"