Chapter 403 - 257 The Little Servant
Ran Yan checked the official’s pulse and, finding nothing seriously wrong, stopped paying attention to him and continued to examine the body.
Before her lay a male corpse. Although his complexion was a ghastly pale blue, his features faintly revealed that he was a handsome man. His features indeed were attractive, yet somewhat vulgar. If only his demeanor had been more refined, he would have been quite appealing. Nonetheless, at first glance, Ran Yan thought of the effeminate Yu Lang that Xiao Song had mentioned.
"The deceased is male, between eighteen and twenty-three years of age, about six feet tall, wearing a moon-white damask robe with wide sleeves, and his body is generally well developed." Ran Yan conducted a preliminary examination of the body and, after reporting her initial findings, began to inspect further, "The livor mortis has merged into large patches and does not fade when pressed with a finger, the cornea is highly turbid. The conjunctivae and oral mucosa are undergoing autolysis, and can be scraped off. The abdomen is bloated, showing putrefactive green patches. Preliminary judgment suggests the deceased has been dead for three days."
In winter, the decay of a corpse slows, while in summer it could reach this level of decay in just twelve hours.
The clerk recording the findings was gradually becoming overwhelmed. Terms like "cornea," "conjunctiva," and "oral mucosa" were unfamiliar to him. What exactly were these membranes, and how should their names be written?
"Wife... Are these characters written correctly?" The clerk, fearing mistakes and omissions and despite Xiao Song’s stern presence at his side, could not help but carefully inquire.
Ran Yan paused and then realized Sang Chen was truly a prodigy. He hadn’t asked about a single character but managed to write everything down correctly! In contrast, the local clerks clearly lacked the meticulous dedication of those serving directly under the emperor, so her previous autopsy reports had gone surprisingly smoothly.
The scene was engulfed in silence, and Xiao Song showed no intention of intervening.
Ran Yan silently picked up the brush and wrote down the characters, her mind filled with concern that she would have to spend more time explaining these terms.
Xiao Song, however, was not worried at all. He simply said, "Let’s wait a bit longer before continuing the examination."
After waiting for a moment, they heard rustling footsteps in the snow. Ran Yan turned her head and saw Liu Qingsong dragging an out-of-breath Qidian towards them, with clouds of mist billowing from their mouths.