Miss Truth
Chapter 250 - 157: The Return of the Second Rabbit_2

Chapter 250: Chapter 157: The Return of the Second Rabbit_2

Liu Qingsong curled his lips, "Ran the forensic doctor, I’m just a doctor, not an Autopsy Officer, being able to do this much is already pretty good."

Ran Yan pursed her lips as she gazed at him. Was this the legendary autopsy expert of Great Tang?

Feeling a chill from her cold gaze, Liu Qingsong waved his hands, "Really, you scare me. I just went to look over the body and conducted a preliminary check this afternoon. County Magistrate Song said we must inquire about the Liu Family’s opinion, as he had been merely expelled from the family home. It’s unknown if he has been struck off the family register, so we can’t just move the body without permission. However, I believe it’s very likely that he has been disowned; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let him beg outside and lose face for the family. If an autopsy is allowed, would you like to perform the dissection?"

"Do you think I can perform the dissection like this?" Ran Yan responded indifferently.

Liu Qingsong glanced at Ran Yan’s suspended arm and, undeterred, suggested, "How about I perform the dissection, and you observe?"

Ran Yan was somewhat tempted. Seeing this, Liu Qingsong quickly continued to persuade her, "You only need to watch, and we can discuss any questions you have afterwards. How does that sound?"

"I will be leaving this place early tomorrow morning," Ran Yan said, looking at the moonlight streaming in from outside, guesstimating that the ground would probably be dry enough to travel after airing out overnight. Moreover, the roads radiating from Luoyang in all directions were very smooth, some were even paved, and not difficult to travel.

"But the tattoos, the beggar’s strange appearance, these aren’t really things one encounters easily." Liu Qingsong was ordered to watch over Ran Yan’s injuries along the journey. If he told Xiao Song that he abandoned Ran Yan to perform an autopsy, would he believe it?

According to past experiences—definitely not!

"Really?" Ran Yan often encountered such things; she was only interested in strange human bodies, and didn’t care how intricate or thrilling a case might be. However, having promised to teach Liu Qingsong how to perform autopsies, she wouldn’t go back on her word, "Arsenic poisoning is tremendously painful, yet the beggar’s face appeared quite serene at the time of death, even with a hint of a smile. Could this be the case?"

"Exactly," Liu Qingsong nodded.

"Why are you so sure it has to do with a drug? Perhaps he went through something before his death that made him forget his pain and pass away peacefully. From what you’ve told me earlier, Liu Wen’s mental state was severely impacted, and it is still unknown whether he had a mental illness. Might he have harmed himself and ingested poison? Or perhaps he thought of it as a release? It’s also possible that he was murdered in some other way and then forced to ingest the drug. If you think he was murdered, can you find evidence of homicide?" Ran Yan inquired.

The human psyche is fragile, so fragile it can barely withstand a single blow. Yet, at times it’s incredibly strong, strong enough to make one ignore all bodily torments.

Liu Qingsong carefully recalled and, with a rare serious expression, said, "I heard there were no signs of struggle at the scene, and there are no marks of violent assault on Liu Wen’s body. Do you suspect suicide?"

"No," Ran Yan immediately denied, "The thought process of an Autopsy Officer is ’homicide first, then suicide.’ With a skeptical mindset, one must find all evidence on the body. If there are no violent marks on the body, he may have been coaxed into eating food laced with arsenic. To substantiate this, the best way is to dissect the stomach."

Identifying the contents of a corpse’s stomach is a quality every qualified forensic doctor should possess.

"What’s the stomach content? It’s the thing regurgitated after eating, only several times more decayed. Sometimes, instruments are needed to distinguish the components; in Great Tang, it all depends on luck. If the person died within four hours after eating, you can still discern the type and shape of the food," Ran Yan explained at a leisurely pace.

Liu Qingsong felt nauseated; he had always dissected by relying on his understanding of the human body to detect abnormalities, but had never laid open every organ to examine them.

"I think... you don’t lack for words, after all," Liu Qingsong felt that Ran Yan was deliberately saying all this to annoy him.

When it came to professional analysis, Ran Yan was always generous with her words, explaining as fully detailed and sharply as possible—the more straightforward and precise, the better.

In daily life, Ran Yan was the same. When necessary, she wouldn’t hold back her words, nor did she like to speak superfluously.

Wan Lu listened by the side, but didn’t pay too much attention to the meaning of Ran Yan’s words. She had a moment of distraction, feeling that the person in front of her was not her mistress at all.

Liu Qingsong shakily returned to his own room, even his favorite late-night snack was left untouched. For the first time, he cursed his own rich imagination!

"What a sin! It’s all because my parents gave me too good a brain!" Liu Qingsong looked at the food on the table, suppressed the acid rising in his stomach, and simply buried his head under the quilt.

The night passed without incident, and in the early morning, just as Ran Yan predicted, the Ran Family’s carriages, loaded with goods, had already stopped near the official road.

After Ran Yan finished breakfast, Er Dong came to invite her onto the carriage.

Liu Qingsong, worn-out, dragged his suitcase and climbed into his own carriage, instructing the coachman, "Follow the Ran Family’s convoy. I’m going back to sleep."

Ran Meiyu had slept soundly for two days, her spirits greatly revived, radiating beauty. She knew very little about the murder that occurred in the small town and thus, adorned in a bright red garment with a smile as lovely as a flower, became the most dazzling color in the entire dreary town.

Thinking that she would reach Chang’an in just over ten days, Ran Meiyu’s heart was merry, and she couldn’t help but urge Ran Yunsheng, "Big brother, let’s set off!"

Her bell-like laughter attracted the glances of passersby.

Ran Yan, with Wan Lu’s support, was just about to board the carriage when she heard an elegant voice arguing behind her, "This is labeled as an inn, why can’t I stay? It’s not that I can’t pay... you, don’t touch me... I..."

Ran Yan stiffened her back. Before she could board the carriage, she heard a clear voice calling, "Ran Wife?"

Was it Huan Kong? Ran Yan turned around, and the first thing she saw was a handsome young man in a grey collared robe. He was looking defiant, his face a bit flushed, but at the sight of Ran Yan, his expression turned to delighted surprise, smiling joyously with eyes like rippling clear water, "Wife!" (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)