Xuanwei carried the utensil box and followed the Dali Temple Qing with frequent steps. He nodded and looked at the flying phoenix pattern floor tiles paved all the way, thoughtfully.

This hot spring villa built in the southern suburbs of Chujing should have been filled with spring news, with birds and birds singing gracefully everywhere; between the sky and water, there should be the sound of wild geese and clouds, and the melting streams and icy waters.

But when Xuanwei came in, he saw that the new buds of flowers and plants everywhere were drooping and listless. The cold plums that had melted into snow should have been fragrant, but now they seemed to exude an aura of resentment and sorrow. In the evening, there was already a cage on the villa. Even though the sunset has not faded under the melancholy moonlight, the gloomy sky casts light on this lush garden, giving people a sense of foreboding and foreboding.

The further we walked in, the clearer the faint cries became, and the occasional spring cries of young cicadas sounded sad and shrill; the partridges sang low like mourning, and disappeared in the woods. It sent chills down the backs of the group in Dali Temple, and there was always a chilling feeling of an innocent soul seeking their lives along the way.

"I have seen the consort." The temple minister gave a half salute to the consort who came to the front hall to receive him.

The prince-in-law is dressed in plain clothes, with two pieces of leather tied to the sleeves of his forearms.

He hurriedly stepped forward and bowed deeply in return, and said sadly: "Mr. Huasi, I shouldn't have disturbed your sleep, but the princess went suddenly and strangely, so I have to force you to come in person."

The minister of the temple had already received the letter from Fei Ge, and knew that the prince consort had probably built a hot spring villa and invited several court officials to spend the early spring when he was resting. Unexpectedly, his wife, Princess Huaixi, died suddenly here.

"I also asked the consort to lead the way. I brought the widow to see the princess."

Due to the conflict between men and women, the investigators were somewhat taboo about examining female corpses, not to mention that the deceased was the emperor's daughter. If the corpse was to be examined clearly, it would be much more convenient to have a female widow do it.

The prince-in-law glanced behind him, and sure enough he saw among the few people who came with the temple minister, there was a handsome woman in brown official uniform and carrying a wooden box.

The prince-in-law felt something was wrong, but he didn't pay much attention to it. He was a low-level official, and he wasn't worthy of his wasted glances.

"Master Temple, please follow me."

A group of people followed him and found themselves in the side hall of a nine-ridge-top dormitory in the north.

Stepping into the side hall and walking around the screen, I saw a long table placed in the space where the tables and chairs used to entertain guests, with a woman in white and obscene clothes lying on it.

There were also several men and two women surrounding them. The two women were a mother and daughter. The girl was escorted to her knees by two guards, while the lady was held by her husband and son, looking at her daughter anxiously and sadly. On the other side was a Old officials and minor attendants.

"Prince Consort! Qing Hua Si!" Seeing several people coming in, the noble lady immediately cried and knelt down, "I beg Qing Hua Si to find out! We Yier are definitely not the murderers of the princess!"

The middle-aged man and young master who were supporting her also leaned forward and said sincerely: "Please give me a clear warning from the Lord of Hua Temple!"

Huasi Qing hurriedly helped the middle-aged man upright and asked, "Mr. Song, what's going on?"

The old official standing on the other side stood with his hands behind his hands and snorted heavily: "What else can we do? Of course it was the daughter of the Song Dynasty doctor who killed Princess Huaixi. She refused to accept the old man's conclusion and insisted on laboring the Huasi Qing. Sentence her to death again!"

"Your Highness Huaixi is the emperor's beloved daughter. Even if Minister Cheng decides to pass the trial, the emperor will order his subordinates to try again." Hua Si Qing calmly bowed to the old official and asked his consort, "Master consort, please grant me your permission." Take a closer look at the princess’s remains.”

The prince-in-law nodded, "Since the temple minister has brought the female widow, let her go alone."

"yes."

Xuan Wei stepped forward in response, first gently opened Princess Huaixi's eyelids, then held her wrist and moved her arm, then touched her armpit to detect her body temperature.

Just after doing this, Xuan Wei frowned with confusion.

She turned to Minister Cheng, lowered her head slightly, and asked softly: "May I ask, Sir, what time do you think the princess died?"

Her voice was as light and pure as a ring. She didn't open her mouth. As soon as she opened her mouth, Miss Song and her brother Mr. Song, who were kneeling on the ground, seemed to be shocked. They all looked at the woman in brown clothes who was as angry as a snowy plum. , all stared in astonishment.

Is it her?!

"What kind of work did you bring, Mr. Huasi, that you even asked me about the time of death?" Cheng Shilang sneered, "You came here for another trial, are you going to copy my conclusion?"

Qing Huasi also disliked the Minister of Justice Cheng, holding up his sleeves and snorted: "Checking the time of death verified by both parties is a re-examination process, Minister Cheng, just answer it!"

Cheng Shilang said contemptuously: "The princess died at noon two and a half hours ago. The pinch mark on her neck shows that she was strangled to death. During this time, Miss Song was in this dormitory; and according to what other female guests said, it can be proved , Miss Song had a dispute with the princess yesterday - is this too much of a coincidence?"

"It's not me! How could I kill the princess because of such a trivial matter of friendship?" Miss Song ignored Xuan Wei and shouted hoarsely, "I was called here by the princess's maid. When I arrived, I found out She is dead!"

Xuanwei nodded, his voice soft but firm: "It's really a coincidence, but we can discuss this coincidence later. Let's talk about the time of death first... I think the princess did not die at noon today, but in the early morning. When it’s ugly.”

"Absurd!" Cheng Shilang sneered, "Little girl, I think you just tried it a few times - you bent and stretched the princess's arm. You should know that it is not very stiff, how could it be possible that she has been dead for eight hours? There are also armpit probes. Wen, if the princess really died last night, her body would have been completely cold by now, so how could there be such residual heat!"

Xuan Wei did not refute, "What the Lord Minister said is absolutely true. But I wonder if you have checked the princess's pupils?"

As soon as these words came out, Mr. Cheng, who had just spoken eloquently, was stunned.

"The warmth of corpses can indeed help determine the time of death. But it is extremely susceptible to human interference." Xuan Wei said in a sweet voice:

"If the murderer moves the corpse, the development of rigor mortis can be delayed, and the temperature of the corpse can be faked. However, the changes in the eyes of a person after death cannot be changed, unless the murderer digs out the eyes of the deceased. The princess's eyes were cloudy, and although they were relatively turbid, they were still The pupils can be seen through. According to this, the death should be between seven and twelve o'clock, and it cannot be two hours ago at noon."

"...The incident happened suddenly. I didn't have time to call Wu Zuo!" Shilang Cheng couldn't believe that he was being taught by a junior to do something. He explained angrily and forcefully. Then he glared at Xuan Wei's head with his straight eyes. .

He couldn't see clearly the face of this little girl for a moment, but her figure and temperament, which was as beautiful as a plum blossom in the snow, could not be concealed even if she was wearing a low-quality coarse cloth. She seemed to have seen her somewhere.

The prince-in-law, who had just glanced at Xuan Wei and felt that something was wrong, also frowned and looked at her from the side. Then his eyebrows suddenly opened in surprise.

"Are you Zhou, the eldest daughter of the Zhou family?" The consort was startled and pointed at her with trembling hands, "Sinful daughter! Didn't you die three years ago?!"

This is a well-known fact and is known to everyone present.

Cheng Shilang was also frightened, and said sternly: "Okay! Your Dali Temple just randomly recruits female widows to cause trouble, but you dare to harbor the remnants of the Zhou family? You, surnamed Hua, are wearing your official hat crookedly!"

After these two people spoke up, Miss Song was more sure of Xuan Wei's identity. She cried with tears in her eyes as if grasping at straws: "Huahua, save me! I really didn't kill the princess, you know me!"

Xuan Wei ignored Miss Song. If she showed that she had a close acquaintance with Miss Song at this time, the credibility of her conclusion would be reduced.

"Whether someone in a humble position deserves to die or not has nothing to do with this case." Xuanwei's words were not affected by the accusation at all. His soft tone was just the right amount of humility, but his confidence did not diminish at all:

"If the minister cannot believe in the method of examining the pupils of the princess, I will have no choice but to ask the consort to agree to perform an autopsy and confirm the time of death again based on the condition of the remains in the princess's stomach."
Chapter completed!