Huai Qing frowned slightly, following Xu Qi'an's movements, she looked at the dull yellow silk cloth, her clear and cold voice mixed with urgency: "What did you find?"

Xu Qi'an shrugged, "I guess the mystery is in this cloth, but I don't know what kind of secret it holds."

A "?" flashed in Huai Qing's beautiful eyes, not understanding why he had said it so confidently just now.

Wei Yuan's gaze fell on the yellow silk cloth and said, "This is a fabric that can only be used by concubines of the third rank or above in the palace."

Concubines in the palace also have ranks, with the top being the Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, and Noble Consort. Those with fixed titles like Furen and Guifei are of the first rank.

Below them are Furen, Guiji, and Zhaoyi, all within the third rank.

The ranking of the beauties in the harem touched upon Xu Qi'an's blind spot of knowledge, but it didn't matter. He asked, "So how could a palace maid have this fabric?"

The Fourth Prince answered, "Either it was given as a reward by someone important, or it was stolen."

Xu Qi'an nodded.

Wei Yuan took the dull-colored, old yellow silk cloth and examined it, saying, "Spring of the thirty-first year of Emperor Yuan..."

"Did anything happen that year, I mean in the palace?" Xu Qi'an had a sudden inspiration and directly asked if there had been any major events that year.

This was the inspiration he got from the last time the Empress was deposed.

In the thirteenth year of Emperor Yuan, the Empress was sent to the cold palace.

The following year, Wei Yuan went on a campaign and triumphed over the barbarians in the north. The Empress came out of the cold palace. If he hadn't learned about this, Xu Qi'an would have guessed that Emperor Yuan spared the Empress out of old feelings.

Therefore, the fabric left by the palace maid Huang Xiaorou, embroidered with the thirty-first year of Emperor Yuan, might provide clues from major events of that year.

Both Wei Yuan and Huai Qing shook their heads at the same time.

"Think again?" Xu Qi'an was unwilling to give up.

But both of them still shook their heads.

Well, the two top scholars vetoed it together, so there was probably no hope... That's right, how could a mere palace maid be related to a major event?

Xu Qi'an licked his lips, feeling somewhat excited.

Up until now, the investigation of the Furen case had finally entered a difficult mode. The previous clues were deliberately thrown out by the mastermind behind the scenes, and the case itself was not difficult.

In other words, even if he hadn't taken over the case, someone else would have been able to solve it eventually. The only difference was the length of time.

And now, with the guidance of the mastermind behind the scenes removed, it was finally Xu Qi'an's turn to show his skills.

Wait a minute...

A flash of lightning suddenly struck Xu Qi'an's mind, and he thought of a detail he had overlooked.

He straightened his back, his face serious, and said, "Lord Wei, I have something to ask."

Seeing the serious expression of the person he valued, Wei Yuan put down his teacup and said gently, "Go ahead."

"Before I returned to the capital, the Furen case had been dragging on, with the San Si refusing to investigate. If I really died, would this case be confirmed as the Crown Prince's doing?"

At first, Xu Qi'an thought that this case was of great significance, and the San Si refused to take it on until he came back and happened to take over this hot potato.

When he met the Crown Prince that day, the Minister of Justice also sarcastically called him a pawn.

Wei Yuan picked up his teacup again and drank calmly, "Today, His Majesty wanted to depose the Empress, but the San Si and the officials disagreed. They believed that the San Si should confirm it first before discussing the deposition with His Majesty. It shouldn't be a matter of His Majesty deciding to depose her."

"The officials' thoughts can be summed up in three points: first, the deposition of the Empress is of great importance and must go through the proper procedures, it cannot be done rashly. Second, the officials dislike such sudden incidents, as it makes them feel that they do not have enough control over the court. Third, they need time to plan for the post-deposition matters."

So, the relationship between the ruler and the ministers has always been a game of chess... Xu Qi'an understood, "So, is it the same with the Crown Prince's matter?"

Wei Yuan nodded, "The Crown Prince's matter concerns the foundation of the country. How could His Majesty decide in just three days? The San Si is not refusing to investigate, but they are telling His Majesty that they need time."

"...So, in fact, I'm not needed at all. Even if I hadn't come back, someone else would have taken over this case in a few days. Then, based on the clues given by the mastermind behind the scenes, they would have gradually investigated and found the Empress as the culprit."

Xu Qi'an's words surprised the Fourth Prince, who widened his eyes in astonishment.

Wei Yuan, on the other hand, seemed lost in thought.

"So, the assassination attempt on you last night was because the mastermind behind the scenes didn't want you to continue investigating. They were afraid," Huai Qing Princess hit the nail on the head, stating Xu Qi'an's speculation.

"Afraid?" The Fourth Prince didn't understand.

"Mr. Xu's resurrection exceeded the expectations of the mastermind behind the scenes, and his reputation is too loud. The mastermind behind the scenes didn't dare to let him continue investigating. Therefore, when the clues pointed to the Empress, the mastermind behind the scenes immediately sent assassins to eliminate Mr. Xu."

Huai Qing explained to her elder brother.

"I see."

The Fourth Prince asked, "So what do we do now?"

Wei Yuan and Huai Qing remained silent, looking at Xu Qi'an.

They were both very intelligent people, but solving a case still required a professional.

Just like how Xu Qi'an often felt that his intelligence was comparable to Einstein's, but he had to admit that when it came to building an atomic bomb, he was still lacking a bit and needed professional scientists.

Facing the gaze of the three, Detective Xu Ningyan said in a deep voice, "I need to open the coffin and examine the body."

.........

The Imperial Palace.

The Fourth Prince and Princess Huai Qing led Xu Qi'an into the palace. The carriage entered through the palace gate, and Xu Qi'an lifted the curtain and suggested, "We should notify the little eunuch, after all, this is the rule set by His Majesty for me."

The Fourth Prince thought for a moment and nodded, "Yes, Mr. Xu is indeed a law-abiding person, loyal to the Great Feng and to our father."

You're thinking too much, I'm just being sincere... Xu Qi'an said moved, "The Fourth Prince has a discerning eye."

Princess Huai Qing was in another carriage. It was definitely not allowed for an unmarried princess and a young man to ride in the same carriage. If it weren't for the Fourth Prince being such a bother, Xu Qi'an might have tried to ask to ride with the princess.

The Fourth Prince immediately sent someone to notify, and fifteen minutes later, a little eunuch in a light blue flying fish robe rushed over.He looked at Xu Qi'an in confusion and said, "Mr. Xu, hasn't the case already been closed?"

Xu Qi'an replied, "Unless His Majesty takes back the golden token, I will continue to investigate."

"Alright, alright..."

The young eunuch didn't want to take on this task anymore. He wanted to live a few more years.

But Huai Qing and the Fourth Prince were by his side, so he didn't dare to refuse. He reluctantly followed Xu Qi'an to the ice cellar.

As they approached the ice cellar, Xu Qi'an suddenly ordered, "Go and fetch an old midwife."

After sending away the young eunuch, Xu Qi'an, Princess Huai Qing, and the Fourth Prince entered the ice cellar and saw the body of the palace maid, Huang Xiao Rou.

The incision marks on her neck and chest had already been sewn up.

"The body has been reexamined by His Majesty," Xu Qi'an stared at the body of Huang Xiao Rou.

Seeing this swollen and pale corpse, the Fourth Prince frowned repeatedly and averted his gaze.

"What else do you need to examine?" Huai Qing asked calmly.

"Do you remember the 'rule' I mentioned during the autopsy yesterday?" Xu Qi'an called over the eunuch in charge of the ice cellar and said, "Take her to the courtyard. It's too dark here."

Huai Qing paused for a moment, then understood Xu Qi'an's meaning. A faint blush appeared on her fair cheeks.

Explore the extended edition on pawread dot com.

She knew what Xu Qi'an wanted to do.

Two eunuchs came in from outside, carrying a crude wooden board, and left the ice cellar, placing the body in the courtyard, exposed to the sunlight.

Xu Qi'an let the body rest in the sunlight for a while until a senior midwife arrived with a little eunuch. Xu Qi'an looked at her and smiled.

It was the midwife who had better carriage skills than him.

The midwife quickly bowed when she saw Huai Qing and the Fourth Prince.

Then, she quietly complained to Xu Qi'an, "Why did you make this old servant examine the body again? This old servant is not a forensic expert. I can't even eat properly with all these autopsies every day."

As she approached, she saw the swollen and ugly female corpse and covered her eyes, saying, "I can't examine it, I can't examine it. Please don't make it difficult for this old servant."

The Fourth Prince frowned, about to reprimand her, but Xu Qi'an waved his hand and then took out a piece of broken silver, about five taels, and placed it in his palm, smiling, "Madam, can you examine it?"

"This old servant is still very willing to serve you, sir." The midwife said with a smile, "What does sir want to examine?"

Xu Qi'an pointed at the female corpse and said, "Examine if she is intact."

The midwife wrapped her hand in coarse cloth and separated the legs of the female corpse...

The Fourth Prince and Huai Qing turned away at the same time, not wanting to see what happened next.

After about ten seconds, they heard the midwife exclaim, "This female corpse is not a virgin."

Not a virgin... Huai Qing and the Fourth Prince exchanged a glance, both shocked and horrified.

In the so-called harem of three thousand beauties, it actually included palace maids.

Throughout history, there were countless examples of emperors having relations with palace maids. In the five hundred years of the Great Feng Dynasty, there were many concubines who were originally palace maids.

Although Huang Xiao Rou was an insignificant palace maid, she fundamentally belonged to the emperor. She was Emperor Yuan Jing's private property.

All the women in the harem belonged to the emperor. Whether he had relations with them or not was one thing, but that was the system.

Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up as if his speculation had been confirmed. He took a step forward and said, "Madam, take another look. Is she pregnant?"

"This..." The midwife looked at the swollen female corpse and wrinkled her old face, "This old servant can't tell."

What's the use of you? Give me back the silver... Xu Qi'an complained in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he sighed, "Forget it, I'll do it myself."

So he took over from the midwife and separated the legs of the female corpse.

........

Fifteen minutes later, in the courtyard, Xu Qi'an put his hands in the bucket and kept rubbing, rubbing, until a square piece of soap became smaller and smaller in his hands.

Princess Huai Qing, dressed in white palace attire, stood beside him. The cool breeze tugged at her skirt and brushed her hair, making her look pure and beautiful.

"How much longer do you have to wash?"

Huai Qing's voice was filled with helplessness.

"Until I shed a layer of skin." Xu Qi'an replied irritably.

Although his middle and ring fingers had also trudged through muddy roads, they should not have suffered the same humiliation as just now.

"It's all that midwife's fault. She doesn't have much skill, yet she took my five taels of silver. Your Highness, you should reimburse me."

Huai Qing automatically ignored his complaints and asked, "What evidence do you have to prove that she has been pregnant?"

"There's plenty of evidence. After a woman becomes pregnant, there will be fine lines resembling sparks on her lower abdomen and thighs. This is called stretch marks."

"If that's the case, why didn't the midwife see it earlier?"

"If properly taken care of, stretch marks will disappear. Huang Xiao Rou's stretch marks were very faint, and combined with the swelling of the body after death, they became even harder to distinguish. Even I couldn't confirm it, so the midwife must have been the same." Xu Qi'an explained as he rubbed his hands.

"Another thing, during the autopsy yesterday, I showed Your Highness the scar under Huang Xiao Rou's breast... Do you remember my gesture?"

Xu Qi'an made a motion of flipping something upwards.

Huai Qing blushed a little. This guy always did something impolite in front of her.

No matter how unrestrained she was, she was still an unmarried princess after all.

"Of course, women with exceptional talent can also achieve that level, so this is just a reference." Xu Qi'an added in his heart:

Your Highness, you are that kind of woman with exceptional talent.

"Why did you personally perform the autopsy just now?" Huai Qing asked. If it was only these two points, Xu Qi'an didn't need to do it himself.

Xu Qi'an fell silent.

Besides stretch marks, whether a woman has given birth or not can also be determined by the shape of the cervix.

This question was not easy to answer. It was too academic, just like when he taught Xu Lingyin the difference between boys and girls growing up, he used a popular and easy-to-understand method that was suitable for all ages."Before a woman gives birth, she is like a fledgling bird, waiting to be fed with an open mouth. After giving birth, she is content, hence her mouth is closed," Xu Qi'an carefully chose his words.

"???" Huai Qing looked at him blankly.

Xu Qi'an scratched his head, "Princess, have you ever read medical books?"

Huai Qing looked at him, coldly saying, "Yesterday during the autopsy, you suddenly had a splitting headache. When I took your pulse, I mentioned that I have some knowledge of medicine."

"Oh, that makes it easier." Xu Qi'an clapped his hands and laughed, "The shape of the womb of a woman who has not given birth is like an 'O', but after giving birth, it changes to a 'I' shape."

This explanation was instantly understood by the intelligent Princess Huai Qing. However, thinking about his previous crude words, she didn't want to deal with him anymore.

The Fourth Prince, who didn't understand medicine, seemed to half-understand, and sighed, "Master Xu is indeed knowledgeable and talented."

This piece of knowledge came from a case of passion killing that Xu Qi'an encountered in his previous life. The victim was a woman who had been involved with two men.

The old forensic doctor said during the autopsy, "Don't be fooled by her unmarried status, she has had a man in her house."

At that time, Xu Qi'an, who was assisting, said, "Old driver, take me with you."

And so, this piece of knowledge was brought out.

"I had someone check on Huang Xiaorou. She entered the palace in the 28th year of Emperor Yuan Jing's reign..." Xu Qi'an glanced at the two princes.

The implication was that someone was undermining Emperor Yuan Jing.

In the 28th year of Emperor Yuan Jing's reign, the old emperor had already abstained from sexual desires. He didn't even touch the stunningly beautiful queen or the unparalleled concubine Chen. How could he possibly touch a little palace maid?

"Who could it be?" The Fourth Prince fell into deep thought.

Xu Qi'an silently watched him.

"Why are you looking at me?" The Fourth Prince felt offended.

Xu Qi'an withdrew his gaze and analyzed, "This person is actually easy to find. He must meet two conditions: one, he can freely enter and exit the harem, which fits the royal family.

"Two, he is very bold and fearless, otherwise he wouldn't dare to lay hands on a palace maid."

At this moment, Huai Qing suddenly said, "Brother Emperor, I have something to discuss with Master Xu."

The Fourth Prince frowned, glanced at his sister, and slowly nodded, "I will leave first."

After watching the Fourth Prince leave, Huai Qing coldly glanced at Emperor Yuan Jing's spy - the little eunuch.

"Get out."

The little eunuch lowered his head and left without a word.

After getting rid of everyone, Huai Qing stared at Xu Qi'an, her expression solemn, "Master Xu, Huang Xiaorou's suicide and the Empress's confession are likely related to this man."

Xu Qi'an was playing with the water in the bucket, his pupils dilated, unfocused, "Princess, you are too subjective. When investigating a case, you must be calm and propose hypotheses based on clues. We now know that Huang Xiaorou was pregnant. Let's assume that the man is not His Majesty, but someone else.

"Assume that Huang Xiaorou committed suicide, and the Empress tried to save her and confessed, all because of that man. Then, he needs to meet another condition:

"This man has a close relationship with the Empress, but not much to do with His Majesty. So he can enter and exit the harem, but if he causes trouble in the harem, His Majesty will not hesitate to kill him.

"The Fourth Prince is His Majesty's legitimate son. Even if he bullied a palace maid, His Majesty, no matter how angry, would not kill him. The Empress naturally has no reason to 'confess', because there is no need."

At this point, he looked up and met Huai Qing's clear eyes, "Does Your Highness have someone in mind?"

Huai Qing's face was stern, her tone cold, "I have thought of someone."

.......

PS: When I was writing this chapter, I reviewed the case again to make sure I didn't miss any details. I kept deliberating, so even though I've finished updating, I wish I could have updated earlier.

Today is still ten thousand words.