CH 1

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A new novel I picked up~

(And was anxiously gnawing my nails in hopes that no one has done so)

General Translator’s Note (Please Read):

This was the first time Bó Ruò Yōu stepped into the Marquis Anqing Residence.

The heavy snow was beginning to clear; the cloudless skies were akin to green jade. Continuous buildings – of kiosks and pavilions – were in rich red lacquer, its grandeur befitting of descendants of feudal aristocrats. In the distance, the elegant branches of the pine and cypress trees were being pressed down by the snow which hung like jade, whereas in the vicinity and underneath the white wall, wintersweet flowers, once frozen in ice, burst forth, assaulting olfactory senses with its delicate fragrance.

As Bó Ruò Yōu examined the wide and graceful residence which belonged to high officials, she kept pace and followed behind the Qingzhou Prefectural Magistrate Hè Chéng.

Today was the thirteenth in the first month of the lunar new year. The weather was especially cold, but Hè Chéng took out a square handkerchief and wiped the thin sweat on his forehead as he walked. “You were called over during the great New Year only because there was really no other recourse. This case is terribly troublesome, and in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture, I can’t think of a second person who can be of help apart from you.”

Two days ago, a constable from Qingzhou government office had arrived at Qingshan County, and that same night, Bó Ruò Yōu proceeded to get on a horse carriage heading towards Qingzhou City, travelling through the day and night without stopping for two days, and she had just arrived at the Marquis Residence moments ago.

Needless to say, Hè Chéng had encountered another irksome case.

Hè Chéng was 5’5 feet in height, growing stout in his middle age, and since he was wearing a big coat with a fur-lined collar, he appeared rounder when he walked, “The deceased is the Marquis Residence’s Lao Furen, on the eve of the New Year, she was staying up late to see the New Year in the Buddha-worshipping Hall, and on the morning of the first, she was unexpectedly found dead in the middle of the Buddha-worshipping Hall. By the time she was discovered, she was already rigid, and now it has nearly been half a month, but the cause of death hasn’t been found. Not just that, strange things have been occurring in the residence…”

Bó Ruò Yōu did not expect that the deceased was the Marquis Residence’s Lao Furen (the old matriarch of the family).

Qingzhou was a place of strategic importance for Jiangnan in the Great Zhou dynasty; though it was several hundred kilometres away from the Capital, it was the ancestral land of numerous prominent old families. The Marquis Anqing Residence belonging to the Zheng clan was one of Qingzhou’s aristocratic families. Owing to the fact that she had never heard of the Lao Furen‘s passing ever since she set off and entered the city, it was apparent to her that the Marquis Residence had hidden this matter with extreme stringency.

Seeing that Hè Chéng did not continue to speak further, Bó Ruò Yōu asked, “Strange things have occurred?”

Bó Ruò Yōu opened her mouth, her tone mild and clear. When Hè Chéng turned his head back to look at her, he only saw her eyes which were as bright as stars, her seemingly drawn and refined eyebrows, and the moon-white cloak – which was patterned with the embroidered veins of bamboos – that was covering the cyan long skirt (tied up to her chest) and shirt jacket beneath. Her entire person spoke of calm intellect and solemn serenity, her strength of character rather allusive of tall bamboos.

Hè Chéng retracted his gaze, his tone carrying a sigh, “Examine the corpse first. Lao Furen‘s death is very strange; the elderly woman didn’t have any old illnesses, there were no perceivable external injuries after death, nor was she poisoned. As you know, if we can’t find the cause of death, and there are no clues, there is no place [for us] to start with in the case, and I’ve really been struggling with a headache for the past few days.”

Bó Ruò Yōu only felt that Hè Chéng was not done talking. Upon noticing the heavy perspiration on his head, she proceeded to comfort him: “But the death of an ordinary person will definitely have a cause of death. Daren, set your heart at ease, min’nü will do everything that is within her power.”

Hè Chéng laughed bitterly, “I do believe you, but it must be quick.”

Having spoken to this point, Hè Chéng’s voice became even heavier, “You are on your own, so I won’t hide it from you. You are aware that the Marquis Anqing Residence has a respected and noble position, and Lao Furen herself came from the Marquis Xinyang Residence, and tracing back further would show that she was also the biological, paternal younger female cousin of the late Empress Dowager Xiaoyi. Hence, the matter of Lao Furen‘s death is of paramount importance, and once the Capital received the news of this case, Marquis Xinyang Residence promptly dispatched someone to Qingzhou, and one fears that they will arrive by tonight.”

Hè Chéng exhaled through his mouth, “The information concerning this case has been sealed tightly, and according to the Marquis Residence’s intentions, it’s best to find the culprit without causing any noise. Presently, you will be brought inside to autopsy Lao Furen‘s corpse first, and it would be best if you procure results before dusk, no, [we] can’t afford to wait till dusk, it would be best if you find the cause of death within a double-hour—”

It was only then that Bó Ruò Yōu understood why Hè Chéng was being this flustered. 

Although she was not native to Qingzhou, she had grown up in Qingshan county which was being administered by Qingzhou, and she later became a coroner at Qingshan county’s government office out of sheer coincidence. Under normal circumstances, Hè Chéng would only invite her when either the unresolved case had been dragging on for too long, or it had been a massacre which resulted in too many deaths and injuries. 

Seeing that the fire was singeing Hè Chéng’s eyebrows, Bó Ruò Yōu roused her spirit as well. The pair wound around two flower nurseries, and the deeper they traversed, the more remote their location became. Just as Bó Ruò Yōu was about to open her mouth and ask how much further they were from the temporary morgue; a secluded small courtyard came into view. 

The small courtyard was made of white walls and ash tiles, the snow accumulated outside the walls had yet to melt, and the two clumps of verdant, black bamboo were like umber-black dye used for painting. Hè Chéng stated: “This is the place where Lao Furen rests in a coffin temporarily.”

Hè Chéng brought Bó Ruò Yōu through the courtyard doors, and once they entered, Bó Ruò Yōu scrunched her eyebrows.

White mourning apparel and funeral banners were hung within the courtyard, but the bizarre thing was that, there were two cinnabar-smeared wooden bottle gourds hanging down from the veranda, and there was a copper, three-legged large cauldron of primitive simplicity right outside the main doors. Joss sticks were stuck into the copper cauldron, and above the front doors, two yellow talisman papers were firmly stuck on.

There were only two government hirelings standing guard inside the courtyard, and once they noticed Hè Chéng bringing over a young lady, not only did they not find it strange, but they also cupped their hands towards Bó Ruò Yōu.

Since Bó Ruò Yōu had gone to the prefectural government office to autopsy the corpses numerous times, she was already visually familiar to these government hirelings.

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Bó Ruò Yōu inclined her head as Hè Chéng questioned: “Did anyone come here today?”

The government hirelings shook their heads, which made Hè Chéng settle his heart. Then, he led Bó Ruò Yōu into the main room, and upon reaching the front door, he stopped, his round and rolling body swelling as he took a deep breath.

Bó Ruò Yōu: “……”

It had been many days since the case occurred, why was Hè Chéng still afraid of an elderly woman’s corpse?

This thought had just landed when the affixed doors were pushed open by Hè Chéng, and Bó Ruò Yōu naturally saw what was behind the door—

In the next moment, her complexion stiffened slightly.

She came to understand why Hè Chéng had taken that deep breath.

The central room was neatly squared, dim, and lustreless, and the coffin platform holding the dead body was placed in the centre. The Lao Furen of the Marquis Residence laid there quietly, wearing black funeral clothes that had ‘good fortune and long life’ (福寿) patterned into the fabric, which was probably in the design of five links and three layers. Though the weather was cold, Lao Furen had already been dead for nearly half a month, and the head that was exposed above the collar of the funeral clothes and the hands that were revealed by the sleeves were already bluish-purple and swelling, fully scattered with splotches, and she was already beyond human recognition.

But what made Bó Ruò Yōu’s complexion change was not all these.

The room was originally wide and bright, and would have appeared somewhat empty with the coffin platform in the middle, but at the present moment, more than ten paper figurines featuring young boys and girls dressed in gay colours were stuck into the ground on the left and right of the coffin platform.

These paper children were at half a human’s height: the boys were wearing bright red brocade clothing, the girls were in deep green gowns, and they were surrounding the coffin platform like actual children. If it was a living person, then it would imply that she was enjoying the domestic bliss of playing with her grandchildren, but unfortunately, the elder was dead, and the grandchildren were fake.

This situation would make hairs stand on their ends upon witnessing it.

Bó Ruò Yōu tightened her cloak, “Daren, this…”

Hè Chéng seemed very helpless as well, “It’s a long story. Don’t be afraid, it’s all fake, examine the corpse first.”

Bó Ruò Yōu felt that if it was real, it would still be equally terrifying.

As she crossed over the threshold, Bó Ruò Yōu’s nostrils twitched. She first smelled the faint scent of blood, then adjusted her eyes. Amidst the dimness, the coffin platform was completely pasted with talismans, and on the bodies of the boys and girls, blood-red cinnabar was used to draw strange talisman scripts. Bó Ruò Yōu frowned, “Daren, do the people in residence feel that Lao Furen passing away during the celebration of the New Year is rather inauspicious?”

The blood she smelled was dog’s blood, and in addition to the bottle gourds and copper cauldron, the cinnabar-drawn talismans and paper figurine children, it was no longer as simple as warding off evil spirits from the deceased. The lengths they were taking was basically akin to suppressing some demon or evil spirit.

Hè Chéng heaved a long sigh, “If it was only that, it would be simpler. Check the corpse first, Xiao Bó ah, this instance really depends on you. If I don’t have the slightest gain by the time the Capital people arrive, there’s really nothing that can be said.”

The tools had already been prepared so Bó Ruò Yōu could begin the autopsy at any given time. However, having to look at these children still made Bó Ruò Yōu slightly repulsed, “Daren, can these things be moved away?”

Hè Chéng wore a pained smile. It was evident that he was also feeling apprehensive towards the paper figurines, but he said: “These cannot be moved—”

Bó Ruò Yōu sighed helplessly. “Then Daren is asked to add two lamp lights.”

The lamps were lit very quickly, and once there was illumination from the fire light, these paper-crafted boys and girls exhibited a few parts of its terrifying gorgeousness. 

Making paper craft was also called ‘a business that earned the money of the dead’, and it was the most yin energy intensive. The paper humans had the rule of drawing the eyes but not dotting the pupils, so Bó Ruò Yōu was currently being stared at by more than ten pairs of black abyssal eyes. Although there was a bit of terror at the bottom of her heart, she was still steady and determined on the surface. She first ignited the black atractylodes rhizome to get rid of the filth and odour, then contained gum storax in her mouth, before walking up to the coffin platform to examine the corpse.

Once her gaze landed on the corpse, the distinct style from Bó Ruò Yōu’s entire body changed.

The gentleness receded, allowing a solemn quietness and focused intensity to emerge from the bottom of her eyes. The beauty and intelligence from her whole body were connected intimately, and a layer of estranging austerity seemed to wrap around her in an instant, such that even Hè Chéng had to hold his breath, not daring to interrupt her.

As he looked at this version of Bó Ruò Yōu, Hè Chéng unconsciously recalled the first time he summoned her to conduct a post-mortem autopsy.

That was in the winter of two years past. A tragedy that exterminated the entire family had taken place within Qingzhou City, and the coroners in the prefectural government office had failed to find the cause of death despite working for numerous days. The government office had conducted numerous rounds of inquiries, but it was still difficult to find clues. While he was wearing a worried frown, he heard that there was an amazing female coroner in Qingshan County who could help the dead open their mouths, hence he summoned her, half believing and half doubting.

After waiting for five days, he finally met the female coroner from the rumours. When he saw a young lady with moon-like features and the countenance of a flower, Hè Chéng had flown into a great rage, only feeling that the rumours had swindled him. However, the well-practiced Bó Ruò Yōu proceeded to autopsy ten rotting corpses through the night, and established the murderer’s modus operandi very quickly, going as far as deducing the murderer’s appearance by seven to eight parts. Afterwards, the case was solved in three days, and the credit was penned to him in thick and heavy colours during the end-of-year achievement evaluation!

At that time, Bó Ruò Yōu was only sixteen years old, and yet she was as steady and determined as she was today.

With a deep and serene gaze, Bó Ruò Yōu swept across the minutest details that were apparent on the corpse. The funeral clothes were clasped together very tightly at the seams, the corpse water from the decay around the neck had already saturated the collar, her countenance was beyond human recognition but there were no signs of external wounds. As she muttered irresolutely to herself, she bent over and undid the funeral clothes.

The corpse’s decay exceeded Bó Ruò Yōu’s expectations, because the room had been lit up with candles prior to this.

The warmer the room was, the faster the decay of the corpse; in her perception, not only was the head, face, lips, and nose afoul with corpse water, her chest, abdomen, and vulva were already breeding green fungi and small maggots, while other areas of the corpse were visibly corpse green and bloated to the naked eye. Borrowing the lamp light, she could also discern the exposed reddish-purple veins underneath her skin.

Despite all those details, it was apparent that the carcass was intact: there were no bruises on her neck, her chest, abdomen, legs, back, etcetera, nor were there any suspicious vestiges, and her hands and legs were merely putrefying into a foul green as was the norm. For the most part, putrefaction was bound to proliferate after humans died, and there were no abnormalities that could be found from just looking at these. After examining the appearance of the corpse, Bó Ruò Yōu proceeded to carefully press on the five organs (heart, lungs, spleen, liver, and kidney), and lastly checked the calvarium which was beginning to rot and experience tonsure.

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Two pillars of incense (one hour) burning into the double-hour later, Bó Ruò Yōu straightened her body and state respectfully: “Certainly, there are no signs of poisoning, nor are there any external injuries; whether it is the vulva, top of the head, or anywhere else, a man-made cause of death does not exist.”

With each word Bó Ruò Yōu uttered, the dejectedness on Hè Chéng’s visage deepened by another layer, and by the time Bó Ruò Yōu was done talking, Hè Chéng was on the verge of tears. “This means… you can’t find the cause of death either?”

“It’s not these causes of death, but it does not represent that there is no cause of death.” After giving a small pause, Bó Ruò Yōu said resolutely, “Min’nü suspects that Lao Furen died because an invisible illness suddenly flared up. If verification is required, then a dissection is necessary.”

Hè Chéng was stunned, “Lao Furen’s body has always been very healthy whilst she was alive. Moreover, Lao Furen’s identity is respected and noble, how could her corpse be dissected?”

The Great Zhou Dynasty’s social customs for burial were not open-minded at all. Since one has already passed, their body, hair, and skin could not be damaged in the slightest, and given that Bó Ruò Yōu had been doing autopsies for a long time, if she hadn’t encountered this situation a hundred times, then it had to be eighty at least, so she was not surprised.

Calmly and without stress, Bó Ruò Yōu said: “A lot of invisible illnesses don’t exhibit any visible symptoms, but can lead to a person’s sudden death. If confirmation is required, the corpse must be dissected. Lao Furen was getting on with her years, and it’s more than likely that her body and internal organs had invisible illnesses. However, it’s difficult to determine which invisible illness it was just from looking at the corpse’s appearance alone, and once which invisible illness is known, the circumstances surrounding the day of her death can be inquired about, and then deductions can made as to whether Lao Furen’s death had any relation to the people at the side.”

The method of dissection was not something every coroner was capable of. In the entire Qingzhou City, only Bó Ruò Yōu dared to dissect and inspect the internal organs and bones of the corpse regardless of how long they had been dead for. Hè Chéng was aware that Bó Ruò Yōu was speaking logically, but he had his own difficulties as well, “Whether or not the corpse can be dissected is not up to me to decide. The decision makers of this current Marquis Residence are the few Masters, their permission needs to be obtained before the corpse can be dissected.”

Upon noting the blankness filling Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes, Hè Chéng became aware that she did not understand the Marquis Anqing Residence, so he explained: “After Lao Furen married the old Marquis, she had five sons at her knees. The oldest son inherited the Marquis title after the late Marquis passed away, but he died of an illness three years later. Owing to the lack of sons at his knees, the position of the Marquis was never conferred to someone else, hence Lao Furen took charge of the residence, while the other four Masters stayed together in the Marquis Residence. After Lao Furen passed away some days ago, the Third Master and Fifth Master are now controlling the household, and it’s quite likely that they will disagree.”

Bó Ruò Yōu subconsciously asked: “What of the Second Master and Fourth Master?”

Once Bó Ruò Yōu issued that question, Hè Chéng’s gaze became slightly strange. His line of sight swept past Lao Furen’s corpse, and he unconsciously retreated a step back towards the door, as if he was afraid that Lao Furen’s corpse would abruptly stand up.

“The Fourth Master is travelling outside, and he is currently rushing back, on route.”

After speaking about the Fourth Master, Hè Chéng was supposed to continue talking about the Second Master, but his words halted as he retreated towards the exit by another half-step. “Previously I mentioned that after Lao Furen died, a strange thing happened in the residence—”

Bó Ruò Yōu did not understand why Hè Chéng was bringing up an old topic again, but she wanted to know if any other accidents had happened inside the Residence as well, so she looked at Hè Chéng quietly.

He Cheng’s lips pursed tightly as some of heart-rendering fear seeped into his eyes. “Lao Furen was discovered on the morning of the first. After the coroner examined the corpse, he deduced that Lao Furen should have died between zi shi and mao shi (11PM to 7AM). Back then, the Third Master and the other people of the residence stated that the Second Master was definitely involved in Lao Furen’s death, because for the entirety of last year, the mother-son relationship between the Second Master and Lao Furen have been exceedingly bad because of the continued inheritance of the title, and on the night of New Year’s Eve, they even got into a huge argument.”

Bó Ruò Yōu subconsciously remarked: “Then presently… the Second Master has been taken into custody?”

Hè Chéng’s pupils dilated, “No, he’s dead.”

“Not only did he die, but he was also pushed off from the third floor of the residence’s Moon-viewing Pavilion right in front of everyone’s eyes.”

Bó Ruò Yōu knitted her brows instantaneously, “But Lao Furen is already…”

“That day was the seventh of the first lunar month, the seventh day since Lao Furen’s death.” Hè Chéng’s eyes could not help but shift towards Lao Furen’s corpse, “Which is why the people within the residence are all saying that Lao Furen came back to murder the Second Master for the sake of revenge.”

Bó Ruò Yōu currently had her back facing Lao Furen’s corpse. No matter how unperturbed she usually was, she still felt a chill run down her spine after Hè Chéng was done speaking. In a short moment’s work, she understood why there were so many paper children. The shifu that conducted religious ceremonies had a saying: after the elderly dies and their soul is unrest, it will give rise to evil tendencies, and offering young and yin-heavy children can comfort or suppress them.

Bó Ruò Yōu composed herself, “Therefore, there are two dead people in this case. Does Daren believe that the ghost committed the murder then?”

Hè Chéng smiled bitterly, “If [I] believed it, many of the earlier cases would have its excuse, why would there be a need to call you during times of difficulty?”

Bó Ruò Yōu murmured in a low voice: “I do not know if ghosts can kill people, but people harming people under the pretence that Gods and demons are at work is incredibly easy. Daren, does the Second Young Master’s corpse need to be examined altogether?”

Hè Chéng sighed, “It needs to be examined, but it’s proving to be slightly difficult right now. After the death of the Second Master, Zhen san’ye (3rd) has bitten down on the fact that the Second Master is the culprit. Currently, the Second Master’s corpse is resting temporarily elsewhere, and he only wants the authorities to find the evidence of the Second Master harming Lao Furen. Thus, no official has yet to inspect the Second Master’s corpse.”

Qingzhou City had numerous old and prominent families, with Marquis Anqing Residence being especially venerable. While Hè Chéng was the magistrate of the prefecture, he came from a poor and humble family and had no backing, thus he had no choice but to be prudent and all the more cautious as the magistrate, even to the point where he completely impeded in this case.

Sweat oozed out Hè Chéng’s forehead ceaselessly, making his overwhelming anxiety more apparent. Upon noting that the sun outside was already slanting towards the west, he knew he could not continue hesitating because the people from the Capital would be arriving once the sky darkened, and there would only be more trouble then. “Forget it, I’ll go and look for the Third Master to negotiate right now. If permission is given, I can be assured on where your post-mortem autopsies are concerned—”

Hè Chéng was overly cautious and timid at times, but he was seldom negligent or irreverent when it came to official business, and he could be considered as a good official that worked for the people. Hence, Bó Ruò Yōu said: “Alright, min’nü will wait here.”

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Hè Chéng nodded, pointing towards the wing-room at the side. “Go to the side and wait, it’s warmer there.”

Having said that, Hè Chéng turned around and stepped out the door, giving the government hirelings terse instructions before bringing away one of them and departing from the courtyard.

Now that Hè Chéng had left and the other government hireling was outside the room, the only person remaining in the room was Bó Ruò Yōu. But now that she understood why the mourning hall was being arranged in such a manner, she became less fearful instead.

She turned around and studied Lao Furen’s corpse.

She had never seen a ghost, nor did she believe the explanation that a ghost had killed someone. She was merely pondering, in this magnificent Marquis Residence, who could have pretended to be the Lao Furen and harm the Second Master, then disappear while everyone was none the wiser, such that it impressed upon everyone that it was a ghost who killed him…

And Lao Furen, whose cause of death was hard to discern, did she die from an invisible illness, or was she harmed by someone else?

Hè Chéng’s departure lasted longer than Bó Ruò Yōu had imagined. She waited until the sun slanted towards the west, and watched as heavy clouds covered the sun that was lowering in the west. The courtyard rustled with the cold wind, and it seemed like snow was going to fall again.

The courtyard was layered with white snow as if white damask was touching the ground, and with the spirit banners acting as contrast, it made the small courtyard appear sombre and dismal for no reason at all. Moreover, realising that Hè Chéng was failing to appear, made her heart sink to the rock bottom as well.

Since Hè Chéng had been delayed for so long, it must be because he had failed to persuade the two Masters.

Apart from dissection, was there any other way?

As she was deeply immersed in her thoughts, the sound of footsteps finally resounded from outside the courtyard.

The footsteps sounded complicated, there were numerous people arriving!

With a shaky expression, Bó Ruò Yōu swiftly headed towards the courtyard entrance to welcome them, but just as she reached the courtyard entrance, Bó Ruò Yōu’s footsteps proceeded to halt.

Indeed, there were a lot of people approaching, but before she saw Hè Chéng, she collided with a pair of cold and deep phoenix eyes first. The owner of the phoenix eyes had a heroic and straight stature, his facial features were handsome and resolute. Clad in a black brocade robe that added to his frame, his entire person was suffused with a threatening imposing manner that conveyed his cruel pride and the pedigree of a feudal aristocrat.  Cold winds swept up the snow powder on the ground, causing it fly, while simultaneously hoisting the coiling gold dragon on his robes.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s heart jolted once, it was the Royal Clan!

In the midst of Bó Ruò Yōu’s preoccupation, the pair of phoenix eyes she was looking at had already sunk down the instant it saw her. Following closely, a voice that could incite fear in people rang out gloomily, “Why is there a woman here?”

The voice was carrying obvious displeasure. Hè Chéng stepped up from the rear at a hurried pace, his tone sounding somewhat alarmed. “Hou’ye, please calm down, please came down, this is the coroner that xiaguan invited over.” As he said that, he looked towards Bó Ruò Yōu, eyes harbouring a warning, “Why are [you] standing in a daze, this personage is Marquis Wuzhao, not greeting the Marquis yet?”

The change came too suddenly, but the fortunate part was that Bó Ruò Yōu had always been self-composed. She snapped back from her reverie instantaneously, lowering her eyes as she knelt down.

In the instant she knelt down, her expression became solemn.

It was actually Marquis Wuzhao!

Since she grew up in Qingshan County, she was sorely lacking in the knowledge of influential officials, even if it was just concerning the influential officials in Qingzhou City, but towards the three words ‘Marquis Wuzhao’, it was like thunder piercing her ears. He seemed to be sun and moon in the skies, rising high and illuminating every inch of Great Zhou’s territory.

Marquis Wuzhao Huò Wēi Lóu, his mother was the Eldest Princess in the current reign, his father was Duke Ding by inheritance. He was conferred the title of ‘Marquis’ at eighteen for his military achievements, and later wielded the embroidered emissaries that diligently served the Son of Heaven on the Emperor’s behalf, investigating the hundred officials and concurrently took charge of the Court of Punishments.

He was a single person that was above the everyman whilst serving beneath one; let alone the common masses being afraid of him, everyone in the officialdom feared him like he was the King of Yama. Allegedly, just a year ago, simply because all of the officials were ineffectual in handling official business, they were sacked and nearly a hundred people were investigated…

Bó Ruò Yōu was very much astonished at the bottom of her heart. At this moment, she heard Huò Wēi Lou ask in heavy tones: “The coroner from your Qingzhou government office, is a young girl?”