Nightwatcher

# 251. Common Medical Knowledge

Huaiqing’s elegant brows furrowed slightly, as following Xu Qi’an’s hand, she looked at the dull yellow-coloured silk cloth, her cold clear voice tinged with urgency: “What did you discover?”

Xu Qi'an shrugged, "I suspect the key lies in this piece of cloth, but I don’t yet know what secret it holds."

A look of confusion flashed through Huaiqing's beautiful eyes, unsure why he had spoken so firmly earlier.

Wei Yuan's gaze followed the yellow silk cloth and he said, “This material can only be used by imperial concubines ranked above third grade.”

In the palace, concubines also had ranks. At the top were the Empress, the Imperial Noble Consort, and the Noble Consorts. Those with fixed titles, like Consort Fu, held the First Grade.

Below them were madams, noble ladies, and esteemed attendants, all within the Third Grade.

The hierarchy of beauties in the harem touched upon Xu Qi'an's knowledge blind spot, but it wasn’t a big problem. He asked, "So, how would a palace maid come to have such material?"

The Fourth Prince responded, "Either it was bestowed by someone of high rank, or it was stolen."

Wei Yuan took the dull-coloured, somewhat aged yellow silk cloth and examined it, "Spring, 31st year of Yuanjing…"

"Was there any significant event that year? I mean in the palace," Xu Qi'an had a sudden idea and directly asked if anything major had happened that year.

This inspiration came from the last time when the Empress was deposed.

In the 13th year of Yuanjing, the Empress was banished to the Cold Palace.

The following year, Wei Yuan went on an expedition, decisively defeating the northern barbarians and returning in triumph. The Empress was then released from the Cold Palace. If not for this understanding, Xu Qi'an would have racked his brains, only to guess that Emperor Yuanjing had pardoned the Empress out of old affection.

So, the material left by the palace maid Huang Xiaorou, embroidered with "31st year of Yuanjing," might hold clues from the major events of that year.

Wei Yuan and Huaiqing shook their heads simultaneously.

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

The two still shook their heads.

*Alright, if these two academic powerhouses dismissed it, there was probably no hope… After all, how could a mere palace maid be connected to significant events?*

Xu Qi'an licked his lips, feeling a bit excited.

The Consort Fu case had finally entered a challenging phase. The previous clues had all been intentionally thrown out by the mastermind, making the case itself not too difficult.

In other words, even if he hadn’t taken over the case, someone else could have figured it out—the difference would only be in the time it took.

But now, stepping out of the mastermind’s guidance, it was finally Freeloader Xu’s turn to showcase his skills.

*Wait…*

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck Xu Qi'an, and he realised he had overlooked a detail.

He straightened his back, his expression serious, "Duke Wei, I have something I need to ask."

Seeing his favored Bronze Gong being so serious, Wei Yuan put down his teacup and replied warmly, "Speak."

"Before your servant returned to the capital, the Consort Fu case was being delayed, with the three departments shirking responsibility, unwilling to investigate. If, hypothetically, I had died, would this case have been pinned on the Crown Prince?"

Initially, Xu Qi'an thought the case was so significant that the three departments didn’t want to take it on. It wasn’t until he was resurrected and happened to take over this hot potato that he reconsidered.

When he saw the Crown Prince that day, the High Court Minister had also sarcastically remarked that he was just a pawn.

Wei Yuan picked up his teacup again, took a slow sip, and said, “Today, the Emperor wants to depose the Empress, but the three departments and the ministers do not agree. They believe the three departments should first verify the facts before discussing the deposition. It shouldn’t be the Emperor’s decision alone.

"The ministers' reasoning can be summarised in three points: First, the deposition of the Empress is a major event and should follow proper procedures, not be done hastily. Second, the ministers despise such sudden incidents, which make them feel they don’t have enough control over the court. Third, they need time to plan for the aftermath of the Empress’s deposition."

*So, the relationship between the monarch and his ministers has always been like a chess game…* Xu Qi'an understood, "So, the Crown Prince's situation is similar?"

Wei Yuan nodded, "The matter of the Crown Prince concerns the foundation of the nation. How could it be resolved in just three days as the Emperor says? The three departments are not refusing to investigate; they are telling the Emperor they need time."

"…So, I was never needed. Even if I hadn’t returned, someone would have taken over this case in a few days. Then, following the clues provided by the true mastermind, they would have traced it step by step back to the Empress."

Xu Qi'an’s words made the Fourth Prince widen his eyes in surprise.

Wei Yuan seemed lost in thought.

"So, the assassination attempt on you last night was because the mastermind doesn’t want you to investigate further. They are afraid." Princess Huaiqing pierced through to Xu Qi'an's suspicion.

"Afraid?" The Fourth Prince was puzzled.

"Sir Xu's resurrection was beyond the mastermind's expectations, and his reputation is too great. The mastermind doesn’t dare let him continue investigating. Thus, when the clues pointed to the Empress, they immediately sent assassins to eliminate Sir Xu."

Huaiqing explained to her brother.

"I see."

The Fourth Prince then asked, "So, how do we proceed with the investigation?"

Wei Yuan and Huaiqing didn’t speak, looking towards Xu Qi'an.

They were all extremely intelligent, but solving the case required a professional.

Just like how Xu Qi'an often thought his intelligence rivaled Einstein’s, but he would admit that building an atomic bomb was just a tad beyond him—it required professional scientists.

Meeting their gazes, Detective Xu Ningyan said in a deep voice, "I must conduct an exhumation."

…

Imperial Palace.

The Fourth Prince and Princess Huaiqing escorted Xu Qi’an into the palace. As the carriage passed through the palace gates, Xu Qi’an lifted the curtain and suggested, "We should inform that little eunuch. After all, this is a rule set by His Majesty."

The Fourth Prince thought for a moment, then nodded. "Indeed, Sir Xu is a man who abides by laws and regulations, loyal to the Great Feng and to my father, the Emperor."

*You're overthinking it. I'm just being cautious...* Xu Qi’an was touched and said, "The Fourth Prince has a keen insight."

Princess Huaiqing was in another carriage; after all, it would be improper for an unmarried princess to ride in the same carriage as a young man. If not for the presence of the Fourth Prince, Xu Qi’an might have thickened his skin and tried to request to share a carriage with the princess.

The Fourth Prince immediately sent someone to inform the eunuch. A quarter of an hour later, the little eunuch, dressed in light blue flying fish robes, came running over.

He looked at Xu Qi’an in confusion and said, "Sir Xu, hasn't the case already been closed?"

Xu Qi’an replied, "As long as His Majesty hasn't revoked the gold token, I will continue to investigate."

"Al- alright then…"

The little eunuch didn't want to take on this task again; he still wanted to live a few more years. But with Princess Huaiqing and the Fourth Prince both present, he didn't dare refuse and reluctantly followed Xu Qi’an to the icehouse.

As they neared the icehouse, Xu Qi’an suddenly ordered, "Go fetch an old nanny."

After dismissing the little eunuch, Xu Qi’an, Princess Huaiqing, and the Fourth Prince entered the icehouse and saw the corpse of the palace maid, Huang Xiaorou.

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

"His Majesty re-examined the body," Xu Qi’an said, staring at the corpse of the palace maid.

Seeing the bloated, pale corpse, the Fourth Prince frowned repeatedly and looked away.

"What more do you need to examine?" Princess Huaiqing asked, her expression unchanged.

"Do you remember the 'rule' I mentioned to you during yesterday’s autopsy?" Xu Qi’an called over the eunuch in charge of the icehouse and said, "Take her outside; the light here is too dim."

Princess Huaiqing hesitated for a moment, then understood Xu Qi’an's intent, a faint blush creeping onto her pale cheeks.

She knew what Xu Qi’an intended to do.

Two eunuchs came in from outside, carried out the crude wooden plank, and placed the corpse in the courtyard, exposed to the sunlight.

Xu Qi’an let the corpse sit in the sunlight for a moment until the little eunuch returned with an old nanny, which made Xu Qi’an grin.

It was the old nanny whose driving skills surpassed even his own.

Upon seeing Princess Huaiqing and the Fourth Prince, the old nanny quickly bowed.

Then, she quietly complained to Xu Qi’an, "Sir, why have you called this old servant to examine the body again? I'm not a coroner; this is making me lose my appetite."

As she got closer and saw the bloated, ugly female corpse, the old nanny exclaimed, "Ah!" and covered her eyes. "I can't examine this! Please, Sir, don't make things difficult for me."

The Fourth Prince frowned and was about to reprimand her when Xu Qi’an waved his hand and then took out a piece of broken silver, about five cash in weight, placed it in his palm, and spread his hand out, smiling, "Nanny, can you examine it?"

"This old servant is always happy to serve you, Sir," the old nanny said pleasantly. "What would you like me to examine?"

Xu Qi’an pointed at the female corpse, "Examine whether she was intact."

The old nanny wrapped her hands in rough cloth, separated the legs of the female corpse...

The Fourth Prince and Princess Huaiqing both turned away, not watching the process.

About ten seconds later, they heard the old nanny exclaim, "This body was not a virgin."

*Not a virgin...* Princess Huaiqing and the Fourth Prince exchanged glances, both shocked and astonished.

The so-called three thousand beauties of the harem included the palace maids. Throughout history, there were countless examples of emperors favouring palace maids, and in the five hundred years since the founding of the Great Feng, there were many concubines who had once been palace maids.

Although Huang Xiaorou was an insignificant palace maid, she was, in essence, one of the Emperor's women, the private property of Emperor Yuanjing.

All the women in the harem belonged to the Emperor. Whether they were favored or not was one thing, but the system was set up this way.

Xu Qi’an's eyes lit up, as if a certain suspicion of his had been confirmed. He stepped forward and said, "Nanny, take a look and see if she was ever pregnant."

"This…" The old nanny glanced at the bloated female corpse, her wrinkled face scrunching up. "This old servant can't tell."

*What use are you? Give me back the silver…* Xu Qi’an grumbled in his heart, hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "Forget it. Move aside, I'll do it myself."

He then took over from the old nanny and separated the female corpse’s legs himself.

…

A quarter of an hour later, in the courtyard, Xu Qi’an had his hands submerged in a bucket of water, scrubbing them vigorously over and over. A square piece of soap in his hands was getting smaller and smaller with each use.

Princess Huaiqing, dressed in a white palace robe and standing tall, was beside him. The cool breeze tugged at her skirt and gently tousled her hair. Her appearance was pristine and of extraordinary beauty.

"How much longer are you going to wash?" Huaiqing's voice carried a hint of exasperation.

"Until I scrub off a layer of skin," Xu Qi’an retorted.

Though his middle and ring fingers had once traversed muddy roads, they did not deserve the indignity they had just endured.

"It's all that old nanny's fault. She has little skill and yet swindled me out of five qian of silver. Your Highness, you should reimburse me," Xu Qi’an grumbled.

Ignoring his complaints, Huaiqing asked, "You said she had been pregnant. What evidence do you have?"

"There are several indicators. When a woman becomes pregnant, faint stretch marks, known as striae gravidarum, appear on the lower abdomen and inner thighs."

"If that's the case, why didn’t that old nanny notice them earlier?" Huaiqing asked.

"With proper care, stretch marks can fade. The ones on Huang Xiaorou were very faint, and with the body being bloated from water, they became even harder to discern. Even I couldn’t be sure, so it’s understandable that the nanny couldn’t see them either," Xu Qi’an explained while still scrubbing his hands. "Another point—during yesterday's autopsy, I showed Your Highness the scars beneath Huang Xiaorou's breasts... remember the gesture I made?"

Xu Qi’an mimicked the upward flipping motion he had used.

Huaiqing blushed slightly. This man always behaved so improperly in front of her. No matter how unconcerned she appeared, she was still an unmarried princess.

"Of course, some women with exceptional physical traits can also achieve that size, so this point is only a reference," Xu Qi’an added in his mind: *Your Highness, you happen to be one of those women with exceptional traits.*

"Then why did you personally examine the body just now?" Huaiqing inquired. If it was only for those two points, there was no need for Xu Qi’an to act himself.

Xu Qi’an fell silent.

Aside from stretch marks, whether a woman has given birth can also be determined by the shape of the cervix.

This was not an easy topic to discuss; it was too academic, like when he had once explained to Xu Lingyin the differences between boys and girls growing up, using simple and understandable language.

"Before a woman gives birth, it's like a young bird with its mouth open, waiting to be fed. After giving birth, it becomes satisfied, and the mouth closes," Xu Qi’an carefully worded his explanation.

"???" Huaiqing looked at him, bewildered.

Xu Qi’an scratched his head, "Princess, have you read any medical books?"

Huaiqing gave him a cold look, "Yesterday, when you suddenly had a headache during the autopsy, didn’t I tell you that I have some knowledge of medicine?"

"Oh, oh, that makes it simple," Xu Qi’an clapped his hands and smiled, "A woman who hasn’t given birth has a cervix shaped like an 'O'. After giving birth, it becomes a horizontal line."

This explanation was easily understood by the intelligent Princess Huaiqing, but recalling his earlier crass description, she felt unwilling to engage further with him.

The Fourth Prince, who lacked medical knowledge, nodded vaguely, "Sir Xu, you are indeed learned and talented."

This piece of knowledge came from a case of passion-driven murder in Xu Qi’an’s previous life. The victim had been a woman involved with two men at once, following in the footsteps of Brother Cheng. The old forensic doctor had dissected the body and said, "Even though she wasn’t married, someone had already lived in her house."

At that time, Xu Qi’an, serving as an assistant, had asked the old doctor to teach him more, leading to this bit of knowledge.

"I’ve had Huang Xiaorou investigated. She entered the palace in the 28th year of Yuanjing..." Xu Qi’an glanced at the two royals.

The implication was that someone had dared to infringe upon Emperor Yuanjing’s territory.

By the 28th year of Yuanjin, the old emperor had long since practiced abstinence and cultivation. He had refrained from touching even the most beautiful empress and the stunning Noble Consort Chen, so how could he possibly have taken interest in a mere palace maid?

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

Xu Qi’an silently observed him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" The Fourth Prince felt insulted.

Xu Qi’an averted his gaze and analyzed, "This person is actually easy to identify. He must meet two conditions: First, he must have relatively free access to the inner palace, which fits a member of the royal family.

"Second, he must be bold and act with impunity; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare target a palace maid."

At this moment, Huaiqing suddenly said, "Brother, we wish to speak with Sir Xu privately."

The Fourth Prince frowned, glanced at his sister, and slowly nodded, "Very well, we’ll take our leave."

After watching the Fourth Prince leave, Huaiqing cast a cold glance at Yuanjing Emperor’s spy—the little eunuch.

"Get out."

The little eunuch bowed his head and left silently.

Once everyone had been dismissed, Huaiqing fixed her gaze on Xu Qi’an, her expression solemn, "Sir Xu, Huang Xiaorou’s suicide, and my mother’s confession, are most likely related to this man."

Xu Qi’an stirred the water in the bucket, his pupils dilating as he lost focus, “Your Highness is being too subjective. Investigations must be conducted calmly, forming hypotheses based on clues. We’ve now discovered that Huang Xiaorou was once pregnant, so let’s assume that the man involved was not His Majesty, but someone else.

“Assuming that Huang Xiaorou’s suicide and the Empress saving her, even confessing, were all because of this man. Then he must meet another condition:

“This man has a close relationship with the Empress but little connection to His Majesty. He can enter the inner palace, but if he causes trouble, His Majesty would not hesitate to execute him.

“The Fourth Prince is His Majesty’s legitimate son. Even if he molested a palace maid, His Majesty wouldn’t kill him in anger. The Empress wouldn’t have to 'confess' because there would be no need.”

At this point, he looked up and met Huaiqing’s clear, autumn-like eyes, "Does Your Highness have anyone in mind?"

Huaiqing’s face darkened, and she coldly replied, "I have someone in mind."