Chapter 239 - 237: Boiling Bones for Autopsy (Part 2)

Chapter 239: Chapter 237: Boiling Bones for Autopsy (Part 2)

Xiao Huai’an belatedly jumped down from Xu Jing’s arms and respectfully saluted Xiao Yi.

In terms of etiquette, Little Point has always been quite proper, as Xiao Yi had taught him well.

However, today Xiao Yi for some reason found his son particularly irritating. After he made him get up, he suddenly said coldly, "Sit by yourself. You’re already grown, yet you still cling to your mother all day."

Just when he wanted to return to Xu Jing’s arms, Xiao Huai’an thought, "..."

Ah! Dad is so mean. It’s because Mom doesn’t want to hold him, so Dad doesn’t want to see Mom hold him either!

Don’t think just because Dad says nothing, I can’t see through his wicked intentions!

Xiao Huai’an glanced bitterly at his old father but ultimately didn’t dare to resist, so he responded and listlessly walked to sit on the other side of the long couch.

It was the first time Xu Jing had seen Xiao Yi so stern with Xiao Huai’an. She couldn’t help but be slightly stunned and said, "Actually..."

But Xiao Yi picked up the hot tea that Xianyun had poured for him, took a small sip, and said plainly, "Jing, do you need my help with something?"

Xu Jing raised an eyebrow. Is he unhappy about her interfering with his way of educating Chang Xiao?

Okay, if he interfered when she was educating Chang Xiao, she probably wouldn’t be pleased either.

After all, it’s nothing serious, and she can’t be too soft-hearted as a mother.

Xu Jing swallowed the rest of her words and said, "I want to perform an autopsy, but for now, I don’t want others to know that I have the skill, so I hope Vice Minister Xiao can assist me."

Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback, recalling the case she was investigating, and asked, "You intend to examine the body of the third victim?"

The other two victims died over a month ago, their bodies must be badly decomposed.

"No,"

Xu Jing paused and said, "I want to examine the body of a doctor from the Imperial College who died about a year ago."

A body that has been dead for a year?

Xiao Yi’s brow furrowed slightly.

Wouldn’t it be nothing more than a pile of bones by now? How would you examine it?

Xu Jing slightly smiled and said, "I mean, I intend to exhume the body for an autopsy, and I hope Vice Minister Xiao can assist me."

Xianyun, beside them, thought, "..."

The Lord and Miss Xu certainly are—talking about corpses in front of the young lord.

He wonders what kind of person the young lord will grow into, being exposed to such things, and it truly worries him to no end.

That day, Xu Jing stayed for dinner at Xiao Yi’s home. She wasn’t sure if it was just her illusion, but Xiao Yi seemed particularly strict with Xiao Huai’an that day. Every time Xiao Huai’an wanted to act affectionately towards her, he would sternly stop him, making Little Point feel down all evening. It was only when Xu Jing was about to leave that he graciously allowed the boy to hug her.

In the end, Little Point was led away by Xianyun, looking back three times at every step.

Xiao Yi stood up, straightened the creases in his robe, and said, "Let’s go, I have already called for a trusted forensic doctor."

Xu Jing glanced at him, unable to help herself from asking, "Chang Xiao is not even five years old yet. I know you want him to be independent as soon as possible, but isn’t this too harsh?"

Xiao Yi was momentarily stunned, his steps paused, and he pressed his lips slightly before softly sighing, "I’m sorry."

The man’s quick and straightforward admission of guilt surprised Xu Jing.

"I got impatient,"

He had vented his suppressed frustrations onto his son, which was rather disgraceful.

He couldn’t believe he had done such a thing.

Xiao Yi raised his hand to rub his forehead, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness, "Later, I will apologize to Chang Xiao."

Seeing the fatigue on his face, Xu Jing felt a bit regretful and said, "No need to be so serious; your work is rather taxing, isn’t it? I’m always asking for your help—it’s I who should apologize."

Xiao Yi looked up at her, his eyes deep and profound, and suddenly said, "If you feel sorry, then visit Chang Xiao more often. He misses you. Seeing you with him also puts my mind at ease."

Looking into the man’s calm and gentle eyes, Xu Jing’s heart skipped a beat. Before she could react, the man in front of her faintly smiled and said, "Just joking. I’m already used to the work at the Ministry of Justice, and besides, it’s not particularly busy lately, so not very exhausting. Let’s go."

After speaking, he took the first step and walked out.

Xu Jing couldn’t help but watch his back for a moment before following and saying, "I previously asked Eunuch Quan to report to the Holy Emperor about my intention to exhume a body for an autopsy. Doctor Cao’s parents died when he was young, and his relatives, who refused to take him in, already severed ties with him. It’s said that after Doctor Cao succeeded in the imperial examinations, his relatives shamelessly came to the Western Capital to reconnect with him, but he sent them away.

As a result, Doctor Cao does not have any real family anymore, so there’s no need to seek consent from his family for this matter."

It was due to such a background that he reached nearly thirty before marrying and having children.

Xiao Yi nodded and said, "You suspect that there’s something fishy about how he died back then?"

Xu Jing was silent for a moment before nodding and said, "I have a theory, but it won’t be confirmed until it’s verified."

Doctor Cao’s grave was set on a small hill outside the city. It’s said he once expressed the wish to be buried in a place with a broad view and beautiful scenery. After his death, Mr. Song personally helped find such a place.

Although his relatives don’t visit his grave, he had taught for many years, and students would occasionally come to pay their respects, keeping his grave relatively clean and tidy.

Xiao Yi and Xu Jing first bowed respectfully three times in front of the grave before instructing the people they brought to start digging up the coffin from below.

Soon, the coffin was unearthed. Xu Jing asked everyone to wear face masks before saying, "You can open it now."

Though Doctor Cao died in a fire, meaning the corpse’s decay would release less odor than others, they still couldn’t be careless.

A group of strong men responded and cautiously lifted the coffin’s lid, placing it aside.

Xu Jing and Xiao Yi stood at a distance for a while, waiting until most of the odor had dissipated before they walked over. In the coffin lay a straight skeleton, the flesh long decomposed into liquid, or perhaps consumed by bacteria, microorganisms, and various insects.

In this world, only death is fair; no matter who a person was in life, in the end, they’re nothing but bones.

A man standing next to Xiao Yi said, "Lord, Miss Xu, what should we do next?"

He was one of the guards who often accompanied Xiao Yi, and Xu Jing knew him—his name was Cheng Xiao.

Xu Jing put on gloves and said, "Please note down what I’m about to say. Let’s begin: The deceased’s height is about five feet five inches (approximately one hundred seventy centimeters), male, and there’s a fracture in the right ankle bone, which should be from an injury incurred in life."

All this matched Doctor Cao’s records from before his death.

After examining carefully, Xu Jing suddenly extracted a piece of bone from the anterior pelvis of the deceased and said, "Set up a pot to boil water."

The guard beside her almost questioned his hearing.

Miss Xu indeed brought a pot along, but they didn’t expect that it would actually be used.

What does Miss Xu intend to boil? It couldn’t be the corpse itself, could it!

Only when Xu Jing cast them a glance did Cheng Xiao realize and hastily said, "Someone, set up a pot to boil water immediately!"

Once the pot was set up, Xu Jing tossed in the piece of bone she retrieved from the coffin.

The forensic doctor that Xiao Yi had found couldn’t help but approach and said, "I’ve seen other forensic doctors use this method before, called the bone-boiling autopsy. But usually, it’s done using all the bones together. Why does Miss Xu only boil one piece?"