Chapter 74 - 73: The Missing Woman (Part 1)

Chapter 74: Chapter 73: The Missing Woman (Part 1)

Xiao Yi did not deny it and said, "Rest assured, the new County Magistrate is trustworthy. Moreover, Anping County indeed needs a good forensic doctor. You know Wu Wuzuo’s abilities."

He had considered cultivating Wu Wuzuo, but some people are just beyond help.

The last time Wu Wuzuo personally witnessed Xu Jing’s autopsy, his arrogance vanished in an instant and he never mentioned wanting to consult Xu Jing again.

Xu Jing looked at Xiao Yi inquisitively, "Is this case a test for me?"

A test to see if she could work for the government long-term.

Xiao Yi was silent for a moment and said, "It’s not a test. I am already well aware of Miss Xu’s abilities. However, the new County Magistrate is too upright. If he doesn’t personally acknowledge someone, he might be unwilling to employ them.

Miss Xu is also a woman. If she doesn’t showcase her abilities in front of him, even if I personally intervene, it might not help."

He continued, adding, "The case is coincidental. I originally only intended for Miss Xu to conduct an autopsy in front of him. But who could anticipate that an unidentified female corpse would suddenly be found outside the city this morning? Because the identity of the deceased cannot be determined, the county government’s work cannot proceed, hence I thought to trouble Miss Xu to make the trip."

Xu Jing was slightly stunned.

An unidentified female corpse usually refers to a woman with no identifying items on her body. Worse, if the body is too decomposed, her appearance and age might not even be discernible.

Xiao Yi’s words were clear. He wanted to pave the way for her so that she could continue to conduct autopsies and solve cases in Anping County in the future.

His sudden visit today was also because he was about to leave Anping County and didn’t have much time to pave the way for her.

Xu Jing didn’t hesitate for long before decisively nodding, "Alright, let’s go right away!"

After speaking, she went inside to instruct the Cheng Brothers and Sisters on what to watch out for, advising them not to rush judgment if they encountered complex illnesses they were unsure of and to wait for her return in the evening. She then got in the carriage with Xiao Yi.

This left Cheng Qingqing and Cheng Xianbai staring at each other, not processing the situation for quite some time.

Finally, Cheng Qingqing spoke first, "Could Vice Minister Xiao be interested in Sister Jing?"

It’s not impossible! Sister Jing is so beautiful and capable! If I were a man, I’d like Sister Jing too!

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

Cheng Xianbai rolled his eyes, "Miss Xu is indeed excellent, but who is Vice Minister Xiao? In front of the Holy Emperor, he’s a favored minister, not to mention he’s the legitimate son of one of the four great families of Great Chu, the Xiao Family. Such a person, even princesses or county lords might be at his discretion.

Even if he really takes a liking to Miss Xu, she might only become his concubine. Our father used to say it’s better to be a poor man’s wife than a rich man’s concubine. Given Miss Xu’s nature, she might not be willing to be confined to the rear courtyards."

Cheng Qingqing was immediately agitated, "Sister Jing wouldn’t become a concubine! Sister Jing’s abilities far surpass most men’s! At most... if it ever comes down to it, I’ll marry Sister Jing, and we’ll rely on each other!"

Cheng Xianbai: "..."

This isn’t right; even if you’re outraged on behalf of Miss Xu, don’t go scaring your brother like that!

Once Xu Jing was in the carriage, she began asking about the case.

Xiao Yi said, "The deceased was discovered this morning by a woodcutter on a mountain outside the city. When found, the deceased was completely naked and stuffed into a tree hollow. If the woodcutter hadn’t happened to sit next to the tree hollow while resting, she might not have been discovered.

There were no clothes or accessories on the deceased, just a very ordinary light apricot-colored hair ribbon left on her head. Her body is highly deformed, a condition you once described as gigantiform, making it impossible to discern her original appearance or even her age. All that can be confirmed is that she was female."

The situation was pretty much as she expected.

Xu Jing promptly asked, "What was the cause of death?"

Xiao Yi glanced at her, his expression somewhat nuanced, but his voice remained steady: "Wu Wuzuo examined the body this morning. Before her death, the deceased... was assaulted. She suffered heavy bleeding below and had multiple bruises and wounds from being beaten. Wu Wuzuo deduced she died from being beaten and assaulted."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but frown.

The determination of the cause of death was rather crude. Beating and assault couldn’t directly cause death; rather, they likely led to massive internal bleeding or sudden complications, resulting in the fatality.

She suddenly gained a deeper understanding as to why Xiao Yi said Anping County needed a competent forensic doctor.

Xiao Yi continued, "The location where the body was found is somewhat problematic. Nearby, there are three villages. The total population of these villages is nearly one thousand five hundred people. Fortunately, they are under Anping County’s jurisdiction. This morning, I had a rough count of missing women from these villages in the last half-year, and there are almost sixty."

Xu Jing’s frown deepened.

In ancient times, poor public security meant human trafficking was common, with women being high-value commodities and thus prime targets for traffickers.

Among the missing women, some left home for various reasons, while others encountered incidents while traveling and couldn’t immediately return or never could.

Only sixty women going missing from three villages in six months is considered relatively few.

However, with so many missing women, identifying the deceased in the short term will be challenging.

Without determining the identity of the deceased, the case can’t proceed. No wonder Xiao Yi specifically sought her out.

Soon, the carriage entered a forest and eventually stopped beside a mountain path.

Seeing how deserted it looked, Xu Jing guessed the site of the corpse discovery was further inside. She was just wondering how she’d get there when Xiao Yi abruptly took out a folding wheelchair from the carriage, unfolded it, and looked at her, "Miss Xu, can you get in by yourself?"

Xu Jing raised her eyebrows.

She had been so preoccupied with the case that she hadn’t even noticed the wheelchair.

She nodded, "Of course."

Lately, she’d often been surprised by this man’s attentiveness.

Could it be due to having a child at home requiring care?

After Xu Jing sat in the wheelchair, she was pushed forward by Chen Hu, who had accompanied them.

Despite the forest path’s ruggedness, it was mostly flat. Xiao Yi’s wheelchair was evidently not ordinary, proving quite functional even on such terrain.

Soon, they spotted some figures ahead. Most were county government bailiffs, and one was a young man in light green official attire, clean and handsome. Xu Jing guessed this was the new County Magistrate of Anping County.

They were gathered around a corpse lying face-up on the ground, discussing softly, with troubled expressions.

Hearing their approach, one bailiff turned his head and happily exclaimed, "Vice Minister Xiao has returned! Miss Xu is here too!"

This bailiff was among those who had visited Xinglin Hall as a pretend-patient last time. Xu Jing remembered his name as Meng Anhe, a cheerful round-faced man with a very honest appearance.

It was evident Xiao Yi relied heavily on him regularly.

The young man in light green robes turned his head upon hearing this. Upon seeing Xu Jing veiled in a wheelchair, he was visibly taken aback, his face darkening perceptibly.

Xiao Yi, as if not noticing the young man’s change in expression, calmly pushed Xu Jing over, "County Magistrate Deng, this is the forensic doctor, Miss Xu, I mentioned bringing to assist in the investigation."

County Magistrate Deng seemed stunned, his fair face flushed red. After a moment, he gritted his teeth, "Vice, Vice Minister Xiao, are you making fun of me?

This, this is clearly a woman, how, how can she perform an autopsy! Vice Minister Xiao, could it be that, like others, you look down on me, intentionally finding a woman to humiliate me!"