Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 233 The Xiao Brothers
"Are you sure this is the princess?" Diwu Wei looked at Xie Xi who was crying.

"Yes." Xie Xi nodded with tears in her eyes, "These jewels are what the princess often wears, and my son's longevity lock is also what he has always worn since he was a child."

"Okay, please go to the front and rest, we are going to start the autopsy." The Fifth Dimension said in a gentle voice.

Xie Xi was so grief-stricken that he was about to faint, and had to be helped out again.

Everyone in the Gou Chen Division began to perform their duties and became busy.

Diwuwei was in charge of the autopsy, and Nangong assisted him. He did not touch the remains of the princess, but examined the other dead bodies.

After opening the dead man's mouth, the Fifth Dimension observed it carefully and said, "There is no soot in the dead man's mouth and nose, and his hands and feet are not clenched. He must have been burned after death."

"Why?" Chen Baxian asked curiously.

"If the deceased was still alive when he was burned, he would have struggled hard and breathed violently, inhaling a lot of soot into his mouth and nose, and his hands and feet would not lie flat naturally like they do now." The Fifth Dimension explained:
"So they must have died in their sleep without knowing it."

"Poison smoke." Nangong said softly. For example, her pink smoke, although used for hypnosis, is it not also a poison?
"This is too easy." Ren Yuan took out a black charcoal basin from the fire scene and said, "During the rainy season, wealthy families all light charcoal basins to prevent moisture. As long as you add some ingredients to the charcoal basin, everyone in the room will be infected."

"Take it back and let the Poison Grandma examine it." He handed the charcoal basin to Chen Baxian.

At this time, Song Jingxiu also made a discovery. He took the roster he found in the steward's room and came over to report: "There should have been 36 palace maids on duty last night, but if the female corpse is taken as Princess Changle, there is one less."

Zuan also finished the interrogation and came back to report: "I have asked the guards of the palace. Usually, no one comes to the princess's house. Even the prince consort comes less than once a month. Only her brothers come to see her every now and then."

"Which brother?" asked the Fifth Dimension.

"Leshan Marquis Xiao Zhengze." Zuan replied.

"Him?" Everyone couldn't believe it. They didn't expect that this vicious and stubborn guy was actually a competent brother.

~~
On the other side, Prince Consort Xie took a short rest and prepared to go back to the scene to take a look.

But just as they reached the side gate, they bumped head-on into a group of men dressed in plain clothes, wearing white gauze crowns, and with angry faces.

The oldest one, who is nearly forty years old, is the Crown Prince of Linchuan, the second son, Xiao Zhengyi. Surrounding him are his five younger brothers, including the third son, Xiao Zhengde, and the fourth son, Xiao Zhengze.

Princess Changle's brothers had gloomy faces. When they saw Xie Xi, they flew into a rage. The fifth brother, Jian'an Hou Xiao Zhengli, who was in his twenties, grabbed him by the collar and roared, "Give me back my sister!"

"My sister is so unlucky to marry you!" The other brothers-in-law also took out their anger on Xie Xi, and Xiao Zhengde even kicked him to the ground.

"Damn it, how dare you still be alive?!"

"Third brother." Xiao Zhengyi still had some dignity, so he stopped Xiao Zhengde and said, "Go see your sister first."

"Hmph!" Xiao Zhengde obviously ignored him and kicked Xie Xi twice.

"Alas." Xiao Zhengyi shook his head helplessly. He could not control this extremely vicious man. He sighed and took the rest of his brothers in to block the side door.

After entering the room, seeing the corpse covered in gold and jade, the Xiao brothers burst into tears.

"Sister, you have a hard life."

"Sister, we failed to protect you."

"Why are you still leaving her lying on the ground?" Xiao Zhengze cried out in tears, "Quick, lift her up and take my sister home!"

His three younger brothers followed him and tried to carry Princess Changle's body.

"Sorry, my lords, no one can touch the princess's body without the emperor's order." Nangong stood in front of the princess's body and stopped them. "Where did you come from, crazy woman? Who are you?" The Xiao brothers were usually arrogant, and at this time they didn't take the ghostwriter seriously. "Get out of the way!"

"Get out of here!" The seventh brother Xiao Zhengxin slapped Nangong.

But the Fifth Dimension grabbed his wrist and said in a deep voice: "The cause of the princess' death has not yet been determined. Please don't embarrass us, Marquis Wuhua."

"Let go!" Although Xiao Zhengxin was only sixteen or seventeen years old, he was as arrogant as his brother. If he hadn't been unable to move, he would have kicked the fifth dimension long ago.

"Fifth Dimension, do you want to die?!" Upon seeing this, Leshan Hou Xiao Zhengde shouted angrily and was about to lead his brothers to beat up Fifth Dimension.

Song Jingxiu quickly led his men to stand in front of Diwu Wei and Nangong. They were pushed and shoved by the Xiao brothers and refused to move away. Many people were beaten for the guard leader and the tower owner.

The scene was extremely chaotic for a time.

Seeing this, Chen Baxian rolled up his sleeves and prepared to step forward to fight, but Ren Yuan held his hand and whispered, "Don't be impulsive."

"Prince, if the dukes try to snatch the body again, we will have no choice but to offend them." The Fifth Dimension's face gloomed rarely, and it was obvious that he was really angry.

"Stop it!" Xiao Zhengyi was not as arrogant as his younger brothers, and he didn't want to make enemies with Gou Chensi for no reason.

He quickly stopped both parties and said to the Fifth Dimension, "Fifth Guardian, don't be so rigid. What's the point of you keeping the princess's body? Let us take it back."

The Fifth Dimension shook his head firmly and said, "Not to mention that we definitely need an imperial decree, we are not sure that this is the princess's body. What if we make a mistake?"

"This is it. She wore this jade bracelet at her parents' home!" the Xiao brothers shouted.

"No, this is not the princess." Ren Yuan said decisively at this time.

"Boy, stop talking nonsense here. Have you ever seen the princess?" The Xiao brothers glared at Ren Yuan as if they wanted to eat him.

"We are her brothers, there is no need for you, a bastard, to interfere!" the sixth brother, Wu Zhaohou Xiao Zhengbiao, scolded.

"I have indeed never seen the princess before." Facing the clamor of the Xiao family, Ren Yuan said calmly:

"But I know that women take off jewelry that gets in the way before they go to sleep."

"The fire started at four o'clock last night, so the princess was naturally asleep at that time." He pointed to the jade-inlaid gold necklace on the neck of the remains and said, "But how can she sleep with such a complicated necklace on her neck?"

"You are just guessing. Everyone has their own habits. Maybe my sister can't sleep without wearing a necklace!" Xiao Zhengde said coldly.

"Don't worry, I have another piece of evidence." Ren Yuan pointed to the hip bone of the remains and said, "As we all know, women who have given birth will have their pubic bones separated and their pelvis expanded. From this person's pelvis, we can tell that this person has never given birth. And the princess clearly already has a son, so it can't be her!"

After a pause, he glanced at everyone and said, "If you don't believe me, you can come and have a bone-dropping ceremony right now."

"Okay." Xiao Zhengbiao immediately rolled up his sleeves, eager to try, but was stopped by his fourth brother.

"Don't fall into it." Xiao Zhengze whispered.

Xiao Zhengyi looked at Ren Yuan and asked, "You said this person is not a princess, then why is she wearing a princess's jewelry?"

"If she wears princess jewelry, does that mean she is a princess?" Ren Yuan asked in return, "Then if a monkey wears a human hat, does that mean she is a human?"

"..." Xiao Zhengyi and others were speechless for a moment and didn't know how to refute.

(End of this chapter)