The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Qin Miaoxi frowned, her eyes fixed on the cold corpse in front of her. In her mind, the inspiration that flashed like a meteor was trying to break through the fog of chaos with the momentum of breaking out of the cocoon.

However, at the last moment when it was about to burst out, the inspiration was like quicksand on her fingertips, and no matter how hard she tried, it slipped away quietly through her fingers.

She took a deep breath, breaking the suffocating silence. Her voice was steady, yet tinged with a subtle urgency. "This mark is far more than it appears. The murderer deliberately branded this pattern into the victim's ribs with an iron in his final moments. There must be a deeper meaning hidden within it."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere by the river, which was originally so quiet that only the sound of breathing could be heard, became even more solemn.

Shi Xinzhe stood aside, his arms folded, his face gloomy as water. A sharp light flashed in his deep eyes, and then he fell into deep thought.

The Jingzhao Yin runners behind him also had solemn expressions. Some frowned slightly, while others subconsciously tightened their swords at their waists. The atmosphere became tense and depressing.

After the autopsy was completed, Qin Miaoxi organized her clothes and tools in an orderly manner, raised her hand to pat the dust on her body, and then with an unquestionable momentum, she stretched out her hand directly towards Shi Xinzhe, with her five fingers slightly open and her palm facing up.

Shi Xinzhe was still immersed in his thoughts on the case when he was startled by this sudden action. A look of deep confusion instantly appeared on his face. His eyes were full of puzzlement, and his mouth was slightly open. After a while, he reacted and asked, "What does this mean?"

Qin Miaoxi straightened her back, her expression serious, her eyes revealing an unquestionable determination. She said righteously, "Pay the bill. I have completed the autopsy successfully. If you still need me to participate in the investigation later, that is the scope of the constable's work, and my wages will be settled separately."

She spoke each word clearly and forcefully, as if every word carried unquestionable weight.

Shi Xinzhe's expression instantly turned ugly, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned downwards, and his face was full of reluctance.

He subconsciously tightened his hands in his sleeves, and after hesitating for a long time, he reluctantly reached into his arms and took out the silver, muttering softly. Although his voice was small, his tone was full of complaints: "Didn't the young marquis give you silver? Why do you care so much about such a small amount of money?"

Qin Miaoxi's eyes lit up instantly, and she swiftly snatched the banknote from Shi Xinzhe's hand. Her movements were quick and decisive, without any delay.

She clutched the banknote tightly in her hand and said confidently, "What do you know? This is called accumulating little by little. Every penny is hard-earned. I can't waste it."

"Oh! You took too much!" Shi Xinzhe looked anxious and quickly stretched out his hand to snatch back the extra banknotes.

Qin Miaoxi nimbly took a step back, avoiding Shi Xinzhe's hand, and said with a sly smile on her face, "Then I will help you investigate the case and pay off the debt."

After saying that, she stuffed the banknotes into her arms at an extremely fast speed, and subconsciously pressed her hands back and forth in front of her arms, as if to confirm that the banknotes were safely put away.

Once the money was in her pocket, there was no way she could take it out again.

Shi Xinzhe froze in place as he watched Qin Miaoxi's movements. After a long moment, he reluctantly raised his head and gazed toward the sky, his eyes filled with helplessness and speechlessness. He secretly criticized in his heart: "This person is really as Lord Liang said, a glutton who only takes in and never gives out!"

Qin Miaoxi's hand, which was originally sorting her purse, suddenly stopped, and her movements froze in an instant. A barely perceptible cold light flashed in her eyes, and her fists clenched unconsciously.

But soon, her face regained its composure, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a faint smile, and she thought to herself: It seems that I have to find them some new work to do. They still have the time to gossip with others. They are really too idle!

Shi Xinzhe rubbed his brow with a splitting headache and said angrily, "Coroner Qin, I've already paid you the money. Now, how should we proceed with this investigation?"

After saying that, she snorted heavily, her eyes full of dissatisfaction, just because she had just taken too much.

Qin Miaoxi's expression was calm, her gaze penetrating. She narrowed her eyes slightly, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "The most urgent task is to conduct a search around the village, focusing on finding missing men between the ages of 25 and 30. Also, we need to inquire widely around the area to see if anyone noticed anything unusual or saw anyone suspicious last night."

After she finished speaking, she tilted her head slightly, her eyes fixed on the uneasy man in the distance. She said in a firm tone, "I want to talk to the person who found the body in person. Maybe I can get some key clues from him."

"Okay." Shi Xinzhe responded and immediately began to arrange for a check of the surrounding area.

Qin Miaoxi walked towards the middle-aged man with steady steps.

As she got closer, the man's body became stiffer, his hands kept rubbing the corners of his clothes, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Sir, do you have any instructions?" The man's voice was trembling, almost crying, and his eyes were full of fear and anxiety.

Seeing the man so nervous, Qin Miaoxi slowed down her speech, a gentle smile appeared on her face, and she comforted him softly, "Don't be afraid, I just want to ask you carefully how you found the body. Don't be nervous, just speak slowly."

The man's eyes wandered, and he muttered softly, "I've already told that gentleman..."

There was still a deep fear in his eyes, as if the horrific scene was still vivid in his mind, leaving him with lingering fear.

Qin Miaoxi showed no impatience at all. She maintained a gentle tone and said patiently, "Please tell me again in detail. Even the smallest details may be the key to finding the murderer. Thank you for your hard work."

The man pursed his lips, his chest heaving violently. He took a deep breath, suppressing the fear surging within him. His expression gradually calmed, and he spoke slowly, his voice trembling with a barely perceptible tremor: "Sir, I drive to the city every morning to sell goods, and today was no different from any other day. But as we passed the river, the mule pulling the cart suddenly started barking like crazy and refused to move forward no matter how hard we urged it. I thought something was wrong, so I got out of the cart to investigate. I saw a large school of fish gathered by the river, so dense that they were packed together. When I got closer, I saw a body floating in the river. I was so scared that my legs went weak."

"Did you find anyone at the scene?" Qin Miaoxi fixed her eyes on the man, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

The man shook his head decisively and replied, "No, there are usually not many people coming here in the morning."

Qin Miaoxi narrowed her eyes slightly, lost in a brief moment of thought, then raised her gaze to the man, her tone calm but with an undeniable sense of impertinence: "Do you have any impression of the deceased's clothes? Have you seen them before?"

The man shook his head again, a look of helplessness on his face. "I've never seen him before. Besides, his clothes have been ripped and tattered by the fish. It's impossible to tell what he looked like originally."

"Okay, if you remember anything later, please let the bailiff know."

"Of course. If I think of anything else, I will report it to you immediately."

The man left in a hurry. Qin Miaoxi held her chin and fell into deep thought. Her eyes wandered back and forth among the stones on the ground, trying to find a clue to solve the case.