The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

"Zi Yan, go check if that young master has any connection with the old Hanlin scholar, Lord Cui, or if he has any connection with other members of the Cui family." Qin Miaoxi's face was as gloomy as water, and her tone was calm but with unquestionable majesty as she instructed Zi Yan beside her.

Zi Yan nodded quickly and said yes. After receiving the order, she turned around quickly and hurried forward to investigate the matter.

Qin Miaoxi returned to Yunyin Pavilion again.

This time, the shopkeeper not only didn't ask as many questions as before, but he had already prepared the guest list for that day. With a warm smile on his face, he walked up to her and said, "Madam Hou, I knew you would definitely need this list, so I prepared it for you in advance."

Qin Miaoxi's eyes flashed with gratitude, and she said sincerely, "Thank you, shopkeeper. You really helped me a lot."

As she spoke, she reached out to take the list, and while saying thank you softly, she began to look through it impatiently.

However, not long after, her brows furrowed slightly, a puzzled look appeared on her face. She looked up at the shopkeeper and asked, "Shopkeeper, are you sure this is the guest list for the day?"

The shopkeeper looked puzzled and asked, "Of course, is there anything wrong with this list?"

Qin Miaoxi stared at the shopkeeper with a sharp gaze and asked, "Old Hanlin Cui, didn't you come to Yunyin Pavilion for dinner that day?"

The shopkeeper frowned slightly and fell into a brief moment of thought. After a moment, he responded firmly, "No, Master Cui hasn't set foot in our Yunyin Pavilion for a long time."

"What about the other members of the Cui family?" Qin Miaoxi narrowed her eyes slightly, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes, and asked softly.

The shopkeeper frowned slightly, a worried look on his face. He moved closer and whispered, "He hasn't been here either, Madam Hou. Do you think there might be some problem with Lord Cui?" His eyes were full of anxiety and speculation.

Qin Miaoxi was startled when she heard this, then she quickly waved her hand, a faint smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said casually: "No, I just asked casually."

However, a subtle glint of suspicion flickered in her lowered eyes, and her heart was secretly stirring. Didn't they say that Master Cui had gone to trade with the blacksmith? But now he hadn't even seen the shadow of Yunyin Pavilion. Could it be that someone was acting under his name?

Her brows gradually furrowed, a hint of confusion and bewilderment appeared in her eyes, and she couldn't help but mutter to herself in her heart: How could this happen?

Qin Miaoxi's expression became solemn. She looked through the list again, but gained nothing.

Qin Miaoxi frowned and hurried into the Jingzhao Yin Yamen. As soon as she appeared, she was quickly surrounded by Shi Xinzhe like a shadow.

"Coroner Qin, I've finally got you back! How's the investigation into this case going? The Minister of Rites keeps hounding me for the murderer every day, and he's driving my head crazy!" Shi Xinzhe had a worried look on his face, and with his hands clasped together, he begged Qin Miaoxi to speed up the investigation, as if he was going to kneel down to her in the next second.

However, at this moment, the clues of the case are like beads that have broken off the string, and everything is still shrouded in mystery.

Qin Miaoxi rolled her eyes at him, her tone tinged with impatience. "Since he's so anxious to find the murderer, why doesn't he check who his nephew hangs out with? Maybe there's a clue hidden there."

The information of the first deceased has not been confirmed, and the relationship network of the second deceased is also unclear. How can the case be moved forward?

Upon hearing this, Shi Xinzhe felt as if he had been choked. His expression grew uglier, and he complained with a mournful face, "I've already told him this, but he won't listen! I've tried my best to talk him through it, but he won't budge."

As he spoke, a trace of contemplation suddenly flashed in his eyes. "If she could go and talk to him in person, with Qin the Coroner's ability, it would definitely be much more effective than me."

When Qin Miaoxi heard this, she could only curl her lips helplessly and remain silent.

"Perhaps I haven't cooperated well enough with the Jingzhao Yin's officers in handling the case. Lord Shi, if it's convenient for you, I would like to borrow some officers from the Dali Temple to assist in the investigation." Qin Miaoxi said with a serious expression and a sincere tone.

Upon hearing this, Shi Xinzhe shut up instantly, a slightly awkward smile plastered across his face. He chuckled and replied, "Coroner Qin, don't worry about this matter. I will definitely keep them under control and ensure they don't cause you any more trouble."

Qin Miaoxi nodded slightly, and without saying anything more, she went straight to the office that Shi Xinzhe had temporarily arranged for her.

When she arrived at the place, she sat down, quickly took out a piece of paper, and began to write and draw on it, sorting out the clues of the case.

The crime scene of the first victim bore clear signs of multiple people. With so many people gathered near the river, their departure would have undoubtedly caused quite a stir. Yet, strangely, none of the villagers in the surrounding villages noticed anything unusual. This seemed illogical. How did they leave?

Let's look at the second victim, Prince Wang. He was murdered in a deserted house. The owner had died years ago, and with no heirs, the house had been abandoned, practically untouched. Furthermore, judging by the scene, the murder likely involved more than one person. After all, if that were the case, cleaning up the scene would be extremely difficult, and any carelessness would leave loopholes.

Furthermore, the blacksmith's clues were crucial. The pattern he described matched the branding marks on the deceased's body perfectly. However, anyone capable of crafting branding irons from cold iron must be either wealthy or noble. Qian Baiwan's confession hinted at Cui Hanlin. But Cui served in the Hanlin Academy, a government-run institution, and his ancestors for three generations were ordinary farmers. How could he possibly possess something as precious as cold iron? Was there a hidden mastermind behind this?

These intricate clues were like a huge and invisible maze that tightly enveloped Qin Miaoxi, making her a little confused for a moment.

Just as Qin Miaoxi fell into deep thought, with the brush in her hand moving aimlessly across the paper, a burst of hurried footsteps could be heard faintly from outside the yamen.

Curious, she put down her pen, stood up, and hurried out of the yamen. Looking up, she saw many people, carrying bamboo baskets, rushing in the same direction with hurried and eager expressions.

Qin Miaoxi quickly stepped forward, stopped a plump, anxious-looking middle-aged woman, and asked, "Excuse me, ma'am, what are you all rushing to do?"

The middle-aged woman continued walking, panting heavily as she responded, "Girl, you don't know yet! The rice shop has reduced the price of rice. The reduction is huge this time, at least half the price! Everyone wants to hurry up and grab some, otherwise it will be gone!"

"Rice shop?" Qin Miaoxi's heart tightened, and she hurriedly asked, "Auntie, are you talking about Qian Baiwan's rice shop?"

The middle-aged woman responded without even turning her head: "Yes, it's his!"

Qin Miaoxi stood there, lost in thought after hearing this. Her brows furrowed as she thought to herself: Qian Baiwan has always been driven by profit, and by suddenly slashing the rice price so drastically, is he planning to run away with the money?

At this time, Zi Yan also hurried over, "Miss, I found out that Prince Wang found an ancient book on Qian Baiwan's ship a month ago, which is similar to the bamboo slips you saw."