The fake daughter married into the mountains and had meat to eat every day during the famine

Qingye only felt a dull pain in his heart, as if it was empty and not solid.

A fishy and salty taste rose up in the throat.

"Where is Xia Ning?" He exuded a cold air.

When Xia Ning learned that Xu Qingye had returned, he walked in from outside the yard and knelt down in front of him.

"I failed to protect the county lady. I am guilty of this and I am willing to accept the punishment!"

Xu Qingye's voice was slightly hoarse, veins bulging on his clenched fists. "Where exactly was Tang'er's accident? Who did it? Where is her body buried?"

Xia Ning felt extremely heavy-hearted.

"Shortly after I and my master left Yingshan City, we were followed by a masked man. I dropped my master off in a secluded place and hid her there. I drove my carriage to lure the man in black away. After killing him, I found no evidence of his identity and assumed he was one of King Heng's men. I returned to look for my master and discovered her hairpin on a cliff below the Cuihua River. After searching for over a month, I finally found her body in a cave."

She handed the hairpin and jade pendant to Xu Qingye.

"This lotus jade pendant was found on a corpse. When we found it, the body had already begun to decay, so we didn't bring the person back and buried him directly in the cave."

The man took the hairpin and jade pendant with trembling hands.

He didn't expect that his trip to the capital would mean they would be separated forever.

If I had known this would happen, I should have brought her along.

He gently stroked the jade pendant in his hand, and the scenes of their past interactions flashed through his mind one by one. He remembered her saying that as long as he didn't let go of her hand, she would never leave.

Now that he didn't let her go, she still left.

After blood oozed from the corner of Xu Qingye's lips, he began to cough violently.

Seeing this, Jiang was frightened and hurried forward to support him.

"Qingye, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!" She said as she wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with a handkerchief, "If Tang'er saw you like this, she wouldn't be able to leave peacefully. You know, she always hopes that you'll be well."

Xu Qingye coughed violently for a while and gasped for breath for a long time before he controlled his emotions. By then, his eyes were already bloodshot.

He looked at Xia Ning again, still retaining a trace of fantasy in his heart.

"If she fell from a cliff, why is she in a cave? Besides the jade pendant, is there anything else that can prove her identity? Are you sure someone didn't steal her? Have you asked a coroner to perform an autopsy?"

Xia Ning was speechless after being asked by Xu Qingye, and tried desperately to recall the corpse he saw that day in his mind.

"When we found the body, it was completely unrecognizable. The clothes on her body were the same ones her master had been wearing before she disappeared. We thought at the time that a kind-hearted person might have passed by and couldn't bear to see her exposed in the wilderness, so they placed her there."

"take me!"

Xu Qingye said this and was about to go out.

Jiang was worried and hurriedly pulled him back.

"Qingye, mother also hopes very much that Tang'er is still alive now, but so many people searched for more than a month before finding the body, so it must be true. Why don't you take a break first?"

Xu Qingye patted her hands in a dull voice.

"Don't worry, mother. Tang'er said before that no matter whether she is around or not, I have to live well. I will be fine."

When he said this, he couldn't help but choke up.

I don’t know what kind of mood she was in when she said this, it was as if the outcome was predetermined by fate.

Then he threw away the thoughts in his mind.

No, she must still be alive!

"Xianing, let's go!"

Xu Qingye mounted the horse again. Seeing this, Guiping hurriedly gave the other horse to Xia Ning.

The two of them first went to Zhuqing Lane and found the coroner Xu who had been helping Lord Zhu with the autopsy. Then, under the leadership of Xia Ning, they went to the cave where the body was buried.

When Xu Qingye saw the small mound and the tombstone standing beside it, his eyes seemed to be stung. He turned his back and took a deep breath.

"Xia Ning, assist the coroner Xu in the autopsy. Try not to damage the body. Just tell me the age, height, and cause of death. I will make my own judgment."

A quarter of an hour later, Coroner Xu took off his gloves and mask.

"The deceased was a female, approximately 17 or 18 years old. She suffered skull and rib fractures, likely caused by a fall from a height. Judging by the degree of decomposition, she died four months ago. She was approximately 4'7" (1.57 meters) tall."

Hearing this, Xu Qingye turned his head to look at him.

"He's four feet seven inches tall. Can you confirm that?"

Coroner Xu nodded. "Based on my years of autopsy experience, even if this woman was taller than 4'7", she definitely wouldn't be taller than 4'8 (1.6m)."

Xu Qingye didn't know what mood he was in right now.

Tang'er was nearly five feet tall (the heroine was about 1.65 meters tall), and the current female corpse was less than four feet eight inches tall, a difference of two inches in length.

Coroner Xu has been working in the autopsy field for decades. Even if he makes a mistake in judgment, the error will not be more than two inches.

Therefore, this female corpse could not possibly be Tang'er!

He looked at the female corpse on the ground and suddenly felt relieved.

The people in the dark went to great lengths to disguise the female corpse as Tang'er's, even destroying her appearance to mislead herself.

He looked at Coroner Xu.

"I hope that Coroner Xu will not tell anyone about this matter."

Xu the coroner bowed.

"Don't worry, Master Xu. Every profession has its own rules. I will forget about this matter once I leave here."

Seeing this, Xia Ning hurriedly helped Xu the coroner to pack up the autopsy tools and sent him out of the cave. He also took out three taels of silver from his waist and stuffed it into his hand.

"This place is not far from the official road. Please trouble Xu the coroner to go up by himself."

Coroner Xu took the silver and nodded quickly.

"Don't worry, girl. I'm familiar with the roads around here."

Although those who work in this industry help the government, their wages are not high. When they first enter the industry, they earn 600 coins per month. After three years, the salary increases to 1 tael and 2 coins. They are not respected.

Nowadays, you can earn three taels of silver for one trip, which is equivalent to more than two months' income.

worth!

After returning home, I must buy a pot of good wine to celebrate.

Xia Ning watched him go away before turning back into the cave. Seeing Xu Qingye still gazing at the female corpse on the ground, his expression no longer as sorrowful as when he first arrived, he couldn't help but ask, "Sir, I remember that the master is much taller than four feet eight?"

The last time I came back, the body had already decayed and was lying down, so I couldn't tell how tall it was. I was so sad that I didn't think about it.

Fortunately, my son-in-law is smart.

Xu Qingye nodded, "She is not Tang'er!"

After saying that, he destroyed the tombstone and turned to leave the cave.

The person in the dark would disguise Tang'er like this to make them misunderstand, which just proves that Tang'er is still alive. But where would she be taken? And who took her away?

Xia Ning followed Xu Qingye out of the cave.

"If the master is still alive, the fetus in her belly should be eight and a half months old now. I don't know if it is still safe."