After being reborn, I went on a killing spree in the imperial court.

Chu Yan lifted the curtain and looked out; a group of soldiers were gathered outside.

"Oops, I was discovered."

"Bai Lu, I don't care what you're going to do! If you dare to destroy the corpse today, my knife will not spare you!" Cao Yuan shouted from outside.

Without saying a word, Chu Yan grabbed her by the collar and threw her out.

"Hey, ah..." Bai Lu fell to the ground, rolled around on the ground, and got up. "Don't shoot arrows! It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

"Princess, you've misunderstood!"

"Is there another person inside?"

"I just wanted someone to perform an autopsy, I had no other intentions!"

"Why are you acting so suspiciously during the autopsy!" Before Bai Lu could speak, Cao Yuan went into the tent by herself.

The man inside had his back to her. She looked him over carefully and saw that he was tall, elegant, and had a refined demeanor.

"This is?"

“It’s like this, Princess. I just hired a coroner,” Bai Lu said.

The man turned around, and Chu Yan was already wearing a golden mask. Although Cao Yuan couldn't see the whole face, the features of the lower half of his face made it easy to tell that there was a handsome man under the mask.

"Coroner?"

Are all coroners in the State of Chen dressed like this?

In the state of Wei, coroners could not afford such clothing.

"Where did you find a coroner when you first arrived? I bet he's one of the accomplices who kidnapped you back then!"

Cao Yuan stared into his eyes, which were as clear as autumn water, and his brows exuded a calm and composed air.

These eyes are quite pretty, but why do they look so familiar?

I can't remember where I've seen it before.

"Yes, yes, yes, that's the friend who kidnapped me back then. Princess, I really did ask him to perform the autopsy. Didn't the military doctor during the day not find anything? Why don't you let my friend do it? He'll definitely be able to do it."

"Are you really capable of performing autopsies?" Cao Yuan asked, half-believing.

"I know a little bit! But I need a meticulous helper."

Cao Yuan looked at Bai Lu beside her, "Then you go!"

"Oh no, Princess, I'm squeamish about blood!" Bai Lu stared intently at Cao Yuan.

"Why are you all looking at me like that? You don't expect me to do it myself, do you? I'm a princess!"

"Only the princess is the most suitable person to perform an autopsy here."

Chu Yan said.

"Yes, Princess, you often go to the battlefield and are not afraid of bloodshed, and those rough men outside don't understand at all."

“They are not brutes, but brothers who have risked their lives for me.”

Cao Yuan walked up to the corpse and said, "Tell me, how should I perform the autopsy?"

"Take off his clothes first, just his shirt."

Cao Yuan froze.

"Somebody come!"

General Liu walked in. "What are your orders, Princess?"

"Take off his clothes!"

"Yes!" General Liu did as instructed.

Chu Yan said, "Be gentle, just cut it open directly."

Cao Yuan glanced at him sideways. This guy was really strange, standing so far away without moving. Was he planning to just talk the talk?

"Sir, what is your name?"

"Xiao Xing".

"Your surname is Xiao. Are you from the Shu Kingdom?"

"Princess, you're all undressed! Is there anything else we need to do?" General Li asked.

"No need, just leave two people waiting outside the door."

"Yes!"

"Young Master Xiao, what should we do next?"

“Describe all the abnormalities on his body.”

Cao Yuan glanced at Bai Lu, "Are you sure he's a coroner?"

"Um... sort of!" Bai Lu replied evasively.

Cao Yuan was patient; if the situation hadn't been so urgent, she wouldn't have done this kind of thing here.

"The deceased had multiple stab wounds, concentrated on the chest. Most were about two feet long. The wounds were...white? They must have been inflicted after death."

"Princess, you also know about autopsies?" Bai Lu asked.

"I don't understand, but there would definitely be bleeding if it was caused before the person was born!"

"His lips were purple, his face was pale, and he looked to be in pain..."

"Please check the deceased's head or hair for any small wounds."

"White Dew, bring the light closer."

Under the light of Bai Lu, Cao Yuan searched for a long time, then said, "Hey, there seems to be something here."

Cao Yuan used tweezers to pull it out; it was a gold needle.

"They're actually gold needles!" Cao Yuan and Bai Lu looked down to examine them.

"It seems the murderer really went all out, using gold needles as weapons," Bai Lu exclaimed.

Bai Lu was about to catch it with her hands when Chu Yan stopped her, saying, "It's poisonous, don't touch it."

Cao Yuan took out the gold needle with tweezers and placed it on the handkerchief.

"The deceased's lips were black and his face was pale, indicating that he died of poisoning. There was a gold needle stuck in the back of his head, and judging from the color of the needle, it was inserted shortly before his death. If the deduction is correct, it should have been poisoned. There were multiple knife wounds on his body, all of which were caused after his death, in order to prove to Wei that Chen had harmed the peace negotiation officials and caused a war between the two countries."

Cao Yuan listened very attentively, but why did this person's speaking speed sound so much like that of a short-lived ghost?

"Princess?" Bai Lu tugged at her clothes when she saw that she didn't speak.

“We have no leads, only this one murder weapon. Bai Lu, send a message by carrier pigeon to check if the other officials’ bodies are also the same!” Cao Yuan said.

“It’s been checked, and they all died the same way,” Chu Yan said.

"Young Master Xiao is quite capable; he can even come and go freely to examine the corpses of officials."

"But we can't go back to the capital to investigate the golden needles, Princess! What should we do?" Bai Lu asked.

"Aren't you the strategist? Can you think of a solution?"

Bai Lu looked at Chu Yan beside her.

Chu Yan inquired, "I heard that the princess is already married and the Marquis of Zhenbei is also here. Why did you send the princess to negotiate peace?"

"It was the second prince of Chen who said that because of internal strife in Wei, he sent the princess to investigate this matter!" Bai Lu replied.

"So, someone is colluding with the enemy, but the Sixth Prince is unwilling to say it outright!"

"The idea that the Sixth Prince is vengeful is probably just speculation. However, war between the two countries does not benefit the court officials!" Cao Yuan said.

“When two countries are at war, a large amount of military funds will inevitably be involved, and the Ministry of Revenue is under the jurisdiction of the Fourth Prince! Since the Sixth Prince was aware of this, he was also aware of the correspondence between the two countries.”

"For two countries to exchange letters, they need written documents. So, which of the six ministries can openly and legitimately communicate with each other?"

"The Ministry of Rites!" Cao Yuan and Bai Lu exclaimed in unison.

Minister Fan of the Ministry of Rites was a man of the Fourth Prince, and the Vice Minister was... The rest were all protégés of the Prime Minister.

Xue Xinian, could this be related to you again?

No, he has only just become the Vice Minister of Rites; he doesn't have that much power yet.

"I knew that old geezer was up to no good! I've finally caught him red-handed," Bai Lu said angrily, though she was secretly pleased.

"These are all just our speculations and there is no evidence. Moreover, I have never heard of Minister Fan knowing martial arts. How could he use the golden needles without internal energy?"

"Even someone like me who has been learning martial arts since childhood wouldn't dare to claim I can kill with golden needles. Let alone those who have never used martial arts in public. How could they possibly hide it so well?"

"Do we really have to do it ourselves? I remember that both of Minister Fan's sons joined the army or hired assassins, but such good internal strength..." Bai Lu said.

“If we’re really talking about officials with good internal strength, I do know one!” Cao Yuan’s eyes lit up.