Bone Painting Coroner

“This is the character for person. Where the strokes meet, this region is also known as the half-life gate. It is quite similar to a jade because if you’re not careful and hit that part, it will easily crack in two. However, you are different from this skull. Take a look at yourself; Your head is covered with hair and flesh which provides a certain amount of protection, so you don’t need to worry about your skull cracking and brain matters spilling out.”

She pointed another place with her brush. “This is called an eye socket. Since there are no eyebrows and hair, it is a bit similar to the appearance of a monk.”

Then, she pointed at another part. “This place is the earhole and around it was once the outer ear. The hole is very small which could indicate some hearing problems.”

……

She continued to teach Wei Yi, and she finally pointed at the last part. “This is the mouth. It is very wide. It was obviously deformed by the high temperature. However, the teeth seem to be far from straight to start with. That person must have had some difficulty eating certain foods. Unlike it, your teeth are white and correctly aligned.”

Wei Yi listened to her with rasp attention. He studied carefully all the parts pointed with her brush. His sight glued to the skull. Occasionally, he would nod and show he had understood her.

Ji Yunshu would always praise him at such times. “You’re quite different from a skull. I like you more this way.”

“Really?”

“Really!”

He was overjoyed and his hands pinched his cheeks. He beamed a smile at her. “That’s right! I’m much better looking than that thing. Shu’er said she likes me better than that thing.”

Ji Yunshu lowered her head to chuckle. Her hand covered her grin.

It was a beautiful scene, but suddenly, Wei Yi called her.

“Shu’er.”

She couldn’t retract her smile in time. The corner of her mouth remained curled as if her expression was frozen. She looked back at him with tenderness.

“What it is?” she asked.

He stared at her, dazzled. For a long moment, he didn’t reply back, even forgetting to breathe. Suddenly, his body swayed and his eyes sparkled.

“Shu’er is very pretty!” he declared.

Ji Yunshu snorted before letting out a sweet laughter.

The beautiful smile became imprinted into Wei Yi’s mind as if this was a masterpiece. It captivated him.

At that moment, a maidservant came in to notify them of a visitor. “Teacher Ji, Miss Ji came to see.”

Miss Ji?

She thought a bit before nodding. “Let her wait in the front courtyard.”

The servant complied. Ji Yunshu settled Wei Yi. She washed her hands and left him to play inside the room.

When Ji Wanxin saw her arrival, she went to Ji Yunshu and welcomed her warmly. “How are you these days?”

Not good.

However, Ji Yunshu nodded and replied otherwise. “I am very good.”

“So many things have happened to you these days, so I couldn’t help but getting worried.”

“You’re worried about me?”

Ji Wanxin nodded. “Prince Rong was involved in the matter with Chengqing Hall. As you are someone very close to him, I was worried that you would be affected. I didn’t dare come to see you before, but the worries kept gnawing at me, so when Big Brother didn’t pay attention, I snuck out to see you.”

She tightly grabbed Ji Yunshu’s arm as she spoke those words. Then, she continued, “Fortunately, the problem was quickly resolved, and Prince Rong is fine. You were also spared from being implicated.”

What good sisterly love!

Ji Wanxin scowled and the red birthmark between her brows seemed like to bloom like a flower, highlighted by her frown.

Ji Yunshu smiled at her. “Thank you very much for your thoughts. The matter had passed, so don’t mention it again. There was no need for you to personally come here. What if-” she had yet to finish her words, but Ji Wanxin cut in promptly.

“Rest assured. Big Brother and Second Brother left to attend the Crown Prince’s funeral. That’s why I could sneak out. As for Eldest Sister… She doesn’t have the time to pay attention to me.” She lowered her words as she spoke the last words.

Ji Yunshu understood her meaning. She leaned forward and asked, troubled by the strange situation. “Is she fine?”

“Well… She is fine but also not fine.”

“Huh?”

Ji Wanxin had explain the situation. “Ever since she was sent out of the palace, she shut herself into her room, refusing to see anyone. She didn’t fly into anger like she usually does. You know how she is. Her whole life has been centered around being the Crown Princess. Strangely, she remained calm despite losing that opportunity. She didn’t even seem to care about missing out the Crown Princess’ selection.”

It is very odd indeed. Ji Yunshu felt the strangeness of her behavior.

Ji Muqing has been groomed to be a Crown Princess ever since she was a child, so how can she willingly accept being disqualified from the selection due to sickness? Not to mention she didn’t show her temper and took it too calmly.

There were too many suspicious signs. Moreover, why would the Emperor suddenly decree Kong Yu to replace Ji Muqing as the Crown Princess? The prestige of the Kong family wasn’t what it used to be; Be it by virtue or by influence, they had nothing which would benefit the imperial power. Ji Yunshu pondered, but she couldn’t put her finger on the crucial point which linked everything.

“Yunshu, what are you thinking?” Ji Wanxin poked her.

Ji Yunshu snapped back and shook her head. “Nothing. Maybe Eldest Sister realized that being the Crown Princess might not suit her.”

“I hope it’s like that, but it turned out well. With what happened to the Crown Prince, it is quite fortunate that she didn’t marry him.” Ji Wanxin heaved in relief.

After they concluded the subject, they exchanged a few more words before Ji Wanxin left. Before she left, she mentioned visiting Ji Yunshu another time.

Ji Yunshu continued to maintain a certain distance from Ji Wanxin. The pinhole wound she discovered on Ji Wanxin at the time Ji Muqing was accused of accidentally killing someone with a push had let her glimpse at the sickly beauty’s hidden side.

Humans couldn’t be judged based on their appearance.

Right after Ji Wanxin left, Mo Ruo arrived. He wore clean and neat clothes. His beard was shaved. He appeared to be in high spirits. It was far from his destitute and drunken appearance from two days ago. When he came in, it was as if the weather was good and everything was fine.

“It’s examination time!” he stated before walking to the rear court. He pulled Wei Yi who was playing with clay into a room. After installing the latter, he put two fingers on Wei Yi’s radial and attentively determined the quality of the pulse.

Then, he pinched Wei Yi’s wrist before flinging it aside.

It caused Wei Yi to hit the back of his hand on the corner of the table. “Ouch! Painful! Big Brother Mo Ruo, you’re sick!” He pouted and cursed at Mo Ruo while rubbing the back of his hand. He was fuming with anger.

Mo Ruo picked a cup of tea and sipped the fragrant tea.

Ji Yunshu approached him and asked, “How is Wei Yi’s condition?”

“What needs to be cured is his brain. That’s why it’s very normal that his head hurts. If it doesn’t hurt, that wouldn’t be normal. It also means my treatment was incorrect. Since it started to hurt, this only show I am on the right track.”

“So, that’s why… It’s good then.”

“Yesterday, when Jing Rong sent people to find me in haste, I thought that little bugger died. Earlier, I cut an underworld paper doll. Ah! I even cut it to be a woman. I plan to burn him a wife to accompany him after his death. It looks like everything is fine now. The paper doll won’t be of use. What a waste.”

That thing actually looked human-like. Spat! Spat! Spat! What human-like? Bro, did you wish that much for Wei Yi to die?

Ji Yunshu frowned. She was quite speechless.

Unexpectedly, Mo Ruo abruptly got up and put away that smug face that made people want to slap him.

In a very serious tone, he told Ji Yunshu, “In fact, on the day the Emperor sent a decree for Kong Yu to marry the Crown Prince, I went into the palace and met with her.”

Grenn’s Rants Corner

Did Mo Ruo help kill the Crown Prince? Too many plot twist, even my mind starts to get twisted.

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