Bone Painting Coroner

Translator: YY, Editor: Aruthea

She replied, "This humble one is no prophet. I merely have sharp eyes and noticed a few tiger pelts when those boxes fell and opened."

"I see." That man continued, "Then, how did the young master know that the tiger pelts have been sewn but not deodorised? Could the young master also know about leathers and furs?"

Ji Yunshu smiled gently as she swept her gaze across the people surrounding her, "Judging from your attire, you likely do not hail from the capital. You should be traveling merchants going to trade in the capital, am I correct? Those pelts from before look like they were produced in the Nanlin region and are genuine high-quality tiger pelts.

"High-quality tiger pelts are extremely rare as there are less than twenty tigers caught every year, so only the wealthiest merchants can afford to buy high-quality pelts. Given how precious they are, merchants would only hire the best craftsmen to work on the pelts. As a merchant yourself, you would naturally want to not ruin such beautiful pelts and thus won't do any unnecessary work on it. You only did a simple trimming and left the pelts with their original odor. Although this odor isn't strong, horses are born with a very sharp sense of hearing and smell. When the box was opened, the smell of a tiger escaped and frightened the horse."

"So I see you're an expert."

"I only read some books and am nowhere near an expert. Please forgive me if I make any mistakes." She gave a faint smile.

The man studied her with an almost admiring expression. This young master has fair looks but was just on the skinnier side. However, judging from his speech and mannerisms, he should be a knowledgeable scholar.

"Young master not only has a distinguished visage, but is also very knowledgeable. Situated directly under the Son of Heaven's purview, the capital truly is a great place for uncovering uncommon talents." The man cupped his hands and bowed towards Ji Yunshu. "This humble one's surname is Gao, and my first name, Meng. I hail from Anlang, and this is my first time coming here to trade tiger pelts in the capital. Many thanks for the young master's help in calming the frightened horse. I'd definitely treat the young master to some good wine if I have the opportunity."

"You're welcome."

"Since the young master is busy, I shall not disturb you further."

Ji Yunshu responded with a light nod.

Gao Meng immediately ordered his men to move the carriage aside to make way for Ji Yunshu, then thanked her again.

Ji Yunshu cupped her hands together in return and pulled Tang Si, who had been enjoying the drama, back into the sedan.

Inside the sedan, Tang Si stared at Ji Yunshu admiringly. "Ah Ji, there is nothing you don't know. Not only can you draw portraits just from mere bones, assess dead bodies, and solve murders, you also know the origins of those tiger pelts and how horses habitually behave. As one from Houliao, I should know horses better than anyone else. Yet, I am still no match for you. Truly, if this were Houliao, I'm sure that there'll be men lining up to propose marriage. They would bring you home and worship you like a goddess."

Worship me? What nonsense.

Receiving no response from Ji Yunshu, Tang Si leaned forward to stare at Ji Yunshu's fair and smooth face. "I have never seen you with your hair down, nor have I ever seen you in female attire. Ah Ji, if you ever dress up as a woman again, you'll certainly look very beautiful."

"Is that so?"

"Positive. Otherwise, why would that ice prince be so obsessed with you?"

Ji Yunshu threw her a side glance and answered in a solemn tone, "So, you think that a man's obsession with a woman is purely based on the woman's appearance?"

Hmm! Tang Si gave it a thought before she answered, "I guess so. But... it might not be the only thing that matters."

Ji Yunshu remained silent.

The wind blew past the sedan, causing the curtain to billow into the carriage. It brushed against her delicate face and... the faint scar at the corner of her eye.

She raised her hand to touch it and smiled to herself...

If you're truly in love with someone, you'll stay by her side regardless of her appearance.

Back in Zhuxi Court, the men who Jing Rong had assigned to clean up the place were greeted her outside the garden.

"Teacher Ji, you're finally back," Uncle Liang, the old housekeeper said.

"Thanks for your hard work, Uncle Liang."

"No problem."

Uncle Liang said, "I followed the instructions Teacher gave before you left. I closed the eleven coffins and sealed the seams with pork lard before I covered it with licorice root. Now they are all in the main room." Uncle Liang reported the progress to Ji Yunshu.

"Have you been burning incense sticks for the deceased?"

"Three sticks a day. No more, no less."

Ji Yunshu nodded and entered the house, then headed straight for the main room in the backyard.

Tang Si, on the other hand, looked like a tourist as she flitted around the yard. From time to time, she would pick up some pebbles and throw them at the roof. Occasionally, she would break a twig off a tree and turn it over in her hands...

This place was not as big as Prince Rong's estate and its furniture was rather old-fashioned. However, it was tastefully decorated.

Curious, Uncle Liang asked, "Teacher Ji, who is this young lady?"

Ji Yunshu answered nonchalantly, "An immature friend of mine."

"So she's Teacher Ji's friend."

Uncle Liang quietly studied the young girl. Teacher Ji is such a gentleman. Shouldn't his friend be a demure lady too? Why is this girl... forget it.

Immediately after they entered the main room of the backyard, they saw the eleven coffins arranged in two rows. In front of each coffin was an incense burner filled to the brim with incense sticks.

"Why are there so many coffins here?" Tang Si asked in shock.

Ji Yunshu did not reply. She grabbed three incense sticks, lit them up, paid her respects to the deceased, then stuck it in one of the incense burners. She pointed at a coffin which she left a mark on before she headed out. She told Uncle Liang, "I have sketched out a portrait of the skeleton in this coffin on my way here, so you can arrange for the deceased's burial as soon as possible. I will strike their name off from my list later."

"Yes, Teacher Ji," Uncle Liang replied.

That particular coffin housed the skeleton which had had its clothes changed after being burned to death. Ginger powder had also been sprinkled onto it to preserve the corpse. The deceased was none other than... Fu Bo's son.

If it weren't because of the Imperial Duke's Little Heir, she would have wanted to transport the skeleton to Jinjiang, so that Fu Bo could personally lay the body to rest. She heaved a sigh but didn't say anything else.

Tang Si leaned forward and asked in a curious tone, "Ah Ji, who is in this coffin?"

"Of course, only dead people would be inside a coffin."

Hmpf! Forget that I asked.

Ji Yunshu stood beside the coffin and ran a hand along the edges of the coffin lid. It was oily because a layer of lard had been applied. Ji Yunshu rubbed her fingers together consideringly.

Tang Si asked, "What is the lard used for?"

"The lard can provide a good seal for the coffin. As such, it ensures that neither air nor water would leak into the coffin for the moment. Therefore, the skeleton would naturally not suffer too much damage."

"What about the licorice root?" Tang Si pointed at the licorice root on both the coffin and the ground.

"Licorice root itself has medicinal properties. Other than its properties in helping relieve heat and detoxification, its smell can also repel insects. By covering the coffin with licorice root, we can prevent damage due to bugs and mice. Most ordinary families will lay a layer of licorice root underneath and around the coffin, but wealthy families will use geraniums instead." [1]

Oh. Tang Si finally understood what was going on. Ji Yunshu, you're definitely a living encyclopaedia!

[1] Obligatory medical note: Licorice root is a herbal medicine with a long history worldwide, and has claims to anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties. But the effectiveness of it as a treatment for specific conditions is variable. I can't find anything on whether it does repel pests for real though.