Fu Xiujin gestured for them to sit, and only then did Master Chen lead his wife to take a seat. Madam Chen was still wiping tears from her face.
“Master Chen, our sudden visit is because we discovered new doubts. How did you determine at the scene that the charred corpse was Chen Suqing? The bones we examined do not belong to her—you misidentified the body.”
At Zhao Shaobai’s words, Master Chen’s shock was indescribable. His eyes bulged, his face trembled, but in the next moment, he calmed himself and shook his head.
“Impossible. We could not have mistaken her. Though the body was burned, it still bore the jade pendant I had bought, and her birthmark could not be faked.”
“Master Chen, if the body was charred, how could a birthmark remain?”
Yao Shu found it unbelievable. A burned corpse could not retain a birthmark—it should have been destroyed.
Master Chen noticed Yao Shu standing nearby. Seeing that Fu Xiujin did not stop her, he continued explaining: “From birth, Suqing had a plum-blossom-shaped birthmark on her left foot, the size of a fingernail. Perhaps Heaven showed mercy—when the body was burned, a water jar nearby broke, and a shard covered her left foot. The rest was reduced to charcoal, but that foot remained intact.”
Yao Shu exchanged a glance with Fu Xiujin and shook her head.
“At the magistrate’s office, I examined only the skull and pelvis. I can confirm those parts do not belong to Chen Suqing. As for the rest, I must carefully re-examine all the bones before making a judgment.”
Her mind raced. Even if a shard covered the foot, it couldn’t remain untouched while the rest burned. There must be details Master Chen had overlooked.
Fu Xiujin broke the silence.
“Though the body cannot yet be confirmed, the killer left clues. If the motive was ransom, why kill and burn the body yet leave the jade pendant? Master Chen, you would never buy a counterfeit. Why didn’t the killer take such a valuable item? Leaving it may have been to mislead you into misidentifying the corpse.”
Three years had passed since the crime. The site had been destroyed and rebuilt, leaving no physical evidence. Only witnesses and bones could provide leads. Fu Xiujin proposed reconstructing the kidnapping from the beginning. Madam Chen immediately ordered that Zhu’er, the maid who had accompanied Suqing, be summoned.
Zhu’er arrived and fell to her knees, recounting the events in tears: “That morning, my lady wanted to buy new rouge from the shop. I went with her. Passing an alley, a man rushed out and struck me unconscious. As I fainted, I saw him covering my lady’s mouth with a handkerchief. When I awoke, we were both locked in a small hut. The man brought tea for my lady, saying not to fear, he would not harm her. Then he dragged me out alone, ordering me to tell the master to prepare three hundred taels of gold by the next morning, or she would be killed. Later, I was knocked out again and dumped at the back gate. The kitchen maid found me and saved me.”
Master Chen sighed. The rest was known—he paid the ransom, but his daughter was already dead.
“The killer must have known her well.”
Fu Xiujin added, “And likely admired her.”
Seeing the family’s confusion, he explained calmly: “The killer could have knocked her out directly, but instead used a handkerchief—gentler. While confined, he even gave her tea. Ordinary kidnappers wouldn’t bother with such kindness.”
Master Chen suddenly understood, hurriedly listing several of Chen Suqing’s suitors. Zhao Shaobai recorded them—surely the killer was among them.
The case now had a new direction. Zhao Shaobai left to investigate, while Fu Xiujin and Yao Shu carried the bones and files back to the Court.
Upon arrival, Yao Shu carried the heavy chest to the autopsy hall, guided by memory.
Senior Coroner Zhou, who had recruited her, rushed to help. “Is this the body from the Chen family case?” He was surprised to see a woman coroner, but impressed by her skill.
Yao Shu set down the chest, rubbing her sore shoulders. “Yes. There are many doubts about this body.”
Intrigued, Coroner Zhou helped her lay out the bones. By the time Fu Xiujin arrived, they were neatly arranged in anatomical order.
Yao Shu examined intently, unaware of his presence. Coroner Zhou was about to greet him, but Fu Xiujin signaled silence.
“Old Zhou, look here—the bones of the left foot are damaged, clearly severed. That explains why the foot wasn’t burned—it was detached from the body.”
Coroner Zhou leaned closer, nodding in agreement. “What else do you see?”
Yao Shu didn’t look up. She wondered why the killer had cut off the foot. The victim had already been killed by a blow to the head—why go to such trouble?
She bent closer, scrutinizing every bone, determined not to miss a clue. A lock of hair slipped forward, nearly brushing the bones. A slender hand lifted it away. She looked up, meeting Fu Xiujin’s eyes. The words of thanks stuck in her throat. He released her hair casually, gesturing for her to continue.
The room was silent, incense burning steadily. Halfway down, she made a discovery.
“These bones belong to two people. The left foot may be Chen Suqing’s, but the rest are from another. The killer severed the foot to mislead Master Chen into believing the entire body was hers. Chen Suqing may still be alive.”