The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Chapter 318 The Concubine Imprisoned in the Ice Cellar

Xuanwu glanced at Liang Hongkai and Shao Kun indifferently.

"It's not important. Go to the missing concubine's room."

The missing concubine also lived in this courtyard. The house was clean and even the bedding was neatly folded.

According to the palace maids, the master fell asleep as soon as it got dark last night. They were on guard outside and did not see the master leave the room.

Liang Hongkai asked, "Did your master behave in any strange way yesterday?"

The two maids looked at each other and shook their heads, saying, "No, the master has had a poor appetite recently and has been behaving as usual."

Shi Xinzhe added, "Have you looked for her in the places she often goes?"

"I looked for it, but couldn't find it."

They immediately felt that the situation was getting tricky. From dusk till now, the time was neither long nor short, but they couldn't find anyone in the palace. Then...

They turned around and saw Xuanwu opening the windows and checking one by one.

"Lord Xuanwu, do you suspect that the concubine left through the window?"

"It's not a suspicion. She was taken from here."

"But this window is locked."

Xuanwu and Liang Hongkai said in unison: "There are seven or eight ways to lock this kind of window."

Shao Kun: “???”

Everyone knows, but he doesn't?

Xuanwu praised: "I didn't expect that Lord Liang also knew this method. He is worthy of being the Minister of the Dali Temple."

Liang Hongkai smiled modestly, "I don't deserve it. This was all thought up by Qin the Coroner. If it weren't for her help, I wouldn't have thought of this."

"Well, Qin the Coroner is indeed a wonderful person."

After saying that, Xuanwu jumped down from the window. There was a patch of fresh soil on the ground near the window. There were no wild flowers or weeds there, as if it had been renovated.

Shao Kun's eyes suddenly lit up. Based on this trace, Lord Xuanwu's previous speculation was correct.

"Sir, let's follow the trail and take a look."

"it is good."

Liang Hongkai followed behind the two of them, looking at Xuanwu's back thoughtfully. Does this guy also know how to lock the window?

Qin Miaoxi's eyes hidden under the veil flashed twice. She was really sharp!

The three of them followed the traces of friction to the side courtyard of the imperial palace, which was originally the cold palace, but because it had been abandoned for too long, it was later converted into an ice cellar by Emperor Meiji.

Xuanwu glanced at the traces on the ground and quickly stepped forward to pry open the door of the ice cellar.

The moment they pushed open the door, the cold air that hit them made the three of them shiver involuntarily.

The ice cellar encountered the heat outside the door, and suddenly a white mist rose up, blocking their view.

Xuanwu walked in first. There were huge ice blocks all around, piled up more than one meter high. At first glance, it was full of cold air.

"Sir, it's too cold in here. Let's search separately."

"Ah."

The three of them plus seven or eight guards quickly dispersed, and soon a sound was heard.

"My lord, here."

Behind the ice, a pale woman in thin clothes was lying on the ground, her life or death unknown.

Xuanwu quickly stepped forward and sniffed his breath, "He's still alive."

"Quick! Take the person out."

The guard picked up the woman and strode towards the door, while Xuanwu grabbed another person and ordered in an orderly manner: "Go and find some thicker quilts, water, and gauze immediately."

Shao Kun listened to her arrangements without knowing what she meant, but when he reached the door, Xuanwu stopped him.

"Wait, you can't go out now."

Liang Hongkai was a little anxious. "Sir, the concubine has been in the ice cellar for too long. If she doesn't get warmed up, I'm afraid she will be in great danger."

Xuanwu said sternly, "If you suddenly move from a cold room to a hot outside, the human body will experience an extreme temperature difference. Not only will you easily faint, but it can also cause brain hemorrhage and death."

Liang Hongkai was slightly stunned. He had never heard of this before.

Soon, the guards came running over with what she wanted.

Xuanwu immediately covered the concubine with a thick blanket, and then dipped gauze in water and gently moistened her lips.

"Wake up! Can you hear me?"

She kept shouting in the concubine's ears and rubbing her hands and legs vigorously.

The concubine's pale face gradually warmed up and she finally responded a little.

Emperor Meiji also came during this period and was overjoyed to see this.

"Imperial Physician! Go and see how my beloved concubine is doing."

Three imperial physicians stepped forward quickly. "Your Majesty, the Empress' pulse is weak. She's been chilled by the cold air in the ice cellar. I'm afraid she'll have a high fever for the next few days. Her life is in danger!"

Emperor Meiji roared in anger: "I don't care what method you use, you must save the person."

The imperial doctors smiled bitterly upon hearing this. The empress was already weak to begin with, and now she had been frozen for quite some time. It was a blessing that she was able to survive.

Xuanwu took out a bottle of pills and said, "These are some pills I made to suppress high fever. You can give them to the queen."

The imperial physician looked at the bottle of medicine suspiciously, and when he saw the emperor nod to him, he took it gratefully.

That night, the concubine had a high fever that wouldn't go away. The imperial physician tried various methods to reduce her temperature but failed. In the end, she died.

And that afternoon, the palace guards found another thing in the ice cellar, the judge's order of the Ghost-faced Judge.

"Now the evidence is irrefutable. It was the Ghost-Faced Judge who did it." Emperor Meiji was furious. "You all listen to my orders! Search the entire country for the Ghost-Faced Judge. If he is found, he will be executed immediately!"

All officials responded in unison, "Yes!"

This time, the Ghost-faced Judge actually dared to commit murder in the palace, showing that he simply did not take the emperor seriously. Will two concubines die this time, and he will die next time?

After handing the concubine over to the imperial physician, Qin Miaoxi left on the surface, but she was always hiding in the dark and observing.

She clearly heard the concubine groaning in pain, but she said she didn't see it and begged him to spare her life.

Liang Hongkai and others speculated that the concubines were afraid because they saw the true face of the Ghost-Faced Judge.

But she thought exactly the opposite. She had been following the Ghost-Faced Judge's footsteps for these years and knew very well what kind of person he was. She was sure that he was not a person who killed innocent people indiscriminately, nor was he the kind of brutal person who would kill innocent people if he saw them.

The two concubines must have seen something they shouldn't have seen, which led to their fatal disaster.

But what could have made one of them die in the house and the other in the ice cellar? Wouldn't it be more convenient to kill them together?

She opened her hand, and in her palm was a small key, which she had discovered when she was warming the concubine's hands. She held the key tightly in her hand.

Where is this key from? Why did she hold on to it until her death?

Qin Miaoxi's figure flashed and she disappeared again in the forbidden bamboo forest.

At this moment in the imperial study, Emperor Meiji held his forehead with one hand, suffering from a splitting headache.

The ginseng soup that Eunuch Wu brought had already cooled down. He said worriedly, "Your Majesty, the palace is under tight security right now. You don't have to worry."

"How can I not be worried? The Ghost-Faced Judge appears and disappears without a trace. The Ministry of Justice hasn't caught him in all these years. Now he's openly killing people in the palace. How can I feel at ease?"

"In my opinion, he is a coward who is used to hiding and attacking the harem. If he dares to show up again this time, he will definitely not come back."

Emperor Meiji was amused by his words, "You are so bold to say that."

"Of course. The ones protecting His Majesty are all carefully selected imperial guards. What does a mere ghost-faced judge have to fear?"

Seeing Eunuch Wu holding his head high, Emperor Meiji finally smiled. "Okay! I'll listen to you. I'll go to bed right away."

Eunuch Wu thanked him, "Your Majesty is wise."

The master and servant left one after another, and the hall was dimly lit by candlelight.

Suddenly, the candlelight flickered, and a dark shadow appeared in the hall. It was Qin Miaoxi.

She checked every corner of the imperial study, but found nothing.

Before leaving, she seemed to have tripped over something, patted the hem of her skirt, took light steps, a deep blue light flashed, and the person disappeared.

"Your Majesty, Master Xuanwu has passed away."

"I understand, please leave!"

The sound echoed in the darkness and dissipated in the darkness.