The Delicate Lady Coroner

"Baby corpse?" Bo Ruoyou was surprised as well.

Wu Xiang nodded, "Yes, it's a child. It seems to be a few days after birth. It was discovered outside the city. Someone reported to the official and the body has been recovered. It's just...this season, the body is rotten. It's amazing, it's almost hard to see."

Wu Xiang hesitated slightly as he said, "Are you taboo?"

Bo Ruoyou shook his head, "Later, I'll change clothes and let's go."

Wu Xiang nodded and walked in and waited at the shadow wall. Soon, Bo Ruoyou changed into a neat dress and came out with Zhou Liang. When he got into the carriage, Wu Xiang followed the carriage on horseback and said: " The government rarely receives such cases. There were some abandoned infants in the early years, but now they are rare, and I don’t know how they died this time."

Bo Ruoyou hadn't seen the corpse yet, so it was naturally difficult to judge. The group of people went straight to Yizhuang. When they arrived outside Yizhuang, they saw that Hu Changqing had just arrived at the door of Yizhuang and saw Wu Xiang coming with Bo Ruoyou. His expression immediately turned a little gloomy.

Wu Xiang said: "Changqing is here."

Hu Changqing nodded, and Wu Xiang said: "It just so happens that you and Xiao Bo have a look together."

Hu Changqing didn't say anything. He carried his suitcase into the Yizhuang, and Bo Ruoyou took his uncle and followed in one step later.

The body of Feng Wodan in Yizhuang has been taken back to the mansion. The previously unclaimed body and the male corpse in the coffin to be brought back to the village are also gone. Now, only the corpse of a baby girl is placed in the middle of a wooden bed. .

As soon as she entered the back hall, Bo Ruoyou's eyebrows were slightly wrinkled. She has been working for a few years, and has almost never examined the corpses of children under ten years old. Baby corpses are even rarer. Therefore, looking at it now, she feels quite cruel.

Hu Changqing stood beside the wooden board, his face also hesitating.

It’s now in the spring season, and every day is warmer than the day before, and the baby's body in front of me is only ten inches long. Underneath is a purple-red brocade wrap. There are no ornaments on the body, and the whole body is extremely corrupt. Seriously, although the corpse surface has been probably cleaned up, the maggots are still wriggling on the densely packed corpses, and the land of their heads and faces is eroded and rotted by the corpses. At this moment, the bruises and rots are all over it, and it is difficult to distinguish the face.

Hu Changqing frowned and said, "How did it rot like this? Where did you find it?"

Wu Xiang said: "It was found by a river pond outside the city."

Hu Changqing frowned again, "No wonder." As he said, he took out a kerchief and tied it on his face, and found a pair of deerskin handguards to wear, and then moved closer to the corpse by two minutes, the corpse The corpse insects were removed, and there was still a lot of sludge. He stretched out his hands and seemed unable to start, and then found bamboo tweezers from the box and fiddled on the corpse.

After a while, he turned around and said: "It looks like it was a stillborn baby. The umbilical cord is still there, and the armpits are still wrinkled. It should be the family who gave birth to the child, but died, and then was thrown out. "

Wu Xiang wondered, "Are you sure? If that's the case, it's better to deal with it. Just visit and ask again. Maybe you can see how long you have been dead?"

Hu Changqing groaned for a moment and said: "The decay is so serious that you can't even see the corpse spots. It has been dead for at least five days." Hu Changqing dragged the corpse for a while, only to see the water and green corpse under the corpse. The whole corpse was also overgrown, and he turned his head unbearably. "It is undoubtedly a stillbirth. The chest of the corpse is flat, and the area of ​​the chest and abdomen is quite fat and thin. This is usually the case for stillbirths. If it is a live birth, the chest must be more The waist and abdomen are swollen."

Wu Xiang listened attentively, but when he turned his head to see Bo Ruoyou thoughtful, he asked, "How does Xiao Bo feel?"

Bo Ruoyou came back to his senses and hesitated: "Although the decay is serious, babies just born have more water in their bodies. Even if they are not found in places such as river beaches, they will rot faster than ordinary people. As for Hu The image of the stillbirth mentioned by the author is indeed correct, but it is not clear. To distinguish stillbirth from livebirth, other methods must be used."

Hu Changqing smiled coldly when he heard the words, "You mean, this is a live birth? Was it killed by someone later?"

Bo Ruoyou said: "You have to pass the test before you know it."

Hu Changqing raised his brows high, and took two steps back, "That's OK, then you can check it out, but I want to see what you can check."

Bo Ruoyou didn't want to compete with him, but seeing that his autopsy was so sloppy, he wouldn't follow him at all. After he stepped back, she rolled up her sleeves, put on a towel and handguards, and then began to open the wooden box for examination. The baby's corpse.

As Hu Changqing said, the umbilical cord is indeed outside, and the skin in the rare intact place on the body is also unremoved. However, except for the mud on the baby's body, there is no amniotic fluid, blood, meconium, etc., if it is newborn The child has just been born, so it must be impossible to be so clean.

She asked Wu Xiang to help him fetch some water. When the water came, she carefully wiped the sludge on it. When the body surface was completely exposed, it was more terrifying than when it was stained, but it was so. The upper scar is more clear.

"There are birth marks on the corpse, and there are also macular spots. If it is a live birth, it should be less than two days after birth. If it is a stillbirth, it is hard to judge." Bo Ruoyou checked and said.

Wu Xiang called a government official to come in to remember, Hu Changqing on the side showed disapproval, "This does not prove that it is not a stillbirth."

Bo Ruoyou listened but remained unmoved, "During delivery, the fetus exposed to the outside will not be oppressed, resulting in congestion, and because of the tender skin of the newly born fetus, it is very easy to learn to swell, especially It is easy to form on the top of the head. This kind of birth mark begins to shrink within a few hours after birth, and disappears within a day or two. The birth mark on this baby is not heavy, but I am not sure if she was originally light, or it disappeared later. ."

Whether it was a stillbirth or a live birth, the baby in front of him was enough to prove that he was abandoned within two days after he was born, but it is difficult to judge whether he was dead or alive when he was abandoned. Wu Xiang heard the cloud in the mist, and only asked: " What about the cause of death?"

Hu Changqing snorted, "Look at the color of the fetus's head and face. Stillbirths are mostly stuffy in the abdomen. The bruises of this baby's head and face are especially heavy. Most of them died by tying their necks around their necks."

The decay is too heavy, the most detailed traces have been concealed by corruption, and it is a newborn baby, and the physical signs are not obvious. Bo Ruo thought for a moment. , I want to have an autopsy to try."

Wu Xiang raised his eyebrows, "Is this...can an autopsy?"

The babies who have just been born are only such a small group, and now they are still very corrupt, so they have to undergo an autopsy. What useful things can they get?

Bo Ruoyou nodded, "Because I found that the baby's bones are quite healthy, and it doesn't seem to have the appearance of fetal weakness, and I have seen a way before that can prove whether the baby just born is stillborn or alive."

Wu Xiang was curious when he heard, "What is the method?"

Bo Ruoyou said: "The identification of a stillbirth or a live birth mainly depends on whether the fetus has breathed after it was born. If the human lungs have not breathed before, they are heavier than water. If they are put in water, they will sink, but if they breathe If it passes, it will be lighter than water. And if it is a live fetus after autopsy, the time of death can be inferred by looking at the degree of corruption of its organs."

Wu Xiang immediately said: "Then you cut it."

Hu Changqing stood aside, frowned and stopped speaking, only looking at Bo Ruoyou with more scrutiny in his eyes.

Bo Ruoyou chose the autopsy knife, because it is an autopsy on a baby, and the blade needs to be small and sharp. She chose the knife and found a few fine lines from the box. Only then did she settle down and start the autopsy.

If the baby's organs are too decayed, this method cannot be used. It can be used to open the body surface. Although the baby's internal organs have decayed fluid, there is no decayed foam inside the organs, so it can be inspected. Go down.

Wu Xiang and Hu Changqing stood aside and saw that she was more detailed than any usual post-mortem, especially when she opened her neck down to the chest and abdomen, and below the throat, the baby’s weak trachea and esophagus were ligated respectively. Live, then cut off the trachea and esophagus above the ligation, and then take out the baby's heart and lungs together.

Wu Xiang could still look at it at first. Seeing that she took out a mass of **** objects from the baby's body, even he couldn't help the acid reflux in his stomach. When Hu Changqing saw this place, his expression changed slightly, and the office responsible for recording Poor, I had already dropped the pen and paper and ran out.

Bo Ruoyou didn't care about their reaction, and focused on doing her own thing. When she put the mass of flesh and blood organs into the water, Bo Ruoyou's eyes became tense, and then she saw the mass of organs. Sank into the water.

Her brows were slightly frowned, and Hu Changqing looked forward to the scene while covering his nose and mouth. He also saw this scene. He smiled, "According to the method you said, it has now proved to be a stillbirth. I said it is a stillbirth."

Bo Ruoyou didn't care about him. She took out her heart and lungs, cut off the heart, and then only put the baby's lungs and trachea into the water. This time, the baby's lungs were floating above the water, and her eyes lit up slightly. , And then took it out and put it in. Wu Xiang's back was cold, and it was difficult to distinguish it. After two sticks of incense, he saw Bo Ruoyou straighten up, sweating profusely. .

"It's a live birth." Bo Ruo breathed a sigh of relief. "Although her umbilical cord is exposed, it can be so if the baby is not ligated after giving birth. This is not an ironclad proof. My method is sufficient to prove that she was born. She had breathed down, and her organs and bones were all normal, and no disease was seen, so she died because of illness."

Wu Xiang was dumbfounded, and couldn't help asking, "How did that die?"

Bo Ruoyou looked at the unrecognizable baby in front of him, and his eyes were a little dark. "The cause of death on the surface is not obvious. I speculate that she was most likely to be smothered to death with a towel or other soft pillow. It's easy to hold her to death by pressing it on her face, and she won't even struggle."

The umbilical cord of a newly born baby is not ligated, his hands and feet cannot move, and his eyes may not even open.

Bo Ruoyou said again: "If an adult is smothered to death, her face is mostly bruised, with bleeding and bruises at the roots of her lips and teeth, and her mouth and nose will be crooked, but she is too young, and she looks like this now. It's really hard to conclude. There are no traumas such as strangulation marks, and only the darker color on the face of the head can only infer the cause of death for the time being."

Having said this, Bo Ruoyou leaned down again, and said after a moment: "She has only white mucus in her esophagus and stomach. She has not seen any breast milk. Either she has never been fed or fed very little. Her intestines are close to the stomach. There was swelling after inhaling air in the land, but the rest of the small intestine was still entangled. According to my inference, she should have not lived for two hours after she was born. And there was no amniotic fluid, fetal dirt, etc. on her body, just gave birth At that time, it should be simply scrubbed and then smothered to death."

"Her organs are still alive. The dead body has been relieved, but it has not completely disappeared. Although the body is green, it is considered that she was thrown on the riverbank and she was a newborn child. So I guess that most of the deaths are But two days, that is to say, she was born the day before, and within two hours she was smothered to death, and then abandoned."

Wu Xiang sighed, "Last year there were a few locust plagues around Gyeonggi, and the harvest from the farming was very bad. This is a female doll. Maybe any family can't raise children anymore."

Hearing this, Bo Ruoyou glanced at the wrapper under the baby's corpse, "Is this found with the corpse?"

Wu Xiang nodded, "Yes, the one who wrapped the child was a long-time worker nearby. He thought she had picked up something good, but didn't want it to be a baby girl."

Bo Ruoyou picked up the cloth and looked at it, but because of the sludge and corpse water, the lines were a little unclear. When she saw it, she sorted out the corpse first, then turned around and went to the backyard. The cloth was washed clean, and Bo Ruo quietly called to Wu Xiang, "This wrapped cloth is lake silk with embroidered patterns on it, which is not like an ordinary farmer's thing."

The child didn't have any ornaments, and this piece of cloth was normal, but when I looked closely, it was different from Wu Xiang's thoughts.

Wu Xiang took a closer look, and Bo Ruoyou cleans his hands while saying: "It's concealed from the tenth month of pregnancy, and the child was blocked to death not long after he was born, and the family did not dare to take the child. The corpse of Wu stays for a long time. Therefore, the head of Wu can investigate around the place where the corpse is found, especially for those who have pregnant women in the family. Those who are in labor these days need to check more. The child was born full-term. Only by this, he wants to conceal the labor. Time cannot be concealed."

Wu Xiang was undecided, "I understand that there are indeed some rich and wealthy villagers around, so I can take someone to visit and visit."

Bo Ruoyou responded. She came here before noon. When the autopsy was finished, it was already sunset. Wu Xiang saw that she was tired and thought that she had recovered from a serious injury, so she made her go home and rest earlier. Hu Changqing still thought at first. Competing with Bo Ruoyou for a long and shortcoming, at this moment, they are a little dead, just looking at Bo Ruoyou's eyes, still with a bit of disdain.

Bo Ruoyou didn't know what he was dismissing, so he ignored him, and when he left Yizhuang, Bo Ruoyou realized that there were two people guarding him in the distance. The place was remote, and the outside was quite quiet. The setting sun shone on the long, deserted road, and the two became more abrupt. Bo Ruoyou looked at the two for a moment, and suddenly felt a little familiar.

Seeing her look over, the two wanted to leave immediately, and she couldn't help but step forward two steps, "Two and stay here--"

The two stopped looking at each other for a moment, both of them were young men in their twenties, but at this time they were embarrassed. Bo Ruoyou walked forward quickly, "Are you servants of the Hou Mansion?"

These two people are both tall and big, very capable, with knives on their waists, although Bo Ruoyou enters and exits the Hou Mansion is not too many here, but she has some impression of the people who have met each other.

She asked directly, and the two of them couldn't hide, and nodded in response.

Bo Ruoyou's heart jumped, "Master Hou made you come?"

The two continued to nod their heads, one of them said humanely: "You were injured last time, and Lord Hou couldn't rest assured, so we asked us to guard you."

Counting it all, Bo Ruoyou hadn't seen Huo Wei Tower for several days, which made her feel a little empty, and she couldn't help asking, "Is Hou Ye busy?"

Previously, the man said: "Master Hou has left Beijing. On the afternoon of the girl’s departure, Master Hou took people out of the city. The Ministry of Household is now raising grain and grass for the north. There has been trouble in the sanitary warehouse in Qinshui County, Gyeonggi. The Lord took someone there."

Bo Ruoyou was a little embarrassed to hear the details of this person, and the other person said: "Master Hou said, let the subordinates not disturb the girl, but if the girl sees it, if the girl asks something, answer it truthfully. That's right, Father Fu left Beijing with Master Hou this time. If the girl has any instructions, you can order the little people."

Bo Ruoyouting's cheeks were red, "Then I haven't been out in the past few days, where are you?"

The man continued: "Just keep guarding outside the girl's house. If the girl doesn't go out, there will be nothing wrong. If she wants to go out, the little people must follow."

"Also guard at night?"

"Yes, girl."

Bo Ruoyou saw that although the two of them were respectful to her, they came after Huo Weilou's order, so he swallowed the words persuading them to leave, "I won't go anywhere these days, just go to the Yamen Just forget the Yizhuang, in the daytime, you don't have to guard it at night."

The two of them didn't change their faces, "Hou Ye ordered, the little people dare not defy."

Bo Ruoyou knew that it would be useless to persuade him, and thanked him again, and then got into the carriage. Then Hu Changqing had been standing at the gate of Yizhuang and looking at this side, he could probably see what was going on. When he passed Bo Ruoyou's carriage , Actually sneered.

Even Zhou Liang couldn't stand this situation, and sighed, "Seeing that he is not young anymore, how can he always target the young lady?"

Bo Ruoyou waved his hand, "Don't care about him, we will go home."

The carriage moved slowly and walked halfway. Bo Ruoyou raised the curtain to look. Sure enough, he saw the two Houfu guards following not far away. Bo Ruoyou put down the curtain and knew what Huo Weilou was worried about. The teacher moved the crowd, and for a while, my heart felt warm again, and as she expected, Huo Weilou was really busy.

Outside the Cheng’s house, Bo Ruoyou got out of the carriage, and saw the two guards stopped in the distance. With a move in her heart, she beckoned, and the two guards immediately walked up to her. It's not an issue, why don't you enter the house and guard it?"

The expressions of the two changed slightly, and they dared not even dare. Bo Ruoyou had no choice but to return to the mansion first.

Once back to the mansion, Bo Ruoyou went to find Cheng Yunzhi, told Cheng Yunzhi about the baby's corpse today, and said that the submergence method was used. Cheng Yunzhi was happy to hear, "You remember what you taught you."

Bo Ruoyou said again: "It's just that the cause of death has not yet been determined, so for the time being it is inferred that it was smothered to death."

Seeing that she was tired, Cheng Yunzhi told her to go to rest first. Bo Ruoyou went back to the house and changed her clothes. When it was time for dinner, he said: "Let’s see when you have free time. I want to take you there. Visit the deceased."

Bo Ruo was slightly surprised, "Old friend? Which old friend is it?"

Cheng Yunzhi said gently: "You will know then, and you are also your father's old friend."

Bo Ruoyou tilted his head and thought, "Tomorrow I will go to the Yamen and see if there is anything wrong with the Yamen. If the case goes well, I'm afraid I won't be able to use me later, then I can accompany my adoptive father the next day. ."

Cheng Yunzhi responded with a smile, and ordered Zhou Liang to prepare a gift in the evening.

Bo Ruoyou didn't have much research on this. The next morning, he continued to go to Yamen Yingmao as usual. If there is no case, then there is no case. Now that there is a case, he naturally has to be more diligent. Shang Wu Xiang wants to take people out of the city.

Wu Xiang said, "I have checked a few households yesterday, but there is no one with a pregnant woman in the rich and noble houses around me. I suspect that there is a fake, and I want to check it out again today."

Bo Ruoyou pondered for a moment and said: "If there is a pregnant woman at home, even if it is not stretched to the outside, there will be changes in the clothing, food, housing and transportation of the house. If you can't find out, I am afraid that it will take more time and attention to investigate."

Wu Xiang responded, raised his eyes and looked at the sky. Seeing the clear weather today, he said: "Xiao Bo wants to go with him? That place is on the bank of the Luo River outside the city. Nowadays, there are a lot of people out of the city to walk in spring. You diverge with you. It's not that you are going to handle the case."

Bo Ruoyou had nothing to do today, and he readily agreed when he heard this. He waited to get out of the city gate in a horse-drawn carriage. Sure enough, he saw a steady stream of horse-drawn carriages on the official road out of the city. Outing and hunting.

Since she returned to Beijing, she has not been out of the capital. Today, the spring breeze is blowing, and the spring sun is warm, and Guo feels a little bit like playing horses and looking at flowers. The Luo River rises from Weiyang Lake in the city. After leaving the city, it meets the Chishui River in the north. Then there is the Luo River. The Weiyang Lake in the city is a magnificent scene. The peach and plum blossoming forest is worth a visit. If the weather is good, both sides of the Luo River are full of tourists.

Although Bo Ruoyou was in a good mood, she didn't really come to play. She first ordered Wu Xiang to take her to the place where the baby's body was found. It was the rugged rocks, the entire Luo River bank, there were very few people coming and going, and usually no one came to enjoy the scenery, but on the river bank not far away, there were several private houses.

Not only is it facing the Luo River, but there is also a rolling hill in the distance. It can be described as a land surrounded by mountains and rivers. The rich and wealthy people in the city built villas here. In the spring and summer, they can escape the heat and enjoy the cold, and they can also produce products. The fruits are extremely delicious, and the vast fields farther away are mostly owned by the powerful in the capital. Wu Xiang said that the long-time worker who found the baby's corpse was the one at the top of the village.

Leaving the place where the body was found, Bo Ruoyou and his entourage went near the private house. Wu Xiang sent people to inquire about almost others, and obtained a clue that was not a clue. Some people live there all the time, even during the coldest Chinese New Year season, there are people living, and most of the other villages have people coming after the spring flowers bloom."

The pregnant woman is cumbersome in October, and naturally it is not easy to move to the place often. During the Chinese New Year, most of the wealthy and wealthy families are reunited in Beijing, and very few people come to live in other villages outside the city.

Wu Xiang immediately decided, "Which one is it? Lead the way!"

The yacha pointed to the northeast, "It's over there, I heard that the family owner's name is Bo——"

Bo Ruoyou frowned when she heard it in the carriage behind.