There is a god in the sky

Chapter 247 Beauty Bones 7

"There is only a list of those who were awarded titles, but no list of those who were killed. If only we knew who were in the cult back then."

At least it can be determined whether Ding Yousheng came from a cult.

Xiao Ji put the booklet back and said, "The Ministry of War definitely has the list of bandits to be suppressed, but we don't need it for now. Let's go back."

He didn't go home but went to the government office.

The Provincial Judicial Commissioner just lost a batch of officers, and today a new batch of people arrived at the office.

Shen Lan could tell at a glance that these new recruits were retired soldiers.

"This is what I suggested to Lord Chu. Ordinary people are not brave enough and are easily frightened when faced with life-and-death battles."

The Ministry of War was having a headache over how to settle these demobilized soldiers, so I asked Lord Chu to request a batch.”

Shen Lan did indeed feel that the soldiers' demeanor was different from that of ordinary officers.

They still retained the murderous aura of battle.

"Lord Xiao has arrived. What a coincidence, Chief Censor Chu is waiting for you inside."

It's quite rare to see Lord Chu reading official documents in the yamen today.

Shen Lan didn't go in; instead, she stayed in the yamen room next door, under the gazes of the other newcomers.

"There's a beauty in the Criminal Investigation Department, so young. Could she be the maid of that Lord Xiao from earlier?"

"Of course not, that's our coroner from the Criminal Investigation Department."

"What? A female coroner? Haha..."

A group of old thugs burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Women are the most taboo thing in their military camp. It's not that women are bad, but if there are women around, who would be willing to fight to the death?

But considering this is Bianjing, where officials often have multiple wives and concubines, it's not unusual for them to have a female coroner in name only.

Shen Lan doesn't need to explain; given time, they will understand.

As she was deep in thought, she heard someone call out, "Coroner Shen, Lord Chu requests your presence."

Shen Lan had never seen that person before and asked in confusion, "What business does Lord Chu have with me?"

"You'll see when you go in. Hurry up, don't keep the adults waiting," the man said impatiently.

Shen Lan walked across the vast square toward the main hall at the far east end, where she met the elusive Lord Chu.

"This must be Counselor Shen. He's indeed very young! I've heard Counselor Ji mention you before. You're a promising young man."

Shen Lan quickly replied modestly, "You flatter me. It is my honor to have Lord Chu's leniency in allowing me to work in the Judicial Commissioner's Office."

"That was because Lord Xiao strongly recommended you and was willing to pay your salary himself, so I am naturally willing to do him a favor."

However, as it turned out, his persistence was correct.

In order for Shen Lan to become a proper coroner, Xiao Ji privately approached Chu Mo several times.

Shen Lan only learned about this now, and felt grateful to Xiao Ji once again.

"I wonder what orders Lord Chu has summoned me for?"

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask where you learned your bone examination techniques?"

As expected, this matter could not be kept from the head of the Criminal Investigation Department.

I don't know if he found out from a picture book sold outside, or if someone in the government office told him.

Shen Lan had already prepared her answer and said, "My godfather is a Taoist priest and also a messenger who guides the souls of the dead. He has some experience in autopsies and passed it all on to me."

"I see. If he can train such a skilled coroner as you, he must be even better. If he could also join the Criminal Investigation Department, he would surely be able to solve another major case for us."

Xiao Ji spoke before Shen Lan could, saying, "My lord, you may not know this, but her adoptive father is quite old and in poor health, which is why he couldn't make the long journey to the capital. Otherwise, I would have certainly brought him back."

Chu Mo had no doubts.

After all, if her adoptive father were able to walk, he would definitely have come to the capital with his adopted daughter. Why would he have stayed in his hometown alone?

Chu Mo only asked Shen Lan to come and meet her because he suddenly became interested in her.

Moreover, he was very interested in Shen Lan's autopsy methods.

"Although Counselor Shen is young, his skills are superb. If he has the time, it would be great if he could give some guidance to the other coroners."

Shen Lan lowered her head and replied, "The Judicial Commissioner's Office is full of talented people, each with their own strengths. I don't have much to offer in terms of guidance. We can just exchange experiences with each other."

"He's a humble and good kid. Go out and do some work."

"Yes, the civilian girl is resigning."

After Shen Lan left, Xiao Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief; he was somewhat unsure about Chu Mo's attitude.

Although he didn't handle official duties, he remained the most powerful official in the Criminal Investigation Department.

If he didn't want Shen Lan to stay in the Criminal Investigation Department, he could have dismissed her with just a word.

"This morning, Minister Zhao asked me for a favor. He is about to become your father-in-law and is worried that his daughter will not be favored by you after marrying into the Xiao family. He wants to transfer Shen Lan to the Ministry of Justice."

Of course, he meant he admired Shen's talent and wanted to invite her to assist in solving the case.

Chu Mo stroked his beard and laughed, "How could I not know his little scheme? But he's just a doting father, so please don't blame him."

Xiao Ji hadn't expected this turn of events and replied, "This humble official wouldn't dare. I personally communicated with the Zhao family about this matter. I also cherish talent and couldn't bear to see Shen the coroner's talent buried."

"Others may not understand, but I certainly know the importance of coroners in solving cases."

However, Minister Zhao wasn't trying to make things difficult for her. There was nothing wrong with her going to the Ministry of Justice; if you didn't release her, the Zhao family might think you were reluctant to let her go.

Chu Mo's frankness in telling him this clearly stemmed from good intentions.

Even if Xiao Ji didn't appreciate it, he wouldn't refute him to his face. Instead, he said, "She has just arrived in Bianjing and has only been in the Ministry of Justice for a short time. Outsiders don't know her abilities. It's not a good time for her to go to the Ministry of Justice now."

Outsiders still see Shen Lan as just a girl who got in through connections, and they are not impressed by her abilities.

She will only be valued when she becomes famous and respected by everyone in the coroner's profession.

Chu Mo looked at him with a smile, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Young man, you need to see your own heart clearly in time, so you don't regret it in the future."

Xiao Ji cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Chu."

"Getting back to the main point, we've arrested quite a few people these past few days, but none of them were accomplices of the assassin. It's going to be very difficult to investigate your attack case further."

"I had anticipated this."

"That may be true, but you are, after all, an official of the Judicial Commissioner. If we don't get to the bottom of this, what will the officials in the court think of us? What will outsiders think of us?"

This case concerns the reputation of our Criminal Investigation Department; Lord Xiao, you must take it seriously. Relying on others is not as good as relying on yourself.”

Xiao Ji actually knew in his heart that the reason he was attacked was the mummified corpse case.

If the murderer in the mummified corpse case can be found, the case will be solved on its own.

"I heard your men have unearthed remains from over a decade ago. Let's put those old cases aside for now; the present matters are more important."

"I understand, but there seems to be a connection between those old cases. Perhaps finding a clue will bring them all to light."

"How easy is that?" Chu Mo shook his head. "The two cases that the Emperor is most concerned about right now are the murder of the second young master of the Tong family and your attack in the suburbs. If either one is investigated, you can take my current position."

He spoke frankly and said, "I have high hopes for you. What you lack is merit. Accumulating merit is your most urgent task right now."

Xiao Ji knew these were wise words, but he didn't agree with them.

What he lacks is not achievements, but experience in solving cases.

He's still young, and climbing too high now might not be a good thing.

A case like the one involving the Tong family—if he were in charge today, he absolutely wouldn't be able to shirk responsibility.

He has not yet established prestige or a voice in the court. Climbing too high will only make him a target of attacks from various political parties.