Chapter 48

Listening to Duke Gu's words, it was clear that the Gu family had made their stance. In the face of evidence that was extremely unfavorable to Gu Chengyi, the Gu family would not sacrifice resources to protect the son of the Third Patriarch. In other words, the Gu family had abandoned Gu Chengyi...

Though it was cruel, it was also reasonable. Although the Gu family had not split, Duke Gu had already inherited the title, and everything in the Gu family belonged to him. How could Duke Gu possibly waste the Gu family's resources for the sake of his illegitimate brother's son?

Duke Gu left the dispirited Third Patriarch and Third Lady with a haughty air...

An illegitimate son wanting to become an official was simply a joke!

"Sir..." Third Lady fell to the ground, tears streaming from her eyes, tinged with the color of blood.

"Madam, it's my fault... it's my fault." Third Patriarch held his wife and wept, his dissatisfaction and anger nearing the brink of eruption.

"What to do, what to do... Sir, what are we going to do?" Third Lady hated even more than Third Patriarch.

Chengyi is also the grandson of the Old Patriarch, how can the Old Patriarch be so biased.

"I will find a way, I will find a way, Madam, rest assured..." Third Patriarch looked lost, his eyes vacant.

Without the Gu family's support, he, a minor official in the Ministry of Justice, could not possibly stand up to the Xianqihou Mansion in the face of evidence that was unfavorable to Gu Chengyi.

Two hot tears slid down Third Patriarch's eyes, landing on Third Lady's hand, making her heart clench with pain, unable to breathe: "Sir..."

How could she bear to, how could she bear to force her husband, but who else would help her, who else could help her?

"Qiancheng..." Third Lady's mind cleared, and she said excitedly: "That's right, Sir, let's go find Qiancheng. Qiancheng is not an ordinary child, let's go find her, Qiancheng can definitely help us?"

Third Lady was like a drowning person clutching at the last straw, repeatedly telling herself that Qiancheng could definitely save her son, definitely...

At this point, Third Patriarch was also at his wit's end. Hearing Third Lady's words, he nodded with a tentative attitude: "Qiancheng? Alright... let's go find Qiancheng."

The couple supported each other, stumbling toward Qiancheng's courtyard. The maids and old women on the road pointed and whispered, occasionally showing mocking and disdainful smiles...

"Qiancheng, please, save Yier, save my Yier." As soon as Third Lady entered, she knelt before Qiancheng, startling her.

"Third Aunt, please get up." Qiancheng and Third Patriarch helped Third Lady to her feet. Seeing the pitiful state of Third Uncle and Third Lady, Qiancheng asked worriedly: "Third Uncle, Third Aunt, what happened?"

"Qiancheng, Chengyi has killed someone." Third Patriarch, tears streaming down his face, helped Third Lady sit down and recounted the entire story to Qiancheng, finally saying shamefully: "Qiancheng, your Third Uncle and Third Aunt are truly at a loss. If there were any other way, we wouldn't have come to you."

Third Uncle recounted the events again, his mind becoming clearer, and said sincerely: "Qiancheng, your Third Uncle knows you are knowledgeable and different from others. Can you find evidence to prove Yier's innocence? If you can, please help your Third Uncle and Third Aunt; if you can't, it's fine. Your Third Uncle knows this is a difficult matter, and I will be grateful for your best efforts."

"Qiancheng, Third Aunt was just in a panic, don't blame her. Third Aunt doesn't believe Yier would kill someone." Third Lady, having calmed down, realized that her act of kneeling to force Qiancheng was unreasonable.

Qiancheng nodded without speaking, thinking about the points Third Uncle had just mentioned, the more she thought, the more she felt something was wrong: "Third Uncle, this case has many doubts."

Forensic experts not only examine bodies but also analyze the methods and processes of crimes. In the murder case at Donglin Academy, if the killer was really Gu Chengyi, there were many things that didn't make sense.

"Doubts? What doubts?" Third Patriarch was stunned, staring blankly at Qiancheng, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart. Third Lady dared not make a sound, listening intently to Qiancheng, afraid of missing any important information.

Qiancheng calmly analyzed: "First, what was Chengyi's motive for murder? Second, where did Chengyi get the weapon? Third, where did the wine Chengyi drank in the academy come from? Fourth, Chengyi is only twelve years old, how could he kill an adult? Even if he was drunk, he wouldn't have the strength. Fifth and most importantly, did the victim drink? Were there any signs of struggle at the scene? Does Chengyi have any injuries?"

Qiancheng did not rush to clear Gu Chengyi of the murder. Her questions were based on the assumption that Chengyi had committed the murder.

"Yes, yes, these are all doubts." Third Patriarch's eyes grew brighter, like finding a mainstay, nodding repeatedly: "Qiancheng, you're right. If Chengyi really did it, there are many questions about this case. I'll go and investigate."

At this point, Third Patriarch firmly believed that Chengyi could not have committed the murder.

"Qiancheng, Chengyi didn't do it, right?" Third Lady, not fully understanding, tightly held Qiancheng's hand, wanting a definite answer from her.

"Third Aunt, I can't answer you now. If I can see the victim or visit the scene, I might be able to give a more accurate answer." Qiancheng did not make rash promises. Her deductions were based on the case as described by Third Patriarch.

When Third Patriarch recounted the case, he naturally favored Gu Chengyi, which was human nature.

"See the victim? Qiancheng, can you perform an autopsy? It's not just a drowning, right?" Third Patriarch looked at Qiancheng excitedly. If he had only been tentatively hopeful before, now he was certain that if Chengyi didn't do it, Qiancheng could definitely help him.

"Yes, I can perform an autopsy. Since you work in the Ministry of Justice, Third Uncle, it shouldn't be a problem to arrange for me to examine the victim's condition." Reconnecting with a murder case, Qiancheng's sense of mission as a forensic expert reignited.

Initially, she chose to study forensic science out of necessity. She had originally studied neurosurgery with her junior, aspiring to be an excellent surgeon, but an accident injured her hand, making it impossible for her to hold a scalpel for long periods. Not wanting to switch to research, she had to abandon her original major and switch to forensic science.

At first, she found it difficult to adapt, vomiting at the sight of decaying, foul-smelling corpses and being too scared to close her eyes at night. But as one murder case after another was solved due to the clues and evidence she provided, Qiancheng gradually fell in love with her profession.

Though she did not save lives directly, she used her knowledge to speak for the dead, helping law enforcement find the killers and prevent more people from falling victim to them...