CHAPTER 594: CHAPTER 389: EXCLUSIVE PRENATAL EDUCATION_2

Ran Yan thought wildly for a moment, and when she came back to her senses, she heard Li Dejian raise his voice and say, "A eunuch? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?"

Liu Qingsong said indignantly, "Even if I were blind, I could still tell the difference between a man and a woman, couldn’t I? Whether or not that thing is there is clearly visible! Are you questioning my reputation as the second-best forensic doctor in the Great Tang?"

"Since when did you become second-best, and who knocked you off your perch?" Cheng Huailiang asked.

After a moment of silence, Liu Qingsong said, "First, second, third, they’re all mine. I’ll rank myself however I wish, who says I need someone to take my place? That’s just how carefree I am."

Liu Qingsong’s words elicited a chorus of delicate laughter from the wives.

"Since it is a eunuch, we can just go back and check who it was. It is quite strange, though, a eunuch dressed in women’s clothes killed, and according to Qingsong’s words, the eunuch has been dead for half a month already, and yet the palace hadn’t noticed?" Dugu Ping said, puzzled.

Li Dejian chuckled, "What’s so strange about the palace being short a eunuch or two? What year are they not short by ten or eight? He paused and then said, "But the strangest thing is that the body turned up in Qujiang. How did it get out? There hasn’t been any news recently about any of the ladies coming out for a leisure tour, has there? Jiulang, don’t stay silent."

Xiao Song took a sip of tea and smiled, "It’s just the death of a eunuch, what’s there to say? You’ve got free time, eh? Better to think about the matter at hand. I’m going to check on the lady."

Since the room was very small, Xiao Song and Ran Yan were inside, which meant Ge Lan and Wan Lu could only wait outside. Li Dejian’s eyes lit up, knowing Xiao Song was creating an opportunity for him and immediately perked up.

When Xiao Song came out, he saw Wan Lu standing outside and asked softly, "Is the lady asleep?"

"She dozed off for a bit but isn’t sleeping deeply," Wan Lu whispered back.

Xiao Song nodded, then quietly pushed the door open and entered.

The soundproofing in the room wasn’t very good. Ran Yan had already heard Xiao Song say he was coming over. When she heard the noise, she didn’t even open her eyes and said, "You’re quite loyal."

Xiao Song sat down on the edge of the bed, his voice tinged with humor, "Are you blaming me?"

Ran Yan opened her eyes slightly, "Not really, if it weren’t for this, Ge Lan might never give him a chance."

Ge Lan was always someone who could see reality very clearly. She had never thought about climbing the social ladder nor did she want to be anyone’s concubine. Even as a side wife, she would be nothing more than a concubine in name, something she would never value.

"Who is Li Dejian’s fiancée? Which family’s daughter?" Ran Yan asked.

"The Du Family," Xiao Song replied, understanding his wife’s thoughts well, "She is the youngest daughter of Chancellor Du, Du Ruhui. She’s of age this year, so the wedding day must not be far off."

Fang Xuanling was good at planning, able to devise many strategies for handling affairs, while Du Ruhui was good at making decisions, knowing which strategy to use best. Although Du Ruhui had been dead for many years, his prestige had not diminished. It could be said that it was only because of his father Li Jing that Li Dejian, with all his learning and character, was able to marry into the Du Family.

By all rights, she should be no less in looks and talent than Ge Lan! Ran Yan wondered, "What is the temperament of the Du Family’s daughter?"

Mentioning this, Xiao Song couldn’t help but laugh, "Wife, you pay too little attention to the rumors in Chang’an, the Lady of the Du Family follows in her mother’s footsteps, a heroine proficient in both the literary and martial arts, but just like her mother, she is also quick to take action and quite fierce."

"Could it be that Minister Du is also like Minister Fang... whipped by his wife?" Ran Yan really didn’t know about this.

"Not really, at least I’ve never heard that Minister Du has ever been beaten by his wife," Xiao Song said.

Compared to later dynasties, women of the Great Tang truly lived unrestrainedly. Unfortunately, as a forensic doctor is a lowly and quite special profession, Ran Yan couldn’t fully exhibit her skills. Ran Yan didn’t want to become famous; she just wished to establish her autopsy techniques in the Great Tang.

It was a very long and arduous process.

Fortunately, with Liu Qingsong by her side, the journey didn’t seem so rough. Though unreliable, he was still a doctor, half an autopsy officer, and she could push him to the forefront whenever she wanted to do anything.

Xiao Song lay beside her for a while.

As dusk approached, the boat docked on the banks of Qujiang, and the carriage had already hurried over to wait. Entering the city from here would save them at least a quarter of an hour, which is why Xiao Song agreed to this arrangement.

Back at the residence, Ran Yan quickly wiped down her body and lay on the bed. Although traveling by carriage and boat was quite comfortable, it still didn’t match the bed she was accustomed to sleeping on.

"Husband, you have to talk to the child more every day, so they will recognize your voice the moment they are born," Ran Yan remembered that she should start prenatal education.

"Really?" Xiao Song leaned over her belly, listened for a while, then sat up straight, and said solemnly, "Child, I am your father."

Seeing his manner, Ran Yan almost felt he would say: "Nice to meet you, please guide me."

"Tell him a story," Ran Yan thought Xiao Song’s voice was very pleasant and it would be good for prenatal education.

"A story..." Xiao Song thought for a moment, gave a light cough, and began, "During the Han Dynasty, there was a merchant with the surname Zhang who traveled all year round. One day, he suddenly received a message from home saying his wife had been murdered. The merchant rushed home day and night, only to find a female corpse inside the coffin with her head and limbs severed, skin, and flesh all damaged. The government investigated for half a month to no avail. During that time, in the eastern part of the city, a nursemaid from a Zhao family merchant passed away, and on the day of her funeral, a government official noticed the coffin seemed lighter than it should be, and requested to open the coffin for an autopsy. Upon prying open the coffin, they indeed found an old woman’s head and limbs."

"Later, after investigation, it turned out that the merchant’s wife had an affair with the Zhao family merchant. The Zhao family merchant came up with a plan, strangled the nurse to death, chopped off her head and limbs, and destroyed her skin and flesh to conceal her age. Then he arranged the funeral, burying the head and limbs, and hid his wife inside a room."

Ran Yan frowned, "That’s too bloody."

"Then I don’t know any other stories..." Xiao Song said awkwardly.

Ran Yan, who had spent her childhood in the biology dissection lab with her grandfather, had never heard any stories, and after starting her work, she only dealt with dead bodies—she naturally didn’t have any non-bloody stories to tell and could only rely on Xiao Song, "Aren’t you involved in a lot of cases? Tell one about theft or robbery."

Xiao Song nodded, finding it reasonable, "Wife is more thoughtful."

(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)