Doctor Wang wasn't a professional coroner, but after practicing medicine for many years, he had plenty of experience. It wasn't a problem for him to help determine the age and time of death.
He put on a pair of gloves made of some unknown material. Lowering his head and frowning, he carefully examined the corpse.
When Ye Wanmian saw Doctor Wang's finger poke the corpse and some strange liquid ooze out, her stomach churned instantly. She rushed to the side and vomited violently.
Xiao Jingcheng was extremely anxious. He circled around her and kept nudging her hand with his nose.
Ye Wanmian vomited up all the food she had eaten in the morning. She felt dizzy. The next moment, someone supported her elbow and handed her a water bag. Xiao Yixuan's voice, tinged with a bit of helplessness and concern, came:
"What were you thinking? You didn't have to come and get involved in this."
Ye Wanmian didn't care about anything else. She tilted her head and took a few sips of water. Finally, she felt a bit better.
At this time, Doctor Wang had examined the corpse from top to bottom and in great detail. He had made his judgment.
"The corpse is that of a male, about twenty - two years old. He should have been about eight feet tall before his death. The fatal injury was drowning. Judging from the degree of decay of the body, he's been dead for over fifteen days."
Ye Wanmian was stunned.
About twenty - two years old and around eight feet tall. These characteristics did match those of the crown prince.
Coupled with what Bu Hua had said earlier that the clothes on the corpse were made by the Imperial Clothing Bureau and the wounds on the body were consistent with the characteristics of someone who had fallen off a cliff, the identity of the corpse was quite clear.
The Prince of Mu swayed slightly. He took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions.
"If he's been dead for over fifteen days, why did the body only appear now?"
Doctor Wang pointed at the corpse's legs and waist and said, "He probably sank to the bottom of the water and got entangled in the water plants, so he couldn't float to the surface."
"A few days before you all arrived in Dongli Town, it rained heavily for several days. The river overflowed. Maybe that's how he was washed down from upstream and ended up on this beach."
Everything sounded quite reasonable. It seemed there were no more doubts.
The Prince of Mu said hoarsely, "In that case, someone, carry the crown prince's body back and place it in the morgue. Wait for the coroner from the county government to come and examine it again."
The Prince of Ning waved his hand, and the soldiers stepped forward to transfer the body onto the stretcher that had already been prepared.
Doctor Wang also took two steps back to make room.
The Prince of Mu said to Doctor Wang, "Thank you, Doctor Wang. You've rendered another great service today. After we get back, I'll send someone to deliver your reward to your residence."
Doctor Wang quickly said, "It's my duty. I dare not claim credit."
Because they were moving the body, the scene was in chaos again. Fearing that Ye Wanmian would feel uncomfortable if she saw the body again, Xiao Yixuan inadvertently blocked her view.
But perhaps it was just a coincidence. When the soldiers carried the body past Ye Wanmian, the body's hand slipped off the stretcher and emerged from the white cloth, right into Ye Wanmian's line of sight.
That hand had been soaked in water for too long. The skin was pale and wrinkled, but compared to the unrecognizable face, it was relatively intact.
Ye Wanmian just glanced at it casually, but her heart skipped a beat. Her eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
"Apprentice, come here."
Doctor Wang's voice interrupted Ye Wanmian's train of thought. She came back to her senses, bypassed Xiao Yixuan, and walked to Doctor Wang's side. "Master..."
She lowered her head, looking a bit aggrieved. "I... I couldn't hold it in just now."
She got a tap on the forehead. Doctor Wang's tone sounded a bit gloating. "I told you to leave first. You can't blame me for this."
Seeing Ye Wanmian looking pale and weak, he said, "Alright, after we get back, I'll cook you a bowl of medicinal soup. Drink it and you'll feel better."
Ye Wanmian nodded and picked up her medicine box, following Doctor Wang.
Because the crown prince's body had appeared, there were still many things to deal with. Xiao Yixuan couldn't stay at the scene any longer. Before leaving, he turned back and glanced at Ye Wanmian. But Ye Wanmian kept her head down, so he had no choice but to escort the Prince of Mu and the body away first.
Although Xiao Jingcheng wanted to follow and see the situation of the body, when he turned back and saw Ye Wanmian looking so pale, after a moment of hesitation, he decided to stay by her side.
The on - looking villagers had seen Doctor Wang touch the body with their own eyes. When the soldiers dispersed, their looks at Doctor Wang became strange.
"Cough, cough. I thought Old Wang only treated the living. Didn't expect he could also examine corpses..."
"He... He touched the corpse and then treats us. Won't he pass on the corpse poison to us?!"
"Shh, anyway, that's the body of the crown prince!"
Ye Wanmian noticed the whispers around her. She looked up at Doctor Wang walking in front of her with concern.
Most of the villagers believed in ghosts and gods and were quite afraid of death. Now that they had seen her master examine and touch the corpse with their own eyes, would it affect the business of the medical clinic in the future?
If... If her master wanted to teach her how to examine corpses in the future, should she learn or not?
With these questions in mind, Ye Wanmian followed Doctor Wang back to the medical clinic.
Qi Wen had already heard about what had happened by the beach. He had already prepared a brazier and a willow branch. When he saw Doctor Wang and Ye Wanmian, he quickly said, "Hurry, step over the brazier to get rid of the bad luck on your bodies!"
Then he dipped the willow branch in water and splashed it on Doctor Wang and Ye Wanmian, splashing Ye Wanmian's face with cold water.
"Qi Wen!"
Ye Wanmian wiped off the water droplets and glared at him angrily. "Did you do that on purpose?"
Qi Wen chuckled. "Miss Jiang, you've misunderstood. It's just a coincidence, just a coincidence!"
"Humph!" Ye Wanmian snorted and stepped over the brazier, following Doctor Wang into the house.
After changing into a clean set of clothes, when Ye Wanmian walked out of the house, Doctor Wang had already prepared a bowl of steaming medicinal soup.
"This is a soup made from mulberry twigs, calamus, mugwort leaves, and realgar. Drink it to get rid of the corpse qi and prevent illness."
Ye Wanmian quickly took it. "Thank you, Master!"
She downed the medicinal soup in one gulp. Her whole face wrinkled from the bitterness. Opening her eyes and seeing Doctor Wang looking calm, Ye Wanmian said with a bitter smile:
"Master, weren't you scared just now? Why do you seem to have no reaction at all?"
Doctor Wang rolled his eyes. "I'm not even afraid of death. Why would I be afraid of a dead person? Besides, everyone has to die eventually. It's just a matter of dying earlier or later. What's there to be afraid of?"
Xiao Jingcheng, listening from the side, looked at Doctor Wang with a new level of respect.
This old man surnamed Wang always managed to say something astonishing. With such mental fortitude, what couldn't he succeed in?
Ye Wanmian also looked at him with admiration.
However, there was still a question in her mind. "Master, have you examined corpses before?"