Ye Wanmian didn't fall asleep, and naturally, Xiao Jingcheng was still awake.
He had originally planned to go to the morgue to take a look at the corpse after she fell asleep. Who would have thought that she suddenly sat up again.
Xiao Jingcheng sat up straight and watched as she changed into a dark-colored dress, put on her short boots for going out, and then neatly coiled her hair into a bun. His heart skipped a beat.
Was she planning to go out?
The next moment, sure enough, she waved at him and said in a very soft voice, "Dahuang, come here quickly."
Xiao Jingcheng leaped off the bed and walked over to her. Ye Wanmian squatted down and whispered, "Dahuang, I want to go to the morgue to take a look at the corpse we saw on the riverside today and confirm its identity.
"But I don't want to be discovered by anyone. Can you ask your dog friends to think of a way? If they can help me sneak into the morgue smoothly, I'll treat them to something delicious another day. How about that?"
So she still wanted to go to the morgue to confirm whether the corpse was really his.
But clearly, she still hated him in her heart.
At this moment, Xiao Jingcheng felt a complex mix of emotions.
He found that he never seemed to have truly seen the girl in front of him clearly. Every time he thought he knew her well enough, she would surprise him with something new.
He let out a low growl from his throat, then wagged his tail and ran towards the door. Ye Wanmian tiptoed after him.
After making sure there was no one outside, Ye Wanmian carefully pulled the bolt and opened the door.
Xiao Jingcheng slipped out first. Standing in the empty alley, he checked that there was no one moving around, then turned around and let out a soft sound to Ye Wanmian behind him.
Dogs' hearing was several times more sensitive than humans'. With Xiao Jingcheng leading the way in front, Ye Wanmian managed to leave Qingyu Alley smoothly and walked carefully in the direction of the morgue.
Along the way, besides the familiar figure of the yellow dog, Ye Wanmian could also see other stray dogs roaming around the town from time to time. These dogs became her best sentinels, telling her in advance the whereabouts of the patrolling guards and helping her avoid the danger of being discovered.
Soon, Ye Wanmian arrived near the morgue. But she didn't rush to get closer. Instead, she hid in a relatively concealed corner of the wall.
The color of her clothes was dark. When she hid in the shadows, she almost blended in with them. If one didn't look carefully, they wouldn't notice her.
Two white lanterns were hanging outside the morgue, illuminating the two guards standing watch. However, the dim light carried a hint of coldness, making people feel inexplicably scared.
Just as Ye Wanmian was thinking about how to sneak in past the two guards, there was a commotion inside.
"Thank you for your hard work today, Forensic Doctor Ming. The three princes have been waiting at the Liuxiang Tower for a long time. Please, Doctor Ming and Lord Wei, make your way to the Liuxiang Tower."
Several figures walked out from inside. One of the two guards at the door went to fetch the carriage, while the other escorted the group forward. For a moment, the heavily guarded door was left unguarded.
This was the moment!
Taking this opportunity, Ye Wanmian quietly slipped out from the corner and slipped into the door before the two guards turned around and returned to the morgue.
She didn't know any martial arts, so her actions weren't completely without a trace. One of the guards immediately turned his head, but the next moment, he saw a scrawny dog running out of the morgue and barking at them a few times.
"Shoo! Shoo!"
The guard let out a sigh of relief and waved his hand to drive the dog away.
The carriage soon drove away, and the two guards returned to their posts outside the door.
Inside the morgue, Ye Wanmian hid in the grass, covering her mouth and nose tightly and trying to slow down her breathing. It was a long time before she let go.
The morgue was a mansion in Dongli Town where unburied corpses were stored. It not only housed the body of the "Crown Prince" Xiao Jingcheng but also other corpses.
It was summer now, and the hot weather accelerated the decomposition of the corpses. Although the morgue keeper had lit incense everywhere in the morgue, the air still smelled of an ineradicable stench of decay.
Fortunately, Ye Wanmian had prepared in advance before going out. She took out a handkerchief soaked in anti-epidemic potion and covered her face with it. Then she followed the yellow dog and carefully searched forward.
The place where the "Crown Prince's" body was placed was easy to find. Although there were no guards there, there was only one corpse in the large room, so it was obvious that the person's identity was extraordinary.
Moreover, Ye Wanmian had a dog with a sensitive sense of smell by her side. It could accurately lock in the location just by the smell.
Outside the room where the corpse was placed, Xiao Jingcheng went in first. After making sure there was no one in the room, he motioned for Ye Wanmian to enter.
In the pitch-black room, the only sound that could be heard was her own heartbeat. Ye Wanmian leaned her back against the wall, feeling the coldness behind her. She felt that her heart was beating a little too fast.
Only then did she realize how crazy her actions were tonight. If she was accidentally caught, she would surely die.
But since she had come, she had to find out for sure.
Ye Wanmian took a deep breath. After her eyes had adjusted to the dim light, she walked towards the stinking corpse placed in the middle of the room.
From the moment Ye Wanmian entered the door, Xiao Jingcheng's attention was completely focused on her.
He wanted to see what she would do when faced with the corpse that might be his.
Why was a woman who hated him so much so determined to confirm whether this was really him?
It was impossible not to be scared in such an environment. But the curiosity and determination to find out the identity of the corpse overcame Ye Wanmian's inner fear.
She took out the fire starter she had prepared from her bosom and stretched out her trembling hand to slowly lift the white cloth covering the corpse. The weak flame could only illuminate a small area in front of her, but it was enough for Ye Wanmian to see the hands clearly up close.
Just as she had seen during the day, the corpse's hands were stiff and wrinkled, but there were hardly any wounds on them, and no fingers were missing.
It was precisely because of this that Ye Wanmian confirmed her suspicion.
The joints of these hands were quite prominent. The skin on the fingertips and palms was rough and thick, and there were thick calluses on the palms. It was obvious that these hands had often done heavy work.
She had been away from the capital for two years. Could it be that the Crown Prince had often done heavy work with these hands in the past two years?
This thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
With the Crown Prince's status, dirty and tiring work was always done by others. There was no need for him to do it himself.
Wait a minute.
Ye Wanmian's expression became solemn. She grabbed the dead man's hand with a handkerchief and brought it closer to her eyes to take a closer look.
The dead man's fingernails were very short, and there was a layer of black dirt hidden under them.
Ye Wanmian didn't have any knowledge related to corpse examination, but she had common sense.
The Caisang River was a flowing river. The bottom of the river was covered with yellow sand. Whenever it rained and the water level rose, the river would turn yellow, which was a sign that the sand at the bottom of the river had floated up.
If that was the case, the dirt hidden under the dead man's fingernails should be yellow mud!