Ji Zizhao had no time to gloat over the jokes that had harmed the Ji family. The most important thing now was Ren Jun's life.
As they went deeper into the prison, a strong smell of blood gradually wafted into their nostrils.
When everyone stopped outside the last cell, they saw that the straw mat inside was already soaked with blood. Ren Jun was lying on the ground in a spread-eagle position, a sharp knife still dripping blood in his hand, and his abdomen was ripped open from below his neck!
Such a tragic scene made even the Dali Temple Minister, who had seen a lot, gasp in disbelief.
As for the old lady Ren, her legs had long gone weak, and she could only lean against the damp wall of the Dali Temple prison to support herself.
Ji Zizhao frowned, quickly examining Ren Jun in the cell.
The bloodstains were red, and the blood flow was steady, suggesting that the abdomen had been cut open not long ago.
Seeing that Ji Zizhao had been silent for a long time, the Dali Temple Minister assumed she was frightened silly. This was understandable; what young girl could endure such a sight?
"Perhaps the eldest daughter of the Ji family could go to the front and rest for a moment, and I will send someone to fetch the coroner..."
"Open the cell."
Before the Dali Temple Minister could finish speaking, Ji Zizhao interrupted him directly.
It wasn't that she didn't trust the coroner in Dali Temple, but it would take at least half an hour for the coroner to arrive and go through the procedures.
She couldn't wait.
The Dali Temple Minister suspected he had misheard something.
Ji Zizhao knitted her brows and said again, "Open the door!"
Her powerful voice startled the Dali Temple Minister, who quickly ordered the guards to open the door.
As soon as the cell door was opened, Ji Zizhao quickly entered, squatted down, and pressed Ren Jun's pulse, then carefully examined his wounds.
Although Ji Zizhao was not a forensic doctor in her previous life, medicine was inherently interconnected. With a little flexibility, she could find out what she needed to know.
Generally speaking, a person's body would stiffen within two quarters of an hour to an hour after death, become completely rigid after four and a half to six hours, then soften again after fifteen hours, and gradually return to its state before death.
The Ren family had been lingering outside the Dali Temple gates during this period, only leaving for a short while when they went to the Ji family. Strictly speaking, it had not been two hours yet, and Ren Jun's muscles had not even begun to stiffen. It was obvious that this person had just met his end.
Looking again at the wound on his abdomen, it was a single, clean cut from top to bottom.
If a normal person committed suicide, they would usually cut upwards from the navel, not downwards.
Moreover, the pain of cutting flesh was no less than gouging out a heart. A normal person would likely pass out from the pain halfway through, so how could they possibly complete it with a single cut?
It was likely not suicide, but murder to silence him.
The Dali Temple Minister looked at the composed demeanor of the eldest daughter of the Ji family, as if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Such a calm and composed appearance...
Where was the demeanor of a young lady?
What the Dali Temple Minister did not expect was that what Ji Zizhao said next would completely overturn his understanding!
"Ren Jun can still be saved."
The Dali Temple Minister, "..."
His worldview had completely collapsed.
Old Mrs. Ren seemed to have grasped the last straw of hope, "He... he can really be saved?"
Ji Zizhao directly took a bottle of hemostatic powder from her sleeve and sprinkled it evenly on Ren Jun's abdominal wound. With her other hand, she took out her portable needle bag and threaded animal intestine sutures, then proceeded to stitch up Ren Jun's wound.
Inside the cell, Ji Zizhao's every movement was orderly and fluid.
Outside the cell, the Dali Temple Minister, whose worldview had shattered, stared with disbelief. Seeing that Ren Jun's bleeding had indeed shown signs of stopping, he didn't know what to say.
A quarter of an hour later, Ji Zizhao helped Ren Jun lie on another dry straw mat. At the same time, the coroner, having heard the news, hurried over.
Seeing Ren Jun, whose stomach had been forcibly stitched shut, he was so shocked that he dropped the tools in his hands.
Ji Zizhao, with her hands covered in blood, walked out of the cell and whispered, "Although the wound has been stitched, the person is still in a deep coma. I will trouble you, sir, to prescribe some medicine to sustain his life." Su Dan Novel Network
If Ren Jun were to die in Dali Temple, the Dali Temple Minister would bear unavoidable responsibility. He couldn't even explain why Ren Jun would have a sharp object on him.
Hearing Ji Zizhao's words, he quickly nodded, "Eldest daughter of the Ji family, please rest assured, I will definitely send people to watch over him carefully."
Ji Zizhao nodded and then helped Old Mrs. Ren to walk outside.
The Dali Temple Minister watched Ji Zizhao leave until she was out of sight, then gestured to the coroner, "Go and check."
The coroner hurried into the cell and examined it carefully. Then, with a confused yet solemn expression, he lowered his voice, "Sir, this matter..."
After carefully listening to the coroner's words, the Dali Temple Minister turned his head in astonishment towards the end of the prison.
Ji Zizhao knew very well that the coroner would tell the Dali Temple Minister the truth.
So, as soon as she stepped out of the Dali Temple prison gates, she truthfully informed Old Mrs. Ren beside her, "Ren Jun is completely dead. Even if a divine being descended from heaven, he could not be brought back to life."
Old Mrs. Ren, who had just found a glimmer of hope, looked ashen, "Then why did the eldest daughter of the Ji family say my grandson was still alive just now?"
The matter of Luoyi's defeat implicated the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince the most.
Although the Second Prince had not yet set off for Luoyi, he was already confined to his residence, effectively under house arrest. Let alone sending someone to assassinate Ren Jun, any slight disturbance would likely fall into the Emperor's ears.
Moreover, the Second Prince was already infamous, and Ren Jun's testimony was of little consequence to him.
Therefore, the only person who could have inflicted such a brutal act on Ren Jun was...
The Fifth Prince!
To go to such lengths and risk so much to send someone to silence him was enough to show what kind of evidence Ren Jun held that could be fatal to the Fifth Prince.
"Since I promised to ensure the safety of your Ren family, I will surely keep my word. As long as Ren Jun is not truly dead, your Ren family can live for one more day. I will figure out the rest, but Old Mrs. Ren must keep this matter strictly confidential."
Old Mrs. Ren's heart grew more alarmed with each word she heard.
She understood the implication of her words.
If Ren Jun were to die like this, the Ren family would truly become scapegoats for the Second Prince.
However...
Such deception, if discovered by the Emperor, would be a capital offense. Where did the eldest daughter of the Ji family get such courage?
Furthermore, how could Dali Temple possibly help them conceal this?
Ji Zizhao also knew very well that turning black into white was impossible for her alone. But if someone could reach into Dali Temple, it would be different.
For example...
The Fourth Prince, who was in opposition to the Fifth Prince's faction.
A carriage was parked quietly at the entrance of Dali Temple.
As Ji Zizhao was thinking, she looked up and saw the person standing by the carriage.
Huo Nian Gong.
So...
Was the Fourth Prince in this carriage?