There is a god in the sky

Chapter 139 The Mystery of the Dock 6

Xiao Ji walked over and saw Shen Lan take a piece of paper from the deceased's chest.

"What is it?" he asked, squatting down.

Shen Lan opened the paper and found two lines of poetry copied from the Book of Songs.

"The ospreys cry 'guan guan' on the river's islet. A fair maiden is the object of a gentleman's affections."

Xiao Ji took the paper and looked at it several times, then put it to his nose and smelled it.

"The handwriting doesn't look like a woman's; the ink is very fresh, as if it was written just two days ago."

Shen Lan recalled, "We were on the boat until dark yesterday, so it's impossible for anyone to pass her a note. It must have happened after we went ashore."

Xiao Ji continued, "After we got ashore, we sat on the shore for a while. There were a lot of people around, so I didn't see anyone secretly passing her notes."

"Yes, there were too many people coming and going, so I didn't see it."

"Therefore, the murderer is very likely in this area, perhaps even in that inn."

"By the way, can Miao Niang read?"

Shen Lan said, both amused and exasperated, "If it were the Miao Niang I know, she would be literate, but I really don't know this."

They weren't that close yet, and she hadn't asked about it.

Xiao Ji nodded and listened to Shen Lan recount the results of the autopsy.

"The time of death was in the early morning. It is estimated that he came here from the warehouse and died not long afterward."

Shen Lan lifted her foot and checked the sole of her shoe, finding it to be very clean.

From the warehouse to the dock, there was a snow-covered section and a muddy section. If she had walked there, her shoes wouldn't be so clean.

They wiped the soles of their shoes last night before going upstairs to sleep in the warehouse.

"She was not killed on the ship, but was moved onto the ship after her death."

Shen Lan re-examined the details of the body and finally found a hickey on the back of her neck.

"Sir, please turn your back, I need to check her body."

Xiao Ji got up and saw that Chen Shi had brought the oilcloth. He ordered them to surround the area.

Shen Lan took off her clothes and carefully examined her body, trying to see if she had been violated before her death.

Fortunately, no.

This relieved her.

But the hickey still bothered Shen Lan.

When I met her, she was a tomboy, all dirty, and unlikely to have a lover.

Unless this person was someone she knew before, but for some reason they separated, and then she ran into him here again.

Only in this way will she be drawn out by a note.

But why would the other party want to kill her?

"Alright." Shen Lan came out and said to Xiao Ji, "My lord, if we want to find the murderer, we may have to find the person who sent her the message first."

Xiao Ji held up the paper and said, "Judging from the handwriting, the other party should be a scholar, but he used this method to kill someone, which means he was very strong. We can investigate the people at the dock who are both literate and martial."

Based on Xiao Yi's death, Shen Lan analyzed, "That person knew about the secret passage. Could he be one of Kong Xiang's two accomplices?"

"Possibly, we'll interrogate them first and then discuss it."

They returned to the warehouse and placed Miao Niang's body and Xiao Yi's body together.

Everyone was silent.

The officials from Jiangzhou Prefecture asked, "Shouldn't we take Xiao Yi's body back with us?"

Chen Shi nodded and asked Xiao Ji for a favor.

Xiao Ji readily agreed, "Once the murderer is found, we will arrange for someone to send him back to his hometown."

Shen Lan saw some empty sacks in the warehouse, took a few out to fill with ice and snow, and placed them with the corpses to effectively prevent decay.

They dared not bury the body in the snow, fearing that wild animals would dig it up and eat it.

When Kong Xiang saw Xiao Ji and the others at his home again, he was no longer as afraid.

He hurriedly explained, "Sir, I am looking for someone, but I have been searching all day without any news."

"No need to look anymore, we've already found that person."

"What? You found it? Where?"

Kong Xiang thought it was unlikely. He knew this dock better than anyone else. How could he be inferior to these outsiders?

"Wait, someone just said a body was found on Old Qi's boat, could it be..."

"Yes, so we need your help to find the murderer. The reward will be doubled as long as you can provide useful clues."

Kong Xiang knew that these officials were generous and were very willing to cooperate.

"What kind of person are you looking for?"

"Where are your two friends who helped dig the secret passage from?"

Kong Xiang bent his straight back again and hurriedly vouched for his brothers: "Sir, my two brothers are honest men. They can't do anything except use their strength, let alone kill anyone!"

"Are they from the same place as you?"

"Yes, we are all from Xitun Village, Tongan County."

Xiao Ji and Shen Lan exchanged a glance. The probability of laborers from the village being literate was extremely low.

"Then do you know who the most learned person on this dock is?"

Kong Xiang blurted out, "Of course it's Mr. Su. I heard he's a scholar who passed the imperial examinations. Manager Jiang spent a lot of money to bring him back."

"Oh? What do you need him for?"

"To be an accountant!"

Xiao Ji raised an eyebrow. A Juren (successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) is only one step away from becoming a Gongshi (successful candidate in the imperial examination). He could easily become a teacher once he left home.

Is he very old?

"No, he's quite young, not even thirty yet."

Young, knowledgeable, and arguably both scholarly and martial.

Xiao Ji casually asked, "Besides Mr. Su, are there any other scholars?"

"You jest, sir. Most of the people coming and going at this dock are... well, you know what scholars do here?"

He couldn't understand why these officials would come here.

Those itinerant wanderers outside, they run away as soon as they see an official; many have already left since last night.

Of course, in this kind of weather, there's no point in them staying here.

"Alright, don't tell anyone about what I asked you today."

"Rest assured, my lord, I keep my mouth shut."

When Xiao Ji left this time, he left behind a thick quilt, something that Kong Xiang had been longing for.

He hugged his blanket and cried his heart out.

He had saved up his entire year's worth of money and it wasn't enough to buy such a quilt; the person just gave it to him for free.

No wonder everyone wants to be an official.

Having learned from last night's experience, no one can sleep tonight. The number of people on night duty has been increased from one to a group, and patrols have been arranged on both the first and second floors.

The night passed peacefully, not even a mouse entered the warehouse.

But outside, things were in complete chaos.

The incident started when someone went to the dock to check if the river had frozen over, and found a dead body on the bank.

In this kind of weather, it's not surprising that people die; people freeze to death and starve to death every year.

But the dead man was none other than Steward Jiang, whom everyone knew, which was a big deal.

"Has the murderer gone mad? How could he dare to kill even Manager Jiang?"

"Yes, I heard he's the nephew of the magistrate of Tong'an County. Killing him would be tantamount to going against the magistrate."

"That's right, the murderer has probably already escaped."

"Where can we go in this freezing weather? The river is already starting to freeze, and there are roadblocks on the road, so it will be difficult to get out."

"The murderer might still be among us..."

The crowd quickly stepped back, their eyes filled with wariness as they looked at each other.

Those who remain here are those who haven't found a way out yet, and some are even wanted criminals by the imperial court, so it's not surprising that they would kill people.