There is a god in the sky

Chapter 108 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 6

"Is it possible that the murderer is someone who can approach the young prince at will without being suspected?"

The problem seems to have returned to the initial assumption.

Soon, all the servants who had served the young prince closely over the past three months were brought over.

The steward, eunuchs, maids, wet nurses, and the young prince's personal bodyguard leader.

Xiao Ji led them to the next room, closed the door, and questioned them for a full hour.

The young prince was getting impatient.

"They are all trustworthy people."

Shen Lan asked in confusion, "As an official in charge of criminal justice, the young prince must have seen many cases where the murderer was a close relative, right?"

Throughout history, most homicides have been committed in the heat of passion due to disputes, with parents, siblings, neighbors, and friends being the groups most prone to conflict.

The young prince fell silent.

An hour later, Xiao Ji emerged, his expression unreadable, and he did not identify anyone.

The young prince breathed a sigh of relief and repeated, "They are all trustworthy people."

Xiao Ji smiled and did not refute him.

Shen Lan saw that all of them had their heads down, almost to their chests, and she didn't know if it was because of the rules or because they were too ashamed to look up.

“Your Highness, we would like to make a trip to your residence,” Xiao Ji said.

"Okay, I'll take you there."

Xiao Ji stopped him, saying, "We're just taking a casual look. There's no need to trouble the Prince. Officer Ma can take us there."

The young prince had wanted to see how Xiao Ji would solve the case, but since the other party had already spoken, he was too ashamed to continue following along.

"it is good."

After leaving Fuchun Residence, the carriages from the Prince's Mansion had already been arranged.

Xiao Ji took Shen Lan in a carriage, escorted by Constable Ma and Sui Feng and Sui Ying on horseback.

Shen Lan lowered the carriage curtain and asked softly, "Did you find anything?"

Xiao Ji's expression was very unpleasant, as if he was angry about something.

"Do you know how the young prince usually solves cases?"

This question seemed puzzling. Shen Lan asked in bewilderment, "Although he is in charge of criminal justice, he has many officials and advisors under him. Shouldn't it be that others investigate and he makes the judgments?"

A prince of the rank should not insist on experiencing life in the government office; he cannot do everything himself.

Xiao Ji sneered: "Then you are wrong. Our little prince is very capable. He handles all murder cases by himself. He is diligent and responsible, and it is a great story in the city."

Shen Lan was puzzled. "Isn't that a good thing? Why are you angry?"

Xiao Ji rubbed his forehead helplessly.

"I did not interrogate them in the room, but learned some things about the young prince's character and conduct from them."

You said the murderer was toying with him, so I want to know what the young prince did to deserve such hatred.

Guess what I asked?

Even his servants said that the young prince had a love for solving cases, but he didn't understand the key points. He was unwilling to listen to the advice of his subordinates and insisted on doing things his own way, relying entirely on his intuition to make judgments.

He worked in the Criminal Investigation Department for a year, and he didn't even know how many of the cases he handled were correct.

Shen Lan had only ever heard of people making arbitrary judgments because of laziness; this was the first time she had ever heard of someone making arbitrary judgments because they liked it.

To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the young prince, human life was not that important.

"If that's the case, the murderer is likely someone who harbored resentment because the young prince had previously misjudged a case."

Xiao Ji continued, "Furthermore, the five deceased were not entirely unrelated."

"How to say?"

"The first victim was the coachman. He had an argument with the second victim. The young prince judged that the steward was taking revenge and killed the coachman."

Before he could even arrest the person, the supervisor died.

Almost all subsequent connections were formed in this way.

Whoever the young prince suspected, died, as if deliberately slapping him in the face.

Shen Lan felt depressed; the murderer was indeed quite temperamental.

"Why didn't anyone tell the adults about this relationship before? This is the key to solving the case."

Xiao Ji shrugged helplessly, "They probably don't dare to say anything bad about the young prince."

If he hadn't used some tricks today, those servants wouldn't have told the truth.

"In this way, the case becomes much clearer. Some people are dissatisfied with the young prince's arbitrary judgments and deliberately killed him to demonstrate and resist, and to prove to the world that the young prince is not good at judging cases."

The two exchanged a glance, and Shen Lan spoke up first: "Then, do they really not know who the sixth victim is?"

Given the young prince's nature, he will likely identify a suspect, who will become the sixth victim.

Xiao Ji lifted the curtain and asked Ma Long, "Officer Ma, is there some information you forgot to tell us?"

Ma Long's gaze darted around, and he asked with a forced laugh, "What is it that Lord Xiao is referring to?"

"The sixth victim...who was the young prince who he initially identified as the murderer?"

Ma Long tightened the reins, his expression stiff, and finally let out a long sigh.

"So you already know, sir. That person is a coroner from the government, surnamed Wu."

"Is it that coroner Wu who we couldn't find? Why didn't you mention it this morning?"

It is quite obvious that the deceased in this case is most likely Wu, the coroner.

"After all, no body was found, and Wu's family said he went out of town to enjoy the mountains."

"Heh, what a coincidence." Xiao Ji lowered the curtain, his expression displeased.

Shen Lan never expected the murderer to commit the crime in this way. What's even more terrifying is that, despite knowing that the murderer had this characteristic, the young prince and the government officials did not take precautions in advance.

"It's impossible for Wu, the coroner, to have died at Fuchun Residence. The primary crime scene must have been outside the residence."

The case involves the first victim found outside Fuchun Residence, but the body has not yet been found. Perhaps finding the body is the key to solving the case.

Xiao Ji said in a low voice, "How did the blood get into the young prince's study?"

Shen Lan couldn't figure it out either, but she finally pieced together the case and was no longer at a loss.

"Tomorrow we can review all the cases that the young prince handled this year. If it was a wrongful conviction, it is very likely that it is related to this case."

"Ah."

The carriage stopped; we had arrived at the Prince's residence.

As they entered, they saw a young, elegant woman come out, and Officer Ma hurriedly pulled them aside.

"This is the Princess Consort," he whispered a reminder.

A pair of embroidered shoes adorned with pearls stopped in front of Xiao Ji. The Princess Consort asked politely in a clear voice, "Is this Lord Xiao Ji?"

Xiao Ji raised his hand in a bow, "Your Highness, it is indeed I."

"I've heard about Lord Xiao's deeds before; I hope he's not just seeking fame."

The princess turned and, supported by her maid, walked out.

Xiao Ji looked up, glanced briefly at the Princess Consort's retreating figure, and asked Constable Ma, "Didn't the Princess Consort return to the Prince's residence?"

The eunuch standing at the door replied, "The Princess Consort usually lives in the Prince's mansion and accompanies the old Princess Consort to worship Buddha, but she will occasionally come back to visit the young ladies and gentlemen."

Xiao Ji pondered for a moment before asking, "How many concubines does the young prince have? How many young masters?"

The eunuch recounted everything in detail, things that everyone already knew.

The Prince's Mansion was larger than Fuchun Residence, but it seemed rather deserted since the main occupant did not live there.

Upon learning that government officials were coming to search the mansion, the concubines and mistresses all fled to a side hall.