There is a god in the sky

Chapter 103 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 1

Once outside the Prince's Mansion, Prefect Dou's demeanor changed drastically.

His back was no longer hunched, his waist was straight, and the fawning smile on his face was gone.

Xiao Ji remained silent.

They clearly needed his help.

He didn't know what kind of case it was, as he hadn't heard anything about it on his way into the city.

Prefect Dou sized up the young official before him. He was handsome and upright, just like the man he had always wanted to be.

Unfortunately, I've lost all my integrity over the years.

“My dear nephew, your father and I were both Jinshi graduates in the same year, so you should call me Uncle.”

Xiao Ji, whose rank was even lower, bowed and said, "Lord Dou, please speak frankly."

"Tsk, young people are capable, so arrogance is to be expected. Who told me that I'm not good at solving cases?" Prefect Dou said self-deprecatingly.

Two sedan chairs were carried over, and Prefect Dou invited him to get in, saying, "Come with me and let's take a look."

The sedan chair swayed and rocked for a long time.

As Xiao Ji looked at the street scene outside, he realized that they had not gone to any remote places, and he thought to himself that the crime scene was in the city.

The sedan chair finally entered the prefectural government office, where Prefect Dou stood in front of Xiao Ji and asked, "Aren't you curious?"

Xiao Ji repeated his previous statement: "This humble official still has a long way to go and should not stay in Tanzhou any longer."

“My dear nephew, you were attacked on the river. Don’t you want to find out who tried to kill you?”

"It's the same as investigating when we get back to Bianjing."

Xiao Ji knew very well that the person who wanted to kill him was definitely related to the case at Xikou Post Station.

I may have unintentionally ruined someone's plans.

Prefect Dou sneered, "You're really slippery, just like your father."

The two had just entered the yamen when they saw a constable tumbling and crawling out.

"My lord...something terrible has happened...another...another person has died!"

Prefect Dou paused, then turned and pulled Xiao Ji outside.

A group of yamen runners ran out of the yamen and followed them to the residence opposite the yamen.

As Xiao Ji entered, he looked up and saw the plaque that read: Fuchun Residence.

"Fuchun Residence is a villa bestowed by the Prince to the Prince of the County. Because it is opposite the government office, the Prince of the County and his family live here."

Before Xiao Ji could understand the logic behind this statement, an official beside him explained, "The young prince holds the positions of Chief Censor and Agricultural Commissioner in the yamen, so it's more convenient for him to stay here."

Many government officials and guards came and went in Fuchun Residence, and some of them were probably the Prince's private guards.

They ran around, seemingly searching for something.

"We didn't find it in the east."

"Not to the west either."

No findings have been made in the north yet.

"No leads to the south either," the group shouted to each other.

They did not stop when they saw Prefect Dou enter.

Xiao Ji asked the official from earlier, "Did the case happen here?"

The official nodded, his expression grave.

"Where is the Prince?" Prefect Dou asked, pulling aside a servant.

"In...in the study."

Seeing that Prefect Dou was walking hurriedly, Xiao Ji asked the servant, "Where is the dead man?"

"Also... in the study."

Xiao Ji had no choice but to catch up and followed Prefect Dou into an elegant and secluded courtyard.

"Oh dear, my young master, why...why are you standing in the water? Where are the servants? Where have they all gone?"

Xiao Ji followed Prefect Dou's gaze and, sure enough, saw a shirtless young man standing in the pool beside him.

The young man had very fair skin, delicate features, and a blue dragon tattooed on his back. He closed his eyes and remained motionless.

Xiao Ji didn't go over, but followed the smell into the house.

He stopped and looked down at the bloodstains on the ground.

There is so much blood; with that much blood, the injured person will surely die.

He lifted his shirt, squatted down, dipped his finger in the blood, and smelled it.

A cold voice came from behind: "It's human blood, no need to test it."

Xiao Ji turned around and saw a tall figure standing behind him with his back to the light.

The man clasped his hands in greeting, "I am Ma Long, Chief Constable of Tanzhou."

"Where is the body?" Xiao Ji asked.

There were no bodies.

"What? No body? How can we be sure someone is dead?"

Ma Long stood at the door and answered in a vacant voice, "It's not that there are no bodies, it's just that they haven't been found yet. You saw the bloodstains here, so that person is definitely dead."

"Could it be that someone deliberately spilled blood here?"

Ma Long shook his head, his expression unreadable.

Xiao Ji left the study and walked around the room, carefully examining the footprints on the ground, as well as the windowsills and walls.

Ma Long followed him without offering his own opinion.

Xiao Ji turned to him and asked, "Has Constable Ma looked out from the rooftop?"

“No.” After saying that, Ma Long jumped onto the roof and then jumped down a short while later, saying to Xiao Ji, “No footprints have been found on the roof.”

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The two were polite and distant, but they exchanged questions and answers.

In the courtyard, Prefect Dou was completely focused on the Prince, coaxing him out of the pool and personally wiping his body.

Xiao Ji whispered, "Did the young prince see anything?"

Ma Long shook his head; he was not a judge and had no right to speak to the prince.

"This isn't the first case, is it? Could you please describe the previous cases in detail?"

Ma Long didn't know his identity, but since he was brought here by Prefect Dou, he must be here to solve a case.

He recounted in detail: "About three months ago, someone died at Fuchun Residence. The servant's head was separated from his body. His body was thrown into the Prince's room, but his head was missing."

At the time, we thought the man was killed by the prince, so we didn't dare spread the word. But the prince said it wasn't him.

After searching for several days, the head of the corpse was still not found. At this time, a second person died.

Someone dumped a corpse next to the young prince while he was taking a nap. This time, the corpse was missing an arm.

Once again, no clues were found, and the arm could not be located. The officials and the prince's mansion were filled with panic.

The prince dared not leave his side any longer; even when he slept, someone was watching him.

Even so, people will still die, and their bodies will still be mutilated.

The murderer seemed to be deliberately teasing the young prince, killing without any pattern or regard for location, but the body would always be left near the young prince.

This is the sixth one so far, but strangely, the prince only found a pool of blood today; there was no body.

Xiao Ji concluded, "So, the previous corpse was missing its head, two arms, and two legs, and this time it's a complete corpse?"

"Yes."

"Does the young prince have a habit of going out at night?" Xiao Ji asked thoughtfully.

Ma Long seemed to smile slightly, then shook his head: "We asked, and there's no answer."

"Why didn't the young prince move back to the palace? The murderer probably wouldn't dare to kill someone at the palace."

"I will not go anywhere until the murderer is found!" The young prince appeared behind the two of them at some point.

He was wearing an overcoat, his chest was bare, and he certainly didn't look like someone who would kill.

Moreover, he really didn't need to create such a case.

Xiao Ji apologized for his earlier doubts, "Please forgive me, Your Highness, I just habitually ask a few more questions."