There is a god in the sky

Chapter 48 The Murder of a Wealthy Family in Jianzhou (Part 11)

Xiao Ji suddenly realized, "Smells good?"

Because the deceased was killed with a weapon, they had not noticed whether anyone in the mansion had used sleeping potions beforehand.

Two days have passed; even if the smell was there then, it would have dissipated by now.

"Lord Xiao, please come here for a moment."

Shen Lan squatted down and pointed to a circle of ashes on the ground, asking, "If there's a problem with the incense, can it be detected from the ashes?"

Xiao Ji immediately sent Sui Feng to invite the city's most skilled doctor in detoxification, who might be able to give him an answer.

They split up and checked each room, and sure enough, there was this kind of incense ash in every dead person's bedroom.

"How could he have managed to drug every room so successfully? Could the murderer be someone from the Wu family?"

Lei Dajiang couldn't help but take out the list he had checked and double-check it. "There shouldn't be any omissions."

"The murderer knew the Wu family very well and was probably an acquaintance who frequently visited the Wu family."

Shen Lan opened the window and said, "There are a lot of mosquitoes this season, and almost every household lights mosquito coils at night. If the murderer replaced the mosquito coils in the Wu family's house with sleeping potions, he could poison them without anyone knowing."

"Wouldn't it be better if he just replaced the sleeping pills with poison? Killing someone would be too much trouble." Lei Dajiang asked, puzzled.

Xiao Ji then deduced the murderer's motive, saying, "Our initial judgment was that the murderer had a blood feud with the Wu family. Since he wanted revenge, he would definitely find more satisfaction in killing with his own hands!"

Shen Lan couldn't help but tremble.

She also carries a deep-seated hatred. If her enemy were standing in front of her right now, how would she kill him?

She is a forensic pathologist who understands every blood vessel, every muscle, and every bone in the human body.

She wanted to torture someone to death, and there were countless ways to make him suffer unbearable pain and wish he were dead.

But would she do that?

"Miss Shen... Miss Shen..." Xiao Ji called her a few times.

Shen Lan snapped out of her daze, her face pale, and asked, "Did Lord Xiao call me?"

Xiao Ji felt a pang of heartache.

Although this young girl is highly skilled, she is still very young. The first case she solved after returning with him was one that was a once-in-a-century solution.

"If Miss Shen is tired, please go back and rest."

Shen Lan forced a smile, "Thank you for your concern, sir. I'm fine."

Soon, the two senior doctors were invited by Sui Feng.

After studying the incense ash, the two came to the same conclusion: "In addition to mugwort, these incense sticks also contain a variety of herbs that can cause unconsciousness. With the scent of mugwort masking it, they are generally difficult to detect."

The constables searched the Wu residence for the remaining mosquito coils and actually found quite a few.

The Wu family was wealthy, and the mosquito coils they used were far superior to those of ordinary families; they were not only uniquely shaped but also made with fine materials.

The senior doctors studied the mosquito coils for a while and even tested them themselves. They found that the remaining mosquito coils were all normal.

"Is it possible that the incense was brought by the murderer and given to Master Wu, who trusted him so much that he immediately distributed it to be lit?"

Lei Dajiang's speculation makes a lot of sense.

Xiao Ji said, "Judging from the shape of the incense ash, the incense that the murderer brought also had auspicious cloud patterns, which are probably not available on the market."

"This further proves that he came prepared."

"Start with the families who sell and make incense. If the incense wasn't made by the murderer himself, then someone must have been working with him."

At Lord Xiao's command, all the incense-selling households in the city were visited by the yamen runners.

Then the yamen runners discovered that one of the incense makers registered with the government had disappeared.

"Are you looking for Old Lu? We haven't seen him for two days. I heard he went out of town to buy goods," a neighbor, an elderly woman, told the constables.

"What about his family?"

"He has no family. He's always been alone."

The constables looked at each other in bewilderment.

Therefore, it is impossible to determine whether this old Lu was the one who helped the murderer make incense.

Shen Lan returned to the Xiao residence and was told that Master Chen had already left.

She wasn't too surprised, but felt a sense of emptiness inside.

She thought she had found family, but unexpectedly, the other person was unwilling to get along with her.

A strong sense of loneliness washed over me.

"Miss Shen, Master Liaochen asked me to give you this letter before he left." The servant handed over a letter.

Shen Lan accepted the letter, thanked it, and then went back inside before opening it.

"Little Lan'er, I'm sorry, I left without saying goodbye. Ten years have changed a lot. I am no longer the person I was back then. I lied to you. Fayin Temple is no longer my destiny. I am leaving Jianzhou to travel the world. The road ahead is long, and perhaps we will meet again someday. I wish you well!"

Shen Lan took a deep breath, put the letter away, and began to think about a question: Why did Li Ye leave Jianzhou at this time?

The thought that had been suppressed resurfaced.

Is he the murderer who killed the entire Wu family?

If so, who will be his next target?

If not, how can I live with myself if I suspect my childhood friend like this?

This case is very simple, but the simpler it is, the harder it is to find clues.

Xiao Ji wrote down a family tree of the Wu family on a large sheet of paper.

The Wu family's relatives, friends, and business associates—anyone who could be indirectly connected to them—were included.

Among them, the most important people were questioned, but they couldn't find a single person who matched the characteristics of the murderer.

"The Wu family, the Liu family... Could it really be that the Liu family caused this trouble?"

In the study, Sui Feng and Sui Ying were also deep in thought.

Sui Feng asked, "Why don't I go and investigate Lord Liu's past? The murderer retaliated by killing him as soon as he left. It's quite possible that the Liu family was the culprit."

Xiao Ji didn't believe that Liu Engui could rise from a minor county magistrate to his current position as Vice Minister of Revenue without some skill or ability.

But the retaliation against the Wu family must be because Wu Zhongjin was also involved.

“It’s good to investigate. This case will soon reach Lord Liu’s ears, and he will definitely put pressure on the Ministry of Justice.”

"This is a blatant slap in the face to Lord Liu. I reckon his days at the Ministry of Revenue won't be too easy."

Xiao Ji waved his hand: "We don't care about these things, we just need to solve the case."

Someone knocked on the door of the study, and the servant's voice came in.

"Sir, Officer Lei has something urgent to discuss with you."

"Please come in quickly."

Lei Dajiang rushed in, sweating profusely, and said, "Lord Xiao, we have a lead."

"Ok?"

"That incense maker, Old Lu, whose name is Lu Yaxuan, once came to Wu Zhongjin's door to ask for his sister's hand in marriage more than ten years ago, but was kicked out by Wu Zhongjin."

Not long after, Wu Zhongjin gave his younger sister to Lord Liu as a concubine, and the Wu family's business grew bigger and bigger thanks to this relationship.

Lu Yaxuan moved several times, and his current neighbors don't know this part of the story. I found out from the old woman who served Wu.

Lei Dajiang took a few breaths and continued, "When Lord Liu was promoted and left, he abandoned Madam Wu at a farm in the suburbs. I found this suspicious, so I sent someone to the farm to investigate."

It turns out that Wu was still in contact with Lu Yaxuan, but the nature of their relationship is unknown. It's likely that Lord Liu couldn't tolerate it and abandoned Wu.

A concubine who has fallen out of favor is left behind on this remote farm; her fate is predictable.

Wu Zhongjin couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet he didn't bring his sister home.

"Also, Wu has gone mad."

Xiao Ji frowned. So, this man surnamed Lu did indeed have a motive to kill.