There is a god in the sky

Chapter 38 The Murder of a Wealthy Family in Jianzhou (Part 1)

Jianzhou City was bustling with activity.

Once inside the city gates, the streets were bustling with people, and commerce was thriving.

Xiao Ji rode straight to the yamen, not even having time to change out of his official robes, and led his men straight to the crime scene.

The chief constable of the prefectural government was surnamed Lei, a loud-voiced middle-aged man.

He led Xiao Ji there, frequently glancing at Shen Lan along the way, probably because he didn't know her identity or how to address her.

"This is the coroner I invited, surnamed Shen," Xiao Ji introduced.

Lei Dajiang exclaimed "Ah!" clearly surprised.

"Such a young coroner? And a woman at that?"

Xiao Ji was preoccupied with the case and didn't explain much to him.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Wu residence, a group of yamen runners stood guard, while a large crowd of onlookers gathered outside.

Officer Lei kindly reminded him, "Lord Xiao, the scene inside isn't very pleasant. Perhaps Miss Shen could wait outside?"

Xiao Ji pushed him aside with one hand, his steps hurried, and emphasized again: "She is a coroner!"

How can a coroner not be present at the scene in person?

Shen Lan glanced at the gate of the Wu residence. It was very grand, with two large stone lions at the entrance. This was definitely not the kind of pomp and circumstance that ordinary merchants could afford.

“Although Wu Zhongjin is a merchant, he is not a merchant. Instead, he holds a sinecure in the government office and can be considered a government official,” Xiao Ji explained.

It's obvious that this was a back door opened for him by Liu Engui.

Shen Lan didn't say anything and followed Xiao Ji inside.

The Wu Mansion has five courtyards, including a front courtyard, a back courtyard, and a skylight, which was the popular style in the south at that time.

Beyond the screen wall lies the front yard, where three corpses lie face down.

Lei Dajiang explained, "The Wu family had a total of 47 people. The three people in the courtyard were the gatekeeper and the steward. Wu Zhongjin died in his study. Almost all the female relatives were in the backyard. Even the youngest grandson was dead. The murderer was ruthless and inhuman."

Shen Lan was glad she had carried her toolbox with her all the way, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get started now.

She crouched down next to the nearest corpse, put on gloves, and examined it from head to ankle.

"The victim suffered a severe blow to the back of the head, resulting in a fractured skull. The murderer was very strong."

She kicked away the long hair on the back of the victim's head, revealing the wound. After examining it, she concluded: "The murder weapon was a stick or something similar, but it's not yet certain whether it was a wooden stick or an iron stick."

She pulled open the deceased's clothes, pressed her fingers against his chest, and determined the time of death.

"The time of death was within five hours."

Xiao Ji pulled over a minor official and asked him to write down everything Shen Lan had said in detail.

Those present were somewhat surprised, not only by Shen Lan's gender and age, but also by how quickly she made her judgment.

Lei Dajiang is a seasoned detective. He has worked with Xiao Ji for three years and several other chief criminal investigators before him, and he has his own judgment on corpses.

What Shen Lan said was almost exactly what he had in mind.

Shen Lan examined three corpses in a row; the cause of death was the same, and the murder weapon was identical.

There is only one murderer.

Lei Dajiang's eyes widened. "One person? One person killed all forty-odd people in the Wu family? How is that possible?"

To verify her deduction, Shen Lan carried her toolbox inside.

Most of the other dead died inside their rooms, while the few who died outside were likely guards on night duty.

It's not surprising that a wealthy man like Wu Zhongjin would have bodyguards at home.

This also indicates that the murderer committed the crime at night, when most people were asleep.

Given the size of the Wu residence, unless someone runs out shouting for help, the surrounding neighbors are unlikely to hear anything.

Xiao Ji walked around the Wu residence, witnessing the manner of death of each corpse, and then discovered that Wu Zhongjin's death was different from the others.

He called Shen Lan into the study, and the two of them stared at Wu Zhongjin's corpse for a long time.

Wu Zhongjin sat in the chair behind his desk, his head drooping and his hands hanging naturally at his sides.

"Do you see anything?"

Shen Lan gently lifted the deceased's drooping head and said, "The murderer was clearly a master. The others were all killed with a single blow, but Wu Zhongjin died from a broken cervical vertebra. His neck was twisted and he died."

She pulled open Wu Zhongjin's clothes and saw large bruises on his chest, indicating that he had been beaten before his death.

"Eight ribs were broken and three fingers were broken. The murderer may have wanted to get something out of him, so he tortured him before killing him. It seems that he was not a complete stranger."

Shen Lan calculated the distance between the chair and the desk, simulated the murderer's position, and said, "The murderer was standing face to face with the victim and even grabbed the victim's collar. The two should be about the same height."

Wu Zhongjin was wearing a brocade robe, with obvious wrinkles on the collar.

The presence of account books and writing implements on the desk indicates that Wu Zhongjin was working at the time.

Shen Lan found it strange; if the murderer suddenly broke into the study, Wu Zhongjin's first reaction should have been to shout for help.

But the guards of the Wu residence died in the passageway outside the study, so no one came to rescue him.

So, was Wu Zhongjin the last to die?

If the murderer was still alive when he committed the crime, wouldn't he have heard a thing?

And it was almost midnight, was Mr. Wu working so hard?

Xiao Ji asked Lei Dajiang, "Has anyone else entered this study today?"

"Only Kobayashi and I came in and took a look. We definitely didn't touch anything inside."

Lei Dajiang had been investigating cases with Xiao Ji for three years and knew his habits very well.

Before he arrived, he ordered his men to seal off the Wu family's residence, not daring to touch a single blade of grass or tree inside.

"It doesn't look like it's been tampered with."

There was a display cabinet in the study, filled with rare and valuable items. The murderer hadn't even touched any of these things, so he clearly wasn't after money.

Lei Dajiang also said, "The murderer acted decisively, clearly out of revenge."

Xiao Ji and Shen Lan simultaneously thought of one person: Luo Feng, the missing head of the Luo family and Zhang's husband.

"First, take the body back, find the Wu family register and check it one by one to see if there are any surviving members of the Wu family."

"Yes." Lei Dajiang went to call people to carry the body.

Xiao Ji flipped to an account book, which was the general ledger of the Wu family's shops, recording the Wu family's business dealings.

Sui Feng came in from outside and reported, "Sir, we've asked the local people, and they didn't hear anything unusual last night."

"Who was the first to discover the body? And who reported it to the authorities?"

"It was Old Qian, who sold tofu on the street. He would deliver a slab of tofu to the Wu residence every day. He came as usual today, but no one answered the door after he knocked for a long time. When he pushed the door open, he saw the corpse in the courtyard. It was he who reported it to the authorities."

"So, the gate to the Wu residence wasn't bolted?"

Why wasn't the Wu family's gate bolted in the middle of the night?

Shen Lan speculated, "Is it possible that the murderer killed the person and walked straight out the front door, then just closed the door?"

"How dare this murderer leave through the main gate so brazenly after killing so many people? This killer is too arrogant!"

Xiao Ji nodded, "It's possible. Let's ask around and see if the Wu family has been in frequent contact with anyone recently, if they've cheated anyone out of money, or done anything wrong."

Sui Feng also thought of the Luo family and immediately sent people to search for Luo Feng's whereabouts.

If Luo Feng had left Jianzhou Prefecture and headed north, it would have taken him about a year to return, according to the original plan.

It has been less than half a year since he left, so he may not have gotten into any trouble.

Even if Wu Zhongjin wanted to seize the Luo family's treasures, he only needed to send Luo Feng away for a year or two, and the rest would be easy.

However, according to Zhang's account, Luo Feng was just an ordinary merchant who did not know martial arts and it was unlikely that he could kill so many people from the Wu family.

However, we cannot rule out the possibility that he hired someone to commit murder.

The premise is that he actually came back ahead of schedule.