There is a god in the sky

Chapter 25 The Yicun Murder Case 7

Xiao Ji was summoned to the yamen by Magistrate Fang, where a simple autopsy report was placed in front of him.

"Lord Xiao, please take a look. This is the autopsy report for the woman's body. The deceased did indeed commit suicide. The government will return the body to the deceased's family today. However, unfortunately, the deceased's mother-in-law also died last night."

Xiao Ji glanced at the contents and finished reading them. It was simply that the wound on the neck matched the hemp rope, and with the scratch marks on the tree, Magistrate Sun judged it to be suicide.

He neither confirmed nor denied it, but planned to visit the mortuary himself.

"Keep the body for another day. Also, has anyone from the Wang family come to the government office to give a statement?"

Magistrate Fang replied awkwardly, "Originally, we planned to take statements after the autopsy, but then Old Lady Wang died and Wang Daniu went missing, so the statements were delayed. However, the bailiffs already questioned the local villagers in the village yesterday."

What was the cause of Wang Pozi's death?

"She was pushed into a cesspool and drowned. The suspect was brought back last night. He is an old Taoist priest surnamed Wei who was performing a ritual at the Wang family's house."

Xiao Ji paused, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Master Wei? Is he the one who lives across the river from Baiyi Village?"

"That's him."

He's a killer?

Xiao Ji didn't think so, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that the two had accidentally killed each other during a dispute.

However, I always felt that there were many suspicious points in these two cases.

Just as he was about to speak, a yamen runner knocked on the door and said, "Sir, the lady says she has brought Miss Wei to see you and asks when it would be convenient for you to receive guests."

Magistrate Fang glanced helplessly at Xiao Ji and said with an awkward laugh, "My younger sister has some connection with Miss Wei."

He instructed the servants outside, "Go tell the lady that I am busy today and we will meet another day."

He thought Wei Lanxiang had come to plead for mercy.

But with the chief official of the Jianzhou Prefecture Criminal Division right here, how could he dare to bend the law for personal gain?

Xiao Ji said, "Please invite Miss Wei in; she has done me a favor."

Magistrate Fang was greatly surprised. This Miss Wei was truly capable; in just one day, she had already formed a bond with Lord Xiao.

"Quickly, invite Miss Wei in to speak with us."

Wei Lanxiang came in alone, so she wasn't surprised to see Xiao Ji there as well.

She bowed respectfully, and then told the magistrate her request.

"Please allow me to access the archives from the eighth year of the Hongyuan era, Your Excellency."

Magistrate Fang secretly breathed a sigh of relief; so that's what it was about.

He smiled and said, "Although this matter violates the rules of the government, I know you are eager to find your relatives, so I will make an exception this time. Guards..."

He ordered his yamen runners to take Wei Lanxiang to check the records and explained to Xiao Ji, "This Miss Wei is a child that Old Taoist Wei picked up. She went missing in the eighth year of Hongyuan."

"I vaguely remember that there was a great flood in the south that year, and many people died."

Magistrate Fang sighed, "Yes, that great flood destroyed countless farmlands and houses, and also caused a plague, which led to a 10% decrease in the population of Aoki County."

"I see. Back then, Master Wei was able to adopt an orphan girl, which shows he was a kind-hearted person."

"What Lord Xiao said is absolutely right. Back then, Old Master Wei had to ask many people for help in order to cure his adopted daughter's illness."

"Such a person is unlikely to be a murderer. Lord Fang, you must be cautious in handling this case."

"Rest assured, I will definitely investigate the matter thoroughly."

Xiao Ji got up. He planned to go see Fu Qingyan first, and then go to Baiyi Village.

This case is probably not that simple.

As he was leaving, he remembered something and instructed, "Oh, right, send someone to find Wang Daniu first."

"Yes."

The south is humid, and the county government's warehouse is often poorly ventilated; as soon as the door is opened, a musty smell hits you.

The clerk guarding the storeroom covered his nose and pointed to the shelf by the window, saying, "The files from the eighth year of the Hongyuan era that you want to see are all over there. Take your time looking at them."

Wei Lanxiang thanked them, put on a mask and gloves, and went inside.

There should be no open flames in the archives storage room, but at this moment the sun is shining brightly outside, and you can see it from inside the room.

She pulled out a scroll, opened it, and found it was a map of Aoki Prefecture, which had nine towns and thirty-two villages. However, Aoki Prefecture used to have ten towns, and Kori Town had disappeared from the map.

Looking at the date again, it was September of the eighth year of Hongyuan, which was exactly the time after the destruction of Guli Town.

Wei Lanxiang searched further, but could not find any map that recorded Guli Town.

She went to look through the population registration book.

The county government conducts a population census every five years. Wei Lanxiang found the household registration book for the year she was born and saw the names of all the Shen family members, but hers was not among them.

Yes, she wasn't born in February.

Guli Town had over 300 households and a population of nearly 5,000 that year, with many people who had lived there for generations.

Wei Lanxiang remembered her mother saying that the Shen family were outsiders, and her grandfather quickly became famous in the town with his medical skills, and the pharmacy business was very good.

Wei Lanxiang wrote down the names of all the county government officials that year, and then flipped through the official gazettes that were routinely submitted to the prefectural government every month.

In June, Aoki Prefecture was hit by a major flood.

In July, the county clinic discovered patients with the same characteristics, and the number was increasing dramatically every day, leading to suspicion of an epidemic.

In August, a major epidemic broke out, with Guli Town being the source and the area suffering the most severe illness. The county government sent a plea for help to the prefectural government.

By September, the official gazette only stated that the plague was under control, without mentioning anything about Guli Town.

Wei Lanxiang spent most of the day in the warehouse. When she came out, her eyes were sore and tears streamed down her face when the sunlight shone on them.

Xiao Ji was leaning against a pillar waiting for her, and when he saw her like this, he thought she was crying because she couldn't find her relatives.

He asked knowingly, "Miss Wei is looking for relatives?"

Wei Lanxiang closed her eyes and paused for a moment before walking towards Xiao Ji. She bowed and said, "Lord Xiao, I can perform an autopsy."

Xiao Ji's eyes lit up, but he did not agree. "The county government also has coroners. Miss Wei is a relative of the suspect in this case and should recuse herself."

Wei Lanxiang said directly, "I bet that coroner in the county yamen didn't even undress the deceased, so how could he be doing an autopsy?"

Xiao Ji's smile faltered slightly as he recalled the sparse autopsy report from earlier, and he felt somewhat displeased.

The coroners in Aoki Prefecture are indeed of limited skill.

Why should I help you?

"Consider it repaying a debt of gratitude on behalf of your cousin."

Xiao Ji wanted to test her autopsy skills, but after thinking for a moment, he reminded her, "It's difficult to overturn a testimony with just an autopsy, unless you can find evidence that Mr. Wei was not present."

Wei Lanxiang dusted off her sleeves and said calmly, "Let's test it first."

Xiao Ji admired her composure and confidence and decided to give her a chance.

"Alright, wait for me at the mortuary at the second watch tonight."

Wei Lanxiang frowned. "The dim lighting at night is not conducive to autopsies."

"That's the only way. After all, you're a family member of the suspect. If people find out you're involved in the case, it will be difficult for the authorities."

“Okay.” Wei Lanxiang immediately agreed and left the county office without saying another word.

Sui Feng was puzzled. "Why did you agree to let Miss Wei perform the autopsy? There has never been a female coroner in this dynasty."

"If it didn't exist before, it can exist in the future."

"You want to recruit her? But she's still a young, unmarried girl."

Xiao Ji shook his head, "It's not time yet. Let's see her true level first."