There is a god in the sky

Chapter 115 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 13

Shen Lan imitated the deceased's posture and said, "He was sitting here before he fell. He slapped his chest with one hand, severing his heart meridian, and his body fell forward."

His heart stopped, and he died from asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. That was the cause of his death.

Based on the degree of rigor mortis, he had been dead for less than two hours, suggesting the time of death was between 3:40 PM and 5:30 PM.

This was the first time Prefect Dou had witnessed the coroner's abilities.

No wonder Xiao Ji looked down on Wu the coroner. Compared to this young girl, that old man was at best a barefoot doctor who could examine corpses.

Although the young prince had read many books and seen many cases, he did not value the coroner and preferred to make judgments according to his own ideas.

The officials below tried to correct it at first, but unfortunately, the other party wouldn't listen.

You can't fight city hall, so who dares to offend him?

"One more thing, the arrow wound on his back was not high. If the murderer was not crouching, then he must have been a person less than five feet tall."

The guards outside are all big, burly men; none of them are this short.

Xiao Ji had an idea, "What if it's a woman?"

"Also a possibility."

At this moment, Sui Feng and Sui Ying finished their search and reported, "Sir, we found nothing suspicious."

Xiao Ji went out and instructed, "Bring here everyone who has entered or left Fuchun Residence after noon today."

Everyone turned their attention to the young prince, waiting for him to speak.

The young prince waved his hand, telling them to listen to Xiao Ji; he had no clue whatsoever about the case at this point.

Every single one of his guesses was wrong, and the price he paid for his mistakes was a life.

This time it was Mataki who died, but what about next time?

If the other party wanted him dead, it would be as easy as turning their hand.

The young prince felt a chill run down his spine. Even if Xiao Ji asked for the stars in the sky now, he would have to get them for him.

The servants at Fuchun Residence didn't dare to sleep, and they were all talking about the people being taken away by the officials.

"Another person has died?"

"This is too strange. Could the murderer really be someone from our household?"

"The people who were just taken away don't seem like it either."

"Is this outsider Lord Xiao any good? He's keeping us up all night."

Xiao Ji walked past a row of servants with his hands behind his back, asking each of them what they had done and where they had been that afternoon.

When asked a hunchbacked old woman, Xiao Ji stood for a little longer.

"You're in charge of delivering meals? What time was dinner delivered tonight?"

The old woman lowered her head and replied, "Your Excellency, this old servant arrived at three-quarters past 5 PM."

"Have you seen the person locked in the woodshed?"

"No, this old servant cannot approach. I handed the food box to the guard and left."

"Tell me who it was given to."

The old woman raised her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over the row of officials, and then pointed to one of them.

The man took a step forward. "Lord Xiao, it was indeed this subordinate who delivered the food box."

"Did you open the door and bring it in?"

"Correct."

"Then Officer Ma should still be alive at that time, right?"

"That's natural." If he had seen a corpse back then, he would have reported it long ago.

"Then, between three and four quarters past the hour of You (5-7 PM), everyone who remains here should take one step forward."

The guards also worked in shifts, and that time happened to be dinner time, so a new batch of guards was being rotated.

"Which of you has approached this door?"

Everyone looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.

Shen Lan came out of the house and said, "The amount of food is not less, which means that Officer Ma did not eat anything, but the rice has been turned over. Someone must have hidden a note in the rice and put it in."

"But we didn't find the note."

"Perhaps he swallowed it. If we want to confirm, we'll have to... perform an autopsy."

Someone exclaimed in surprise. Shen Lan looked at her and saw that it was a beautiful young woman.

"Who is this……?"

The woman turned slightly to the side, her gaze falling on the young prince, her voice soft and weak, "I am from the Mu family."

It turned out to be her.

Shen Lan's mind raced, and she asked, "Shouldn't Aunt Mu be staying at the Prince's Mansion? Why is she at Fuchun Residence tonight?"

Mu's pretty face flushed slightly, and she stammered without saying a word.

Instead, her maidservant retorted sharply, "Hmph, our aunt came here only because she was summoned by the Prince."

Shen Lanxin understood.

This is probably similar to the emperor choosing concubines; if a young prince is lonely at night, he can choose whoever he wants to serve him.

That makes sense.

But it's a bit too much of a coincidence.

Has Aunt Mu been here before?

"No."

"And what about your maid?"

The maid was short and very young; most people wouldn't suspect her.

"I've been taking care of you, my aunt. What am I doing in this wretched place?"

"Have you been to the kitchen?"

"Of course, I fetched your dinner from the kitchen."

Shen Lan then asked the hunchbacked old woman, "Did you see her when you went to get the food box from the kitchen?"

The old woman was completely bewildered, but she still answered honestly, "This old servant walks slowly, and Miss Tao Hong kindly helped me carry the food box."

Xiao Ji gave a signal, and Sui Feng immediately stepped forward and tied up the maid.

"What are you doing? Why are you arresting me?"

Aunt Mu asked anxiously, "Sir, what does this mean? Tao Hong is young and wouldn't do anything bad."

Shen Lan said coldly, "What if she was following your orders?"

Aunt Mu was dumbfounded, tears streaming down her face as she stared at her in a daze.

The young prince seemed not to understand yet. After Xiao Ji briefly explained the case of Magistrate Mu, the young prince realized that there was a hidden danger lurking around him.

"Drag her away!" the young prince ordered.

Seeing the guard roughly pulling at Aunt Mu, Shen Lan frowned and said, "Your Highness, when investigating a case, we must eliminate suspects one by one. Aunt Mu is only a suspect. We still need to find out the whole story."

"You're a coroner, do you really know how to solve cases?"

Shen Lan thought to herself: You know more than I do, but she answered politely on the surface: "This subordinate is just offering a friendly reminder."

Before the young prince could speak, Xiao Ji spoke first: "Coroner Shen is right. Since the prince has entrusted the case to me, please listen to my arrangements."

"Hmph, whatever."

Aunt Mu and Tao Hong were locked up together. Even if it could be proven that they had touched the food in the food box, it would not be possible to connect them with the murderer.

Officer Ma committed suicide, but what about the arrow that shot him in the back?

Based on Shen Lan's judgment, that arrow should not be fatal to someone with martial arts skills, unless the wound is left untreated and the blood is allowed to drain out.

Why would the murderer go to the trouble of shooting an arrow?

Xiao Ji wanted to interrogate him alone.

Besides Aunt Mu and her husband, five guards and the old woman who brought them food were also interrogated.

While Xiao Ji was interrogating them, Sui Feng led his men to search the rooms of these people.

Once we find that hidden blade, the problem will be solved.

Shen Lan sat at the door of the woodshed, looking at each other in bewilderment.

"Why isn't the sir attending the trial?"

"The young prince can go; I am not good at solving cases." Prefect Dou exuded a lazy air.

He is a very contradictory person.

Shen Lan still can't tell whether he's a good person or a bad person.

Perhaps he is somewhere between a good person and a bad person, depending on who he is dealing with.

"Lord Dou must be having a lot of trouble with this case."

"Of course, seven people have already died."

"If the case remains unresolved, are you really going to keep Lord Xiao in Tanzhou indefinitely?"

Prefect Dou smiled helplessly, "This is the Prince's intention, but I suspect that Lord Xiao will be able to solve the case soon."