Chapter 2 Dead? "If she doesn't dare, she must be guilty...

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Before Jiang Hui and others left the teahouse, they entered the wild forest and had no idea what was happening outside.

The light and shadows in the forest were dim, and the darkness was mixed with the smell of earth. The two maids and the guard looked around carefully, observing the white flags and the randomly buried corpses in the forest.

The body was treated like this. How sincere could the families of the victims be in burying the body? It looked so cold and eerie.

The smell is really bad too.

The maidservant Liu'er was worried that her mistress couldn't stand the foul smell, so she stuffed some fragrant dried plums into her handkerchief and asked, "Madam?"

She did not refuse the maid's kindness, and took the handkerchief with her slender fingers. Yan Siqing looked at the rotten corpse that was simply collected by the old coroner after it was dug out of the soil. She didn't know what she remembered. She blinked slightly and turned away, and a few unstable breaths were concealed by the handkerchief covering her mouth and nose.

The old coroner noticed it and recalled that Mrs. Shen's parents were murdered when she was young. Later, she followed her uncle, County Magistrate Xu, to various posts. It was said that she had witnessed murders in various places. He didn't know whether he was brave or nervous about this.

Poor kid after all.

He asked his young apprentice to keep quiet, separate the rotting corpse and not let anyone look at it, and also talked about some details of the crime scene.

Yan Siqing was a thoughtful person. He appreciated the kindness, his brows softened a little, and he whispered a few words to the old coroner.

After the apprentice finished cleaning up, he looked up and saw the light and shadow in the forest falling on him. He was distracted several times and didn't dare to look again. He lowered his head and showed what he had learned with a bit of childishness and eagerness.

Like a male peacock spreading its tail.

"Master, spring is flourishing, and the surrounding land is fertile. Many plants and trees should be sprouting. Although it's disrespectful to the dead, rotten meat is fat, yet this place is completely bare. I have collected all the broken buds and dead seeds. Does this prove that these four people died of poisoning?"

The old coroner said, "If only it were that simple. Siqing, what do you think?"

The apprentice was a little surprised that his master would ask Madam Shen, and the latter did not waste time.

"It's said that one of the victim's relatives who fled far away and disappeared is Lin, the widow of one of the deceased, Chen Chao. Now they say she absconded with the money. Coincidentally, her family runs a pharmacy, and she has known some medical knowledge since she was a child."

Yan Siqing's expression was calm, but her tone was gentle, like the gurgling of flowing water. The apprentice didn't dare look at her, but listened carefully and couldn't help clapping his hands. "Then doesn't it mean that the Lin family is colluding with the criminals and using this technique to poison these people... I just smelled some alcohol. I think these tenants gathered to drink, and the wine was drugged."

Hearing this, it made sense and the maids and guards felt that there were no loopholes.

But Yan Siqing and the old coroner exchanged glances, neither of them making any comment, but neither of them refuted.

The old coroner said, "I'm afraid it's difficult to file a case. The victim's family has already fled far away. Without their help, this case will be in jeopardy."

Yan Siqing: "It is difficult to deal with, but after looking at these bones, it is clear that they were murdered. I have made up my mind and sent people out to find the person. It will cost more money and there will be some results in the future. I have also reminded everyone in the mansion not to go out in the near future to avoid trouble."

“The truth still needs to be forced.”

The old coroner nodded. He was an old acquaintance of County Magistrate Xu and had a close relationship with Yan Siqing. He knew that Yan Siqing was meticulous and steady. He mentioned some of his connections and expressed his willingness to help.

As they were talking, they left the place... The noise was so loud that it could not be concealed from anyone, just like the weather after noon, which had obviously changed.

The sky turned overcast, dark clouds rolled in, and a drizzle of spring rain began to fall at noon.

Gradually, there were no people on the official road.

The horses crossed the muddy path, which was wet with water. Amidst the rumbling of thunder, the stream became more turbulent. Suddenly, with a loud thunderclap, the driver saw a flash of silver-white knife-like light on the deserted path across the way, and a dozen fierce black shadows rushed out to block the road...

Robbery? Murder!

Without saying a word, he robbed and killed people on the road.

The guards cried out in surprise, their horses neighed, and in the chaotic fight, the guards seemed to be at a disadvantage...

There were also murderers who desperately jumped onto the carriage and tried to stab the people inside with knives.

Such a dangerous timing, so sudden.

“Who is it?”

"Asshole!"

Two fine horses came out from the official road behind.

The men on horseback knew martial arts. Among them, Ruo Zhao drew his bow and shot down the villain who got on the carriage with one arrow. Another man drew his sword and knocked two people away like a martial arts master picking up chickens. Then he turned around, fell off his horse, and with a flash of sword, he chopped the melons and vegetables with a few swipes. Not only were the villains trembling with fear, but the guards were also shocked, fearing that they would be injured by the powerful sword energy.

Ruozhao had already passed the carriage with his bow in hand. He stepped forward and jumped onto the carriage. Even the captain of the guards couldn't stop him. He had already lifted the curtain with the dagger at his waist.

"Madam is frightened, but An..."

Before he could even finish the word "OK", Ruo Zhao stood still, leaning back, his sharp eyes fixed on...the officer in the carriage.

The bandits outside who were beaten and unable to escape were surrounded by the officers who rushed out from nearby.

Ruozhao and Ruoqin suddenly realized: Yan Siqing had been prepared and was fishing, and the government officials were willing to cooperate, which meant that the case already had clues and even evidence!

Those village heads who are so careless about human lives are probably caught in a trap.

No wonder the prince changed his tone when he saw the carriage tracks on the official road and asked the two of them to come and rescue people.

Now that I think about it, the wheel tracks are wide and the patterns are clear, with tall horses, which are used by wealthy families. The Shen family is the richest family in the entire Yancheng and even the surrounding cities. They are merchants, but their ancestors were officials and they are a family of military pensions, which meets the custom. Moreover, they appeared on the official road nearby today, which must have been left by Mrs. Shen who was seen traveling not long ago.

The prince compared the wheel tracks, matched their identities, and discovered two sets of wheel tracks, so he suspected that when the Shen family went to the wild forest, there were actually two carriages...

At that time, the prince suspected that Yan Siqing had other plans, so he sent two of them here to greet him, while he went alone, and no one knew where he was going.

Are we going to hunt down Yan Siqing somewhere else?

I don't know if it has been successful.

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Yancheng is not big, but not small either. It has prosperous wine shops, tea houses, and textile trade, and even overseas spice trade is close to it.

The Shen family had a scholar who was a top scholar in the imperial examination. They were also a family of scholars with high academic achievements. Later, they became wealthy through business. After several generations of ups and downs, by the time of Shen Cangyu's generation, the family had declined. Then the successor got married at a young age and took over the family. With his death, the family declined again, and then it rose again...

Now it’s declining again?

It is unknown, but the place is definitely bustling today. The government officials have surrounded it, and even the magistrate of Yancheng County has come. It seems that they are solving cases and arresting people inside, and it is a bustling scene.

Madam Yan was mentioned frequently.

When it comes to gossip involving women, ordinary people can never say anything good or bad.

But what Jiang Hui heard in the teahouse on the street surprised him.

Nine times out of ten, they are mostly praises, and most of them are very disgusted with the other party.

Occasionally, someone would act sneaky, either out of jealousy or ill intentions, and would talk nonsense, even mentioning that Yan Siqing, a young woman in power, couldn't tolerate the Shen family's side branches, and wanted to seize the family property and send it back to her parents, ignoring the hard work of the village heads and getting rid of them...

Before he could even utter a few bad words, he was scolded and accused by some tea drinkers. Only when he was in a state of extreme embarrassment did the shop owner come out.

"Damn it! Boss, look at how rampant these people are. They insulted me like this. As a shop owner..."

The shop owner raised his hand and said, "Get lost!"

The man was stunned, unable to believe that the shop owner would actively chase people away, but the servants had already come up to drive them away...

There was a cheer in the store, and they sat down again and talked about how good the young lady was with a smile.

Not remarrying? Supporting her husband's family? Being dignified and kind?

Jiang Hui didn't touch the tea, but just looked out the window at the Shen family's gate opposite with a faint expression.

Two carriages, but only one owner.

The master had previously taken a second carriage from the wild forest and secretly returned home.

Lure the killer into the wild forest, which is a tactic of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west.

Why did the mansion in the city lure the real murderer into a trap so swiftly and decisively?

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The door opened and the noise poured out.

It can be seen that a group of officers from the county government are escorting several members of the Shen family out of the house.

They actually caught the person directly at Shen's house.

Not a single one was left behind.

As these people were shouting and cursing, the people in the city realized that it was the elders of the Shen family who deliberately invited them and they had been fooled.

They cursed Yan Siqing with vile language, and only stopped after being rebuked by the officers...

But some refused to obey. Seeing the county magistrate coming out, they immediately cried out, "Sir, sir, this is unjust! You're accusing us of poisoning tenant Chen Chao and others? This matter has absolutely nothing to do with us. Please send someone to investigate immediately. We have never bought or sold any poison. How could we harm anyone? It must have been Chen Chao's wife who poisoned them and absconded with the money... Is there anyone more skilled at poisoning than her?"

The old coroner followed the county magistrate out and snorted coldly at the words, "You claim to be completely ignorant, yet you know the details of the case and claim it has nothing to do with it. With such insightful opinions, you still come here to ask for a share of the family fortune? If you just count on your fingers every day, wouldn't it be easy for you to make a fortune?"

He had spent half his life dealing with the dead, and had seen all sorts of sneaky things. He was merciless in his words, and he slandered them on the spot. After he finished, without waiting for these side branches of the Shen family to argue angrily, he continued, "Do you really think that it's so easy to leave no witnesses after death? For any evil deeds, the dead will seek justice for themselves. There was indeed poison in the corpse, but it penetrated the throat after death. The medicinal properties only reached the larynx, and the middle and lower parts of the torso were not deeply affected. The dead grass on the surface of the land was poisonous, but it was evenly spread across the ground. The poisonous water was poured on the surface to disguise the scene. Otherwise, the poison would have fermented from deep underground where the body was buried, damaging the roots from the bottom up, rather than accumulating on the ground."

"This cunning scheme is intended to frame Chen Chao's wife, Lin. Because her family's pharmacy lost a batch of medicinal herbs a few months ago, they're using this as a scapegoat."

The faces of several members of the Shen family's side branch were all in a state of panic, but the oldest among them, Chen Tongqing, was more cunning and experienced, so he remained calm and immediately argued loudly, "Master Zhang, you are just fabricating charges! How could you have such a plan? You know, once Chen Chao and the others are dead, everyone from the village heads to us will be suspected of colluding with the Lin family. Wouldn't we be admitting our guilt? Why bother?"

"My Lord County Magistrate, it's clear that Mr. Zhang favors Yan because of his personal relationship with her, and is slandering her for her malicious and selfish motives. This is unjust!!"

They shouted even louder, constantly saying that Yan Siqing had bad intentions and was deliberately setting up a trap to harm them...

Coroner Zhang was fine, but the apprentice was furious. He shouted, "Do you think you're so clever? Chen Chao and the others are so poor they can't even afford to eat. You've also exploited the Lin family to the point of being skinny. How could they possibly afford wine? Even if they could, they'd have to savor every sip carefully, not to mention spilling so much wine on their clothes? How ridiculous! My master and the young mistress saw through your tricks long ago!"

To put it bluntly, Lin was extremely poor after marrying Chen Chao, and her family also despised her and had no contact with her for a long time. How could she use medicinal herbs to help make poison?

Many people in the city know about this.

The apprentice, having gained confidence from the onlookers' comments, continued aloud, "An examination revealed dark purple-red cadaver spots, cyanosis and swelling of the face, punctate hemorrhages on the facial skin and conjunctiva, drooling, and foul matter. Chen Chao's body also had a few wisps of cotton wool in its nasal cavity, suggesting suffocation from a towel covering their face. This suggests the four deceased were deeply drunk and unconscious, unable to resist. While this appearance of death might at first glance suggest poisoning, the autopsy confirmed the poison didn't enter their bodies until at least two hours after death, lodging in their throats. This clearly wasn't poison, but rather suffocation from one person using a towel."

Several members of the Shen family's side branches were already terrified, thinking something had happened. They were completely limp, their faces haggard. The common people saw clearly what was going on and cursed at them. Only Chen Tongqing remained stubborn and argued, "Then it couldn't have been Lin? They were all drunk. How could a mere woman like her kill these four men? It had to be her!"

At this moment, the usually calm and taciturn county magistrate waved his sleeve and pointed at him, "Chen Tongqing, have you ever considered that the people who could have gathered these four victims who had written a petition to the government must not be the village heads. After all, they are not fools. The only people who could deceive them... are the Shen family."

"Using the Shen family's name to invite people to drink, one of you must have shown up and come into contact with them."

"This officer would like to know which of the five of you it is."

"Who among your men prepared the wine? After dealing with the people, what kind of mules and horses did you use to send them back to their homes?"

"If you want to stay out of murder, you must send people to do it. Can you ensure that each of these people will be loyal to you and take the blame for you?"

"What if I have already found the mules and horses and captured these people?"

The other four had already collapsed, sweating all over, and kowtowing while trembling.

Chen Tongqing's face turned pale as he cursed these people as useless. However, he sneered, "If my lord is observant and has irrefutable evidence to prove my guilt, I will be punished. However, Lin is not here, and Chen Chao and the others have long been dead and buried. According to the laws of our dynasty, we must first file a case..."

He was certain that County Magistrate He Zhihong was falsifying his confession.

"I'm here, you copper-green thief."

A sentence came out of nowhere, and Chen Tongqing was stunned. The others were also in a trance. Then they saw the withered woman who was protected by guards and staggered out from behind the screen wall on the left side of the Shen Mansion.

"You didn't expect that I wasn't assassinated by the killer you sent, but was rescued by the people sent by the young lady."

"I can testify that you were the Shen family member who invited my husband and the others at noon half a month ago. You were also using the name of the Young Madam. At the time, my husband and I were a little confused, but we also knew that if we wanted to fight those village heads, we had to ask the Young Madam to make the decision. So my husband agreed to go. However, I also secretly memorized the appearance of the servant who shouted at us. After being rescued, I confessed everything to the Young Madam and the county magistrate, and identified the servant. They have already found the man's body."

After Lin finished speaking, everyone was in an uproar.

Chen Tongqing fell silent for a moment, staring at the screen wall behind him, wondering in his heart whether the damn Yan Siqing was dead. If he was dead... there would be no evidence!

His voice suddenly became sharp: "So what? You're still slandering me. Couldn't it be that Yan Siqing who killed someone and framed me?!"

"If you have the guts, call her out and confront me face to face!!"

"If she doesn't dare, she must be guilty!"

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