Chapter 103: A Way to Survive

"If Li Futian wanted to go against the grain and avoid suspicion, then he must have been very careful and wanted to stay alive. He would definitely not have committed suicide that night and left such obvious evidence under his bed."

"Therefore, I think there may be something else going on. Li Futian may not be the murderer, but a scapegoat."

Xu Zhengping answered loudly.

"There is some truth in what you said." Chu Jinnian looked at Xu Zhengping meaningfully.

This county magistrate was not as stupid as imagined when it came to investigating the case. At least he did find some suspicious points.

However, that’s all.

"Lord Chu, I think this matter needs further investigation to find the real murderer so as to give justice to the deceased." Xu Zhengping said.

Chu Jinnian tapped the table lightly with his slender fingers, his eyebrows slightly raised, and the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.

"Master Xu, although the body of the person who drowned in the water was swollen and rotten, his face was destroyed. The murderer deliberately destroyed his face. What do you think was his intention, Master Xu?"

"I believe that the murderer destroyed his face in order to prevent others from discovering his true identity and delay the time for the government to investigate the case," Xu Zhengping replied.

"Half right, half wrong."

Chu Jinnian laughed.

Xu Zhengping was stunned for a moment, and said with a folded hand: "I am a stupid person."

"The purpose of destroying the face is to prevent others from discovering his true identity. But if he really wanted to prevent others from finding him, first of all, the body should be thrown in another county to make it inconvenient for the government to find it. Secondly, if the murderer wanted to destroy his face, why didn't he think of stripping him of his clothes?"

Chu Jinnian glanced at Xu Zhengping and picked up the teacup beside him: "Master Xu, please have some tea."

Xu Zhengping reached out to pick up the teacup, but his back was covered in cold sweat.

Yes, what Chu Jinnian said was right. If one wanted to hide his identity, he would definitely throw the body to a very far place, preferably to another county or prefecture, to prevent investigation. Also, he would not leave his clothes behind, or at least destroy them.

After all, when the government is investigating a case, if the identity of a person is uncertain, they will first check the recent missing persons in the entire county, and then select the suspected dead persons from them for comparison. Such obvious clothing can immediately confirm the identity.

In other words, the dead person might not be Li Dali, but someone else. He changed into Li Dali's clothes in order to make people think he was Li Dali.

So, in this case, who is the deceased and who killed him?

Was the murder committed in such a cruel way as drowning in a lake and disfiguring the victim's face really for the purpose of disposing of the body, or just to vent anger?

What about Li Futian? Why did he become a scapegoat because of an unrelated person? Did he really commit suicide or was it also homicide?

And who would go to so much trouble to create such an appearance that people would think this was an ordinary homicide case?

What trap is there? Xu Zhengping is a county magistrate who has handled some homicide cases and knows that many things are more complicated than he imagined.

But this time, he suddenly smelled a different smell from this matter and felt an unprecedented sense of fear.

He suddenly understood why he felt there was a hint of mockery in Chu Jinnian's tone just now.

Perhaps he had already guessed the key.

The cold sweat on Xu Zhengping's forehead dripped down his cheeks. He couldn't hold the teacup in his hand and some of the tea spilled out.

When the warm tea touched the back of his hand, Xu Zhengping finally woke up.

"Lord Chu, please forgive me. I am your humble servant, your humble servant..."

"I hope Master Chu can show me a way."

Xu Zhengping kowtowed like pounding garlic.

Chu Jinnian had said before that if there was anything I didn't understand, I could ask him for advice. That was roughly what he was talking about now.

This case is complicated and confusing. If we don't handle it, it might be wrong. If we handle it, it might still be wrong. Whether the head can be saved depends on Chu Jinnian's intention at this moment.

"It seems that Lord Xu has figured this out."

Chu Jin said in a young voice: "I have been staying here for the past two days. I have also walked around in my spare time. I have found that Lord Xu is a good official and the people also recognize Lord Xu."

"If that's the case, I can have a few more words with Lord Xu."

"Yes, I'm all ears." Xu Zhengping's back was straight.

"Since someone has gone to great lengths to make others believe that this case was just a dispute between people from the same village and the murder was a spur-of-the-moment decision, then Lord Xu might as well give in to the other party's wishes and close the case for now."

"Since we have all the evidence, even if the case is reviewed, we cannot find any fault with Lord Xu. Lord Xu can rest assured. As for the true situation of this case..."

"To be honest with you, Lord Xu, I am very interested in this case. I want to find out who did this and who was the most important person who died to make the other party do this. I will not let the deceased die in vain, nor let the murderer have a good end."

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Chu Jinnian emphasized the last two words.

It can be heard that Chu Jinnian takes this matter very seriously and will definitely get to the bottom of it.

But at this moment, Xu Zhengping no longer cared much about the case.

Although he also wanted to know the final answer, given the current situation, saving his life was the most important thing.

Only by saving your life will you have the opportunity to know the answer in the future. Otherwise, it would be reckless.

Already in middle age, Xu Zhengping has long lost the recklessness of his youth. He knows what he should do now.

"Thank you, Lord Chu. I now know what to do." Xu Zhengping said repeatedly, "I will go back to the government office and order someone to close this case."

"Go." Chu Jinnian raised his hand.

"I'll take my leave."

Xu Zhengping didn't know how he got out of Qingzhu Garden or how he got back to the county government office. He only knew that when he returned to his desk, his hands and feet were still a little cold.

It was not until Ding Gaochang came and called him several times that he came to his senses.

"Sir, has this case come to a conclusion? What does Lord Chu say?"

"This case..."

Xu Zhengping's throat was a little tight, and after a light cough, he said, "Li Futian committed murder for money. There are witnesses and evidences. It is a foregone conclusion. He should be killed, but he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. So we will open the coffin and expose his body for ten days as a punishment."

"The money found in Li Futian's house will be returned to Zheng, and the two acres of real estate under Li Futian's name will be renamed Zheng as compensation to the victim."

"But, sir..." Ding Gaochang was suddenly confused.

When they were investigating the case earlier, they clearly identified that there were doubts. It was really strange that Xu Zhengping went to see Chu Jinnian but did not mention a word.

Fourth update~ 　　 　 (End of this chapter)