Chapter 109 is too long in the past and doesn't offer any clues.

This incident involving the Ministry of Justice was indeed unexpected.

As planned, when the group kicked open the door and rushed in to arrest the robbers, they never imagined that there would be a corpse hidden in the bed of the inn room.

"It was really my carelessness. For the past two weeks, many customers have complained that the food smells bad, but I didn't take it seriously!" The shopkeeper was at a loss, standing timidly to the side, his back bent, his hands in his pockets, his face full of innocence.

He pursed his lips: "Besides, normally... who would have thought that something like that would be inside!"

His eyes reflected the figure of Prince Jing of Wei, and he was overwhelmed with emotion: "I've honestly run a business for half my life, what a terrible thing!"

The inn's gatehouse is made of wood, and the interior is reinforced with gray bricks, but it does not prevent odors from escaping.

Before the group even entered, the smell was already overwhelming.

Li Jin stood in the center of the hall, frowning and looking around: "It's been smelly for half a month, and you haven't cleaned it once?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at the shopkeeper: "You've redefined 'doing business honestly'."

Hearing him say that, the shopkeeper smiled awkwardly: "Yes, yes, I have cleaned it a few times, but I didn't see any problems. I was wondering if it was because of some ghost or spirit, so I spent a lot of money to ask a shaman to put a Buddha statue inside."

These words leave one speechless.

Li Jin had to thank the Ministry of Justice for dealing with such a person. It was thanks to their large-scale arrest operation that the body was never seen.

"Where were you when the Ministry of Justice arrested you?" Li Jin asked.

His gaze swept over the three-story inn and saw several tables set up in the main hall, suggesting that they usually did some business selling alcohol.

"Right here," the shopkeeper said. "There were no customers in the shop at the time, so I was here playing guessing games with the waiter, betting on who would win or lose."

"Where were the robbers at the time?" Li Jin glanced at him.

“They’re inside,” the shopkeeper pointed. “They paid one tael of silver for half a month’s stay, and they basically don’t go out much.”

One tael of silver can cover a stay for half a month?

Li Jin raised an eyebrow in surprise and tapped the table and chairs in front of him: "The shopkeeper's price is quite favorable."

The discounts are excessive.

The shopkeeper gave an awkward laugh: "That's not...right...it smells too bad, so we'll sell it cheaply and make a little profit."

"Who would have thought that something like this would happen... Oh dear, Your Highness, you must save me! My whole family depends on the meager income from this inn to make a living!"

They rely on the inn for food, yet they can't even be bothered to do basic cleaning.

With such an environment, it would be a miracle if the business didn't go out of business and start selling food.

Li Jin glanced at him, said nothing, and turned to walk towards the room where the body was found.

It wasn't big; the room contained only a bed and a tatami mat. The furniture was cheap, and the wooden surfaces were already peeling and the paint was chipped.

The group from the Ministry of Justice had already lifted the bed, and the room was filled with a stench. Many of the constables couldn't stand it, and their faces turned deathly pale.

Of these, only Jin Shu remained, full of energy.

She squatted beside the bed, the box slung over her body, gloves on, and handcuffs tied tightly, waiting for the artist to finish depicting the scene before she began.

Seeing Li Jin approaching from behind, she frowned and glanced at him: "Female, highly decomposed body, lying supine, unrecognizable, body blackened, at least two months old."

The corpse in front of him lay flat on its east-west side. Li Jin pinched his nose, frowned, and craned his neck to peek inside.

That's terrible.

"Sect Leader, it would be better to start investigating the source of the corpses as soon as possible." Jin Shu stood up and shook his head. "They're in such a state that even if I investigate with all my might, I can only provide vague clues."

As soon as she finished speaking, she stepped over the bed railing and squatted down next to the corpse inside the bed, saying slowly and deliberately, "Although it hasn't turned into skeletons, it's completely unrecognizable."

Picking up a strand of the victim's long hair, she examined it against the light for a long time, her brows furrowing slightly: "The victim had dyed her hair some time before her death. The roots were yellowish, while the middle and back sections were darker. Based on the characteristics of the color fading, it was probably dyed with lotus seed grass."

“There are signs of sharp force injuries on the body, but so much time has passed that the wounds have decomposed to the point of being unexamined.” She paused. “Even so, we can still see traces of a penetrating wound to the lungs. The preliminary assessment is that the cause of death was a sharp weapon that pierced through the lungs and heart, causing massive bleeding and death from excessive blood loss.”

"Judging from the way the weapon was penetrated, it was likely a Tang sword, longsword, or spear."

"The victim had long, slender fingers and long nails." As she said this, she gently pinched the victim's fingers and was drawn to something unusual on them.

"This is... artificial armor?" She paused for a moment, remained silent for a while, and looked up at the victim's clothing.

A light, sheer outer garment, as thin as a gauze scarf, a short inner garment, and a long ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) that was quite different from what ordinary girls wore, revealing their navel.

This attire is unusual.

Jin Shu turned around and looked at Li Jin: "This should be a female entertainer, the kind who plays the zither."

Artificial nails are not common; most women play with real nails. Only female performers who play the zither extensively and whose nails are severely damaged will wear these artificial nails.

After she finished speaking, her gaze fell on a metal tag around the victim's neck.

It was smooth and glossy, about half the size of a child's palm, without any patterns or words on it.

She glanced at it a few times with surprise, then carefully took it in her hand. In the sidelight, she could vaguely see a clear fingerprint.

She paused for a moment, then took out a handkerchief from her bosom, untied the strange necklace from her neck, and carefully held it in her hand.

"Does Your Highness recognize this item?"

Standing to the side, flipping through the accommodation list, Li Jin, who was burning with anger, raised an eyebrow and glanced at the object in her hand, recalling it for a while: "It looks familiar."

He stepped forward and said, "Wrap it up and let Shen Wen investigate."

After saying that, he exhaled through his nose and complained, "The innkeeper's accounts are unclear and incomplete, with missing pages. It's impossible to find any clues in his accounts."

He looked at the corpse behind Jin Shu: "Now we can only rely on Shen Wen. Let him thoroughly examine all the courtesans who have disappeared in the capital over the past two months."

This is easier said than done.

Shen Wen glanced at the sign in Li Jin's hand, then at the mangled corpse lying there, and pursed his lips.

“She’s a courtesan.” He scratched his head awkwardly. “This brand is exclusive to several brothels in the capital. Girls with this brand charge a high price for a single song.”

“For example, this iron plaque, one tael of silver for a single song.” He paused. “There are also those with gold plaques, those are the main performers, a thousand gold pieces for a single song.”

After saying that, he clicked his tongue with a troubled look and sighed, "But this kind of person is not easy to find, it may take a while."

"Why?" Li Jin asked.

“Oh dear…” Shen Wen craned his neck to look behind him, looking quite troubled. “The main problem is that there are too many people and too much mobility. The young masters from wealthy families in the capital all like to buy a few courtesans to live in their own homes, where they play music and listen to songs on a daily basis, indulging in refined tastes.”

"In addition, there are at least a hundred brothels in the capital with female entertainers, and some neighborhoods have several of them," he said. "The entire Censorate can only mobilize thirty or forty people, and it is difficult to be efficient in the face of such a large number of people."

Li Jin raised his hand, rubbed his temples, closed his eyes, and nodded, saying, "As soon as possible."

Seeing Shen Wen leave, Jin Shu looked at the piece of iron in her hand, at the clear fingerprints on it, and remained silent for a long time before finally asking, "Your Highness, where is Lord Yun?"

She said, "Anyway, the case is at a standstill right now, and I happen to have an idea that I'd like to discuss with Lord Yun."

As she spoke, she waved the iron plaque in her hand in front of Li Jin's eyes: "There are some marks on this, which are worth investigating."