Chapter 123 The Lifeline of a Money-Grubber

If Jin Shu hadn't already gained a deep understanding of Li Jin's cunning, she might still be somewhat amazed by his pre-planned schemes.

As I left Wang Guixiang's house, the sky was already turning dark, and Wang Bin's body was already placed in the county government office.

"I'll trouble you, Magistrate, to vacate two rooms. I won't be leaving tonight." After saying this, Li Jin turned to Jin Shu and teased him with a smile, "Two taels of silver, plus two taels for travel expenses. Thank you, Mr. Jin."

As if they had found the key to Jin Shu's greed, they threw down four taels of silver, and Jin Shu showed a posture of being willing to fight for the Six Doors and die for them: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will certainly not fail in my mission!"

Seeing this, Li Jin smiled mysteriously and leaned close to her ear: "How about this, add another ounce, and the gentleman will have an extra job tonight."

If one mistake can lead to eternal regret, that's pretty much how Jin Shu feels right now.

No one could have imagined that Wang Guixiang's two older sisters would be so understanding and righteous as to come to the county government office that very night.

"If the murderer who killed my parents can be found, I beg Your Highness to exhume their bodies and examine them!"

In fact, the two had already made up their minds on the way here, because the one who said those words was none other than Prince Jing, Li Jin, from the Six Doors.

Having lived in the capital for so many years, he was just as famous as Prince Jing, Li Jin, for his "unruly and incorrigible" nature, as well as for his brilliant case-solving skills, earning him the nickname "the living judge" in private.

In particular, the case of the entertainer had caused quite a stir among the people of Beijing.

Unexpectedly, the war god of yesteryear, after removing his armor, has become a righteous and upright official protecting the capital.

The case, which had been unsolved by the Ministry of Justice for two months, was cleared of wrongful conviction in just a few days under his care.

"The greatest disrespect is to let the villains who killed my parents go unpunished!"

The three men knelt before Li Jin, their foreheads touching the ground, their resolve unwavering.

Li Jin knew just how difficult this decision was.

In Tangxia Village, a place where ghost stories are prevalent, how much criticism and inner turmoil must these three women have endured to make such a decision?

Li Jin pondered for a long time before nodding.

“But…” Wang Guixiang’s eldest sister frowned and looked at Li Jin, “Your Highness, could you open the coffin and examine the body at night, discreetly?”

Therefore, Li Jin's one or two taels of silver led to Jin Shu standing beside the ancestral grave on a dark and windy night, waiting for the scene of the autopsy to be performed after everyone dug it up.

"Once the inspection is finished, we'll close it up exactly as it was dug up." Li Jin stood beside her, hands behind her back, watching Bai Yu working diligently in front of her.

Jin Shu was somewhat puzzled, and after a moment she lowered her voice and asked, "If you want to avoid being seen, can't you avoid being seen during the day in this desolate wilderness?"

Li Jin remained expressionless and silent for a moment before glancing at her and saying, "We're digging this out tonight because we need to quickly connect the three cases with confirmed evidence."

These words surprised Bai Yu, who was engrossed in his work.

Prince Jing, who is usually too lazy to explain his actions, actually spoke up seriously tonight.

He paused his work, looked up, and glanced at Li Jin.

All was quiet, and the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Jin Shu frowned, clicked her tongue, and seemed a little confused.

Seeing her confusion, Li Jin sighed and said, "I questioned the magistrate carefully about the case from three years ago. The doctor who wrote the medical record, Dr. Zheng, was Wang Guixiang's husband's medical teacher. The two of them were almost inseparable when they were on duty. So the magistrate is no longer sure who examined the body and who wrote the medical record back then."

He took a few steps to the side, glanced at the two coffin lids that were already exposed, squatted down, and brushed off a handful of dust: "Looking back at the three dead, they have three common characteristics. First, they all had injuries of varying degrees one or two days before they died. Second, these wounds were bandaged by the same person. Third, they were all relatives of Wang Guixiang."

At this point, Li Jin scattered a handful of soil in his hand and smiled slightly: "Considering these points, what conclusion can Mr. Jin draw?"

Jin Shu hesitated for a moment: "It was a targeted series of crimes committed by someone we know."

“That’s right.” Li Jin stood up. “But all of this is based on the premise that the three of them were indeed killed by the same poison and the same method.”

He stated frankly, "Because we don't know the method of poisoning, we can't identify the culprit. Moreover... the conclusion that the three cases were committed by the same person is just our speculation."

At this point, Jin Shu understood.

The scope of suspects has indeed been narrowed down, but the existing evidence is simply insufficient to narrow it down further.

Without finding more clues, the case will never be able to piece together a clear picture.

"Does Your Highness already have a definite suspect in mind?" she asked.

But Li Jin shook his head and unusually replied, "No."

He saw Jin Shu's surprised expression, smiled slightly, and said nothing more.

Li Jin wasn't lying to her; he genuinely didn't have a clear suspect in mind.

Wang Guixiang's husband, who was bandaging her wounds, could have committed the crime. Her husband's master, who wrote that bizarre protective book, could also have committed the crime.

Even Wang Guixiang herself met the conditions for committing the crime, and even Wang Guixiang's uncle had sufficient motive to kill.

It could be for money, or for revenge; either is possible.

Now, he can only place his hopes on Jin Shu beside him, hoping that heaven will have eyes and that the remains of the two old people can point a direction for justice.

The black coffin lid was opened, revealing the white bones inside.

Jin Shu handed the crackling torch to Li Jin, tied his hands, put on gloves, and carefully climbed down from the mound of earth into the coffin.

She bowed slightly, saying, "I apologize for disturbing you." Then, she carefully squatted down, her gaze fixed on the stark white bones.

The torches illuminated the entire coffin. After more than three years, the corpse before them had long since turned to bones. Apart from the skeleton, teeth, hair, and the decaying burial shroud, everything else had long since returned to dust with the passage of time.

Jin Shu opened the already rotting clothes, frowned, straightened up, and looked at the full view of the skeleton in front of her.

Wang Guixiang's mother's right kneecap was dark gray, the color resembling water, with a gradual, diffused effect on the bones. The skull still showed traces of white, while the other parts were more or less blackened.

In another coffin beside them, Wang Guixiang's father's left femur was the darkest, gradually fading in color, while his skull and toe bones still retained some white.

In Jin Shu's eyes, this was as if she could see the toxins gradually spreading in her body.

She looked up at Li Jin and nodded: "Poisoning. The poison from the female skeleton enters the body through the knee, while the poison from the male skeleton enters through the thigh."

Thus, the wounds found on Wang Guixiang's parents before their deaths matched perfectly.