Chapter 158 Unharmed, but Unaccustomed to the Environment

In the courtyard, under the eaves, Jin Shu carefully picked out the strange object in front of her and examined it from all angles, looking it over in the sunlight.

"paint?"

There were several shriveled and cracked pieces of tung oil paint near the victim's heart.

She frowned and said to the outside, "Young man, could you bring me a few clean little plates?"

After saying that, he lowered his head again and carefully searched the victim's knife wound.

These lacquer flakes are quite thick, not a thin layer. They are more abundant at the outward-curving edges of the knife, and also inside.

Li Jin gently placed the small white dish beside her, frowned as he looked at the unrecognizable corpse, and asked in surprise, "Is there anything unusual about it?"

Jin Shu didn't turn around, and put all the lacquer pieces she had just found into the same small dish.

“These were found in the victim’s wounds,” she said. “They’re only some; there should be more.”

“I was thinking last night that the murderer had hung the victim in such a conspicuous place and written words on the victim’s body. There are generally only two possibilities. The first is to show off, to highlight their own superiority, and to seek the feeling of being noticed.”

She paused, then added, "There's a second possibility: the killer had to write on the victim's body."

"What are you trying to cover up?" Li Jin stood to the side, bending down to glance at the wound.

“Yes, he must have had a purpose.” Jin Shu carefully took out another very small fragment. “Now it seems that it was to hide this thing.”

She turned to look at Li Jin: "This small piece of paint may be directly related to the murderer, and also directly related to the victim's identity."

"Perhaps the reason why some of the victims were naked was because their clothing contained crucial evidence pointing to the victims."

“For example, tung oil paint.” Li Jin smiled gently, and only straightened up with difficulty when Jin Shu’s gaze fell on the corpse again.

But Jin Shu seemed to sense something, and suddenly turned around, meeting his stunned face, and frowned as she asked, "Is Your Highness feeling unwell today?"

Li Jin nodded: "It's due to the change in environment."

Jin Shu's doubts deepened: "Even if you come to Shengzhou often, you will suffer from acclimatization problems?"

Her expression was discerning as she looked at Li Jin, who was dressed unusually today in a black coat with subtle gold patterns. She put down the knife in her hand and said, "If Your Highness trusts me, I also know a little about medicine and can help Your Highness..."

“I don’t trust him,” Li Jin said firmly. “Lord Yun has already consulted a doctor, so there’s no need for you to do anything.”

He chuckled dryly, pointed at the victim behind Jin Shu, and quickly changed the subject: "Anything else? What about the stomach contents?"

Inside the room, Jin Shu looked at him with suspicion. She peeked out slightly and glanced at Yun Jianlin, who was standing at the door with a furrowed brow. Only after he nodded and said, "It is true," did she turn back to him with some doubt and point to the victim's body in front of her, saying, "The contents of the stomach were hardly digested."

She said, "The victim died while eating, or within half an hour after eating."

"The stomach contents were mostly grains and minced meat, which is similar to my initial assumption. The victim lived in very good conditions and was probably a businessman."

She continued to search through the wound, picking out pieces of paint, and added, "But the killer's characteristics are already quite clear; he is very likely a craftsman."

"For example, after the timber is laid and the beams are built, the painter applies the paint and plaster."

Bright red tung oil paint was not exactly affordable for ordinary people, whether in Shengzhou or the capital; it was considered a relatively precious production material.

Aside from being prepared by specialized lacquerers during large-scale renovations and house construction, it is rarely used on a daily basis and cannot be stored well.

"If the murderer prepared so much paint specifically to write eight large characters as an expression of his hatred, then the few specks of paint on the dagger seem rather strange."

Jin Shu stood up and demonstrated with the knife in her hand: "Normally, either the blade is completely soaked in paint, and then you raise your hand and stab the victim in the chest."

She gestured with the blade, raised it to a horizontal position, and thrust it forward with a sudden motion: "But this way, it's impossible for it to just be a few scattered pieces of paint."

After putting away the knife, Jin Shu waved it in front of Li Jin: "So the most likely explanation is that the knife itself was covered in paint, and it was something the murderer used when he was doing his job."

Li Jin agreed with this point. He nodded and turned to look at Yun Jianlin beside him: "Lord Yun, has the list of merchants that Zhou Zheng brought back been investigated?"

Outside, Yun Jianlin cupped his hands in response, trying his best not to look at the bed behind Jin Shu: "It should be soon."

Li Jin nodded, paused for a moment, and glanced at Jin Shu: "I'm grateful to have you here, sir. Please investigate the remaining three victims thoroughly and do not overlook even the slightest clue."

As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes slightly, displaying an unusually serious and stern expression.

Jin Shu looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath, cupped her hands in greeting, and said, "Your subordinate understands."

Li Jin paused.

He detected a hint of anger in her voice.

Jin Shu turned away before he could say anything more, refusing to look at him again.

Li Jin hesitated for a moment, then bit her lip, said nothing, and left with her hands behind her back.

As he left the house, Jin Shu watched his departing figure through the window, observing his slightly unusual walking posture, and took a deep breath with a crooked mouth.

She put down the knife in her hand, stood by the door, looked at the young yamen runner at the entrance, and asked, "Brother, did something serious happen last night?"

These words left the man speechless: "This... sir, I only started work at noon today, I don't know anything about what happened last night."

Jin Shu pursed her lips, then suddenly smiled: "How about this, you ask around for me. If you find out, I have a pot of good wine here..."

Her smile deepened as she looked at the expectant expression on the young constable's face and chuckled.

"This is no big deal!" he grinned. "Don't worry, sir, I'll find out for you!"

After saying that, Jin Shu looked at him standing there without moving and urged, "Hey, it's okay if I'm here alone. Anyway, you don't want to see what it looks like inside. If you can't help, go and ask around for me first."

She pulled a small piece of silver from her waist, tossed it into the air, and the young constable caught it skillfully. Looking at the silver, he beamed, "Brother! Don't worry! I'll go right now! I promise I'll get it for you!"

Watching the young constable happily run out of the courtyard, Jin Shu turned back into the house, picked up a brush, and wrote down the details of the corpse on a piece of paper. After finishing, she prepared to examine the next one.

Jin Shu, who was focused on his work, was completely unaware that outside the courtyard, Li Jin was gently holding the young yamen runner's wrist, prying it open one finger at a time, and forcibly taking the small piece of silver from his palm.

"I never expected a gold-devouring beast to be so generous." He chuckled softly, his tone softening.

"Nothing happened last night, understand?" Li Jin looked at him with a smile. "She offers a pot of fine wine, and I will offer a bottle of imperial wine, how about that?"