Chapter 23: A Case Within a Case

Magistrate Xiaolin turned around and pointed to a courtyard about twenty meters behind the woods: "That's Granny Liu's house. She was the first person to discover the body. According to her, she was awakened by the body's cries for help, and after getting dressed, she rushed over and saw that terrible scene."

Li Jin pondered for a moment, then slowly folded the paper in his hand and smiled slightly: "Your Excellency, you've worked hard; it looks like you haven't slept all night."

“Ah, such a big case has occurred in my jurisdiction. If I can sleep one less night and give the people an explanation sooner, and let the deceased rest in peace sooner, it’s worth it.” After saying that, he bowed and took his leave. “I will go and investigate the deceased’s daily relationships in more detail.”

Watching his departing figure, Li Jin's previously blocked thoughts cleared up considerably.

He looked at the courtyard twenty meters away, then glanced back at the house and said, "Jin Shu, wait for me at the gate of the courtyard."

Jin Shu paused for a moment, said "Oh," and brushed past Li Jin, standing at the entrance of the courtyard.

As if knowing what Li Jin was going to do next, Zhou Zheng followed Jin Shu and waited by the door.

In the courtyard of this farmhouse, only Yunfei and Li Jin remained, facing each other.

He waved his fan, smiled faintly, and walked up to Yun Fei, lowering his voice to say, "The tests that needed to be done have been done, and the things you wanted to see have been seen..."

With a gentle flick of his wrist, the fan slapped Yunfei's chest twice: "Go back."

Seeing him smiling at him, Yunfei cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "As expected, I couldn't escape the sect leader's eyes."

"No," Li Jin said. "It's that you've given yourself away too much."

“From here in the capital, even at the fastest horse, it would take three days. You happen to be nearby without a case on your hands, and you even have the chief coroner's red box with you.” He raised his hand and patted Yunfei's arm. “You're not going to tell me this is all a coincidence, are you?”

Seeing that his purpose in following Jin Shu had been exposed, Yun Fei no longer concealed it: "Only this case is truly a coincidence."

Li Jin nodded: "Go back and tell the chief coroner that there will be plenty of time and opportunities to verify it personally in the future, so there is no need to rush."

"Your subordinate understands and will report the truth to the chief coroner." Yun Fei smiled and bowed. "Does the sect leader already have any leads on this case?"

"Yes," Li Jin said. "The suspects in this case are either elderly, weak, sick, or young children."

Yunfei was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in amazement, "So that's how it is!"

The scene showed signs of a prolonged struggle, the house was littered with bloodstains, and the victim had more than forty blunt force injuries on her body that were clearly intended to kill her.

The murderer who could present such contradictory scenes with a young man in his mid-twenties must be physically weak and lack strength.

Seeing his sudden realization, Li Jin lowered her eyes and looked at the gravel path in the courtyard: "But there are still many questions that remain unanswered."

Did the murderer and the victim know each other? What was the murderer's motive? Was the murderer really alone, as he suspected?

He frowned, shook his head, looked up at the direction of Granny Liu's house about twenty meters away, and whispered in Yunfei's ear, "Before you leave, do one thing..."

The sun was high in the sky, nearing noon.

The courtyard where the crime scene was located was separated from Grandma Liu's courtyard by a lush grove of trees, and in front of the courtyard were several acres of fertile fields.

Such distances are quite common in Kobayashi Prefecture.

At that moment, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys in the courtyard not far away. Li Jin used a fan to shield her eyes from the sun and looked up at the azure sky.

“As Magistrate Lin just mentioned, the first person to discover the body that night was her neighbor, Granny Liu,” he said, pointing to the spot. “She lived right there.”

The three of them walked along a side path. As they walked, Li Jin handed Jin Shu two pieces of paper that she had found in the inner room: "These were found under the victim's bed."

Sunlight fell on the slightly yellowed Xuan paper, and the cheap ink marks appeared crookedly in front of Jin Shu.

She looked at him, puzzled. After a while, she raised her eyebrows and met Li Jin's faint smile, asking in surprise, "Fairness?"

Li Jin didn't speak, but tapped the fan in his hand repeatedly, making a soft, popping sound.

"Perhaps there's more to this case than meets the eye," he said with a sigh after a long pause.

Under the trees, as noon approaches, the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy becomes increasingly dazzling and beautiful.

Li Jin walked ahead, his clothes dappled with light. At that moment, Jin Shu squinted and saw what looked like a golden embroidery behind him, like a dragon.

The courtyard was not obvious from a distance, but it was only when you got closer that you realized it was dilapidated.

The walls were made of mud bricks, the fence was made of rotten wooden stakes, the door panels were covered with black mold, and the iron door knocker was rusted and mottled.

In the courtyard, white paper serves as windows, and wisps of smoke rise from the chimney. A seven- or eight-year-old boy sits beside a woodpile, throwing stones one after another at a pillar on the other side.

"Child, where are your parents?" Zhou Zheng took two steps forward and asked curtly through the fence.

The little boy was taken aback for a moment, then looked at the fierce-looking stranger, glanced at the two people behind him, and sneered disdainfully: "Grandma! A rich uncle is looking for you!"

A rich middle-aged man?

Zhou Zheng was taken aback for a moment: "Don't talk nonsense! We are constables, we have something to discuss with your master!"

The boy, who was only seven or eight years old, looked at Zhou Zheng with disdain, got up, dusted off his bottom, and gave him a crooked look.

Zhou Zheng was completely stunned.

This was probably the most arrogant brat he had ever met in all these years.

"You're an adult, and you have no patience at all." The boy let out a sigh, threw the remaining pebbles on the ground, turned and walked back into the house, calling out as he went, "Grandma! The rich uncle is getting impatient!"

Zhou Zheng turned around with a bewildered look, glanced at Li Jin and Jin Shu behind him who were laughing so hard their shoulders were shaking, pursed his lips, and hesitated to speak.

Despite his laughter, Li Jin was particularly sensitive to the information in the child's words. His intuition told him that there must be a great secret hidden in this small courtyard.

The seven or eight-year-old boy was not afraid of strangers and could even exchange a few words with great arrogance. This spoiled brat attitude, combined with the dilapidated courtyard, was just as incongruous as the various details of the crime scene.

Li Jin pondered the two passages for a long time. Taking advantage of the moment when the child went into the house, she lowered her voice and said to Zhou Zheng, "Go and ask that child later if high-ranking officials and nobles often come to his house."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the old woman, who had been cooking inside, rushed out, exclaiming, "Coming! Coming! Oh dear! Look at me, I'm so flustered..."

In the sunlight, outside the courtyard, stood three unfamiliar faces: two dressed in the black robes of constables, and one carrying a knife, looking fierce and menacing.

Granny Liu's smile froze, replaced by an expression of surprise and wariness. She grabbed a corner of her hand, wiping it as she looked them over: "Who are you three?"

Zhou Zheng took out the black plaque of the Six Doors from his pocket, the black dragon carved on it was particularly eye-catching: "The Six Doors is handling cases, and there are some things I want to ask the old man."

Granny Liu paused for a moment: "The Six Doors?"

At this moment, Li Jin smiled deeply, gazing at the jade hairpin on her head that shimmered in the sunlight.

Absolutely extraordinary!