At this moment, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, and a cold, damp wind seeped into the sleeves. The weather in August or September was as cold as the dead of winter, making people shiver.
The sky was overcast and drizzling, so heavy that it was hard to open one's eyes.
"Pass down the order: investigate the interpersonal relationships and life stories of the four deceased within two days," Shen Yao addressed everyone present.
After days of running around, everyone's faces were filled with exhaustion and a growing sense of despondency. After Shen Yao finished speaking, the scene fell into a long silence.
No one responded. Shen Yao's face was terribly gloomy. He said sternly, "Get all the information you need to know. Anyone who finds any clues will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. Anyone who is lazy or uncooperative will be given twenty lashes."
As soon as the words were spoken, the previously dejected crowd perked up immediately upon hearing about the reward, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, and all shouted in unison, "Yes..."
Boosted morale, everyone's faces were no longer gloomy, and they busied themselves with their work. Just then, two constables carrying a corpse walked past Su Yan.
Just as the constables were preparing to carry the stretcher away from the scene, the corpse's right hand suddenly drooped to the ground due to the jolting.
Seeing this scene, the doubts in my heart were like an uncontrollable flood, and a strong premonition was pounding wildly in my heart.
She was present at the scene of every case, but Su Yan felt that this fourth case was different from the previous three. At least in the case of the first three murderers, it could be determined that they were vendettas and there was no need for them to deliberately disfigure the victims. On the contrary, the murderer in the fourth case seemed to be trying to cover something up.
But I was also very hesitant, afraid that I was just overthinking things.
"etc……"
A strong premonition compelled Su Yan to call out to the constable.
Hearing the commotion, Shen Yao walked over and saw that Su Yan looked uneasy. "What's wrong?"
Su Yan raised her eyes and stared directly at Shen Yao. "Lord Shen, have you ever doubted yourself?"
Shen Yao couldn't help but smile. He thought something serious had happened. "Of course not. Any hesitation on the battlefield is like an arrow shot at yourself. I never doubt myself about anything I am certain of."
"Not even one?"
"Life and death are unpredictable on the battlefield, so it is not a game. No matter how small the matter is, as long as I am firm in my beliefs, I have never doubted or regretted my decision."
"I have learned a lot, thank you, Lord Shen."
Shen Yao's words were like a powerful medicine, giving Su Yan an even stronger reason to be convinced of her suspicions.
She slowly walked towards the corpse and lifted the white sheet covering it.
Sun San was dumbfounded, but he knew that Su Yan always had a reason for her actions and did not do so for no reason, so he did not step forward to stop her.
Shen Yao also stood quietly to the side, not disturbing her, silently watching Su Yan's actions, after all, he trusted the professional ability of a coroner.
This time, Su Yan did not choose to wear gloves and directly touched every inch of the deceased's body with her bare hands. When she touched the thin abdominal cavity, she pressed on a hard object. The differences on the corpse could not be seen with the naked eye.
"Lord Shen, there is something amiss here. I request permission to open the abdomen."
In Daliang, people believe that one's body and hair are given to them by their parents, and performing an autopsy is a taboo matter. In cases of murder, coroners usually do not choose to perform an autopsy.
"Is abdominal surgery absolutely necessary?"
Su Yan nodded.
Looking at Su Yan's stubborn expression, which seemed unyielding, Shen Yao smiled slightly. "As a coroner, since you are here to seek justice for the deceased, why should I refuse?"
With Shen Yao's permission, Su Yan took out a small knife and gently cut through the layers of flesh of the deceased. Sure enough, she found a blue glass gemstone ring in the stomach.
When Sun San saw the large, blue glass ring that Su Yan had taken out of her stomach, his eyes widened in surprise. "This...this is the murderer's?"
What a coincidence! Su Yan remembered seeing this ring somewhere before. "No... this ring belongs to Xin Yunniang."
Sun San was completely confused. "Xin Yunniang? Why did she swallow her own ring before she died?"
“Brother Sun, this ring has already told us that she is not Xin Yunniang.”
"Huh?" Sun San scratched his head anxiously, completely confused. "Brother Su Yan, stop being so mysterious. You know your brother Sun isn't as smart as you, so stop playing riddles."
Su Yan smiled helplessly and gave Sun San an example, "Brother Sun, if you were the deceased, you would use a clue to tell the world who killed you."
Sun San rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment, "If it were me, I would definitely use something that could prove the murderer's identity, or write something down..."
Before she could finish speaking, Sun San instantly grasped the meaning behind Su Yan's words and exclaimed in realization, "So that's how it is... Does that mean Xin Yunniang might still be alive?"
Su Yan nodded.
"But why would Xin Yunniang kill innocent people?" Sun Sanfen couldn't understand it at all.
"This is a clever way to escape unscathed."
It must be about the portrait theft. Xin Yunniang knew she would be investigated sooner or later, so she devised a plan to escape unscathed. This explains why, after the incident at Baima Temple, a murder occurred right afterward, and the two events happened only seven hours apart.
Only in this way can Xin Yunniang completely escape.
Actually, Su Yan found it strange from the beginning. Why would a murderer have to disfigure the victim? The appearance of this ring perfectly explains the cause and effect.
Listening to Su Yan's story, Shen Yao looked at her with piercing eyes, "Are you sure this thing belongs to Xin Yunniang?"
Su Yan nodded. "Of course it's true. I have a photographic memory. I saw Xin Yunniang wearing this ring before. Tattoos can be easily imitated countless times, but finding an identical gemstone in the world is not an easy task."
Upon receiving Su Yan's affirmative answer, Shen Yao quickly issued a city-wide arrest warrant.
Su Yan was somewhat surprised that Shen Yao actually believed her words alone. This glass ring could only prove that the deceased was not Xin Yunniang.
"Lord Shen, why do you believe me?"
Shen Yao maintained his cold and stern expression and said in a deep voice, "I never doubt any of my decisions, and I also believe in your abilities."
Hearing this, Su Yan felt that Shen Yao's figure became even taller and more imposing. He truly lived up to his name, "Shen the One-Cut," as he could even solve cases with swift and decisive strokes.
The suspect, Xin Yunniang, is still at large, but the identity of the deceased has suddenly become a mystery. There are hundreds of thousands of women of the same age as the deceased, and it would take a long time to investigate them all.
For a moment, no one knew where to begin the investigation.
There was no rush; Su Yan should first confirm the identity of the deceased.
Just then, Su Yan looked at the crowd and her gaze fell on the people from Wan Hua Lou. An idea instantly formed in her mind.
"Lord Shen, Xin Yunniang must have carefully planned her choice of a substitute. She wouldn't rashly choose someone she doesn't know well. Why don't we start by investigating the people she's been in contact with recently? It just so happens that the people from Wan Hua Lou are here too."
Shen Yao thought Su Yan's suggestion was excellent, and immediately beckoned for someone to bring over the people who had come to identify the body.
Looking at the man and two women kneeling on the ground, Shen Yao asked in a deep voice, "I ask you, among the people Xin Yunniang knows, is there anyone whose figure and posture are exactly the same as hers?"
Perhaps because Shen Yao's face was too fierce, the three of them trembled and lowered their heads.
Seeing that the three did not respond, Shen Yao turned to threats, "I am giving you a chance. If I find out that you have concealed anything, don't blame me for my ruthless blade."
The manager of Wan Hua Lou had seen many high-ranking officials and nobles, and was indignant at being threatened by such a crude and bandit-like person. He retorted, "You...you are an official, how can you intimidate ordinary people at will..."
Shen Yao coldly drew his knife, placed the blade against the man's neck, and said slowly, "Intimidation? My knife never kills the innocent. If you are innocent, what can I do to you? But if you are guilty, I will certainly not show any mercy."
Shen Yao's fierce aura intimidated the man, who was so frightened that he didn't dare to utter another word.
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