Zheng Sanji is thirty-three years old now. He started to be an apprentice to Xu Qing when he was sixteen or seventeen years old. It took him seventeen years to go from an apprentice to a coroner.
It seems that the case fourteen years ago occurred around the third year of his apprenticeship.
He was still in his twenties, full of youth and passion, and full of the ambition to seek justice for the dead.
Jiang Lingyao did not immediately ask Zheng Sanji about the old case. She whispered, "Brother Zheng, let's finish the on-site investigation now, and then review the case."
Zheng Sanji took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement on his face. He called his apprentice, took the gloves and put them on, then walked towards the flowerbed.
As we walked, he said, "Remember to also draw the path from the gate to the flowerbed. The footprints in the middle have been numbered by the Golden Guards. Remember to mark them one by one."
The young apprentice nodded, followed him holding the wooden board, and kept writing and drawing with his hands, looking very serious.
Zheng Sanji came to the flowerbed and followed Jiang Lingyao's instructions to first look at the dead body's back, then walked around and looked into the dead body's eyes. Finally, he said, "I'll go in and check on the dead body first. I might leave traces, so I'll try to be careful."
Jiang Lingyao said, "Don't worry, Brother Zheng, the footprints at the flowerbed have been clearly marked and will not disturb the scene.
Zheng Sanji's movements were not as agile as Duan Nanqi's. Duan Nanqi helped him climb up the flowerbed, and then he walked quietly into the flowerbed.
He pushed aside the flowers and leaned over to see the shape of the deceased.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi immediately heard his trembling voice: "The deceased is about four feet five inches tall, very thin, a young woman, and her whole body is wrapped in white linen. The linen is dyed and the color is much whiter than its natural color. Only the peony embroidery on the deceased's back was sewn on after death."
Zheng Sanji spoke more and more smoothly. He took a breath, squatted down and carefully examined the deceased's back.
Zheng Sanji could not get a closer look due to the peony flowers blocking his view, but due to his years of experience he could tell at a glance what was happening behind the deceased.
Zheng Sanji continued, "The wound on the deceased's back where the skin was cut was smooth and did not bleed. The needle holes were also smooth and tight after the embroidery was sutured, and did not shrink or turn outward. Therefore, it can be judged that the skin on the deceased's back was peeled off after death and replaced with embroidery to sew it in place."
Even though Jiang Lingyao had handled dozens of murders, she still felt that the murderer in this case was too brutal. She felt a chill down her spine just by listening to Zheng Sanji's description.
Zheng Sanji asked, "Have you written it all down?"
The young apprentice responded, and Zheng Sanji said, "Give me the autopsy results."
Duan Nanqi handed him the autopsy box, and Zheng Sanji began to draw the two sides of the deceased. He first quickly drew the back and the position of the deceased on the flower bed, and then carefully walked to the other side and bent down with great effort to look at the deceased's face.
After seeing the deceased's face clearly, Zheng Sanji trembled visibly and almost fell to the ground.
With the help of the lights in the courtyard, Zheng Sanji could clearly see the face of the deceased.
His voice trembled again: "Just looking at her face, the deceased is about sixteen or seventeen years old. There is a small mole at the corner of her lip. Her face is somewhat similar to the deceased in the old case fourteen years ago."
In other words, after Zheng Sanji performed an autopsy and investigated the scene, he finally confirmed that the deceased was related to an old case fourteen years ago.
Jiang Lingyao turned her head to look at Duan Nanqi and saw that he was frowning and looking very serious. She couldn't help but feel that this case was difficult.
Zheng Sanji described the body's appearance while writing and drawing on the autopsy form. After two or three quarters of an hour, he finally finished the on-site inspection: "I have already drawn the footprints in the flowerbed. There are two footprints in the flowerbed. One is at the edge, which we can see clearly. The other is about a foot behind the body. It should be left by the murderer when he was moving the body."
Zheng Sanji returned to the flowerbed. He squatted down and asked Duan Nanqi: "Master Duan, can you let the officers carry the deceased out of the flowerbed? I will have to re-examine the body later, but the identity of the deceased is not certain. Can you perform an autopsy?"
Generally speaking, once a murder occurred in Yanjing and other places, the people would report it to the authorities, and the coroner and prosecutor would go to the scene to investigate and would directly inform the relatives that an autopsy was required. However, the identity of the deceased in this case was currently unknown, so generally a notice would be posted in the county government office, and the autopsy would be performed another day.
However, since this case has alarmed the Royal Guard, there is no need to go through so much trouble.
Zheng Sanji was very smart, he asked Duan Nanqi directly.
Duan Nanqi did not hesitate for a moment. He said directly: "Just do an autopsy. Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Zheng. Once the identity of the deceased is found, the Jinyiwei will explain it separately."
Zheng Sanji finally felt relieved.
He stumbled down from the flowerbed and was just about to say a few words about the case fourteen years ago when everyone heard Zheng Feng's voice.
"Sir, the man has been caught."
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi looked back and saw Zheng Feng brushing a short man in ragged clothes. The man was dishevelled and looked like he had been wandering for a long time. Because of the lights in the courtyard, he looked particularly shivered. He curled up into a ball with his head drooped, allowing Zheng Feng to carry him around.
Duan Nanqi took two steps forward and asked two lieutenants to hold him. Then he asked, "Who are you? Why are you hiding here?"
Jiang Lingyao was also curious and wanted to step forward, but Duan Nanqi held her back with his hand. Before she could open her mouth, Duan Nanqi gave her a cold glance.
Jiang Lingyao: “…”
Okay, you are awesome, I can’t beat you.
She could only stand behind Duan Nanqi, and seeing that the man was trembling terribly, she thought for a moment and then spoke gently, "We are just investigating a case here. Because the case is strange and special, we need to know the circumstances of the crime. If you see any clues, I hope you can cooperate with the authorities and help us catch the criminal."
When he heard the word "murderer", the man shuddered and raised his head abruptly.
Under that messy hair, his eyes, as sharp as copper bells, appeared particularly bright.
The man's face was covered in black mud and looked very dirty. If one only looked at his behavior, people would think he was a mentally ill person who was displaced and wandering the streets because of insanity.
But if you only look at his eyes, you will feel that his mind is pure and bright like the morning glow.
He is a very strange person.
The man did react to Jiang Lingyao's words. The next moment, when he saw Duan Nanqi's Feiyu suit, he began to tremble nervously again. He swallowed and couldn't utter a word.
How could such a crazy person kill so systematically? This person might not be the murderer in this case. He might even be sleeping in the bushes and has nothing to do with this case.
Seeing this, Duan Nanqi was not angry. He said to Zheng Feng, "Take him back to the Jinyiwei room here, put him in a good place, and interrogate him later."
Zheng Feng took the order and carried the man away directly.
Zheng Sanji said, "Master Duan, please send someone to clear the grass from the flowerbed. I will take this opportunity to tell you about the old case from fourteen years ago."
Duan Nanqi gave an order and the Jinyiwei captain began to get busy.
A few people chose the octagonal pavilion not far from the flowerbed. The octagonal pavilion was probably often visited by people, so it was very clean and tidy. There were four revolving lanterns hanging on the top of the pavilion, each of which was exquisite and you could tell at a glance that it was the work of a master.
If you want to see lights, you must go to the Huaxi Lantern Market. Because of this Huaxi Lantern Market, the street lights, running lights, hanging lights, etc. in the entire Wanping City are all exquisite, which makes people linger and want to buy them all home to light up every day.
However, the four revolving lanterns on the top of the pavilion were hung a bit high and difficult to light, so the three of them just hung a few lanterns around and sat down to discuss the case.
Pei Yu brought tea, and Duan Nanqi poured it for the two of them. Then he said to Zheng Sanji, "Coroner Zheng, I am young and inexperienced, and Lord Qiao is also a newcomer. We know nothing about the old case from fourteen years ago. Coroner Zheng, please help me solve my doubts."
Zheng Sanji drank two bowls of hot tea in one gulp, and then he felt less panicked.
He lowered his eyes and watched the tea swirling in the tea bowl. His thoughts swirled in the vortex of old memories and he finally found the clues from fourteen years ago.
He sighed and then spoke.
"Fourteen years ago, I remember it was a warm spring day. I was still an apprentice to my master. I was quite proud of myself because I thought I was the eldest apprentice. I always felt that I had learned enough and could become a master."
Zheng Sanji was also a well-known coroner in Shuntian Prefecture. In addition, he had a good temper and was easy-going. Usually, other government offices would hire him if they couldn't hire Xu Qing. As long as he didn't have a case on hand, he would definitely be there to help.
In fact, his popularity among the various government offices in Shuntian Prefecture is much better than that of his master.
Jiang Lingyao couldn't help but sigh when he talked about the past: "People like Zheng Ge also had their youthful and frivolous times."
Zheng Sanji smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, who says it's not true? But it was also this case that made me put aside my ridiculous pride and realize how many shortcomings I have."
He said: "I still remember this case vividly. First, the victims were all young girls whose deaths were horrific. Second, the case was not solved at the time. The only suspect also denied the crime after being interrogated. Because there was no evidence, the government even tortured him into confessing. In the end, they could only let the case go and released him."
Zheng Sanji's voice was bitter and full of regret: "This case was not closed at the time, and the two victims have not received redress to this day. Time has passed, and fourteen years have passed. Many officials who handled the case have retired, and some have long been buried in the ground. Even I am now middle-aged."
Hearing Zheng Sanji say this, Jiang Lingyao felt very heavy in her heart.
She frowned slightly and spoke in a low voice: "If this case is related to the case of that year, or if it was committed by the same person, then he did not leave any clues when he committed the crime for the first time. Would he be more cautious today and have fewer clues?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the pavilion became so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Jiang Lingyao paused, the unwilling eyes of the deceased reappeared before her. She tightly grasped the tea bowl, her heart becoming more determined.
She asked Zheng Sanji: "Brother Zheng, since this case happened right in front of us, it was a coincidence, but isn't it also God's will? Since the case has happened again and has fallen into my hands, I will never give up until the day when I can catch the murderer."
Her voice was low and firm, like a wake-up call, awakening the blood in everyone's heart.
Duan Nanqi's eyes flickered slightly, he looked at Jiang Lingyao deeply, and opened his thin lips slightly, but he rarely agreed.
"Me too."
The case will not be solved until it is solved.
I hope the dead can rest in peace and the truth can be revealed to the world.
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