When the case was reported, the Prefect of the Capital immediately ordered Constable Gao to lead the coroner and his yamen runners over.
When Officer Gao led his men to inquire, they found nothing suspicious. Everyone in the village said they had seen so-and-so from their family yesterday, but no one had seen them today.
No guests came to their house.
The coroner also examined the bodies of the family and discovered that they had been poisoned. The women had their hair cut off and had been stabbed multiple times to death.
The bodies of the family members were not found in one house, but in their own houses, and there were no signs of a struggle at the scene.
However, according to the information obtained by Officer Gao, the entire house, including the main gate, the main room, and the kitchen, was locked from the inside, and the windows were also closed from the inside. How did the murderer escape?
Because they raised many pigs and chickens, they also kept dogs. However, the neighbors never heard any noise from next door from night to day. In the past, they could hear the baby crying in this house.
The Jingzhao Prefecture investigated for several days without any results, causing widespread panic among the people of Wang Village. The case was then transferred to the Dali Temple.
Lu Zheng told Gu Xin what he knew.
"Brother Yuanyuan, did the coroner determine the cause of death? The men were all poisoned, but what about the women? Were the women poisoned? Also, the women's hair was cut off, and they had several stab wounds. Were there only stab wounds? Were there any other wounds? Did all the women die in the same way? Was anyone's death more tragic? Also, was the poison identified? Did the poisoner put it in the food, the water tank, or the well?" Gu Xin dismounted and walked with Lu Zheng.
“I’m not sure about that. Since His Majesty has allowed you to investigate this case, you can go and look through the files. The official in charge of this case is the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Qin. He’s rather old-fashioned and doesn’t smile much, but he’s very experienced in handling cases. He doesn’t have any gender bias, and he has a female coroner with him. So, if he speaks coldly to you, don’t think he’s targeting you; he’s like that with everyone,” Lu Zheng said.
"A female coroner!" Gu Xin exclaimed in surprise.
“Yes. This coroner is an orphan. She was adopted by an old coroner in a county in Jiangnan. She learned from him from a young age and is very experienced. She has worked on several cases with Lord Qin. This time, my brother-in-law was transferred to Jiangnan, and the Emperor recalled Lord Qin. Lord Qin then brought this girl back to the capital. However, no one knows she is a girl yet. I only found out by chance.” Lu Zheng paused, then added, “This girl has a somewhat difficult past. She came back to the capital with a purpose, but she is not a bad person.”
"Brother Yuanyuan, you know a lot, don't you?" Gu Xin felt a pang of jealousy. Her brother Yuanyuan rarely paid attention to other people's girls.
"This is all because of what happened to Li Shan before. Bai Yi had been keeping an eye on things and discovered some shady dealings with the Zheng family. Later, out of boredom, Bai Yi investigated and found out that this girl was the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family, the same age as you. She was maliciously lost by her stepmother, who crippled her brother and spoiled her younger brother. This girl wants to return to the capital to seek revenge. Lord Qin also knows about this matter," Lu Zheng explained. He knew about this matter in his previous life as well.
The Zheng family of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion was the maternal family of the Princess Qi, but they had fallen into decline. In her previous life, Miss Zheng was famous for her skillful hands in seeking justice for the dead. Of course, she eventually got her revenge and brought her younger brother back to the right path.
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