Chapter 321 Sketch, Field Record
Zhu Lan presented his analysis, Si Ying listened silently, and when she looked at Zhu Lan again, there was a hint of admiration in her eyes.
Si Ying asked his men to search the entire room to see if they could find any signs of someone hiding.
Zhu Lan also looked around the house again, but he didn't have much hope in his heart. The house was very large, and there was enough space under the bed, in the wardrobe, on the beams, etc. to hide an adult.
How could the murderer be so cunning as to neglect to leave such obvious clues?
Sure enough, Si Ying's detectives reported back quickly, saying that there were many places in the room where someone could hide, and it seemed that Chu Xiuning cleaned the room carefully on a daily basis, so there was not even a speck of dust under the bed or in the closet, making it impossible to tell where the murderer was hiding.
"Sir, the coroner has arrived."
A coroner in the official uniform of the Dali Temple walked in, bowed to Si Ying, and without saying a word, began to squat beside Chu Xiuning to examine her.
"Inspector Si, I heard that Chang Sizheng of the Dali Temple is proficient in autopsy and dissection. I wonder if he has returned?" Zhu Lan asked.
Si Ying shook her head, her tone becoming much more respectful, "Master Si Zheng is still investigating a case outside and has not returned yet."
However, Zhu Lan always felt that Chu Xiuning's death was not simple. If Chang Yunxiao had not seen it personally, she would not be able to be completely at ease.
But the weather is hot right now, the body can't be stored for long, and Chang Yunxiao doesn't know when he will return to Beijing...
Soon, the coroner filled out the autopsy form and handed it to Si Ying for review.
According to the coroner's verification, Chu Xiuning died about an hour ago and there was no sign of resistance on her body. It can be basically concluded that she was murdered after falling into a coma.
"Can you infer the characteristics of the murderer?" Si Ying asked him.
The coroner shook his head, the body fell to the ground, and the murderer stabbed the scissors again. It was impossible to judge the murderer's height based on the location of the stab. In addition, it was unknown where the murderer was standing at the time, and there was no way to know whether he used his left or right hand.
The handles of the scissors were also clean, leaving no clues.
After listening to this, Si Ying didn't get any valuable information and looked a little annoyed.
It would be great if Chang Si was here. He has solved many strange cases in the Dali Temple over the years, and even the current Dali Temple Minister Zhong has high hopes for him. If he were here, he would definitely be able to get to the bottom of the truth.
Chang Sizheng's dissection skills are superb, but the weather is hot now, and Chu Xiuning's body must be buried as soon as possible to avoid the spread of plague.
Well, it would be great if there was a way to let Chang Sizheng take a look at the condition of the corpse and give some analysis and judgment.
Zhu Lan had the same idea in his mind. It was a pity that there were no cold storages to store corpses in ancient times, and there was no photography technology, otherwise more evidence could have been left behind.
"Inspector." Zhu Lan suddenly thought of a solution. "Can you get someone to find some charcoal black? I have my own use for it."
Si Ying didn't know what she was going to do, but she still asked someone to find some charcoal black nearby.
Zhu Lan came to Chu Xiuning's body, spread out a piece of rice paper, and began to outline the details of the body from various angles.
Si Ying came to her side, and when he realized that she was painting, a look of surprise flashed across his cold face.
"Is this... the legendary 'sketching' method?"
The sketch "A Picture of All Sages Writing Poems" that Zhu Lan drew on the wall of Longchang Academy when he was a child had long been famous. Even many people in the capital had heard of it. Some even made a special trip to Jiangzhou just to see the rumored "sketch".
The sketching technique is completely different from Daliang's freehand ink painting style. Sketching strives to be realistic and restore every detail as much as possible through the contrast of light and shadow.
Si Ying was full of admiration and told her subordinates not to disturb her. She personally held the light beside Zhu Lan and waited for her to finish painting.
After a long time, Zhu Lan finally rubbed his sore wrist and handed a few pieces of paper to Si Ying.
Si Ying couldn't wait to flip through them. She saw that the papers not only restored the condition of Chu Xiuning's body from different angles, but also drew several pictures of the overall layout of the room. The details in the pictures were almost exactly the same as what she saw.
When Si Ying looked up at Zhu Lan again, there was even some excitement in her eyes——
"With Zhu's talent as an editor, if he could also work in the Dali Temple, I wonder how many unjust, false and wrong cases could be reduced, and how many dead people could be given justice..."
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, Si Ying immediately felt embarrassed and regretted how she could be so presumptuous.
He is a top scholar and an editor in the Hanlin Academy. How could he be interested in such a hard and tiring job?
What's more, this "sketch" is a unique skill in the world. How could someone easily show it to others?
Zhu Lan listened to Si Ying's words and thought about them seriously for a moment.
She considered and said, "If this sketching method can really help solve cases and bring justice to those who died unjustly... I can petition His Majesty to compile a book, detailing the tricks and techniques involved, and then publish it in the name of the Hanlin Academy.
The Dali Temple can also call on specialists or folk painters to conduct research. If there are more criminal justice officials who know how to draw in the future, it will be beneficial to the people, and that would be the best.”
Si Ying was pleasantly surprised, but as they were still at the crime scene, it was not easy to show anything, so she just bowed and thanked him.
At this time, the on-site investigation had basically been completed. Zhu Lan, as an eyewitness to the incident, went to the Dali Temple with Chu Xin to record his statement. Chu Xiuning's body also had to be carried back to the Dali Temple for temporary storage.
"Sister Zhuangyuan, I'm sorry." Chu Xin walked beside Zhu Lan in a daze and suddenly apologized, "I saw the situation when I walked in just now, and accidentally mistook you for the murderer..."
Chu Xin's height only reached Zhu Lan's shoulders. Zhu Lan touched her head and comforted her: "The situation at that time was indeed easy to be misunderstood, but fortunately you told me about the teapot and helped me prove my innocence."
Zhu Lan and Chu Xin stayed in the Dali Temple for half a night and it was already late at night when they came out.
Chu Xin's only relative was gone, and a little girl left alone in the capital was bound to run into trouble. After thinking about it, Zhu Lan decided to take her back to live with him first.
Now Qiao Youyou is in charge of the entire Tongyun Money House. There is also a resting place on the third floor of the money house. Qiao Youyou is so busy every day that she recently moved directly to the money house. The house that she had previously rented with Zhu Lan and others has become empty.
Zhu Lan helped Chu Xin settle down and let her live in Qiao Youyou's original room first.
…
In the imperial palace, dark clouds covered the moon.
The huge Ziyun Palace was empty. All the servants had left, leaving only Emperor Liang and the man in black in front of him.
After leaving Chu Xiuning's courtyard, Yan Yuze hurried into the palace without even having time to change his cloak.
"She's dead?" Half of Emperor Liang's face was hidden in the darkness, and no emotion could be heard in his voice.
"Yes, when I went into the room to check, Chu Xiuning was already dead."
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