Chapter 15 Try Not to Make Mistakes
Hearing his question, Jin Shu looked helpless: "This is my first time too, I'll try my best not to make a mistake."
"Huh?" Yang An's breathing quickened upon hearing this.
“Based on the characteristics of the body, the murderer should have used a relatively thin but strong rope like this, wrapped around the victim’s neck from back to front, with the intersection point at this location.” After saying this, Jin Shu turned slightly to show Li Jin, “The victim’s ten fingertips and the area of the jawbone on the cheeks all have abrasions and scabs, with the wounds closer to the fingertips. The wounds have fine marks mixed with soil stains, suggesting that they were formed by friction on uneven ground, like this.”
She stretched out her left palm and made a scratching motion.
"Therefore, the murderer must have fought with the victim, and the two fell to the ground. The victim's head hit an uneven bump, and the murderer took this opportunity to wrap a rope around the victim's neck. Then, with the victim face down, the murderer pulled the rope hard from behind, intending to kill him."
As she spoke, the strength in her arms unconsciously increased along with her words.
This slight change in force pushed Yang An's already tense nerves to the breaking point, turning his face pale and causing beads of sweat to stream down his forehead.
Jin Shu, completely oblivious to this, continued speaking:
"The victim struggled on the ground, scraping his fingers and jaw. The murderer never let go, and the force was so great that it broke the victim's hyoid bone. The process lasted for a long time, so long that even after the body had decomposed to this point, leather-like marks were still visible."
In this small house, four people, two lamps, and shadowy figures.
While lowering his eyes in thought, Li Jin slowly raised his hand and pointed to Yang An, who was already having difficulty breathing, and said to Jin Shu: "Sir, you can let go now."
Jin Shu was stunned for a moment, then realized that Yang An had already raised his hand to grab the rope around his neck. She quickly loosened both ends of the rope, raised her hands, and looked terrified.
Oh no, I got too engrossed and accidentally used too much force in my hands.
Yang An bent over, pinching his nose, looking very conflicted.
This suffocation should have been relieved after a few breaths, but the corpse that had been lying in the room for over twenty days had stank so badly that the entire government office was permeated with its stench.
If he breathes, he might suffocate from the stench; if he doesn't breathe, he'll suffocate. He has no choice but to pinch his nose and breathe very slowly.
“Lord Yang, now that the examination is complete, it’s time to rest.” Li Jin glanced at Jin Shu’s appearance, smiled, as if to reassure her. “Afterwards, please have the protective book written down for tomorrow’s reference.”
He reached out and pulled off the two ropes around Yang An's neck, handing them to Zhou Zheng who was standing nearby.
"It seems this king prefers Lord Yang's neck when it comes to tying ropes." He smiled and helped Yang An, who was bent over and hadn't been able to catch his breath for a while, to his feet, patting his shoulder reassuringly.
"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Yang. You've done everything yourself. I'm very impressed with you." These words were spoken with utmost sincerity and without any flaws.
Originally, Yang An was furious. He felt that the lowly coroner dared to be disrespectful to her superiors just because she was being promoted by Prince Jing. He was determined to find an opportunity to teach her a lesson.
As a result, Li Jin's sudden shower of flattery extinguished the flame that had just been kindled in his heart.
He stood there laughing heartily, quickly trying to flatter himself: "Your Highness flatters me. As the prefect of Linyang, I should dedicate myself to the people, even unto death. Such a major case naturally requires my personal involvement to truly understand its intricacies."
After saying that, he even turned his face and praised Jin Shu, who still had his hands raised in the air, saying, "Mr. Jin has a discerning eye, and his reputation is well-deserved! Hahaha!"
After the two men left one after the other, exchanging pleasantries and compliments, Jin Shu finally put down her hand, stood in the room, and let out a long sigh.
As night fell, she looked at Jin Rong, who was already fast asleep, and placed the tiger lantern on the cabinet next to his bed.
Although they are called the older sister, they are not actually related by blood. For the past six years, Jin Shu has been both a father and a mother to this boy, raising him little by little.
That year, the only snowfall in Jin Shu's memory fell in Dingzhou, Jiangnan, preventing her from leaving home.
The snow that fell heavier and heavier that night was like countless threads of fate, pushing the ragged woman as she staggered to Jin Shu's doorstep.
She raised her hand and knocked weakly on the door, waking her from her deep sleep.
The meeting of the two women seemed like an arrangement of fate; had it been even a day later, they would have simply missed each other.
And at this moment, the boy who is fast asleep is this gift from fate to her.
She had thought that in this second life, though fortunate enough to retain the memories of her past life, she had lost all her family. Amidst the vast landscape and boundless天地 (heaven and earth), she had become a true drifting duckweed, rootless.
But when she held that tiny newborn in her arms, listened to his cries, and watched him desperately trying to live, she felt anxious and panicked, afraid that he would get hurt.
Time flies, and six years have passed in the blink of an eye. The child from back then has reached the age where he should be able to read and write. Jin Shu looked at his face, raised her hand, gently stroked the stray hairs at his temples, and smiled warmly.
Outside, the faint sounds of music and dance could be heard, and fireworks burst in the air, making her warm face appear beautiful and magnificent.
That night, she gave her bed to Jin Rong and curled up on the long couch in the room, sleeping soundly and peacefully.
As the sun rose, she threw off the covers, stretched, rubbed her eyes, poured a glass of water, and turned to wake Jin Rong. But when she saw Prince Jing, Li Jin, sleeping fully clothed on Jin Rong's bed, she stood there stunned for a full quarter of an hour.
What's going on?
She hurriedly dressed, stood by the table and pondered for a long time before deciding to go find Zhou Zheng first.
She didn't know what to do next, but Zhou Zheng certainly did!
In the morning light, Jin Shu gently closed the door, turned around and took two steps, when she saw Zhou Zheng looking at her from the red pillar beside her.
"Lord Zhou," Jin Shu hurriedly called out, her eyes wide open, pointing into the room, "Why is the Prince sleeping in this servants' quarters?"
Zhou Zheng looked troubled, his brows furrowed, unsure whether he should speak or not.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Jin Shu raised her hand and scratched her head, her brows furrowing deeply: "Then what do we do now?"
In the midst of the awkwardness, a familiar voice, carrying a chill, swept past from behind them: "So noisy."
Behind him, Li Jin stepped over the threshold, his murderous gaze fixed intently on Jin Shu.
His huge dark circles under his eyes, his exhausted appearance, and his rising morning grumpiness made him look nothing like someone who had slept well.
Li Jin gently closed the door, turned around, let out a cold snort, and gritted her teeth as she spat out a few words: "Once the case is closed, I'll definitely deal with Yang An!"
After saying that, he didn't explain, and angrily turned and left. Only Zhou Zheng, seeing him walk away, slightly tilted his body and whispered:
"Last night, Yang An had his daughter use the guise of singing and dancing to throw herself into his arms."
His expression was solemn as he looked at Jin Shu, who was staring at him with her mouth half open in surprise, and pointed to the sky: "In the middle of the night, the kind where someone falls from the roof."
After saying that, he quickly followed Li Jin's footsteps.
At the entrance to the courtyard, Li Jin suddenly stopped, turned around slightly, and looked at Zhou Zheng who had just followed: "...You are very fond of this Mr. Jin?"
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