Chapter 156 A Deep-seated Hatred That Could Skin You and Shave Your Bones
"The deceased was a woman around 35 years old. She had three sharp-force wounds to her waist and abdomen, severe blood loss, rigor mortis had not subsided, and her body was pale." Jin Shu looked at the knife wound on her abdomen, pressed it gently, and then looked at the bluish-purple marks under her neck.
Like the boy, the female victim's neck did not have rope marks, but rather handprints similar to those from before.
"It doesn't look like something you'd get from strangulation." Jin Shu held up her hand to show the handprint. It was about the same size as the one on the boy's neck earlier, with the thumbs crossed and the force concentrated from front to back.
Looking at the strange marks, Li Jin stretched out his hand and compared the size of his palm.
He is on par with him.
“I also wondered if it was a woman’s hand, or a woman’s habit.” Jin Shu shook her head. “It’s unlikely. If the hand was that big, the murderer would have to be about as tall as the prince.”
"If it were a woman, she would be very conspicuous."
After Jin Shu finished speaking, her gaze returned to the three incisions on her waist and abdomen.
Beneath the red paint of the character "有" (yǒu), the three knife-like cuts are strung together, landing precisely on the hook of the character's outer frame.
She had a vague feeling that something was strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
As the last body was laid down, the fiery red sunset was chased away by the dark blue starry sky. Yun Jianlin lit a torch and held it up in his hand to illuminate Jin Shu's path.
The man in front of me looked to be about forty years old, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a lot of fat.
Only this body had clean and crisp wounds. As Jin Shu counted them, she said, "The victim had six sharp-force wounds to his chest and abdomen, four of which were fatal. It is presumed that he died of asphyxiation due to ruptured alveoli."
"The amount of bleeding must have been quite large; the body is pale." Her eyes looked at the unique abrasions, obvious scratches, and marks of blows on this one corpse, and she added, "It must have been in a fierce struggle with the murderer, and eventually lost too much blood and became unconscious."
Jin Shu stood up, and in the torchlight, looking at the four lifeless corpses lying together, said decisively, "A vendetta, and one that was so intense it felt like they wanted to skin him alive and tear him apart, a deep-seated hatred."
Having been with the Six Doors for a year, this was the first time Jin Shu had encountered a situation with so many victims.
As she removed her gloves, she respectfully said to Yun Jianlin, "Lord Yun, this is only the initial examination of the victim. I would like to trouble you to take the body to the yamen so that I can examine it further."
At night, walking in the desolate wilderness, the smell of blood might attract wild animals from the mountains.
She looked around and said, "I still have some doubts that I need to resolve after I return to the yamen."
While arranging for people to remove the bodies of the four victims, Yun Jianlin repeatedly expressed his gratitude: "I have often heard of Mr. Jin's superb corpse-talking skills from my son. Seeing it today, I can attest that it is indeed extraordinary."
He looked at Li Jin, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Your Highness Prince Jing truly has a discerning eye for talent. I admire you greatly."
Li Jin smiled faintly and nodded, saying nothing.
After Yun Jianlin left first, he stood under the tree, looked up at the towering tree, and crossed his arms: "What do you think of the victim's identity?"
After saying that, he turned around and looked at Jin Shu, who was staring blankly at the night view of Shengzhou. He took out his fan and tapped Jin Shu's shoulder with a snap.
She hissed, gasped, and turned around, rubbing her shoulder with a grimace: "Your Highness, your fan is made of steel! My small frame can't withstand that force!"
Seeing her wince in pain, Li Jin coughed lightly twice and, as if accusing someone first, commented, "A grown man like you, so frail, is it my fault?"
Believe it or not, that sentence really put Jin Shu to the spot.
She clicked her tongue, rubbed her shoulders, and, taking advantage of the darkness, glared at him fiercely.
“I heard what Your Highness said just now, and I have some guesses about the identity of the victim.” She straightened up and stood at the edge of the square, looking at the city of Shengzhou under the night sky.
Looking at the star-studded sky and the torches lit at the Dingzhou government office at the foot of the mountain, he raised a finger and said, "Most likely, it's the merchants."
Among the victims, the adults had no calluses on their palms, were overweight, and had relatively healthy skin on their cheeks and bodies.
“It doesn’t fit the social class of someone making a living,” Jin Shu said. “It could be a shopkeeper or a manager of a large business. But we’ll have to wait until the rigor mortis subsides and we have a thorough examination to find out the exact type.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Jin smiled faintly from the side: "It's good that we're not testing tonight. I was just thinking about how to persuade you to test tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Jin Shu was somewhat surprised.
Seeing her confusion, Li Jin added, "You've had a long and tiring day of travel, so I want you to get some rest. Lord Yun is one of our own here in Shengzhou, so you can sleep soundly."
These words, spoken half an hour later, seemed rather strange to Jin Shu.
Under the cover of night, in the courtyard, Jin Shu frowned as she watched Li Jin sitting imposingly on an eight-immortal chair, reading a book, with a lamp beside him and a bed and a couch inside.
"Is this what the prince meant by 'a peaceful sleep'?"
How should I sleep?
Li Jin didn't seem to care. He slowly turned the pages of the book between two fingers and said indifferently, "I didn't tell Lord Yun that I would be coming before I came, so his preparations were a bit rushed."
The implication is that this is the only guest room available.
"What? You and I are two men, sharing a room with two beds, and you can't even make do for one night?" Seeing Jin Shu's helpless look, he deliberately provoked her.
Jin Shu didn't believe her. She turned around and looked at the several empty houses outside, her mouth opening and closing as she looked at Li Jin.
It's the residence of the prefect of Shengzhou, after all. Can't they even spare two side rooms? Impossible.
Seeing that she was completely confused, Li Jin felt that the more he explained, the more trouble he would have to go through, and it would only delay her rest, so he simply kept quiet and continued reading.
He refused to believe that Jin Shu could kick him out.
In fact, Yun Jianlin has plenty of side rooms, but what he lacks are bodyguards to protect Jin Shu.
Zhou Zheng has a mission tonight and it's unclear when he'll return. Bai Yu also has matters to attend to and won't be able to leave the capital until tonight. Li Jin felt uneasy leaving Jin Shu alone in the room at this time.
Whether it's Xiao Pan'er's case or Zhu Dongli's challenge to the school, both indirectly prove that Prince Jing, Li Jin's, every move is under the Crown Prince's control.
Jin Shu's value is now quite evident, and sending assassins to kill her now is entirely in line with the Crown Prince's usual style.
He can't take that risk.
Seeing Li Jin's unmoved stance, Jin Shu opened and closed her mouth, unable to do anything about it. She simply gritted her teeth and lay down on the long couch.
She tucked the blanket around herself, and after thinking it over, she got up and added, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Li Jin tightened his grip on the book.
He looked at her retreating figure, lowered his eyes, and smiled faintly.
Sure enough, this woman knows everything.
There's absolutely no need for explanation.
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