There is a god in the sky

Chapter 105 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 3

The backyard of the government office was inhabited by a large and diverse group of people.

Many minor officials and clerks who couldn't afford to buy houses moved here with their families.

Early in the morning, Shen Lan was awakened by the sound of arguing outside.

"These chickens were clearly bought by my family, how did they become yours?"

"Pah, there's no name written on this chicken, how do we know it's from your family? Everyone knows that my family raises two chickens."

"Your chicken is only two months old, and it's so thin and small. I just bought an old hen. Are you blind?"

"Come on, I have two chickens, a rooster and a hen. The rooster is over there, and the hen is mine."

Shen Lan opened the door and came out, ignoring the two arguing, and went to fetch water to wash her face.

The two women looked at her at the same time, their eyes filled with amazement.

"Whose daughter is this?"

"Your husband hasn't taken another concubine, has he?"

“Your husband is the one who’s so lecherous. My husband says he’s always going to brothels.”

When Shen Lan returned with the water, the two women stopped her at the same time and asked, "Miss, which family are you from?"

"We're just passing through for a few days, please don't mind, sisters."

"Oh, he's probably a relative who's here to freeload."

"This government office has become a slum." The two of them said to each other, their disdain written all over their faces.

Shen Lan smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, I didn't expect that among officials, there would be someone who would be so greedy as to covet a chicken. Even ordinary people wouldn't be this greedy."

Those who were being scolded knew the truth. One of the women blushed and pointed at her, cursing, "Where did this slut come from? She has such a seductive face, and she's so young..."

Shen Lan splashed a basin of water at her.

"Your breath stinks, go wash it off, you're welcome."

"Ah...you...you..." The woman was soaked to the bone, trembling all over, whether from anger or cold, it was hard to tell.

When Xiao Ji came to find Shen Lan, this was the scene he witnessed.

He asked Ma Long, who had followed him, "Who arranged the accommodations?"

Ma Long never expected Shen Lan to be so fierce; appearances can be deceiving.

He chuckled and said, "Please forgive me, Lord Xiao. This was arranged by Chief Eunuch He. Last night was a rush, so he may not have made proper arrangements. Today, I will have someone change the room for Coroner Shen."

Seeing that the woman was about to lash out again, Ma Long quickly stopped her: "Go back inside, all of you! Stop making a scene here!"

The residents here all know Ma Long, but they don't give him any face.

"So it's Officer Ma. What? This slut's your lover?"

Shen Lan changed her clothes and came out carrying her suitcase. As she passed the woman, she gently squeezed her shoulder.

She leaned close to the woman's ear and said, "Sister, why don't you look down and see if you're sure you want to stand here like this?"

That basin of water was poured directly onto her, and her wet clothes clung tightly to her skin, revealing her full breasts.

The woman screamed and ran back into the house, clutching her chest.

Another woman gloated, guessing that she would soon spread the word.

With a thin needle between her fingers, Shen Lan threatened her, "If there are any rumors circulating outside today, I'll poison you so you can't speak!"

The woman's smile faltered. "You...who do you think you are? This is the prefectural government office!"

"Even in the young prince's residence, people are dying one after another. Do you think you're safe?"

Seeing that the other party was scared, Shen Lan walked out of the courtyard and gave Xiao Ji an apologetic look.

She didn't intend to get into a conflict with them.

But if you live next to a gossipy person, you either end up becoming one of the quarrelers, or you intimidate them from the start, otherwise you'll be constantly in trouble.

Xiao Ji reassured him, "Let's change our accommodations tonight."

Ma Long was truly surprised by the girl's ruthlessness and quickly apologized, "Don't worry, Counselor Shen, we'll change your place shortly."

He wasn't afraid of Shen Lan's actions, but rather that she might actually kill or poison someone if she got angry.

"Let's go, let's take a look at the previous autopsy report first."

The case files for these cases were kept in the yamen, and the information was complete. Xiao Ji carefully reviewed them and listed out the doubts one by one.

Shen Lan was looking at the autopsy report, but to be honest, there were no valuable clues.

"Why didn't the autopsy report even record the most basic time of death? What weapon was used to kill the deceased? What did the wounds look like? What other injuries were there on the body? There's no information at all. What's the use of such a report?"

Ma Long answered one by one: "The people were all thrown in front of the Prince not long after they died. As for the murder weapon, as far as I can see, it should be a very sharp knife. The wounds are very clean. As for the cause of death, they all died from excessive bleeding."

Xiao Ji and Shen Lan discussed together, "This person can freely enter and leave Fuchun Residence. One possibility is that he has superb lightness skills, and another is that the murderer lives in Fuchun Residence."

Shen Lan agreed: "Logically speaking, after a murder, Fuchunju should have increased its security. How could the murderer still succeed? I think the second possibility is more likely."

Ma Long also said, "That's what we thought at the time too. We replaced all the servants at Fuchunju, but the murder still happened."

Shen Lan asked in confusion, "Have all the servants been replaced? Including the ones who serve the master personally?"

"That's right. The Princess Consort and the young lady moved back to the Prince's Mansion as early as the first case. Now, Fuchun Residence only has the young Prince as its master, with only two servants who have served the young Prince since childhood. The rest of the servants are replaced every time a case occurs."

Seeing that the two of them didn't speak, Ma Long quickly said, "Those two have checked many times, there's absolutely no problem."

Xiao Ji didn't know the two people well, so he didn't jump to conclusions.

"Could you please provide me with a list of all the staff at Fuchun Residence, Officer Ma?"

"Yes, the servants are selected repeatedly, and the lists are very detailed." Officer Ma placed five lists in front of Xiao Ji.

"How many gates does Fuchun Residence have?" Shen Lan asked.

“There are three: the main gate is for the masters, the back gate is only opened when emptying chamber pots, and the side gate is for the servants.”

"Did the gatekeepers notice anything unusual on the day of the incident?"

"No." This was also something the government had inquired about.

It sounds like the murderer is hiding in Fuchunju.

But in the past three months, Fuchunju has been searched inside and out countless times, but not only has the murderer not been found, but even the mutilated parts of the body have not been found.

"It's strange. Corpses aren't ordinary things. They'll develop a smell over time, so they shouldn't be so easy to hide."

Moreover, the time between the crime and its discovery was short. If the murderer had left Fuchun Residence with the body, how could he have escaped detection unless he had an extremely clear and concealed route?

Ma Long shook his head dejectedly: "We all say that unless the murderer can fly or disappear into the ground, how could he possibly escape?"

Xiao Ji showed the questions he had listed to Shen Lan. Sometimes her thinking was unexpected, and she would have different opinions.

Shen Lan had participated in so many cases in her previous life, and had seen all kinds of murder cases, so she was indeed quite discerning in her perspective.

"What was the murder weapon? Where is the mutilated body hidden? Let's start with these two questions. Finding things is always easier than finding people."