Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 57: Investigating Cases Not for Favor
"Well!!"

As the body was carried out, a foul odor wafted over. Everyone covered their noses and the provincial education commissioner Wang Shifang, who had applied perfume, hurriedly stepped back.

It is now the end of May and the weather in Guangdong is already hot. It is indeed easy for corpses to produce a strange smell when stored there, but such a strong smell is probably related to the way of death.

Among all ways of death in which the body remains intact, hanging is often the most unsightly.

Because after a person dies, the anus will relax. If the corpse is still in a vertical position, the excrement in the intestines and bladder will naturally flow out in large quantities under the action of gravity.

The ancients did not understand these things. Seeing how filthy the dead were, they made up many explanations.

For example, hanged ghosts are the most vicious, and strangled ghosts are the most evil ghosts among all ghosts. Even "Youwei Caotang Notes" gives a detailed description of the pain of hanging.

The situation now was similar. Everyone was first frowned by the stench of Fang Wei's corpse. When the cloth covering the corpse was removed, a pair of bulging eyes were staring straight ahead, with a tongue sticking out very long, which really fit the image of a fierce ghost as told by the folk.

Wang Shifang took a look from afar and turned pale with shock. Governor Tian Jiading, who had originally wanted to hold on, almost vomited and quickly stepped back.

Only the Censor Zhou Xuan remained indifferent. He stretched out his large, gloved hand and began to perform the autopsy with experienced and meticulous movements.

"As expected of the 'Iron Judge'!"

Lu Bing couldn't help but show admiration when he saw this.

Haiyue circulated her internal energy, held her breath, and took a step forward.

Zhou Xuan noticed something, turned his head, and called out, "Hai Shisanlang, come over and take a look!"

Haiyue came to the side of the corpse.

Seeing that he was equally fearless and unrestrained, Zhou Xuan's eyes flashed with approval, and he said in a deep voice, "Remember! The groove is in the shape of an "eight," evenly spaced, slanting behind the ear, purple and red with traces of blood... The face is bruised, the eyes are open, and the tip of the tongue is exposed... There are no signs of struggle on the limbs, and no other external injuries on the hands and feet..."

During the autopsy, he explained, "The rope grooves of suicides are often in the shape of an 'eight-shaped figure', and there are often scratches on the heels. In cases of hanging after homicide, the rope grooves are closed and encircled, with the neck hanging in the air, and there are also other fatal injuries on the body..."

Haiyue actually knew all this, but she also listened carefully, showing an expression of learning.

"Come in! Get a ladder!"

After the preliminary examination of the body, Zhou Xuan took Haiyue into the house again.

The stench in the room became even stronger, but he did not mind it at all. He asked the servants to bring a ladder, and he himself climbed up to the beam to observe the marks on the beam.

Haiyue held onto the ladder from below when she heard an old voice from above: "The marks of suicide are single, consistent with the force used to pull the victim down, and match the rope. The marks of homicide often show multi-directional scratches, deviating from the center, showing horizontal and intermittent scratches. Such marks are all caused by dragging or forced hanging..."

As he spoke, Zhou Xuan had already climbed down and said in a deep voice: "The deceased hanged himself. At least during the hanging process, there was no sign of resistance!"

He is really an old hand at criminal law with thirty years of experience, so quick and decisive!

When the two men walked out of the house and came to the yard, the people who had hidden on the other side also learned the result and their faces looked grim.

Provincial Governor Tian Jiading asked, "Could it be that Fang Wei, haunted by nightmares, is in constant fear and suspicion, and has committed suicide?"

The implication is that Fang Wei believed the legend of "Hidden Mist Village" and scared himself, eventually becoming neurotic and committing suicide by hanging himself.

Zhou Xuan shook his head and pointed at Zheng Yishu. "If we go by his testimony, Fang Wei must have believed this man's grafting method. Why would he commit suicide out of fear before exposing this lie?"

Tian Jiading was unable to refute and revealed a trace of fear: "According to Zhou Nietai, that legend is not true?"

Zhou Xuan shook his head slightly, obviously disagreeing, but did not refute it.

"it is good!"

Lu Bing's voice rang out, making a direct decision: "Now that the suspect has confessed, and Zhou Nietai has personally performed an autopsy, there are indeed some suspicious circumstances in the case. Let us, the Jinyiwei, handle the rest!"

Tian Jiading's expression changed slightly, and he said with a forced smile: "Lu Sheren, this concerns Fang Dazai's family, and we also want to do our part!"

Wang Shifang approached, holding his nose, and said in a muffled voice, "Important local cases fall under the jurisdiction of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner!"

Zhou Xuan said: "The Censorate should not stand idly by..."

"No need!"

Lu Bing pointed at Zheng Yishu and said without question, "This man has sought justice from our Jinyiwei. The deceased is also related to the current Minister of Personnel. The Jinyiwei has the responsibility to patrol and arrest him. Since we are in Guangzhou Prefecture, we have no choice but to do so! Please return!"

The three provincial officials exchanged glances, somewhat reluctant but also quite helpless, before finally leaving. After their figures disappeared, Lu Bing finally turned to Hai Yue and asked, "Do you know why I took on this case?"

Haiyue shook her head: "I don't know."

"This Fang Wei, using the pretense of Minister Fang's authority, has committed crimes in the local area. Someone has already impeached him!"

Lu Bing said coldly, "If Minister Fang wasn't so busy with affairs that he couldn't spare any time, he would have to go back to his hometown to clean up his family!"

Haiyue thought to herself, as expected.

Some officials impeached Fang Xianfu's nephew Fang Wei for abusing his power and being arrogant in the local area. Coincidentally, the news of the Annan envoys' delegation reached the capital, and the court was shocked. Even the Jinyiwei prepared to go south to welcome them. Before Lu Bing left, he received an imperial edict asking him to investigate.

Therefore, what Lu Bing said in front of Fang's house was not to flatter Fang Xianfu, but to separate the two of them and protect the reputation of the emperor's favorite minister.

In fact, the group of court officials who rose to power by relying on grand etiquette did not have a good reputation among the literati. Fang Xianfu was slightly better because of his calm temperament. "He was calm and composed by nature, and was always fair and forgiving when discussing in the court." The others, such as Zhang Cong, Gui E, and Huo Tao, were scolded very harshly.

But now it is this group of people who are in charge of the reform and implementing the land measurement and the single whip system.

Most of them come from remote areas and have less involvement with their original interest groups.

Lu Bing had obviously told Haiyue all this for this reason. In the early years of the Jiajing reign, he favored officials from Guangdong and Guangxi. Haiyue, who came from Qiongshan, was considered a barbarian by others, but now it was a plus: "You are able to discern the details of the Annan envoys, which is truly not easy. I believe in your ability. If you can thoroughly investigate this case, it will also enhance the reputation of the Minister..."

The implication is that this is a great opportunity to make friends with the Minister of Personnel.

Tianguan, Taizai, how many people long for it!
Hai Yue investigated the case but not for the sake of doing good, not to mention Wu Lin's previous experience of repaying his debt. She simply shook her head and said, "Tracing back to the source is not for others. If your original intention is biased, the truth will be far away!"

"what!"

Lu Bing smiled.

If it were someone else, he would only feel hypocrisy, but from the person in front of him, he felt sincerity.

Everyone in the capital knew about his relationship with His Majesty, and the commanders had to treat him with courtesy. Sometimes it was quite boring, but when he arrived in Guangzhou, he met someone who was fearless and very tolerant of his temper: "No matter what it is, investigate the case!"

"it is good!"

Haiyue nodded and turned her gaze to Zheng Yishu.

He didn't say just now that those who were suspected to have died in the legend of "Yinwu Village" included not only Fang Wei, the nephew of Minister of Personnel Fang Xianfu, but also Zong Chengxue, the Tongpan of Qiongzhou Prefecture.

The victims who occurred one after another only increased the panic and made people firmly believe in the legend of "Hidden Mist Village".

The key point is that the Zong Chengxue case is very difficult to verify. There is no scene at the scene and the body was transported back to his hometown for burial. At this stage, we can only investigate the second deceased.

Facing Hai Yue's gaze, Zheng Yishu's face showed a flattering yet regretful smile: "Brother Hai, please be magnanimous! Please be magnanimous! Please spare me!"

Hai Yue ignored him and asked directly, "To sum up your explanation just now, you took advantage of Fang Wei's nightmares and pretended to be able to share his worries in order to climb up this high branch, right?"

Zheng Yishu nodded repeatedly: "Yes! Yes!"

Hai Yue said in a deep voice, "Then there's something wrong with the order. You had no way of contacting Fang Wei at first, so how did you learn from him that you've been having nightmares recently, dreaming of the legendary 'Hidden Mist Village'?"

Zheng Yishu trembled and whispered, "Actually, it was Caiyun who told me..."

It was the maid who had let Zheng Yishu escape from the Fang Mansion. Although it was inconvenient to mention it before, Haiyue still remembered it. She looked at Lai Fu, the steward of the Fang Mansion and asked, "Where is the maid Caiyun?"

The steward Lai Fu's expression changed, and he stammered: "She...she..."

"answer!!"

Before Hai Yue could urge him, Lu Bing had no patience. Hong Qi, who was standing next to him, stretched out his big hand like a cushion and slapped the manager on the back.

Lai Fu staggered from the blow, his face pale with horror, and he immediately confessed: "That traitorous maid is in the woodshed!"

"lead the way!"

Several people walked through the inner house and arrived at the woodshed in the backyard. When they opened the door, they saw a woman with a bruised face and nose lying on the ground with her head tilted, dying.

Zheng Yishu's body trembled, and he rushed over crying out in grief: "Caiyun! Caiyun, what's wrong with you? Wake up, save her quickly... If she dies, I won't be able to explain it!"

(End of this chapter)