Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 35 Different
Another one!
But this one is particularly different!
The yamen runners came to report that another female corpse was found in the alley behind Yuexiang Tower. Her face was scratched, her hair covered her face, and her bellyband was missing. However, this time the deceased did not have the red-soled embroidered shoes. She was barefoot!
Yan Mingzhang squatted in front of the fourth victim, silent. His brow furrowed, his eyes closed. He covered half his face with his hands, his throat clogged with a damp cotton ball. If only he had been faster, faster... It was all his fault. If only he had been faster, wouldn't so many people have died? He was the one who killed them...

"Here..." Rong Wanyin squatted down beside Yan Mingzhang and handed him a piece of ginger candy without further explanation. "Press it under your tongue and you won't feel sick. It's very effective. Coroner Lu told me so."

“…” Yan Mingzhang opened his eyes, his eyes red, and nodded.

"It's not your fault." Rong Wanyin patted Yan Mingzhang's shoulder and comforted him, "Sir, you can do it. You can definitely catch the murderer. If even you can't do it, who can?"

"..." Yan Mingzhang turned his head away, sighed, smiled, and stood up. "Thank you!"

"That's right." Rong Wanyin smiled like a flower and stuffed the ginger candy into Yan Mingzhang's mouth.

Yan Mingzhang closed his lips tightly. He didn't want to eat, but was forced to open his mouth. He mumbled, "Have you washed your hands?"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

"Strange, so strange." Coroner Lu muttered to himself.

"What's strange?" Rong Wanyin asked.

Yan Mingzhang squatted down again, carefully examining the corpse. Mo Yun assisted him. Old Man Lu, the coroner, squatted beside him and explained the corpse's condition to Yan Mingzhang: "The deceased is a woman, over five feet tall, around twenty years old. She was found curled up on her side. Based on the degree of rigor mortis, the time of death was probably around midnight last night, but the cause of death was asphyxiation caused by the murderer strangling her neck."

"Really? The previous three were strangled to death with hemp ropes. Why is this one different?" Rong Wanyin was very confused.

Yan Mingzhang was at a loss for words for a moment. "The difference might be the breakthrough point."

"There's a wound on the back of the deceased's head. It's swollen and bruised, caused by hitting something hard. In addition, there are numerous scrapes and bruises on the wrists and shoulders, all caused by being pulled or pushed. The deceased's face was slashed several times vertically with a sharp object after death. Some of the cuts only scratched the skin, while others were deep enough to reveal the bone. Look at this one, from the forehead to the chin, it's the deepest and longest!"

Old Man Lu continued, "Her outer garment and shoes haven't been found yet. There are drag marks on her calves and heels, which were caused by dragging after death, which were not found on the first three bodies. Oh, and a thin hemp rope was found between the deceased's fingers. The woman was covered in either silk or gauze, so this thin hemp rope couldn't have come from her clothing."

Yan Mingzhang followed the instructions of the coroner, Old Man Lu, and examined the bodies one by one. It was indeed as Old Man Lu said. Yan Mingzhang stood up and bowed to Old Man Lu: "Old Man Lu, thank you for your hard work!"

Coroners have always held a low status. Anyone else would have been terrified, but Old Man Lu was quite conceited. Seeing Yan Mingzhang's respectful attitude, he raised his head unceremoniously, his mustache twitching proudly. "I'm not boasting about my skills! It's a pity that I haven't found a suitable apprentice. I'll have to take these skills with me to my grave!"

Mo Yun was full of praise for Old Man Lu: "Old Man Lu, you can know so many things just by flipping through it twice? Can you teach me?"

Old Man Lu didn't say yes or no. He glanced at Mo Yun, snorted, and left. "Isn't he just an old man with a weird temper?" Chang Feng looked at Old Man Lu's departing back and said dissatisfiedly, "He has some ability, but he is too disrespectful!"

"It's okay to have a little quirk, as long as it's useful!" Yan Mingzhang didn't mind at all. He said to Mo Yun, "Mo Yun, have someone take the body to the funeral home. The most urgent thing is to find out the identity of this woman. If you want to learn, and if Coroner Lu is willing to teach you, then go ahead and learn."

Mo Yun smiled and agreed happily.

Chang Feng was puzzled. "Why do you always like these unconventional methods? Poisons, disguises, autopsies...wouldn't it be better to just focus on practicing?"

Mo Yun knew Changfeng wasn't targeting him, but was genuinely confused, so he patiently explained, "This isn't some unorthodox technique; it's a skill. Many skills are always better than none... Besides, medicine and poison have the same origin. Disguise also requires studying the skeleton, and autopsy requires some medical knowledge; otherwise, you wouldn't even know where your internal organs are. In short, they all complement each other. Changfeng, don't worry. I'm learning these things because I really do find them interesting, and I also want to help you. You've been so kind to me, and I have no way to repay you. I can only make myself the most useful knife in your hands!"

Changfeng felt warm in his heart. He didn't expect that Mo Yun, who was always carefree, would think this way. He nodded vigorously to show his support.

Mo Yun walked over and brushed past Chang Feng, then raised a purse and swung it, saying with a playful smile: "Brother Chang Feng, I've worked so hard, so you can treat me to a meal at noon. Anyway, I just received my monthly salary."

Chang Feng was both angry and amused. Mo Yun was serious for only a moment. "When will you change your petty theft habit?"

Mo Yun looked nonchalant, smiling broadly: "How can taking your brother's money be considered stealing?"

……

On this side, although Rong Wanyin had been standing still, her head was full of information and she remembered it vividly, not missing a single word that Lu the coroner said.

Rong Wanyin carefully observed the surrounding environment and the general condition of the corpse.

The dark alley was narrow and cramped, its bluestone walls covered in mottled moss. The ground was muddy and even stagnant due to the previous night's rain, leaving a chaotic mess of footprints. It was unknown how many people had passed through the alley between the time the body was discovered in the early morning and the time the authorities imposed martial law. The body had been dumped at the corner of the alley, among rows of wine jars and a pile of jar fragments. The body was stiff, curled up on its side, partially covered in dry clothing. It appeared that the deceased had been confined to a confined space, perhaps a sack or box, after death, which had left the body in this strange position after stiffening.

"This shouldn't be the first crime scene, right?" Rong Wanyin asked Yan Mingzhang, who had come over and had finished examining the corpse, as if asking for praise.

Yan Mingzhang stopped what he was doing and raised an eyebrow, very interested. He wanted to test her, so he deliberately asked, "Oh? Tell me about it."

(End of this chapter)