Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 15 The Case of Soul-Seeking at the Coffin 4
If Zhao Li's death was an accident, then Zhao Mingqian's death deserves a deeper investigation.

The cordon was put up again, and the forensic team entered the scene. Zheng Yan stood outside smoking, his gaze fixed intently on the Zhao family.

Three people died in two days. People from the same village watched the spectacle from across the road, and the discussions grew louder and louder.

Xiao Chen walked out from the crowd, and Zheng Yan asked what those people were saying.

"They say that Zhao Chunsheng couldn't bear to give up his good life, so he's taking away his soul, so that his son and grandson can serve him in the afterlife."

Forensic doctor Lao Li and others standing to the side said upon hearing this, "Don't believe or spread rumors."

Xiao Chen: "But I got some information from what they said."

"According to them, Zhao Li is the most filial son among all the descendants. Apart from him, if you compare the other members of the Zhao family, Zhao Mingqian is the tallest among the short ones, barely qualifying as the second most filial. Although he is a slacker, back when they were still farming in their hometown, he would never forget to call his parents when it was time to harvest corn so that his grandparents would remember to give them the first bite. Because of this, even though he is not as successful as Zhao Mingyue, Grandpa Zhao and Zhao Li are still willing to give him money to spend."

Tan Ming: "So, was giving him money truly Zhao Li's own choice? If he really killed Zhao Li, was the person who killed him seeking revenge for a family feud? Or did he know about the real killer murdered Zhao Li and was killed to silence him?"

Zhao Mingqian died in front of his grandfather's grave. In past cases, this meant that the deceased had done something wrong in his life and needed to atone for it.

Could it be that the Zhao family knew Zhao Mingqian had killed his uncle Zhao Li, and that he was "executed" by his family?
After the trace evidence investigation was completed, the forensic doctor entered the scene.

After examining the body for about ten minutes, Old Li said, "The cause of death is quite simple. The head struck the sharp part of the grave violently, causing a skull fracture and bleeding. The death should have been quick, between 5:30 and 6:00 in the morning."

"We can basically rule out the possibility that he accidentally fell. The impact was quite severe. If he had fallen on his own, the angle and posture would have been very important. However, the fact that the person who did it didn't use a more convenient tool suggests that this was not a premeditated act of revenge."

Zheng Yan added, "It's more like it was caused by anger during the argument."

Why was the murderer angry with Zhao Mingqian?
Is it really because Zhao Mingqian killed Zhao Li that the murderer is "cleaning up the family scum" in front of his grandfather's grave?

Here are three important concerns—

Zhao Mingqian had a solid alibi yesterday morning, so how did he manage to kill Zhao Li remotely?
If Zhao Mingqian really did kill Zhao Li, how many people would know?

Among those who knew the truth, who killed Zhao Mingqian?

Tan Ming pondered for a moment and asked, "If someone knew that Zhao Mingqian was the murderer of Zhao Li, why didn't anyone suspect or report it? Even if it was a case of collusion, were more than thirty members of the Zhao family so easily persuaded? There was clearly no harmony among them. Did something else happen that made them so tight-lipped about Zhao Li's death?"

"It's also possible that only a few people, or even just one person, knew the truth about Zhao Li's death."

Zheng Yan meticulously analyzed the situation and found a clue: "Did that person take the initiative to find Zhao Mingqian to say something, or did Zhao Mingqian take the initiative to find that person to say something? The content of their conversation should be about the cause of Zhao Li's death. Considering that this was a temporary dispute, it is more likely that Zhao Mingqian took the initiative to find the murderer."

Then he immediately said, "Ask the Zhao family who wasn't in the mourning hall around 5 a.m., and who Zhao Mingqian was talking to when they last saw him."

Another round of taking statements.

The Zhao family members had been suffering for two days, and their expressions were not good. Moreover, two healthy people died one after another, and the fear and anxiety spread from within them like a contagious disease.

But unexpectedly, this round of taking statements still yielded no clues.

Zhao Mingqian's parents cried until their eyes were unfocused, with white strips of cloth tied to their shoulders, it was unclear whether they were to mourn the old man or their son.

“He wasn’t the one who killed his uncle, so why would we keep an eye on where he went? Besides, the funeral hall was dark, and it wasn’t even dawn yet. I only know that he knelt by the brazier where the paper money was burned for a while, and then? Maybe he went to the toilet, I don’t know…” “Why didn’t anyone go to the grave to look for him? This is our family custom. We can only worship again three days after the new grave is covered with soil, and no one will go there during these three days.”

“Mingqian has never been a quiet person. He's like someone with ADHD. Even when keeping vigil, he didn't kneel properly... Many people have spoken to him, and most of them criticize him for going to the bar early yesterday morning... He's actually a good kid. His uncle likes him, and his grandfather likes him..."

Looking at the eleven-year-old boy in the couple's arms, whose eyes were red from crying, Zheng Yan suddenly said, "You probably don't like him that much, do you? Anyway, you have a smarter and more sensible younger son, so you don't really care what your immature older son is doing or where he is."

Zhao Mingqian's parents paused for a moment in their mournful sobs.

Zhao Xu retorted unhappily, but Liang Yun, who was holding her youngest son, buried her head in the child's shoulder and continued to cry.

The newly added case remains at a standstill due to a lack of leads.

Tan Ming and Xiao Chen met and sighed, feeling exhausted.

“The Zhao family must be hiding something. Otherwise, why not take them back to the police station and scare them? Here, they act like they have nothing to hide and don’t tell the truth at all.”

Zheng Yan: "Setting up the mourning hall as a temporary interrogation room and having them speak alone in front of Zhao Chunsheng's portrait might be more effective than facing the slogan 'Confess and receive leniency.' Tan Ming, investigate Zhao Mingqian's social connections. According to the Zhao family, he's not someone who can accomplish anything, and he might not be someone who can keep his mouth shut."

……

Zhao Mingqian's social relationships are indeed quite complicated. He has had a lot of girlfriends and ambiguous relationships within the past three months alone. When his ex-girlfriend listed that long list of names, Tan Ming had a headache.

Fortunately, most of these people are clustered together, with three even living in the same neighborhood.

After taking statements from his three ex-girlfriends, Tan Ming planned to move on to the next one. Passing by a fast food restaurant, he went in and bought a plate of fried rice noodles.

I had just paid when I turned around and saw Tan Jia having lunch at the restaurant next door.

The two siblings exchanged a glance across the crowd. Tan Jia sighed inwardly, asked the waiter to pack up the unfinished Lushan stone chicken, and walked over to Tan Ming.

"elder brother."

"You eat out by yourself?" Tan Ming was a little surprised. She had been back in Jiujiang for a month and had never thought of going out to explore the city before.

“Yes.” Tan Jia scratched his eyebrow, then looked up at the dough figurine again.

I thought I could avoid going home and getting involved in my aunt and uncle's work, but I never expected that fate would bring us together from afar, and that my case would be delivered right to my doorstep.

Tan Ming wanted to say something more, but Tan Jia spoke up first: "Is the Zhao family's case still not over?"

"No..." The details of the case cannot be disclosed, but the matter has spread quite widely in Shiyuan Village. Perhaps due to some kind of supernatural idea, Tan Ming briefly mentioned a few points, but did not mention Zhao Mingqian's death. "You also heard about the Zhao family's situation yesterday. As an observer, what do you think?"

"If I were the murderer..." This line came out too easily. Tan Jia paused, then casually moved on to the next sentence.

“If I wanted to kill Zhao Li for money, I wouldn’t have chosen to do it on the way to his funeral yesterday. Planning for such a short time is easy to make mistakes, unless time is very tight and it’s the only chance, such as if Zhao Li goes abroad or makes a will and will not give any more money to the Zhao family.”

“If I were a member of the Zhao family, and I were to cover up the truth for the sake of money, it would mean that I was satisfied with the money I received. For me to recant my confession, the money would either never reach my hands, or Zhao Li would do something that would make me feel that even if it weren't for the money, I wouldn't want to confess to the murderer because he deserves to die.”

Jia: Isn't this a pretty subtle way of reminding me? Bro, promise me you won't run into me again, okay? I just want to explore the city and its food stalls normally.
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(End of this chapter)