Wife is hell

Chapter 20 The Angry Murderer
The crowd looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it came from a young constable dressed in his uniform.

Tang Jinxian's beautiful eyes lit up, and she felt somewhat relieved.

This guy finally stopped pretending to be dead.

Ignoring the stares of those around him, Jiang Mu stepped into the hall.

Wu must not be released.

Once released, he would be in complete danger.

Tang Jinxian was right; from the moment he got involved in this matter, he was never able to extricate himself unscathed.

You can only go up!
Seeing that most people were frowning in confusion, Tang Jinxian explained:

"This is Mu Jiang, the nephew of An Chenghu, the head constable of the county yamen. He has been assisting me in the investigation of this case."

Of course, I originally wanted to send more capable men, but unfortunately someone secretly made a call to the yamen, and I can't even borrow a single soldier. Heh heh..."

Hearing Tang Jinxian's sarcasm, some people instinctively turned their gaze to Yu Zhengqing.

Yu Zhengqing, however, remained expressionless.

Seeing Jiang Mu step forward, he asked, "I wonder what insightful opinion Officer Mu has?"

Jiang Muxian bowed to Tang Jinxian and then said loudly, "May I ask the Commander to invite Hall Master Yan Qingshan out first? I have some questions I would like to ask him in person."

"can."

Tang Jinxian instructed Xiuxiu, the female official beside her, "Go and invite Hall Master Yan over."

"Yes."

Xiuxiu accepted the order and quickly left.

Madam Wu stared intently at Jiang Mu, her eyes icy cold: "It was you? You were the one who came to my house yesterday! So it was you who framed my son behind my back!"

Jiang Mu ignored her.

Seeing this, Madam Wu was even more furious and was about to reprimand her harshly when Tang Jinxian said in a cold voice:

"Madam Wu, you may petition the court as you see fit! But this is the time when the patrol office is handling official business. If you continue to make noise and disrupt official duties, don't blame me for ordering someone to 'invite' you out!"

Madam Wu trembled with rage, but dared not truly challenge the authority of the patrol office; she could only let out a hateful snort.
"Fine! Fine! Today I'll open my eyes wide and see how you intend to frame my son!"

Soon, Yan Qingshan was led into the hall.

Yan Qingshan, who was nearly forty years old, had an ordinary appearance and a rather tall and thin build, the kind of person who would be hard to spot in a crowd.

"Yan Qingshan, this is Mu Jiang from the county government. He has some questions for you. Please answer truthfully."

Tang Jinxian said coldly.

Yan Qingshan cupped his hands and said, "Yes, this humble official will certainly speak frankly and without reservation."

Jiang Mu sized up Yan Qingshan's figure and went straight to the point: "Hall Master Yan, could you tell me where you were around midnight last night?"

Yan Qingshan replied, "Naturally, I'm at home."

"really?"

Yan Qingshan said calmly, "My wife and children can be my witnesses."

Jiang Mu stepped forward, his gaze sharp:

"Does Hall Master Yan know that we have been secretly monitoring you these past few days on the orders of Steward Tang?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Tang Jinxian again, their expressions becoming increasingly strange and complicated.

Tang Jinxian pursed her pink lips and did not deny it.

Yan Qingshan frowned, finally looking directly at Jiang Mu, and sneered, "What ability do you, a mere constable, have to monitor me? Even if you do, so what? I, Yan Qingshan, am an upright man."

Clearly, Yan Qingshan was bluffing Jiang Mu.

“Last night, we saw you go to Liuyang Street and secretly meet someone in the alley next to the Laiyun Casino. I’m sure Master Yan won’t deny it.”

Jiang Mu deliberately emphasized the word "we" and didn't mention how many people there were.

Yan Qingshan's expression changed slightly.

Although they managed to cover it up very quickly, they did not escape the eyes of many seasoned veterans present.

Before Yan Qingshan could organize his thoughts for a rebuttal, Jiang Mu quickly said:
"Very well, it seems Hall Master Yan won't deny it. May I ask, Hall Master Yan, what are you doing there in the middle of the night instead of resting? What shady business are you up to?"

"I……"

"The person you secretly met was a cripple, wasn't he?"

"I……"

Just answer, yes or no!

"..."

Yan Qingshan was a bit bewildered by Jiang Mu's rapid-fire questions. Realizing that further denial would be futile and would only make him appear more guilty, he could only sullenly reply:

"……Yes."

Jiang Mu raised the corner of his mouth.

We want you to admit it yourself!
"Okay, very good. Now let me talk about this corpse again."

Jiang Mu didn't continue questioning Yan Qingshan. Instead, he walked to Yang Wushun's corpse, tore his pants, pointed to the obviously twisted right knee joint, and said:
"Gentlemen, please take a look. Yang Wushun has an old injury to his right knee, which has healed abnormally, making him clearly a cripple. I believe all of you gentlemen here can see this at a glance, right?"

Everyone's expression changed immediately, and their gazes instantly focused on Yan Qingshan.

Tang Jinxian's beautiful eyes lit up.

The lame man she saw last night was actually Yang Wushun.

So, Yang Wushun was a scapegoat.

Yan Qingshan opened his mouth to speak, but Jiang Mu didn't give him a chance, bowing to the deputy head, Yu Zhengqing, and asking:

"Director Yu, do you believe that this Yang Wushun is the real culprit behind the series of missing and murdered women?"

Yu Zhengqing's eyes flickered slightly, and he said calmly:
“I found the personal clothing of the previous victims in Yang Wushun’s house. Madam Yan heard Yang Wushun say that he tortured and killed the previous women. The specific details matched up.”

Yu Zhengqing was clever and did not directly answer whether Yang Wushun was the murderer.

He simply stated his findings and Lady Yan as a witness.

Jiang Mu nodded, his voice rising a few decibels:

"Speaking of the details of the crime, I wonder if you gentlemen recall that the whipping and torture marks on the victim's body prove that the abuser was left-handed." Jiang Mu looked around and deliberately asked:
"I'm sure all of you experienced adults here have already noticed this, haven't you? Surely no one has missed it?"

Everyone present was a core member of the Patrol Office.

Even if someone had overlooked this detail initially, now that a mere constable was questioning them in public, who would admit to their negligence? They all chimed in with their own opinions:

"I see it."

"That's right, I am indeed left-handed."

"Yes, when I first saw the body, I could tell at a glance that the murderer was left-handed."

"..."

A black line appeared on Tang Jinxian's forehead.

When the victim's body was discovered, no one mentioned that he was left-handed.

It was An Chenghu who first brought it up.

Jiang Mu grabbed the corpse's left and right hands and showed them to everyone:

"Deputy Director Yu has determined that Yang Wushun is a gambling addict. And people who shake the dice all year round will inevitably have calluses of varying thickness on the knuckles and the base of their thumbs with their dominant hand."

Look at his right hand. The calluses at the base of his thumb, index finger, and middle finger are thick and hard, which are the marks left by years of shaking dice.

Looking at his left hand, although it was also somewhat rough, it certainly didn't have the thick calluses on certain parts of his right hand.

This is sufficient proof that Yang Wushun is a genuine right-handed person, which does not match the characteristics of the murderer!

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became meaningful.

Yan Qingshan's fists, hanging at his sides, trembled slightly.

Tang Jinxian asked at the opportune moment:

"Since Yang Wushun is not left-handed, why does he possess the personal clothing of the previous victims? And how does he know so much detail about the torture and murder of those victims?"

"A good question, Your Excellency!"

Jiang Mu immediately responded, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.
"All of you gentlemen here are masters of deduction, with keen insight and keen observation. You must already have the answer in your hearts. What do you think, sir?"

Jiang Mu looked at Huang Kezi.

This guy was the one barking the loudest just now.

Huang Kezi was caught off guard by being called out. He wanted to say he didn't know, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, how could he admit to being stupid?

He took a deep breath and deduced logically:
"In my opinion... Yang Wushun is probably taking the blame for the real murderer. The clothes and details of the crime must have been provided to him by the real murderer to mislead us."

"Snapped!"

Jiang Mu clapped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency is wise! You saw through the key point at a glance. Truly a divine judgment! I admire you!"

Tang Jinxian's eyelids twitched.

This guy looks so annoying, like he deserves a beating.

Huang Kezi's expression was worse than if he had eaten shit, after all, not long ago he had confidently said that the murderer was Yang Wushun.

Now he's contradicting himself.

Jiang Mu stroked his chin, feigning confusion, and asked:

"Oh dear, that's strange. Who is the real culprit? It seems hard to guess. Gentlemen, do you have any clues? Anyway, it's definitely a left-handed person."

No one answered in the hall.

But everyone's eyes involuntarily drifted toward Yan Qingshan.

He was a well-known left-handed person within the patrol office.

Many people still refuse to believe that Yan Qingshan, as the head of the hall, would do such a thing.

There is no reason.

Yan Qingshan finally couldn't contain himself and angrily said:

"That's utter nonsense! I admit I saw a cripple last night, but he wasn't Yang Wushun. He was just a distant relative of my wife's family. It was about some personal matters, so—"

"Master Yan does not need to prove himself."

Jiang Mu interrupted him, "Since Yang Wushun chose to risk his life to take the blame for the real culprit, it means that the real culprit must have given him a bargaining chip that he couldn't refuse."

Manager Yu said that Yang Wushun only lived alone, but that didn't mean he had no relatives. His parents, or his former wife and children, could be found if the investigation was thorough.

Many gamblers end up alienated from their families and even ruined. But there are always one or two who, at some point, have a sudden change of heart, feel guilty about what they've done to their loved ones, and want to make amends.

Perhaps Yang Wushun is the latter.

Investigate his parents or ex-wife and children to see if they received any money or other assistance. I believe we can find some clues.

Upon hearing this, Yan Qingshan seemed to have all his strength drained away, and he staggered.

His face was drained of color, a picture of utter desolation.

His lips trembled, and he tried to argue, but in the end, he couldn't utter a single word.

Seeing Yan Qingshan's reaction, no one in the hall had any more doubts.

Mrs. Wu was even more bewildered.

She stared blankly at her cousin, as if she were seeing him for the first time.

She came to save her son, but she never expected that her cousin would become the real culprit!

"Cousin, is this...is this real?"

"Madam Wu asked in a trembling voice."

"Men, seize Yan Qingshan!"

Tang Jinxian said sternly.

Several guards immediately stepped forward.

Yan Qingshan suddenly drew his sword and charged at Jiang Mu: "I'll kill you, you meddlesome brat!!"

　Thank you Miyazawa Suzusakura for the donation.
　　Thank you for the generous donation.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)