That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

The young lady is naturally fond of lively activities. If she were to go to a place like that for quiet contemplation, where there's nothing fun to do all day, she would probably sneak away within two days.

The Imperial Guard is located in the very center of the capital. No matter where you go, there are exciting and fun things waiting for the young lady to visit.

Wen Fuxiao nodded again upon hearing this, clearly having paid close attention to this point as well.

"This matter is indeed a bit strange. I heard people mention it after I came to Fengling City. In the past, the Shun family had many mansions in Fengling City."

"But about a decade or so ago, the Shun family members gradually moved to Tingpu Villa, and most of the time they lived in seclusion and rarely showed their faces."

"Because Tingpu Mountain Villa is located in a remote area, every seven days, a special driver will transport the necessary food and supplies from the foot of the mountain to them."

Why did he choose to live a secluded life of cultivation after painstakingly developing the Shun family into a powerful force, finally gaining control of the entire Fengling City?

So contradictory.

Jiang Jingming vaguely sensed something was amiss and kept a close eye on things, continuing to listen to Wen Fuxiao's words.

"That's why the driver who went up the mountain to transport grain that day was the first eyewitness to the massacre of the family."

Wen Fuxiao paused slightly at this point.

Jiang Jingming pondered for a moment, then quickly pressed for an answer:

"So, was the specific time of the incident determined through an autopsy?"

"Yes."

Wen Fuxiao nodded, but then sighed:

"However, the crime scene was so gruesome that it caused many obstacles and interference to the coroner's autopsy process."

What exactly did the scene look like?

Xie Yunqi subconsciously pressed for more information, then shrank back closer to Jiang Jingming out of fear.

"According to the records, Tingpu Villa was like a sea of ​​blood, with severed limbs and corpses lying everywhere, piles of human heads, and maggots everywhere."

As Wen Fuxiao finished speaking, she caught a whiff of blood on her body again, and her expression turned grim.

"When the driver got into the mountains, he could smell a stench from afar. At first, he thought that some livestock had fallen ill and died in heaps."

"He boldly walked to the entrance of the villa. The gate was ajar. As soon as he opened it, several rotting human heads rolled down from the eaves."

Wen Fuxiao would be perfect as a storyteller; his intonation and rhythm make the audience feel as if they are there.

Jiang Jingming imagined the driver's perspective and thought he was probably so frightened that he didn't even dare to faint, thinking he had stumbled into some kind of hellish place.

"The coachman came running down the mountain, howling like a ghost. He shouted 'Someone's dead! Someone's dead!' as soon as he saw someone. Everyone thought he was crazy and ignored him. It wasn't until he reached the city gate and dragged a guard by the arm, saying that something had happened at Tingpu Manor, that the government learned of the news."

"Those heads were so disfigured that they were unrecognizable. We had to send people to piece the remains together one by one, and then, through details such as clothing and decorations, as well as subsequent population screening, we finally confirmed the list of the dead."

Wen Fuxiao took a deep breath and repeated the result that everyone already knew.

"The entire Tingpu Manor and Shun family, totaling 121 people, have been wiped out."

"..."

Jiang Jingming could clearly feel the young lady who was holding his arm shudder violently.

Aqing remained expressionless throughout, as if it were none of her business.

Fang Zhiyi listened with great interest, even smiling broadly.

I don't know what she was laughing at, but the person laughing at it felt a little scared.

"What did the coroner find out when he performed the autopsy?"

When she asked that question, Jiang Jingming remembered the way she had handled the body of the chief inspector of Shulan City.

It seems that she not only knows how to treat illnesses, but also probably knows how to perform autopsies, which is a good match for her profession.

Wen Fuxiao hesitated for a moment, carefully reviewing every word of the case file in her memory, before cautiously speaking:

"The reconstructed corpses were dark purple in color, smelled sour and putrid, and were rotting with maggots. Therefore, according to the coroner's deduction, it took about three days for these corpses to be discovered by the coachman after they died."

"Three days..."

Jiang Jingming was pondering the timing when he suddenly heard Fang Zhiyi chuckle softly.

"wrong."

"What's wrong?"

Jiang Jingming looked at her slightly lowered, delicate eyebrows and eyes.

“It is early spring now, and the chill of early spring has not yet subsided. Tingpu Villa is located on the top of Cuiwei Mountain, which is even colder than at the foot of the mountain. The body is already decomposed and infested with maggots, so the time of death must be longer than three days, and should be counted as five or six days.”

Fang Zhiyi did a quick calculation and gave a more reasonable and accurate answer.

"It really is true!"

Wen Fuxiao was both surprised and delighted when she heard her say this:

"There's one thing that has always puzzled me: although Tingpu Manor lives in seclusion, it's not easy to find an opportunity to wipe them all out. But if we go back six days as Miss Fang said, that's the ancestral worship day of Fengling City!"

Finally having resolved her long-standing confusion, Wen Fuxiao subconsciously raised her voice.

Realizing his lapse in composure, he steadied himself before lowering his voice and continuing:

"Since the Shun family is a prominent family in Fengling City, they must attach great importance to the ancestral worship ceremony. That is why City Lord Song Huai secretly took time out of his busy schedule to go to Tingpu Manor to participate in the ceremony."

"In that case, the time of the murder seems to be certain."

As Jiang Jingming spoke, he kept looking at Fang Zhiyi without turning his head.

She was a very suspicious person, but she always managed to cleverly pull him back when he went astray.

A woman's heart is truly unfathomable.

No one can figure it out.

Especially since this woman's name is Fang Zhiyi.

She was being stared at by Jiang Jingming's rather impolite scrutinizing gaze, but she didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and a nonchalant smile always remained on her lips.

When you look into his eyes, your eyebrows curve, and you even see a gentleness that should be reserved for children.

Chapter Seventy-Three: A Farewell Gift to All

The young lady's connections are indeed very useful.

With the information revealed by Chief Secretary Wen Fuxiao, the exact time of the massacre has now been determined.

The murderer knew that the Shun family would be all together on the day of the ancestral worship ceremony, which shows that he had a certain understanding of Fengling City and the Shun family.

However, the killer's motives are becoming increasingly complex, but that's not important.

Jiang Jingming pondered for a moment, then asked again:

"Mr. Wen, is the cause of death clear?"

"Although the body was severely damaged, the coroner still deduced that the fatal injury was caused by a sharp weapon, and no traces of poison were found in the body."

Wen Fuxiao breathed a sigh of relief; he knew why Jiang Jingming had asked that question.

If the murderer is alone and did not use methods such as poisoning, then that person's strength is terrifying.

The Shun family is skilled in hidden weapons and mechanisms, making them more vigilant than ordinary martial artists. Moreover, it is clear that the massacre and annihilation of the entire family could not have been accomplished entirely through assassination.

Judging from the horrific scene, the perpetrator must have had a direct confrontation with the Shun family.

Wen Fuxiao frowned deeply. Although he was a court official and didn't know much about martial arts masters, he knew that people with such strength were extremely rare.

Although the strength of the family head, Shunxuan, is not as great as that of Xie Jichuan, Su Changqing, and others, it is definitely not much weaker.

But he and his entire family were utterly slaughtered by that sorceress...

So terrifying.

"No poisoning?"

Xie Yunqi's eyes widened, as if he found it unbelievable:

"You mean she killed over a hundred people all by herself, and all of them could be considered highly skilled?"

"Not only that."

Jiang Jingming stroked his chin and pointed out another perplexing issue:

"Not even a single person managed to escape and seek help."

His words immediately silenced everyone.

Indeed, even if the murderer had the ability to fight a hundred people, she probably wouldn't be able to see and hear everything around her, and at the same time stop those who were afraid to fight and wanted to escape.

But the problem is that she seems to have actually done it.

"Could it be that the Shun family's motto is 'fight to the death without retreating'?"

Xie Yunqi pondered for a long time, and finally clapped his hands, coming up with a relatively reasonable explanation.

Jiang Jingming smiled upon hearing this.

"A family motto like 'fight to the death and never retreat' is obviously more suitable for the warriors of Zhanyunlou. Judging from what Mr. Wen just said about the rise of the Shun family, their family motto should be more inclined towards 'every man for himself'."

"Yes."

Wen Fuxiao nodded in agreement:

"Based on my understanding of Song Huai, although he is loyal to the Shun family, he is not entirely devoted. The Shun family has elevated him to a high position, but they still treat him as a pawn."

“Shunxuan is getting old, and Song Huai is obviously eyeing the position of the next head of the Shun family. He has been manipulated for so many years before he finally has a voice, and he will definitely not be willing to die for the Shun family.”

He paused slightly at this point:

"After all, nominally, he already bears the surname Song."

Jiang Jingming listened to his words and pondered silently.

Indeed, after the Shun family sent Song Huai away, they should have been able to guess that he would have ulterior motives when he grew up, so the position of family head would definitely have nothing to do with him, and Song Huai would definitely feel resentful about it.

From this perspective, not to mention the enemies they've made outside, the Shun family is also internally divided and rife with undercurrents.

"See? I told you long ago that families like this would all run away in the event of any danger!"

Xie Yunqi snorted coldly. She had always despised those who climbed to the top by exploiting others.

"The problem is, they didn't escape either."

Jiang Jingming smiled and couldn't help but remind the young lady.

"Too!"

Xie Yunqi's eyes suddenly lit up as he thought of this:

"Hey, do you think it's possible that they've suddenly started fighting amongst themselves?!"

She lowered her voice, adopting the gruff tone of an old woman:

"Ahem, I am getting old, and in my opinion, the position of head of this family should be passed on to the third son!"

She twisted her body, then forced a shrill, unpleasant eunuch voice:

"Alas—old man, the position of family head can be obtained by the capable, not by you!"

"How dare you speak to your father like that, Seventh Brother! You're asking for death!"

"Third brother, so you've finally decided to stand up for yourself? Let me tell you, the position of family head is not for a dog! Kids, follow me!"

Xie Yunqi reverted to the old man's voice from the beginning, clutching his throat and sticking out his tongue:

"You wicked son! You wicked son! Ugh! He's kicked the bucket."

"..."

The young lady put on a good show all by herself.

Jiang Jingming chuckled. After her outburst, the heavy atmosphere around them seemed to lighten considerably.

"That's not impossible, but, young lady, what are the odds that no one survived such a coincidence? Also, who left that vixen's signature?"

"Well, well...we'll discuss it later!"

Detective Xie Yunqi scratched his face, feeling utterly defeated once again.

"By the way, Mr. Wen, was there really that vixen's signature at the scene?"