Chapter VII
"Has Xu Chu's background been thoroughly investigated?"
"Yes."
He had to go.
When Xu Chu came to visit again, Master Qian didn't even give him a good look. But because King Jing'an had tacitly allowed her to investigate, she had also said a few words in the hall, and in the end, only her son was left to deal with any matters.
"I wonder why Lady Xu is here today?" Young Master Qian was pitch black. It was obvious that he was trying his best to meet people.
"This time, I still want to meet Ying Er again." Xu Chu did not bother with pleasantries and directly said, "If it's convenient, I have to ask Young Master Qian to follow A Sheng here."
Young Master Qian was startled, and asked hesitantly: "Could Ying Er be related to A Sheng and his death?"
"It's not clear if they have any connections, but I have something I want to ask them." Xu Chu thought about the words he had said, and noticed the expression of Young Master Qian from the corner of his eyes. Seeing his nervous and trembling hands, he continued, "I heard that the servant said that Young Mistress wanted to marry Ying Er, I think the two of you should be grateful to the Young Mistress."
When Xu Chu's words fell, the expression on the Young Master Qian's face finally became slightly more relaxed.
"Ying Er is still in the mansion, but she hasn't returned since she left the city to visit her relatives." Young Master Qian was apologetic enough to lure people into the hall and send someone to call Ying Er over.
Previously, because of her wounds, Ying Er could only see that she looked similar to Young Lady Qian, but now, the redness and swelling on her face had receded slightly, and now, she looked more similar to Young Lady Qian when she was silent.
However, Xu Chu did not come this time to confirm her birth. Instead, she took out a prescription and asked: "Ying Er, did you go to the medicine store to catch this medicine? One of them is the Zenith Fragrance, but it's used for contraception. "
"Your servant …" "Your servant …" Ying Er's tears fell as she looked at Xu Chu blankly. But she seemed to have thought of something very quickly and quickly rectified, "This servant went to get the medicine, and the young madam wanted to concoct it for this servant, but this servant did not want to have a child too early, so I bought the Lingling Fragrance."
Seeing that she recognized him, Xu Chu then sneered: "You really are a good servant girl."
"Lady Xu, this..." Young Master Qian frowned, as if he was completely confused.
"Does Young Master Qian know how the relationship between the Young Madam and Ying Er has always been?"
"Ying Er has been with Ya Niang since childhood, and she does have some feelings for him. It was just that in the past two years, the two of them had become slightly unhappy, and every time Ya Niang got angry, she would punish Ying Er. Especially since the first time Ya Niang got pregnant, her temper has been even stranger, and she has been rather harsh to Ying Er. " Young Master Qian's expression was sorrowful, she shook her head and said, "The doctor said that many pregnant women will have irritable tempers, so I did not think too much into it, and only advised Ying Er to understand Ya Niang."
"Then what about the relationship between the successor wife and the junior wife and Ying Er?" Xu Chu raised her head and looked at Young Master Qian.
The Young Master Qian was a little hesitant, he looked away from Xu Chu and said gently: "I know that there are rumors about me and my stepmother in the residence, but I actually do not have any personal feelings for my stepmother. Steward mother and Ya Niang's relationship is very good, and she often enlightened Ying Er, she did not have the airs of a boss wife, and treated others very kindly. "
Xu Chu nodded, seeing how the Young Master Qian's words were gentle, but did not sound charming or guilty, she thought to herself that the two of them were probably alright. Previously, she had asked, on the day of the young madame's accident, she had been with the county magistrate's wife, admiring the chrysanthemum without leaving a single inch. She did not have any time to commit murder.
Seeing the Young Master Qian and Ying Er, Xu Chu then went to visit the successor mistress. It was also at this time that she found out that Ying Er had known about her background from the very beginning, and had even told her wife many times that the world was not fair. Unfortunately, no matter how dissatisfied she was in her heart, as long as Old Master Zhang didn't acknowledge her, she would always be a servant.
From the looks of it, Ying Er was even more suspicious. Ying Er grumbled in her heart, and yet she still managed to get an abortion using the pill called Zero Tomb Incense. And inside the infirmary, the shop assistant who was taking Ying Er's medicine suddenly took a leave of absence and refused to return. This matter was becoming more and more interesting.
After obtaining the answer he wanted, Xu Chu did not linger any longer. The Qian House's water was much deeper than she had imagined. And Young Master Qian, who had always been gentle and elegant, whose words were watertight, might not even be as deep and clean as he appeared to be.
As for the Master Qian and his stepwife … Xu Chu's eyes darkened, he then spat out a mouthful of impure Qi, that was the real trouble.
When he returned to the station where he had settled, the outside of the window was already pitch black. Xu Chu was bored to death as he fiddled with the pearl he had picked up from the Qian house. The Qian Family was rotten from the bottom of their bones. For a good family, they had to take responsibility for their own things.
After another quarter of an hour, when she had figured out many things, she yawned and climbed into bed. In order to reward her after solving the case in a few days, she had to at least have enough energy.
In the next few days, Xu Chu would go to the Qian House every day to count in, and then find some servants to chat. Up until today, she had almost figured out the situation in the Qian House. The mysterious successor wife who came to beat him up, the eldest follower who suddenly went home to visit him, and the Young Lady Qian who occasionally closed up to thank him …
When even Zhang family's old patriarch and his wife had their suspicions of Xu Chu, they saw that she was still casually wandering around the Qian House. Regardless of whether it was the peddlers or the shop, she would carry the melon seeds up and say a few words to them.
If not for King Jing'an's silence and summoning the ice cubes from the palace to help protect the corpse, even if the Qian and Zhang Family didn't start a fight, the corpse would have already rotted. After waiting for seven or eight days straight, Xu Chu finally tidied up and informed the Zhang Family to come down to the Qian House.
Before she got close to the gate of the Qian House, she saw a horse carriage approaching from afar. With a glance, she dodged to the side and leaned against the side of the road. He never thought that the carriage would actually stop by her side, and then the people inside opened the carriage and came out, it was the King Jing'an whom he had not seen for a long time.
Xu Chu was stunned for a moment, then remembered to pay her respects. She bent her legs and asked in a low voice: "This humble girl greets the Prince."
Since King Jing'an did not come out in public, he might not want to reveal his identity. Naturally, she wouldn't cause any trouble and delayed the case.
Xiao Qinglang looked at Xu Chu's face which had turned a bit white from the cold wind, and raised her eyebrows slightly, saying slowly: "I've already found that person for you, this time you owe this duke a favor." After a pause, he slowly added, "This time, This King does not want to eat any noodles."
The two of them were extremely close, to think that Xu Chu could actually smell the scent of the green bamboo, which could cause one's mind to become clear. She raised her head in a daze and saw that the person was standing in front of her, blocking her path against the wind. For some unknown reason, a slight warmth rose up from her body. She unconsciously licked her dry lips as she thought to herself that the words in the joke really did make sense. The so-called "beautiful women make a good meal" most of the time.
Xiao Qinglang saw the change in Xu Chu's expression, and only after a long while did he shift his gaze away. Such a woman, if she were to enter the Law Department, she would definitely be able to act impartially …
When the two of them entered the Qian House one after the other, everyone was already waiting at Wen Wanyuan. When Xiao Qinglang took his seat, he seemed to be absent-minded but was also brimming with interest as he said: "Everyone's here, you can speak now."
Although Xu Chu was personally invited by the Zhang Family, facing the Prison King, Xiao Qinglang, who was in charge of the Law Department, and could meddle in the Inner Court, she didn't dare to be impudent. After she spoke out permission, Xu Chu then walked to the bed and said unhurriedly: "Strictly speaking, the one who killed Young Lady Qian was not just one person, rather, it should be more accurate to say, it was not just one group of people …"
With just one sentence, it caused everyone to be stunned, especially the Zhang family's old master and his wife. Their bodies trembled, and they couldn't help but reveal a complicated expression filled with both grief and anger.
"This... My daughter is only a woman in the backyard. Master Zhang was terrified, he fiercely gazed at the Qian Family. In his heart, he already knew that his daughter's death was caused by the Qian Family. How could he not hate the death of his only daughter?
However, Xu Chu did not make anyone doubt him too much, and continued: "At the beginning, when I examined the corpse, I discovered that there were pressure marks on the young madam's back. Logically speaking, these marks should be on her belt or shoulders, but Young Lady Qian was found on the soft bed, there shouldn't have been such marks."
"After that, I checked the young madame's room. The door and windows were still intact and there was no possibility of the thieves committing violent acts. But at this moment, I noticed that the mandarin duck quilt covering the Young Madam's bed was still clean and new. Only her pillow cases were suddenly replaced with peach and plum branches. " As she said that, she looked at Young Master Qian, whose expression changed slightly. Seeing the Young Master Qian nod his head, she continued, "According to the marks on Young Madam's body and the corpses, we can conclude that Young Madam's back was under pressure at that time. However, if we were at a side where the chest and abdomen of Young Madam Mu were, there would definitely have been traces. The only possibility was that the place where the young madame had been pressed was smooth and without any uneven ground, or that it was supported by some soft material. In addition to the description in the file of the scene where the young madame had been found, it was not hard to confirm that the place was on top of the bed with the bed. This point is undeniable, so I believe that everyone here will not try to refute it. "
"So what? Changing the pillowcase is a very common thing, and not a big deal. " Because of King Jing'an, even though he was unwilling, he had no choice but to come. " "Just what exactly do you want to say? You don't need to keep us in suspense and just say it. Why are you deliberately trying to mystify us? We all know that."
Master Qian was impatient, so his tone was naturally not too friendly.
Xu Chu saw Master Qian's disgust, but she did not think that it was a pestle.
"It is nothing, but what if the embroidery on the changed pillowcase was torn by a fingernail and the pillowcase disappeared?"
Seeing that the Master Qian was still doubtful, Xu Chu replied to him, "Although changing the bedding is normal, I have asked the Young Master Qian. At that time, the Young Master Qian said that Wen Wanyuan had not moved since the day of the accident."
"I've also asked the servants who do laundry in the mansion before. According to her, there hasn't been any change of pillowcases in the manor recently." Xu Chu's expression was calm as she looked at the Young Master Qian at a moderate pace, "Young Master Qian, that day when we came to the Wenyuan Courtyard, you said that your knees were injured because of your mind, right?"
Seeing that, Xu Chu revealed a smile: "But if my guess is right, the injury on your left knee is not from the fall, but from the pressing on the side of the bed."
When his words fell, before Young Master Qian could react, the guards following him had already suppressed him down. In just a few breaths, they had already examined the wounds on his knees. Sure enough, it was not a lump of red and swollen flesh. It was a narrow wound from a collision. From the looks of it, the collision had not been light. There was already a bruise on it.
"Then what about the indentation on the Young Madam's back, there is also the mark of a jade pendant?" Xu Chu sighed and continued to analyze, "Actually, when I saw the jade pendant on Young Master Qian's body, I had already started to suspect it. Afterwards, I took advantage of the time when Young Master Qian was fighting with Old Madam Zhang to check the little patterns on the jade pendant.
"Young Master Qian is really smart, using the soft pillow as a weapon, making it so that there are no wounds on the young madam's body at all. Even if coroner had found out the symptoms of suffocation, he would have let go of the suspicion because his nose and neck were unharmed, not to mention that Zhao Zhaozhong was invited by A Sheng to have a drink at that time. After a round of drinking, he would probably be even less meticulous. "
In fact, the quickest way to determine the cause of death in the Young Lady Qian was not by using the traces on the surface of her body to deduce the cause, but by performing an autopsy. Even if one only needed to look at the temporal bone and rock sections to determine if they were blackened, they would still be able to determine whether they died due to sudden illness or violent suffocation. However, ever since she had transmigrated here, she was well aware of the world's taboos and fears when dissecting corpses. Thus, she would not use that method even if there was the slightest possibility of it happening.
"Because there are no skin and flesh between the nails of the young lady, coroner would rarely think of covering her face to death." After all, in this era, everyone was familiar with a few murders. They either left marks on the mouth, nose and neck of the murderer, or scratched his arm when he was on the verge of death.
This was probably an instinct, and the most commonly used judgement experience in coroner.
But what if the victim was pressed down onto the soft couch with her knees, and then covered her mouth and nose with a pillow? As long as the killer had enough strength, he wouldn't even need to make a sound to succeed. The only flaw was that with sufficient strength, it was very easy to leave behind other marks. For example, the knee marks on the dead person's body, or the jade pendant on his waist.
"This is just one side of your story, how can you prove it?" Not to mention, when his daughter-in-law died, Ji'er wasn't even in the mansion, so how could he commit such a violent act? " Master Qian was obviously angry, he even forgot that there was still a Duke sitting on the seat of honor, as he directly slammed the table and stared angrily at Xu Chu.
"Who said the Young Master Qian was not in the palace at that time? I went to the flowerbed to get the confidante of Tang San Ye to investigate. Although the Young Master Qian was drunk from drinking, the truth is that the beauty in the Young Master Qian's room had already left to tease her. When I returned to my room, the Young Master Qian was walking out of his room sleepily. Even though she had testified that Young Master Qian had been in flowerbed all night, she did not actually guard it. It can be said that she did not even know whether Young Master Qian had just woken up in his room or had just returned from outside. "
"Because everyone unconsciously felt that the hazy person must have just woken up. They felt that the Young Master Qian did not have the time to return to their residence to commit the crime. However, in reality, not only did he return to his residence, he also managed to deceive everyone. "
"How is that possible? Even if he had the time, how many people would be watching him on the way back from flowerbed? Could he still be invisible?" Master Qian could not suppress his anger and shouted, "Don't you dare accuse my son of being innocent."
"The Young Master Qian does not know how to become invisible, but he can change his clothes!" Xu Chu said word by word, "I followed A Sheng for a long time to visit his family on leave, but due to some coincidence, I saw him in the manor. After that, I asked the King Jing'an to help me and found me waiting in the pawnshop. Then, I looked at the pawnshop's pamphlet, and discovered that A Sheng had pawned a set of clothes before … "
Carving windows, embroidered drapes, originally a place of wealth and wealth, but silent at this time.
King Jing'an raised her eyes and saw that Xu Chu was wearing a dress that was slightly old. Even though he was standing at a place where it was bright and beautiful, it was unable to cover the solemness on her face and determination in the depths of her eyes. The autumn wind blew through the windows, causing the curtains to sway.
Inexplicably, Xu Chu looked at King Jing'an, and stabilized her trembling state of mind, she puckered her lips and looked at Young Master Qian, and said: "And what was in A Sheng's hand at that time, was captured …. It was the pair of mandarin duck pillowcases. Young Master Qian, do you need me to explain in detail how you managed to get back to your residence? "
At that time, Ying Er had informed her aunty about the wine, and she had slept soundly for a while. If someone had entered the house through the back door at that time, how could it have been difficult? Previously, the magistrate court had only asked the young master if the front door attendant was available. However, he had no idea that if he wanted to commit murder, the back door or even the dog hole would be accessible. What's more, the mark of the jade was the jade that the Young Master Qian was wearing.
Xu Chu looked at Master Qian, then looked at Young Master Qian's waist with a solemn expression, "I once asked Young Master Qian, that jade pendant was the one and only inheritance from the Qian Family."
Just as Xu Chu was talking about A Sheng, the Young Master Qian's face suddenly turned ugly, but she continued to stare at the bed without saying a word. After a long while, when everyone looked at each other, Young Master Qian finally looked at Xu Chu and asked, feeling neither happy nor sad, "And why do I have to kill my own wife? The friendship between Ya Niang and I since we were young, even if it's just a small affair with him, we still have a true relationship. "Moreover, I've never had the thought of marrying a concubine before …"