Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Stay calm. She is a forensic doctor. She is not good at investigating cases. This is the first time she is responsible for investigating such a large criminal case alone without any help. It is normal to encounter setbacks. As long as she stays calm and slowly sorts out all the clues, she will definitely find a breakthrough.

It doesn’t matter if you can’t find a breakthrough. At worst, you can just check it again from the beginning.

It has only been a little over two months since she took over this case, even if we count from the time she left the capital. Judging from the clues found so far, she has done a good job.

Cheer-ing himself up over and over again, and building up his mental strength over and over again, Chen Shao finally forced himself to calm down.

After drinking half a glass of water, Chen Shao sat down, looked at the case files and the documents he had found, and sorted them out again patiently and carefully.

The murderer will tie a Type 8 knot.

The murderer has no shortage of money.

The murderer killed people to vent his hatred.

The murderer may have a hidden disease in that area.

The murderer may have been pregnant more than once.

The murderer had a carriage.

The murderer was about five feet two inches tall, about sixty years old, weighed 120 to 150 pounds, and had feet about seven inches and eight inches long.

The murderer was very familiar with the villages and towns in the northwest of Hongyuan County... Thinking of this, Chen Shao suddenly remembered that when she asked the people in each village and town who the outsiders who often came to the village were, the villagers all said it was Pi Ziyun and his people. So, let's change the way of thinking. The fields of the gentry and nobles living in the county town are scattered in these villages and towns. When these gentry and nobles go to the villages and towns, will the people in the villages and towns not regard them as outsiders?

Thinking of this, Chen Shao immediately ordered Fu Jiu: "Go and call Ding Lisheng over."

After Ding Lisheng came over, Chen Shao looked at him.

After half a month of running around, he was much thinner and his skin was darker than when they first met. As he nervously called out "Young Master", Chen Shao said, "Go tell the generals guarding the city gates that from now on, cars and people must be searched when entering and leaving the city gates! Any car with blood on it will be stopped! Anyone with a wound on the right thumb will also be stopped! In addition, arrange for people to patrol day and night, especially at night, and anyone with unusual behavior will be stopped immediately! Also issue a notice, asking the people of the city to report those who have not come to the prefectural government today..."

After asking Chan Yi to take out the tree knot that Lao Zhou had tied earlier and hand it to him, Chen Shao continued, "Have someone tie a few more knots like this and post them with the notice. Then announce that anyone who didn't come to the prefectural government today but can tie this knot will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver and 10 acres of good farmland as long as they successfully report the crime!"

She wants to lock the murderer in the county town and not dare to act rashly!

Ding Lisheng immediately made arrangements.

As the people who received the compensation left the prefectural government and announced everything they had experienced today, the county town instantly became lively. People were discussing this matter in almost every corner of the streets and alleys.

At the beginning, the focus of the discussion was almost entirely on Chen Shao's process of identifying the murderer.

As the process spread, information such as the murderer's height and leg length also spread quickly.

Afterwards, the focus of the discussion shifted to the compensation that Chen Shao would give them after the investigation was completed.

This is the first time in history.

Although they don’t have much money, common people, both in ancient and modern times, are the easiest group to satisfy.

What they saw was not the money, but the respect that Chen Shao had for them.

Words praising Chen Shao came out of these people's mouths naturally. Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. At first, it was just normal praise, but as the praises went on, she was gradually deified.

In the process of becoming more and more deified, Ding Lisheng quickly passed on the orders from Chen Shao. With the deification in front of her, the people not only quickly accepted it, but also praised her for her seriousness and responsibility. At the same time, the enthusiasm for reporting was unprecedentedly high.

Anyone with an injured right thumb? Then start by checking the people around you.

In this lively atmosphere, another five days passed in the blink of an eye.

No unusual people or carriages were found at any of the city gates.

There are a lot of people with injuries on their right thumbs. They only meet this condition but not the other conditions.

While everyone was helping to catch the murderer, Chen Shao was not idle either. After she and Xu Guang and Ding Lisheng went through the case files of the past 20 years and confirmed that there were no reports of the murder or disappearance of the elderly, wives and children, she did not give up. After sending Ding Lisheng and Xu Guang to inquire about people in the county who had experienced multiple marriages, she also went to the streets.

If the murderer's entourage was afraid of the murderer's authority and did not dare to rashly go to the prefectural government to file a complaint, then she hoped that her actions would give courage to the murderer's entourage.

However, after walking the streets for three consecutive days and watching at the four city gates for another two days, apart from the various forces who tried every means to make friends with her, no one risked their lives to report her, and there was no news of the murderer.

Even though Chen Shao had great patience, facing such a situation, his mood became heavier day by day.

After studying the case file and the information found by Xu Guang and others for who knows how many times, Chen Shao tried to calm down and began to figure out how the murderer could hide under such a tight net.

Chan Yi came forward with a cup of tea, looked at the piles of evidence she had sorted out, and carefully reminded: "Could the murderer have left Hongyuan County?"

This possibility cannot be ruled out. Since the murderer is familiar with the villages and towns in the northwest, her every move while investigating there will naturally not escape his eyes. Thinking of this, Chen Shao pondered for a moment, called Fu Jiu in and said, "Go and call Mr. Zhang over."

Zhang Boshan was scolded a lot these days because he liked to make promises, but he was slow to do things and always wanted to evade responsibility. When he heard that he had to go to Chengfeng Courtyard again, he instinctively shrank for a moment, then came over with his head down, knelt on the ground with his neck shrunk, and said nothing, just waiting to be scolded.

It's a bit like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water.

Chen Shao was inevitably angry when he saw him like this, but he quickly suppressed his anger and said, "Tell everyone in the prefect's mansion to go to the second hall and wait. I have something to tell you."

Instead of being scolded, a smile immediately appeared on Zhang Boshan's face. Subconsciously, he forgot the pain and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will definitely..."

Chen Shao interrupted him coldly: "You have half an hour to find all the people for me."

Zhang Boshan quickly swallowed the second half of his words and left eagerly.

More than half an hour later.

The people from the prefectural government gathered in the second hall.

When Chen Shao entered the second hall, everyone fell silent.

Sitting down at the desk, Chen Shao scanned everyone and said, "Eight groups of five people each will take turns to be on duty at the city gate. Ten people will make sixteen groups each and take turns in the morning and afternoon to search every house in the streets and alleys for people who have left Hongyuan County for nearly a month and have not returned."

It's just a matter of dividing into groups. Zhang Boshan quickly stepped forward and subconsciously wanted to start making arrangements with the yamen runners. Chen Shao stopped him and said, "You will take the lead in guarding the city gates, and the six military officers will lead the team to search the four streets and eight alleys. Let's start with those of you who hold official positions and the staff of each department. The rest of you will stay in the prefectural governor's mansion and be at my disposal at any time."