Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Chen Shao blocked the two children's gaze from looking at the body and asked Li Tianliu first: "Have you seen anyone suspicious since you came here?"

Li Tianliu said coldly: "No."

Chen Shao continued: "Have you sent people to search the surrounding area?"

Li Tianliu asked impatiently: "Is it me who is investigating the case, or you?"

Chen Shao said coldly: "If you don't want to, you can go back anytime."

Li Tianliu sneered: "If it weren't for the favor that Duke Chen's Mansion had done to our Li family, and you were the only one left, do you think I would be willing to suffer this here?"

Chen Shao said calmly, "So you know that Duke Chen's Mansion has done a favor for your Li family?"

"Fuck you..." Li Tianliu raised his fist, but met her mocking gaze that said, "This is what you Li family call repaying a favor." He punched the door wall next to him angrily, "I searched, but found nothing!"

Chen Shao glanced at the hole where his fist had left it and kindly reminded him, "Before I left Beijing, I told you not to waste money on this trip. Remember to pay for the repairs later."

Li Tianliu laughed angrily, looked at her fiercely and said, "Okay, I'll remember this!"

Chen Shao turned to the people who had been invited over and said disapprovingly: "Do you all know Du Zhong?"

Several people lowered their heads and nodded one after another.

Chen Shao asked the landlord and his wife separately: "Are there only four of you in your family?"

The old man trembled and answered, "I have another son. He works for others in the county town and comes back for two or three days at the end of every month."

Chen Shao nodded and then asked, "Did you buy the furniture in this room, or did Du Zhong buy it?"

The old man replied, "We bought them all."

Chen Shao asked again: "What about the teapot and teacups?"

The old man replied, "We also bought it."

Chen Shao: "How many teapots and teacups did you buy?"

Old man: "A teapot and two teacups."

There was only one teacup in the room.

Chen Shao told Fu Jiu, "Go look around the bamboo forest at the back to see if you can find another teacup."

After Fu Jiu left, Chen Shao asked the officer of the Household Department alone, "Have you seen it carefully? Are you sure the body hanging inside is Du Zhong?"

The official from the Ministry of Revenue took a quick look at Du Zhong's body and lowered his head: "It's Du Zhong."

Chen Shao motioned him to lift his feet, looked at the pattern on the soles of his shoes, and asked, "Were these clothes and shoes issued by the prefectural governor's office?"

The official in the Ministry of Revenue took a quick look at Zhang Boshan and replied in a low voice, "I rented it from the prefectural governor's office for twenty coins."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Zhang Boshan said anxiously, "These clothes and shoes are all distributed for free. After your service is over, just wash them and return them!"

The official took two steps back in fear and whispered, "I didn't lie. If you don't believe me, you can ask other officials."

Zhang Boshan was about to explain, but Chen Shao interrupted him and asked the household officer, "What's your name?"

The official from the Ministry of Revenue replied, "I am Cen Yuanzhi."

"Cen Yuanzhi, I'll remember you. We'll talk about renting clothes and shoes later. Now let's solve Du Zhong's case first," Chen Shao said gently, "Who rented these clothes and shoes?"

Zhang Boshan was afraid that Cen Yuanzhi would reveal something he didn't know, so he quickly answered, "Forced labor, labor service in various government offices."

Chen Shao looked at the clothes on the corpse, and then at Cen Yuanzhi's clothes: "Except for the different colors of the clothes, everything else is the same?"

Zhang Boshan still rushed to answer: "Yes, they are all the same, the fabric and pattern are the same."

Chen Shao didn't rush to conclude that the murderer was also an officer. She waited a moment, then looked at Fu Jiu who was carrying the teacup back. She asked, "Where did you find it?"

Fu Jiu handed over the teacup: "It's behind the bamboo forest."

Chen Shao took the cup and looked at it carefully. After confirming that it was the same set as the cup in Du Zhong's room, he handed it to the owner and his wife. After they also confirmed that it was the same set, he instructed Fu Jiu: "Go into the room and search the cabinets carefully."

Then, she turned to Zhang Boshan and said, "Two things. First, bring Du Zhong's body back to the prefectural governor's mansion and have the coroner examine it immediately. Second, have everyone in the prefectural governor's mansion, including the servants, gather back immediately."

...

It was past midnight and the rain not only did not stop, but got heavier.

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.

The prefectural government was brightly lit.

Officials, clerks, and servants all returned at the urgent summons and gathered in the second hall, where the sound of whispers was like that of a vegetable market.

After questioning Ding Lisheng in the side hall, Chen Shao came out and sat on the desk. After everyone had quieted down, he slowly spoke: "Anyone under five feet two inches tall, go wait outside."

The crowd froze for a moment, then quickly started to move. The Yulin Army was guarding outside, and no one dared to take advantage of the situation.

After all those shorter than 5 feet 2 were gone, Chen Shao glanced at the twenty or so people who remained and ordered again: "Those with shoe sizes smaller than 8 inches 6, stand aside."

There were only five people left in the center of the hall, and all five of them were servants.

Chen Shao continued to instruct: "Lift your feet up and show the soles of your shoes."

The five people hesitated for a moment before they sat down on the ground, raised their legs and exposed the soles of their shoes.

Chen Shao walked down from the table, carefully observed the soles of several people's shoes, stepped back a few steps and said, "Everyone, stand up and put your hands out."

The five of them stood up and obediently extended their hands.

Chen Shao: "The back of your hand is facing up."

The five of them turned over.

The backs of the five people's hands were all rough and dark, but...

Chen Shao pointed at the second person from the left and signaled Li Tianliu: "That's him, arrest him."

"I wonder what I have done wrong?" the officer who was named asked in panic, not daring to resist.

"Of course it's because you killed someone." After letting the Yulin Guards arrest the man, Li Tianliu challenged, "I just don't know how Master Chen Liu determined that he killed someone?"

Chen Shao sat back at the desk unmoved, "What's your name?"

"I am Qi Gao." Seeing that Li Tianliu supported him, Qi Gao mustered up his courage and asked, "What crime have I committed?"

Chen Shao quickly flipped through the list of lawyers and found his name. "You don't admit to murder?"

Qi Gao said: "I didn't kill anyone."

Chen Shao raised his eyes and looked at him. "Shortly after I arrived at the prefectural government, Lord Ding took the law officers to Xiaochang Village to investigate a case. Where were you while they were investigating?"

Qi Gao avoided her gaze, looking flustered, "I am not feeling well, I need to rest at home."

"It seems that he won't cry until he sees the coffin." Chen Shao gestured to Fu Jiu who had just returned, "Please invite Master Zhang and the others in."

Zhang Boshan and others came in and were surprised to see Qi Gao being escorted by the Yulin Guards.

Zhang Boshan asked carefully: "Sir, this is..."

Li Tianliu interrupted him impatiently and challenged him again: "Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us now!"

"What's the hurry?" Knowing that he wanted to avenge his previous grudge, Chen Shao said calmly, "Du Zhong was strangled to death, not committing suicide. This can be verified by the coroner of the prefectural government. I will tell you a few reasons why he was arrested."

"First, when a person is strangled to death, there will be strangulation marks. The purple strangulation marks on Du Zhong's neck are about twelve inches and six inches long, almost the same size as his hands together."

"Secondly, since Du Zhong was strangled to death, he must have struggled during the process. In the gaps between the fingernails of Du Zhong's hands, there are traces of flesh that were dug out by the murderer, which is completely consistent with the injuries on the back of his hands."

Regarding these two points, Chen Shao was naturally trying to deceive Qi Gao.

The size of the hands together can be manipulated to a great extent. The scars on the back of the hands are also likely to be coincidental.

If we want to identify someone, we can only rely on DNA.

But due to limited conditions, she could only use words to attack his psychological defenses.

"Third, there are two people's footprints in Du Zhong's room, one is Du Zhong himself, and the other is the murderer. The murderer's footprint is 8.7 inches, and there are only two people who meet this condition." Zhang Boshan and others subconsciously looked at Qi Gao's feet, and then looked at another servant whose feet were the same size as his. Chen Shao also took a look, "But the murderer usually uses his left foot to exert force, which causes the left shoe to wear more than the right shoe. In terms of footprints, the left footprint is deep, but the pattern is shallow, and the right footprint is light, but the pattern is clear."

"There is only one person who meets this condition."