When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

Hearing this, Jiang Lian'an's eyes flashed with surprise, but his expression was not the slightest bit flustered or embarrassed. Instead, he seemed very calm. He raised the corner of his mouth and asked, "Brother Lezhi, what do you mean by this?"

Seeing Jiang Lian'an's calm attitude, Lin Lezhi smiled slightly and said with a firm look in his eyes: "I want to say that the whole case was discussed by Magistrate Chang and Detective Jiang Gui from the very beginning."

Upon hearing this, everyone present was shocked.

"How is it possible? Detective Jiang Gui is a well-known chivalrous man. How could he conspire with County Magistrate Chang to kill someone? It's absolutely impossible!"

Zhou Yuanliang couldn't believe it and couldn't accept what Lin Lezhi said.

The people around also found it difficult to accept this possibility, and said that Jiang Lian'an was not the kind of person who would do such a thing.

"Yes, Jiang Guitan came to the town at noon on the day before the Lantern Festival, and it has only been four days since he stayed at the Jianghe Inn. The strange incident on the lake island happened two months ago. How can this not match up?" Deng Yang was confused, with doubt in his eyes, and questioned: "Lin Lezhi, are you kidding me?"

"Yes." Jiang Lian'an said with a smile: "When I arrived at the inn that day, many people saw it with their own eyes. Brother Le Zhi, you were there, and I have been traveling with you since then. I have only met County Magistrate Chang a few times."

Jiang Lian'an turned to look in the direction of Xiao Yihuo and his group, and said with a smile: "That day, Brother Xiao, Brother Qingchuan, and Brother Liu were also in the inn, and they can all testify for me."

"Now the case is getting more and more confusing. Brother Lezhi is eager to catch the murderer. It is understandable that he made a mistake in his haste."

"Detective Jiang is right. I was indeed wrong."

Lin Lezhi gave an inconsistent response. When Hong Mingxu saw Cheng Su's obviously unhappy expression, he scolded him, "Lin Lezhi, what do you mean? Now everyone is trapped on this lake island, life and death are unpredictable, and we don't have time to listen to your jokes."

"Captain Hong, calm down."

Lin Lezhi spoke to calm Hong Mingxu, and then said calmly: "When I said I was wrong, it didn't mean that my judgment was wrong, but that what I said was not accurate."

Lin Lezhi paused, looked at everyone and said, "The beginning I mentioned does not start from the strange incident in Huaifeng Village, but from the time we set foot on the lake island. Also, I only said that this case was discussed by County Magistrate Chang and Detective Jiang Gui, but I did not say that Detective Jiang Gui planned the murder together."

"Just be clear, don't beat around the bush!"

Cheng Su urged with an annoyed look on his face.

"Yes, General." Lin Lezhi nodded slightly, his eyes calm as he said, "I will explain all the clues I have so far in detail. I believe that everyone will naturally make their own judgments after listening to me."

"For a case as big as Huaifeng Village, just the placement of the puppets on the island, the digging of the tunnel, and the burial of the bones, these few things, even if you take one of them alone, will take up a lot of energy and effort, and it is definitely not a few days' work."

"Chang Feizhang is the magistrate of Qujiang County. He has endless official duties to deal with every day. There are dozens of eyes in the yamen watching his every move. Outside the yamen, almost all the people in the town know what he looks like. Naturally, he can't avoid being watched by so many people and come to the lake island to make arrangements."

"So, if Chang Feizhang wants this to go as planned, he needs an accomplice to help him come to the lake island to make arrangements and complete the plan in his mind. What Chang Feizhang has to do is to order a blockade of the ships at an appropriate time, prohibiting everyone from going to the lake island, and let everyone know that the candles in Huaifeng Village were lit."

"Accomplice?" Liu Yunhe thought for a moment, then quickly looked around at everyone present. With a hint of worry in his eyes, he looked at Lin Lezhi and asked, "You said that Jiang Lian'an only discussed this matter with County Magistrate Chang and did not participate in the murder. Then...are the accomplices in the murder among us?"

Lin Lezhi smiled and said with certainty, "Chang Feizhang's accomplices did come to the island with us."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions instantly became solemn. They looked at the people next to each other, feeling suspicious and fearful, and all looked uneasy.

"But he was carried in."

When Lin Lezhi said this, Xiao Yihuo, Qingchuan, and Cheng Su had already thought of something, and their eyes darkened slightly.

Jiang Lian'an stood aside with a faint smile on his face, saying nothing.

"Carry him in?" Liu Yunhe's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed slightly, guessing: "You mean... Wu Sanshan?"

When they first entered the lake island, the only things that were carried along were rice, grains, and related evidence, and the tragically dead Wu Sanshan.

"Yes, it's Wu Sanshan."

Seeing that Liu Yunhe's brain was working so quickly, Lin Lezhi showed a little relief in his eyes, and then confirmed Liu Yunhe's inference.

After receiving Lin Lezhi's affirmation, Liu Yunhe felt a little happy and even a little proud, but the emotion of disbelief still dominated the majority of his feelings.

"So Chang Feizhang was afraid that Wu Sanshan would betray him later, or that he was afraid of being blackmailed by Wu Sanshan, so he planned to kill Wu Sanshan to eliminate future troubles?"

Hearing Liu Yunhe say this, a trace of pain rose in Lin Lezhi's eyes, and there was also a hint of inexplicable emotion in it.

Then, Lin Lezhi shook his head slightly, his eyes flickering as he said, "I think... Wu Sanshan's death was probably something that even Chang Feizhang didn't expect."

Lin Lezhi paused, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "At that time, a sacrificial boat full of lanterns sailed over the lake, and soon after, blood overflowed from the boat onto the lake, and then the fire spread throughout the boat, burning the boat, and then Wu Sanshan's body floated out of the boat."

"Throughout the whole process, Chang Feizhang was horrified and pale, and he was so frightened that he couldn't even speak clearly. Chang Feizhang had been an official for more than a decade and had seen all kinds of bloody and cruel cases, so why would he be so frightened when he saw a severed hand that was salvaged? Moreover, he said at that time that he didn't know Wu Sanshan."

"I think a person's subconscious reaction is not deceptive and is the most real. Moreover, in that situation, he looked terrified. Isn't that even more suspicious? So, I think Chang Feizhang did not expect Wu Sanshan's death."

"Do you think that Chang Feizhang is not suspected of killing Wu Sanshan just based on his expression? What kind of evidence is that? If an abnormal expression is considered evidence, then everyone present cannot escape responsibility and is suspected of killing Wu Sanshan. I think you are just talking nonsense!"

Hong Mingxu said unhappily, thinking that Lin Lezhi was talking useless nonsense.

In response to Hong Mingxu's rebuke, Lin Lezhi did not show any panic or hesitation. Instead, he looked determined and said slowly, "Captain Hong is right. One person's expression is not enough to serve as evidence. As for... whether I am talking nonsense, someone will tell us the answer in person."

"Who?" Hong Mingxu asked impatiently.

"Wu Sanshan."