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

In an instant, the smile on the third in command's face froze.

The decapitated body, the head bleeding with tears, and everything that happened last night, all kept switching in the third in command's mind, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How is that possible?" the Third In Command couldn't help but blurt out.

"When I first met the owner of the manor last night, I couldn't believe it either. Why would an official wear official boots and come to this manor as the owner of the manor?"

As Lin Lezhi spoke, he walked to the side of Yan Jingyi's body and said calmly, "Now that we see the bones, we can probably guess the murderer's intention."

Yang Hancai asked in confusion: "Mr. Lin, could you please explain it more clearly?"

"Brother Yang, you said that County Magistrate Yan was a highly respected official who was loved by the people. When he left office, the people lined the streets to welcome him, right?"

Yang Hancai nodded quickly, "Yes, whether the officials are doing things for the people or not can be seen from the attitude of the local people. Although I didn't see the grand scene that day with my own eyes, it has been passed down by word of mouth among the people."

"The deceased was not only a good official in the eyes of the people, but also a manor owner respected by the three heads of the family. He was able to travel back and forth between Zhouqing Town and Yaren Village for so many years without being discovered. This shows that he must be a cautious person."

Lin Lezhi paused and continued, "Why would such a thoughtful person appear in Yaren Village wearing a pair of official boots and tell the people about Zhouqing Town? Isn't he afraid of being discovered?"

"So... Brother Lezhi wants to say that the murderer did it on purpose."

"That's right." Lin Lezhi confirmed Qingchuan's words and continued, "The murderer wants all of us to think that the person who appeared in the village last night was County Magistrate Yan."

"That's nonsense. Even if the fact that the owner of the manor is County Magistrate Yan is irrefutable, how can you judge that the person last night was not the owner of the manor?" The third in command still didn't believe it.

"I can explain this question, but before I do, I would like to ask the two heads a few questions."

"Stop dithering. Ask quickly."

"I wonder if the two heads of the family have been able to catch the traitor who sneaked into the village and modified the account books after their hard work all night?"

Although he looked reluctant, the Third Master still said truthfully: "No."

"Then let me ask again, who is the person in the manor who will never be suspected?" Seeing the two heads standing there in a daze without saying anything, Lin Lezhi continued, "Then let me ask it another way. Is it that only the owner of the manor who entered the room early in the morning did not conduct an inspection?"

"Nonsense, he's the owner of the manor, how can we..." The third in command was halfway through his words when he suddenly choked and stopped talking, with the disbelief in his eyes becoming even deeper.

"Yes, as long as he disguises himself as the owner of the manor, he can escape the inspection of the manor. The murderer only needs to sneak into the manor before that, tamper with the account book, and then disguise himself as the owner of the manor to come to the manor. This will not only clear his suspicion, but also ensure that his murder plan can go smoothly."

Under everyone's incredulous expressions, Lin Lezhi slowly said: "But he didn't think that a person's appearance can be covered by a black veil, but a person's hands can still reveal a lot of evidence."

"Everyone, look here."

Lin Lezhi squatted down, untied the rope tied around County Magistrate Yan's wrist, and displayed Yan Jingyi's right hand in front of everyone.

"A person's living habits will make his hands present different shapes. For example, people who often work and often touch farm tools will definitely have calluses on their palms. On the contrary, people who often write with a pen will not have calluses on their palms, but only on the part where they often hold the pen. County Magistrate Yan happens to be the latter."

After hearing what Lin Lezhi said, everyone looked at their palms. The location of the calluses on everyone's hands was slightly different.

"But unfortunately, the murderer didn't show his palm last night, only his fingers. The boss was stunned at the time, and it must be difficult for him to recall whether the murderer had calluses on his palms."

"You can't judge, why are you still talking nonsense for so long!" the third in command said impatiently.

"It's brown spots." Qingchuan said from the side.

"Yes, it is brown spots!" Lin Lezhi turned Yan Jingyi's hand over, and there were brown spots all over the back of his hand. Lin Lezhi looked at everyone and continued, "This kind of brown spots usually appear on people over fifty years old. It usually does not appear on young and middle-aged people."

"The lights were on in the lobby last night, and there were no brown spots on the back of the hand that was stretched out. So there is only one possibility: the person who appeared in the lobby last night was not County Magistrate Yan, but the murderer."

Yang Hancai couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried, so he asked, "But... why did the murderer do this? Even if County Magistrate Yan was the owner of the manor and used this method to gain benefits, he had never killed anyone in the manor. Why would he kill him and the second owner?"

"I don't know whether County Magistrate Yan is a good official, but I believe the murderer did this because he had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure."

Lin Lezhi looked at the refugees nearby, hesitated for a while, stood up and said, "The lives of refugees are lighter than dust in today's world. No one will care if they die, and it is even more difficult to appeal for justice."

"The wound on the young man's neck that died in the abandoned house was the same as the wound on County Magistrate Yan's neck. Perhaps the murderer wanted to tell us that the young man died in this way."

The word "slave" on County Magistrate Yan's forehead is so eye-catching, highlighting his presence.

"The life of a refugee boy is insignificant, but the life of a senior official is extremely valuable. The murderer may want to use this method to gain the attention of the government. This may give them a chance to re-investigate the unknown injustice that happened thirteen years ago."

Yang Hancai could not hide the regret in his eyes, "Killing someone just because of this, that's too..."

"Even if what you said is true, why did you kill my second brother? My second brother was just out to investigate the situation, how could he be killed like this?"

Lin Lezhi looked at the Third Master and asked, "I heard that the Second Master was an executioner before he came here. Is this true?"

"It's true." The third in command responded unhappily.

Lin Lezhi lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then raised his eyes to look at the two heads and said, "You are unaware that the owner of the manor is County Magistrate Yan, but... your second brother may be aware of it."

"What do you mean? Explain clearly!"

"The second in command is the executioner, and your manor owner is the previous county magistrate. The executioner is naturally under the jurisdiction of the government. According to the term of office of County Magistrate Yan, the two of them should have known each other for a long time. It is hard to say whether they had any agreement before entering the manor."

"This……"

"People who rarely deal with the government may not pay much attention to the shoes on the feet of the manor owner, but if the second in command thinks about it later, he will definitely find something wrong. But as to whether that person is the manor owner, I believe the second in command would not dare to draw a conclusion easily, so he can only find an excuse to leave the manor and find out the truth."

"You... why do you know so much about this matter? Is it... is it you who killed the owner of the manor and my second brother?" The boss who was standing aside suddenly pointed at Lin Lezhi and said.

Lin Lezhi blinked several times and tilted his ear, thinking he had misheard.

"Oh my goodness." Lin Lezhi exclaimed several times in a row, and then said, "It's not that I don't want to take the blame for the big boss, but I really can't. I'm a human, not a god or a ghost, and I don't have the ability to kill people thousands of miles away. How can I split myself out of that dungeon and kill people?"

If he had such an ability to see through everything, he would have gone home long ago instead of suffering here.

After hearing what Lin Lezhi said, the boss's face looked even more panicked.

Lin Lezhi turned around, looked at the body of the second in command on the ground and said, "If we were to say who the murderer is, the two in command of this village are the most likely suspects."

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

The third in command walked towards Lin Lezhi and was about to take out the dagger hanging at his waist, but Xiao Yihuo stepped in front of him first.

"You're looking for death again, aren't you?"

Xiao Yihuo smiled and said gently: "I don't have such an idea. Let Le Zhi finish what he has to say."

Looking at Xiao Yihuo who suddenly appeared, a hint of surprise flashed across Lin Lezhi's eyes, and then the corners of his mouth raised a little.

After spending such a long time together, I found that although Xiao Yihuo is a prince, apart from his mysophobia, he does not have any airs of a prince, and he is willing to help others when they are in trouble.

It is somewhat different from the sinister and cold Xiao Yihuo that I have created in my writings.

Lin Lezhi was actually a little curious. If he had not abandoned the book but finished writing it well, would he act as he wrote?

Seeing this, Yang Hancai was so frightened that he trembled several times on the spot. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed the Third Master, and humbly pleaded, "Third Master, please calm down. Master Lin is just deducing the case. He is not really saying that the murderer is the two masters. Let Master Lin finish what he has to say first."

"I have no intention of angering the two bosses, but the second boss's death was most likely caused by an acquaintance."

Lin Lezhi walked up to the second in command, lifted up his upper body, pointed at his chest and said, "You said before that with the second in command's ability, no one in this village should be able to kill him, but this weapon can go straight into his chest."

Third Master: "What does this mean?"

"It means that when the Second Chief was fatally wounded, he was not on guard. The only people in this village who could have made the Second Chief completely unguarded were probably the two Chiefs and the owner of the village. The two Chiefs did not leave the village last night, and the brothers in the village can all testify to this. The only one left is the owner of the village, the murderer."

"The second in command was tall, and the murderer couldn't kill him with one strike, so the murderer asked the second in command to leave the manor. The second in command didn't have time to determine whether the person in front of him was the owner of the manor, and was pierced through the chest by a sharp blade from above. When the second in command was stunned and unable to stand still, the murderer strangled the second in command's neck with a thin rope, killing him."

After saying that, Lin Lezhi laid the second in command flat, then stood up and looked at the two in command and continued, "If the refugees committed a capital crime, it would certainly not be a trivial matter, but there is no record of it in the local files, and no local people can tell about it. Without the help of the government, is it possible?"

"In other words, if the Second In Command didn't want to hide some truth, or County Magistrate Yan was afraid that he would reveal some truth, why didn't he just quit his job as an executioner and run to this remote place to become a despised human trafficker?"

When the Third In Command heard Lin Lezhi say that human teeth are despised by others, it was as if he was hit right in the spine. There was obvious anger in his eyes, but he gritted his teeth and hid his anger, with a ferocious look on his face.

"Then according to Lezhi, what exactly is going on with this matter?" Xiao Yihuo asked from the side.

Lin Lezhi pondered for a moment, and then said: "A young man died unjustly, and his body reappeared in the abandoned house thirteen years after his death. Since the murderer deliberately arranged this place to be exactly the same as the abandoned house, the boy's bones could not have been placed there randomly, it must have been intentional."

"What a good person is, he is a bad person!"

"The good guys you mentioned are not them. They are just a bunch of robbers. When they have money, they pretend to be rich and good guys. But they still do bad things in private. The people here hate them very much."

Lin Lezhi suddenly thought of something and clapped his hands, "That's right, this is it!"

"what?"

Lin Lezhi looked at Xiao Yihuo, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Lin Lezhi was about to speak when he saw the refugees standing nearby. He turned his eyes slightly and continued, "It suddenly occurred to me that the second in command's room might contain clues of his contact with the owner of the manor, which might be helpful in solving the case."

After saying that, Lin Lezhi looked at the two heads and said, "I wonder if you two heads can take me to the second head's room. The bodies of the owner and the second head may contain useful clues. They cannot be buried for the time being. I would like to trouble you two heads to take them back to the manor."

The third in command supported the first in command, and looked at Lin Lezhi with a murderous look in his eyes. He snorted angrily and said, "You can investigate whatever you want, but don't forget that tomorrow's sunset is your deadline. Since you are so keen on investigating the case, you should carry the person back on your back."

Lin Lezhi said with a playful smile: "Thank you for the reminder, Third Master. I will try my best to find the murderer."

Seeing that there were fewer and fewer people around, with only a few human traffickers left to guard them, Yang Hancai kept paying attention to the forest next to him, as if there was some giant beast hidden in the deep forest. He was very uneasy and asked in a panic, "Master Lin, do you think the murderer will come out to kill again?"

But Lin Lezhi was a little absent-minded at this moment. After a moment of silence, he responded: "Oh... I don't know either."

"If Master Lin doesn't even know you, there's no way this case can be solved."

At this time, Xiao Yihuo reached out from the side, holding a clean handkerchief, and said gently as if warm: "Lezhi, wipe your hands first."

"Thank you." Lin Lezhi replied a little dazedly. He took the handkerchief and prepared to wipe the blood off his hands. The moment he lowered his head, he found that there was some moss stuck on the blood on his hands.

It's strange. The woods around here are full of sunshine, so where is the moss?