The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

[Was I fooled by my wife? If I didn't fancy that pretty boy, why did my expression change after seeing him comforting another woman?]

Lu Qingchen's thoughts almost made Qin Miaoxi choke on her saliva. "Cough cough! What kind of look is that? Stop your wild thoughts."

She's already begging for mercy!

Lu Qingchen pressed closer, his hot breath landing on her lips, causing a slight tickle. "Does my wife know what I'm thinking?"

Two figures overlapped and reflected each other, their lips almost touching, their breaths seemingly intertwined, as if they were about to touch and merge.

Qin Miaoxi looked up and gazed into a pair of deep eyes, which were filled with solemnity and reverence, just as he had said before.

She shoved the person away abruptly and awkwardly asked towards the door, "Where is the maid who found the body? I want to see her."

"At this."

Lu Qingchen steadied himself and quickly took a few steps to bring a timid woman from outside.

“Recount everything you saw in detail.”

The woman was a maid in the Wang family. This morning, while cleaning the master's courtyard, the candlelight in the room suddenly lit up. She then saw a person hanging from the roof beam. She screamed in fright and ran out.

"that's it?"

That's all...

The woman lowered her head and nodded haltingly.

"At what time did you last see Master Wang?"

"戌...戌时 (Xu hour)".

"You're lying." Qin Miaoxi grabbed her right hand, her fingers slender, except for a broken nail on her index finger. "You gave Master Wang deer antlers and left scratches on his back."

"Oh! So it was you. Did you kill my father?"

Wang Xiangxiang slapped the woman across the face, leaving a bright red five-finger mark on her pale cheek. The woman knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Miss, it wasn't me! I don't know how to kill the master!"

"Who else could it be but you? I'll strangle you, you murderer."

Wang Xiangxiang's eyes turned bloodshot. She gripped the woman's neck tightly with both hands, and soon the woman's eyes bulged out, and her breathing and struggling movements became weaker.

Qin Miaoxi's eyes were cold and sharp. The moment she exerted force with her wrist, there was a soft "click" sound. Wang Xiangxiang cried out in pain unexpectedly and released her grip on the woman.

The woman, her hair disheveled, collapsed to the ground, gasping in pain. She stared at Wang Xiangxiang in terror, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

Qin Miaoxi squatted down in front of the woman, "Even now, won't you tell the truth?"

The woman nodded repeatedly. According to her confession, she was actually Master Wang's concubine. After returning from the other residence, the master became irritable and violent. Seeing that Madam Wang was not there, she had wicked thoughts. Before the master went to bed, she gave him deer antler and used the guise of serving him to seduce him.

Hearing her words, Qin Miaoxi finally realized what was missing, "Master Wang was murdered, why hasn't Madam Wang appeared yet?"

The constables explained, "Madam Wang went back to her parents' home to take refuge. The Wang family's residence is under lockdown, and no one has informed her yet."

Lu Qingchen smiled sarcastically, "It's true what they say, 'Husbands and wives are like birds in the same forest; when disaster strikes, they fly away separately.' She's afraid of getting herself implicated but doesn't even take her daughter with her. This Madam Wang is quite heartless."

Wang Xiangxiang's already pale face was now completely devoid of warmth, so pale it was almost transparent, and she looked like she was about to shatter.

Qin Miaoxi nudged his lower back and warned him in a low voice, "If you can't speak properly, then shut up. Don't talk about things that have nothing to do with the case."

"Tch, I think this so-called philanthropist of the Wang family is all show and no substance; what you see isn't necessarily true."

Qin Miaoxi remained noncommittal. There's no smoke without fire; she never completely trusted anyone and maintained a hesitant attitude as her guiding principle.

She continued to ask questions related to the case, "When did you leave the dormitory?"

"The hour of Chou (1-3 AM)".

"So you were the last person to see him."

"But the master was still alive when I left. I swear, I didn't kill anyone." The maid was terrified, but judging from her demeanor, she wasn't lying.

Qin Miaoxi deduced in her mind that the time of death was at 3:00 AM, which meant that the murderer killed her shortly after she left.

Can anyone prove you're not here?

"Yes, my roommate, Cai Die, saw me go back to sleep when I was 10 o'clock."

"Did you see any suspicious people around here before you left, or is there anyone else Master Wang is going to see?"

"No, the master was tired and went straight to sleep. It's impossible that he made an appointment with anyone else, and I didn't see any suspicious people near the courtyard."

Her words were confirmed by the patrolling servants, who also saw no suspicious persons.

There were only ligature marks on Mr. Wang's body, with no other traces left by the murderer, indicating that it was a fatal blow.

The killer was swift and filled with hatred for the victim, but... "How did the killer leave the bedroom?"

As she spoke, she looked up at the roof, her face deep in thought.

Lu Qingchen glanced at it a few times and said, "It's impossible to walk from above. There's a thick layer of dust on the roof beams. If you walked on it, you would definitely leave shoe prints."

He brushed the latch by the window and continued his analysis to himself, "It's not a window. Although there are many windows in the dormitory, they are all locked. The latch is a mortise and tenon structure, so it's impossible to tamper with it from the outside."

"The same logic applies to the front door; the only possible exit is through this dog hole." The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. "Is it possible that the murderer also possessed the ability to shrink from bone?"

"Is bone-shrinking kung fu that easy to learn?"

"Of course not." Lu Qingchen complained bitterly, but quickly wiped away his bitter face and said proudly with his head held high, "That's a virgin skill. I almost died at the hands of my master back then, but luckily I have extraordinary bones and mastered it after just a few moves."

However, Qin Miaoxi's focus was not on this. "So as long as you can endure hardship, you can master it?"

"How could that be? This is a secret technique, not some common trick. Do you think you can just learn it whenever you want?" Lu Qingchen, like a smug rooster, waited for his wife's praise and admiration.

Unfortunately, his little scheme ultimately failed, as Qin Miaoxi's attention was diverted by the person who had barged in.

"Young Master, there is a suspicious man outside the door."

Anger flashed across Lu Qingchen's face, and she excitedly ordered, "Bring him in quickly."

"You gave the order?"

"Well, since the murderer isn't the Ghost-Faced Judge, the real culprit might return to the scene to admire his masterpiece. I've already blocked the news of Master Wang's death immediately, so the person who appears now is most likely the real culprit."

Qin Miaoxi nodded in agreement, "Continue."

Lu Qingchen was greatly encouraged. "It would be difficult for outsiders to enter the heavily guarded Wang family and commit crimes without leaving a trace, but the people inside the mansion would not have such concerns, and it would be easier for them to do so."

"Therefore, while keeping an eye on the outside of the mansion, I also sent people to investigate the people inside. I expect to get results soon."

Qin Miaoxi made no attempt to hide her admiration, giving him a thumbs up decisively. "You're starting to look more and more like someone from the Dali Temple handling official business."

"Young Marquis, the person has been brought."