There is a god in the sky

Chapter 123 The Strange Case of Fuchun Residence 21

Xiao Ji was also furious.

"Judging cases is based on evidence, not on imagination, and certainly not on personal preferences."

Did the Prince thoroughly investigate the cause of their deaths, reason step by step, and listen to the suspects' explanations in his judgments?

Take Magistrate Mu's son, for example. He was a playboy, a gambler, and he did indeed steal money from his family.

But his family and friends all said he was filial, but he was timid and cowardly, and he wouldn't even dare to kill a chicken.

But the murder weapon that killed Magistrate Mu was an axe, right? It almost chopped off Magistrate Mu's entire head.

Do you think he could still gamble after killing his own father? He showed no signs of anything amiss when he was caught.

Is this realistic?

The young prince, with his neck stiff, said, "That was just a facade he was putting on. What murderer would admit to committing murder?"

He's a truly wicked person!

"Alright, then let's move on to the case of Miss Ning's suicide. She died in her own room by hanging herself. How did Yang Shuo break into the Ning family and kill her?"

Putting everything else aside, couldn't the coroner determine whether it was suicide or homicide?

"How can you distinguish between suicide and homicide? Besides, it was all his fault. Miss Ning died for love, how can he remain unscathed?"

Shen Lan couldn't help but interject: "This humble servant believes that all your wives and concubines in your household are fond of you. Could it be that you reciprocate their feelings in every way?"

That's fine, but what if a commoner woman fell in love with you? Would you still marry her?

Not marrying him is considered ungrateful?

The young prince frowned. "How can you, a woman, utter such cold words?"

Shen Lan choked for a moment, and only after taking a deep breath could she suppress the anger in her heart.

There's nothing wrong with the young prince; as long as he doesn't get involved in cases, he's a good person.

But he happens to love investigating cases the most.

What a headache.

Xiao Ji got back to the main point, "Leaving aside other things, Chef Niu came out of the kitchen at 7 PM today, saying he was going home. By then, he had already drunk about a pound of osmanthus wine."

Everyone in the kitchen can testify that he was already drunk when he left.

Anyone who has drunk alcohol knows that it takes a while for the effects of alcohol to kick in. He had met other people on the street who said that he couldn't even walk straight.

He drinks every day, and everyone is used to this, so they don't take it to heart.

There was frost tonight, and the edge of the pool was slippery. He slipped and fell in when he reached the edge of the pool, struggled in vain, and drowned in the pool.

His time of death matches, his symptoms match, and everyone's testimonies match. If it was homicide, how could the killer have committed the crime so perfectly?

People in this era rarely have counter-surveillance capabilities; to commit a perfect crime, one must be a highly intelligent criminal.

The previous cases illustrate this point; the murderer deliberately arranged things so that even when the truth came out, someone else would take the blame. That's really impressive.

A gentle female voice reached everyone's ears.

"How could you be so careless? Quickly go and fetch clothes and shoes for Lord Xiao to change into."

Everyone turned their heads and saw a dignified and beautiful woman walk in.

Looking at Xiao Ji again, I noticed that he was still wearing those shoes covered in mud.

The butler hurriedly sent a servant to fetch clean clothes and went to greet her, asking, "Madam, what brings you here?"

“The two prefectures are not far apart. I heard something happened, so I came to check it out.”

Upon entering the room, the Princess Consort took off her cloak and handed it to a maidservant beside her, then bowed to the young Prince.

The rest of the people bowed to her.

The prince reached out and gently helped her up.

Shen Lan, with her sharp eyes, noticed that just as his hand was about to touch the Princess Consort's sleeve, she suddenly withdrew her arm.

Is this couple having a bad relationship?

However, the Princess Consort's gaze towards the young prince was exceptionally tender and filled with boundless affection.

"Your Highness, please calm down. Solving cases cannot be rushed. Lord Xiao is experienced and has a skilled coroner to assist him. He will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

The young prince didn't want to discuss the case in front of her, feeling it was an insult to his own incompetence.

"This place is not peaceful. Don't come here unless you have to."

"With the Prince here, how can I remain uninvolved? Let me accompany you."

The young prince was clearly appeased. He instructed his servants to tidy up the princess's room and also dispatched half of his guards to protect her.

This treatment was completely different from that of Aunt Mu.

Shen Lan felt that she was being too sensitive, and that what happened just now was probably just a coincidence.

There were no questions about Chef Niu's case, and Xiao Ji changed into clean clothes and prepared to go back.

It was already past midnight, and he didn't want to watch the sun rise.

Before leaving, Shen Lan glanced at the Princess Consort again. She was talking to the young prince with a smile on her face, which made people feel comfortable and at ease.

It's perfectly normal for the young prince to be attracted to such a beautiful and dignified woman.

Upon leaving Fuchunju, Shen Lan saw Chef Niu's family kneeling beside the deceased, weeping bitterly.

The gatekeeper of Fuchunju came to chase people away.

"Go on, if you want to cry, go home and cry. He died by falling into the lotus pond while drunk. The prince is kind and gave you funeral expenses, you should be grateful."

His words were harsh, but even a seventh-rank official has to stand before the prime minister, let alone someone whose master is a member of the imperial family.

The Niu family didn't dare utter a single complaint and carried Chef Niu's body away.

Just as they were about to leave, they heard the doorman change his tone and say, "Manager Zhen, are you going out so late?"

A man walked out of Fuchun Residence. It was someone Shen Lan recognized; he was the lame steward she had met at the Prince's Mansion before.

He replied coldly, "Yes, bring the princess over."

"Then walk slowly."

After the man came out, he saw Shen Lan and her group, nodded slightly, and then left.

Shen Lan asked in confusion, "Isn't he the manager of the Hundred Beasts Garden? How come he's also the Princess Consort's personal attendant?"

The princess consort would not have followed him out in the middle of the night unless they were very close.

Hearing her words, the gatekeeper explained, "Steward Zhen is a maidservant of the Princess Consort. Our Princess Consort comes from a military family; her maiden family is the General's Mansion of Huaihua. When she did her dowry, she was accompanied by a hundred-man guard."

Shen Lan had a sudden inspiration.

She thought of Officer Ma, and the expert who broke into Xiao Ji's room at night to steal.

A person of higher status than Consort Mu, with many capable soldiers under her command—it would be incredibly convenient for the Princess Consort to do anything illegal or disorderly.

However, she shouldn't have doubted the Princess Consort so easily; that woman seemed exceptionally gentle and kind.

"Thank you for your explanation." Shen Lan said, and returned to the backyard of the government office with Xiao Ji.

Xuan'er was already asleep. She quietly tidied herself up and went to bed before dawn.

She slept until noon, when she heard voices in the courtyard. Shen Lan stayed in bed for a while before getting up.

Xuan'er heard the sound and pushed the door open, carrying a food box in her hand.

"Sister, get up and eat quickly, we've already reheated it twice."

As she set out the dishes, she said, "The food for lunch today was delivered from across the street. They said it was personally ordered by the Princess Consort, and it's all good food."

Shen Lan sat down at the table and saw a table full of dishes, including delicacies from land and sea, which showed that a lot of thought had been put into it.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No, it's no fun eating alone. I'll wait for my sister."

"Okay, please sit down."