There is a god in the sky

Chapter 304 Dead Man

Magistrate Xu was somewhat timid.

He knew what outsiders said about him, but now Xiao Ji was the Chief Censor personally appointed by the Emperor, and going against him would definitely not end well.

But he is not someone who can be easily manipulated.

"What does your Excellency want to say?"

Xiao Ji asked him to sit down and said calmly, "The case I am investigating is quite complicated and spans a very long period of time, so I need the help of an official like Lord Xu."

Do you remember the cult that was eradicated fifteen years ago?

"Back then, I had just joined the Judicial Commissioner's Office, and this matter concerned the Ministry of War, not the Judicial Commissioner's Office, so I only heard some rumors and didn't know the details. Wouldn't it be better if you went back and asked Lord Xiao?"

"Yes, but the Criminal Investigation Department must have handled quite a few cases later. Were any cult members arrested?"

"Well... apart from the old man you caught last time, there don't seem to be any related cases."

"Think carefully. For example, a criminal might like to kill unmarried women, or there might be a notorious womanizer, or someone who likes to practice martial arts in a cellar. Find out anything that is suspicious."

Magistrate Xu was not incompetent; on the contrary, before Xiao Ji took office here, he handled most of the cases in the Judicial Commission.

He also realized that Xiao Ji had not deliberately made things difficult for him, so he stood up and said, "Please wait a moment, sir, I will look for it right away."

As soon as Magistrate Xu left, Suiying came in and handed Xiao Ji a letter.

"It was brought by a little beggar," Suiying said in a low voice.

The envelope was unremarkable, but Xiao Ji opened it and found a poem written on it.

This was his secret signal with the Second Prince; it seems he's about to make a move.

Shen Lan, carrying a suitcase, knocked on the gate of Qingfeng Garden.

She came for a follow-up appointment.

Upon seeing her, the gatekeeper said irritably, "Our young master instructed that you don't need to come anymore. Go away."

Shen Lan blocked the door and asked curiously, "Why? Has your wife recovered?"

"What's so good about it? Our lady is dead, the young master is dead, and now almost all the servants here have left."

Shen Lan almost thought she had misheard.

How could that be? She couldn't guarantee the mother's safety, but the baby should have been fine. How could it have died?

Besides, aren't Doctor Chen and the others still inside? If there really was a problem, he should have sent someone to invite me.

Just as the door was about to close, Shen Lan stepped inside to stop him from closing it.

"I want to see Physician Chen!"

"Doctor Chen is not here."

"What about the other two doctors?"

"Since everyone is dead, of course they've left too."

"Where is the body?"

"What's wrong with you? If you keep causing trouble, I'm going to report you to the authorities!"

Shen Lan was completely unfazed by his threat. She pushed open the door and said, "If you don't let me in to see for myself, I'll report you to the authorities myself, not you!"

Shen Lan barged in, easily breaking through the guards who tried to surround her.

When she rushed into the backyard, she found that none of the servants behind her had followed her in, and the yard was quiet.

Shen Lan didn't even see the mourning hall. No wonder she felt strange earlier. If the mother and son were dead, why wouldn't Xie Jingfeng even handle their funeral arrangements?

But is it necessary for the doorman to lie?

Unless there is only one possibility, that is, Xie Jingfeng killed the person, and love turned into hatred.

Thinking of the baby that looked like it was full-term, Shen Lan had a bad feeling.

If Xie Jingfeng firmly believes that the child is not his own, he might actually do something extreme.

"Where is your young master?" Shen Lan asked, grabbing a maid as soon as she saw her.

She recognized the maid; she was the one who took care of He Qingqing.

The maid hesitated, looking completely lost, and said, "Young Master... he... he's gone mad."

"Where is the man?"

The maid pointed inside, and Shen Lan let go of her and rushed in, only to witness an astonishing scene.

In the patient's bedroom, Xie Jingfeng sat blankly in a chair, with two corpses, one large and one small, lying on the bed.

The corpse was already emitting a foul odor; no wonder there wasn't a single servant in the courtyard.

The ground was littered with debris, a complete mess, and even the door was half smashed.

Shen Lan had just taken a step inside when she heard Xie Jingfeng say coldly, "Get out!"

"How did they die?" Shen Lan walked up to him and asked.

Xie Jingfeng's eyes finally focused, and he recognized Shen Lan, laughing self-deprecatingly.

"It's you! You're too late, far too late..."

"May I see them?"

Shen Lan walked towards the bedside without waiting for his consent, and Xie Jingfeng did not stop her.

She immediately noticed the strangulation marks on the corpse's neck; the lividity was already quite obvious.

Both adults and children died from the same cause: they were strangled.

The size of the fingerprint clearly indicated it belonged to a man, leading Shen Lan to conclude that Xie Jingfeng was the murderer.

"You killed them, and now you regret it?" Shen Lan didn't know what she was feeling. She felt cold all over, and at the same time, she felt a little ridiculous.

She went to great lengths to save people, but two hard-won lives were easily extinguished.

Xie Jingfeng covered his face and let out a low laugh. "I killed her, so what? This bitch already had a man, and she even cheated on me with her lover."

Hahaha... How ridiculous of me! I abandoned my wife for her, and people criticized me for favoring my concubine over my wife, but I'm happy to accept it and I have no regrets whatsoever.

I even thought that once she gave birth, I would bring them back to the mansion, and they would definitely not be shortchanged from the family fortune.

But do you know how she planned it?

She wants to give birth to this bastard child, forcing me to divorce my wife. After that, I will definitely marry her. Once she kills me, they can inherit the Xie family's property openly and legitimately.

Isn't that clever? Didn't you scheme and plot?

Xie Jingfeng burst into wild laughter.

Shen Lan suddenly didn't know what to say.

If the facts are as he says, then it's difficult to judge who is right and who is wrong.

"Death is the greatest tragedy. In that case, Young Master Xie should feel fortunate that he recognized her true colors sooner."

However, in your current state, not only are the servants frightened, but your family members will also feel it's not worth it.

You're simply upset because you feel deceived by the person you love, and you can't save face.

With such a large family business as the Xie family, you'll encounter all sorts of people and all kinds of scams. Can you guarantee that you'll never be scammed in your entire life?

As the eldest son of the Xie family, it's truly despicable that the young master is troubled by love.

The corpses are already rotting. What does it prove by guarding two rotting corpses? A real man should take responsibility for his actions, even if he falls, he should get back up.

Shen Lan unleashed a burst of attacks, then left.

Once she figured out the cause of death of the mother and child, she knew she couldn't handle such a matter, nor was she so full of righteous indignation that she would report the two deceased to the authorities to seek justice.

As she left Qingfeng Garden, she felt that the sky had darkened considerably.

The box in her hand was a bit heavy; she had brought extra medicinal herbs today, but she hadn't expected to need them.

Sure enough, her toolbox was only suitable for autopsies, not for saving lives.