There is a god in the sky

Chapter 109 The Strange Case of Fuchunju 7

Shen Lan did not join the search; instead, she squatted down and drew a relationship diagram of the six deceased.

The fifth victim was a palace eunuch who worked as a gardener in the Princess Consort's courtyard.

Such a person should have little contact with others, so how could they be associated with a coroner?

A shadow fell around her.

Shen Lan tilted her head and saw a seven or eight-year-old boy squatting beside her, staring at the picture she was drawing.

“You didn’t draw this well,” he said, pointing to a spot.

Shen Lan looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that it was the gardener she had drawn, who had casually drawn a pot of flowers instead.

"Is it because the flower wasn't drawn well?"

"Yes, the peonies in the Princess Consort's courtyard don't look like this."

"But I didn't draw any peonies." She just drew one casually, and she didn't even know what kind of flower it was.

"Xiao Linzi is best at growing peonies, and he can grow all kinds of peonies, so why don't you use peony to refer to him?"

Shen Lan was surprised.

"Young master, do you know what I'm drawing?"

"Of course, the people you wrote about are all related to this case. They're looking for the sixth body, right?"

"Yes, young master also enjoys solving cases?"

"I don't like it." The little boy was downcast, and it was clear that something was bothering him.

Shen Lan had just heard the eunuch introduce the young prince's family members and learned that his eldest son was eight years old and was born to Consort Liu.

The Princess Consort has only given birth to one daughter so far and has not yet been granted a title.

"Does the young master know Xiao Linzi?"

Xiao Linzi was the eunuch who died.

"Yes, I have seen him. He once sent flowers to my mother."

Shen Lan sensed a glimpse of information, but unfortunately, she couldn't grasp it.

The little boy asked, "You're a girl, why are you helping them solve cases? Aren't you going to get married?"

Shen Lan teased him, "Does a woman have to get married?"

"Yes, how can a woman survive if she doesn't live independently and get married?"

Shen Lan also knew this; she and Wei Laodao were father and daughter, and the householder recorded on the travel permit was also Wei Laodao.

If Master Wei passes away in the future, she will not be able to establish a household on her own; she will have to get married or find a master.

Seeing how cute he was, Shen Lan reached out and patted his head. "Women are no less capable than men, they just lack opportunities. If you want to survive, you have to work harder than men."

"Clap clap clap!" Applause came from behind.

Shen Lan stood up and turned around to see a beautifully dressed woman standing behind her.

"What you say is very true, young lady. It's a pity that even if we women put in the effort, we can never achieve anything."

The boy ran up to the beautiful woman and bowed respectfully: "Mother, what brings you here?"

"I told you not to run around, why didn't you listen?" The woman tapped the boy's forehead, smiled at Shen Lan, and took the boy away.

Shen Lan knew that this was Consort Liu, who was indeed beautiful and dignified.

The young prince had many wives and concubines, but he always lived in Fuchun Residence, which suggests that he was not particularly interested in beautiful women.

She wiped the drawing off the ground with her foot and walked around looking at it.

All six victims were connected to the young prince, so the murderer was most likely someone close to him.

This was definitely a case committed by someone known to the victim.

"Roar……"

"What is that sound?" Shen Lan heard a faint roar of a beast.

A passing official told her, "There is a zoo behind the Prince's mansion, where some rare and ferocious beasts are kept. That sound just now must have been the Tiger King."

After thanking her, Shen Lan walked towards the back of the mountain.

The officer called out to her, "Coroner Shen, the Animal Park has high walls and iron fences; you can't get in without someone leading the way."

Shen Lan asked, "Who should lead the way?"

"At least the manager of the zoo should have the key."

Shen Lan found Xiao Ji and told him that she wanted to go to the animal park in the back mountain.

"The Beast Garden? Even if we went there, we wouldn't find any corpses, would we?" Sui Feng joked from the side.

If the murderer had really dumped the body there, it would have been devoured by wild beasts long ago.

"Go and take a look." Xiao Ji unconditionally supported Shen Lan.

The manager of the zoo was a lame old soldier who had retired from the battlefield.

"You may enter the Hundred Beasts Garden, but I must state beforehand that the beasts inside are ferocious by nature, and I will not be responsible for any accidents that may occur."

Sui Feng scoffed, "The young prince has some rather unusual hobbies. Can you really keep a wild beast as a pet?"

The steward said coldly, "The Hundred Beasts Garden was built by the Prince when he was young, and it has nothing to do with the young prince."

He took the keys and went to open the door.

The closer you are, the clearer you can hear the sound.

Shen Lan was quite certain that there were indeed quite a few ferocious beasts in the back mountain.

Won't they run away?

Although the Prince's Mansion is not in the bustling city center, it is still within the city; even a tiger running out would be a disaster.

"No, they're all locked up."

Shen Lan quickly understood the meaning of those words.

There are rows of iron cages in the back mountains, where the fierce wild beasts are kept, while the animals that roam freely are not dangerous.

Shen Lan felt as if she had entered a zoo, and even saw some animals she had never seen before.

"Do you have the key to this animal park? Can anyone else come in?" Shen Lan asked casually.

“The Princess Consort also has a key, but she has never been here before.”

"What do these wild animals usually eat? How many people feed them?"

The manager assumed she was just curious, and that the little girl had probably never seen these animals before.

He knocked on the iron fence and said, "Eat whatever you want. Like this tiger king, he only eats meat and can eat a whole sheep a day."

Shen Lan stared at the fabric in the corner of the fence and asked, "You don't dress up the food, do you?"

"Young lady, you're quite the joker..." The steward followed her gaze, his eyes widened, and he went over to use a stick to lift the piece of cloth.

"This is..." he exclaimed in surprise, "Help! Help!"

There had been incidents in the zoo where zookeepers were killed by wild animals, and he assumed that another servant had been murdered.

Shen Lan examined the piece of cloth; it was ordinary cotton, stained with blood.

Xiao Ji frowned and instructed Sui Feng: "Go ask Wu Wu, the writer, when he left the city, what color clothes he was wearing, and whether he brought any luggage. Ask carefully."

He followed the wind and went to carry out his orders.

Xiao Ji put his hands in his sleeves and turned to look down at the Prince's Mansion below.

If the murderer is hiding in this mansion, it would be too easy for him to come and go from Fuchun Residence without arousing suspicion from the servants there.

All the servants from the zoo came; not one was missing.

Upon seeing the fabric on the ground, they all shook their heads, indicating they had no idea what had happened.

"Could it be a cloth bag for storing food?" a servant asked cautiously.

Xiao Ji walked up to him and asked, "Who was in charge of feeding this tiger yesterday?"

"Yes...it's me."

"Were you in the zoo from late afternoon to late afternoon?"

"The little ones were fed for the last time at the end of Shen time, and they went out around the beginning of You time after that."

"Has anyone from outside come in during this period?"

"No," he answered firmly.

Looking at the vast animal park, Shen Lan asked curiously, "With such a big place, how would you know if someone came in?"

The man hurriedly explained, "That's right, to prevent wild animals from running out and hurting people, we lock the doors when we go in and out, so it's impossible for outsiders to enter."

"I see."

You can't determine anything from just a piece of cloth, and according to him, it wouldn't be easy to bring the body in.

Unless... that person has the key to the zoo.