Thinking of the prince who had been sent to Qiuling Mountain, it couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? But this jade pendant was hard to explain...
The county magistrate was glad that he had discovered the jade pendant early. Otherwise, if he offended some big shot, even ten lives of his wouldn't be enough to atone for it.
"Um... does Young Master Xin have any other discoveries?"
Wei Shuxuan watched the changing expressions of the county magistrate and his suddenly obsequious attitude. Her eyes scanned Xin Zizhao's back. Intuitively, she felt that the county magistrate had seen something from this man.
She lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and then stood up.
The county magistrate instinctively shouted, "What are you doing? Who allowed you to stand up?" Were there no laws at all?
Wei Shuxuan folded her arms and glanced at him. "He said I'm his friend."
Then, with a half - smile, she looked at the magistrate and said, "Do you know his identity? I advise you not to offend him." She was hinting that his identity was extraordinary, deepening the magistrate's suspicion and confusing the enemy's judgment.
The county magistrate instantly felt guilty.
Finally, having no other choice, he made an excuse for himself and announced that as long as Wei Shuxuan found the real murderer, he would release her. Then he dispersed the common people gathered at the yamen gate.
Wei Shuxuan didn't want to be jailed for no reason, so she had no choice but to investigate the case diligently.
She squatted down beside Xin Zizhao and watched him calmly examining the corpses. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. She was used to seeing corpses, and could remain calm even when faced with the most cruel and disgusting scenes. It was quite rare that this man could hold back from vomiting.
"I didn't say you're my friend," Xin Zizhao suddenly said.
Wei Shuxuan grinned. "But we are now."
Xin Zizhao glanced at her and said nothing more.
"Can you tell how these three people died? What weapon did the murderer use?" Wei Shuxuan watched him rummaging around. Although she had dealt with many cases, she wasn't a forensic doctor after all.
"I'm not a coroner," Xin Zizhao replied.
Wei Shuxuan silently complained in her heart. Then what had he been looking at for so long?
However, Xin Zizhao's next performance surprised her.
"I can't tell what the weapon was, but the cuts are messy and the technique is clumsy. The murderer should be a first - time killer. He doesn't know martial arts, but judging from the strength, he should be a man. The woman had a lump in her throat and blood foam in her nostrils. She was poisoned before she died and was silenced, probably to prevent her from shouting and attracting attention. There was a bump on her head, probably from hitting a stone. Judging from the stiffness of the corpse and the formation of the livor mortis, the time of death should be at least last night, but it could be earlier due to the cold weather."
Wei Shuxuan looked at him in surprise. Sure enough, those who studied medicine were all in the same league.
Xin Zizhao wiped his hands, stood up, frowned at the dust - stained hem of his robe, and looked rather unhappy.
Wei Shuxuan looked at the hairpins on the woman's head. They should be made of real gold and silver, so this woman should be quite wealthy.
She also stood up and looked at the county magistrate. "I want to go to the crime scene." Then she looked at Xin Zizhao. "You come with me too!"
Xin Zizhao frowned slightly with his good - looking eyebrows. "Why?" This had nothing to do with him. It was already meddling in other people's business for him to step forward. Why did this woman still ask him for help?
Seeing the suspicious look on the county magistrate's face, Wei Shuxuan pulled Xin Zizhao aside.
Xin Zizhao disgustedly removed Wei Shuxuan's hand. "Please behave yourself."
"Okay, okay, I will," Wei Shuxuan wiped her hand on her clothes. She didn't even want to touch him either. But now she had to rely on this man to get out of this trouble, so she naturally couldn't offend him.
"Brother, you've already saved me once. Just do me another favor! Otherwise, if I get beheaded, wouldn't your rescue be in vain?" Wei Shuxuan whispered to discuss.
Xin Zizhao glanced at her and said indifferently, "What does it matter to me?"
He had saved her on a whim before. Now, not wanting to save her anymore was also on a whim. Moreover, saving her seemed quite troublesome. He was even a bit regretful.
Wei Shuxuan was taken aback. After a moment, her eyes rolled as she thought about whether she had anything to trade with this man. After thinking for a long time, she finally came up with an idea.
"You're traveling alone, right? Is the place you're going to still a long way from here?"
Xin Zizhao thought for a moment and nodded. It was quite a long way to the capital, but why was she asking this?
"I can escort you to the capital. Then there will be someone to make a fire for you on the way. Hard - cold steamed buns don't taste good, do they? I can also roast meat, and I can wash your clothes. You should be a very clean person! It's easy for clothes to get dirty in the wild."
Xin Zizhao lowered his eyes. If someone made a fire for him, he wouldn't have to use his inner strength anymore, and he could save a lot of energy. He looked down at the dust on the hem of his robe. Buying a new set every time it got dirty did seem like a waste... He was a bit tempted.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Wei Shuxuan knew that he was a bit tempted. She clapped her hands before he could back out. "It's settled then!"
This was definitely a profitable deal. She could latch onto a long - term benefactor. Anyway, she didn't know who she was, and she could also have some fun and get familiar with the life here by following him. She couldn't lose.
Xin Zizhao acquiesced. Whatever. It seemed that he didn't have anything to lose anyway. At most, he would just waste some time, and he wasn't in a hurry.
"We're going to the crime scene. You can send some people to watch," Wei Shuxuan said, thinking that she could use them as errand - runners.
The county magistrate stared at the jade pendant on Xin Zizhao's waist and could only swallow his anger and agree. In case this was really an important figure, he really couldn't afford to offend him.
Wei Shuxuan and Xin Zizhao returned to the restaurant. Wei Shuxuan first asked several constables to guard outside to prevent anyone from destroying the scene. Then she ordered some food in the restaurant and sat inside with Xin Zizhao.
"I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving. Do you want to eat something too?"
Xin Zizhao shook his head. He had already eaten.
Since it was already past the meal time, the food was quickly served. Wei Shuxuan wasn't polite and ate ravenously.
Xin Zizhao frowned as he watched her eating, but he didn't show a disgusted look. He probably was already used to her unrestrained way of eating.
"You'll easily get indigestion if you eat like this," Xin Zizhao couldn't help but remind her after Wei Shuxuan was satisfied.
Wei Shuxuan waved her hand indifferently. "It doesn't matter. I'm used to it." In the police station, quickly and accurately finishing the meal was the top priority. As for the rest, it had to rely on a strong stomach.
Wei Shuxuan let out an unladylike burp, wiped her mouth, and stood up. "Let's go. Let's take a look."
The snowman outside had almost melted into a puddle of muddy water. The footprints around were in a mess, and it was impossible to find any clues.
She searched around and finally saw a blood - stained stone in the snowdrift. The woman's head should have hit here, but there was no spattered or stained blood around. Either the place had been cleaned too thoroughly, or the people weren't killed here at all.
However, it was impossible that there were no traces left. And it was impossible for the scene to be so clean when three people were killed. So this definitely wasn't the first crime scene.
She looked up at the restaurant. Several windows were open, and she had a hunch.