The crowd automatically made way for the man to pass through. Standing in the main hall, the man seemed a bit at a loss, not knowing what to do.
"May I ask your name, sir?" Shen Zhang stood up and asked the man.
"My surname is Zhang. I'm a few years older than you," the man replied to Shen Zhang, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Great. Then I'll call you Brother Zhang. Brother Zhang looks really strong!" Shen Zhang sized up the man and said.
"Hehe, not bad. I'm a coolie at the dock. I don't have any other skills, just a lot of strength," Brother Zhang said, patting his chest with a smile.
"Okay. Since that's the case, I'll have to trouble you, Brother Zhang. Please pinch my neck with your hands. Just here!" Shen Zhang pointed at his own neck and said to Brother Zhang.
"This... How can I pinch you? What if I hurt you?" Brother Zhang hesitated and didn't dare to act.
"Come on, don't be afraid, Brother Zhang. Just do it. It'll be okay," Shen Zhang assured Brother Zhang. "Just pinch here. If I really can't bear it, I'll shout."
Only then did Brother Zhang reach out his hand and put it on Shen Zhang's neck, but he still didn't use any force.
Seeing this, Shen Zhang smiled helplessly. "Come on, Brother Zhang. Don't be scared. Use your strength. Put all your might into it! Don't let everyone look down on you!"
As soon as Shen Zhang said this, the commoners outside burst into laughter, mocking Brother Zhang for being less decisive than a woman. Brother Zhang's face immediately turned bright red.
"Now, please imagine that at this moment, Qin An opens his eyes. He sees a man above him, and that man is pinching his neck with both hands. So Qin An starts to struggle. Everyone, please watch carefully later! I'll perform it for you!"
"Okay! This time, I'll really use my strength. You be careful!" This time, Brother Zhang didn't hesitate. He stood behind Shen Zhang, facing the commoners outside, and pinched Shen Zhang's neck with both hands, gradually increasing the pressure.
At the same time, Shen Zhang closed his eyes. After feeling the pressure on his neck, he opened his eyes in an instant. He then painfully reached out his hands to try to break the hands on his neck.
The veins on Shen Zhang's hands were bulging. His two hands were tightly pushing the hands away. His eyes were wide open, looking a bit scary. His feet were kicking back and forth non - stop. Of course, he also scratched a series of bloodstains on Brother Zhang's hands.
"Let... Let go! Let go!" Shen Zhang's voice was very weak because of the extreme discomfort, but Brother Zhang behind him still heard it and immediately let go.
"Cough! Cough!" A large amount of air suddenly rushed into his lungs. Shen Zhang immediately coughed violently in discomfort. His body was also a bit unsteady. If Brother Zhang beside him hadn't supported him in time, he might have fallen to the ground.
"Just now... Cough... Everyone saw it!" As soon as Shen Zhang felt a bit better, he immediately started to speak. "I struggled very hard just now! Even Brother Zhang's arms were scratched like this!"
Shen Zhang pointed at the wounds on Brother Zhang's arms and gave him an apologetic smile.
The commoners below pointed at Shen Zhang and glanced at the bloodstains on Brother Zhang's arms, chatting animatedly.
"I believe Lord Liang saw it just now too! I struggled very hard just now, and this was when I was mentally prepared. Considering that Qin An was drunk at that time, I believe his struggle would only be more intense than mine."
"However, when I examined Qin An's body yesterday, I didn't find any signs of struggle on him. I wonder if such a situation is reasonable? How will Lord Liang explain it?"
At this moment, Lord Liang finally realized that he had fallen into Shen Zhang's trap. But now he was in a dilemma. It was he who had agreed to Shen Zhang's request and allowed him to prove his point. Moreover, he had also agreed to Shen Zhang's series of statements just now. If he were to deny Shen Zhang's conclusion now, it would seem that he had an unclear stance.
So, Lord Liang didn't answer Shen Zhang's question immediately. Instead, he looked at his private advisor and asked for his opinion. Lord Liang's private advisor was a middle - aged man with a goatee. He signaled something to Lord Liang.
Based on their years of tacit understanding, Lord Liang immediately understood.
"We need to ask the coroner about this matter! Someone, summon the coroner!"
"My lord, since we've summoned the coroner, might as well bring Qin An's body into the hall too so that we can conduct a verification on - site," Shen Zhang immediately added after Lord Liang gave the order.
"Fine. Then bring Qin An's body up too," Lord Liang saw Shen Zhang's determined look and knew that if he didn't agree, Shen Zhang might cause more trouble.
The coroner soon entered, followed by two yamen runners carrying Qin An's body.
Since Qin An's body was carried in, Shen Zhang's eyes had never left it. He examined it bit by bit, not missing any details.
"Coroner, did you find any signs of struggle on the deceased Qin An when he was being choked?" Lord Liang asked while winking at the coroner.
The coroner was an old man in his fifties or sixties with poor eyesight. Although he knew that Lord Liang must be hinting at something, unfortunately, his eyes were too dim to see clearly. He could only look at Lord Liang blankly.
But in the end, he knew he couldn't delay for too long. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to tell the truth. "Your Honor, I didn't find any signs of intense struggle on the deceased."
Lord Liang looked at the coroner, his face changing several times. He was so angry that his beard almost stood up.
"I wonder if there are any other injuries or marks on Qin An's body besides the finger marks on his neck, such as on his legs or arms?"
Seeing that Shen Zhang asked so carefully and this was his job, the coroner didn't hide anything. "Apart from the finger marks, there is a bruise on the right calf of the deceased. It seems that he hit a heavy object."
"In your opinion, did the bruise occur before or after his injury?"
"This..." The coroner shook his head. "It's hard to tell. The bruise is too fresh to determine!"