The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

Chapter 23 Full of Suspicious Points

"A young master from a prominent family who is physically weak and arrogant due to excessive drinking and womanizing."

"Given his status, why would he come alone?"

With a sense of doubt, Shen Lang turned his gaze back to the courtyard.

After Huang Cuier's body was thrown into the well.

The footprints lingered by the well for a moment, as if checking whether she would float to the surface, before quickly disappearing through the doorway.

The courtyard gate slammed shut, then popped open a crack, swaying precariously.

The murderer has left.

"He didn't even close the gate properly, and just swaggered away?"

Shen Lang was stunned by the mess in the courtyard.

"Everywhere you look, there are loopholes. Such methods can no longer be described as crude."

"How dare the people from the Ministry of Justice say that this case is 'beyond human capability, and suspected to be the work of ghosts'?"

Shen Lang was increasingly puzzled; the whole matter seemed like a fog, gradually enveloping his mind.

"The joint trial by the three judicial departments was conducted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who were performing the supervisory duties."

"Responsible for recording, reviewing, and supervising the investigation process."

"The authority to handle the case rests with the Ministry of Justice."

"The Embroidered Uniform Guards do not vie for power, but their indifference does not mean they will condone the Ministry of Justice's fabrication of wrongful convictions."

"The Ministry of Justice wants to reverse right and wrong, calling a deer a horse; the Embroidered Uniform Guard will not stand idly by."

"Not only the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but even those in the Court of Judicial Review who are used to smoothing things over will definitely not agree."

"Who would dare to treat the emperor like a fool? That would be madness!"

Shen Lang pondered for a moment, then put away the miniature space-time continuum and went inside.

The old woman was still quietly mending her clothes.

Shen Lang approached her and asked, "Grandma, who was the first to discover Huang Cuier's murder?"

The old woman's hand trembled, the needle wobbled, and she accidentally pricked her index finger, drawing blood. She hastily wiped it on her pants and said:

"It was I, the old woman, who reported the case."

Shen Lang moved a chair over and sat down next to her: "Tell me about what happened back then."

The old woman put down her needlework and recalled, "That day was Cui'er's day off."

"She was sick during that time and her body was very weak. I wanted to help her recover, so after finishing work at the brickyard, I didn't go straight home. I went into town first and bought a piece of meat."

"I'm slow on my feet, and I was also delayed on the road because officials were checking household registration and travel permits."

"By the time I got home, it was completely dark."

"Usually at this time, Cui'er would come out to greet me, but this time, the house was quiet."

As the old woman spoke, she began to lose control of her emotions, her hands clenched tightly together, and her whole body trembled slightly.

Shen Lang offered a few words of comfort, and she felt a little better before continuing:

"I felt something was off, so I went inside to look for her."

"We've searched everywhere, but we still can't find her."

"The stove was cold too. I thought she had gone out on something, so I went to the well to fetch water to prepare a meal..."

At this point, the old woman suddenly broke down.

"And then, then I found her body in the well!"

"She's not even of marriageable age yet..."

"Last month, when she came back from her holiday, she was still smiling and telling me, 'There's a happy occasion at the Marquis's mansion. The servants have all received bonuses. With what we've saved up, we'll be able to move to the city soon!'"

"But now, I will never see her again."

"My poor child..."

"Eh."

Shen Lang sighed again and gently comforted him, "Old man, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Please accept my condolences."

The old woman gripped Shen Lang's hand tightly, pleading, "Cui'er died so tragically! I beg you, sir, to do justice for her! Please!"

"rest assured."

Shen Lang patted the back of her hand and said in a deep voice, "No matter who the murderer is or where he is, I will bring him to justice!"

The old woman immediately trembled as she tried to get up and kowtow to Shen Lang.

"There's no need for that." Shen Lang reached out and helped her up.

"Tell me, what time did you return home that day?"

Without hesitation, the old woman replied, "It's exactly 7 PM."

Shen Lang then asked, "Did you notice anything unusual after you got home?"

The old woman shook her head: "No."

"No abnormalities?"

Shen Lang frowned slightly.

Less than three hours passed between Huang Cuier's death and the old woman's return home.

But he clearly saw the murderer throw the body away and leave without cleaning up any traces at the scene.

Could it be that the killer came back again halfway through?

Thinking of this, Shen Lang took out a few pieces of silver from his pocket and stuffed them into the old woman's hand:

"Autumn is just around the corner, and your windows and roof are all broken. How can this be allowed?"

"Go to town and buy some materials, I'll help you with the repairs."

The old woman quickly declined, saying timidly, "I dare not trouble you, sir."

"It's alright." Shen Lang waved his hand. "This money is from the government; you can keep it."

"Go quickly, I'll wait for you here."

After sending the old woman away, gray mist rose again in Shen Lang's eyes, and his figure transformed into a phantom as he entered the Real Sight Domain.

He wanted to know who had cleaned up the crime scene.

The timeline is set after the killer leaves.

Shen Lang stood by the well, waiting quietly.

About two hours later, the gate opened silently.

A trail of footprints appeared in the courtyard.

Shen Lang looked them over carefully and muttered to himself, "Six people, all of them are skilled in martial arts."

After entering, the six footprints dispersed.

Some went into the inner room, while others tidied and swept in the yard.

The scattered firewood was re-piled up, the cart was returned to its original place, and even the footprints and drag marks left behind were swept away.

Within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the scene was restored to its original state.

Footprints gathered at the wellhead.

"Are they going to retrieve the bodies?" Shen Lang watched silently.

However, at that moment, their footsteps suddenly moved toward the door in unison.

Immediately afterwards, handfuls of sand were thrown over, covering up all the traces they had left behind.

The gate opened, then closed again.

"Gone?"

Shen Lang paused for a moment, then went back and looked at it again.

When they left the well, none of the footprints changed.

In other words, these people did not take the body with them.

After a moment's thought, Shen Lang knew the answer.

"It's past 7 PM, and everyone who went to work at the brickyard has returned."

"They didn't want to be seen, so they left in a hurry."

"These people who came to clean up the mess are definitely in cahoots with the murderer."

"But unlike that murderer, their methods were very professional."

"It seems I was right, the killer's identity is definitely not simple."

"Why didn't they come together?"

"Go back in time again!"

Shen Lang temporarily suppressed his doubts and anchored the timeline to the moment before Huang Cuicui's death.

This time, he didn't physically enter; he simply observed every corner carefully from a god-like perspective.

"Um?"

Shen Lang strode into the thatched hut and lifted up the wooden bed.

After some searching, he plucked a strand of golden tassel from a crevice against the wall.