Chapter 151: The Case of Patricide
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Alcohol?” The mbers of the Qingxian Society were taken aback by Magistrate Lu’s observation.
“Lu Ping,” Lu Xuan called.
“Present!” Lu Ping’s voice was loud and clear.
“Take your tools and examine the body in the river… Be careful to approach from that side to avoid disturbing the scene,” Lu Xuan instructed.
“Yes!” Lu Ping, carrying a bag of coroner’s tools, circled around to the body without disturbing the cri scene.
He turned the body over and frowned. After a brief examination of the victim’s face and a check of the nose and mouth, Lu Ping announced loudly, “Lord, this man… drowned! There’s a strong… sll of alcohol on his body!”
The Qingxian Society mbers were visibly surprised.
“I have a keen sense of sll,” Lu Xuan remarked calmly.
“Magistrate Wu, Advisor Cheng,” a mber of the Qingxian Society spoke up, “Even though this man drowned and had been drinking, isn’t it possible that soone killed him elsewhere and then dumped his body in the ditch?”
The speaker, nad Bo Kai from the Bo family, was regarded as the leader among the Qingxian Society mbers present.
“Brother Bo’s point is not without rit,” Cheng Lingzhu nodded. “However, the evidence at the scene suggests that there was no second person present. Look at the footprints on the ground; they are not deep, which matches the slim build of the deceased… Later, we can have Lu Ping compare the footprints. If a murderer had carried the victim here, the combined weight would have left much deeper impressions.”
Bo Kai had to agree with her logic. “Advisor Cheng is wise; I was not thorough in my thinking.”
The footprints near the riverbank were clear and intact. Even though a significant ti had passed since Li Xian found the body, attracting many curious onlookers, the scene remained well-preserved. This was partly because the body was discovered in the morning, a ti considered inauspicious for such discoveries in local custom, prompting people to keep their distance despite their curiosity.
“Lu Ping, can you identify the victim?” Lu Xuan asked.
“I… I don’t recognize him! We might need Li Xian to co over,” Lu Ping replied. He was not from the eastern part of the city and couldn’t possibly recognize everyone in Qingxian City.
“Bring Li Xian here,” Lu Xuan ordered the yan runners. They promptly escorted Li Xian to the front.
“Li Xian, do you recognize this person?” Lu Xuan pointed to the body in the river, which Lu Ping had turned over to reveal the face. Despite so mud and sand on the face, the basic features were still identifiable.
Li Xian looked and showed a surprised expression: “Responding to the lord, I recognize him. His na is Sun Hong, and he lives in the east.”
“Tell about this person,” Lu Xuan requested.
“This…” Li Xian hesitated for a mont before speaking, “Well… This man, he was a gambler.”
“A gambler?” Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow.
“Not to hide anything from you, lord,” Li Xian continued, “Sun Hong was addicted to gambling and also loved to drink. Before gambling, he drank; after gambling, he drank whether he won or lost. He would go out every night to gamble and wouldn’t return ho until noon the next day. I’ve seen him on the road before, staggering drunk, barely able to walk straight, as if a gust of wind could knock him over. Due to his gambling, his family was impoverished.
Everyone in the nearby villages knew him; he had a reputation for thievery…” Li Xian poured out everything he knew about Sun Hong.
“Returning ho at noon?” Lu Xuan nodded slightly. “Lu Ping, can you estimate the ti of death?”
“Responding to the lord,” Lu Ping looked up, “It should have been… Yesterday, around noon.”
“So, Sun Hong died on his way ho yesterday,” Cheng Lingzhu concluded.
“Did Sun Hong have any family mbers?” Lu Xuan asked.
“He had a wife and a son. Back then, Sun Hong hadn’t yet fallen into his gambling vice…” Li Xian recalled, “But his wife and son suffered greatly because of him. They worked the fields, and the money his wife earned from sewing and nding was also gambled away by him. After losing, Sun Hong would beat them while drunk. I heard… Recently, he even planned to sell his wife…”
“So, Sun Hong was not a good man,” Lu Xuan nodded.
“That’s true, lord,” Li Xian agreed. “In my opinion, his end is likely divine retribution for his actions.”
Lu Xuan made no comnt on this. “Do you know where Sun Hong’s ho is?”
“Yes, lord,” Li Xian responded promptly, “Sun Hong’s house is nearby. I can take you there.”
Lu Xuan turned to Bo Kai and the other Qingxian Society mbers. He then asked, “Will you accompany us?”
The Qingxian Society mbers exchanged glances. Bo Kai shook his head and responded, “Since it’s likely an accident, we won’t go. We’ll leave this matter to Magistrate Wu and Advisor Cheng.”
After hearing Li Xian’s description, Bo Kai also understood Sun Hong’s family’s financial situation..
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