Chapter 553: Unnecessary
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Be it the people on the boat or the people on the shore, they were all frightened by this shout.
Xiao Juan immediately asked Lo Pingsha to call someone.
Soon, more than ten Eagle Guards rushed over.
They jumped into the river and swam in the direction the boatman pointed. Soon, a female corpse came out of the cold river.
Lo Pingsha was already prepared. After the female corpse was placed, he immediately squatted down and began the preliminary examination of the corpse.
Xiao Juan glanced at the surrounding onlookers and ordered the Eagle Guards to temporarily seal the event location to prevent the commoners from getting too close to the corpse.
The boatman who discovered the female corpse first was also called ashore for questioning.
Yu Niaoniao leaned over curiously. When she saw the female corpse clearly, she was stunned for a moment before blurting out.
“It’s actually her!”
The female corpse looked to be in her seventies or eighties. Her hair was white and her face was filled with wrinkles. There were a few terrifying scars on her cheeks. She was short and thin. She was wearing a patched rough cloth dress
and her hands were covered in calluses.
There were many wounds on her arm, abdomen, and heart, and she looked very miserable.
Xiao Juan and Lo Pingsha looked at her at the same time.
“You know her?”
Yu Niaoniao answered truthfully.
“Not really. I had seen her once before at the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple, where she sold red bean soup.”
“I thought it’s not easy for an old woman like her to come out to make a living in the cold and paid for all her red bean soup. Little Hai was also present at that time. He had also seen this granny.”
Ling Hai, who was beside her, immediately nodded. “Yes, what the County
Princess said is the truth.”
Xiao Juan said, “Ten Thousand Buddha Temple?”
Yu Niaoniao said, “At that time, I chatted with her for a while. She said that she came to the Imperial Capital from elsewhere and was alone. She temporarily lived in the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple. The abbot might know her background.”
Xiao Juan looked at Meng Xizhou, who was standing beside him.
Meng Xizhou understood. “I’ll bring people to the Ten Thousand Buddha
Temple now.”
Logically speaking, they should not disturb the peace of the Buddhist Sect during the new year. However, human lives were at stake. Meng Xizhou did not dare to delay. He asked his family to return first while he left the city with a team of Eagle Guards and went straight to the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple.
Lo Pingsha quickly ended the first autopsy.
“The victim looked old, but from her teeth and bones, she should be around 60 years old. She worked all year round and had serious physical injuries. She had a total of four knife wounds, one of which was a stab to the heart. However, the real cause of her death was drowning and suffocation.”
Yu Niaoniao frowned. “You mean she was slashed four times before she was thrown into the river and drowned? How much hatred is there?”
Xiao Juan was deep in thought. “A thin old woman has already been stabbed four times. She definitely won’t live. Why did the murderer throw her into the river? Why didn’t he just find a hidden place to bury her?”
Yu Niaoniao reacted. “That’s right. Isn’t the murderer doing something unnecessary?”
Logically speaking, after killing someone, the murderer would definitely think of a way to destroy the evidence and not let anyone discover his crime.
However, this murderer threw the victim into the river and let her flow down the river.
This river ran through the entire Imperial Capital. Countless people came and went by the riverbank every day. It was only a matter of time before the corpse was discovered.
It was impossible for the murderer not to have thought of this!
Lo Pingsha also said, “This matter is indeed very strange.”
Xiao Juan ordered, “Bring the corpse back first. Little Yan, bring a few people to the upper reaches of the river and see if you can find any useful clues.” Yan Nanguan cupped his fists and replied, “Yes!”
After everyone left, Xiao Juan asked Niaoniao where she wanted to eat supper.
She had just discovered that someone had died and the deceased had even met Niaoniao once. No matter how carefree she was, it was impossible for her to have the appetite to eat now.
She expressed that she wanted to go home.
Hence, Xiao Juan brought Niaoniao and Ling Hai back to the Langjun Imperial palace.
Tonight was New Year’s Eve. They did not sleep early as usual. Instead, they sat around the stove and drank tea and chatted while guarding the New Year.
The topic of their casual conversation was naturally the female corpse they had discovered tonight.
Yu Niaoniao could not understand. “A lonely old woman with no money or beauty. Why did someone kill her?”
Xiao Juan had seen many murders and replied casually.
“Maybe it’s a revenge killing. The other party slashed her four times, and every slash was not fatal. It’s very likely to vent his anger.”
Yu Niaoniao said, “Now that you mention it, that’s very possible. In that case, we have to figure out her identity and background first.”
Only by knowing who she was could they know whom she had a grudge against.
Xiao Juan said, “We should know when Little Meng comes back.”
Meng Xizhou returned after midnight.
He knew that Duke Lang was a workaholic. After returning to the city, he did not dare to delay at all and immediately ran to the Duke’s Mansion.
Xiao Juan heard a knock on the door and immediately woke up.
He had just sat up when Niaoniao, who was sleeping beside him, woke up.
She rubbed her eyes and asked in a low voice.
“Where are you going?”
Xiao Juan said, “Little Meng should be back. I’ll go see him. Go back to sleep.”
Yu Niaoniao replied obediently, “Oh.”
Xiao Juan got out of bed, casually pulled on his clothes, pulled open the door, and walked out.
In the warm pavilion, Meng Xizhou was pouring hot tea into his mouth.
On a winter night, the wind was so cold that it drilled into the bones.
He rode his horse back and forth between the Imperial Capital and the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple. His cheeks and ears were almost numb from the cold. After drinking a bowl of hot tea, his body felt a little warm. He had finally recovered.
Xiao Juan got someone to move the brazier in front of him.
“How’s the investigation going?”
Meng Xizhou squatted beside the brazier and placed his hands on the fire to bake.
He sniffed and said in a voice that was a little distorted by the cold.
“The abbot of the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple said that the deceased’s name was Granny Li. As for her surname, she had never mentioned it, and no one in the temple knew.”
“Granny Li arrived at the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple two months ago. She said that she came to the Jade Capital to look for her family, but she had never been able to find them.”
“Seeing that she was old and weak and alone, the abbot felt pity. He allowed her to stay in the temple for free and even lent her the kitchen. It allowed her to survive by selling food.”
“During this period of time, Granny Li had been staying in the temple.”
“Until this morning, when she suddenly said that she had found her family and was leaving the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple. Ever since then, they lost contact with her. ”
“I brought people to her residence to search. There’s nothing in the house.”
Xiao Juan looked at him. “Is that all?”
Meng Xizhou suddenly smiled mysteriously.
“Although I didn’t find any clues in her residence, the abbot in the temple gave me something.”
He took out a small pouch and handed it over.
“This was left for the abbot by Granny Li before she left. She said that if an Eagle Guard came to the temple to look for her in the future, the abbot should hand this thing to the Eagle Guard.”
“If no Eagle Guards come looking for her, this thing will be considered the rent for her staying at the Ten Thousand Buddha Temple. The abbot will deal with it himself..”
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