Chapter 95: Chapter 095: Case
Translator: 549690339
Chu Jinnian moved the mast at the stern of the boat forward a bit, then exerted force in his hand and reeled in the fishing line.
A corpse was hooked on the end of the fishing line.
Looking at the thick layer of green moss on its clothes and the decay of the corpse, it must have been dead for a while.
Chu Jinnian’s brows immediately furrowed.
“Eldest Master,” Ning Feng emerged from taking care of Chu Jinzhou in the boat. He jumped in fright when he saw the thing, “This is…”
“No wonder there are so many carps in this area.”
Chu Jinnian threw the fishing rod aside and clapped his hands, “Dispose of this body and park the boat near the shore. Send Jinzhou back first.”
“Send someone to the County Government Office to report, let them come to have a look at what exactly is going on.”
“Yes.” Ning Feng agreed and hurriedly set about Chu Jinnian’s tasks.
Chu Jinnian’s frown deepened.
The sun was scorching hot, making people sweat even when walking under it. Even more so for Xu Zhcngping, who was running under the giant sun.
After getting off the carriage, Xu Zhcngping jogged all the way, with sweat covering his back and forehead.
Fear came from the heat.
Two major incidents had occurred in the normally peaceful county in the past two days.
Moreover, Master Chu had reminded him of these incidents each time.
As a result, he feared that in Master Chu’s eyes, he was a negligent and reckless official who only knew how to live a life of pleasure.
The more Xu Zhcngping thought about it, the more terrified he became, and he quickened his steps, jogging all the way to Chu Jinnian before kneeling down and saluting, “I pay my respects to Master Chu.”
“Mr. Xu, please rise.” Chu Jinnian handed the teacup in his hand to Ning Feng beside him and said, “Mr. Xu, you came earlier than expected by one cup of tea.”
“As soon as I got the message, I rushed here…”
Xu Zhcngping paused halfway through his sentence. Knowing that Chu Jinnian was rather dissatisfied with him, he changed his tone and said awkwardly, “I have already brought a corpse examination officer with me. I am not sure where the corpse that Master Chu mentioned is currently.”
“I have already had the corpse taken out of the water and examined.”
Chu Jinnian said, “This person was an adult male, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, six feet tall. According to the degree of decay, he has been dead for about half a month. There is nothing on his body that can identify him, and his face has been destroyed, making it impossible to recognize who he was.”
“The deceased was bound with heavy objects and thrown into the lake. The cause of death was drowning. There is a head injury on the back of his head. Judging from the conditions, he was probably hit, bound with rocks and then discarded in the lake. It looks like he was knocked unconscious first and then drowned in the lake.”
“Let’s first check if there are any missing persons recently to confirm his identity.”
“Considering the deceased’s ordinary clothes and a patch on his shoulder, he probably carried heavy objects often. It’s worth checking among the street vendors or laborers who often carry heavy items “.
“Yes, Sir. I will obey your commands.”
Xu Zhcngping quickly responded, silently marveling at the situation.
On his way here, he had sneakily observed Master Chu.
He was young, handsome, and dressed splendidly. With every move he made, he seemed like an immortal who had descended from the human realm.
He originally thought that all he had done was rely on his family background to achieve a position in the Ministry of Justice, nothing more than a boasting ground for his wealth. However, seeing his demeanor and discourse, this Master Chu seems not entirely ignorant of investigations.
Quite the contrary, he seemed to have a deep understanding.
Not daring to slack off, Xu Zhcngping quickly ordered Ding Gaochang, the county town official, and other government officials to investigate the situation and post notices.
He himself also saluted Chu Jinnian again, “Master Chu, I apologize for alarming you. This incident was indeed my negligence. I will make every effort to find the culprit as soon as possible.”
“Mr. Xu, you are too polite. As an experienced official in the Ministry of Justice, I have seen countless cases, big or small, and myriad gruesome death scenes. It’s just a drowned corpse, nothing of great significance.”
Chu Jinnian spoke, his tone neither cold nor hot.
Xu Zhcngping smiled awkwardly again.
He secretly wished he could slap himself in the face.
Why did he unnecessarily mention being alarmed? Wasn’t he indirectly implying that Master Chu, despite his youth, was ignorant?
“Yes, Master Chu, you arc absolutely right.”
Xu Zhcngping lowered his head a bit further, not even bothering to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He said, “Master Chu, considering the current weather, it is not advisable to leave the corpse exposed for too long. I will order someone to move the body to the morgue in the County Government Office for further investigation as soon as possible.”
“Hmm.” Chu Jinnian responded, then said, “I’ll leave this case to Mr. Xu. I hope that Mr. Xu can find out the truth quickly and provide a conclusion at the earliest.”
“As a matter of fact, I had already requested leave in Beijing. During this time, I’ll be staying here. If Mr. Xu encounters any difficulties in investigation, feel free to consult me.”
Another layer of sweat formed on Xu Zhengping’s forehead.
Deeming it a consultation was essentially an expectation that he should regularly report to Chu Jinnian about the case’s progress and urge him to resolve it as fast as possible.
The county was so large, with many residents. It was no easy task to identify a man whose face was unrecognizable.
Moreover, this corpse was found at Cuiwei Lake, but that did not mean that the person belonged to this county. For all they knew, the killer could have carried the body miles away to dispose of it here or even killed him on impulse while passing through. If that were the case, it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been no harm in conducting the investigation slowly. After all, there were many cases each year that remained unresolved. However, with Chu Jinnian emphasizing it the way he did, it became clear that this case had to be cleared up quickly, as quickly as possible.
“Yes, I thank Master Chu for your patience with my dullness. If I fail to understand any aspect, I will be sure to consult you.”
Xu Zhcngping answered with sincere fear, then quickly arranged for others to transport the corpse back.
After issuing all the necessary orders and getting things moving, Xu Zhcngping had to rush back to the County Government Office to handle official business.
Although his official position seemed insignificant, he was responsible for household registration, taxation, cases… and any sudden issues that might arise. Xu Zhcngping was very busy most days.
But he noticed that Chu Jinnian didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.
After hesitating for a moment, Xu Zhcngping gathered the courage to bow and said, “Master Chu, I…”
“Mr. Xu, you can go on with your work. I find the scenery here pleasing and wish to stay a while longer. Don’t worry about me.” Chu Jinnian raised his hand and spoke.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Xu Zhcngping felt a touch of warmth in Chu Jinnian’s voice that wasn’t there before..
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