TGCFNM -Chapter 133 Methods

After the people ahead finished their greetings, Chu Ling stepped forward.

The gardener looked at the gardenia in Chu Ling’s hand and smiled. “Sir, you can take more if you like.”

Chu Ling looked at the flower in her hand and smiled. “One is enough.” Saying this, she pinned it to her clothing.

“This gardenia… it’s blooming so beautifully.” Jiang Zisheng spoke softly, then cupped his hands respectfully toward Chu Ling. “Sir Chu.”

“You know me?” Chu Ling asked with a smile.

“I’ve been back in Changzhou for some time. I know you’re the new magistrate here, and you’re a good official,” Jiang Zisheng said, then cupped his hands in farewell and left with his family.

The gardener looked at Chu Ling, a little nervous, and cautiously asked, “Sir, will you really reopen this case?”

“Yes. The investigation has already begun,” Chu Ling said seriously. “I will catch the culprit.”

The gardener’s eyes reddened, and he said painfully, “It’s my fault I brought the flowers late that day. By the time I returned… it was already too late…”

Chu Ling suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, “Do you know Widow Sun?”

The gardener shook his head blankly. “Who is she?”

“She was also one of the victims that year. There’s also Xia Rouyan and Ren Jiao’er,” Chu Ling said.

“Xia… I do remember a bit. Right, when the Xia family’s teahouse opened back then, they had me send some flowers. At that time, I wasn’t in the mood, so I postponed it,” the gardener said. “Their daughter, if I recall correctly, had this name. She was about the same age as my daughter, and after the New Year, she was to be married. She stayed at home embroidering her wedding dress.”

“So, none of the four families were particularly familiar with anyone, nor did they have enemies, right?” Chu Ling asked.

The gardener nodded. “Sir, it was just a small business. No quarrels with anyone, no enemies, and not much money to make.”

After thanking him, Chu Ling bid farewell to the gardener and left the yard.

Across the street, the family that had returned was instructing people to clean, and some furniture was set outside—they would probably move back in soon.

“Let’s go. We’ll meet Wan Sanjin and the others, and then search house by house,” Chu Ling said, walking down the alley.

Jiang Zisheng’s wife peeked out for a moment.

“What is it?” Jiang Zisheng asked with a smile, straightening her up.

“That official just said, ‘let’s go.’ I’m not sure who she was speaking to, and there’s no one with her,” Madam Jiang said curiously.

Jiang Zisheng glanced at Chu Ling’s back. “Don’t worry about others. Let’s go back inside and clean up quickly so we can move back in.”

“I want to replace the bed. Make me a new one, or I won’t agree,” Madam Jiang said, taking the opportunity.

Jiang Zisheng smiled and agreed. “Okay.”

Leaving the gardener’s house, Chu Ling followed the addresses on the case files, checking each location. She no longer encountered any lingering spirits, and Widow Sun’s home had long fallen into ruin, with weeds sprouting from the beams.

Wan Sanjin sighed. “I asked all the neighbors. Widow Sun moved in with her daughter, but later her daughter was taken back by her husband’s family. She tried hard to wash clothes and save money to get her daughter back… but then she was killed. Her husband’s family thought the place was unlucky, so they moved away.”

“No other leads?” Chu Ling asked.

“One person said, don’t let her being a widow fool you. She never flirted with anyone outside, spoke little, and quietly did her work every day. Her work was pitiful, so some households gave her extra chores,” Wan Sanjin said.

“So no strangers ever entered her home,” Chu Ling noted.

Wan Sanjin nodded. “Exactly.”

Chu Ling took a deep breath, her expression growing even graver. “This is strange. None of the households had any strangers coming or going—so how did that person manage to scout them out?”

“Sir, what do we do now?” Wan Sanjin asked.

Chu Ling frowned. “Let’s go back first. Gather all the information you’ve collected again, compile it, and see if anything doesn’t add up—something we may have overlooked.”

Once they returned to the yamen, Chu Ling followed the same method as before: she dampened blank sheets of paper with water and laid them together, then used charcoal to write each victim’s name, age, time of death, and other details.

Su He supplemented this with the autopsy findings from the coroner.

Wan Sanjin picked the key points from his own inquiries and added them as well.

With this, a complete picture of the information emerged clearly.

Chu Ling pointed to the sheets. “Everyone, start looking for commonalities among these people. Han Jin, take notes.”

They all gathered around.

Wang Wei tentatively said, “They’re all women, some living alone, others in busy households—situations where women might be alone are common.”

Chu Ling replied, “Okay, Han Jin, note that.”

“These women don’t go out much and live rather quietly?” Wang Yan asked.

“Han Jin, note that too,” Chu Ling instructed.

Han Yin hesitated. “These women… they’re all attractive?”

Chu Ling looked at Taoniang. “Han Jin, note that.”

Wan Sanjin summarized, “No motive for money, no enemies, and all the victims are women… so, is it just that they were pretty, and that’s why they were killed?”

Chu Ling speculated, “Could it be that the killer is unattractive, harbors hatred toward beautiful women, and kills them out of malice when he sees them?”

Su He shook his head, dismissing Chu Ling’s theory. “When you went out to investigate, I carefully compared the coroner’s reports. Whether it was the previous coroner or myself, we all felt the wounds were extremely unusual.”

Wan Sanjin crossed his arms, his hair standing on end. “They really are unusual.”

Su He shook his head again. “It’s not that the wounds are terrifying, or that the women’s deaths were horrifying. Just the cuts on the bodies themselves—they’re very peculiar.”

Pointing to the autopsy notes he had added, Su He continued, “The killer starts with the neck. Each cut goes straight down, smooth and precise, as if measured beforehand—perfectly exact.”

Chu Ling’s eyes widened in understanding. “You mean, each cut is executed as if carefully carved—extremely accurate, without a single deviation.”

“Exactly,” Su He said.

Suddenly, Chu Ling seemed to realize something and pushed the door open, with Wan Sanjin quickly following.

“Sir, your leg isn’t fully recovered yet!” Wan Sanjin called out, then hurriedly asked Zhang Dong to prepare the horse.

Zhang Dong led the horse outside the yamen, waiting. Chu Ling mounted swiftly, and Wan Sanjin took the reins. “Where are we going?” he asked.

“To find Butcher Hu. I need to ask him something,” Chu Ling replied.

After asking where Butcher Hu lived, Wan Sanjin led the horse and quickened their pace.

“Sir, what’s going on with Butcher Hu?” Wan Sanjin asked curiously.

“That cutting technique… it’s too skilled. The only person I can think of is a butcher,” Chu Ling said.

Wan Sanjin was startled, recalling the Butcher Hu from memory. Shaking his head, he said, “It can’t be him, right?”