TGCFNM -Chapter 30 The Murder Weapon Is Key

Chu Ling stood in place, letting Zhang Dong and Xiao Hua go rest first, then instructed Su He, “Tomorrow, find a chance to come into conflict with Master Qin. You were originally a coroner—he might try to kick you out.”

Su He nodded. “I understand. I’ll have to go find Sanjin. But my lord, what about you? Are you going to keep staying here?”

Chu Ling’s eyes gleamed with meaning. “I haven’t had enough of staying in this magistrate’s residence yet.”

When Bai Su and Cui Xi returned, Chu Ling had Su He watch over things while she went back to her room. From Cui Xi and Bai Su, she picked up some more interesting information.

The next morning, after greeting Su He, Chu Ling left the courtyard with Zhang Dong and Xiao Hua. The originally planned Master Qin was unwell, so it was Magistrate Zhang himself who took his place.

Magistrate Zhang waited with a smile, personally inviting Chu Ling out of the gate and into a carriage.

“My lord, your coroner is unwell and may not be able to examine the body for the time being. I would like to view the case files—would that be convenient?” Chu Ling asked respectfully.

“Of course it is,” said Magistrate Zhang, letting out a sigh. “I feel ashamed to admit it, but this case remains unsolved. My position here is unstable, and I am truly grateful to Brother Chu for relieving my worries. I sincerely thank you.”

Chu Ling waved his hand immediately. “My lord trusts me…”

Shen Lizhou spoke in alarm, “How can a person change so drastically? Last night, he looked like he wanted my lord dead, and now he’s putting on a worried, benevolent mask.”

“Perhaps the bureaucracy is just that dark?” Bai Su said, lifting her gaze to the standing Ghost Scholar.

Ghost Scholar’s expression was calm, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Our lord is right. The Great Zhou is like a riverbank eaten through by termites. Full of holes, appearing solid, but the moment external force is applied, it collapses instantly and ceases to exist,” Ghost Scholar said.

Shen Lizhou murmured, shaking his head. “How could this be?”

He had studied diligently all his life to serve the court and do some good for the people. He never imagined anyone would say that the mighty Great Zhou would one day crumble—not from an external enemy, but from internal decay.

“The bureaucracy of Great Zhou is rotten through and through,” Bai Su said coldly.

Chu Ling picked up her teacup, lowering her gaze to hide her expression.

At the government office, Magistrate Zhang had them brought to view the case files while he attended to other matters.

Chu Ling smiled in farewell and was led to a quiet study. “Lord Chu, please wait a moment. I’ll fetch the case files.”

“Quickly, then. Your lord brought me here to solve the case—there’s no time to waste.” Once Magistrate Zhang left, Chu Ling changed her demeanor, appearing stubborn and ill-tempered.

The clerk could only smile apologetically and hurried off to fetch the files.

“My lord, I…”

“Out. Your breathing is disturbing my examination of the case.” Chu Ling waved impatiently. Xiao Hua grabbed the clerk by the arm, forcibly ushered him out, and firmly closed the door.

Chu Ling immediately straightened, her expression serious. “Zhang Dong, Xiao Hua, guard the door.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Chu Ling took a deep breath, opened the case files, and began examining them carefully. After reading just a few lines, her brows furrowed. “It says here that on June 29, three people came to the county office to report a case. The office immediately sent someone to the Mountain God Temple outside the city, and that’s when they discovered Shen Lizhou’s body.”

“Sir, I died on the first day of July. I remember clearly!” Shen Lizhou immediately protested.

Chu Ling’s lips curled into a cold smile. “The date is wrong. The number of people is wrong too. Five became three, and among those three, there was even a companion student.”

Ghost Scholar quickly asked, “Who’s missing?”

“Among these three were Yang Sheng, the companion student Xiao Mutou, and Pei Yuan—three in total.” Chu Ling spread the case files open and looked at Shen Lizhou.

Shen Lizhou quickly said, “Yang Huaishan, also from Yuzhou, said he studied under the same tutor as Yang Sheng when they were young. Then there were Cheng Qiyuan and Sun Miaolu, whom I met on the road. Cheng Qiyuan is from Huaien County, Sun Miaolu from Dahuaixian County.”

Chu Ling looked again at the case files on the table:

When Pei Yuan, Yang Sheng, and Xiao Mutou regained consciousness, they were already a hundred meters outside the Mountain God Temple. All three felt dizzy and disoriented. When they returned to the ruined temple, they saw Shen Lizhou dead. They immediately went to the county office to report it, and after reporting, they fainted and were sent to the apothecary. The doctor diagnosed them and confirmed that they had been drugged.

Shen Lizhou recalled carefully, “That night, the three of them did feel a little drowsy. I thought they were just tired. Later, when the bandits suddenly charged in, I didn’t have time to think about anything else.”

Chu Ling continued reading.

The coroner’s examination found that the wound on Shen Lizhou’s back could have been fatal—a blade had pierced all the way into the heart, and he died from excessive blood loss. Such precise and fierce blade work clearly wasn’t done by an amateur; the only possibilities were either bandits or a professional assassin.

The area around Chengyang is mostly plains with low hills, offering little cover for bandits, so it was likely an assassin.

But why would an assassin want to kill a poor student?

Chu Ling frowned, her finger resting on a part of the case file. “After Pei Yuan and Yang Sheng woke up, they were interrogated separately. Neither had seen any bandits or assassins, and neither knew why they had been drugged. In short, they knew nothing at all.”

Hence, the common folk are spreading rumors that an evil god committed the murder and are even thinking of burning down the Mountain God Temple to kill the supposed evil deity.

“I remember Prefect Zhang told me many times that the Mountain God Temple needs repairs; it cannot be destroyed or burned,” Chu Ling said.

With that, everything became clear.

If this case isn’t solved, public anger will boil over, and people will have no choice but to burn the Mountain God Temple. But Prefect Zhang wants to protect the temple, which is why he needs someone to solve the case.

“Pei Yuan said that night that it was those cowardly fellows who pushed him out. Could it be possible that Pei Yuan had no choice but to go out and investigate the situation? That would mean the three students not recorded in the case files might be connected to a larger force behind the scenes,” the Ghost Scholar suggested.

From this perspective, Prefect Zhang might know something but dares not offend these forces. With Zhang Yuanwai having mentioned Chu Ling, the Prefect bringing her in to solve the case is also a risk he is taking.

If the case is solved, Prefect Zhang naturally takes credit.

If it isn’t, he has a scapegoat.

Chu Ling tapped the table. “The first step in this case is to re-interrogate Yang Sheng and Pei Yuan, and get the other three to confess. They should be detained for the time being.”

“Second, find the murder weapon.” The weapon is the top priority.

Bandits usually commit robbery in a reckless manner. To appear fierce and terrifying, they swing their blades broadly—it’s their signature, meant to make people afraid.

This does not match the murder weapon described by Shen Lizhou.

Moreover, if it really were an assassin, killing a poor student seems too strange. Even if an assassination were attempted, assassins typically use small weapons like daggers for concealment, which also doesn’t match the weapon.

Therefore, the murder weapon is the key to solving the case.