TGCFNM -Chapter 48 Sorting Out the Similarities

Chu Ling and Wan Sanjin went straight to the county office and met with the county clerk there, requesting all the case files of the murdered women.

“Master Chu, everything that Lord Zhao instructed is here. Please have a look,” the clerk said.

Chu Ling thanked him, took a pot of tea from the office clerk, then gestured for Wan Sanjin to sit down. She asked, “You took one of Su He’s charcoal pencils, right?”

Wan Sanjin nodded and pulled the charcoal pencil from his pouch.

Chu Ling cleared the table, took out the papers prepared by Magistrate Zhao, moistened the edges with tea, and stuck them together to make one large sheet.

She then took the charcoal pencil from Wan Sanjin and said, “Now, start with the first case file, Sun Miao’er.”

Wan Sanjin looked puzzled but opened the file.

“Read it,” Chu Ling instructed.

“Sun Miao’er was found hanged in her bedroom on June 29. Her clothing was disheveled before death, there were bloodstains on her forehead, no obvious injuries on her body. Cause of death: hanging suicide,” Wan Sanjin read.

Chu Ling leaned in to examine the file carefully, pointing out a few details. “Look, according to her maid’s testimony, Sun Miao’er was feeling unwell on June 29, sent her maid away, and rested alone. The next day, she was found dead in her bedroom.”

Wan Sanjin nodded. “Right.”

Chu Ling continued, “A girl about to be married the next day would surely be anxious. If she were feeling unwell, she would immediately call a doctor to avoid missing the auspicious time. Moreover, if the young lady were unwell, the maid should have stayed by her side. How could she really have been left alone in the room?”

“You’re right, Master! How can this case file have so many gaps?” Wan Sanjin said, holding the papers with shock.

Chu Ling reviewed the file once more and then began to write on the table.

Name: Sun Miao’er
Cause of Death: Hanging suicide
Case Summary: Appeared dazed, possibly poisoned; blood on forehead of unknown origin; no known enemies; coroner’s autopsy concluded suicide.

“Master, I just thought of something,” Wan Sanjin hesitated. “If the women wake up and realize they’ve been harmed, they would be in pain. Suicide out of humiliation is possible—but… would they have the strength?”

Chu Ling paused, her hand halting.

Bai Su furrowed her brows and explained, “If the snake-venom grass powder was at the amount in that pouch, even if they woke up, their arms would still feel weak. Hanging themselves with silk would take quite some effort—unless someone helped them.”

Chu Ling looked at Wan Sanjin. “Based on the amount in that pouch, the women wouldn’t have the strength to commit suicide. What’s recorded in this file is wrong.”

Magistrate Zhao wouldn’t make such a mistake—the case files were based entirely on eyewitness testimony and the coroner’s results.

So the injury on the forehead…

“The injury wasn’t from Miss Su bumping into something. She was struck unconscious, then hanged to stage a fake suicide,” Chu Ling said in a low voice. She abruptly turned to Wan Sanjin, her voice slightly cold. “If it was staged, that means the pouch’s poison effect was limited. These women might have seen the perpetrator’s face.”

Wan Sanjin looked at the file again, then raised his head and shouted, “Master! This is murder!”

Chu Ling took a deep breath. “Wan Sanjin, for the next case file, I want us to sort everything out, one by one, and find the common points among these victims.”

“Yes, Your Honor.”

“Cheng Yuan, discovered hanging at home on July 24th. The maid reported that Miss Cheng went to the cosmetics shop during the day, and in the evening felt thirsty and unwell, her head a bit dizzy—she thought it was the sun. She went to bed early that night, and the maid did not keep watch. The next day, she was found dead, having struck a pillar.”

Wan Sanjin flipped to the next page and continued reading: “The coroner’s autopsy showed no obvious external injuries. Her clothes were disheveled, hair undone, scalp bleeding, a large bloodstain on her forehead—she died by her own hand.”

Chu Ling reached up and scratched her hair, frowning at Wan Sanjin.

Wan Sanjin’s expression changed as well. He tugged at his own hair, tested it, and hurriedly said, “So… she grabbed her hair and hit the pillar…”

Chu Ling closed her eyes, suppressing her rising anger. She took up the charcoal pencil and began recording again.

The coroners’ autopsy reports in the case files were detailed, but everyone had tacitly assumed that once a young woman was harassed, she would immediately take her own life. No one had noticed anything unusual, which had led to one tragic case after another.

“Continue, Master Wan,” Chu Ling said.

Wan Sanjin nodded and began reading the next case.

“Liu Zhenzhu, August 23… hanged herself.”

“Tao Rong’er, October 1… slit her wrists.”

“…Zhao Wenwan, likely the magistrate Zhao’s niece,” Wan Sanjin frowned as he continued, “May 25 this year, went out with her maid to select a long whip, accompanied by eight bodyguards. After returning, she felt unwell, drank some tea, and went to rest.”

“The next day, she was found having stabbed herself in the abdomen, blood everywhere. The coroner’s check showed the abdominal wound was fatal. Zhao Wenwan’s hands were gripping the dagger tightly—couldn’t pry them loose even with force.”

Chu Ling pinched the bridge of her nose, reviewing the summary she had compiled. She gestured for Wan Sanjin to come over.

Wan Sanjin walked around and admired, “Master, after you’ve organized it like this, it’s perfectly clear at a glance.”

Lives, causes of death, and the course of each case were all clearly visible, and Chu Ling had circled the common points with the charcoal pencil, revealing the eerily similar patterns across these ten cases.

Chu Ling set down the charcoal pencil, took a sip of tea, and pointed to a section. “Look, Master Wan, all of them felt unwell, dizzy, went to rest early, and had no maid beside them. The causes of death differ in some cases, but the common factor is they all wrote a farewell note.”

“These young women were from decent families, had maids attending them, and were literate,” Wan Sanjin sighed. “It’s such a pity—they were all so unfortunate.”

Cui Xi, hands on her hips, scolded, “What use are these maids? When their mistress rests, they don’t stay by her side but go out at night to steal food. If this happened in the capital, such maids would either be beaten to death or immediately sold off.”

Chu Ling set down her teacup. “Maids are supposed to sleep in the outer room, in case their mistress needs anything at night. But not one of these maids stayed to watch over their mistress?”

Wan Sanjin was taken aback, suspicion rising. “Master, these maids… could they be the problem?”

“That can only be determined through field investigation,” Chu Ling stood, stretched her back, exhaled, and said, “Let’s go. We’ll find Su He and Magistrate Zhao, and question each household one by one.”

Wan Sanjin bent down, neatly folded the papers on the table, tucked them into his sleeve, and followed Chu Ling out.

As soon as they left the yamen, they saw Zhang Dong at a glance.

Zhang Dong drove the carriage at full speed, while Su He held onto the top and looked around. When he saw Chu Ling, he waved, “Zhang Dong, stop.”

Zhang Dong let out a whistle.

Su He dropped his tool bag and ran over, panting heavily. “Magistrate Zhao and I persuaded the families of the deceased. We finally got their consent to open the coffins for autopsies.”

Wan Sanjin stammered, face full of shock. “You… you’re going to dig up their graves?”