Chapter 64 "The Truth"

Xiao Qian exclaimed in surprise and turned around: "You already knew?"

Lin Yannan did not rush to answer, but asked Xu Wuzuo to bring a rope.

Xu Wuzuo quickly brought a hemp rope.

林晏晏站到房柱旁，让许仵作的小徒弟过来配合一下，把绳子套在小徒弟的脖子上。

"Xiao sir, come over and cooperate."

Xiao Qian walked over as instructed.

Lin Yannan wrapped the rope around the pillar, then asked Xiao Qian to hold onto the rope: "The height difference between the deceased and Cui Shi is about one foot, similar to the height difference between you and this little apprentice, Xiao sir. Raise your hand a bit higher... Cui Shi has a strong physique, so it should not be difficult for him to strangle the deceased in this way, and the resulting injuries would be similar to those of a hanging.”

Xu Wozi's eyes lit up: "Indeed."

"So, now we just need to go and search the pillars of the Cui family's new house. If there are traces of belt friction, then we can't be wrong."

"Incredible! Even Mr. Ji didn't think of checking the pillar." Xu Wu was in awe.

All the evidence indicated that the deceased had died by hanging, but Mr. Ji felt something was off, yet couldn't pinpoint the problem. It was unexpected that this Master Zhen was able to identify the problem right away.

Xiao Qian also looked at Li Yanyan with admiration, she is indeed quite amazing.

"I will leave the rest to you, I'm going." Lin Yanyan didn't want to leave the city, it was already getting dark, and she wanted to go back to accompany Jingyuan for dinner.

Xiao Qian did not leave her: "Invite me to dinner tomorrow and I will tell you the result of this case."

Lin Yannan was speechless. Anyway, if she didn't get rid of this pig-hearted meal soon, he would keep going on and on, mentioning it all the time. Translation: "

Xiao Qian immediately brought people to the Cui family's new house in the eastern suburbs. Everyone held torches and carefully inspected each pillar in the house. Finally, they found two faint diagonal marks on one of the pillars.

Xiao Qian immediately took Cui Shi back to the yamen and interrogated him overnight. Cui Shi confessed readily, just as Lin Yannan had speculated.

Cui Shi felt deceived and cheated after discovering that the bride he had spent all his savings to marry was unchaste. He argued with Han Xingxiu, who not only showed no remorse but also believed that she had been at a loss. Infuriated, Cui Shi resorted to violence. In the morning, Han Xingxiu was muttering about returning to her parents' home, saying that she couldn't bear this life anymore. In a fit of anger, Cui Shi used a belt and followed Lin Yannan's method to strangle Han Xingxiu to death. He then staged the scene to make it appear as if she had taken her own life, and left to meet his relatives and friends, creating an alibi.

纪大人拿到供词异常激动：“十殿下颇有断案的才能，您来顺天府算是来对了。”

萧潜讪讪：“纪大人谬赞了，这桩案子是我一朋友破的。”

"Your friend? Who is it?"

Xiao Qian hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth because General Ji is too familiar with the siblings from the Lin family and it would be impossible to hide it. So he said, "Lin Yanyan."

Master Ji widened his eyes, "Lin Yannan?"

"She came to the yamen under the alias of Zhen Rian and I took her to the autopsy room. It was she who noticed the problem and deduced the motive and method of the murder without any error."

Mr. Ji was a little confused. He didn't realize that Lin Yannan was skilled in forensic medicine and reasoning.

Mr. Ji forced a smile and said, "I had planned to recruit such a talented person into Shuntian Mansion, but if it is Lin Yannan, then there's no way."

Miss of Ding'an Marquis Mansion, the honored Kaiping County Lady appointed by the Emperor, how could she possibly come to work in Shuntian Prefecture?

Xiao Qian's gaze slightly flashed as he said, "It may be impossible to recruit Lin Yannan, but it should be possible to recruit Zhen Ri'an."

Uncle Ji was bewildered: "What do you mean?"

"Lin Yannan has changed her name and dresses as a man. Why not consider her as Zhen Rian and appoint her as an advisor without directly recruiting her? Give her a token of authority from Shuntian Prefecture. If there are any difficult cases, we can ask for her help. She seems to be quite interested in investigating cases."

Ji Daren's enlightenment: "You're right. I'll trouble Your Highness to handle this matter, and I'll try my best to avoid meeting her."

Xiao Qian readily accepted this task and gave Lin Yanyan a waist badge. From now on, she could be called upon for any cases. Suddenly, Xiao Qian felt that her choice to come to Shuntian Prefecture was an extremely wise decision. She couldn't wait for more cases to come knocking on her door.

After dinner, Lin Yannan called Lin Jingyuan into the study: "Write a few characters for me."

Lin Jingyuan: "What characters should I write?"

"Tongyuan Building, make it look nice, and it should have a grandeur."

Lin Jingyuan: "Do you want a signboard? Then why not ask Mr. Ji to write it? His handwriting is powerful and vigorous, with the grace of a swimming dragon and a flying phoenix. He is also a renowned calligrapher, so having his calligraphy on the signboard will enhance its prestige."

"I did think about asking Mr. Ji to write, but he rarely gives people calligraphy, especially for signs. Even if he made an exception for us, what if everyone else starts asking him to write signs? Wouldn't it be troublesome for him? It's better to just write it ourselves. As long as it doesn't look too bad, that's fine."

"Sis, the way you say it, it's as if my handwriting is terrible," Lin Jingyuan said gloomily.

Lin Yanyan raised an eyebrow, "I'm saying you're just slightly worse than Mr. Ji, do you disagree?"

Lin Jingyuan chuckled, "I can't compare to him, but alright, I'll write."

Lin Jingyuan wrote about ten pictures for his sister to choose from. Lin Yanyan chose one that looks more stable and has a profound aura.

"Just this one. Give it to Mr. Liu tomorrow to make a signboard. Oh, by the way, come back early after school tomorrow."

"What's up?"

"I'm treating the Tenth Prince to a meal."

Lin Jingyuan paused for a moment, "Just the Tenth Prince? What about Zhou Datong and Prince Lu Xiaowang?"

"I'll invite them separately tomorrow and have another meal together another day." Lin Yanyan also had no choice, as Xiao Qian insisted on inviting him separately for it to count.

Lin Jingyuan hesitated to speak.

"What do you want to say?"

Lin Jingyuan hesitated and said, "Sis, why don't you invite Prince Xiao Wang along? If we only invite the Tenth Prince, it may cause misunderstandings."

Lin Yannan doesn't understand: "What's there to misunderstand? He helped us recover the antique calligraphy and paintings left by our father. Isn't it normal to invite him for a meal as a gesture of appreciation?"

"Zhoudatong and Luxiaowangye also made a great effort!"

"He made the greatest contribution, deserves to be invited twice."

Lin Jingyuan was determined: "Sis, there's something I think you should know." Translated content:

Lin Jingyuan cautiously glanced outside the door, then closed it.

Lin Yannan puzzled: "What do you want to say?"

“姐，我跟你说，你千万别说出去，其实十殿下和陆小王爷……”

Lin Yannan widened her eyes in surprise: "Who did you hear this from? Don't spread rumors."

"It's true, Zhou Datong saw it with his own eyes, the two of them... Zhou Datong got so scared that he quickly ran away." Lin Jingyuan said urgently and solemnly, to indicate the authenticity of this news.

Lin Yannan: ......

That day she was just joking about his unique fetish, not expecting it to be true. So when Lu Zhaonan said nonsense that day, was he actually feeling jealous? Did he think Xiao Qian had developed feelings for someone else?