"absurd!"
"That's impossible!"
The one who spoke up to break everyone's surprise was the jailer Sun Fu.
"This is a dry prison, with no access to water. How could Li Dashan have died by drowning?"
"Coroner, you are framing me!"
"Speak with evidence!"
"Sir, you must believe me, Sun Fu. We jailers never used any lynching or waterboarding on Li Dashan, nor did we ever let him out. Although we are a bit foolish sometimes, everything I said before is true! As for Li Dashan, we jailers are really cautious and careful."
The jailer Sun Fu thought that the coroner's eyesight was poor and that he could not get any results from the autopsy, so he made up a random excuse to frame the brothers and was so anxious that he shouted to defend himself.
The coroner was not angry.
The old man seemed to have no temper and explained slowly and calmly:
"Li Dashan did die from drowning."
"His stomach was swollen like a ball, and there were traces of water leaking from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. His body was slightly swollen. I even found a few strands of waterweed in Li Dashan's nose... Combined with the large puddle of water left on the ground after his death, and his struggling to breathe like an old turtle gazing at the moon, all signs indicate that Li Dashan died by drowning."
"I'm just an old man. I have no grudge against Prisoner Sun. Why would you frame me and add insult to injury?"
The coroner continued, "Why do people who drown have dry clothes?"
"Why did Li Dashan, who was imprisoned alone and had never left the prison, die in a manner that only a person could have drowned?"
"These are all matters within the responsibilities of the captains. I, an old man, am only responsible for determining the true cause of death."
The jailer Sun Fu was so nervous that he was shaking with cold. He shouted that he was innocent. They, the jailers, really did not kill Li Dashan, and they definitely did not take Li Dashan out of the prison!
They really have no idea why Li Dashan, who had been imprisoned in the cell, showed symptoms of drowning!
However.
At this time, no one stood up to plead for the jailers.
Because all the clues at hand are indeed unfavorable to Sun Fu and others.
Afterwards, Sun Fu and several other jailers were taken into custody. The county police chief and several yamen runners rushed to Shangpan Village at full speed to investigate any clues related to Li Dashan's death.
…
However, the people from the yamen had just arrived in Shangpan Village and had no time to start an investigation when the village head came to their door.
It turned out that Li Cailiang’s body was missing!
The seventh day after Li Cailiang's death had not yet passed, the white silk, white lanterns and funeral words in the house had not yet been removed, and the body had not yet been covered and buried. The body of Li Cailiang, which was placed in the lobby of the house to keep vigil, disappeared yesterday.
The village head and the village warriors searched the village and the surrounding areas for a whole day, almost digging three feet into the ground, but they still couldn't find the missing body of Li Cailiang.
Things started to go in an uncontrollable and weird direction.
The captain of the police who led the team to Shangpan Village this time was Zheng Yuanhu, one of the three major captains of the police in Chang County. He was a strong and sturdy man with thicker bones than ordinary people. It was obvious at first glance that he was a master of hard skills.
As one of the three chief constables, Zheng Yuanhu's sword is different from the standard swords of ordinary yamen runners.
It was a tiger-headed, thick-backed knife with a blade two feet and three inches long. It was much heavier than ordinary swords. An ordinary person could not wield it freely, and it would be difficult for an ordinary strong man to wield it twice in his hand.
Zheng Yuanhu was a well-known master of hard qigong in Chang County. He wielded a tiger-head knife and mastered the powerful black tiger boxing technique. He once single-handedly stormed into the bandits' lair in Sanjian Mountain, killing all fifteen of the bandits and returning unscathed.
Become famous in one battle.
After Zheng Yuanhu learned that Li Cailiang's body was missing, he immediately ordered the head of the village to lead the way and take him to Li Cailiang's home and Li Dashan's home to investigate.
Zheng Yuanhu is a meticulous person and not a reckless man, otherwise he would not have been one of the three chief constables.
He already had a vague guess in his mind.
The bizarre drowning case of Li Dashan in the dry prison.
Related to the Li Cailiang corpse case.
The timing of these two cases is too coincidental.
As the saying goes, when something is out of the ordinary, there must be something wrong.
So he planned to start the investigation directly from the homes of these two people.
The disappearance of Li Cailiang's body was bizarre and strange, vanishing right under the noses of the Li family who were keeping vigil. Rumors had already spread throughout the village, and people were in a state of panic. Although the village head was afraid, he dared not disobey the government, as that would mean death and imprisonment. So, holding a lantern, he began to lead the way in the dim night.
Shangpan Village is exceptionally peaceful and quiet after nightfall.
Apart from the intermittent barking of one or two dogs and the screams of cats in heat, which added a bit of eerie atmosphere to the cold and windy night, all the lights in the village were off, the doors and windows were closed, and the villagers had already gone to bed.
Li Cailiang’s home is not difficult to find.
Among the few households in the village that still had candles lit was Li Cailiang's home. Her husband's body was missing, and she cried until her eyes were swollen and could not sleep all night.
There were no useful clues in Li Cailiang's home. Li Cailiang's body was indeed missing, just as the village head said, without leaving any trace.
The body of a person is so big and heavy. If someone really came to steal the body, it would be difficult for one person to move it. It is impossible to do it so cleanly without leaving any trace.
But all traces are very clean.
It’s so clean, as if... a dead person crawled up and walked on the ground by himself?
Zheng Yuanhu looked solemn as he took his six yamen runners and the village head with him and went to Li Dashan's house.
There was a distance between Li Cailiang's house and Li Dashan's house. Before they reached Li Dashan's house, the village head suddenly cried out in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Zheng Yuanhu's voice was as deep and heavy as a millstone.
The village head was surprised and said, "There are actually candles on in Li Dashan's house!"
Zheng Yuanhu said in a deep voice: "At night, people can't see, so isn't it normal for people to have lights on?"
Unexpectedly, the village head quickly shook his head and said, "Li Dashan is just a gambler. He squandered all the valuables in the family. He still can't afford to marry. His parents died young because of his anger. He has always lived alone, without relatives or friends. How could there be anyone else at home?"
"Um?"
"Let's go and take a look. Maybe Li Dashan has other accomplices. Maybe this accomplice who escaped the net is hiding in his house now." A thoughtful look flashed in Zheng Yuanhu's eyes.
"Village Chief, you are weak, so just stand here to avoid any strong resistance when arresting the criminals, which might affect you."
"Brothers, follow me. I want to see who is behind all these recent incidents."
Crackling.
Zheng Yuanhu's bones made crisp sounds like frying beans. He circulated the qi and blood in his body, making his muscles and bones more active. He held the tiger-head long sword in his hand. As the one with the largest and strongest physique, he took the lead and walked in front.
The group walked towards Li Dashan's house, which was a hundred steps away and was lit with candles.