Sweet and Sour Spareribs
Why was the skeleton black?
The bailiffs by the coffin looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Ji Yunshu calmly looked at the messy pile of bones in the coffin and lightly spat out two words.
"Poisoned!"
There were two reasons why a person's skeleton would be dark grey and black after death.
First, it could be poisoning.
Second, it could be that she had taken a large amount of painkillers before her death.
However, Ye 'er had been in good health when she was alive. She had never taken painkillers, and those who had taken a large amount of painkillers would have scattered greyish-black skeletons. However, the color of this skeleton was uniform. It was clear that she had died from poisoning.
Madam Xie immediately rushed to the coffin and reached into it with trembling hands. She screamed at the top of her lungs, "No, my daughter did not commit suicide. Teacher Ji, I beg you, you must help my daughter find the murderer."
"Get up first."
Ji Yunshu helped her up and comforted her, "Ye 'er did die from poisoning, but we still need to investigate the truth. You must take care of yourself."
Madam Xie choked with sobs as she wiped away her tears.
Then, Ji Yunshu ordered people to send Madam Xie back to her room to rest and inform her as soon as there was news.
After Madam Xie left, Zuo Yao stepped forward and looked at the skeleton in the coffin. He asked in a questioning tone, "Teacher Ji, did she really die from poisoning?"
Ji Yunshu nodded.
"In other words, the victim really committed suicide?"
"…"
"If that's the case, doesn't that mean we can't investigate this case anymore?"
Ji Yunshu's expression was calm. "Lord Zuo, can we have a little common sense? Even if the victim really died from poisoning, it doesn't mean that she committed suicide. "
"Yes, yes, yes."
"I need to put the skeleton together so that we can continue the investigation. If Lord Zuo is worried about dirtying your clothes, please stand further away."
"I'm not afraid." Zuo Yao said nonchalantly with a smile on his face, but his feet moved to the side.
Ji Yunshu didn't mind. She ordered people to bring a long table, then put the skeletons in the coffins on the table and put them together.
Because the coffin was buried at the bottom of the mountain, the water in the forest rushed down and covered it. In the past three years, the coffin had been soaked to the point that it exploded, causing the bones inside to be affected. The white bones were messy and stuck together.
Some of them were stained with fine mud, some were dripping with dirty water, and some were …
Like a plate of sweet and sour white bones!
Sure enough, when it came to the quality of a coffin,
On the other side.
At the Yufu relay station.
Jing Rong sat on the seat of honor in the hall. His sword-like eyebrows were arched, overshadowing his sinister eyes. His face was cold and distant, and his thin lips were pressed together, giving off an intimidating aura.
On the table beside him, there was a cup of tea that was gradually cooling down.
Lang Po, who was standing beside him, had the same expression on his face.
However, one was the original, while the other was a fake.
In the center of the hall, several officials from the relay station stood in order. All of them had their backs hunched and their hands were tucked into their sleeves. They didn't dare to look directly at the thorn-like prince in front of them.
The atmosphere in the entire room was very heavy.
After a long time, Jing Rong's sharp eyes swept across the people in front of him. Then, he asked one of the officials, "Official Lin, this prince has been ordered to investigate the disaster relief funds. You should know about this, right?"
"This official knows." His tone was cautious.
"According to the files from the past few years, the boxes of disaster relief funds were never opened when they were sent from the capital. Furthermore, the officials who were responsible for transporting the disaster relief funds said that the boxes of disaster relief funds never left their line of sight until they arrived at the Yufu relay station."
"Yes. In the past, the disaster relief funds were transported to the relay station before being transported to the yamen. During this period, the boxes were never opened. I really don't know why, but every time they were transported to the yamen, they would find out that the disaster relief funds were missing and that the boxes were actually filled with … stones."
His voice became softer and softer, mixed with more or less fear.
He was afraid that he would be implicated in this matter!
Jing Rong's cold eyes swept across him. "Official Lin, this prince is not here today to question you. I want you to explain everything that happened. If this matter has nothing to do with you, then you don't have to be afraid."
"I'll listen to your Highness."
"Fine. This prince has a question for you. In the past years, when the disaster relief funds arrived at the relay station, who came into contact with them?"
"Other than the officials, no one else came into contact with them."
"Then how long did it take for them to be transported to the yamen?"
"One day."
"During this time, where were the disaster relief funds placed?"
"In a special storage room for the silver."
"Did anyone enter the storage room?"
"After the disaster relief funds were moved in, the door was locked. During this period, no one could enter."
One question and one answer!
Jing Rong's brows furrowed imperceptibly. He straightened his robe and ordered, "Bring this prince to the storage room."
Official Lin bowed. "Yes."
He was very respectful.
Then, he led the way.
The warehouse was located in the northern courtyard, which was the most heavily guarded part of the relay station. The building was square and airtight, like a modern-day giant safe. There were a few other rooms beside the warehouse, all of which were used to store the goods that were passing through.
Outside each room, there were also two attendants watching over them!
"Open the door." Jing Rong ordered.
Official Lin waved his hand, and the guards opened the door to the room used to store the disaster relief funds.
Everyone entered.
The inside of the room could be described as impregnable. There were no windows or small openings. After the door was closed, not even a single ray of light leaked through. Not even a mosquito would be able to fly in. If one was trapped inside, they would die from lack of oxygen.
Even the world's most famous thief would not be able to break into such a place. Furthermore, they had exchanged the disaster relief funds for stones without anyone noticing.
Officer Lin explained from the side, "This is a storeroom specifically used to store the disaster relief funds, so it's impossible for anyone to enter. There are also guards outside, and the key to the door has always been with this lowly official. This place is usually left empty."
After hearing this, Jing Rong tilted his head and asked, "Official Lin, who were the people who moved the disaster relief funds?"
"The officials who transported the disaster relief funds were in charge of unloading them, while my men were in charge of moving the funds in."
"Were there any accidents during this period of time?" Jing Rong looked at him coldly.
Official Lin's body stiffened. He knew that Jing Rong was suspicious and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, this official has always been careful. My subordinates would never make a mistake. Moreover, this official was also watching from the side when they were moving the funds. There was absolutely no mistake."
His tone was unwavering!
He thought to himself, 'Oh my, don't tell me he's blaming me for this?'
He was wrongly accused!
Jing Rong walked around the room and lightly knocked on the wall. It was very solid. He pondered for a long time, then said to Official Lin, "If there were no accidents when the disaster relief funds were moved into this room, then something must have happened on the way from here to the yamen."
"On the way, nothing … happened." He was not confident enough.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
