Chapter 283: Chapter 283: Case Solved
283 Case Resolved
The crowd parted, making way for Qiao Muchen and the two men accompanying him.
"Greetings, Your Honor."
After a brief salute, Qiao Muchen cut straight to the point. "Your Honor, I recently found the death of Wang Family’s mother-in-law suspicious. Therefore, I went to inquire with Wang Sanleng’s immediate neighbors."
"The neighbors stated that Wang Sanleng’s eldest son, Wang Tie Dan, was addicted to gambling. His family controlled his access to money to prevent him from gambling. However, Wang Tie Dan often stole money from home to gamble, causing Wang Sanleng and his wife great distress."
"Early this morning, a neighbor saw Wang Tie Dan sneak out of his house and go to the Gambling House, where he gambled away all the money he had on him. A servant from the Gambling House can testify to this."
As he spoke, he glanced at one of the men beside him.
The man knelt and replied, "Your Honor, this commoner can testify. Early this morning, Wang Tie Dan indeed came to the Gambling House and lost all twenty coins he had. As he was leaving, he was shouting about going home to get more money to continue gambling."
Advisor Wang looked confused and asked, "What does this prove?"
Qiao Muchen smiled and, with a respectful gesture, said, "This establishes Wang Tie Dan’s motive. I speculate that Wang Tie Dan was deeply resentful after losing his money and leaving the Gambling House. Upon returning home, he wanted to get more money to gamble. It was then that he encountered Wang Family’s mother-in-law, who was returning after fetching medicine."
"The mother and son must have argued over the gambling. In the course of the dispute, Wang Tie Dan accidentally killed his own mother."
"Seeing his mother dead, Wang Tie Dan must have panicked. Unwilling to face the crime of murder, in his desperation, he happened to see the medicine packet his mother had brought back."
"According to the neighbors, San Lengzi was a herb gatherer three years ago. However, when the price of medicinal herbs fell three years prior, he switched to selling baked flatbreads."
"From this, we can deduce that San Lengzi has some knowledge of pharmacology. As San Lengzi’s eldest son, who often accompanied him to gather herbs, Wang Tie Dan would naturally also have some knowledge of pharmacology."
"He saw that the medicine packet contained strychnos seeds and knew they were highly toxic; a large dose could be fatal. Thus, he conceived the idea of framing someone else."
Qiao Muchen’s deduction was logical and reasonable, and the onlookers nodded continuously in agreement.
"That sounds plausible indeed."
"Yes, if that’s true, then Wang Tie Dan is truly a scoundrel! He caused his mother’s death through gambling and then, instead of repenting, he thought of framing someone else!"
At this point, Wang Tie Dan had already crumbled to the ground.
Advisor Wang nodded. That analysis seems reasonable, but it’s merely conjecture, he thought. He then said, "Young master, these are all your individual speculations. Solving a case requires evidence, not just inference."
Qiao Muchen, with his hands clasped behind his back, paced in the main hall. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "Indeed, a case cannot be judged solely on inference. However, inference is a crucial method for solving cases."
"Now that I have deduced Wang Tie Dan’s method of committing the crime, we can search for evidence. After leaving Wang Tie Dan’s home, I went straight to the nearest medicine stalls on North Street."
"As luck would have it, when I inquired at the first stall, the owner mentioned that someone had bought strychnos seeds from him early this morning."
Qiao Muchen turned to the other man and, pointing at Wang Tie Dan, asked, "Stall owner, look carefully. Was it he who bought strychnos seeds from your stall?"
The stall owner looked up at Wang Tie Dan. After a moment, he nodded emphatically and affirmed, "Yes, that’s him. He’s the one who bought strychnos seeds from my stall today."
Magistrate Han asked, "Many people must buy medicine from your stall. Why are you so certain about him?"
The stall owner was not stumped and replied, "Your Honor, he was my first customer of the day. Moreover, he didn’t want anything else, only two taels of strychnos seeds. It was so unusual that it left a very deep impression on me."
Magistrate Han nodded, confirming the testimony. He then addressed Wang Tie Dan, "The witness testimony and physical evidence are all here. Wang Tie Dan, what else do you have to say!"
Wang Tie Dan had already collapsed to the ground by this point, lying prone and continuously crying out for mercy.
Magistrate Han snorted coldly and commanded with full authority, "Guards! Take the criminal Wang Tie Dan to prison!"
Amidst cries for mercy, Wang Tie Dan was escorted away by the bailiffs, leaving San Lengzi and his younger son to do nothing but weep.
His wife was dead, and his eldest son was imprisoned; how could they not cry?
However, even in their grief, Zhao Zhitong insisted they apologize to her grandfather. Being miserable was not an excuse for them to avoid apologizing for their mistake.
And so, the turmoil was quelled.
The crowd of onlookers, having witnessed a good show, sighed and gradually dispersed.
Magistrate Han, however, did not leave. He turned to Zhao Zhitong, Qiao Muchen, and Zhao Yue, and said with a smile, "Indeed, the younger generation is brimming with talent! This is a blessing for our Great Zhou Dynasty!"
The three of them naturally expressed their humility.
After exchanging a few more words with the three and inquiring about their names, Magistrate Han departed with a cheerful smile.
Upon returning to the government office, Advisor Wang asked with great curiosity, "Your Lordship, why were you so pleased?"
Magistrate Han was already advanced in years, yet he remained a minor official of low rank, never entrusted with significant responsibilities. This was largely related to his personality and capabilities.
He was easily swayed and failed to achieve any notable accomplishments during his tenures. In common terms, he was ineffective. He had been transferred through various posts, always remaining a County Magistrate.
Now, encountering three such promising young individuals, especially the young girl with her exceptional autopsy skills, was truly rare.
The last time he had witnessed such skill was during a case judged by Elder Song. Although the young girl couldn’t compare to Elder Song, her ability was already more than sufficient.
And Young Master Qiao Muchen’s deductive reasoning and case-solving abilities were also truly impressive, making one see him in a new light.
Young Master Zhao Yue, though less conspicuous, possessed a keen ability to discern people’s hearts and minds, making him a rare talent as well.
The emergence of three such talented juniors in the county naturally delighted him. He instructed Advisor Wang, "In the future, be amiable and courteous to these three young people. I’m afraid there will be no shortage of occasions where we’ll need their assistance."
Advisor Wang naturally nodded repeatedly in agreement.
「Meanwhile, at De Ren Tang.」
After all the outsiders had departed, Sun Kang and Sun Youli nodded to Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue, then called Zhao Zhitong aside to speak in hushed tones.
"Young girl," they asked, their voices laced with worry and urgency, "when did you acquire this skill of performing autopsies?"
Both seemed very worried and anxious.
Zhao Zhitong didn’t tell them the truth—that she had spent years studying books on her own while also dissecting corpses for research. She feared her grandfather and uncle wouldn’t be able to accept it. Indeed, even without her saying so, merely knowing she could perform an autopsy was already difficult for them to bear.
Zhao Zhitong blinked and fabricated an excuse, "I just read about it in a book. I found it interesting, so I memorized it."
Seeing her grandfather and Uncle frowning, she asked, "Grandfather, Uncle, what’s wrong? I used this skill to help the County Magistrate solve the case and resolve the crisis facing our medical clinic. Shouldn’t you be happy?"
Her grandfather sighed. "Yes, we should be happy."
Then, his tone shifted. "However, young girl, corpses are not good things. You must never touch them again in the future, do you understand?"