Speaking recklessly!
She said, “If you want to solve this case, you’d better believe what I say.”
“Solving cases is the government’s responsibility. What case could you possibly solve? Even if the portrait you drew really is Guo He, it can only mean you stumbled upon it by chance, coincidentally drawing someone who resembles him. This doesn’t prove anything at all.”
Jingrong didn’t have the same patience as Ji Yunshu. His sharp, ink-dark eyes glared coldly at that person. “Whatever Master Ji says, that’s what it is. If you dare utter one more word, I’ll have someone cut out your tongue.”
That person’s tongue involuntarily curled, retracting inward as he swallowed. “Who do you think you are? If you cut out my tongue, I’ll report you to the authorities.”
“Report to the authorities?”
How laughable!
A dignified prince—would he possibly fear the government?
His hawk-like brows lifted slightly upward. “Binjing should be under the jurisdiction of Magistrate Huang of Huangshi Mountain, correct? I don’t believe that if I wanted to cut out your tongue, he would dare to stop me.”
That imposing presence pressed directly toward him!
That person stammered, “You… what gives you the right to say such things?”
“What gives me the right? Simply that Huang of Huangshi Mountain wouldn’t dare move against me.”
That was natural—His Lordship was a venerated Buddha!
Held in high regard!
As for Magistrate Huang of Binjing’s Huangshi Mountain, Jingrong didn’t know much about him, only that this person was honest and upright with an excellent reputation in the court.
“You certainly have quite the arrogance.” That person scoffed and walked toward Master Yu, cupping his hands. “Teacher, in this student’s view, we should wait for the yamen officials to bring the coroner to examine the corpse before making any determination. This student does not believe this person is Guo He. Guo He left a year ago and even left a letter—it certainly couldn’t be fake. These people are spouting nonsense here, spreading alarmist talk. They clearly have ulterior motives. I ask that Teacher…”
Before these words were finished—
“Silence!”
Master Yu was slightly angered. His hand slammed heavily on the armrest of the pear wood chair as he said, “I’ve already said this matter is entrusted to Master Ji. If she says these skeletal remains are Guo He, then they are undoubtedly Guo He. If you dare say one more word, you won’t attend this year’s spring examinations either.”
Not attend the spring examinations? How could that be acceptable?
After years of arduously studying the classics of the sages, wasn’t it all for the day when one could achieve high honors in the imperial examinations!
He swallowed several times and quickly retreated to the side.
This was, so to speak, killing the chicken to warn the monkeys—naturally, no one else dared say anything more.
Master Yu glanced at Ji Yunshu and said, “Guo He was an orphan who grew up by my side since childhood. I ask that Master please investigate the truth.”
Ji Yunshu nodded, gradually rolling up the painting while saying, “If, according to what you just said, Master, the deceased left on June 13th of last year, then when he left from the back mountain that day, he should have encountered someone. A conflict arose between them, and they came to blows. The deceased was no match for the murderer and was beaten severely, sustaining fatal injuries. From this, we can see that either the deceased had a grudge against the murderer during his lifetime, or something happened at that time that led to physical conflict between the deceased and the murderer.”
Just as these words were spoken—
“In the academy, the one who had a grudge against Guo He was Liang Tian.”
The voice was very loud!
Looking over, one could see a person being dragged out from the crowd.
This person was called Liang Tian, Lin Shu’s right-hand man!
He excitedly denied it. “What are you all talking about? I didn’t kill him.”
“Everyone in the academy knows you and Guo He always had a feud. In the days before he left the academy, you even quarreled with him in the study hall, saying you’d take any opportunity to put him to death. When you said those words, we all heard them.” Someone said.
Liang Tian hastily said, “Yes, Guo He and I did have conflicts. Who told him to run rampant in the academy and constantly tear up my books to start fires? I admit I said those words, but I really didn’t kill him. Usually, I don’t even dare kill fish—how would I dare kill a person?”
“Then why weren’t you at the academy on June 13th last year?”
“I…”
He couldn’t speak.
“Throughout the entire month of June last year, we were all preparing for the autumn examinations in August. Only you were frequently absent, and on the day Guo He left, you weren’t there either.”
Liang Tian said, “Just because I wasn’t there means I’m the murderer? Don’t make false accusations.”
His sleeve swept fiercely!
He looked even more excitedly toward Master Yu. “Teacher, you understand this student. In my entire life, I’m most afraid of seeing blood. How could I possibly kill someone?”
Master Yu asked, “Then where were you at that time?”
“This student was… was in the library pavilion.” Liang Tian was clearly lacking in confidence.
“Nonsense!” Master Yu rebuked sharply. “Don’t tell me you don’t know that in June last year, there was a fire in the library pavilion. I locked the door and forbade anyone from entering. How could you have been in the library pavilion? Hurry up and tell the truth.”
Liang Tian trembled, his eyes darting about guiltily and evasively. After stammering for a long while, he finally told the truth. “Actually… that day, this student went to Anshan Town… to gamble. I didn’t return to the academy until the next day. By then, Guo He had already left.”
The gambling den?
“Outrageous!”
Master Yu was so angry he could barely contain himself, his chest aching with rage.
“Teacher, this student knows he was wrong.”
Master Yu was frustrated at his failure to meet expectations. “Stubbornly refusing instruction is the teacher’s fault. How can my Mingshan Academy tolerate you? Regarding Guo He’s death, after a year has passed, you even dare to gamble—would you still fear murder?”
“Even though this student enjoys gambling, I truly didn’t kill anyone.”
He argued vehemently.
Ji Yunshu suddenly spoke up. “The person was indeed not killed by him.”
Hmm?
An uproar!
Liang Tian seemed to grasp at a lifeline, his eyes full of urgency and hope as he looked toward Ji Yunshu.
At some unknown point, Ji Yunshu had already picked up Guo He’s skull and walked toward him. “If you want to prove you didn’t kill anyone, extend your right hand.”
Liang Tian nodded and complied, immediately raising his hand.
“Clench your fist.”
He continued to comply!
Then, Ji Yunshu reached her conclusion!
“The person was indeed not killed by you.”
Liang Tian let out a long breath of relief.
Master Yu asked, “Master, do you have evidence to prove he didn’t kill him?”
Ji Yunshu held up the skull in her hand and explained, “The facial bones on the skull, well… actually the zygomatic bones—these two protruding bones on either side of the cheeks.” She pointed with her finger and continued, “Before death, the deceased was punched in the left zygomatic bone. The zygomatic bones are among the harder bones in the skull. Unless the person throwing the punch had great strength, there wouldn’t be an indentation left on the zygomatic bone. Yet this skull’s zygomatic bone appears intact, and on the surface, there’s no indentation. One would think the murderer’s strength wasn’t great, or rather, was that of an ordinary person. However, the reality is quite different.”
Everyone was curious!
They listened quietly.
“Whether a person dies of illness, by burning, hanging, drowning… the skeleton will undergo changes to a certain degree. These skeletal remains soaked in water for a year, and the area below the zygomatic bones would curve slightly upward. Precisely because of this, the zygomatic bone blocks on both sides were compressed, causing slight protrusion. But the zygomatic bones on this skull appear intact on the surface, without protrusion. There’s only one reason: the deceased’s zygomatic bone suffered not a light punch, but a heavy blow, leaving an indentation on the zygomatic bone. Then, because the bone blocks compressed and protruded, one indentation and one protrusion returned to their normal state, making the zygomatic bone appear normal.”
She looked at Liang Tian. “This shows the murderer was someone with great strength. Therefore, it’s not you, because your wrist bones curve slightly inward with a slight ridge—this is common carpal bone syndrome. A person with carpal bone syndrome, aside from holding a brush to write or holding chopsticks to eat, cannot do any lifting or carrying work at all. Where would you get the strength to hit someone? To strike the deceased’s hard zygomatic bone with enough force to create an indentation?”