Chapter 213 - 211: One More Person to Despise (Second Update)

Chapter 213: Chapter 211: One More Person to Despise (Second Update)

Zhao Jingyi casually asked, not expecting Miss Xu to really have a lead.

He was somewhat surprised, and upon hearing Xu Jing’s question, he paused and shook his head, "No, after I found Steward Liao’s body, I had people search the vicinity, but found nothing suspicious. Miss Xu, do you think there should be such things nearby?"

Xu Jing nodded and said, "According to my deduction of the deceased’s time of death, the murderer didn’t have much time to commit the crime. In such a short period, they had to commit murder, clean the scene, and arrange Steward Liao’s room. No matter how well planned, the time was quite tight, they likely didn’t have time to dispose of those things.

Generally, when a murderer disposes of their weapon, they either hide it, throw it in water if available, bury it if they have time, or if there’s no water or time, temporarily stash it in a secluded nearby spot."

There was no lake or pond nearby, nor any wells, so Xu Jing believed the murder weapon was close by.

Zhao Jingyi had a moment of realization and immediately said, "I’ll have people search the nearby areas more thoroughly. They were too rough with their previous search."

With that, he turned to instruct the guards.

On the side, Zhao Jingming couldn’t suppress his agitation upon hearing Xu Jing say that there was a lead. He could hardly wait for Zhao Jingyi and Xu Jing to finish talking before rushing over to ask, "Miss Xu, what lead are you talking about? Who poisoned my father and killed Steward Liao?"

Xu Jing glanced at him and instead of answering, asked, "Zhao Liulang, after seeing Steward Liao’s body, what do you think the murderer is like?"

Zhao Jingming was taken aback, frowning slightly, "How would I know? As Miss Xu said, their actions were meticulous and cautious, knocking Steward Liao unconscious and tying him up before killing him..."

"Since Steward Liao was already unconscious, why did the murderer tie him up before killing him?"

Zhao Jingming became even more perplexed, "It’s because they feared he might wake up and resist halfway through, right? You mentioned the abrasions on Steward Liao’s wrists and ankles, which is evidence of him regaining consciousness and resisting halfway."

"However, the abrasions on his wrists and ankles weren’t that severe, indicating that even if he regained consciousness, he was very weak."

Who wouldn’t be weak after getting hit that hard?

Zhao Jingming thought harder and got a headache, unable to help but say dejectedly, "I admit I’m not as smart as you, can’t you just make it clear?"

Xiao Yi couldn’t help but walk over, speaking calmly, "Changyu, calm down, Miss Xu just said that she hasn’t found key evidence yet, meaning her current thoughts are just speculation, and since it’s speculation, naturally she can’t just say it out loud to mislead others."

Zhao Jingming was unconvinced, "When you’re investigating a case, don’t you discuss it unless you have solid evidence?"

Xiao Yi looked at him with a subtle gaze as if saying, "You can’t compare yourself to us," and said, "Of course not, but Miss Xu’s words were already quite clear. At least, I hold the same views as Miss Xu."

Zhao Jingming: "..."

So what are your views?

Previously, he was always looked down upon by Xiao Yanci and Xiao Jingchen, and now there’s another person doing the same. What is going on here?

Just then, a guard not far away suddenly shouted excitedly, "My lord, I found something!"

Everyone immediately went over, seeing a broken wooden stick with bloodstains, and a length of rope in a shrubbed corner behind the warehouse.

The place where the items were found was less than fifty steps away from where Steward Liao’s body was discovered.

The stick was about arm-length, broken a third of the way down from the top.

Xu Jing used a handkerchief to wrap her hands, examining the stick and the rope, but suddenly noticed a small red patch on one end of the rope.

Xiao Yi’s gaze deepened slightly, "This is blood."

"Yes."

Xu Jing said calmly, "The murderer is indeed that person."

Soon, everyone gathered in the room prepared by Zhao Jingyi. Xiao Yi sat at the head, Xu Jing to his right, Madam Cen to his left, followed by Zhao Jingming, Zhao Jingyi, and Zhao Shaohua.

The four suspects were lined up below. Except for Qingyun, the other three had their hands bound, and Xu Jing finally saw the legendary Vice General Sun for the first time.

Vice General Sun was tall and robust, with a full beard obscuring his real age. His face was flushed due to excitement, and immediately after being brought in and seeing Madam Cen, he shouted, "Madam! I’m innocent, madam! Even if I were to kill myself, I would never lay a finger on Lord Liang! I only secretly stayed in the mansion to see Lord Liang one last time. I’ve been following him since I was fifteen and can’t imagine how to live without Lord Liang! I know I did something unforgivable, and I won’t do it again in the future.

How is Lord Liang now? Who dared to poison him? I, Sun Dahu, will tear them to pieces!"

Madam Cen frowned, speaking coldly, "Quiet, I’ve entrusted Vice Minister Xiao to handle your interrogation today. Vice Minister Xiao will help us identify the true poisoner of Lord Liang!"

Vice General Sun was stunned, his tiger-like eyes tightly locking onto Xiao Yi sitting in the center.

Xiao Yi glanced indifferently at him, "Vice General Sun, rest assured, I know you aren’t the real culprit."

At these words, everyone was shocked.

They originally thought the murderer was most likely Vice General Sun!

Madam Cen quickly asked, "If it’s not Vice General Sun, then who could it be?"

At this point, Xiao Yi looked at Xu Jing on the side, who nodded and stood up, "At first, I also thought the murderer was Vice General Sun. After all, he had a strong motive for the crime, and Steward Liao was very tall and strong. He followed Old Duke Liang in his youth and had some skills, not just anyone could kill him.

Until I saw Steward Liao’s body. If someone were confident in their physical strength and skills, after successfully ambushing Steward Liao, there would be no need to tie his hands and feet. Even if Steward Liao regained consciousness in the middle of being attacked, his strength would be greatly limited due to his severe injuries. For Vice General Sun, subduing such a Steward Liao would be an easy task."

Everyone was startled, and Zhao Jingming finally understood why Xu Jing had asked him those questions earlier, his eyes widening slightly, "You’re saying the murderer tied him up because they thought their strength couldn’t match Steward Liao’s?"

In that case, Vice General Sun indeed doesn’t seem like the culprit. Among the remaining three, Qingyun is surely the weakest, while Chen Sheng and Feng Zhao, though men, are not as robust as Steward Liao, especially Chen Sheng, who is considered small and thin among the guards.

Looking at it this way, all three fit the profile of someone who would think they couldn’t overpower Steward Liao.