Chapter 228 - 226: Like Searching for a Needle in the Ocean (First Update)

Chapter 228: Chapter 226: Like Searching for a Needle in the Ocean (First Update)

Xu Jingjing silently watched Zhao Jing’an, not feeling surprised by this matter.

The two students who were coerced had ample motives for murder, and they were also seen near the crime scene on the day of the incident; no one seemed more like suspects than them.

Zhao Jing’an continued, "They... are both Outer Students, Ding Lian and Inner Residence Student Wei Zi’an. Both of them are poor students who were selected from the county’s academy due to their excellent grades.

Ding Lian was the one coerced into meeting Zhang Zhengbo. After Zhang Zhengbo died, he was arrested. Initially, the Ministry of Justice was about to conclude he was the murderer and close the case. But then, unexpectedly, Cai Yuanlang also died, in a manner similar to Zhang Zhengbo, so Ding Lian’s sentencing was suspended.

Now, both Ding Lian and Wei Zi’an have been arrested and are currently in the Ministry of Justice’s prison."

Originally, the law of Great Chu stipulated that suspects could be detained for a maximum of forty days; if the case could not be concluded within forty days, other procedures had to be followed.

However, because the victims in this case were all noble scions, it was naturally not handled like an ordinary case.

Zhao Shao Hua couldn’t help but say, "Is the Ministry of Justice going to arrest someone every time a murder occurs? If the courtesan lying beside He Anming hadn’t been tied up that day, she would probably have been taken away by them too!"

She knew all along that Wang Qilang was unreliable!

Xu Jing thought for a moment and said, "Have you heard that these victims privately had a habit of using Cold Food Powder?"

Zhao Jing’an was taken aback, shook his head, and said, "I haven’t heard of that, but if they were discovered using Cold Food Powder, they would be sentenced. Even if they did use it, they couldn’t possibly tell others."

Indeed.

This matter should have some clues if asked of the servants around them, but Xu Jing couldn’t yet figure out the connection between Cold Food Powder and this case, so there was no need to ask urgently.

Soon, they arrived at the place where the first victim died.

From a distance, they could smell a foul stench of excrement. Zhao Shao Hua, who had never suffered such indignities, turned pale and exclaimed, "Even if Zhang Zhengbo wanted a secluded place for a rendezvous, he couldn’t possibly come here!"

How much endurance did one need for this!

Zhao Jing’an also looked displeased and said, "Indeed, because everyone knows this place smells bad, scarcely anyone visits even nearby. I’m not sure of their exact location for the rendezvous, but further ahead is a shed used by the gardener. Once inside, the smell isn’t as noticeable."

Xu Jing couldn’t help but frown but proceeded to move forward.

There was a small wooden house there, likely the resting place for the two night soil men, with many chamber pots neatly arranged outside. The clean ones were placed on the left, while the unwashed ones were on the right.

On the day of the incident, Zhang Zhengbo was forcibly submerged into one of these chamber pots by the murderer and died of suffocation.

Xu Jing then went to inspect the well by the kitchen; the environment there was far more normal compared to the night soil place. However, since it was dinner time, the kitchen was bustling. Zhao Jing’an found a familiar cook to give them a quick look inside.

The kitchen was locked at night, but the well was in the courtyard outside, which could be accessed at any time.

After inspecting the two crime scenes, Zhao Jingming said, "Given these circumstances, the murderer must have known very well that Zhang Zhengbo and Cai Yuanlang would be meeting near here that day! As Miss Xu said, he followed them for a long time, so it must be someone from the Imperial College."

According to Zhao Jing’an, very few of their peers were aware that the two deceased would meet with other students at night; most merely speculated. After these incidents, this speculation was confirmed.

The murderer must have observed them secretly for a long time to know this so well.

Zhao Jing’an said, "But in our Imperial College, we have nearly a thousand students, plus teachers, guards, and staff responsible for various tasks, making over a thousand people. Finding the murderer among them is like finding a needle in a haystack."

Xu Jing asked him, "Do these people usually reside at the Imperial College?"

The killer committed the murder at night, indicating he stayed at the Imperial College overnight.

Zhao Jing’an shook his head and said, "Only the students and the servants attached to the Imperial College are required to live on campus. Teachers such as doctors, assistant teachers, academic directors, and academic recorders in charge of teaching and managing students can choose to stay on campus or go home, except when they are on duty at night.

Additionally, employees hired externally, like the cooks, night soil men, and guards, only stay at the Imperial College during their working hours."

That explains why the two night soil men weren’t initially considered suspects.

The night soil men only came to work at night, leaving them no time to follow and investigate those two students.

However, to further narrow down the suspects, more clues would be required.

Xu Jing pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know if the three deceased had any common enemies?"

Zhao Jing’an hesitated, scratching his cheek awkwardly, "I’m not sure about that, but I could ask their classmates. If you’re talking about enemies, they probably have many. Those students they coerced could be considered their enemies, but a common enemy is hard to say. If there is indeed one, it would likely be someone who suffered at the hands of all three."

Xu Jing nodded and said, "Thank you. Given the current situation, it appears that the murderer targeting those three wasn’t accidental. He likely had a grudge against them, which is why he invested so much time and effort into killing them."

However, there was still something about all this that didn’t sit quite right with her.

As a forensic doctor, it was the first time she participated in an investigation with so little information about the case, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

She looked at Zhao Jing’an again and asked, "The three deceased were friends and likely spent much time together. In the Imperial College, was there anyone else who often accompanied them?"

Zhao Jing’an promptly replied, "Yes! Another Outer Student, Jiang Zhengdao, often hung around with them. Jiang Zhengdao’s father is the Minister of Public Works. He’s supposedly the only child born to his aging parents, who have spoiled him, resulting in his reckless behavior. The four of them were always together."

Xu Jing observed the stream of students entering the dining room, "Can you recognize Jiang Zhengdao?"

Zhao Jing’an saw Xu Jing’s expression and immediately understood what she was thinking, "I can. Because all of Jiang Zhengdao’s friends died, he’s been in the spotlight recently. I couldn’t help but glance at him a few times when I passed by him. But he probably won’t be in the dining hall today. In fact, since He Anming’s death, he’s been pretending to be unwell to stay in his dormitory. Even someone like him couldn’t endure the consecutive deaths of his friends."

Xu Jing reacted slightly, immediately asking, "Where is his dormitory, and could you take us to see it?"