Chapter 466: Xiao Huai’an Extra: This Corpse Isn’t Fresh Enough (Part 3)

Some of the onlookers in the crowd heard the woman’s cries and couldn’t help but murmur, "Isn’t that the robber? Then, is this robber actually the owner’s son..."

The distraught woman was startled upon hearing this, then suddenly turned to glare at the bystanders who were talking, shouting loudly, "How could my son be a robber! How could my son possibly be a robber! The entire gold shop will be his in the future, why would he need to rob his own shop?!"

The bystander who was shouted at shrugged his shoulders and begrudgingly said, "It’s the authorities who said the deceased was a robber! Moreover, I caught a glimpse of the robber earlier, and the man lying on the ground is definitely him!"

The woman, feeling both sorrowful and infuriated, was just about to argue back when a man in his fifties, dressed in an indigo robe, hurried over, hesitantly interjecting, "Madam, the young master does... indeed look like the robber from earlier..."

The woman whipped around, crying out, "You’re lying! Manager Hu, I knew you have always sided with that wench Mrs. You and her child. You’re deliberately smearing my son to let Mrs. You’s wretched offspring rightfully inherit Dongfutang?!"

Dongfutang, the name of the gold shop that had just been robbed.

The man was taken aback and quickly waved his hands, saying, "How... how could I have such thoughts, Madam, you’ve misunderstood me..."

Lord Yao looked at him and said, "You are the shopkeeper of Dongfutang? According to what you just said, were you present when the robber was robbing the shop?"

Manager Hu quickly bowed to Lord Yao, stating, "Yes, I was present at the scene."

"At that time, didn’t anyone recognize the robber as your young master?"

Manager Hu nervously replied, "No... the robber had most of his face covered at the time and... and had deliberately made his voice very low. Not to mention myself, even the owner didn’t realize the robber was the young master.

Besides, the young master rarely comes to Dongfutang. In all these years, I’ve seen him less than ten times... whereas the second young master comes more frequently..."

The woman from earlier was unsettled again upon hearing this, gritting her teeth and angrily shouting, "You’re slandering my son again! I knew you’ve never liked my son—"

Lord Yao impatiently glared at her, sternly stating, "Madam, if you continue to scream and obstruct the investigation, don’t blame me for having you taken away first!"

The woman shivered and unwillingly closed her mouth.

Lord Yao then continued questioning Manager Hu, "This second young master, is he the son of Mrs. You as the lady just mentioned?"

Manager Hu nodded and said, "Yes, Miss You... is the owner’s concubine. Although the second young master’s birth doesn’t match the young master’s, he is very modest and gentle, often accompanying the owner to the shop to help out whenever he has the chance. It’s unfortunate, really..."

He didn’t specify what was unfortunate, but anyone with a brain could tell that he admired the second young master and had quite a bit of criticism for the young master.

The woman from before couldn’t help but glare at him intensely as if trying to kill him with her eyes.

Lord Yao thought for a moment and had a government official take the woman aside before he continued asking, "Do you think your young master would do such a thing? Don’t worry, your madam won’t know what you say, we will keep it confidential."

Manager Hu hesitated for a bit before saying, "The young master and the owner don’t get along well. The owner has always complained that the young master only lives extravagantly, squandering money and never willing to do anything proper. The few times the young master does come to the shop, he’s forced by the owner, and... and every time they part on bad terms.

The last time the young master came to the shop was about two months ago. The owner asked him to help mind the shop, but... but he ended up flirting with a young woman customer who came to buy jewelry, and that woman almost reported the young master to the authorities. Luckily, the owner settled it with silver. After that, the owner was furious and threatened to ground the young master for six months without giving him a single copper coin during that time.

But whether the owner actually did so, I’m not sure..."

Lord Yao lowered his gaze and contemplated.

Given this, it was possible that the young master had impulsively robbed his father’s shop in a fit of anger.

If the forensic doctor determines that the young master drowned, the case would basically be closed...

Just then, a young, clear voice rang out like a breeze, "Lord Yao, I suggest you immediately seal off this area and temporarily restrict the movement of the people nearby."

Lord Yao was startled, looked around, and only then noticed that the young man who had been standing beside him was now squatting beside the corpse. He was slightly tilting his head, looking at him with a solemn expression, "The deceased has cyanosis on the lips and nails, petechial hemorrhages in the eyes, but there’s no frothy foam at the mouth and nose, the palms are clean, and there’s no sediment under the nails. I preliminarily deduce that the deceased... did not drown."

Lord Yao’s eyes widened suddenly.

"Furthermore..."

Xiao Huai’an paused and said, "The facial and ocular muscles of the deceased have shown signs of rigor mortis, indicating the deceased has been dead for at least half an hour. This corpse... isn’t fresh enough."

Lord Yao, shocked, couldn’t help but twitch a little at the corner of his mouth.

Not fresh enough... what kind of forensic doctor would describe it like that? Anyone who didn’t know might think he’s buying fish at a market!

However, they had arrived almost immediately after the deceased jumped into the water, retrieving him soon after.

There might not even have been half an hour since the body was retrieved! How could he have been dead for at least that long!

The only possibility was that he... wasn’t the robber they had been chasing all along.

Lord Yao couldn’t help but speak in an urgent tone, "Young Master Xiao, are you sure? If so, this isn’t just an ordinary robbery case, but a murder case! This... this can’t be a trivial matter to joke about!"

Xiao Huai’an, knowing he hadn’t fully gained Lord Yao’s trust yet, was not offended and coldly curved his lips, "Lord Yao, do I look like I’m joking? Ordinary robbers are only after money, and when the loot is already secured, there’s no need to harm anyone. Yet, he unnecessarily killed the owner who was used as a hostage at the time. Moreover, given his position when holding the owner hostage, slitting his throat would have been the easiest way to kill him, but he didn’t do that. Instead, he unnecessarily turned the knife and stabbed the owner in the chest."

Lord Yao stared blankly at him, momentarily seeing the resemblance of his mother fiercely handling investigation cases in this young man.

He snapped back to reality, instinctively glancing at the government officials around him.

He had come later and wasn’t aware of the situation at the very start of the case.

One of the officials who had been following the case from the beginning immediately nodded, "The situation is indeed as Young Master Xiao described. To be honest, I found that robber a bit inexplicable earlier..."

The corner of Lord Yao’s mouth twitched as he gritted his teeth, "Why didn’t you say so earlier!"

The official who had spoken: "..."

He... he didn’t find the opportunity to say it!

Lord Yao is so fierce! QAQ