mtl008 Chapter 427 Deformed Seams
Chapter 427 Deformed Seams
As Zhang Lai recounted this, the official who had been sent out to examine the palm returned with a solemn expression and reported to Ding Yun, "Sir, everyone in Ting City has checked, and there are no marks on the palm."
Upon hearing this, Ding Yun's expression instantly turned serious, his gaze turning cold and sharp.
The look of fear on Qin Fu's face widened uncontrollably as he stammered, "No marks... Could it be a ghost? A ghost killed him!"
Zhang Lai immediately interrupted, "Afu, the master is still here, don't talk nonsense!"
"But...but..."
"There are no ghosts in this world. The murderer was premeditated and must have made thorough preparations."
Lin Lezhi interrupted, fixing his gaze on the position where the corpse was hanging, and then asked Zhang Lai, "Manager Zhang, if the curtain is completely lowered, where on the pleasure boat would the corpse be hanging?"
The body was hung at the end of the bamboo curtain, roughly where the bamboo curtain met the black cloth. Because the body was too heavy, the thin bamboo strips and the seam had been stretched and deformed or broken.
Zhang glanced at it and immediately replied, "Young Master Lin, that location corresponds to the second guest room on the second floor facing north, right next to Lu's room."
"How could this be? This is impossible!"
As they were talking, the officers and the boatman brought up four men from the gate. Upon seeing Lu Huaijin's corpse, all four men were shocked.
Following behind were two elderly men, their steps faltering, their bodies hunched, and their hair gray. Despite their difficulty, they tried their best to walk quickly towards this side.
It should be the two elderly men with mobility issues that Zhang Lai mentioned.
Ding Yun looked at the four members of the sect and said seriously, "Are you sure that Lu Huaijin didn't leave his room last night?"
One of the gatekeepers, who was still able to remain calm, nodded and replied, "Confirmed! After 9 PM last night, Mr. Lu turned off the lights and went to sleep, and hasn't left his room since."
"Hai Shi (9-11 PM)..." Ding Yun further confirmed, "But after the bamboo curtain was lowered?"
"My lord, yes."
"The magistrate is asking you questions. What are you two whispering about?"
Upon seeing the newly arrived boatman whispering to Zhang Lai with a panicked and suspicious expression, an officer immediately shouted a rebuke.
The ship's crewman was immediately terrified and knelt down, saying, "My...my lord, please understand, I...I didn't do anything, I just...I just felt...something was...suspicious."
"Get up and talk."
"Thank you very much, Envoy Ding."
Ding Yun asked with a deep gaze, "What's suspicious?"
This was the same boatman who had remained silent when the officials were present. He wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, stood up weakly, and his voice was still trembling.
"Just now, there was a murder on the ship, so the manager ordered us to bring everyone on board to this pavilion. I...I knocked on the door of the room where the body was found, but...but no one answered."
One of the officers scolded, "Why are you only reporting something this important now!"
The boatman looked terrified and knelt down, hurriedly explaining, "My lord, please forgive me! Just now, you were working on a case, and I... I thought you might be resting, and I was afraid of providing the wrong clues and interfering with your investigation."
“But…” The boatman looked at Lin Lezhi, “Just now when I heard Young Master Lin ask about the location of the corpse, I felt more and more that something was wrong. I wanted to tell the manager first and see if I should report to the master.”
Fearing suspicion of withholding information, the ship's crewman hurriedly added, "Sir...besides the two guests in the second cabin facing north, there is...there is one more guest who hasn't come up yet..."
Ding Yun: "Who?"
"...It was...last night...at the same time as Mr. Lu...the bride who boarded the ship in Zecheng, the bridal sedan chair was parked at the southeast corner of the pleasure boat."