The Famous Detective of the Red Mansion

Chapter 164: The Sword Swallowing Event of the Old Man in the West City [Part 1]

"Master!"

Zhao Wuwei was waiting at the gate of the Mansion like a pug.

Sun Shaozong asked expressionlessly, "What is the case? Why bother me when I am on my leave?"

Hearing that his words were filled with unhappiness, Zhao Wuwei bent his back even lower and said carefully, "If it's an ordinary homicide case, I won’t dare to disturb you."

"But the man who died this time was an old man who was scheduled to attend the Palace birthday banquet. The Governor was afraid that if the case was delayed, there would be rumors, so…"

Tch!

Before the birthday banquet, an old man who was scheduled to enter the Palace suddenly died. This matter was not big nor small, but it might alarm the Palace. No wonder Han Anbang was anxious to let himself go to investigate.

To be exact, this position of an Assistant Prefectural Magistrate was a life of running errands.

In the future, it would be his turn to dictate and give others a deadline to solve the case as the newly promoted Governor!

With this in mind, Sun Shaozong pointed back and said, "These are my nephews and nephew’s son-in-law. They have just come from Jinling to prepare for the exam. Lead some captors and recognize them properly later. If there’s any problem, they are able to take care of it immediately."

Hearing this, Zhao Wuwei hurriedly nodded and bowed to Yu Qian and others and said, "Zhao Wuwei, greetings to the three Masters. If you have anything you need assistance with in the future, just call the patrol officials on the streets!"

Yu Qian and Sun Chengye answered calmly, but Sun Chengtao showed a little disgust and did not look up to such flattering villains.

When they got on the horse, Sun Chengtao saw that Sun Shaozong was carefully investigating the case. He pulled the reins and whispered to Yu Qian, "Brother-in-law, don't they all say that our 13th Uncle is the reincarnation of Justice Bao? Why does he have such low-ranking officials around? What's more, the words he briefed earlier, doesn’t it mean using the public tools for private use?"

Yu Qian said calmly, "If you don't like it, you can speak frankly now."

Sun Chengtao suddenly felt bitter and said, "How could I dare? Those two arms are even thicker than my waist. I’m not stupid enough to annoy him."

Yu Qian looked at him blankly and said, "Since you know he is an Elder, how dare you speak randomly to me?"

Sun Chengtao has been reprimanded that he ducked aside.

Yu Qian, however, rode a few steps forward to listen to the conversation between Sun Shaozong and Zhao Wuwei.

"Such a big iron sword, straight into his throat! I don't know what kind of hatred Old Man Xu has made with others that the murderer uses such a frightening technique."

"Did the deceased live alone?"

"I heard that when he was young, he married a relative. But later, when his wife gave birth to a child, she was going through a difficult labor, and both the mother and child were not saved. Old Man Xu became a widower."

"Who was the first to find the victim?"

"It was the beancurd seller next door. Because there was a lot left in the morning, she asked his wife to distribute some to the neighboring families. Unexpectedly, when she came in, Old Man Xu was already stabbed to death by the big iron sword!"

"How about the family fortune?"

"The family fortune has not been touched at all, so I suspect it is revenge. I have told my brothers to inquire about his enemy, but I haven't heard from them yet."

"How does the deceased behave in daily life?"

"Well, I heard that he has a strange temper, but he is kind-hearted. He especially likes children. He often buys some candy to give to children nearby."

After listening to their questions and answers, they sorted out the general situation of the deceased in a short time.

Sun Shaozong's skills were expected. After all, he was a famous Divine Judgement. However, the flatteringly small official was able to answer the question without hesitation, which surprised Yu Qian.

He took time to give Sun Chengtao a sidelong glance and wanted to warn him not to judge people by how they looked in the future.

But the little boy was just like a monkey. He was writhing on the horse's back. It was obvious that he was annoyed that people walked too slowly, and he just wanted to go to the murder scene to take a look.

Forget it…

Yu Qian shook his head helplessly, thinking that he'd better not disappoint him and let his own Brother teach him a lesson later.

When they got to the northwest of the outer city, they saw an alley in front of them. The inner and outer areas were surrounded by passers-by, and everyone knew that they had arrived at their destination.

Sun Shaozong dismounted, and Yu Qian and others were busy following him.

The people around saw several Yamen runners leading the way with their shoulders tilted and flattering, followed by a tall and powerful man. They immediately knew that the Divine Judgement was here. The people there started to shout, “Lord Qingtian, Lord Qingtian.”

Someone who was flirtatious simply pulled the flower on their head and the sachet on their waist and threw them at Sun Shaozong.

However…

Let alone the wrinkled old women, those big bearded fools were also throwing their sachets and cast a few winks at him!

Sun Shaozong suddenly felt a chill all over his body and hurried his pace.

When they got to the yard where Old Man Xu was, they saw four Yamen runners guarding the gate. Inside, there were only two or three captors searching for clues.

As soon as Zhao Wuwei entered the courtyard, he rushed into it and shouted, "Come out! The Master will investigate the scene himself!"

Several Yamen runners rushed out.

"For murders like this, the most important thing is to protect the scene."

As Sun Shaozong walked in, he explained to the three nephews, "So I specifically told them that if a case occurred indoors, no more than five people should go in to explore at the same time, so as not to accidentally destroy important evidence."

When he got to the door, he stopped, pointed to the body lying on its back, and said, "Since it is not far from the actual crime scene, you guys should look from here first. If you can adapt, then you can enter after that."

As he said this, he glanced at Sun Chengtao with a worried face and calmly added, "If anyone vomits, don't blame me for going back and punishing you according to the family regulations."

Sun Chengtao suddenly withered. Although family punishment was different everywhere, this method was common in their hometown and the Sun Mansion. He didn't want to suffer that torture.

Sun Chengye and Yu Qian answered respectfully.

Sun Shaozong just walked into the house and saw that Old Man Xu was over 70 years old, but his hair was only gray. His skin and muscles looked firmer than those of ordinary old men. He was obviously a Master who regularly exercised.

He was lying on his back with his eyes round, and his expression was strange, but there was no sign of struggle.

The cause of death, of course, was the iron sword that was obliquely stabbed into his throat.

The exposed length of the iron sword was about two feet. According to the standard length of the sword, it was 3’3 feet for ordinary long swords, and the ones swallowed were about one and a half feet.

However, judging from the dried-up bloodstains at the scene, the amount of bleeding didn’t seem to be very large.

There were many dry, foam-like traces left on the corners of the mouth.

Tch!

This case looks like…

Sun Shaozong smacked his lips wordlessly, reached out and touched the iron sword, carefully examined Old Man Xu's limbs, and then rose to wave. "All three of you come in and have a look, and then say your inference again."