Chapter 194

When they went over, the Yamen runners happened to arrive at the gate, along with a man who looked like a Zhubu. Now there should be no high official in town, so it was Zhubu who took charge.

The village head saw Zhubu and walked up to greet him, “Hello, Your Lordship. Thank you for being here.”

Zhubu waved his hand, “Okay. So this is the family that had an accident, right? What happened on earth? You tell me about it in details.”

When Zhubu finished talking to the village head, he turned to the Yamen runners behind him and said, “Go inside and see if there are any clues. Don’t move the body and let the coroner check it out.”

It was when Zhubu mentioned “the coroner” that Xu Ran saw a person carrying a box behind him. He looked like a doctor. It didn’t occur to Xu Ran that he was actually a coroner.

After the Yamen runners and the coroner went into the room, the village head started to provide the background information about Mr. Hu. Anyway, he told all he knew truthfully.

After that, Zhubu asked, “Who is Xu Ran? Why had the deceased stayed at your house for so long?”

Xu Ran came out and said to Zhubu, “Your Lordship, I am Xu Ran.”

Zhubu didn’t care about Xu Ran calling himself “I”. After all, he was just a Zhubu, which was not a high position, so it was normal for Xu Ran to call himself “I”.

Zhubu asked Xu Ran, “Tell me, why had Mr. Hu stayed at your house for almost a year? Why did he suddenly come back during the Spring Festival? How much do you know about his cause of death?”

Each of Zhubu’s question was harsher than the last one, as if he had already regarded Xu Ran as the suspect who had killed Mr. Hu.

Xu Ran said unhurriedly, “Your Lordship, last year, I bought strawberry seedlings from Mr. Hu. I had never grown strawberries before, so I asked Mr. Hu to teach me at my house. Mr. Hu was alone at home at that time, and he had nothing to worry about, so he went home with me. The reason he came back this year was because Mr. Hu said that his son had gone to our village to find him. His son said that he would take Mr. Hu back home and let him enjoy a happy life. Mr. Hu insisted that he go back, and that was why I sent him back. However, on the day I sent him back, Mr. Hu did not let me go into the village. Your Lordship, I heard something else today. Mr. Hu told me that his son was doing business, but people in the village told me something different. Please look into it.”

“Well! What did you hear?” Zhubu asked Xu Ran.

Xu Ran said, “Your Lordship, my words are not so convincing as the villagers’. Since I also heard it from them, Your Lordship, I think you could ask them.”

There were many people standing behind Xu Ran. They were all from this village.

Zhubu shifted his eyes from Xu Ran to people behind him and asked, “Is what he said the truth?”

Many villagers in the know nodded and one of them chimed in, “Your Lordship, it’s true. Last year, we did see some people come to Mr. Hu’s house to buy strawberry seedlings. Then they took him away. This year during the Spring Festival, I also saw a carriage coming to the village, but I didn’t see anyone exactly. After they arrived today, they have been with us all the time, and they had lunch in the village head’s house. Besides, Mr. Hu’s son is a gambler indeed.”

“A gambler?” Zhubu mused, and then asked, “How many of you know about this? Does he usually steal things from the village?”

The person who had been talking went on, “I don’t know how many people in the village know he is a gambler, but all those who often go to town know about it. As for whether he steals, he doesn’t, because he hardly came back to the village since he started gambling, especially during the year when Mr. Hu was not in the village.”

The man spoke very smoothly, as well as logically. He looked quite young. Xu Ran glanced at him and he replied with a smile.

This person should be an intellectual. Xu Ran guessed secretly.

When that man finished speaking, other villagers in the know started to echo his words. Since so many people said so, Zhubu just believed it.

Zhubu asked the village head again, “How long has this person been dead? As the village head, you actually didn’t know that something like this happened in your village, and you came to notify it to the Yamen now. If it wasn’t for someone looking for the deceased, you wouldn’t even know about it when the deceased became a skeleton!”

The more Zhubu spoke, the louder he was. Being lectured in front of so many people, the village head was deeply ashamed.

The village head hummed and hawed, not daring to give an explanation.

Zhubu seemed to be even angrier when seeing the village head like that. He flicked his sleeve and walked into the house. The village head followed behind him immediately, and Xu Ran also followed them with Liu Tong.

A group of Yamen runners were searching the room, while the coroner was studying Mr. Hu’s body at the bedside.

Zhubu walked over and asked, “How is it? Can we find out the cause of death?”

The coroner said, “It has already been found out that his back was broken and thus his chest was squeezed. He couldn’t breathe and died. It can be judged that the murderer hit him from his back, and that he did it in an extremely brutal way.”

Zhubu glanced at the body on the bed and asked, “Is there anything else?”

The coroner answered, “There is also a piece of wood gripped in his hand. He was holding it very tight and I couldn’t take it out, but I could tell that it was pulled apart from the bolt. I also found this broken bolt.”

With that, the coroner picked up the bolt placed on the cabinet aside and passed it to Zhubu.

Zhubu took a look at the bolt, and then walked over to look at Mr. Hu’s hand. He stuck the bolt out to see if they matched, and nodded, “Exactly. It seems that this murderer wanted to go out, and the deceased was stopping him, which is why he was killed. However, the identity of the killer remains to be verified. According to the villagers, it is very likely that the murderer is his son.”

After that, Zhubu glanced meaningfully at Xu Ran.

Xu Ran didn’t dodge his glance and looked Zhubu in the eye. He didn’t do it anyway, so he was confident.

Xu Ran thought for a moment before he decided to tell Zhubu what had happened that night. He said, “Your Lordship, on the day I sent Mr. Hu back during the Spring Festival, he didn’t let me go into the village with him. I was worrying about him, so I came back secretly at night. However, I called him at the gate for a long time and no one answered. So I guess, it was because Mr. Hu’s son wanted to do something, and Mr. Hu was stopping him from going out, that Mr. Hu’s son killed Mr. Hu when the two of them were fighting with each other.”

Xu Ran didn’t exclude himself in his words. He had also thought that if Mr. Hu was not killed by his son, then he would be the most probable suspect. Besides, Zhubu was already suspecting him. However, Xu Ran believed that a clean hand wanted no washing, so he still told the truth.

As expected, as soon as Xu Ran finished speaking, Zhubu asked, “You said that you came back, and it was at night, so no one saw you, right? In that case, you are also a suspect. Old Zhang, could you tell when the deceased died?”

Old Zhang was the coroner. He had already got the answer, so he replied when Zhubu asked him, “I just checked. Judging from the bloodstains and the degree of decay of the body, the deceased has been dead for more than two months. He should have died in January of the lunar year.”

Zhubu stared at Xu Ran, “Is there anything else you want to say? Now the son of the deceased is not here, and no one saw the son of the deceased appear in January. Now it seems that you are the most probable suspect. I heard that you were the first one to kick open the deceased’s gate.”

Xu Ran gave a laugh, “Your Lordship, is it too soon to draw a conclusion? You also know that I’m not from this village. If I really killed Mr. Hu, would I be stupid enough to come back two months after I killed him?”

“More importantly, Your Lordship, Mr. Hu had been at my house before. If I really wanted to do something to him, why would I go to the trouble of sending him back from my house and then kill him here? Mr. Hu is an old man after all. If I made a casual excuse, saying that he was ill, and then killed him, no one would say anything. Your Lordship is smart and should definitely know what I mean.”

Xu Ran was being straightforward. All those present, as long as they were not too stupid, would get him. Xu Ran had no motive for murder, nor would he kill someone and then come back after the murder.

Seeing that people went silent, Xu Ran added, “Your Lordship, if you were me and killed Mr. Hu, would you come back two months later? If you didn’t come back, how many people in this village would remember that someone like you had come before? Who would have thought that you were the murderer?”

Xu Ran also took a risk. He took the example on Zhubu. If Zhubu was an extremely sensitive person, he could have been able to declare Xu Ran guilty on the spot.

Zhubu smiled after listening to Xu Ran’s example. This was the first time he had smiled since he had come. Zhubu said, “You are indeed a smart person. You are right. Compared to his gambler son, you really have no motive for murder. Furthermore, as long as you are not stupid, you wouldn’t have to go to the trouble. Then tell me, what’s his son’s motive for murder?”

Xu Ran also smiled, “Money.”

One word, simple and clear.

Zhubu asked, “Why are you so sure it’s about money?”

Xu Ran said, “For a gambler, as long as the banker wins money, as long as he is addicted to gambling, as long as he loses every time he gambles, money is naturally crucial to him. He will do anything for money. And what’s important is that Mr. Hu should be rich. I gave Mr. Hu 100 taels of silver when I bought strawberry seedlings from him back then. It was a large sum. I don’t know where Mr. Hu put the money. Besides, when he was at my house, I also gave him money. Your Lordship, you might have people search the place to see whether there is still money in this room.”

Hearing Xu Ran’s words, Zhubu also felt that he was walking towards the truth step by step. The Yamen runners were standing neatly outside. Zhubu walked over to them, “Is there anything?”

“Your Lordship, no.” The head of the Yamen runners answered.

“Did you find money in the room? Or anything valuable?” Zhubu continued.

“Your Lordship, no.”

Zhubu walked over to the coroner and asked him, “Old Zhang, did you find any money or anything valuable on the deceased?”

The coroner shook his head, “Your Lordship, no.”

Zhubu squinted his eyes. It seemed that Xu Ran was right.