mesbooks Chapter 55 Disfigurement
Chapter 55 Disfigurement
Soon after, Liu Shan met the yamen runner in the front yard.
He asked in a deep voice, "Where did this nameplate come from?"
The yamen runner respectfully replied, "The magistrate instructed that once you see the plaque, you will accompany me to the prefectural government office."
Liu Shan gripped the nameplate tightly and pressed on, "Tell me, is the owner of this nameplate still alive?"
The constable hesitated for a moment, then replied softly, "Sir, the nameplate was found next to a female corpse; her identity has not yet been confirmed."
Shan's face turned pale. He took a deep breath and asked, "Where was the body found?"
The constable replied, "Our brothers found it on the riverbank inside the city during their patrol."
Liu Shan said in a deep voice, "Let's go to the government office!"
A moment later, Liu Shan and Tian Fugui arrived at the government office.
According to regulations, Tian Fugui was not allowed to enter the back hall of the prefectural government office, but the title of Tongpan (assistant magistrate) was still quite useful in the prefectural government office, and Liu Shan successfully led him into the back hall.
Li Polu had been waiting for a long time. When Liu Shan arrived, he pointed to a corpse covered with a white cloth and asked, "Would you like to take a look?"
Liu Shan shook his head. On the way here, he had asked the yamen runners. This was a female corpse with severely damaged face, and it was impossible to recognize what she looked like when she was alive.
Li Polu said, "In the case of Jinhua County, Chief He spoke highly of you, saying that you are quick-witted and insightful, which is why I specifically called you over. Moreover, if nothing unexpected happens, this female corpse might be someone you know."
Although they had only met in Jinhua County, Liu Shan couldn't help but show his sadness. "If I'm not mistaken, this person should be Ge Yuniang. That day I gave her a wooden plaque and told her that if she encountered any difficulties, she could take it to Cangzhou for help."
Suddenly, Liu Shan's expression changed drastically, and he said urgently, "Father-in-law..."
Li Polu interrupted, saying, "In the government office, you should address people by their official titles, not directly as 'father-in-law.' You should address me as 'Prefect.'"
Liu Shanqiang suppressed his anxiety and changed his words, saying, "Your Excellency, if this person is really Ge Yuniang, then Chen An may also meet with misfortune."
Chen An?
Li Polu had carefully reviewed the case files and had learned about the relevant people. He hurriedly summoned his head constables and ordered them to go to Jinhua County immediately to find out Chen An's whereabouts, whether he was alive or dead.
Liu Shan added from the side, "Bring three of Ge Yuniang's old neighbors to identify the body. I will personally pay two taels of silver as a trouble fee to those who are willing to come."
In the Xia Dynasty, two taels of silver were enough to tempt ordinary people; in a county town, it was enough for a person to live comfortably for a month.
The head constable nodded in acceptance and quickly gathered his men.
Before setting off, Liu Shan instructed, "Be sure to verify everything carefully, and don't overlook any clues. Also, if you do this well, the Prefect will reward you handsomely!"
The head constable solemnly agreed and led his team away at breakneck speed.
After the constables left, Li Polu said, "Liu, it is their duty to go out and handle cases. You should not promise them rewards, otherwise they may develop a habit of relying on rewards."
Liu Shan explained, “Their duty is simply to handle cases, but the quality of their handling depends on their dedication and meticulousness. As long as they handle a case well, I will reward them handsomely. I want everyone to understand that as long as you do your best when working for me, you will definitely be rewarded.”
Li Polu disagreed, saying, "Doing so would not only disrupt the rules, but also breed their greed and even draw criticism from their colleagues."
Liu Shan said with a smile, "As long as the quality of the case handling is high and I can gain the approval of my superiors, what does it matter if my colleagues criticize me?!"
His "wealth and power" are not without reason. The Sanqi Pharmacy at No. 8 Lihua Street is currently making a considerable profit thanks to its excellent service and genuine medicinal materials. Manager Sun even has the idea of opening a branch. The renovation of the bookstore at No. 16 Lihua Street is also nearing completion, and it is expected to open at the end of the month to sell "Painted Skin".
Moreover, Liu Shan has already spent money very hard, but there are still more than 20,000 taels of silver left untouched from the money given by Princess Changning.
It's no exaggeration to say that he has now become a small-time tycoon.
Although it cannot compare to the wealth of a "noble lady" like Princess Changning, this amount of money is a fortune that many people could not earn in several lifetimes.
Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Li Polu snorted coldly, thinking to himself that he must tell his daughter properly when he got home: Men can have pocket money, but the amount must be controlled... Hmm, only ten taels a month... No, eight taels of silver for Liu Shan is enough.
Remembering that Wang only gave her ten taels of silver as pocket money each month, this kid's pocket money had to be less than hers. He was only worth eight taels, not a single tael more!
Liu Shan was unaware that he was only worth eight taels in his father-in-law's eyes. He pointed at the corpse and asked, "Coroner, what was the cause of her death?"
The coroner from the prefectural government, who had been standing by as a background figure, finally had a chance to speak and hurriedly replied, "She died from a knife wound. The murderer not only cut her throat but also disfigured her face with a knife."
"Can you identify which weapon the murderer used?" Liu Shan pressed.
The coroner shook his head, "We can only identify that the murder weapon was a knife, but we cannot confirm what kind of knife it was."
Liu Shan looked at Tian Fugui, hoping that this kid could bring him a surprise.
However, Tian Fugui also shook his head, "A knife wound is different from a stab wound; it cannot be identified by the shape of the wound."
Why did the perpetrator disfigure the victim? Was it an inside job, or was it an attempt to conceal their identity?
None of these questions have answers, so it seems we can only start with other clues.
Liu Shan sighed, "My lord, if there are no other clues, I'll be going home to rest."
Li Polu was stunned. Faced with such a major case, Liu Shan actually had the mind to go home and rest?
"Should we not conduct another inspection?"
"There's nothing to investigate. Once we confirm the body's identity tomorrow, we can investigate more effectively. Until then, it's all in vain. We might as well go home and sleep."
Li Polu wanted to refute, but found that Liu Shan's words made a lot of sense, and the boy had already gone far away, giving him no chance to refute.
He shook his head helplessly and could only instruct his men to guard the body carefully.
He still needs to discuss some important decisions with the prefect.
……
The next day, before dawn, Liu Shan went out to the government office.
The constables should be back today, and he wants to take people to identify the body as soon as possible.
However, although he was the first to leave, he still arrived a step later than Li Polu.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, then looked at Li Polu, who had just stepped out of the sedan chair, looking calm and collected...
He suddenly realized that being an official was really not easy. He didn't even have the chance to walk for exercise and could only endure the bumps in the cramped sedan chair. It was really too "hard".