Volume 2: Female Corpse in Monk's Clothes Chapter 97: Reopening a Major Case (Part 1)
Not long after, County Magistrate Tai Min and Constable Ju Ran also arrived at the Luohan Temple.
Their mood was different from that of the governor Li Yan. In addition to being physically and mentally exhausted, they also felt unprecedentedly depressed. The dense concentration of cases had made them feel suffocated.
If the case of the female corpse in monk's clothing continues to ferment, then the mistake they just made by concealing the case will continue to be magnified and eventually become uncontrollable.
Moreover, this case also concerns whether their judgment at that time was correct, which is of great importance.
When the two arrived, Yuan Xingtai, the cavalry captain of the garrison army, had also arrived. He came from nowhere and looked exhausted.
The three of them didn't bother to exchange pleasantries and hurried to the Luohan Temple to check the situation.
At this time, Xu Zun had already begun questioning Wu Zheng Ranlin.
Ran Lin calmed down a little, but he still couldn't hide the sadness of losing his beloved wife. His expression was wooden, his eyes were dull, and he looked like he had lost his soul.
"My wife Lian Yushu is 21 years old this year, and we've been married for two years," Ran Lin said numbly, "She is the only daughter of Lian Yuanwai, a wealthy family in the east of the city, and she asked someone to arrange a match for her to marry me..."
"Your wife..." Xu Zun asked, "When did she disappear?"
"Missing?" Ran Lin shook her head. "No? Recently, because of the search for the daughter of the Marquis' Mansion, I have been leading my people to search the nearby villages and towns. Yu Shu...she has been at home..."
"Is there anyone else at home?" Xu Zun asked.
"Yes," Ran Lin replied, "Yu Shu was pregnant, so we hired a maid to serve her! The maid... I haven't returned home yet, I wonder how the maid is doing now?"
"Captain," one of Ran Lin's men volunteered, "I know your family. I'll take a few brothers to visit your home!"
"Oh." Ran Lin agreed woodenly.
"Wait a minute!" Xu Zun waved his hand and said, "According to what Ran Wuzheng said, it is very likely that Madam Zun was abducted by the murderer at home.
"You just need to seal off Ran Wuzheng's house and don't break in without permission. I want to check the scene myself."
"Yes!" The men took the order and immediately several of them jumped on their horses and ran towards Ran Lin's house.
"Ran Lin," Shen Xinglian said at this time, "The daughter of the Marquis' Mansion has been found, and all teams were notified to withdraw last night. Why didn't you go home?"
"Sir Shen," Ran Lin replied, "We had already arrived in Xinye County last night. It was already late at night when the news came. It was cold and freezing, so I stayed there with my subordinates for the night and only set off to return this morning.
" Ah..." He sighed with tears in his eyes, "If I had known this would happen, I should have returned home at night!"
"Humph! It's all the fault of that marquis' daughter," a sergeant beside him said angrily. "I heard that she disappeared on purpose and hid in the marquis' mansion. But we soldiers are having a lot of fun!"
"That's right," another echoed, "If it weren't for this, Brother Ran would have been able to accompany sister-in-law all the time, and sister-in-law wouldn't have gotten into any trouble at all!"
At this moment, Lu Mingyue was behind Xu Zun and heard everything clearly. She immediately blushed and felt ashamed.
Wei Beihui couldn't bear to hear such words, so he immediately stepped forward, wanting to scold these two ignorant sergeants.
However, Lu Mingyue grabbed Wei Beihui and signaled him not to care.
"Assholes! Will you die if you two keep quiet?!" Shen Xinglian knew that Lu Mingyue was at the scene, so he immediately scolded the two sergeants harshly.
"Yes..." The two sergeants didn't understand what was going on and immediately shut up.
Xu Zun knew very well that the killer in monk's robes definitely did not just randomly choose Ran Lin's wife, there must be a reason behind it.
Even if Ran Lin stayed with his wife all the time, he might still not be able to avoid disaster.
So, he asked Ran Lin again: "Ran Wuzheng, do you know a man named Chen You?"
"Chen You?" Ran Lin thought about it and shook his head.
"He is a Yu official," Xu Zun reminded, "and his wife is named Xiaoying, the daughter of a military groom."
Xu Zun said the groom's name, but Ran Lin still shook his head woodenly.
"Xu Zun," Shen Xinglian said, "There are at least two hundred horsemen in the garrison, and they are distributed in various camps. It is difficult to recognize them all."
"Sir, sir..." Suddenly, Ran Lin thought of something and asked Xu Zun excitedly, "Yu Shu is wearing a monk's robe. Please tell me, is there someone imitating the monk-robed killer to kill people?"
"This..." Xu Zun did not give a direct answer.
"It's not certain at the moment," Shen Xinglian said, "Please accept my condolences. I believe that Lord Xu and his men will be able to get to the bottom of the case!"
"Really?" Ran Lin became more and more excited. "Why did I hear people say that this case was not a copycat crime, but that the real monk killer has returned?"
"Ran Lin!" Upon hearing this, Yuan Xingtai immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Don't say anything without evidence! You also know that it is hearsay, don't spread rumors and confuse people!"
"Sir, the one who died was my wife!" Ran Lin stood up and said excitedly, "Is it the monk killer? Shouldn't they explain it to us clearly? "
As he said this, he turned and looked at County Magistrate Tai Min and Ju Ran.
Taimin and Ju Ran suddenly looked embarrassed and extremely uneasy.
"Ran Lin," Yuan Xingtai stopped him again, "I know you are sad, but you must not say anything careless.
"Ten years ago, that evil monk was brought to justice. This is something everyone !
“There is no doubt that your wife’s case and the case that happened in Huguo Temple a few days ago were deliberately imitated by someone!
"I understand you, but you must not be confused," Yuan Xingtai raised his voice, speaking as if to Ran Lin, but in fact to all the soldiers present, "You should know what the consequences will be if you spread the rumor that the monk killer is still alive?
"If the higher-ups get angry, at the very least you'll be sentenced to spreading rumors and misleading the public, or at the worst you'll lose your heads!"
Yuan Xingtai's words were so powerful that everyone present immediately realized how serious the problem was.
yes!
If everyone in Shangyuan City thought that the killer in monk's clothes had come back to life, or that the wrong person had been killed that year, it would surely cause an uproar in the city and everyone would panic.
If that happens, the consequences will be disastrous.
“Sir,” Ran Lin’s tears welled up in his , but he gritted his teeth and said angrily, “No matter what, my wife is innocent!
"Besides, I lost not only my wife, but also two lives!
"No matter if it was done by the monk killer or not, I hope you gentlemen can find the murderer and give me justice!"
After saying this, he turned and entered the Arhat Temple to guard his wife's body.
"Master Xu..." Ju Ran came to Xu Zun and asked, "Look, what should we do with the body of this deceased person? "
"Autopsy," Xu Zun said simply, "But give Ran Lin some time to calm down first!"
"Don't worry," Shen Xinglian said, "He is my subordinate. I will try to persuade him later!"
Xu Zun did not respond. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, looking as if he was thinking about something.
"This case... ah!" At this point, Li Yan was exhausted. He came to Xu Zun and said solemnly, "Ji Ying, this case... let's leave it to you!"
