The Ming Dynasty's henchmen, working from nine to five

Chapter 24 Red Silk and Funeral Paper

"This is... the tassel pendant of a jade pendant?"

Shen Lang took the tassel in his hand and examined it carefully.

It's a very small strand, probably only seven or eight strands.

It is entirely woven from gold-threaded silk and adorned with a red coral bead the size of a peanut at the end.

"Gold thread and coral beads—ordinary young masters can't afford such things."

Shen Lang weighed it in his hand, then grabbed the tassel and tucked it into his robes.

We have physical evidence!

This is crucial evidence that can narrow down the suspects to less than twenty people, and may even directly identify the suspects!

Shen Lang looked at the empty bed, remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and said:

"I have received the items. I will get justice for you."

"You may set off in peace."

He had just slowed down the flow of time within his True Sight Domain by three times before he could see all of this clearly.

The tassel did not fall off unintentionally.

Instead, Huang Cuier pried it off the murderer's jade pendant with her fingernails during her desperate struggle.

She stuffed the tassel and coral beads together into the gaps in the straw mat, then covered it with a sheet before waiting for Shen Lang.

Although he couldn't see her, Shen Lang could sense her emotions at the time.

Resentment, fear, despair, anger...

This tassel was her last remaining thought in this world.

She didn't want to die without knowing why.

Perhaps for her, this thought was just a vague and elusive hope.

After all, she knew the killer's identity.

She is a lowly commoner with a worthless life. Who would offend the powerful and wealthy because of her?

But for Shen Lang, the reasons were sufficient.

He adheres to the principle of working diligently during working hours and not allowing his rest time to be violated.

No one could stop him from doing his job.

Let alone the powerful and wealthy, even the Emperor himself wouldn't stand a chance.

Shen Lang walked to Huang Cuier's memorial tablet and lit an incense stick.

He now has a general idea of ​​the killer's identity and the modus operandi, but there is still one crucial clue that he has not yet figured out.

That was the crucial piece of evidence repeatedly mentioned in the case file—

A faded red silk, a few fragments of joss paper.

Under the surveillance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, no matter how arrogant the Ministry of Justice was, it dared not fabricate evidence recklessly.

The fact that they included this matter in the case file means that these things must have been present at the scene of the crime.

Shen Lang was certain that neither of these two items had appeared from the moment the murderer and Huang Cuier entered until the six people cleaned up the traces and left.

If that's the case, then it means that someone else sent them over later.

Their purpose is nothing more than to confuse the public and fabricate the scene.

Thinking of this, Shen Lang's eyes swirled with gray mist, and with a flash, he transformed into a phantom and entered the Real Sight Domain.

He needs to figure out when these two things appeared.

The timeline is set after the six people cleaned up the traces and left.

Shen Lang accelerated the flow of time within his True Sight Domain, arrived at the well, and waited patiently.

It got dark.

The thatched cottage and courtyard remained as quiet as ever.

A short while later, the door was pushed open.

A footprint appeared in the courtyard, paused for a moment, and then extended to the door of the thatched hut.

It disappeared briefly, then reappeared in the courtyard, heading towards the stove.

"The old woman has returned; she's looking for Huang Cuier."

As if to verify Shen Lang's words, the footprints led to the well.

The bucket was thrown into the well and swayed on the surface of the water a few times.

The next moment, the rope holding the bucket suddenly slipped off.

The footprints became messy, and then handprints and crawling marks appeared on the ground, extending to the gate of the courtyard and disappearing.

"The old woman saw Huang Cuier's body, staggered and fell down. She crawled outside and went to the yamen to report the case."

The situation at the scene matched what the old woman had said, but what puzzled Shen Lang was that the red silk and joss paper still hadn't appeared.

Keep reading.

About an hour later, the old woman returned, alone.

Her footprints remained by the well all night.

The next day, just as dawn broke, the old woman went out again.

After about half an hour, three unfamiliar footprints appeared beside the well, along with the old woman's.

"The yamen runners have come to investigate."

"Could it be that the faded red silk and joss paper were brought by them?"

Shen Lang slowed down the flow of time, walked closer, and observed carefully.

The marks on the ground became particularly messy, and water stains appeared.

"Huang Cuier's body has been recovered."

Then, the three footprints began to look around.

Shen Lang followed them closely, not missing a single detail, but even after they left, he still couldn't find the faded red silk or joss paper.

"It wasn't brought by these few constables."

Shen Lang frowned slightly and put away his True Sight Domain.

This time the regression took a long time, and he couldn't hold on any longer.

I closed my eyes and regulated my breathing for a while before I felt a little better.

Just then, the old woman returned from her trip to town.

Following Shen Lang's instructions, she bought a lot of materials.

Shen Lang kept his promise and got up to help her repair the house, asking as he worked:

Where did you report the incident?

The old woman clenched her fist and put it to her mouth, coughed a few times, and said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Wanping County Government Office, Daxing County Government Office, Nancheng Military Command".

Shen Lang was taken aback: "Why did you go to three different places?"

The old woman slowly said, "I went to the nearest county government office, Wanping County, first. The magistrate there said that this place was not under his jurisdiction and told me to go to the county government office in Daxing County."

"I went to the Daxing County Government Office as he instructed, but the magistrate said that it was not under their jurisdiction and told me to go back to the Wanping County Government Office."

"Later I went to the Military Commandery, and the magistrate sent his men to investigate."

Shen Lang fell silent for a moment.

The area around the Black Kiln Factory was right next to the inner city and was not some desolate place.

But because it was inhabited by a group of the poorest people, the authorities were unwilling to deal with the case after it was discovered.

Look at the bustling streets of Yujing City, and then look at this place.

I don't know if this world is good or bad.

Pulling himself back to reality, Shen Lang asked, "Has the Southern City Military Command found anything?"

The old woman shook her head: "The officials pulled Cui'er's body out of the water, glanced at it briefly, and then left."

"Later, I went to see him a few more times, and the magistrate said that the case was classified as a revenge killing. The murderer was very experienced and left no trace. We have to investigate slowly."

At this point, the old woman became somewhat agitated:

"Cui'er is timid and doesn't even know how to speak loudly. How could she possibly make enemies?"

"Besides, people like us always tolerate things; how could we dare to make enemies?"

Shen Lang offered a few words of comfort, and once she had calmed down, he took out his Imperial Guard badge and asked her:

"When did the person with this sign arrive?"

The old woman said, "It's the fifteenth day since Cui'er was murdered."

"The two officials arrived suddenly early in the morning, investigated for several hours, and after they left, there has been no further news."

Shen Lang nodded slightly. The fifteenth day after Huang Cuier's death was the same day that the fourth victim had an accident.

The victim was no ordinary person; she was the daughter of a retired prefect.

Then, things escalated.