There is a god in the sky

Chapter 320 The Crown Prince's Residence (Part 1)

Shen Lan was very familiar with the charred corpse in front of her.

After all, she was the one who personally delivered the most crucial shot that day.

"The deceased was about nine feet tall and died approximately five days ago. The body was severely burned, so the time of death may have been deviated by about eight hours."

The crown prince sat outside the door listening, and asked in a deep voice, "How did he die?"

"He was pierced through the chest by a sharp weapon, and there was soot in his mouth and nose. He must have been burned before he died. Judging from the marks, the burning started from his legs and went upwards."

His body was covered in mud, indicating he had been buried underground, but the decomposition wasn't severe, suggesting he hadn't been buried long ago.

The coroner from the Ministry of Justice, who was listening nearby, said disdainfully, "I can see through all of this. I've heard that Coroner Shen is highly skilled; I wonder if he can spot anything else?"

His Highness the Crown Prince didn't believe him, yet he summoned this young girl to perform the autopsy. He wanted to see exactly where he went wrong.

"Autopsy is only an aid. Investigating a case cannot rely solely on autopsies. At the very least, the crime scene must be found."

The prince clapped his hands, and immediately guards escorted three Taoist priests in.

They had all been tortured and were dragged in barely alive.

Shen Lan met Zhao Kaizhi, the Minister of Justice. His eyes were like knives when he looked at her. If this were not the Crown Prince's residence, he might have wanted to use those instruments of torture on her as well.

Shen Lan looked down at the Taoist priest on the ground, who was covered in blood, and could only tell that these three people were not the same Taoist priest she had seen when she went to the City God Temple.

“That day, Zhou Ru went to the City God Temple to offer incense on my behalf. There were signs of a fight at the City God Temple, so he was probably killed there.”

When the people from the Crown Prince's residence arrived, they only found the three people tied up in the woodshed; even the bodies were dug up from a nearby vegetable garden.

Shen Lan spoke up for the three, saying, "What use is the Crown Prince to them? Clearly, the murderer had planned how to kill them long ago."

The Crown Prince said coldly, "They are not entirely innocent either. The monk I brought back earlier appeared at the City God Temple, and it was he who took Zhou Ru away."

Now they don't even know who that monk is; they deserved to be beaten to death.

"The deceased was attacked by a group of people and had many injuries on his body. Although many of the wounds on his skin were burned, knife wounds and club wounds could still be barely identified."

Guard Zhou is highly skilled in martial arts; ten ordinary people wouldn't be a match for him. Killing him would definitely require a meticulously planned scheme.

The crown prince was initially unwilling to believe that the missing monk had deliberately approached Zhou Ru in order to kill him.

Moreover, the injuries he sustained while saving me were real.

"Haven't you ever suspected that perhaps that little monk was also murdered?"

The Crown Prince sneered: "If he hadn't plotted against us, how could he have accurately predicted that Zhou Ru would go to the City God Temple that day? Besides, it was his idea to have Zhou Ru go to the City God Temple to offer incense in the first place."

Shen Lan didn't know what to say anymore.

Li Ye is really bold, daring to get involved himself.

The key point is that after killing people, he actually dared to return to the Imperial City Guard.

"What else would Your Highness like to know?" Shen Lan asked the Crown Prince directly.

"I summoned you here to help me solve a case. If you can catch the murderer, I will make you famous for all time!"

This promise is too tempting.

The coroner from the Ministry of Justice became heavy-hearted, staring at the Crown Prince in disbelief, yet he also felt that this young girl couldn't possibly find the murderer.

In such a lowly profession as a coroner, Shen Lan has already been granted the rank of eighth grade by imperial decree, which is a much higher starting point than her peers.

Many of her peers envied her, but they couldn't get close to her because she had the protection of the Xiao family.

To Shen Lan, the Crown Prince's promise was nothing but an empty promise.

Besides, she couldn't possibly sell herself.

"Your Highness, I am merely a lowly coroner, only skilled in examining corpses and not in investigating cases. Please forgive my inability to assist you."

"Useless people can't leave my Crown Prince's residence."

"With officials from the Ministry of Justice here, my humble skills are indeed not up to par."

If Your Highness wishes to make things difficult for me, I have nothing to say.

The Crown Prince smiled mockingly and said to Minister Zhao, "Look, even a coroner looks down on Minister Zhao. Why don't you just step down and give the position to a more capable person?"

Zhao Kaizhi quickly admitted his mistake: "Your Highness, please forgive me. It was my incompetence."

"Since you know you're incompetent, why didn't you replace him with someone else as Minister of Justice sooner?"

Since the death of the Crown Prince's concubine, the relationship between the Zhao family and the Crown Prince has deteriorated sharply.

Minister Zhao also tried to find a way to repair it, but apart from sending money, he couldn't think of a second solution.

He deeply regretted it. Had he known this would happen, he shouldn't have let his daughter act so recklessly, and he shouldn't have let her lose her sense of propriety for a man.

Minister Zhao wept bitterly, "Your Highness is right to scold me. Tomorrow I will submit a memorial to Your Majesty, requesting that Your Majesty appoint another capable person!"

"Hmph, he even knows how to use the Emperor to intimidate me. Minister Zhao has really made something of himself now."

The Crown Prince turned his gaze to Shen Lan, as if only then realizing that she was a stunningly beautiful woman.

However, considering that her hands had just touched a corpse, even a celestial being would lose all interest.

Shen Lan ignored his uncomfortable gaze and said respectfully, "What Your Highness should do now is think about who you have offended, or what the other party's purpose was in killing Guard Zhou."

The crown prince was enlightened.

Zhou Ru was just a simple-minded martial artist with only superb martial arts skills.

He always followed me around, so it was impossible for him to have any enemies. Was killing Zhou Ru first and then killing me his plan?

However, he was confined to the Crown Prince's residence, which was as impregnable as a fortress. Even an army wouldn't dare to kill him. Who would have such courage?

"Guards, strengthen the security of the mansion. From this day forward, no one may enter or leave the Crown Prince's mansion without my permission."

Shen Lan looked down at the corpse on the ground and thought to herself: They can't possibly make any moves while the Crown Prince is under house arrest, but perhaps we can make a fuss about the unusual activity at the Crown Prince's residence.

For the first time, Shen Lan realized just how much power those at the top of the feudal dynasty pyramid wielded.

At the Crown Prince's command, guards were stationed every ten steps and watchtowers every hundred steps within the Crown Prince's residence, practically turning the residence into a military base.

Seeing that a group of guards had surrounded the courtyard where the Crown Prince was, Minister Zhao hurriedly said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely catch the murderer as soon as possible!"

"Is that so? I wonder if Minister Zhao has caught the murderer who killed Tong Er?"

The murderer stood calmly to the side, watching Minister Zhao begin to lament his incompetence again.

If she hadn't seen Zhao Shangshu's arrogant side, she probably would have thought he got to his position through nepotism.

Why did the Xiao family arrange this marriage for Xiao Ji in the first place?

Is it simply because the Zhao family and the Xiao family are a good match?

Yes, in this era, marriage is based on matching social status and economic conditions.

The eldest son marrying the eldest daughter is a match made in heaven.

No wonder!

Shen Lan's legs were numb from standing.

No one dared to leave unless the Crown Prince gave the order.

A servant rushed over, excitedly calling out, "Your Highness... Your Highness... Headmaster Tong is here..."

Headmaster Tong, who rarely leaves the mountain, has arrived.

The crown prince's maternal grandfather has arrived.

The prince jumped up on the spot and disappeared from everyone's sight in the blink of an eye.

Shen Lan tidied up her toolbox and said to the eunuch beside her, "Please escort me out of the mansion."