The mind-reading coroner drove the court crazy

Chapter 374 The Young Marquis’s Money Power

Qin Miaoxi looked at the old woman with a thoughtful and profound look in her eyes, and asked in a probing tone, "Did Tiezhu have any disputes with others regarding gold and silver?"

"Of course, Tiezhu is the only carpenter in the village, and many villagers order the materials first and pay later."

The old woman said, pointing to the gathered villagers, "These guys all owe money."

The villagers who were pointed at hurriedly waved their hands in denial, "It has nothing to do with us. Our silver has been prepared long ago. We will pay it when Tiezhu delivers the tables and chairs."

Afraid that they wouldn't believe him, he immediately took out all the silver he had on him, and it was indeed a lot.

"As a carpenter, Tiezhu should have an account book, right? Could you please bring it to me?"

The old woman stumbled half a step, her eyes fixed on her hands clutching the hem of her clothes, and she murmured, "No, how would I know where his account book is?"

Even Lu Qingchen could see clearly that she was guilty. Without waiting for the two to continue asking, she hurriedly said, "I still have to cook for my youngest son. If you find the murderer, tell me."

After saying that, she turned and left without even looking back, not even bothering to look at Tiezhu's body, let alone care about it.

Lu Qingchen tilted his head curiously and asked, "How old is her youngest son?"

"I'm seventeen this year."

"Haha, I've never seen this before. Is she really Tiezhu's biological mother?"

Lu Qingchen looked at the gradually disappearing figure with sarcasm. His son was killed, but instead of looking for the murderer, he even had the mind to take care of his youngest son's food and drink. This was the first time he had seen such a person.

As the old woman left, the villagers began to whisper again.

"Mrs. Zhao is too partial to her youngest son, otherwise Tiezhu would have been married long ago at his age."

"Alas! It's all because of lack of money."

Lu Qingchen pricked up his ears and listened early on. When more people started gossiping, he couldn't help but come forward and start a conversation.

He exclaimed, "That's impossible! Tiezhu is a carpenter, how could he be without money?"

"It's because Tiezhu gave all the money he earned to his family. He was too foolish to keep it to himself. When he wanted to get married, he found out that the money he had saved for Zhao had already been spent by his youngest son."

"Yes! Back then, the Wang family had a huge fight over this matter, and Tiezhu almost blew the roof off. He was irritable for several years after that, and it's only in recent years, as he's gotten older, that he's gotten better."

"I heard that he didn't give the money to Zhao over the years and saved a lot for himself."

Lu Qingchen listened with great interest. He took out a handful of melon seeds from somewhere and distributed them to everyone, interrupting them in a familiar manner.

"Oh, he's saving money to get married! What a pity."

"Who says it's not true? How could a healthy man die? With his strength, the villagers couldn't subdue him."

"Does he have a girl he likes?"

"I haven't heard of that. Tiezhu is an introvert. He usually gets red in the face when greeting old ladies."

"Yeah! You old ladies like to tease him."

After that, the villagers started talking about other random things. Lu Qingchen calmly left the group and returned to Qin Miaoxi.

Listening to these gossips, Qin Miaoxi couldn't help but give him a thumbs up, "Excellent at gathering intelligence!"

Lu Qingchen smiled proudly. It felt great to be recognized, and it felt great to be recognized by his wife.

Qin Miaoxi smiled helplessly and organized the information she had obtained so far in the notebook.

Firstly, there are no special clues on the body, except for the murder weapon used to burn the victim. The victim was burned to death bit by bit, but no one heard screams or calls for help during this period.

She speculated that the deceased might have been drugged in advance, causing him to die in his sleep.

But as far as she knew, no knockout drug could keep a person asleep under high-temperature burning. They would usually wake up within a quarter of an hour, and would inevitably scream, unless... the deceased could endure it.

In addition, the fact that he was able to carry the body to a remote river without using any tools such as a cart shows how strong the murderer was, and it cannot be ruled out that he was a man.

Finally, if it was a matter of money, there was no need to kill and then dispose of the body. She would rather believe it was an emotional dispute.

"Young Marquis!"

Lu Qingchen appeared beside her in a flash, listening attentively to her instructions.

"Wife, you give orders."

"Go and find out more about the woman who is related to Tiezhu."

Lu Qingchen's eyes suddenly widened as big as copper bells, "Love killing?"

Qin Miaoxi glanced at him and gave him a look that showed her understanding.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

He confidently walked up to the villagers and shouted, "Ahem! In order to find the murderer as quickly as possible, anyone who provides relevant information will receive ten taels of silver."

"Ten taels of silver!? Really?"

"Any information will do?"

"What is the relevant information? Please explain it clearly."

Due to the village chief's warning, they didn't say much and just chatted about family matters.

But it’s different now that they have silver. Ten taels of silver is several months’ wages for them. It’s just a matter of saying a word. It’s like picking it up for free. Who wouldn’t want it?

Lu Qingchen waved at them mysteriously, and when they came closer, he whispered, "Tiezhu was too close to a woman, someone left at midnight, or you heard any strange noises. Just tell me anything you can think of."

"Speak and you will get the silver."

"Yes, but only the first ten people can get it. It's first come, first served. You guys take advantage of your chance!"

Looking at the villagers eager to try, he thought to himself: It's a sure thing.

However, the body was carried to the abandoned house in the village, and no one came to tell him when Qin Miaoxi brought lunch.

Lu Qingchen stretched his neck to look outside the door, muttering to himself, "They must be aware of where I am! Why hasn't anyone come yet?"

Qin Miaoxi sneered and said with certainty, "Don't worry, no one will come during the day."

"Why? You don't even want the money?"

Lu Qingchen didn't believe it. In Jingzhao, there was nothing that couldn't be done as long as money was given. Money can make the world go round. Could it be that ten taels of silver was too little?

"Of course not, it's just that the target is too obvious during the day. Every household in the village is watching! No one wants to be the first to stand out."

Lu Qingchen seemed to be thinking about something. "Well, you're right. I'll go and ask them to raise the amount to twenty taels."

Qin Miaoxi: "..."

Dude, are you listening to me?

She watched him run out expressionlessly, and then watched him return disappointed.

"How about it?"

"Those villagers are so stubborn and are even trying to drive up the price. They're really taking advantage of me."

Qin Miaoxi laughed, "Let's eat first. All we can do now is wait."

"That's all it can do."

Having said that, Qin Miaoxi did not intend to stay there until death. Because she needed to investigate the murder, she borrowed an abandoned house from the village chief, and Tiezhu's body was placed in the side room.

After noon, the village became quiet again. Everyone went to bed on sunny days and would not go out to work in the fields until the sun went down.

She took advantage of the fact that no one was around and went to the middle of the mountain. There was a big tree next to the bronze bull, and its outstretched branches just covered the bronze bull.

Without anyone stopping her, she reached out and touched the bronze bull, examining it bit by bit. The bronze bull seemed to be made in one go, with no joints connecting the head and the body.

The back is uneven and looks like a cow's rib. It is not known whether it is intentional or caused by the burning of the sacrifice.

Until she touched the bull's belly. It felt different from the bull's body. How should I put it? It had a frosted texture, and it would prick if she pressed hard.

Is it the interface?

She felt around her abdomen but couldn't find any gap. She knocked on her abdomen unwillingly, and immediately a crisp "dong dong" sound came out.

"Hollow?"

She stared thoughtfully at the marks left by the bronze bull's limbs, then knocked on other parts, making a dull sound.

"Only this one is hollow."

A thought flashed through my mind so quickly that I couldn't catch it.