Chapter 7 - The Murder Case
Li Nan Ke woke up just as the east was beginning to turn white, the window shrouded in a hazy blue-gray light.
His wife was not in the room.
Luo Qian Qiu always slept late and woke up early. Li Nan Ke was already used to this. He got dressed and took his towel and wooden basin to wash up at the well outside.
Living at the foot of the mountain was chilly, but it was also peaceful and carefree.
Moreover, it wasn't far from town, so it wasn't inconvenient to go shopping or buy groceries.
"You're up."
The woman, busy in the kitchen, saw her husband and gave him a gentle smile.
Li Nan Ke stretched and took a deep breath of the lingering night air. But somehow, he felt a faint pain in his chest, as if his heart had been dug out and pickled in old sauerkraut.
He rubbed his chest and said with a smile, "I was awakened by the delicious smell of my wife's cooking."
Grandpa Turtle was still lying in front of the door, as always.
The graceful Sister Goose was also standing by the pond, displaying her beauty as usual.
However, after seeing the man, these two animals seemed somewhat uneasy. They looked at him with vigilance, afraid that he would take out a pot and stew them.
"Did you sleep well last night, husband?" the woman asked.
Li Nan Ke put the soft horsetail toothbrush in his mouth and mumbled, "It was alright. Older people just have more minor ailments. It's either aches here or pains there."
"Your body is weak, husband. You should exercise more and get more sun," the woman said with concern. "I'll make some medicine for you later."
Li Nan Ke's expression darkened.
What was that supposed to mean?
Weak? What weak? He could carry a sack of rice up eight floors and fight ten girls at a nightclub. Was that considered weak?
However, since his wife was a doctor, Li Nan Ke couldn't really refute her. He splashed the water he used to wash his face on Sister Goose and went back into the house to eat breakfast, full of complaints.
Breakfast was delicious. Although it was just porridge, they had different kinds.
Luo Qian Qiu was having white fungus and tangerine soup, which nourished the lungs and skin, promoting beauty.
Li Nan Ke's was walnut and fox nut porridge, which nourished the spleen and kidneys, benefited the eyes and ears, and preserved vital essence.
Seeing her husband scowling and gulping down the porridge, Luo Qian Qiu frowned and reminded him,
"Husband, although I cooked the fox nuts until they were very soft, you should still chew slowly to fully absorb their nourishing effects. Eating like this is not good for your stomach.”
"Uh, it's mainly because my wife's cooking is too delicious," Li Nan Ke said with a chuckle.
Halfway through the meal, someone came hurriedly to find Li Nan Ke.
It was a yamen runner.
Seeing Li Nan Ke, the yamen runner said breathlessly, "Brother Li, come with me quickly! The magistrate is waiting for you... There's been a murder on East Street!"
"A murder?"
Li Nan Ke was startled.
It really was a turbulent time these days.
"Isn't there Old Man Wang?"
Li Nan Ke was surprised.
Old Man Wang was the old coroner of Dongqi County yamen. He lived near the yamen and was a cheerful and kind person. It was through him that Li Nan Ke had gotten this job.
"That old man drank all night and is still passed out at his daughter-in-law's house. We can't wake him up, so we had to come for you."
The yamen runner said with a wry smile.
"He's drunk again." Li Nan Ke was also helpless.
That old man was indeed a heavy drinker, always carrying a wine gourd around his waist. If not for his rich experience in examining corpses, he would have been fired by the magistrate long ago.
"Let's go, quickly!"
Before he could properly bid farewell to his wife, Li Nan Ke was dragged away by the yamen runner.
In less than the time it takes half an incense stick to burn, Li Nan Ke followed the yamen runner to a small alley on East Street in Dongqi County.
Many people had already gathered there, discussing the incident in hushed tones.
Squeezing through the crowd, Li Nan Ke saw Magistrate Shen Chun He sitting on a stone stool, frowning.
The sound of a woman wailing came from inside the courtyard.
"My lord, the coroner is here!"
The yamen runner quickly stepped forward to report.
Although the morning air was slightly cool, Magistrate Shen Chun He looked as if he had just run a marathon, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, constantly wiping it with a handkerchief.
His already plump body looked even weaker, probably due to excessive indulgence in wine and women.
Hearing the yamen runner's report, Shen Chun He waved his hand impatiently.
"No need, the people from the Night Patrol are inside examining the body."
"Yes, sir."
The yamen runner stepped aside, somewhat embarrassed.
The Night Patrol?
Li Nan Ke was puzzled.
Generally, the Night Patrol only intervened in cases involving 'Red Rain.' Could this murder case be related to 'Red Rain'?
After greeting a familiar constable, Li Nan Ke entered the courtyard.
The courtyard was not large, but it was tidy. An old parasol tree stood beside the gate, and some flowers and plants were planted in the corner... It was evident that the owner was a person of refined taste.
Several capable constables were searching for clues in the courtyard.
A middle-aged woman in coarse clothes, with slightly dark skin, was leaning against the window, wailing loudly.
Li Nan Ke approached the door and saw the Night Patrol officers inside investigating the case.
There were two men and one woman.
The woman was dressed in a long black dress, her figure graceful and elegant. Her smooth hair, like silk, cascaded down to her waist, resembling a stroke of ink, giving her a cold and ethereal appearance.
Because she was facing sideways, Li Nan Ke could only see her beautiful profile.
The other two were her subordinates.
One had a refined and gentle demeanor, while the other was honest and sturdy.
These three were precisely Leng Xinnan, Iron Ox, and Guo Gang, who had gone to the Lin residence for investigation yesterday.
Meng Xiao Tu, with her ample bosom, was not here.
Perhaps sensing his gaze, Leng Xinnan turned her head, her naturally elegant eyebrows furrowing slightly.
Li Nan Ke coughed lightly and bowed.
"My lord, I am the coroner from the county yamen."
The other two in the room also looked over.
"Oh, is the competition for even a lowly coroner position so fierce now? Such a handsome young man has become a coroner. How rare, truly rare."
It was Iron Ox who spoke.
Perhaps Li Nan Ke's good looks made him feel threatened, and there was a hint of mockery in his teasing tone.
Guo Gang, who was carefully examining the corpse, only glanced at Li Nan Ke before continuing his autopsy.
Leng Xinnan simply hummed in acknowledgement, equally uninterested in paying attention.
It was the first time Li Nan Ke had encountered a woman who was so indifferent to his handsome appearance. He was surprised and silently gave her a thumbs-up in his mind—Woman, you have successfully caught my attention.
A faint smell of coal smoke filled the room.
Li Nan Ke noticed some burnt charcoal residue in the brazier beside the table.
The corpse was lying on the bed.
Beside the bed, there was a pool of dried vomit.
At this moment, Dong Yu, the chief constable of the county yamen, entered the room quickly and handed a record to Iron Ox.
Iron Ox, as elegant as a scholar, read it and then walked over to Leng Xinnan, fanning himself with a folding fan, and whispered,
"Sister Leng, we've investigated the matter. He Qing Yu was drinking at the White Cloud Restaurant three days ago, on the seventh of eighth, around the Zi hour (11 PM - 1 AM). He returned home alone. Since then, no one has seen him, including his sister-in-law.”
“His sister-in-law lives quite far away and usually comes over every five or six days to help clean the courtyard or wash clothes. Sometimes, if she has something to do at home, she might delay it for a few more days.”
“This morning, his sister-in-law arrived around the first quarter of the Chen hour (7:15-7:30 AM). The door was locked from the inside. Because no one answered her calls, she became suspicious and called the neighbors to break down the door, which is when they discovered the body."
Leng Xinnan lowered her thick eyelashes, seemingly deep in thought.
The woman was quite irritated.
Yesterday, in order to investigate the 'Red Rain' incident at the Lin residence, she had investigated and interrogated all the people involved.
One of the clues pointed to He Qing Yu.
Who knew that before they could even interrogate him, he would die ahead of time?
What bad luck.
Guo Gang, having finished the autopsy, came over and said,
"Judging from the condition of the body, the time of death was three days ago. The cause of death should be coal fumes poisoning. He slept too soundly after drinking, and the charcoal used for heating in the basin wasn't properly handled. With the doors and windows tightly closed, he accidentally suffocated..."
While Guo Gang was reporting, Li Nan Ke also came to the corpse.
The deceased was a male, in his thirties, with handsome and refined features.
He was wearing a moon-white inner garment, lying quietly on the bed.
The inner garment had been untied by Guo Gang. There were a large number of livor mortis on both sides of his waist and back, showing a slightly dark cherry red color.
The rigor mortis had completely subsided, the muscles were all soft, and the joints could be moved.
The putrid smell of the corpse was already quite noticeable.
Li Nan Ke opened the eyelids of the deceased and found that the cornea was significantly cloudy and white, and the pupils were no longer recognizable.
All signs indicated that the deceased had indeed died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The time of death was three days ago.
Li Nan Ke smiled faintly and looked at Guo Gang, thinking to himself, ‘These guys from the Night Patrol are quite competent.’
However, when his eyes fell on the hair of the corpse, his expression turned serious.
"This is..."
Li Nan Ke leaned down and carefully observed for a moment. He gently turned the deceased's head slightly and saw some grayish-white powder on the hair at the back of the man's head.
Li Nan Ke rubbed the powder with his fingers, his expression thoughtful.