Combine Cases

“HAHAHAHA!”

A laugh suddenly exploded in the quiet hall. It was Yu Mingzhi.

“Mr. Fan, what sort of description is this? What do you mean by you were working hard to bring the mood back up, or that Yuetao was difficult to coax and it was hard to make her do what she didn’t want to do? I could see that you were very happy to coax her and you were enjoying yourself very much. You were sooo concerned for her.”

As he spoke, he walked over to where Fan Zishi was. “Mr. Liu was the host, but did you really have to be this grateful to him? Or were you… thanking him for giving you the chance to get close to the girl you liked? Was Yuetao’s little hand nice to touch? You’ve gone to Miaoyin Court so many times and you still didn’t manage to bed her?”

Fan Zishi’s eyebrow was arched and he was a little unhappy now, but he was used to controlling his temper and managed to hold it in. His voice was calm, “The young ladies are weak and fragile. I’m a man, so of course I’d treat them with great care and concern. Aren’t you also found at Yicui Place most of the year? For the sake of getting Wushuang to smile, you’ve completely neglected your wife, your children and even your mother, haven’t you?”

Yu Mingzhi immediately retorted, “Yeah, yeah, I’m so ashamed that I’m not as well brought up as the Fans! Your family even has a woman who got thrown out by her ex-husband’s family!”

Fan Zishi narrowed his eyes and his tone became severe, “Yu Mingzhi, we’re in the courthouse, so watch your words!”

“I’m just telling the truth. Wasn’t your aunt the one whom the Mis repudiated?”

The Mis? Thrown out by her ex-husband’s family?

Madam Fan!

Fan Zishi was the nephew of Madam Fan, the first wife of the second son of the Mi family!

Behind the screen, Song Caitang put her teacup down slowly, her eyebrows slightly raised. Could this case be actually related to the Madam Liang case?

The values of this society were very unkind to women. Women who were once married and now divorced already suffered a bad reputation, and a repudiated woman would suffer worse. Madam Fan would definitely feel some hatred after being thrown out. If she was on good terms with her nephew, it would make sense if he felt she had been unfairly treated and wanted to take revenge, plus Yuetao was the daughter that the Mi family lost…

Wait, no. That didn’t sound right.

The Mis didn’t like talking about how they lost Yuetao back then. Even if Fan Zishi knew something along those lines, he wouldn’t have known years later that the courtesan was actually related to the Mis, right?

Was this purely a coincidence? Or was there some hidden motive?

Song Caitang shifted slightly to the side and cautiously peeked out from the gap between the screens.

Fan Zishi was probably really angry now. The smile on his face was gone and he looked nasty now, unlike his usual friendly demeanor. “As a younger person, I will not interfere in the matters of my elders. But I will not allow anyone to say slanderous things about my elders like that. If you say such things again, don’t blame me for getting nasty!”

Yu Mingzhi scoffed, then turned to bow politely to Zhao Zhi with an ingratiating smile on his face, “I’m just doing this to help you crack the case…”

“There’s a feud between the Fans and the Mis, and you and Mi Gaojie hate the sight of each other. On top of that, two courtesans are involved and there’s some love and hate going on here – who knows if there’s more to this than meets the eye?”

“For all you know, the murderer is either you, or him!”

The entire hall fell silent for a moment as everyone looked at Fan Zishi, then looked at Mi Gaojie.

Yu Mingzhi was suggesting a possible motive for killing.

Mi Gaojie’s face reddened in anger, “That’s ridiculous! I was very sincere about Wenxiang, so how could I have… Yuetao was annoying, but she’s a girl after all…”

Fan Zishi snorted. “You’re able to find the killer after making a couple of statements? Yu Mingzhi, how about we get you to crack this case?”

Yu Mingzhi spat back at him, “Don’t try to stir shit now! The surveillance commissioner is right here and he can see the situation clearly, so he won’t be distracted by your words! Stop trying!”

Zhao Zhi slammed his palm down again. “That’s enough!”

Everyone immediately put their hands in front of them and hung their heads in silence.

“Fan Zishi, you did not deny that you were often at these types of events…”

His voice trailed off and he had a glint in his eye. There was no need for him to complete his sentence, because it was clear what he was trying to say. Did Fan Zishi take a liking to any of the courtesans? Was what Yu Mingzhi said true?

Fan Zishi knew what Zhao Zhi was asking and did not avoid the question, “Sir, when we socialize, sometimes we have to put up a front. I am good at being a mediator, and it’s hard for the courtesans to make a living, so I’m happy to take care of them when I can. I’ve taken care of Yuetao, and I’ve taken care of other girls too.”

As for his poor relationship with the Mis as well as with Mi Gaojie, he did not deny it. At the same time, he also emphasized that they were all adults and they knew how to toe the line. As long as nobody crossed the line, nothing bad would happen.

Zhao Zhi continued to ask the group several questions and everyone was very cooperative in answering them.

Song Caitang kept nodding as she sat behind the screen, impressed by Zhao Zhi’s excellent approach to the case and the questions he asked.

Sometimes, one did not have to place a lot of importance on analyzing the motive for killing in such serial murders. The murderer might not have a motive in the way they selected a target, so even if the murderer had never seen the victim before, as long as the victim met their standards and the murderer was in the mood, they could commit the crime. They didn’t need a motive. They needed an opportunity.

They needed the space and time to commit the crime.

But it seemed like all the suspects in this case had been very busy.

Fuliu had his eyes everywhere because he had to make sure there was enough food and drinks at the event at all times, he had to coordinate the servants and ensure that they provided good service, and he also had to step in when things went awry.

Fan Zishi had to be everywhere too because he was always watching the atmosphere of the party. If the mood was low, he had to find a way to hype it up. If it was high, he had to make things even more exciting. If an argument broke out or there was conflict, he had to come up with a solution that would keep all parties happy and make sure everyone went home on a good note.

Yu Mingzhi had gone to make trouble for fun. Based on his behavior during the questioning, he had probably provoked the guests or added fuel to the fire along the way. He had fun watching the conflicts and enjoyed being part of it too.

Mi Gaojie had tried to get time alone with Wenxiang during the Double Seventh Festival event and did everything he could to do that, but after he was rejected, he drank until he blacked out. During the Ghost Festival event, he argued with Yuetao and was in a foul mood, so he drank a lot that day too.

Zheng Kanghui was the host for one of the events, so he had hosting duties to attend to. He was the main guest for the other event, so the top courtesan attended to him and because of his high standing, he was the center of attention throughout the party. How could he have had any free time?

Liu Zhenghao was in a similar situation. He was the main guest for one event and was busy socializing at that one. At the other event, he was the host, plus he helped to paint a portrait. That alone would have taken a really long time…

So, who was the killer?

Everyone seemed suspicious, but it was hard to pinpoint just one of them.

After Zhao Zhi was done with the questioning, he told them that he might need to call them in again during the investigation and they were not to leave the city if possible, then he dismissed the group. Throughout the whole thing, Governor Li behaved himself. He really sat in his chair to watch the proceedings without saying a single word.

But after the questioning, he threw Zhao Zhi an unfriendly glare, as if he were sneering at Zhao Zhi and saying, “I’m just gonna quietly watch you dig your own grave” and sauntered off.

To him, Zhao Zhi’s attitude had been pretty poor today. The young men he had summoned were all of fairly high standing, so they would definitely find a way to get back at Zhao Zhi in the future for doing this!

But as long as he did not actually do anything to affect the proceedings, his glare and sneer did not affect Zhao Zhi in any way. Zhao Zhi didn’t even bother to look at him and strolled toward the screen.

He walked behind the screen, took the teapot and poured himself a cup of tea. It took two cups to quench his thirst. He noticed that Song Caitang’s cup was almost empty, so he topped it up.

“How is it? Got anything out of that?”

Song Caitang nodded with a faint smile. “I think my opinions are similar to yours for the most part, but there’s one thing you didn’t ask, and I think it’s actually very important.”

“What’s that?”

“The mood changes that both victims went through.” Song Caitang’s gaze fell on her teacup and she frowned slightly. “Everyone has made vague references to it, so they were suddenly in a bad mood, then suddenly in a good mood again…”

Zhao Zhi paused to think about it, then tapped a finger against the table. “Their mood was badly affected by Mi Gaojie, then they were put in a good mood because Fan Zishi was good at placating them?”

Song Caitang laughed.

Men always felt that women’s emotions always changed too quickly, had too many variations and changed for no reason. They couldn’t grasp it and didn’t want to even try.

“Nobody’s mood changes for no reason. Even if they’re putting on an act, there must be a reason for it. I have a feeling…”

Her slim fingers running along the edge of the cup were very fair and contrasted greatly with the duller, green ceramic cup. It was very eye-catching.

“The mood changes of the victims seem somewhat strange, and it could be the key to this case.”

Zhao Zhi seemed to go into a daze for a moment before he started contemplating this possibility seriously. “In that case… I’ll get my men to interrogate the servants at those events in detail to see if they get any clues.”

Song Caitang picked up her teacup to drink from it. “Okay.”

Her wide sleeve slipped backward a little to reveal her supple and slim wrist that was fair as jade.

Zhao Zhi cleared his throat and shifted his gaze like a real gentleman. “Also, regarding what the victims went through before their deaths. The murderer was really quite cruel. I’ve seen the wounds for myself. It looks like the killer is very used to inflicting such wounds and it doesn’t look like it’s their first time. If the killer is this violent, would it surface in their everyday life?”

If it did, then closer observation over a longer time would yield some results.

Song Caitang did not immediately respond to this question.

She paused to think, then asked a different question, “Have you checked through previous similar cases to make sure that Qinglian, Wenxiang and Yuetao are the only victims in this serial murder?”

She had asked him to do this back when they were certain that this was a serial murder case. Not much time had passed since then, but Zhao Zhi probably had a rough idea already.

Zhao Zhi’s gaze dimmed. “There are two other possible cases, and they were courtesans too. There are many flower boats on Qingling River and the lives of courtesans are not worth anything to most people. And the other problem with this group is that they suffer more deaths and injuries than ordinary people, but very few come forward to report their cases. I got my men to search along these lines and they found these two cases from the previous year, but they have not made a full investigation yet, so it will take a bit more time to confirm if these two cases are part of this serial murder.”

These two cases involved courtesans too…

The killer probably had a thing for courtesans.

In that case.

Song Caitang suggested, “Why don’t you try checking with neighboring states?”

If the killer was not satisfied, they might not only commit crimes in Luanze, but also commit them in nearby states.

The next thing she wanted to address was Zhao Zhi’s original question.

“This sort of killer is usually very good at putting on an act. They might use very cruel and violent methods, but they might not seem like that at all in their everyday lives. After their desire has been temporarily satisfied, they might even become friendlier than most others.”

It was going to be hard to draw any conclusions from just observing the suspects every day.

Zhao Zhi nodded.

Song Caitang was very good at analyzing the psyche of people. He trusted her judgment.

After that, Zhao Zhi and Song Caitang started discussing the suspects in the case. For the most part, they thought alike, and could even add and point out other aspects the other person had not thought of. But the atmosphere was not always so amicable.

For example, when they started discussing Fan Zishi’s connection to Mi Gaojie, including Madam Fan, the woman who was repudiated by the Mi family, Song Caitang came up with a suggestion.

“This part seems to be connected to the Madam Liang case. Why don’t… we combine the cases?”

Combine the cases?

Zhao Zhi stared at Song Caitang for a while and spoke slowly, “I heard that Yuetao was the daughter that the eldest daughter-in-law of the Mi family lost 11 years ago.”

“That’s right,” said Song Caitang. “The killer might not be on either side of the two families, but the connection between the people involved in the cases are very complex, so it would be more convenient if we sort them out together.”

When faced with Song Caitang’s earnest, clear and pretty eyes, Zhao Zhi couldn’t find the words to turn her suggestion down. He scoffed and said, “I’ll send someone to check if Wen Yuansi is free. Remember what I said the last time - keep your distance from him.”

Song Caitang nearly burst out laughing when she recalled what happened that night. She reached out to refill Zhao Zhi’s cup and spoke like she was coaxing a child, “Okay, okay, okay, I’ll make sure I listen to the surveillance commissioner.”

Zhao Zhi detected the smell of herbs.

It was faint and wasn’t obvious at first, but once her hand came close, he smelled it very clearly.

“Your arm hasn’t recovered yet?”

When she saw how he furrowed his brows as though he was going to pull her sleeve up to take a look, she quickly smiled at him and even stretched her right hand out to clench and unclench her hand, “Look, it’s doing very well! I just need to rest a little while more and I’ll recover fully.”

Stretching her hand out like that made her sleeve slide down even further. Almost half her forearm could be seen now.

Zhao Zhi barked, “Put your hand down right now!”

Of course, Wen Yuansi was available. He came a lot quicker than Zhao Zhi expected.

This was a meeting about work, and he kept to the ethics expected of a professional magistrate. After they bowed politely to one another, he sat down and immediately started talking about work without bothering to start with any small talk.

“On my way here, I looked through the notes for this case. Are you familiar with the Madam Liang case that I’m handling?”

Zhao Zhi sat with his arms folded as he used his chin to point at Song Caitang. “Miss Song has told me all about it.”

Wen Yuansi stared at Zhao Zhi. Why was he summoned then?