Case One: Double Corpse in the Flower Bed
Miao Fenghua shook her head and remained silent. In her view, everything she had done was flawless.
"The tree," Zhong Li said.
Tree? Miao Fenghua frowned.
"Do you remember the plum trees at Han Dong's house?" Zhong Li asked.
Miao Fenghua understood with this reminder, and she stared intently at Zhong Li, saying, "You actually paid such close attention."
"The soil of the plum blossoms was dry, and even the newly opened buds were beginning to wither. However, the soil of the orchid placed in Han Dong's bedroom was still moist. This indicates that either there was someone else in the room, or someone wanted to hide something. This is the first point.
Secondly, the arrangement in Han Dong's bedroom must have been disturbed. The place where the camellia was placed by the window should have been a dressing table before. I don't know who it was, but they removed the bronze mirror and moved it elsewhere as a low cabinet. It's just that this person was a bit careless and forgot to clean up after moving the cabinet. The traces of the makeup box placed on the dressing table are still there.
Thirdly, do you know where I found this makeup box?" Zhong Li spoke calmly, but to Miao Fenghua's ears, her words were as piercing as circumstantial evidence.
Miao Fenghua swallowed several times and said, "So you started suspecting me when you were at Han Dong's house?"
Zhong Li nodded and said, "It was just a suspicion at first, but your excessive actions made me even more certain that perhaps you were indeed the one who committed this crime."
"What do you mean?"
"Your house, which is only a few steps away from Han Dong's, was rented not long ago, wasn't it?" Zhong Li said. "There are probably very few people in all of Jinzhou who can mistake their own house key, right?
Also, the makeup box in your room was just moved from Han Dong's room to yours, wasn't it? You moved the makeup box in such a hurry that you didn't even wipe away the dust. Your flaws are too numerous!"
Miao Fenghua took a deep breath. Hearing this woman opposite list all the points that made her suspicious, she let out a cold laugh, "Heh, it seems that people from the Jinling Dali Temple are indeed different. You noticed such subtle details.
But..."
She raised her eyebrows slightly, with an air of 'what can you do to me?' "These are all circumstantial evidence, Zhong Sizi. Don't forget that when Yue Tiannan and Yue Tianhu were killed, I was still in Yongcheng. Besides, what benefit would killing these two Yue brothers bring me?"
"Whether you were in Yongcheng or not, when you were in Yongcheng, and when you were in Jinzhou, I'm sure someone would provide clues if I investigated, such as your regular customers." Zhong Li looked at Miao Fenghua's defiant attitude and spoke with a light breeze.
As expected, Miao Fenghua's face turned ashen at her words.
"As for you killing the two Yue brothers," Zhong Li casually waved something in front of Miao Fenghua.
As she had expected, the moment Miao Fenghua saw the item, her face contorted with rage.
"Do you know where I found this jade pendant?" Zhong Li smirked and uttered three words, 'Han Dong's house.'
As her words fell, the carriage also stopped. Zhong Li lifted the curtain and looked at the situation outside. They had arrived at the yamen.
Just as she was about to get out of the carriage, Miao Fenghua suddenly asked, "How did you discover that Han Dong was one of Yue Tiannan and Yue Tianhu?"
Zhong Li didn't want to explain further, but seeing her unwilling expression, she pondered for a moment and said, "Do you remember the men's boots you left at Han Dong's house?"
"What does that prove?"
"If this nonexistent Han Dong was the murderer, tell me, would he be foolish enough not to get rid of the shoes? To put it another way, if Han Dong didn't intend to discard the shoes, how could they have ended up in the pile of杂物? So, no matter how you look at it, it doesn't make sense. Therefore, it can only explain one thing: the shoes were just a guise by the murderer to frame Han Dong." Zhong Li said, her gaze sweeping over Miao Fenghua, and continued:
"Later, I compared Han Dong's shoes with Yue Tianhu's and found that not only were these shoes the same size as Yue Tianhu's, but even the pattern on the soles was the same.
You say Han Dong vanished from Jinzhou as if he evaporated, yet the size of his shoes perfectly matches Yue Tianhu's, and they both knew you. Is there such a coincidence in the world?"
Miao Fenghua showed a look of understanding, then sneered, "It seems I was adding feet to a snake?"
Zhong Li didn't intend to respond further and turned to leave.
"But people say that coincidences happen all the time, and if things are truly as..." Miao Fenghua was still trying to quibble, but when she saw the scene outside as Zhong Li lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage, all her words were choked back.
How could Zhong Li not notice Miao Fenghua's sudden change?
She followed her gaze, first seeing Lu Wuxie's carriage, and then two beautifully dressed women standing by the carriage, weeping. One of the women seemed overwhelmed with grief, holding her stomach with a pale face.
Zhong Li knew that Miao Fenghua could no longer deny the case.
She signaled to the two yamen runners at the yamen, indicating them to escort Miao Fenghua out. She then quickly walked over to the two women and casually took out the jade pendant she had found in Han Dong's closet, saying, "I wonder whose this piece of jewelry belongs to."
The woman holding her stomach cried even louder upon seeing the item in Zhong Li's hand. She snatched the jade pendant and then took out another half piece from her怀, saying, "My husband, you... you died so miserably, woo woo..."
"May I ask, madam, who was your husband among the Yue family?" Zhong Li already had an answer in her heart, but to confirm it further, she asked.
The woman wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "My husband was Yue Tianhu."
Indeed, all her deductions were now confirmed.
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'Slap!'
A loud clap of a gavel echoed in the hall.
Ren Zhong stared intently at Miao Fenghua kneeling on the ground. It was only at this moment that Lu Wuxie was present as a witness, otherwise, he would have truly wanted to beat her half to death to vent his son Ren Wenshu's anger.
"Woman before the court, state your name!"
Miao Fenghua looked up at Ren Zhong, rolled her eyes, and said disdainfully, "Miao Fenghua!"
Ren Zhong had seen spirited women and seen rascals, but Miao Fenghua, who was still arrogant even with conclusive evidence, was a first for him.
He angrily stroked his mustache and said, "Do you know your crime?"
Miao Fenghua's gaze fell on Zhong Li, and she let out a cold laugh, "Since it has been investigated to this extent, how can I not know? But... I have absolutely no regrets. My only regret is that I was too lenient when killing Yue Tianhu. I should have smashed his head to pieces so that you couldn't piece it together!"
"Ah! Heavens... woo woo, Ah Hu, if you have a spirit in heaven, look at this vixen you found in Jinzhou. Not only did you lose your life, but you are also slandering you like this after your death! My lord, you must seek justice for this common woman!"
Upon hearing Miao Fenghua's words, Yue Tianhu's wife, Madam Song, who had been composed until then, completely lost her composure. She carefully lifted the hem of her clothes, knelt on the ground, and pointed at Miao Fenghua, crying hysterically.