bestfiction Chapter 209 Solving the Case in Peach Blossom Village
Chapter 209 Solving the Case in Peach Blossom Village
Sunlight, like scattered gold dust, bathed Taoyuan Village. In the distance, verdant mountains rose against the backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, creating a picturesque scene. At the foot of the mountains, vast fields of golden rapeseed flowers swayed in the breeze, releasing a sweet fragrance. A clear stream meandered through the village, its waters babbling gently, occasionally revealing small fish and shrimp swimming freely. Beside the stream, a group of children laughed and played, splashing up strings of sparkling water droplets.
"Your Majesty, this place is like a paradise on earth, it's truly enchanting." Mu Qingling, dressed in a light blue cloth robe with a wildflower tucked into her hair, turned to Xiao Han beside her with delight in her eyes.
Xiao Han nodded slightly. Dressed in coarse linen clothes, he looked less imposing in the court and more approachable like an ordinary person: "Indeed, it is rare to find such a peaceful place."
The two were enjoying the beautiful scenery when suddenly a cry shattered the tranquility. "Help! Someone help!" A young man stumbled out of the village, his face filled with terror.
Xiao Han and Mu Qingling exchanged a glance and quickly went to meet her. "Young man, what happened? Don't panic, tell me slowly." Xiao Han's expression was concerned, and his voice was steady.
The young man gasped for breath, his voice trembling with tears, and said, "My... my Uncle Wang, he's dead! He died such a terrible death!"
"Is this true? Take us to see it quickly." Mu Qingling frowned slightly, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes.
The three rushed to the scene and found a simple farmhouse surrounded by villagers. The villagers looked grief-stricken and fearful, whispering and discussing among themselves.
"Make way, make way!" the young man shouted as he led Xiao Han and Mu Qingling through the crowd. Inside the house, a middle-aged man lay stiffly on the ground, his face deathly pale and his eyes wide open, as if he had suffered a great shock before his death. Beside him, a pool of black blood was a horrifying sight.
Mu Qingling instinctively hid behind Xiao Han. Xiao Han gently patted her hand to comfort her, then squatted down to carefully examine the body. He saw a thin wound on the deceased's neck, and the skin around the wound was an eerie bluish-black, clearly caused by poisoning.
"Fellow villagers, please don't panic. I have some medical knowledge and also know a bit about investigation. I will definitely find out the truth and give you all an explanation." Xiao Han stood up, looking at the crowd with a firm gaze. Hearing this, the villagers' panicked emotions calmed down a bit, and they all looked at him with trust.
At this moment, an old man stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Young master, since you have such ability, we are counting on you. Old Wang is an honest and kind man who has never made enemies with anyone. I don't know why he has suffered such a misfortune."
Xiao Han nodded slightly: "Don't worry, old man, I will definitely not let the murderer get away with it. Please don't disturb the scene, I need to examine it carefully." After saying that, he began to look around the house, not missing any corner.
Mu Qingling also suppressed her fear and assisted him. She noticed a half-finished cup of tea on the deceased's table. The tea was cloudy and had a faint, unpleasant odor.
"Your Majesty, look at this tea." Mu Qingling picked up the teacup and handed it to Xiao Han.
Xiao Han took the teacup, sniffed it lightly, and his expression changed slightly: "This tea is poisoned. It seems that the murderer may have poisoned it through this cup of tea."
Afterwards, Xiao Han inquired with the deceased's family and neighbors, learning that the deceased had not gone out that day and had been staying at home alone. Around noon, a strange stranger had come to the village; this person was wearing a straw hat, obscuring his face, and behaving very strangely.
"What are these outsiders doing here?" Xiao Han asked, his brows furrowed.
The deceased's nephew recalled, "He said he was just passing by and was thirsty, so he asked for a drink of water. My uncle was kind-hearted, so he invited him into the house and even poured him a cup of tea. Who would have thought..." As he spoke, he couldn't help but sob again.
Xiao Han's heart skipped a beat; this outsider seemed highly suspicious. He immediately ordered his guards to search the village thoroughly, determined to find the man.
However, after searching, the guards found nothing. The stranger seemed to have vanished into thin air, disappearing without a trace.
"Strange, how could this person just disappear into thin air?" Mu Qingling looked at Xiao Han with a face full of doubt.
Xiao Han pondered for a moment: "It seems that this murderer is very cunning and must have made a meticulous plan beforehand. We cannot just focus on this outsider; we need to look for clues from other aspects."
Therefore, Xiao Han carefully examined the scene again. Under the deceased's bed, he found a dilapidated wooden box with a lock, but the lock had been pried open.
"What was originally inside this?" Xiao Han asked the deceased's family.
The deceased's wife cried, "This is our family's savings, which we usually keep in this box. Just a few days ago, my husband said he wanted to use this money to buy some new clothes for the children, but I never expected this..."
Xiao Han understood immediately; it seemed the killer's motive was likely money. He deduced that after poisoning the victim, the killer pried open the wooden box, took the money, and then disguised himself as a stranger to escape the scene.
“Your Majesty, if the murderer was after money, he is likely still in the village,” Mu Qingling analyzed. “After all, he is carrying money, which makes him too conspicuous, and it will be difficult for him to escape far in a short time.”
Xiao Han nodded in agreement: "You're right. We need to mobilize the villagers and carefully investigate every household to find the murderer."
Just then, a villager rushed in, panting, and said, "Something terrible has happened! Li Er from the village entrance has disappeared! He's always been idle and doesn't do any proper work. Could it be him?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Han immediately led everyone to Li Er's house. The house was in a mess, as if someone had hurriedly searched for things. On the table lay a letter with messy handwriting.
Xiao Han picked up the letter, which read: "I'm leaving. Don't look for me. I know you suspect me, but I really didn't do this. I just took some things; I never expected it to lead to someone's death."
"It seems Li Er is indeed involved in this matter," Mu Qingling said after reading the letter. "But he says he didn't kill anyone. Is there something else going on?"
Xiao Han pondered for a moment, then said to the guard, "Immediately send men to chase after Li Er and bring him back. At the same time, continue the search in the village and do not overlook any suspicious places."
With everyone's help, Li Er was finally found in a cave outside the village. He looked panicked and tried to run away as soon as he saw the group.
"Li Er, you can't escape. Come back with us obediently and explain everything," Xiao Han shouted.
Seeing that he couldn't escape, Li Er collapsed to the ground, crying, "I really didn't kill anyone. I just wanted to steal some money. I saw that Uncle Wang's door was open, so I went in. I found the wooden box under his bed and was about to pry it open when I heard a noise outside. I was afraid of being discovered, so I hid. I only came out after that person left, and then I found that Uncle Wang was dead. I was afraid that you would mistake me for the murderer, so I took the money and ran away."
Xiao Han stared into Li Er's eyes and asked, "What did the person you saw look like?"
Li Er recalled, "I was hiding under the bed at the time and only saw that he was wearing a pair of black cloth shoes. I couldn't see anything else clearly."
The trail went cold again, and the case reached a stalemate. However, Xiao Han did not give up. He meticulously examined every detail, trying to find that crucial, overlooked clue.
Mu Qingling also offered him advice: "Your Majesty, why don't we go back to the crime scene and take another look? Maybe we can find new clues."
So the two went to the deceased's house again. This time, Xiao Han focused his attention on the deceased's backyard. There were some vegetables growing in the backyard, as well as a well.
"Your Majesty, look at this well," Mu Qingling said, pointing to it. "Could the murderer have thrown the murder weapon or other evidence into the well?"
Xiao Han's eyes lit up: "That's possible. Men, drain the water from the well and search it thoroughly."
The guards immediately sprang into action. After some effort, they finally found a bloodstained dagger and a small medicine bottle at the bottom of the well.
Xiao Han picked up the dagger and examined it closely. He saw that the blade matched the wound on the victim's neck. And the medicine bottle contained the same poison as the tea.
“It seems this is the murderer’s weapon,” Xiao Han said. “Now, what we need to do is find the owner of this dagger.”
He asked the villagers again if anyone had seen the dagger. At this moment, a young villager hesitated and stepped forward: "I...I think I've seen this dagger before. A few days ago, I saw Zhao San chopping wood in the woods outside the village with a similar dagger."
"Zhao San?" Xiao Han's heart skipped a beat. "What kind of person is he usually?"
The villagers shook their heads: "Zhao San is always causing trouble and is lazy. Nobody likes him."
"Bring Zhao San here immediately," Xiao Han ordered.
Soon, Zhao San was brought before everyone. He looked flustered, his eyes darting around, and he dared not look Xiao Han in the eye.
"Zhao San, do you know your crime?" Xiao Han asked sternly.
Zhao San knelt down with a thud and cried out, "My lord, I'm innocent! I didn't kill anyone!"
Xiao Han sneered: "Still dare to argue? This bloodstained dagger and poison were found at the bottom of the well. Someone saw you holding a similar dagger. How do you explain that?"
Zhao San trembled with fear and hurriedly said, "Sir, this dagger is indeed mine, but I really didn't kill anyone. A few days ago, I lost my dagger, and I've been looking for it ever since. I don't know how it ended up in the well."
"Hmph, who would believe your words?" Mu Qingling said angrily from the side. "It was clearly you who poisoned Uncle Wang for money, and you still want to deny it."
Zhao San was sweating profusely with anxiety: "Your Majesty, I really didn't lie. I swear to God, if I killed someone, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death."
Seeing that Zhao San didn't seem to be lying, Xiao Han also felt some doubt. He carefully considered the entire case again, and suddenly, a crucial question came to his mind.
"Zhao San, was there anything unusual the day you lost the dagger?" Xiao Han asked.
Zhao San thought for a moment and said, "That day I was chopping wood in the woods when I suddenly heard someone shouting for help. I ran towards the sound and found a stranger who had fallen into a trap. I rescued him, and he thanked me profusely and even bought me some wine. Later, I discovered that my dagger was missing."
"A stranger? What does he look like?" Xiao Han pressed.
Zhao San recalled, "He was dressed in all black, and his face was covered with a black cloth, so I couldn't see his face. But I remember his voice was very hoarse."
Xiao Han was startled; it seemed this stranger was very likely the murderer. He had taken advantage of Zhao San's kindness, tricked him into stealing his dagger, and then framed him.
"Your Majesty, what should we do now?" Mu Qingling asked.
Xiao Han pondered for a moment: "Since the murderer is so cunning, we might as well turn the tables on him. We can announce to the outside world that we have found the murderer and are preparing for a public trial in the village tomorrow. I think the murderer will definitely be unable to resist coming to find out more."
Everyone followed the plan. The next day, the village was decorated with lanterns and streamers, and the villagers gathered in the square, waiting for the so-called "public trial".
Sure enough, just as everyone was discussing this, a person dressed in black and wearing a mask quietly slipped into the crowd. He looked around furtively, trying to get closer to the judge's bench.
"That's him! Seize him!" At Xiao Han's command, the guards who had been lying in ambush immediately rushed forward and surrounded the man in black.
Seeing that things were not going well, the man in black tried to resist, but was quickly subdued by the guards.
“Take off his mask,” Xiao Han said.
The moment the mask was removed, everyone was stunned. The murderer was none other than Sun Fu, the village doctor.
"Sun Fu, why did you do such a heinous thing?" Xiao Han glared angrily.
Sun Fu collapsed to the ground, saying in despair, "I was forced into this situation. I became addicted to gambling and racked up huge debts. I knew Wang Da had savings, so I wanted to take advantage of the situation to get some money to pay off my gambling debts. First, I pretended to be a stranger and went to his house to ask for water, then I poisoned the tea. Then I stole Zhao San's dagger to create a false impression and frame him. I never expected that you would still see through my plan."
The truth finally came to light, and the villagers expressed their anger and contempt for Sun Fu's actions. Xiao Han and Mu Qingling, with their wisdom and courage, restored peace to Taoyuan Village.
"Your Majesty, the successful resolution of this case is all thanks to your wisdom." Mu Qingling's eyes were full of admiration.
Xiao Han smiled slightly: "This is a collective achievement. However, through this incident, I have also come to a deep understanding that the line between good and evil in this world is often very thin. As members of the royal family, we should set an example, work for the well-being of the people, and make this world less evil and more peaceful."
Mu Qingling nodded gently and leaned on Xiao Han's shoulder: "Your Majesty is absolutely right. No matter how many storms may come in the future, I am willing to walk hand in hand with Your Majesty."