Müßige Blumen und Schatten

Kapitel 24

Prefect Lin chuckled dryly, nodded, and said seriously, "Then you may all leave and wait outside the hall."

Since Prefect Lin had spoken in this way and had already started to walk out, the rest of the people followed him out.

While everyone was focused on listening to the coroner's explanation, Xu Shirong had quietly hidden back behind the screen. Now that everyone had left the main hall, she came out from behind.

She had her own reasons for asking Yang Huan to come forward. Tongzhou Prefecture was not like Qingmen County, a remote place where she could show her face without much trouble, and if word got out, she could simply blame it on Shi An. This was a prefecture, and if she were to examine the body without any discretion, not only would it be difficult to explain to others, but even to Madam Lu, let alone if word got back to Xu Jiaoniang's family in the capital. It would be even more shocking. That's why she asked Yang Huan to dismiss everyone before coming out to investigate.

Xu Shirong stepped over the pile of rubble and arrived at the charred corpse.

The corpse was severely burned; the head was burned down to half a skull, and the upper half of the skull had been shattered and splintered off. After searching for a while, a few fragments were found on the side.

"What...what is this?"

Yang Huan noticed that she was holding a charred object and asked cautiously.

Xu Shirong responded, "This person's skull."

Yang Huan clicked his tongue in amazement: "Good heavens, this fire is so intense, it even cracked his skull!"

Xu Shirong ignored him and examined the body carefully before standing up and saying, "The coroner was right; this person was indeed burned to death."

Yang Huan was greatly disappointed and kicked a stone away.

"However, they didn't die naturally from the fire; someone tampered with the fire, which is why they were burned alive."

Xu Shirong glanced at him and then said.

Yang Huan's eyes lit up, and he happily leaned closer, saying, "I knew you were capable of anything, Madam. Tell me quickly!"

Xu Shirong shook her head before leaning close to his ear to speak. But she had only said half of what she wanted to say when urging voices and footsteps sounded from outside the hall. Afraid of being seen, Xu Shirong quickly slipped back behind the screen.

She had just hidden herself when Prefect Lin and Xu Jinrong entered, followed by a line of officials. They looked at Yang Huan and asked, "Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Yang Huan coughed, composed himself, and then said loudly, "I can now conclude that this... Inspector General was tampered with, which is why he was burned alive in the room!"

Chapter Thirty-Three

"Nephew, you...you, what do you mean by that?" Judge Lu's eyes widened suddenly, looking somewhat incredulous.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" Cao Jiandang snorted disdainfully, the fat around his chin jiggling slightly with the rhythm of his speech, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.

Prefect Lin glanced at Supervisor Cao, his brows furrowing slightly before smoothing out, and he simply stroked his beard without saying a word.

The remaining state officials glanced at the charred corpse, their faces showing surprise and doubt, and began to whisper among themselves.

A fleeting look of surprise crossed Xu Jinrong's eyes, but it vanished in an instant. He then smiled slightly and said, "I would like to hear the details."

Yang Huan recalled what he had just heard, stepped over the blackened rubble, and reached the charred corpse. He picked up a few pieces of material about the size of copper coins that Jiao Niang had gathered together, held them in his hand, showed them to everyone, and then loudly proclaimed, "These are fragments of the skull. You know what a skull is, right? It's the dome-shaped bone at the top of a person's head. The human skull is sealed and filled with brain matter. In a typical indoor fire, like this house, even if a person is burned, it usually wouldn't cause their skull to shatter." "Step. Only when there's an accelerant, and the body is on fire, without a hole punched in the skull, will the brain matter rapidly heat up and boil, like water in a teapot boiling. Just as the teapot lid is pushed open after the water boils, the boiling brain matter in the skull naturally expands outwards. Unable to find an outlet, the skull shatters into many coin-sized fragments. I just searched the rubble and only found a few pieces; the rest must have been scattered and are still buried under the rubble."

Yang Huan finished speaking in one breath. Seeing that everyone's expressions changed slightly as they followed his description, he swallowed and said triumphantly, "In other words, this magistrate must have been doused with kerosene, which caused such a violent fire, resulting in his skull exploding and splattering everywhere!"

After Yang Huan finished speaking, the officials all gasped in astonishment, their eyes filled with pity as they looked at the charred corpse. Several even unconsciously touched their heads, which were covered by their official hats. Some, including Supervisor Cao, mustered their courage and went closer to get a better look.

Cao, the eunuch, glanced at the object and was about to speak when he suddenly felt his foot step on something with a crunching sound. Before he could even look, Yang Huan pointed at him and shouted, "Lord Cao, look at you! Of all things to step on, you had to step on these fragments of the Inspector General's skull! With that one stomp, they've all shattered into dust! Not only is this disrespectful to the Inspector General, but it also raises suspicions of destroying evidence. You weren't satisfied with just destroying the corpse; now you're trying to cover it up?"

Upon looking down, Cao Jian Dang indeed saw a pile of debris under his heel, which he must have stepped on without noticing. Seeing everyone pointing and whispering about him, his face flushed red and then pale. He quickly lifted his foot and angrily said, "Who destroyed the evidence? I just didn't mean to! To say someone poured kerosene on it based on these few bone fragments is a far-fetched explanation. Maybe it just exploded on its own?"

That made sense, and seeing the unspoken agreement on the faces of those around him, Yang Huan was momentarily speechless. Hesitantly, his eyes unconsciously drifted to the screen in the corner of the hall. Remembering that Jiao Niang had been interrupted before she finished speaking, he turned his gaze and suddenly laughed, “Hehe, gentlemen, as the saying goes, everyone has three urgent needs: urination, flatulence, and defecation. Any of these can be fatal. I just happen to be in the middle of that urgent need. Please wait a moment, gentlemen, while I go to relieve myself, and I’ll continue when I return… Lord Lu, although your hall was fortunate enough not to burn down completely, only half remains. I imagine it will have to be demolished and rebuilt. For convenience, I’ll go to the corner behind that screen, what do you think?”

Judge Lu sighed, "Nephew, it's just a dilapidated painting hall. You can do as you please."

Yang Huan thanked him with a grin, then swaggered toward the screen, leaving behind a sea of surprised and disdainful gazes. An older military advisor shook his head and sighed in a low voice, "A disgrace to scholarship, a disgrace to scholarship!"

Yang Huan stepped behind the screen and saw that Xu Shirong was still there. He quickly pulled her to a corner, threw off his clothes, and whispered, "Did you hear everything just now? What else is there? Tell me quickly, or your husband will be stuck there!"

Xu Shirong felt a little embarrassed when she saw that he had unzipped his pants and seemed to really need to relieve himself.

Seeing that she was only staring at his crotch, Yang Huan hurriedly said, "I just said it was convenient for me to come over. If I don't make some noise, how can I hide it from you?" As he spoke, he was not ashamed at all, and he really made a splashing sound, which made Xu Shirong blush with embarrassment. She had no choice but to pretend that she did not see it, and she leaned close to his ear and whispered the story.

After she finished speaking, the swishing sound stopped. Yang Huan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. He turned his head to praise her, but saw two faint blushes still floating on her fair cheeks. Her expression was a mixture of shyness and annoyance, yet she looked incredibly charming. Without thinking, he kissed her. Seeing her sudden change in expression, he felt greatly pleased and, ignoring her reaction, straightened his clothes before leaving.

Those outside, hearing the faint sound of rushing water coming from behind the screen, all wore different expressions and remained silent. When he finally came out, Supervisor Cao couldn't help but mock, "Lord Yang, you have quite the skill. You've been holding back for so long, and that sound is quite imposing."

Yang Huan chuckled and said, "If Lord Cao ever has an urgent need, he can just do as I say. There are rubble piled up all over the ground, so it will do anywhere. I don't think Lord Lu will mind. Why hold back and make fun of me?"

After he finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter. Cao Jian Dang was so angry that the fat on his chin trembled again, and he said angrily, "How could I lower myself to your level? You just said you had more to say, so hurry up and say it."

Yang Huan then stopped his playful demeanor and asked seriously, "Gentlemen, have any of you ever seen roasted lamb?"

Everyone was taken aback when he suddenly mentioned roasted lamb. Prefect Lin stroked his beard and asked, "Is this roasted lamb related to this case?"

Yang Huan nodded and said, "When roasting lamb, the first thing to change in the fire is the leg. Because the leg is small, it burns easily. If the fire is strong enough, the skin will turn black in no time, and the meat inside will sizzle. Soon, the skin will crack open, the meat inside will start to burn, and then the leg will start to move and curl up on its own. It's the same with people. The arms and legs burn first, then the skin bursts open, the meat inside burns, and once the meat and joints have dried, the arm will bend towards the shoulder, and the knee will also slightly bulge, like a boxing stance. But what about the charred corpses in the fire? What do you gentlemen think of the arms?"

"Stretched out!"

A minor official shouted.

"That's right! Straight!" Yang Huan shouted. "It's obvious the murderer bound his arms, which is why they couldn't bend when burning! This killer was determined to kill him, so while he was drunk, he not only poured oil on him, but also tied his hands behind his back to prevent him from escaping, before setting the fire and leaving. In this way, he not only achieved his goal of killing, but also dragged Lord Lu into the mess—killing two birds with one stone! His intentions were truly sinister! He poured oil..." The magistrate was already drunk; how could he possibly escape the fire? Yet, the murderer, still not satisfied, insisted on binding him again. Judging from the position of the charred body discovered earlier, the magistrate died face up, arms tucked behind him. His front was exposed to the fire first; after his arms dried and were secured, the rope at his wrists burned away, thus preventing his arms from bending. The murderer, in his cleverness, never imagined that this completely unnecessary binding would become direct evidence that the magistrate had been murdered!

Yang Huan's words were so forceful and resounding that everyone was speechless for a long time. Judge Lu suddenly snapped out of his daze and grabbed Yang Huan, saying, "Nephew, I used to doubt those rumors, but now I see that your keen observation and ability to think beyond what ordinary people can comprehend truly live up to the people of Qingmen's praise for your integrity! If it weren't for your words, I would have been the one to take the blame today!"

Seeing the admiration in everyone's eyes, Yang Huan felt smug. He coughed twice, glanced at the screen, and then said a few humble words.

Prefect Lin glanced at the charred corpse and roared, "Who is so heartless as to dare to harm the Inspector in Lord Lu's residence? If found out, they will be severely punished!"

The magistrate, who had been pale and disoriented, finally calmed down a bit. The governor had been murdered and burned to death while staying overnight at Lu's residence. Although he couldn't escape blame, it was far less serious than the governor's own death in a fire. With a sense of relief, his mind cleared, and he suddenly exclaimed, "My gates were closed at midnight last night, but the fire started at four. Clearly, the arsonist must have been hiding inside beforehand, and perhaps even knew the governor!"

The deputy envoy beside him, reminded by him, slapped his forehead and said, "Lord Lin, Lord Lu, I remember when my master came, the coachman was his attendant. Quickly go and call the coachman over, and ask if any suspicious person approached the master last night?"