Nine Chapters of Strange Cases

Chapter 374 She Won't Lose
Fan Lishen stood there, watching Zhou Zhaotong and Ahuang's actions.

He pursed his lips, steeled his resolve, and said softly, "Ah Zhao, I... I can prove I'm not the murderer."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Zhou Zhao and A Huang turn around to look at him at the same time, and the two of them shook their heads slightly in perfect unison.

Fan Lishen's pupils suddenly contracted, and he looked at Zhou Zhaotong and Ahuang in disbelief. His nose tingled, and tears instantly filled his eyes.

What merits or abilities does Fan Lishen possess? He was protected by his parents in the past, and now he has the protection of his close friends.

“I can vouch for your innocence; we found frostbite cream on the deceased’s hands.”

Kneading dough should result in a smooth, clean dough, bowl, and hands. The deceased was kneading dough in the kitchen when she was murdered; the dough wasn't ready yet, so her hands were covered in wet, sticky lumps of dough.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he took the lead and walked towards the kitchen, and everyone else immediately followed.

The courtyard was small; the kitchen was just a step away. The chopping board was facing away from the door, and a winnowing basket was placed on it, filled with washed cabbages.

A copper basin was overturned on the ground, lying upside down.

Zhou Zhao walked over, picked up the copper basin, and sure enough, there was dough inside that had not yet taken shape.

"The murderer came in from behind and stood behind the victim, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief laced with a sedative. The victim had difficulty breathing and instinctively reached out to grab the hand covering her mouth and nose, but the sedative took effect and she couldn't exert any strength, so she could only put her hand on the murderer's back."

But heaven has eyes; the deceased's hands were wet with dough, which transferred the frostbite cream the murderer had applied to the dough.

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he scooped a ladle of water from the water vat next to him and poured it directly onto Fan Lishen's bloody hand. The bloodstains were washed away, revealing Fan Lishen's fair and clean hand.

“Fan Lishen’s hands did not have frostbite, so naturally he would not have applied frostbite cream.”

Chang Zuoping looked at Fan Lishen's hand and nodded gently.

Fan Lishen is a pampered young master who doesn't need to wash clothes with ice water or vegetables in the cold winter. He spends all day by the fire pit, so what kind of frostbite could he possibly get?

Forget about frostbite, this kid probably doesn't even have a single scar on his body. If he cuts his finger, the imperial physician would probably have to be called in.

"That's one thing. The second is the murder weapon. There are two important murder weapons: one is a handkerchief containing a sleeping pill, and the other is a sharp blade used to cut open the victim's abdomen. If Fan Lishen is the murderer, where is the handkerchief? And where is the bloodstained murder weapon?"
Some might argue that Fan Lishen wiped the blood off the murder weapon after committing the crime. But everything leaves a trace. If he was the murderer, where was the item he used to wipe the weapon?

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at everyone and said, "If Fan Lishen is the murderer, after killing the victim, he had time to clean the weapon and apply medicine to the victim's wounds. Why didn't he leave the crime scene immediately and escape? Why did he wait here to be caught by the Northern Army?"

As Zhou Zhao was speaking, he noticed that Chang Zuoping's lips moved as if he was about to ask a question.

She gave Chang Zuoping a look that signaled her to stop.

Chang Zuoping was taken aback, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. This little brat was even more domineering than him!

He thought for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and continued listening to Zhou Zhao speak.

"Being caught red-handed is a dead end set up by the mastermind, but it is also a lifeline."

The victim was drugged and assaulted before being stabbed in the abdomen. It is well known that not every blow is instantly fatal; skilled killers typically choose fatal wounds such as the heart or throat.

The cause of death for all three victims was abdominal puncture and internal bleeding.

From the moment Xiao Li was drugged in the kitchen to her death from blood loss in her bed, it would have taken a considerable amount of time.

Upon hearing this, Chang Zuoping's eyes lit up; he understood what Zhou Zhao wanted to say.

"If the murderer wants the Union Army to catch him red-handed, he must ensure three things: first, the victim is not yet dead."

If the deceased was already dead, Fan Li would check his breathing and then immediately go out to find the Northern Army to report the incident. This would likely cause him to miss the arriving Northern Army, directly ruining the situation. Secondly, the deceased was about to die.

Otherwise, if Fan Lishen easily saved Xiao Li after entering the house, then what kind of murderer would he be?
Only if the deceased still has a breath left would Fan Lishen, given his temperament, rush to take out the wound medicine to save the person without regard for the consequences. He would inevitably have his hands stained with blood to save the person, so that he could catch the person red-handed.

Third, Fan Lishen cannot stay inside for too long, otherwise unexpected changes may easily occur.

For example, he would carry Xiaoli out to seek medical help, loudly calling for help to attract the help of his neighbors... and so on.

Therefore, Changrong timed it perfectly, sending a message to Fan Lishen when Xiaoli was barely breathing, and then, right after Fan Lishen entered, he lured the Northern Army to arrest her.

Su Changying listened and said, "So it's impossible for Fan Lishen to have done so much in such a short time."

It was daytime now, unlike at night. He had ridden his horse all the way here, and it wasn't difficult to find eyewitnesses in the streets and alleys to prove that he hadn't even arrived at the scene when Xiao Li was attacked.

Zhou Zhao nodded, "That's right. Although he was caught red-handed, Fan Lishen has an alibi."

This statement sounds contradictory, but it is the truth.

"Next, what we need to do is to capture Changrong."

As Zhou Zhao spoke, his eyes were full of certainty, "I guess he won't run away at all, but will go to the Court of Justice to testify and prove that Fan Lishen is the murderer, because their scheme is missing the last link, which is the motive for the murder."

Fan Lishen had no grudge against the deceased, and didn't even know them, so why did he kill them?
But what if his men testified that he had this sadistic tendency? After all, the belts and sparrows they had prepared hadn't even been used yet!

Fan Lishen felt a chill run down his spine as he listened.

Chang Zuoping nodded thoughtfully, "Tie up Fan Lishen and return to the Court of Justice immediately."

As he spoke, he looked at Su Changying again, "The Northern Army continues its search for Changrong."

If Zhou Zhao guesses wrong, the Northern Army will dig three feet into the ground to capture Chang Rong.

The group quickly returned to the Court of Justice. Riding on tall horses, they could see from a distance a person loitering in front of the Court of Justice's gate.

Everyone dismounted. The man first peeked out and looked them over, but when he saw Fan Lishen bound hand and foot, he immediately rushed out and exclaimed, "Young Master..."

He stretched out one arm, his face full of anxiety...

That person had a red mole at the corner of his eye and a fake look on his face. Who else could it be but Changrong?
Chang Zuoping was alarmed. He turned to look at Zhou Zhao and saw that she had her chin raised but was not dismounting. He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to arrest them?"

Zhou Zhao's eyes were full of smugness. "Why would it be my turn to make a move?"

Before she could finish speaking, Chang Zuoping saw Su Changying leap over lightly. He landed from the sky and stepped directly on Changrong's back. Before Changrong could utter a word of his prepared speech or perform a single line of his dramatic act, he was crushed to the ground as if by a mountain.

"See?"

Chang Zuoping snorted speechlessly, "Look at the back of his hand, you win."

Zhou Zhao had noticed Chang Rong's hand early on; the red, swollen chilblains were covered with a layer of green chilblain ointment, just as she had expected.

When have I ever lost?

As Zhou Zhao spoke, he looked at Su Changying, who was standing on Changrong's back.

For Su Changying's sake, she would never lose again in her life.