Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 178 Murder Case
Yan Mingzhang refused decisively, saying, "I've already found what I want, there's no need to go through all this trouble."

"I think he's just lucky. You'll see, he won't dare to do it again..."

"Exactly, they're probably afraid of being exposed, that's why they don't dare to say it!"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, but Yan Mingzhang knew perfectly well why he had come and remained unmoved. He hadn't gone on stage to prove himself.

Seeing that Yan Mingzhang had no intention of agreeing, the boy in white gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's play another round. If you get everything right, I'll give you back the five thousand taels you just owed! How about it?"

“Okay!” Yan Mingzhang agreed readily.

"Huh?" The boy in white was a little taken aback. Shouldn't the book say that wealth and honor should not corrupt, and poverty and hardship should not sway him? How could he bend over for a mere five thousand taels? This person is a little different.
Yan Mingzhang, as if afraid he might change his mind, quickly walked to the first box and said in turn, "This is a Yue ware secret-color lotus bowl, the second is a Ru ware sky-blue glazed carved goose-neck vase, the third is..."

Yan Mingzhang walked and talked, and the servants opened the box after he finished speaking.

There are nine boxes in total...

All right!

The atmosphere was electric.

Although she knew he had a powerful memory, Rong Wanyin was still amazed every time she saw it. Why was there such a big difference between people? She really hated herself for not having such a good memory!
The boy in white exclaimed excitedly, "How did you do that? Do it again!"

However, before Yan Mingzhang could refuse, a cry of alarm suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"

It was that old beggar from before. He was lying on his back in the chair, his sleeves and face covered in grime.

The old beggar reached for his throat with both hands, his cloudy eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and his ashen face visibly turned a deep liver color.

Unable to exert any force due to violent coughing, he could only scratch his neck in vain, leaving bloody marks on his skin with his fingernails. A wheezing sound came from his throat, and his breathing became increasingly rapid, yet he was still unable to inhale any air.

The old wooden chair shook violently as it struggled, and with a loud crash, the man and chair fell backward, the back of his head slamming heavily onto the bluestone slab. His limbs began to twitch uncontrollably due to lack of oxygen, white foam spilled from the corners of his mouth, and his fingers remained curled in spasms. His pupils gradually dilated, and with one last tremor, he collapsed completely to the ground, surrounded by gleaming chicken bones and half-eaten roast chicken.

"Oh no! It looks like a chicken bone is stuck in his throat!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

Ignoring everything else, Yan Mingzhang quickly ran over there.

Upon hearing the sound, the white-robed boy and the black-robed boy simultaneously used their lightness skills to leap up and rush towards the main seat, arriving first.

Seeing the old beggar's face turn purple and he uttering weak, gasping sounds, the white-robed boy frowned, decisively extending his palm and forcefully slapping the old beggar's back repeatedly. Under the rapid blows, the old beggar coughed violently, spitting out a chicken bone with a "plop," which fell onto the carpet. Everyone watching the old beggar spit out the chicken bone breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing expressions of relief.

But at that moment, the old beggar suddenly rolled his eyes back, then foamed at the mouth and fell straight down.

Yan Mingzhang and the others squeezed through the crowd and quickly reached the old beggar's side. He squatted down, carefully examined the whites of the old beggar's eyes, then pried open his mouth to check his throat. Afterward, he slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "He's already dead..."

Those around sighed upon seeing this, and those who knew the situation lamented, "That old beggar's bowl was priceless. He was about to live a good life, but he choked on a chicken bone. This old beggar is truly pitiful..." Before they could finish speaking, Yan Mingzhang, who was examining the beggar, pulled out the silver needle inserted into the old beggar's throat and retorted, "That's not the case. He was poisoned."

Upon hearing Yan Mingzhang's words, the crowd erupted in an uproar, with discussions rising and falling.

"Poisoned to death? But it was clearly choked by a chicken bone!"

"What exactly is going on? Is there a mistake? We all saw it!" Questions continued to rise.

"Who is this guy? How dare he spout such nonsense here!"

"It's...that's..."

Ignoring the surrounding noise, Yan Mingzhang looked solemn and bent down again to examine the old beggar's body closely.

The white foam remaining at the corner of the old beggar's lips had an unusual bluish-gray tinge, and faint blue veins were visible protruding on his neck.

Yan Mingzhang reached out and gently pried open the old beggar's eyelids. The slight contraction of his pupils made him even more certain of his judgment.

“Look…” Yan Mingzhang pointed to the old beggar’s eyes, his voice steady and powerful, “If he had just choked to death on a chicken bone, his pupils wouldn’t have contracted so abnormally, and the white foam is also very different from that of a typical suffocator. Plus, the blackness on the silver needle indicates poisoning. We’ll know once the coroner arrives.”

In the crowd, the boy in white frowned slightly, took a few steps forward, and asked, "According to this young master, is this a premeditated murder? But this old beggar has no grudge against anyone, so who would do such a thing?"

Yan Mingzhang slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, and said in a deep voice, "The reason is still unknown, but what is certain is that this matter is definitely not as simple as it seems on the surface. This murderer is probably deliberately using the chicken bone choking as a cover-up in an attempt to cover up the truth of poisoning."

An elderly wealthy businessman suddenly stood up, slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups clatter: "Poisoning food? Only people from Jiuqu Pawnshop could do that! I think you're trying to embezzle this old beggar's bowl!"

The elderly tycoon pointed at the boy in white, his voice almost cracking: "You're the ones who killed him! How dare the Jiuqu Pawnshop take a life!"

The boy in white, his face flushed, retreated repeatedly, veins throbbing on his forehead. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but was drowned out by the rising accusations.

People swarmed around like a tide, their questions and shouts mingling with the sounds of tables and chairs being overturned, turning the auction into complete chaos.

Although Jiuqu Pawnshop has a high reputation in the dark, if it were to commit murder for embezzling customers' treasures, who would dare to pawn or buy things there in the future?
Once the infamy of "treating human life like dirt" spreads, the reputation and prestige accumulated over many years will be destroyed in an instant.

"Report to the authorities! Report to the authorities immediately!" A sharp shout suddenly erupted from the crowd, followed by a chorus of echoes that instantly drowned out the auction venue. People had lost their minds!

All eyes turned to the pale-faced boy in white.

"Everyone, please calm down! I am Yan Mingzhang, currently serving in the Supervisory and Criminal Division, responsible for supervising criminal cases. I will definitely investigate this case thoroughly and give everyone an explanation. I will not let the murderer get away with it!" Yan Mingzhang stood on a table and said loudly.

"Are you an official?"