I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

"Hey! Don't push!"

……

As soon as Qingdeng finished shouting, the crowd blocking his way immediately parted to the left and right, making way for Qingdeng to pass alone.

Knowing that it was Doshiki from Sadamachi who had arrived, a middle-aged man immediately stepped out from the "human wall" that was keeping the crowd outside the houses and walked along the path that the crowd had cleared to greet Aoto.

Upon hearing that it was Tongxin who had arrived, the middle-aged man's face immediately lit up with a fawning smile.

But upon seeing that the person who had come to him was Qing Deng, the middle-aged man's ingratiating smile instantly froze.

A hint of disdain surfaced in his eyes...

But he quickly concealed his disdain and composed himself.

"Lord Tachibana!" The middle-aged man hurried to Qing Deng's side and bowed respectfully. "I am the head of the family in charge of managing Mokuyanagi-cho: Hai Taro."

Mokuyanagi-cho is one of the districts under the jurisdiction of Aoto.

In terms of rank, Qing Deng is undoubtedly Hui Da Lang's direct superior, so Hui Da Lang naturally knows Qing Deng.

Since he is the head of the family responsible for managing Koyuki-cho, things will be easier.

After a brief greeting to Gray, Qing Deng got straight to the point—

"I heard there was a murder here," Qing Deng said seriously. "What exactly happened?"

When his direct superior asked him a question, Grey Wolf had neither the reason nor the courage to refuse.

"Sigh..." Gray Brother sighed heavily, "Where should I begin..."

……

……

The owners of the house where the murder occurred and which is currently surrounded by a crowd are an elderly couple named Katarou and Aping.

When it comes to Kotaro and A-Ping, these two names are known to everyone in Koyuki-cho and the surrounding towns.

When this couple is mentioned, many people respectfully refer to them as the "Bodhisattva Couple".

People call Kotaro a "living bodhisattva" whose medical skills and ethics are impeccable.

In the Edo period, being a doctor was considered a very respectable job.

Not only do they enjoy high social status, but as long as their medical skills are excellent, their income can be quite substantial.

With such excellent medical skills, Kotaro could have easily relied on his talent to make a fortune by treating wealthy people.

But he didn't do that.

He has always focused on treating the poor, and often provides medical care to the poor at low cost or even free of charge.

His wife, A-Ping, was also an excellent and virtuous wife. She fully supported her husband's "foolish career" that harmed himself but benefited others.

Although Kotaro's behavior of not making money when he has it, and often losing money to help people with their illnesses, seems extremely foolish at first glance, his foolish actions are not without any reward.

The couple practiced medicine for decades, and countless people have benefited from their kindness.

Countless people respect and love this couple.

About two months ago, Kotaro passed away peacefully at the age of 75.

The couple had no children, so after Kataro passed away, only Ping, who was 65 years old but still in good health, remained in the family.

Out of affection for A-Ping, as A-Ping grew older, the younger generation who knew her began to affectionately call her "Grandma Ping".

The family had accumulated some savings over the decades, and those who had benefited from the couple's kindness had also contributed financially to help Grandma Ping from time to time. Therefore, in the two months since her husband's passing, apart from feeling a little lonely occasionally, Grandma Ping's daily life had been relatively peaceful and tranquil.

But an unexpected event happened today.

Grandma Ping is a person with a very stable daily routine. She gets up at 6 o'clock every morning and goes out for a walk at 8 o'clock.

But today, Grandma Ping's neighbors were surprised to find that she hadn't come out for a walk at all...

At first, the neighbors didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just Grandma Ping being lazy once in a while. After all, similar situations had happened before, with Grandma Ping going out for a walk an hour or two later.

But it wasn't until the sun was almost high in the sky and Grandma Ping still hadn't come out that the neighbors gradually realized something was wrong...

The neighbors, feeling a sense of foreboding, went to Grandma Ping's house and called out her name.

No response received...

The neighbors, their sense of foreboding growing to its extreme, hurriedly pushed open Grandma Ping's door and rushed into her house.

Upon entering Granny Ping's house, they found her in the main room... Stabbed to death on the tatami mat, her eyes wide open in death...

*******

*******

New book launch!

Please vote with monthly tickets! Please recommend this book! Please add this book to your favorites!

Chapter 28 Ju Qing Deng? What cases can he solve?

"...After receiving the report, I immediately organized people to strictly cordon off the scene and prohibit any unauthorized personnel from approaching."

"At the same time, I immediately sent someone to the Beifan Bureau to report the case and sent people to find and contact Granny Ping's relatives and friends."

After reporting everything he knew to Qingdeng, Hui Dalang stood respectfully with his hands at his sides.

"...The doctor couple who are loved by countless people..." Qing Deng frowned slightly and turned his head to look at the dense crowd gathered around Grandma Ping's house.

Qingdeng finally understood why so many people had gathered there, and why so many of them looked so grief-stricken and were wailing.

“It’s the most difficult kind of case…” Qing Deng murmured.

Qingdeng put his hands on his hips and turned to look at the house next to him that was tightly sealed off.

He looked thoughtful.

……

……

Hokuban-sho, the office of the town magistrate.

—How come it just so happens that such a troublesome person was murdered…

Looking at the urgent letter that had just arrived from Koyanagi on the table in front of him, Usui rubbed his furrowed brows and let out a weary sigh.

Although Bo Jing had never met Granny Ping, he had long heard of Granny Ping and her husband's reputation as the "Bodhisattva Couple".

Upon learning from the urgent letter from Mokuyanagi-cho that such a famous person had died tragically at home, Usui's brows immediately furrowed.

This year marks Usui's fourth year in office as the Hokubansho Town Magistrate.

Having been in charge of the "Edo Market" for so long, Usui immediately recognized that another extremely difficult case had emerged!

Due to limited technological capabilities, this era naturally lacked convenient technological products and reconnaissance methods such as street surveillance and fingerprint collection.

Grassroots infrastructure development and the building of public security forces are also extremely inadequate.

Therefore, in this era that was still in ancient society, solving major cases such as murder cases was naturally extremely difficult.

Of the 10 major cases, 7 or 8 may become unsolved mysteries that cannot be investigated.

Often, after all that effort, you find that you've gained nothing.

Whether you can solve those major and serious cases depends largely on how lucky you are.

Because they are difficult to solve, murder cases have always been one of the most hated cases among the "Sanji" samurai.

Murder cases where the victim is a high-ranking official or a person of great prestige are even more abhorrent.

Because these types of cases generally involve considerable pressure in solving them...

If the victim is just an ordinary person with no background or status, it won't be a big deal if the case can't be solved. What can the victim's family, who lack connections, do?

How can an ordinary person fight against an official who has two mouths?

But if the victim's background and identity are not ordinary... then things get complicated. If the case isn't solved smoothly, at best one will face criticism or insults, and at worst, one's career will be severely impacted.

And the murdered Granny Ping happened to be one of those people with a very high reputation...

Similar cases have occurred before.

Bo Jing remembers it very clearly—three years ago, a kind-hearted person was murdered.

This man was a wealthy merchant who was charitable and generous during his lifetime. He often used his wealth to help those in need, and countless people were grateful for his kindness.

When this wealthy merchant was murdered, the magistrate's office was busy handling other important cases, and there were no spare personnel in the "Three Rounds" (a local police station), so the case had to be temporarily shelved...

Those who had received help from the wealthy businessman all refused to accept it.

My benefactor died tragically, and your magistrates didn't even send a "three-times" memorial? What kind of rubbish is this!

They gathered together, numbering several hundred, and stormed the magistrate's office, demanding an explanation.

Although the small riot was eventually suppressed through a combination of verbal and military pressure, Usui still feels lingering fear about the incident to this day…

Because after the incident, his superiors verbally abused him relentlessly...

The townspeople, unable to quell their anger, gathered and stormed the magistrate's office—this was no small matter that could be easily dismissed... so there was no reason to let Usui off so easily.

Bo Jing's superiors gave him a severe dressing-down.

Usui then employed a long-standing traditional skill of his country—kneeling on the ground in a dogeza position and repeatedly chanting "Red bean paste, simi masai!" until his throat was hoarse, before his boss's anger subsided somewhat.

He only received a good scolding and did not suffer any other substantial punishment—which was fortunate in a bad way.

From then on, Usui became more cautious about similar cases...

At this moment, just as at that moment.

Another person with immense popularity and beloved by many has been brutally murdered...

Having learned from past mistakes, Usui quickly determined that this case could not be handled simply. After sighing several times and composing himself, he immediately ordered someone to summon the officers from the main town and the temporary town.

Before long, the two warriors from the main town, Arima and Tojo, along with the two warriors from the temporary town, all arrived in front of Usui.

After everyone had arrived, Bo Jing didn't waste any time and quickly said without any pleasantries:

"Just now, an urgent message came from the local government office in Koyuu-cho—an elderly woman named A-Ping, who lives in Koyuu-cho 3-chome, was brutally murdered in her home..."