novelaction Chapter 342: Inconsistency
Chapter 342: Inconsistency
Magistrate Jin and Jin Zhiyuan came over quickly.
Chen Shao asked Magistrate Jin: "Who collected this box of evidence from Zhang Qiaoniang?"
The coroner from the county government office came forward from the corner and said politely, "This box of clothes was taken off Zhang Qiaoniang's body when I performed the autopsy."
Chen Shao picked up the bellyband and asked, "This bellyband too?"
Magistrate Jin, Jin Zhiyuan, and the coroner all lowered their heads to avoid the bellyband, and the coroner answered, "Yes."
Chen Shao took the silver bracelet with the begonia branches in his hand and asked, "Where is this bracelet?"
The coroner said, "I took the bracelet from Zhang Qiaoniang's hand."
"I can prove it," Magistrate Jin said, "I was watching him when he returned the clothes and bracelets."
Chen Shao asked him, "Have you asked Zhang Qiaoniang's family why she only wears these clothes in such a cold weather?"
Magistrate Jin said sheepishly: "She probably gave all her earnings to her mother, so she has no extra money to buy thick clothes."
Chen Shao: "Have you asked her family?"
Magistrate Jin: “No.”
Chen Shao looked at him twice, then turned around and checked the box containing Tian Gensheng's evidence.
There were more things in his box. In addition to his clothes, there were also several books of strange stories and storytelling tools such as a gavel.
However, although there are many things, they are of little value.
Chen Shao looked through Sun Shouyi's box again.
He had looked through the box before, and checking it again didn't turn up any more clues.
On the way back to the lobby, Chen Shao asked Jin Zhiyuan: "What did you remember earlier?"
Jin Zhiyuan did not dare to hide anything and told Wang Chunsheng everything about his grudge against him.
Chen Shao listened and said: "Since you suspect him, then take someone to invite him to the county government office for questioning."
Jin Zhiyuan answered yes and turned to leave, but Chen Shao stopped him, "Wait a moment."
After pausing for a moment, Chen Shao waited for Gu Feiyan to catch up. He whispered a few words to her and then said, "Take some of General Gu's men with you."
Jin Zhiyuan couldn't ask for more.
Back in the hall, Chen Shao took out Zhang Qiaoniang's clothes and spread them out on the table. Then he invited the three embroiderers to come forward again and asked them, "Can you all identify the clothes that Zhang Qiaoniang was wearing on the day of the accident?"
The quilted jacket had more than ten holes in it.
The blood had soaked it so thoroughly that its original color could no longer be seen.
The three embroiderers took just one look and were so frightened that they screamed and took several steps back.
After Zhang Qiaoniang's accident, they heard a lot of rumors that the murderer had stabbed her many times, but seeing is believing. The three of them hugged each other for a long time before they calmed down a little.
The embroiderer surnamed Wu was the quickest-talker and the most courageous. After mustering up her courage to take a few more glances at the dress, she reluctantly said, "The day she had the accident, she was wearing a light blue dress embroidered with a tangle of crabapples."
There was a small patch on the left shoulder of the shirt that was not stained by blood, and the color of that patch was exactly light blue. Both the shirt and the skirt were embroidered with winding crabapple branches.
To ensure that everything was correct, Chen Shao asked again, "Were the twigs of crabapple on the dress embroidered by her herself?"
The embroiderer’s surname should be Wu.
Chen Shao originally wanted to ask them to confirm whether the tangerine crabapple on the clothes was made by her, but seeing their pale faces and averted gazes, he could only ask, "Does Jinsefang still have her clothes stored?"
"Yes," replied the embroiderer surnamed Wu. "After she got into trouble, the government sent people to guard her house. They said that no one was allowed to touch her things until the murderer was caught."
Chen Shao nodded at the embroiderers surnamed Zhao and Zhou, and told Chan Yi, "Take them to Jinsefang to get some clothes from Zhang Qiaoniang."
The embroiderer named Wu grabbed the embroiderer named Zhao's hand in fear and refused to let go.
Chen Shao deliberately said jokingly: "Don't worry, these clothes won't bite people. Even if they want to bite people, they will definitely bite us first."
The embroiderer named Wu blushed and let go of the hand of the embroiderer named Zhao in embroidery.
After Chan Yi took the embroiderers surnamed Zhao and Zhou away, Chen Shao asked Xu Guang, Magistrate Jin, Zhang Ruyuan and others to wait outside the hall. When only she, Gu Feiyan and the embroiderer surnamed Wu were left in the hall, Chen Shao slowed down his tone and said, "There are only three of us in the hall now. I may ask some more private questions. I hope you can tell me everything you know as truthfully as possible. Because the more I know, the more likely I am to catch the murderer."
After a quick glance at Gu Feiyan, the embroiderer surnamed Wu replied, "I know."
Chen Shao paused for a moment, and after she had made sufficient preparations, he asked, "Has Zhang Qiaoniang always been wearing such thin clothes?"
Although the embroiderer surnamed Wu was afraid, she still lifted her eyelids to look at the clothes spread out on the table. After a few glances, she quickly put them away and said, "No, it was a month or two before her accident that she pawned all her thick cotton clothes. She had no other clothes to wear, so she could only wear these."
Chen Shao was puzzled: "Why do you want to pawn those thick clothes?"
The embroiderer surnamed Wu said, "Her two brothers broke someone's jade pendant, and the person wanted them to pay for it. She had no choice but to pawn her cotton clothes to raise money."
Chen Shao: "What materials are those pawned cotton clothes made of?"
Embroiderer Wu took another look at the clothes on the table and said, "It's the same material as this one."
"That is to say," Chen Shao confirmed, "she has always been wearing coarse cloth clothes?"
The embroiderer named Wu nodded.
"Then take a look at this one," Chen Shao asked, motioning Gu Feiyan to lift up the bellyband, "Is it hers?"
The bellyband was also stained with blood and its original color could not be seen.
But the bellyband was made of the finest silk fabric, and even if it was stained with blood, it still looked shiny.
After a quick glance, the embroiderer surnamed Wu looked away. Noticing something was wrong, she looked up again, and when she was about to look away, she paused abruptly, and then blurted out, "This is not hers."
Gu Feiyan said: "This was taken off her body by the coroner."
"Impossible." The embroiderer surnamed Wu said with certainty, "I have seen her underwear. The best is just fine cotton. And whether it is outer clothes or underwear, she embroiders all the patterns herself, and they are all embroidered with winding crabapple branches. This belly..."
After taking a quick look at Chen Shao, the embroiderer surnamed Wu blushed and changed her words: "This piece of underwear is clearly embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water. Judging from the embroidery, it doesn't come from her hands. It can't be hers!"
What she hadn't said yet was: Only married women would embroider mandarin ducks playing in the water on their underwear. Zhang Qiaoniang hasn't even been betrothed yet, so how could she wear something like this?
Gu Feiyan didn't understand this, so she asked casually, "Then take a look, who did this embroidery?"
Embroiderer Wu bravely stepped forward and carefully looked through the stitches on both sides. She said, "If I'm not mistaken, this must have been embroidered by Sun Sanniang from the Color Silk Workshop. She's the only one in Xitang County who can do flat embroidery so well, especially in terms of color conversion."
Gu Feiyan looked at Chen Shao and said, "Send someone to invite her over to ask her?"
Chen Shao nodded.
When Gu Feiyan went out to make the arrangements, Chen Shao pondered for a moment and asked tentatively, "This underwear, whether it's the fabric or the embroidery, it's obvious that it's expensive. Zhang Qiaoniang gave all her earnings to her mother, and she also sold thick clothes to raise money in the past one or two months. She can't afford to buy such expensive underwear on her own, right?"
The embroiderer named Wu nodded.
Chen Shao looked at the bellyband.
County Magistrate Jin watched the coroner take this bellyband off Zhang Qiaoniang.
There was no need for Magistrate Jin and the coroner to lie about this matter.
Especially Magistrate Jin.
The pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water is usually used by married women.
When she had the accident, the weather was already cold. Even if she didn't need a thick cotton coat at the time, if she had extra money, she should have redeemed the pawned thick cotton coat first instead of buying such an expensive underwear that was not necessary.
She didn't buy this underwear herself!
But looking at the expression of the embroiderer surnamed Wu, it didn't seem like she was lying.
They lived with her and had never heard her mention other men.
but……
She often worked alone in the embroidery building.
There are many traces of footsteps on the wall below the embroidery building that separates it from the alley.
So, maybe she was rushing to work to earn money, and another reason was to meet someone alone.
Who could this person be?
This bellyband is not cheap, and the murderer is rich... Almost instantly, the two figures overlapped in Chen Shao's mind.
Since this person is not short of money, it is impossible for him to just give her a bellyband.
Zhang Qiaoniang was willing to wear a bellyband with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water for him. Even if she did not usually mention this person in front of the embroiderer surnamed Wu, she must have revealed it in her daily life.
People in love can't help but show off.
Thinking of this, Chen Shao looked at the silver bracelet with a begonia pattern beside him, "Did she buy this silver bracelet herself?"
The embroiderer surnamed Wu was surprised: "This, this is also from Qiao Niang?"
Chen Shao nodded: "The coroner took it off her hand."
The embroiderer surnamed Wu didn't believe it: "Could it be a mistake?"
It seems that this silver bracelet with a crabapple streak was also given by the murderer.
Chen Shao handed the bracelet to Gu Feiyan and said, "Go ask Magistrate Jin where to buy such a bracelet in Xitang County. Ask him to take it to the shopkeeper to identify it and see who bought it."
After Gu Feiyan took the bracelet and left, Chen Shao asked carefully, "You entered Jinsefang at about the same time, and you live together. Your relationship is better than others. When you are not busy, you should go to the street to buy some food or something to share with each other, right?"
The embroiderer named Wu nodded.
Chen Shao followed up on this topic and asked, "You said before that you asked her to go out and play, but she never went. So will you share the food you bought with her?"
Without thinking, the embroiderer surnamed Wu answered, "Of course."
Chen Shao continued to ask: "Will she accept it?"
The embroiderer surnamed Wu didn't understand: "Why don't you accept it?"
Chen Shao asked, "What about her? Did she ever buy food or anything else for you?"
"Of course," said the embroiderer surnamed Wu subconsciously, "Not long before she was murdered, she bought us some delicious food."
Looking at Fu Jiu who was silently shouting "Zhang Qiaoniang's family is here" at the entrance of the lobby, Chen Shao asked, "Where did she get the money?"
The embroiderer surnamed Wu said, "She said that she always ate at our table, and it was her turn to treat us once, so she deducted a portion of the money for her family."
Chen Shao didn't ask any further questions.
After thanking her and asking her to go out and rest for a while, Chen Shaoxian called Fu Jiu in and asked, "How's the investigation going?"
"We've checked it out," Fu Jiu said simply, "He didn't say anything nonsense. He also bought things from those stores a month or two before Zhang Qiaoniang's accident."
Chen Shao asked carefully: "What did you buy?"
"They're just clothes, shoes, brushes, inkstones, books, paintings, and the like." Fu Jiu didn't think much about it and answered casually, "There are only these shops over there, nothing else."
Chen Shao asked: "Did you copy the details for me?"
Fu Jiu glanced at Gu Feiyan and said uncertainly, "Just now...shouldn't...you let me copy, right?"
"Then I'll let you copy it now, go ahead." Chen Shao said simply, "By the way, please call Liu Pingkang in for me."
Fu Jiu said "Oh" and walked away in a daze.
Liu Pingkang walked into the lobby nervously. Chen Shao handed him a pen and paper. "Write down the names of the students who asked you to buy things."
After Liu Pingkang finished writing the names, Chen Shao signaled Gu Feiyan: "Arrange a few people to follow him to invite these students to the county government office."
When Liu Pingkang led his men out, Chen Shao looked at him deeply for a few times, and then ordered: "Please invite Zhang Qiaoniang's family in."
Zhang Qiaoniang's mother, supported by her two younger brothers, knelt on the ground as soon as she entered the hall.
After Zhang Qinnan's mother cried and begged her to take charge, she changed her way of cursing the murderer.
Zhang Qiaoniang's two younger brothers persuaded her mother in a low voice, while the other wiped away tears secretly.
It was Zhang Qiaoniang's uncle and cousin who followed Sun Wangchun and others to Hongyuan County to ask her to come and solve the case. After she came, her uncle and cousin did not take any credit. After eating in the county government office, they went back in the dark.
After her uncle and cousin went back, her mother and brother did not come.
According to the description of the embroiderer surnamed Wu and others, her mother should be a person who exploited her daughter and raised her son in luxury.
but……
Zhang Qiaoniang's two brothers, one sixteen and the other thirteen, wore thick clothes but they were all patched. Her mother was even worse off. Judging from Zhang Qiaoniang's age, her mother was at most forty, but her hair was already gray, her face looked at least fifty, and her clothes were covered with patches here and there, and the original color could not be seen at all.
and……
Her two brothers didn't look lazy or greedy, either in appearance or demeanor. Her mother, judging from her angry shouting and cursing, didn't look like someone who had been ill for a long time.
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Chen Shao stepped forward, helped Zhang Qiaoniang's mother up, and then helped her two brothers up. He said a few words of comfort in a gentle voice. After they stopped crying, he asked, "Auntie, I asked you to come here because I want to verify a few things with you. I heard from several embroiderers who live in the same room with Zhang Qiaoniang in Jinsefang that she gives all her monthly earnings to you?"
Her mother wiped away her tears and said, "She gave it to me. Her two younger brothers need to go to school, and the tuition is not cheap."
Chen Shao glanced at her two younger brothers and suddenly asked, "How much money does Zhang Qiaoniang give you every month?"