After separating from Huo Anu, Xu Zun went straight home and started making arrangements for the new day.
Before entering the mountain, he had already informed his housekeeper Xiaoqi in advance that he would stay at the Yamen office all night so that he did not have to wait.
After returning home, Xu Zun took a bath and changed clothes, had a simple breakfast, and then went to the county government office again to work.
Although he stayed up all night and walked a lot of mountain roads, Xu Zun did not feel sleepy. After all, the case had reached a critical moment and he had to devote all his energy.
Originally, after Xu Zun arrived at the county government office, he wanted to ask in detail about the jade pendant.
Unexpectedly, when he entered the inner hall, he saw everyone sitting in front of someone, listening to what that person was saying.
This man was wearing plain clothes, his temples were all white, and he was quite young.
"Hey? Prime Minister Luo County! Are you back?"
Xu Zun recognized at a glance that this person was Chengluo Wanwan, the Prime Minister of Xinye County, but he did not expect that he would come back early.
"Oh, Ji Ying, you're here!" Luo Baiwan nodded to Xu Zun, but did not say greetings, but continued to say to everyone, "There is indeed nothing in the iron coffin. I was at the scene when the coffin was opened.
You can see it relatively clearly!”
"Oh?" Qiu Yongnian wondered, "Is there really nothing?"
"At that time, the county governor, governor, and officials from the Ministry of Justice were all there. With my humble position, I naturally couldn't push myself to the front," Luo Wanwan said. "But it was still clear at a glance whether there was anything there!"
But seeing Luo Wanwan looking exhausted after a long journey, it was obvious that he had rushed back to Xinye County overnight.
"Well...everyone!" He said with a heavy face, "I think everyone can understand my difficulties. In the last iron coffin case, Director Liu and I survived. We only received a demerit but were not dismissed.
It's been a fluke.
"Therefore, in the past two years, we have avoided talking about this matter and kept it secret for fear that talking too much would cause trouble.
"I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it..." Luo Wanwan was filled with sadness and burst into tears, "Master Liu would have suffered such a misfortune!
"well!
"Why was such a good man killed after he had worked hard for Xinye County all his life and he was so old?
"This iron coffin...is really haunting us!"
"Master Luo," Qiu Yongnian quickly advised, "don't be too sad. We are also deeply saddened by what happened to Master Liu, but what we are more worried about now is your safety!"
"Yes, yes..." Everyone comforted.
"Alas!" Luo Wanwan wiped his tears and said, "I understand that the reappearance of the iron coffin is no accident. This matter not only involves me, but also concerns the fate of our entire Xinye County Government!
"Next, officials at all levels will come to Xinye County one after another to investigate the case," Luo Wanwan said. "We must prepare early. If we continue to ask questions in front of officials at all levels like we did back then,
I don’t know, I’m afraid, our fate will only be worse than that of our predecessors!”
When Luo Wanwan said this, everyone present looked worried.
"Master Luo," the head catcher Zhao Yu asked at this time, "we have been investigating the case day and night, but we really need to know the details of the iron coffin case!"
"Yes, Master Liu has been killed," Qiu Yongnian agreed, "Now the only person who knows the case is you! Please tell us what happened back then?"
"Okay! Okay!" Luo Baiwan nodded and said, "However, if you know it, it really doesn't count! Because the case was urgent back then, and before we could respond, people from above had already arrived!
"After they arrived, they immediately sealed off the scene and took away the iron coffin and the body. They didn't leave anything for us to investigate, but they still asked us to solve the case. They obviously wanted us to take the blame!"
"So..." Zhao Yu couldn't help but be disappointed, "You, like me, don't know anything anymore?"
"It can be said that," Luo Wanwan nodded, "during the lockdown, let alone me, the county magistrate, and even the county magistrate were not qualified to understand the case!"
Tsk tsk tsk...
After hearing this, everyone in the room smacked their lips, and everyone was obviously very depressed.
"Alas," who would have thought, Luo Wanwan sighed and then said to everyone, "Now that things have happened, I have nothing to be taboo about anymore!
"Let me tell you the truth. Although I didn't get to the core of the case back then, I could roughly understand something. Today I just want to tell you all. Let's brainstorm and see if it can help solve the case?"
What a bear!
Xu Zun cursed in his heart, this old man actually has nothing left to do?
Of course, Xu Zun estimated that he was not the only one who was calling the queen a bear in his heart, but when he saw Capt. Zhao, his cheeks were already red with luck.
"Lord Luo, please speak quickly," Magistrate Qiu urged impatiently, "We are all ears!"
"Well, back then..." Luo Wanwan turned his thoughts to two years ago and recounted the past, "Iron coffins suddenly appeared from Zhangqiao Bridge, and 37 corpses died under the bridge!
"The deceased was wearing hemp and mourning, the river was filled with paper money, and the river was dyed red with blood. It was really shocking, weird and terrifying!
"Because... no one from above had come yet at that time, I went to the scene once with the county magistrate and county lieutenant.
"I am not very good at criminal cases, and I have never encountered such a big case in my life. At that time, I was completely stupid and at a loss!
"But, thinking about it later, I can still vaguely see some clues through those corpses," Luo Wanwan closed his eyes and recalled, "Among the 37 corpses, there were no old, weak, women or children."
"Although those people are wearing sackcloth and mourning, and they look like mourners, how could they all be strong men?" Luo Wanwan analyzed, "This is obviously unreasonable!"
"Oh?" Zhao Yu said to himself, "At first, I only saw it from a distance, and it seemed... there were really no women and children!"
"37 people, all bloody and bloody, died in extremely miserable conditions!" Luo Wanwan continued, "But I can tell that most of them died from being hacked with knives and axes, and even had arrow wounds. They should have been shot to death by arrows!"
"Oh?" Qiu Yongnian asked, "Were any weapons found at the scene?"
"No!" Luo Wanwan replied, "I didn't see any weapons. Even the arrow wounds on the corpse were just bloody holes. I guess they were all taken away by the murderer, right?"
"It sounds like this..." Zhao Yu analyzed, "These 37 people may not be attending funerals, but more like guards!"
"Yes, that's what I thought at first," Luo Wanyan said, "To be able to kill these 37 people, the murderer must not be an ordinary person, and he must be well prepared and well planned!"
"So..." Qiu Yongnian judged, "It's not that there is nothing in the coffin, but that the contents inside have been taken away by the murderer!"
"Yes," Zhao Yu was curious, "What would be placed in there?"
"Well..." Luo Wanwan frowned slightly and said, "Back then, I accidentally heard someone from the governor's office talking about this matter.
"They said that there was actually nothing in the iron coffin!"
"Ah?" Everyone became more and more confused and asked hurriedly, "What is it?"
"There is...well..." Luo Wanwan said slightly embarrassed, "There is feces and urine..."
