Сhаpter 212: Visiting thе Prison 1
Unable to makе sеnse оf thesе mаttеrs, Zhu Yаn returnеd tо thе соurtyаrd once mоrе. "Arе you cеrtain no оne has соmе lооking fоr him rеcentlу?"
"Nоt that wе knоw оf..." Thе crоwd shоok their hеаds, glanсing at eaсh other, indicаting thеу hadn't sеen anyоnе.
"Тherе аrе signs thаt mоrе than оnе pеrson livеd in that roоm. Plеаsе think cаrеfullу аgain—has anуthing strange happеned recеntly, or hаve уоu heаrd any unusual noises at night?"
After pondering for a moment longer, the group still shook their heads.
One of them spoke up, "Ever since he moved in, he's lived here alone. We don't share the house with him, so we can't possibly know everything."
The others nodded in agreement. Zhu Yan didn't press further. "Thank you for your help. By the way, since you've all seen him, could someone draw his portrait to be posted? This person is crucial to the current case."
"I'll do it," volunteered a sturdy villager. The others nodded, mentioning he was the only one among them who could draw.
"Thank you for your trouble," Zhu Yan quickly expressed her gratitude, and the villager was escorted back by the constables.
Zhu Yan began to reflect that, based on what she knew so far, her grasp of the case was still limited. It was necessary to meet the suspect—the victim's younger brother, Li Kairui.
Just as Zhu Yan was about to leave, Pan Chi spotted her with a quick glance.
Not far from the courtyard, Pan Chi appeared beside her. "Where are you going?"
Surprised to see Pan Chi, Zhu Yan glanced back at him. "I've already examined this place and found nothing for now. I'm going to see the suspect first."
"I'll go with you."
"No need," Zhu Yan said hastily. "You should stay here and help. I can manage on my own."
Pan Chi halted, looking back at Shen Du, who was inspecting the scene not far away. His expression darkened, his eyes icy, and a shiver ran down his spine.
"Forget it, I'd rather be your follower than stay here," he said, quickening his pace to catch up with Zhu Yan. She smiled helplessly. "You're quite afraid of him."
"Who says I'm afraid? I just choose not to argue with him," Pan Chi declared righteously. "In my life, I've always disliked men with that macho attitude, acting like they're above worldly affairs like some immortal, yet still doing mundane things. I wonder if they ever get tired."
"Pfft..." Zhu Yan couldn't help but laugh at Pan Chi's words. This young master Pan was truly humorous.
"If you really want to help me, go to the yamen later and fetch a portrait, then come find me at the prison."
"Got it, leave it to me."
With that, Pan Chi vanished from sight.
As a martial artist, he naturally walked faster than ordinary people, and with Zhu Yan entrusting him with a task, he became even more enthusiastic.
After returning to the yamen, Zhu Yan headed straight for the prison. Li Kairui was still in his cell. Seeing his appearance, Zhu Yan already had a rough idea of what the headless corpse might have looked like.
After all, they were brothers, and there were bound to be some similarities.
Hearing someone approach, Li Kairui quickly turned and walked toward the cell door. Seeing it was a woman, the light in his eyes instantly dimmed.
Zhu Yan stopped in front of Li Kairui, looking at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "Are you Li Kairui?"Hearing the woman call his name, Li Kairui was somewhat surprised. Zhu Yan had also obtained his information from the jailer, but she still needed to confirm it.
"I am," Li Kairui nodded repeatedly. "You are..."
"My name is Zhu Yan. I am an official sent by the court."
Upon hearing this, Li Kairui felt as if he had seen his savior. He fell to his knees with a thud, exclaiming, "Your Honor, Your Honor, I am innocent, Your Honor."
"Don’t rush to plead your innocence just yet. Answer whatever I ask you, and that will be enough," Zhu Yan said calmly.
Li Kairui nodded repeatedly. "Yes, as long as Your Honor can clear my name, I am willing to do anything."
Zhu Yan’s eyes darkened slightly. "First, tell me in detail what happened that day. I need to understand the whole story."
"Alright," Li Kairui said with a determined expression. What he recounted afterward was no different from what Zhu Yan had learned earlier from Pan Chi.
After he finished speaking, Zhu Yan nodded seriously. At that moment, Pan Chi also walked over with a portrait.
"So, did I miss anything?" Pan Chi handed the portrait to Zhu Yan and got straight to the point.
Zhu Yan shook her head. Seeing how respectfully Pan Chi treated Zhu Yan, Li Kairui became even more convinced of her identity.
"Your Honor, Your Honor, I truly am innocent. I beg Your Honor to investigate thoroughly," Li Kairui pleaded, unwilling to let go of any chance to clear his name. He kowtowed twice more to Zhu Yan.
"Get up first. Take a look at this portrait. Do you recognize this person?"
As she spoke, Zhu Yan presented the portrait to Li Kairui.
Li Kairui only needed one glance to recognize the person. "Isn’t this my elder brother’s neighbor... Liu Zongyuan?"
"How much do you know about him?"
Zhu Yan pressed further. After speaking, she took out a small notebook from her pocket and began to record.
Li Kairui, as if realizing something, looked at Zhu Yan incredulously. "Your Honor suspects him? That can’t be. He is not the murderer."
"Whether he is or not, we will judge for ourselves. You just need to answer my questions."
Hearing this, Li Kairui said no more and answered truthfully, "He came from out of town. He’s a tenant in the neighbor’s house, and he’s a very good person. Since he moved here, he has not only gotten along well with the neighbors but also had an excellent relationship with my elder brother. On the day of the incident, I had invited him and my elder brother to drink together, but he happened to have something else to do and declined. Because of this, no one could testify to my innocence."
"Where is he from? Do you know?"
Zhu Yan continued her questioning. Li Kairui shook his head. "I don’t know the specifics. He is just a merchant, and he’s very shrewd. He once helped my elder brother with our family business, offering advice and strategies. He is very friendly. He couldn’t possibly be the murderer."
After hearing Li Kairui’s words, Zhu Yan fell into deep thought.
Li Kairui’s description was no different from what the neighbors had said. In short, Liu Zongyuan was a good person.
"What did he do on the day of the incident? Do you know? Can anyone prove it?"
"He seemed to have met a friend. Besides, it’s been so long since the incident. If he were lying, the authorities would have found out long ago. So, like me, he is innocent."
"In your opinion, who is most likely to be the murderer?"
Zhu Yan’s sudden question left Li Kairui momentarily stunned."What do you mean, sir? Are you suspecting me?"
"I just want to tell you that before the suspect is confirmed, everyone is under suspicion. You can't even protect yourself, yet you still want to defend others. This will mislead my judgment."
Zhu Yan's words were righteous and carried a firm authority, immediately intimidating Liu Kairui.
Pan Chi, standing nearby, also cast an admiring glance at Zhu Yan. This woman's demeanor was beyond ordinary—he had indeed not misjudged her.
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