Chapter 246 - 155: The Beggar
Yunsheng didn’t ask further, only saying, "As long as Yan is happy, that’s good."
He himself also hoped to marry a woman with whom he shared a mutual understanding. How could he force Ran Yan to marry Sang Chen?
"Brother..." Ran Yan felt warmth in her heart. Yunsheng’s words seemed simple, but in Great Tang, probably only he could spoil her so indulgently.
"Silly girl." Yunsheng gently ruffled Ran Yan’s hair and said softly, "Rest early, tomorrow we leave at noon."
"Isn’t it still an unsolved case?" Ran Yan asked.
Yunsheng laughed and said, "The deceased used to be a constable. His status wasn’t high, and I imagine it won’t be difficult to make accommodations."
Ran Yan nodded and stood up to see Yunsheng out.
During the rule of Zhenguan, under Emperor Taizong’s governance, the officialdom was relatively clean, but no dynasty lacked officials who amassed wealth. Ran Pingyu’s goods urgently needed to be sent to Chang’an; there could be no delays. Ran Yan was also not the kind who was oblivious to the ways of the world.
Moreover, Ran Yan believed that the perpetrator of today’s case, even if not a local, must have stayed in the area for a long time. This was because the state of the corpse said it all: First, the body temperature was too low, some parts hadn’t completely thawed, suggesting the body had been moved from a cold place not more than three hours ago; second, the corpse initially had a sallow complexion, which only began to turn rosy after it had been in the crowded restaurant for some time, indicating that the murderer did not use fire or heat beforehand to thaw the body. Also, it hadn’t been under the stairs long, or it would have been rosy earlier. Third, the murderer created a large bloodstain, which Ran Yan felt was not primarily to make it look like the person was crushed, but more to conceal watermarks or white frost from thawing on the body.
To be able to break the stairs beforehand and time the placing of the corpse precisely, as well as find a large quantity of fresh animal blood, it could not have been done by a guest of the inn, Ran Yan couldn’t believe.