bayedsolid Chapter 420 That composure is admirable!
Chapter 420 That composure is admirable!
After giving his instructions, Ding Yun led the other four onto the pleasure boat. Also coming up the stairs was the boatman who had persuaded the old beggar to leave the previous night.
After the boatman came aboard, he glanced at the corpse hanging high on the bamboo curtain. He was so frightened by just one look that he quickly looked away and ran over.
When officials came along, he didn't dare to speak and stood next to the boat manager.
When Ding Yun and the officials who came up saw how bizarre the deceased's death was, they were also somewhat taken aback. However, they quickly calmed themselves down, glanced around, and then walked over with slightly hurried steps and heavy expressions.
Upon seeing Ding Yun approach, the ship's manager immediately clasped his hands in greeting and went to greet him.
"Greetings, Your Excellency Ding. I am Zhang Lai, the boatman of this ship. I have already sent the crew to call the passengers in the cabin to come aboard so that Your Excellency can investigate the case."
Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed in Ding Yun's eyes, followed by a satisfied expression, and he praised, "Well done."
Zhang Lai quickly waved his hand, embarrassed, and said, "I dare not take credit, I dare not take credit." He looked at Lin Lezhi and thanked him, "I must thank this young master for reminding me, otherwise I would not have thought of it, and I only did what I could do."
Zhang looked back and continued, "It was this young master who stopped them. I was just doing my duty, it was what I should do."
Mentioning Lin Lezhi, Ding Yun couldn't help but cast his gaze at Lin Lezhi. Lin Lezhi nodded slightly and politely said, "Greetings, Envoy Ding."
Ding Yun nodded, then looked at Liu Yunhe, who was slowly walking up the stairs. With government officials watching, there was no need for him to be down there.
but.
Although he had clearly done a good deed, Liu Yunhe's face showed none of the arrogance he had displayed when he left. He appeared rather guilty, as if he had realized he had done something wrong.
Clearly, he was deliberately avoiding Xiao Yihuo's gaze, separating himself from Xiao Yihuo and standing next to Qingchuan.
He not only deliberately avoided Xiao Yihuo, but he also dared not look directly at Lin Lezhi. He glanced at Lin Lezhi quickly and found that she was staring at him intently, so he quickly looked away.
This kid.
With such an expression that she couldn't hide her feelings, she might just drive Xiao Yihuo crazy.
However, Xiao Yihuo remained extremely calm, concealing his true feelings. His face showed no sign of guilt, nor did he seem to intend to hold Liu Yunhe accountable.
Seeing Lin Lezhi looking over, he looked back calmly, even with a hint of confusion in his eyes, as if he didn't know why Lin Lezhi was suddenly looking at him.
Lin Lezhi couldn't help but admire that composure.
Ding Yun looked at Liu Yunhe and praised him with undisguised admiration: "Truly, heroes emerge from among the young. Excellent skills."
Liu Yunhe was no longer smug at this moment. He became much more humble and somewhat awkwardly returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, saying, "Envoy Ding is too kind. It is just some minor and clumsy skill, not worth mentioning."
"No need to be modest. Even with clumsy skills, your strength is rare in the martial arts world."
When the officials appeared, along with the shouts of the boatmen, the guests and merchants on the pleasure boat gradually arrived at the market. Upon seeing the hanging corpses, they all showed expressions of horror, and a murmur of discussion arose around them.
"quiet--!"
The official standing next to Ding Yun shouted loudly, and the surrounding people immediately fell silent in fright.
After things calmed down, Ding Yun looked at Zhang Lai and asked, "Tell me the specific details of the incident, without omitting anything."
Zhang Lai briefly explained the discovery of the body and the situation at the scene to Ding Yun. After listening, Ding Yun looked calmly at the old beggar sitting on the floor.
The old beggar looked at the officials with some unease and fear in his eyes, but he was still unconvinced and said with his neck stiff, "I won't get up. If you suspect that I am the murderer, then show me the evidence."
"How dare you speak to the inspector like that!"
The surrounding officials, displeased, tried to step forward and spin the old beggar around, but Ding Yun raised his hand to stop them. He then looked at the trembling shop assistant beside him and asked, "How did things go last night?"
The shop assistant looked terrified and stammered, "Sir, my name is Qin Fu. Last night...last night, around midnight, there was no one left in the market. Many merchants had their valuables there. I was afraid that if something was stolen, it would be hard to explain...so I advised him to leave. But he wouldn't listen and insisted on sleeping in the market."
The old beggar was displeased and immediately said, "You're not advising me, you're chasing me away! You're clearly looking down on an old beggar like me. I'm just going to take a nap. Who cares about these things on the boat? I wouldn't take them even if they were given to me for free!"
"Did you let me speak?"
Seeing that the beggar was still so disrespectful in front of the inspector, another officer nearby scolded him. After being reprimanded, the old beggar reluctantly shut his mouth.
Ding Yun frowned, his gaze sharp as he looked at the old beggar, his voice steady and powerful: "I am inquiring about the case. If you wish to prove your innocence, I will give you the opportunity later."
The old beggar, though still resentful, glanced at the knives they carried and dared not say anything more, and could only sit down sullenly to the side.
Ding Yun looked at the boatman and said, "Continue."
The shop assistant nodded and said truthfully, "He refused to leave, and I didn't dare to stay in this market. If something really went missing, I wouldn't be able to explain myself, but I couldn't just leave. After that..." The shop assistant pointed to the south, "I sat on the south staircase, in the middle of the market between the second and third floors. His sleeping spot wasn't far from the staircase, so I thought if there was any noise, I would go up."
As he spoke, the shop assistant looked guilty.
"And then?" Ding Yun asked.
"Then, I was so tired that I fell asleep. It wasn't until almost dawn that the other crew members woke me up, and I went to my room to rest. I didn't wake up until there was a commotion on the ship. I never expected something like this to happen."
Ding Yun asked with suspicion, "Aren't you cold sleeping at the junction of the stairs?"
"It's not cold, because the curtains on this ship are lowered at around 9 PM to block the wind, and we're used to working on this pleasure boat every day, so we don't feel cold."
"Was he still sleeping in the same spot at that time?"
He shook his head and said, "I don't know. I was really tired at the time, but I did remind Sun Wu to keep an eye on this beggar. If he lost anything, we shouldn't let him get away."
Zhang Lai shouted loudly, "Is Sun Wu here? Come out and give Lord Ding a message!"
The shopkeeper who was mentioned trembled slightly, then slowly stepped forward and said in an uneasy voice, "Reporting to the Inspector, I came up here this morning and the beggar was not sleeping by the stairs. I searched around and found him in the middle of the pavilion, fast asleep right there."
In front of everyone, Sun Wu pointed to the spot where the old beggar had been sleeping that morning.
Upon seeing the location, many of the people present looked on with suspicion and began to discuss among themselves, speculating that the old beggar was the murderer.
Although the old beggar was not sleeping where the body was found, he was on the same side as where the deceased was found.
Ding Yun's gaze shot towards the old beggar like an arrow. His expression was serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Now, you can prove yourself."
Seeing that everyone thought he was the murderer, the old beggar lost his previous composure, but still forced himself to remain indignant and said, "What can I prove? I just thought it would be warmer to sleep in the middle. I've never been on this boat before, how would I know this tattered curtain could withstand the wind?"
He stiffened his neck and said firmly, "I have no proof. Believe it or not! If you have the ability, prove that I am the murderer. If you find evidence, this old beggar will never deny it."
Seeing this, the officer beside Ding Yun walked over and asked in a low voice, "Envoy Ding, what should we do now?"
Ding Yun pondered for a moment, then slowly looked up at the corpse on the bamboo curtain and instructed, "Put the deceased down first, examine the body, and then make a judgment."