Chapter 40

Mrs. Gu maintained a stern expression from beginning to end, as if someone owed her several million taels. Lord Third, Lady Third, and Gu Qiancheng acted as if they did not see her, and no one took her cold face seriously.

Lady Third comforted Gu Qiancheng with a few words, then stepped aside, leaving the situation to Gu Qiancheng and Lord Third. Lord Third, without minding the dirt, stepped forward to examine the body of Old Lady Sun.

Lord Third worked in the Ministry of Punishments, and even though he did not directly handle corpses, he knew the basic knowledge. He quickly determined, "She indeed died from drowning after death."

"Even so, it doesn't prove it was a murder. Perhaps the old woman hit her head first and then fell into the water." Mrs. Gu, with a gloomy face, pointed to the maids behind her and said, "The maids and old women can testify that this old thing went out at night and fell to her death."

"There are no signs of a collision." Lord Third said, and Gu Qiancheng added, "There are marks of strangulation on her neck."

"Indeed, it seems to be a thin rope, used to strangle her from behind." Lord Third moved Old Lady Sun's head with a handkerchief and indeed saw a black mark.

Gu Qiancheng squatted beside Lord Third, pointing to Old Lady Sun's wounds and explaining her findings one by one: "Old Lady Sun was strangled from behind. The wounds are fine and deep, indicating the weapon was something like a thin wire. From the force and direction, the perpetrator was a man, about a head taller than Old Lady Sun, not very strong, and probably not someone who does physical labor regularly."

Lord Third's eyes lit up, and he looked at Gu Qiancheng, "Can you deduce this?"

"I can." Gu Qiancheng did not hide what she knew, "I can also tell that Old Lady Sun was dragged here."

"Oh? How can you tell?" Lord Third's eyes sparkled, looking at Gu Qiancheng as if a dog had seen a bone. Although this analogy might be a bit unkind, it was the truth.

"From Old Lady Sun's feet and shoes." Gu Qiancheng pointed to the thick mud on Old Lady Sun's soles and the lone shoe that had fallen beside her, "There are signs of friction on the soles, and new wear marks on the heels."

Gu Qiancheng showed the shoe to Lord Third, who nodded repeatedly, "You are right. Various details indicate that Old Lady Sun was murdered and then thrown into the water."

After saying this, Lord Third looked at Mrs. Gu...

Mrs. Gu was in charge of the back courtyard, and no matter what, she had to be consulted.

"You say someone killed this old woman, but who would take the risk to kill an old woman with no money or power?" Mrs. Gu, seeing that Gu Qiancheng and Lord Third were becoming more and more convincing, felt uneasy.

"Madam, don't be anxious. Who would take the risk to kill Old Lady Sun, Old Lady Sun will tell us." Gu Qiancheng stood up and gestured for a maid to give her a handkerchief.

She carefully wiped her hands, then clasped them together and bowed deeply to Old Lady Sun's body, "Old Lady Sun, I couldn't protect you, but I will definitely seek justice for you."

After the bow, Gu Qiancheng turned and looked at Mrs. Gu with a serious and cold expression, "Madam, please listen carefully to what I say. I will only say it once."

"What are you going to say?" Gu Qiancheng's presence was so strong that Mrs. Gu involuntarily moved.

Gu Qiancheng ignored her and pointed to Old Lady Sun's body, "A person who drowns while still conscious can move their hands and feet. When they fall into the water, they will be highly tense and struggle frantically to survive, instinctively trying to grab onto something. This pond is not clean; it has a lot of mud and aquatic plants. If Old Lady Sun had drowned, her nails would inevitably have mud or aquatic plants, and her hands would be stiff from the struggle. But look..."

Gu Qiancheng, using a handkerchief, picked up Old Lady Sun's hand, "Old Lady Sun's hands have no mud or aquatic plants. Instead, they are very clean. Although her hands are in a position as if she was grabbing something, her palms are spread out. And look..."

Gu Qiancheng pulled out a hairpin from her head and carefully picked out a piece of white, water-soaked skin from Old Lady Sun's nails, "Old Lady Sun's nails have a piece of skin, clearly from the perpetrator when she struggled."

"Can you determine that Old Lady Sun was murdered just from this? Perhaps she was already unconscious when she drowned." Mrs. Gu's breathing became heavier, and her face became increasingly unnatural.

Gu Qiancheng lowered her eyes, pretending not to notice.

Even though she was not a criminal psychologist and had never judged a criminal, she knew that Mrs. Gu's behavior indicated guilt. But what could she do? She was not a judge or a detective; she could not convict Mrs. Gu.

Gu Qiancheng carefully wrapped the piece of skin and turned to look at Mrs. Gu, "Madam, I think you still don't understand my point. Let me explain what drowning means. A person who drowns while still breathing will inevitably inhale a large amount of water from the surrounding environment, leading to suffocation and death. In other words, a person who drowns actually dies from suffocation."

"Due to the breathing movements before death, mud, water, and other substances will be inhaled into the trachea, bronchi, and even the lungs. At this point, if I press on the abdomen of the corpse, the water will flow out of the mouth and nose."

To prove her point, Gu Qiancheng took a cloak from a maid, covered Old Lady Sun's abdomen, and pressed down with both hands...

"Nothing flowed out of Old Lady Sun's mouth and nose. If you don't believe me, Madam, you can try it yourself." Gu Qiancheng stood up and gestured invitingly.

"You, you, you..." Mrs. Gu was so angry she couldn't speak clearly, "Look at you, do you still look like a well-bred lady?" She even wanted her to touch a corpse, as if everyone was as lowly as she was.

"If being a well-bred lady means being at the mercy of others, I don't want to be one at all." Gu Qiancheng patted her hands, "Madam, do you have anything else to say? Or are you still going to insist that Old Lady Sun fell into the water by accident?"

"You, you, these... Do you think what you say counts?" Mrs. Gu's eyes darted, avoiding Gu Qiancheng's gaze.

"What I say doesn't count, but what Uncle Third says definitely does. The symptoms of drowning are well-documented in the Ministry of Punishments. If you still don't believe it, we can ask the officials from the Ministry to determine it." Gu Qiancheng did not value the Gu family's reputation; she would not compromise for their sake.

"Qiancheng is right. Old Lady Sun was indeed strangled and then thrown into the water, as Qiancheng said. I can guarantee this." Lord Third looked at Gu Qiancheng with a strange expression.

It seemed he had not fully recognized this niece, who seemed very different from what he had seen before. How could a girl like Qiancheng know these things that only a coroner would know?

Note to readers: Chapter 37 has an error in the description of the corpse. A corpse that was thrown into the water after death will swell if it is deep, but not much if it is shallow. Old Lady Sun's body was not overly swollen, and the color was not pale but rather yellowish. (Facepalming, will not make this mistake again)

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