Chapter 59

Gu Qiancheng did not misjudge; Qin Jiyi indeed had a high regard for Feng Sijin, but this did not stop him from finding Feng Sijin annoying in certain matters...

Of course, these things did not need to be known by Gu Qiancheng. Without waiting for Gu Qiancheng's response, Qin Jiyi said first, "In the future, stay away from him."

Qin Jiyi did not delve into the reasons behind these words, nor did he want to.

What was this all about? Qin Wang was utterly baffled!

Gu Qiancheng was completely puzzled and did not say a word, which naturally meant acceptance in Qin Jiyi's eyes.

Qin Jiyi's mood greatly improved, and he then asked about the case: "What did you find?"

A short period of time was indeed too brief, and Qin Jiyi did not have high hopes for Gu Qiancheng, but to his surprise, Gu Qiancheng had made some significant discoveries.

"At the scene, I did not see any signs of a struggle, and there was very little blood. I suspect the room was not the first crime scene. Zhang Yuan did not die in the room; we might need to search the academy to find where the actual crime took place. Additionally, we can look for a room where a candlestick is missing."

"Candlestick? Is that the murder weapon?" Qin Jiyi recalled that Gu Qiancheng had mentioned that Zhang Yuan died from a blunt rectangular object, and a candlestick fit the description well.

"Yes, I checked, and the candlestick base in the academy is very heavy, capable of killing someone. This murder was not premeditated; the scene is very crude. The perpetrator could not have prepared the weapon in advance. Following this lead, it should not be difficult to find the murderer."

The real culprit was still in Donglin Academy, and Gu Qiancheng speculated that the murderer was either a student or a teacher. These people were so well-protected that they probably had never even killed an animal, let alone a person. After committing the murder, the perpetrator would surely feel guilty and be in constant fear. It would not be too difficult to identify the murderer from the crowd.

With a clear direction, it was only a matter of time before the murderer was found. Qin Jiyi was not in a hurry; on the contrary, he was very curious: "What else did you see at the scene?"

To think that the scene was described as crude, considering that the coroner had been the first to examine the body and had not noticed anything.

Qin Jiyi asked, and Gu Qiancheng naturally answered him generously: "Although the scene was destroyed, and many things were not visible, from the intersecting marks on the ground, I could still see the sliding marks left when the perpetrator dragged the body in. Additionally... there were many footprints inside the room that did not belong to Zhang Yuan or Gu Chengyi, nor to the officials and the coroner. They would not leave isolated footprints if they entered; it would be a group."

"I am incredibly relieved that the coroner did not enter the room to examine it, allowing me to successfully take impressions of the footprints." Gu Qiancheng took out the footprints he had taken and laid them on the small table between them.

An unclear footprint was imprinted on a soft, paper-like material.

"What is this?" Qin Jiyi asked, puzzled.

"Footprints of a third person at the scene, besides Gu Chengyi and Zhang Yuan." Gu Qiancheng explained, but what Qin Jiyi really wanted to know was: "How did you get it on the paper?" Let's call it "paper" for now.

"I used a little trick, but that's not important. What's important is finding this person, who is very likely the murderer." Gu Qiancheng changed the subject, clearly unwilling to elaborate: "From the scene, I can roughly deduce what happened that night."

Regardless of whether Qin Jiyi wanted to hear it or not, Gu Qiancheng blurted it all out.

"The door hinge had a crack. I examined the marks and determined that it was caused by a heavy impact on the door. I deduced that the murderer, after killing Zhang Yuan, carried his body to Gu Chengyi's door, intending to drop him and open the door. However, Zhang Yuan lost balance and crashed into the door, causing the murderer to also collide with the door."

Gu Qiancheng explained in the middle: "The weight of two grown men crashing into the already old and damaged door hinge is completely plausible."

"Go on..." Qin Jiyi did not doubt Gu Qiancheng's words.

Gu Qiancheng continued: "After breaking the door, the murderer dragged Zhang Yuan inside. Gu Chengyi was lying on the bed, clearly drunk and unaware of what was happening in the room."

"The murderer placed Zhang Yuan and then dragged Gu Chengyi off the bed. Taking advantage of Gu Chengyi's drowsiness, the murderer placed the weapon in Gu Chengyi's hand, inducing him to stab Zhang Yuan." A drunk person would not remember what they did, and it was clear that Gu Chengyi had lost consciousness from drinking.

"After doing all this, the murderer knocked over the candle, moved the furniture, and kicked things over, making it look like Gu Chengyi and Zhang Yuan had fought inside the room. However, it is clear that the murderer was a first-time killer, very nervous, and the setup of the scene was quite clumsy, leaving many suspicious points."

Gu Qiancheng showed a faint disdain and gave Qin Jiyi an example: "For instance, he remembered to knock over the candle but forgot to knock over the teacup and water cup. He remembered to mess up the furniture but all in one direction, which looked very deliberate."

In Gu Qiancheng's view, these were very obvious flaws, and what puzzled her was: "I cannot understand how the officials and the coroner did not notice these flaws and immediately concluded that Gu Chengyi was the murderer. They should have seen the marks where Zhang Yuan was dragged in and the scattered footprints inside the room."

Gu Qiancheng did not understand, but Qin Jiyi did.

"Seeing is believing, and first impressions are strong. What they saw first was Gu Chengyi holding the knife and killing Zhang Yuan. They had already determined that Gu Chengyi was the murderer and did not think further." Even if someone noticed something unusual, with everyone agreeing that Gu Chengyi was the murderer, they would follow suit.

"Ridiculous. As law enforcers, they have no judgment, do not investigate the truth, and blindly follow the crowd, making judgments based on surface appearances. This is treating human lives as a joke, and it is extremely irresponsible." As Gu Qiancheng spoke, she could not help but show a bit of anger...

Qin Jiyi looked at her deeply, closed his eyes, and hid his admiration, saying softly: "You are too serious." If everyone were as serious as Gu Qiancheng, that would be great.

"This is not being serious; this is a matter of principle." She was not a kind-hearted person, nor a naive and passionate girl, but she adhered to her professional ethics and would not wrong an innocent person or let the real culprit go free just to solve a case.

Qin Jiyi found it somewhat amusing but acknowledged Gu Qiancheng's persistence: "I hope you can always adhere to your principles." Even if it means banging your head against a wall, do not change. There are too many smooth-talking people around him, and he does not need another one like Gu Qiancheng.

"I will." Gu Qiancheng answered without hesitation.

She was not a kind-hearted person; she knew how to be flexible and would be flexible, but she would never compromise her principles or sell out her conscience.

Her grandfather told her at her coming-of-age ceremony: "Those without principles and conscience are beasts, not humans. As long as the Gu family exists, the children can be arrogant and uneducated, but they must not lack principles and conscience..."