Chapter Nine, Autopsy
"County magistrate, please do not be angry. Although I am still young, I have learned some methods of forensic examination. Just now, I overheard two constables discussing that it is merely a matter of verifying whether the deceased committed suicide or was murdered. This is not something that can stump me!" Before Lü Wu could speak, Li Zhang said this with a smile on his face.
"Yes, I kindly ask for the county magistrate's assistance!" Li Zhang replied succinctly at this moment, while Lv Wu also stood beside Li Zhang, indicating his support for him.
However, what Li Zhang did not expect was that the refined young man behind the county magistrate Han actually walked over at that moment and whispered a few words in the magistrate's ear. As a result, the county magistrate, who had been somewhat hesitant, surprisingly nodded and said: "Alright, since you insist on conducting the autopsy, I will not stop you. However, if you fail to complete the autopsy, do not blame me for being ruthless!"
At this moment, Han County's constable finally saw Li Zhang, and upon discovering that the other party was merely a child, he became furious once again and exclaimed: "Lu Wu, what do you mean by this? Can't you find a coroner and instead bring a child to fool this official?"
"County Officer Han, I have just returned from outside and have not been able to eat or sleep well for several days. You must at least let me have a meal!" At this moment, Lu Wu responded somewhat coldly. He did not want to offend this County Officer Han, but since the other party was clearly targeting him, he felt there was no need to go out of his way to curry favor.
Li Zhang did not know what this County Lieutenant Han was lamenting, but he had come here to examine the corpse, so he once again bowed and said: "County Lieutenant, I have come on behalf of my father to examine the corpse. May I ask where the body is?"
Neither Han County Wei nor Lü Wudu expected that Li Zhang would take the initiative to speak, and in the presence of Han County Wei, this official, he showed no signs of panic. On the contrary, he spoke with composure and eloquence, displaying behavior that was far from that of a twelve-year-old child
Uncle Wu, please take a look. Generally, the marks on the neck of a person who has hanged themselves are from the jawline to behind the ear. However, if someone has been strangled to death, the marks will cross at the back of the neck. In this case, the deceased has two distinct marks on their neck; one of them crosses at the back and is purplish-red, while the other is the mark from hanging, which is very faint. The reason for this is that after death, blood circulation ceases, causing the injuries to be less pronounced. At this moment, Li Zhang pointed to the deceased's neck, noting that there is a clear distinction between ante-mortem and post-mortem injuries, a detail that Li Zhang could discern at a glance.
"Lv Wu, did I not instruct you to come here as quickly as possible? Why are you dragging your feet like this?" As soon as the county magistrate Han arrived in front of Lv Wu, he immediately confronted him with a face full of anger.
"Can you really determine that the deceased was murdered based solely on two scars?" At that moment, the young man behind County Officer Han suddenly spoke up. This was his first time speaking, and his gaze towards Li Zhang was filled with curiosity, no longer carrying the previous air of superiority.
You... Han County's magistrate did not expect that Lu Wu, who had always been very submissive to him, would suddenly seem like a different person. This made him feel somewhat unaccustomed for a moment. However, he had originally intended to use Lu Wu to establish his authority today, so he quickly straightened his face and questioned, "Lu Wu, did I not instruct you to bring the coroner? Why have I not seen the coroner?"
"Do you really want to perform an autopsy?" The county magistrate Han frowned upon hearing Li Zhang's repeated request for an autopsy. He was a scholar and had some fondness for Li Zhang, a child who had received an education and exhibited unusual behavior. However, fondness aside, he would not be swayed to believe that Li Zhang understood the intricacies of performing an autopsy.
He indeed died of asphyxiation! At this moment, Li Zhang confidently stated to County Lieutenant Han and Lu Wu that the characteristics of a person who died from asphyxiation are very evident, such as the presence of petechiae on the eyelids, which is the most obvious feature of someone who has died from asphyxiation. Moreover, the strangulation marks on the neck of the deceased are particularly conspicuous.
At such a young age, he possesses such demeanor; he truly lives up to being a well-educated person. Unfortunately..." The county magistrate Han indeed held a great admiration for Li Zhang, and could not help but exclaim in praise. However, as he reached the end of his statement, he shook his head with a look of regret, as if lamenting that Li Zhang had given up the bright path of education.
"Yang Guozuo is injured, and Li Guozuo has not returned from his outing. There are only two Guozuo in the yamen, so it is truly impossible to find anyone. Fortunately, Li Guozuo's son has learned some skills, so my subordinates could only bring him along!" At the end of his statement, Lü Wu pointed to Li Zhang, who was being carried by someone beside him.
At that moment, Li Zhang took a deep breath and stepped into the crime scene. However, upon seeing the body, he couldn't help but let out a bitter smile, for the body had already been removed, leaving only a noose hanging from the tree. The ground was also covered with footprints, indicating that the entire crime scene had long been thoroughly compromised.
Just now on the road, Li Zhang had already heard the constable's introduction. The deceased is named Liu Da, and he appears to be around forty to fifty years old. There is a deep strangulation mark on his neck, and his entire face is dark purple. Li Zhang reached out to flip his eyelid and found blood spots inside. He then focused on examining the wounds on his neck and unfastened the deceased's clothing to see if there were any other injuries.
Indeed! At this moment, Lü Wu leaned in to take a look and indeed found that the marks on the deceased's neck were different from those of an ordinary hanging victim
Asphyxiation deaths can occur in many forms; hanging suicide is merely one of them. Additionally, it may involve being strangled or choked by another person. At this moment, I can assert that Liu Da was strangled from behind with a rope!" At this point, Li Zhang, leaning on his cane, returned to Liu Da's corpse and continued, "The murderer of Liu Da is clearly not an experienced individual, as there are far too many flaws left behind. Not only would a seasoned detective be perplexed, but even someone who has merely watched a few episodes of Detective Conan could discern this.
Li Zhang was no stranger to corpses. In his previous life, he spent several years in Africa, where he experienced multiple instances of turmoil. Even during relatively peaceful periods, violent incidents such as murder and robbery frequently occurred around him. Li Zhang had been held at gunpoint several times and had witnessed the gruesome sight of someone beside him being shot in the head. Additionally, he often frequented hospitals, so corpses had long ceased to be a novelty for him
Thank you, County Lieutenant!" At this moment, Li Zhang took a deep breath and said, no matter how undesirable the charity house was, it was still a place where one could find shelter. Although he had earned some money, it was far from enough to seek another place to live. Therefore, he had to maintain his identity as the son of a gambler and a coroner; otherwise, if this County Lieutenant Han truly forced their family to leave, he and Li Er would have to sleep on the streets tomorrow.
"Uncle Wu, could you lift me a bit higher so I can see the tree trunk he hanged himself from?" After examining the body, Li Zhang suddenly turned to Lu Wu and said. He had already discovered some things from the other party's body, but further verification was still needed
However, none of this concerns Li Zhang. As a coroner, he only needs to examine the body to determine whether the death was a suicide or a homicide. Therefore, he instructed the bailiffs to let him down, and then, leaning on a stick, he limped over to the side of the corpse
"Have you... read books?" After his initial surprise, the county magistrate Han did not become angry; instead, he looked at Li Zhang with a hint of curiosity. This was because Li Zhang spoke with courtesy and decorum, maintaining direct eye contact without any sign of evasion, which was not typical behavior for the son of a coroner.
As Li Zhang assessed the other party, the other party was also sizing him up. After all, they were surrounded by burly constables, and they were the only two peers present. However, the gaze directed at Li Zhang made him quite uncomfortable, akin to the condescending look a wealthy young master gives to a beggar. Although this matched their respective images, it still left Li Zhang feeling quite displeased. He shot a fierce glare at the other person, only to find that the young man was completely unfazed, instead revealing a smile that was both reserved and somewhat arrogant, as if he looked down upon the idea of getting angry with someone like Li Zhang.
Looking at Li Zhang himself, it is one thing to have an injury on his foot, but he is also dressed in a tattered gray hemp garment, which is covered in various patches. His skin is dark and rough, especially his hands, which have not fully healed from frostbite during the winter, showing a mix of black and red. Compared to the fair and clean youth opposite him, he appears almost like a beggar. Of course, there was a time when Li Zhang had no food to eat and indeed lived as a beggar.
Lü Wu did not know what Li Zhang intended to do, but he still agreed. He then picked Lü Wu up and walked to the tree trunk where the hanging was, lifting him above his head so that Li Zhang could see the situation on the trunk. After Li Zhang reached out to check the rope and the trunk, he finally allowed Lü Wu to set him down.
"Are you so sure, Da Lang?" Lü Wu, upon hearing Li Zhang's response, could not help but show a look of surprise. In the past, coroner examinations not only took a long time but also yielded very ambiguous results. At most, they would provide a few of the most likely outcomes, thereby reducing the difficulty of solving the case. It was rare for anyone to be as certain as Li Zhang in stating the cause of death.
"I respectfully report to the county magistrate that I did indeed attend a private school for a period of time, but later, due to my family's poverty, I had no choice but to drop out of school," Li Zhang replied once again. He felt that the attitude of County Magistrate Han seemed to change somewhat upon hearing that he had received an education, and his tone became more gentle. Therefore, in his response, Li Zhang also added a degree of respect, as the other party was an official and he was a commoner. Unless absolutely necessary, it was better to avoid conflict.
The first person Li Zhang noticed was not the irate Han County Lieutenant, but rather a child behind him, or more precisely, a young boy who appeared to be around the same age as him, both being about twelve or thirteen years old. However, the other boy was dressed in silk clothing, had fair skin, and possessed quite handsome features. What was even more infuriating was that he was half a head taller than Li Zhang, presenting a refined demeanor.
"So, he really did die by suicide?" The county magistrate Han observed that the young Li Zhang showed no fear of the corpse, and he examined the body without the slightest hesitation, as if he were fully prepared. This made him trust Li Zhang a little more.