Chapter 7: The Toilet Secret Room

The previous clerk said: "His embezzlement of tax funds is his own affair; why should we use our labor and food money for it? We still need to survive!"

The workshop supervisor said: "Of course he has to fill it in. If the case cannot be solved, at most his performance will be deemed unsatisfactory, which may prevent his promotion or even lead to demotion, but he will not lose his job. However, if the tax revenue is lost, it must be made up. Otherwise, he will be dealt with according to the law on corruption and dismissal. His family is poor and unable to cover the deficit, so he can only misappropriate our work and food funds."

The official said: "One cannot put it this way; the master has no choice. Who would have thought that in just a few months since he took office, it would be like encountering a ghost, with misfortunes happening one after another? First, those wealthy households stubbornly refuse to pay taxes, which has already given him a headache. Then, the tax money collected from the common people was stolen, leaving him to cover the losses himself. However, the silver he brought from his hometown was also stolen, and without money for compensation, he was scolded harshly by the governor. He had no choice but to sell everything he could to raise the money for compensation. It is said that even the jewelry his wife brought as dowry has been pawned, along with her fine clothes. Their parents are not wealthy either, so they cannot help them. Now, they are faced with a murder case, and it happened right in the yamen, involving the beloved concubine of a local gentry. To smooth over relations and extend the deadline, he managed to gather ten taels of silver, but that was borrowed at high interest. It seems that all the wealthy households in the county have agreed not to lend him any money. Now, they are faced with a murder case, and it happened right in the yamen, involving the beloved concubine of a local gentry. To smooth over relations and extend the deadline, he managed to gather ten taels of silver, but that was borrowed at high interest. It seems that all the wealthy households in the county have agreed not to lend him any money. He can only go to Bazhou to borrow at high interest, and I hear the rate is six percent! Let's see how he will repay it!

After quite some time, he continued to circle around the outhouse, even climbing to the top to take a look, but there was no way to enter. It was indeed a tightly sealed chamber. He could not figure out how the murderer managed to get inside and kill that poor concubine.

Leng Yi has already sent Master Dong to retrieve the case files, standing at the entrance of the restroom to observe. The documents are few, consisting only of the corpse examination report, the scene diagram, and the statements from the individuals who discovered the body, along with a brief inquiry record from the deceased's family.

Room Supervisor Dao: "Everyone, please be understanding. Just now, I secretly asked Master Dong about the situation with the master’s hair. Master Dong said that the governor did not agree to extend the deadline and also refused the master’s bribe, which made the master so anxious that he cried. He asked the shop assistant for scissors and cut his own hair, preparing to find a place to become a monk. Fortunately, Master Dong earnestly advised him, which helped him abandon this idea"

"It is indeed true that a dog cannot change its nature, just waiting in the latrine." Leng Yi muttered.

The head constable Wu promptly agreed, turned to the side, and led the way to the murder scene

When he turned to the back of the toilet, Captain Wu let out a cry. Leng Yi turned around and saw Captain Wu cursing while lifting one foot, which was covered in excrement. It turned out that the excrement had frozen over and was covered with weeds. Captain Wu, not paying attention, stepped right onto it, getting a boot full of excrement

In front of the toilet, there is a wooden door, which can be secured from the inside with a latch. The pit inside the toilet is a large, tightly sealed wooden barrel, half buried underground, with wooden planks laid on top. There is only one squat position, and the interior of the toilet is relatively spacious.

Having spoken, he bowed and paid his respects. The more than ten constables also followed suit and offered their greetings

Several attendants fell silent, while the scribe who accompanied them muttered: "The scribe follows a good county magistrate, enjoying fine food and drink, but what about us? Not only do we not receive anything, but he even wants to withhold our wages and rations. Ever since he arrived, our wages have not been disbursed, always promising that they will be paid next month, yet they never are. I don't care; my family is on the verge of starvation. If this continues, I will go to him to demand payment! After all, what's the worst that could happen? I could just quit. Without money, who would still work for him?"

The tall deputy captain behind him shouted, and the dog finally stopped barking, wagging its tail and welcoming him, joyfully circling around him.

Leng Yi thought to himself, the toilet door is locked from the inside, and the corpse of the deceased lies behind the door, with a knife wound to the lower body. How did the murderer commit the crime

Leng Yi, however, instructed everyone else to step forward, while he stood there, lost in thought as he gazed at the pool of filth.

What a locked-room murder

The toilet courtyard is not large, surrounded by high walls on three sides. On one side, adjacent to the courtyard gate, is the constable's barracks. Facing the toilet and the * map * book side, are the barracks of the head constable and the constables, but perhaps to prevent foul odors from entering the room, the back windows are all tightly shut.

This toilet is located in the corner next to the main entrance of the yamen, in a separate courtyard. It contains only one toilet, which is shared by both men and women. Those who enter simply need to latch the door.

Leng Yi compared the scene with the schematic diagram of the crime scene in the case file. The diagram indicated that the door bolt was secured from the inside at the time. The victim's body was lying behind the door, with his pants pulled down to the bend of his legs, and there was a stab wound on his lower body. A dagger was retrieved from the latrine.

These words were powerful and resonant, eliciting a round of applause from the officials. However, Leng Yi could discern that the applause was somewhat sparse, as if it were merely a formality. He thought to himself that it seemed the reputation of this county magistrate he was impersonating was not very high.

Once they had walked far away, the housekeeper let out a cold laugh and said, "Who can't speak pretty words? What matters is real skill"

The clerk in the execution chamber sighed and said, "Alright, enough talk. Let's get back to work!"

Leng Yi did not have time to think about these matters. He waved his hand and said to Captain Wu, "You take the constables involved in the case and re-examine the scene with the county. Study the case together. The rest of you, return to your duties."

Leng Yi followed three captors to the entrance of the latrine courtyard, where he saw a mutt squinting with its ears drooping, a dog chain hanging from its neck, lying in the grass by the roadside in front of the latrine. Upon seeing them approach, it raised its head and emitted a low growl from its nose, exuding a sense of intimidation.

The steward of the guesthouse picked up the conversation and said: "Real skill? If he had real skill, he wouldn't have made such a mess of the yamen, and he wouldn't have incurred debts that prevent him from paying the food allowances of us clerks."

Captain Wu chuckled, "This dog doesn't eat feces; Captain Ding and the others feed it leftover food every day"

In the distance, a burly man was heard approaching with a dozen or so constables. The burly man said, "My lord, I have arrived!"

Leng Yi walked around the toilet, with Captain Wu and the others following him in circles

Upon hearing this, the other few staff members who initially wanted to vent their frustrations fell silent.

Another clerk murmured softly: "He said the tax money was stolen, but who knows if it's true! Perhaps it has been misappropriated for something else, using it as an excuse to cut our wages and rations."

The constable smiled and crouched down to pat the head of the yellow dog

Another clerk said: "It is said that he took all our wages and food allowances to cover the gap left by the stolen tax payments"

In addition to the latrine, this yard has a small vegetable plot where some cabbage is planted. It is nearly ruined by the frost and snow of early winter. In one corner of the vegetable plot, there is a small manure pit, next to which are a pair of manure buckets. Apart from this, there are no other structures.

Leng Yi coldly snorted and said: "This time, I went to the government office to meet Lord Liao, the prefect, originally to request a few more days' grace. However, after much thought, I realized that a murder case cannot be delayed for even a day. Every additional day of delay means more suffering for the victims and their families. Moreover, this incident occurred within our jurisdiction, which is a challenge from the perpetrator to our county office! Requesting a postponement would be tantamount to admitting defeat and surrendering! Therefore, I am determined to solve this case within the stipulated time, bring the criminals to justice, and seek justice for the deceased! Requesting a postponement would be tantamount to admitting defeat and surrendering! Therefore, I am determined to solve this case within the stipulated time, bring the criminals to justice, and seek justice for the deceased! Only then can our office hold its head high!"

The two deputy captains wanted to laugh but dared not, maintaining a serious expression, which made it even harder for others to suppress their laughter

Only then did everyone return to their respective places

Master Dong observed that Leng Yi returned to the yamen without even going to the inner residence to drop off his luggage, and immediately began investigating the case. He was quite impressed and hurriedly instructed two bailiffs carrying luggage to follow behind, accompanying the county magistrate to the scene of the incident in the front courtyard's latrine.

Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged glances, wanting to laugh but unable to do so. Deep down, they all understood that it seemed the county magistrate had been driven to desperation, reaching a point of utter despair; otherwise, how could he have thought of taking the path of monastic life?

Is that so? Cold Yi glanced at the tall deputy captain Huang Gou, who was frolicking around, and estimated that he must be the Ding captain. He smiled and said, "Still so caring, huh?"

Leng Yi was perplexed. The toilet was constructed of wooden materials, assembled from planks, much like the entire yamen, which, although quite dilapidated, was firmly joined together. He had inspected it and concluded that it was impossible to remove the planks to drill in and commit murder. The few gaps present were also very small, making it impossible to insert a hand to kill, let alone for a person to crawl inside.

Having said that, he stepped down from the platform and said to Captain Wu: "Let's go!"