Judge Liu shook his head. "There is no list. Simply put, too many female guests visited Tianyuan Temple, and the female corpse had already been dead for some time when it was discovered. It was impossible to start the investigation from the pilgrims."
"Inferring that the murder weapon was a hairpin based solely on the wounds on the female corpse does not rule out suspicion from the monks of Tianyuan Temple. Not to mention that hairpins are too easy to obtain—men use them to tie their hair as well, and there are many other sharp objects similar to hairpins..."
Judge Liu thought to himself that the Heir of Prince Jing spoke quite bluntly. However, because of the gap in their statuses, he felt no resentment. "The monks of Tianyuan Temple have all been questioned, but unfortunately, the person had been dead for at least a month before being discovered. To this day, her identity has not been established; it is simply impossible to find a suspect through a process of elimination."
Qi Shuo shifted his gaze away from the case files. "The victim discovered yesterday was killed recently. Are there any clues regarding her identity?"
Judge Liu gave a bitter smile. "Because the head is missing, it is difficult to determine the identity for the time being."
"Has Lord Liu asked the various counties under your jurisdiction, especially the two capital counties, to see if any citizens have reported family members missing recently? If so, and if the age and gender of the missing person match the headless female corpse, they could be invited to identify the body."
Judge Liu looked ashamed. "Yesterday I was busy searching for clues at the scene and didn't return until dark. I haven't had the chance to inquire yet."
He immediately arranged for men to go to the two county offices to make inquiries.
With officers continuing the investigation at Tianyuan Temple, Qi Shuo did not rush to the scene, but instead waited for news from the county offices alongside Judge Liu.
Since both county offices were within the capital, a reply arrived shortly.
East City County had reported five disappearances within three months, and West City County had reported three. In total, there were eight missing persons cases: four young children, two young girls, one adult male, and one elderly woman.
Setting other details aside, the two reporters of the missing young girls were quickly summoned to the government office.
"Greetings, Your Honor."
Judge Liu warmly told the two to rise.
Of the two reporters, one was an old man in his fifties, and the other was a woman in her thirties.
"Old uncle, please tell us about your granddaughter's situation first."
The old man rubbed his eyes, his voice laced with bitterness. "This humble citizen's granddaughter is named Lanhua, sixteen years old. Five days ago, Lanhua said she had an appointment with friends to pick wild vegetables, and she didn't return until dark. I went to her friend's house to ask, and that girl said Lanhua had left first with a basket of vegetables... I searched everywhere but couldn't find her, so I reported it to the officials..."
As the old man spoke, he knelt. "Lanhua's parents passed away early, leaving only this granddaughter for me to rely on. I beg Your Honor to help this humble citizen find my granddaughter..."
After Judge Liu offered some comfort, he questioned the woman.
The woman's eyes were swollen; she had clearly spent the last few days bathing in tears. "This humble woman's daughter is named Yan'er, fifteen years old. The day before yesterday, she said she was going out to play and never returned. I asked the friends she usually played with, and they all said they hadn't seen her that day..."
The sound of the woman's sobbing filled the hall.
Judge Liu glanced at Qi Shuo, and seeing that the other had no intention of speaking, he sighed softly and said, "A female corpse was discovered at Tianyuan Temple yesterday. It is estimated that her age was between fourteen and twenty—"
"Does Your Honor mean something happened to my granddaughter?"
"Yan'er, my Yan'er!"
Judge Liu hurriedly said, "Please, do not be agitated. We have invited you here to identify the body."
The old man and the woman looked at each other, then both gazed at Judge Liu.
That look made Judge Liu unable to bear staring back, so he reminded them tactfully, "The body is somewhat gruesome; you both should be prepared."
"How gruesome?" the woman asked immediately.
The old man also stared intently at Judge Liu.
Judge Liu hesitated for a moment and said slowly, "It has no head."
No head?
Once the old man and the woman processed this, their faces turned deathly pale. One swayed as if about to collapse, while the other covered her mouth and wept.
The group arrived at the place where the body was temporarily stored.
Despite the bright sunshine outside, the morgue was cold and gloomy, making one's skin crawl.
Judge Liu stopped and did not approach further. "It is right there. You two may go and see—"
The old man took a few steps but could go no further, his entire body shaking violently.
Conversely, although the woman was clearly terrified, she dragged her heavy footsteps forward one by one until she reached the body covered in a white cloth.
A bailiff reached out to lift the cloth, but the woman stopped him. "I... I will do it myself..."
The bailiff looked at Judge Liu, and seeing him nod, silently stepped back.
The woman stared intently at the body through the white cloth, her eyes growing redder and redder, until she finally gathered enough courage to uncover the shroud.
Despite her mental preparation, the moment she saw the headless corpse, the woman couldn't help but scream and recoil repeatedly.
The old man closed and opened his eyes, and was actually the first to see the appearance of the corpse clearly.
"It's not Lanhua!" There was a hint of joy in the old man's shout.
Judge Liu immediately asked, "Old uncle, why are you so certain?"
The old man was somewhat agitated, yet he tried his best to suppress his emotions, causing his expression to look somewhat distorted. "My Lanhua is dark-skinned and sturdy!"
Although the female corpse had already decayed, one could still tell the basic build of a person. This headless corpse had slender limbs and delicate skin; one could imagine she had been a fair-skinned and graceful young girl.
"Lanhua is quite sturdy. This isn't Lanhua, it's not Lanhua—" The old man spoke incoherently, then suddenly stopped when he saw the stunned woman.
The woman woke as if from a dream, lunged forward, propped herself up on the wooden board with her hands, and stared fixedly at the corpse.
After only a few breaths, she burst into loud wailing. "Yan'er, my Yan'er! How could this happen, how could this happen!"
Seeing the woman about to throw herself onto the corpse, the bailiff acted quickly to stop her.
Qi Shuo walked over. "Sister-in-law, are you certain this is your daughter?"
"There is no mistake." The woman covered her face with her hands, tears streaming through the gaps in her fingers. "Yan'er has a birthmark on her wrist; the position and shape are exactly the same..."
Qi Shuo nodded to Judge Liu.
Understanding the signal, Judge Liu ordered his subordinates to lead the old man and the woman back to the hall.
The woman continued to cry, and the old man became silent after his initial relief.
Even if the body identified today was not his granddaughter, it did not mean she was safe. Moreover, watching a mother lose her daughter made no one feel good.
"Old uncle, you may return first. This official will arrange for people to investigate your granddaughter's whereabouts."
"Thank you, Your Honor." The old man kowtowed to Judge Liu.
In the capital, many people went missing every year, especially young children. Relying on the government to find them was almost impossible; many people didn't even report it.
As for homicide cases, in reality, there were more unsolved than solved.
The old man left, leaving only the woman wailing. Judge Liu wanted to question her several times, but seeing Qi Shuo waiting quietly, he patiently gave the woman time to vent her emotions.
Finally, the woman stopped crying and fell to her knees before the two men. "I beg both Your Honors to find the murderer who killed my daughter!"
Qi Shuo helped the woman up and asked gently, "Sister-in-law, do you remember the specific time your daughter left the house?"