Victim: Grand Tutor Mu
Time of Death: Xu Hour (7:00–9:00 PM), Eighth Day of the Third Lunar Month
Location of Death: Main Hall of the Grand Tutor’s Manor
Events Before and After the Crime:
At You Hour (5:00–7:00 PM) on the eighth day of the third lunar month, Grand Tutor Mu attended a banquet hosted by Lord Zhang, accompanied by two guards. Before leaving, he had a disagreement with Mu Xueshi. Upset, Mu Xueshi decided to go out to admire the flowers and left home not long after Grand Tutor Mu departed.
Shortly after the start of You Hour, Grand Tutor Mu returned to the manor slightly intoxicated. He first visited his pregnant wife. Later, Wu Cai learned of this and became upset, so he went to look for Grand Tutor Mu. When Wu Cai arrived at the main hall, he discovered that Grand Tutor Mu had already been murdered. Standing nearby was Mu Xueshi, who had returned not long before.
When Steward Wang entered the hall at Zi Hour (11:00 PM–1:00 AM), there were three people present: the deceased Grand Tutor Mu, Wu Cai, and Mu Xueshi.
Development of the Investigation:
Subsequent examination revealed that nearly all of Grand Tutor Mu’s skin had been burned away, leaving only a pile of white bones. The bones showed no signs of blunt-force trauma or poisoning. No weapons, hidden projectiles, or other objects were found near the body, and there were no traces of blood. It was confirmed that the cause of death was fatal burning.
The crime scene was an open area in the center of the main hall. The burned section of the floor was noticeably darker than the surrounding area. The darkened burn mark was oval-shaped and approximately the size of a human body. Everything around it remained neat and orderly, with no signs whatsoever of a struggle.
Ning Yue, a guard of the Grand Tutor’s Manor who had been on good terms with Mu Xueshi during his lifetime, was mysteriously murdered two weeks after Grand Tutor Mu’s death. His body was discovered in the Third Prince’s courtyard.
Two weeks later, the Third Prince discovered yet another corpse of Ning Yue by the lakeside. This second body appeared to have been killed only recently and was identical to the one found in the courtyard.
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