This meant that the thief might not have climbed over the wall to enter the courtyard. The constables did not investigate this suspicion in depth. Perhaps there was a mistake in their previous inference.
The constables didn't investigate this, so they didn't know.
Aiya, the reference knowledge didn't mention who the real murderer was. He didn't know.
According to Zhang Yourui's case file, the murderer might not have a suitable weapon, so he used a blunt weapon to kill. He might not have left any footprints when he entered the courtyard, but he left footprints on the wall when he fled. The timing of the victim's wife's pregnancy was suspicious, and the child might not be the victim's. All these situations suggested that the murderer might have some kind of relationship with the victim's wife. Moreover, he was flustered when he committed the crime, and his lightness skills might not be very good.
Aiyaya, from the current case file, it was still not certain who the murderer was. However, there were many suspicious points. For example, there were no footprints in the courtyard, why did the murderer use a blunt weapon instead of a sword, and the timing of Madam Zhang's pregnancy was very suspicious. These suspicious points required further investigation to find the murderer.
In Zhang Yourui's case, there were many suspicious points about the modus operandi. First of all, there were footprints on the outer wall of the Zhang residence, but there were no footprints on the garden. Secondly, the victim had been killed by a blunt weapon in the back of the head. It was strange that the murderer did not use a sword or other sharp weapon in this kind of business, unless the murderer did not have a suitable weapon at the time. Finally, Madam Zhang Yang had been married to the deceased for nearly ten years and had no children. However, she was pregnant at this time. This was also very suspicious.
At first, Arrester Wang's face was dark and he didn't say a word. Because Magistrate Zhu kept asking about the progress of the case, he was under a lot of pressure. When Xu Qi 'an started to read the dossier, he even sneered at Xu Qi' an. When Xu Qi 'an mentioned the suspicious point of the footprints, he was stunned. When Xu Qi 'an raised the question of killing with a blunt weapon, he first refuted others that the murderer had the intention to kill. Then, his eyes suddenly lit up as if he had caught something but had not fully understood it.
In the beginning, Arrester Wang was angry because he was under the pressure of the case given by County Magistrate Zhu and was dissatisfied with his subordinates. During Xu Qi 'an's analysis of the case, his initial doubts and deep thoughts turned into his eyes that suddenly lit up as if he had caught something. His mentality gradually changed from pure dissatisfaction to serious consideration of Xu Qi' an's doubts.
The suspicious points in the case of Zhang Yourui, the night watchman of Dafeng, are as follows. First of all, there were outward footprints on the outer wall of the Zhang residence. It was inferred that the thief had climbed over the wall and escaped. However, there were no footprints that entered the courtyard in the dossier. There was a flowerbed under the wall, and there were no footprints that infiltrated the flowerbed. Secondly, the victim was killed by a blunt weapon in the back of the head. The murderer should have brought a weapon with him to do this. It would be more straightforward to kill with a sword, but why was it a blunt weapon? In the end, Madam Zhang married the deceased for nearly ten years without having a child, but she was pregnant at this time. The child might not be the deceased's.
In this case, Xu Qi 'an and the other constables were like smart people and ordinary people. Xu Qi 'an was seriously reading the dossier and actively thinking about the suspicious points of the case. As for the other constables, they were either hiding behind Arrester Wang or adding random explanations when Arrester Wang was stumped by Xu Qi' an. They were not convinced by Xu Qi 'an's doubts, but Xu Qi' an was helping everyone solve the problems for Old Wang. His train of thought was clearly clearer than the other constables, and he was more able to discover the key problems in the case.
Xu Qi 'an played a crucial role in Zhang Yourui's case! He found a lot of suspicious points by looking at the file. For example, he found that there were only footprints on the outer wall of the Zhang residence, but no footprints in the courtyard. He questioned why the murderer used a blunt weapon instead of a sword to kill people. He also raised questions about Madam Zhang Yang's pregnancy at this time. These findings and questions pushed forward the investigation of the case.