“Student Benjamin Cooper, actually my second brother didn’t want me to come, but I secretly followed behind him. Mainly, I just wanted to see how cases are handled in the yamen. I hope Captain Harris won’t blame me!” The young man smiled and bowed to Edward Harris as he spoke.

Edward Harris was a bit surprised when he heard Benjamin Cooper’s words. Despite the other’s young age, he spoke flawlessly, even taking all the responsibility for coming here upon himself. Even if someone tried to use this incident to attack Sheriff Cooper in the future, it probably wouldn’t work.

“You’re Benjamin Cooper!” Before Edward Harris could speak, James Thompson exclaimed in shock.

“Huh? You know me?” Benjamin Cooper looked at him in surprise and asked.

“No, I don’t!” James Thompson quickly denied it.

“……”

Benjamin Cooper couldn’t help but look at James Thompson in frustration. If he doesn’t know me, why did he shout so loudly? He thought the other had heard of his reputation as a “child prodigy,” which made him secretly pleased, but it turned out the other didn’t know him at all.

Actually, Benjamin Cooper had misunderstood James Thompson. How could he not have heard of the famous Benjamin Cooper? Of course, this “famous” reputation was in later generations. Right now, Benjamin Cooper was just a child about the same age as James Thompson, at most known as a “child prodigy.” It wasn’t until a few years later, when he passed the imperial exam as the second-ranked scholar at the age of nineteen, that he became famous throughout the land. It was even said that if he hadn’t been so young, he might have been the top scholar that year.

Of course, Benjamin Cooper’s achievements didn’t stop there. Starting from the reign of Emperor Renzong, he became prime minister, serving under three emperors. Later, when Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne, he played a decisive role. He was also highly accomplished in governance and military affairs, and participated in the Qingli Reforms initiated by Fan Zhongyan. His life was one of glory, and from his generation onward, the Han family became an important political family in the Song dynasty. Several of his sons also reached high office, with his eldest son succeeding him as the second prime minister from the Han family.

Thinking of Benjamin Cooper’s historical achievements, James Thompson couldn’t help but size him up again. Then, afraid others would notice his odd behavior, he pointed to the dead man’s neck to change the subject: “Ahem~ If one wound isn’t enough, you can take another look at the victim’s neck. There’s more than just two ligature marks!”

Benjamin Cooper was a genius in his studies, but he was still a child, full of curiosity. When he first saw James Thompson, he thought he was a little beggar, but now he didn’t dare look down on him and was instead very curious about him. So, after hearing James Thompson’s words, he really leaned in to carefully examine the corpse’s neck.

After observing for a while, Benjamin Cooper actually discovered something and called out, “There are scratch marks on his neck!”

“That’s right, there are several scratch marks on the front of the victim’s neck. Generally, people who hang themselves can hardly grab their own necks. Only when someone is strangled from behind and struggles desperately will there be scratch marks left on the neck!” James Thompson said with a smile. Like many others, he had once wondered about suicide by hanging—if someone regretted it, could they grab the rope and save themselves?

Unfortunately, the answer is basically no. When a person is hanged, the neck is suddenly subjected to great force, causing unconsciousness in a very short time. Even if they remain conscious, the pressure on the nerves makes it impossible to raise their hands, and sometimes, if the person is heavy enough, the cervical vertebrae can be snapped instantly. So hanging is extremely dangerous, and ordinary people should never attempt it lightly.

After hearing James Thompson’s explanation, Sheriff Cooper and Edward Harris also came over to take a look. Following his direction, they indeed saw several scratch marks. Edward Harris nodded and said, “That’s true. It seems this Liu Da really was murdered!”

“Uncle Wu is right. Also, if Liu Da scratched himself while struggling, he might have scratched the murderer too. So I think, Uncle Wu, when you’re looking for the killer, you can pay attention to anyone with wounds on their hands.” James Thompson added with a smile.

Hearing this, Edward Harris’s eyes lit up, and he immediately ordered all the yamen runners to investigate. In cases like this, the murderer is usually someone nearby, maybe even an acquaintance of the victim. With such a clear sign as wounds on the hands, it shouldn’t be hard to find the culprit.

At this point, James Thompson’s part in the matter was over. Edward Harris was busy investigating and couldn’t arrange for someone to escort him home, so James Thompson hobbled over to the small river nearby, squatted down, and washed his hands. Although he was used to seeing corpses, touching one with his hands was still a bit disgusting. He secretly decided that when he got back, he must make a pair of gloves. Otherwise, if he ever encountered a decomposed body again, he wouldn’t want to use his bare hands.

“Hey, can you tell me why you had Captain Harris hold you up to look at the branches earlier?” At that moment, a familiar voice suddenly asked. Without turning around, James Thompson knew it had to be Benjamin Cooper, the ever-curious young man.