Tang riddles

Shen Sui frowned as he looked at the wooden Buddha statue on the confession case.In her opinion, it is very unnatural for the things on the confession to be overturned.Standing in front of the confession case, she was lost in thought, her arms hanging down habitually, her hands folded in front of her lower abdomen, palms up, thumbs facing each other, and the other eight fingers interlaced, as if forming a Buddhist meditation seal.Seeing her like this, Zhang Ruohan's clear eyes flickered with doubt.

Shen Sui thought about it for a while, but he didn't know if he would get anything, probably because he couldn't figure it out, so he didn't insist.She didn't search the confession case very carefully, at least it was far worse than the scene on the other side of the book case.After a brief look, she walked to the north window and carefully observed the sealed window on the north.The rough paper used to cover the gaps is very tight. It was soaked in rainwater and snow and then froze, and then was melted by the warmth of the house. After repeated drying and wetting, the wrinkles were formed, and a layer of black ash fell on it. It has not been opened. sign.

"When was this window sealed?" She checked without looking back.

"One and a half months ago, after the winter, the north wind was getting colder. The abbot was not in good health and couldn't bear the cold, so he sealed it up like in previous years." Yuan Hui replied proactively.

Shen Sui straightened up, walked back to the door, looked at Yuan Hui and asked:

"Master Yuan Hui, the next question Shen asked is very important, please think clearly before answering. Shen wants to ask you the whole process of discovering the abbot's body, please describe Yu in as much detail as possible. Don't miss any details, Even small things should be mentioned."

Just as Yuan Hui was about to answer, Miao Yin interjected:

"Amitabha, please take your seats in the front hall, and let's talk in detail."

It was only then that Shen Sui realized that the question was long, and everyone stood there for a while, and he was too embarrassed to let them stand by the door, so he hurriedly accepted the invitation.Under the guidance of Miaoyin, everyone returned to the front hall, where the guests and hosts were seated.Two rows of Zen chairs equal to the number of people were placed on the flagstone floor of the front hall at some point, obviously they had just been moved here.Two monks were busy serving tea, probably Master Miaoyin had ordered them before. Although everyone came to investigate the case, some of them were of high status, so they couldn't be neglected.

"Who are these two masters?" Shen Sui asked.She was very curious about the identity of the monk who appeared here at this moment and arranged the front hall for them.Especially Du Yan and Wei Han, the two captains of the Jingzhao Mansion, saw the weird expressions of these two monks, and Shen Sui immediately fell in love.

"This is Yuantong, and this is Yuanqing. Yuantong is a monk from the Lecture School in the West Hall, and Yuan Qing is a monk from the Discipline Academy in the Back Hall." Master Miaoyin introduced.Yuantong has a medium build and an ordinary appearance. His lips are slightly thick, which makes him look a bit unremarkable.Yuan Qing was tall and thin, with a monk's robe dangling around his body, which didn't fit well, giving people a stereotyped impression.The two have a yearly agreement, and they can be regarded as the elders among the monks in Yuanzi's life.

It really was the two witnesses that night, Shen Sui secretly thought.I greeted the two monks one by one, and for the time being did not mention those things that everyone knew well.After seeing the ceremony, Yuantong and Yuanqing also took their seats, and Shen Sui began to ask questions.

Murong Fu and Qin Zhen were indeed tired. They went to court early in the morning, and then rushed to Ci'en Temple non-stop. They never sat down to rest.They are older and not as energetic as they were when they were young.After sitting down now, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, while picking up the teacup to sip slowly, he pricked up his ears to listen to the conversation between Shen Sui and Yuan Hui.

"Master Yuan Hui, let's start, try to be as detailed as possible, especially the timing." Shen Sui said.

Yuan Hui nodded, thought for a while, and then narrated:

"The little monk left the abbot's courtyard at about the right time that night, and went to the Fanjing Pavilion. He returned to the abbot's courtyard at two o'clock the next day. At that time, the abbot's courtyard was silent, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the ground."

"Are there any footprints?" Shen Sui asked.

"No, I remember it very clearly, the ground was white, and I stepped on the first set of footprints myself." Yuan Hui replied, Shen Sui nodded, this was within her expectation.

"Then the little monk knocked on the door of the front hall and called the abbot. The abbot was in a shallow sleep. He would reply to the little monk in the past, but he didn't respond that day. The little monk was puzzled, so he tried to push the door in. Unexpectedly, the front door didn't open. When the abbot goes to bed at night, he will unbolt the main door of the front hall. After the monk enters the front hall, he goes straight to the abbot’s bedroom in the back hall. The door of the bedroom is open, and the bed is neatly made. Signs of having slept. The little monk guessed that the abbot might have meditated last night, but he did not return to the dormitory, so he went around to the Zen room in the East Chamber, and found that the sliding door of the Zen room was closed, but not locked. After opening the door, he saw The screen has been overturned, and the young monk was at the door, so... at a glance, he saw the abbot lying beside the desk, unconscious." At the end of the speech, the acolyte obviously recalled the panic of that day, his tone was a little stagnant for a while, and his face turned paler up.

Taking advantage of the gap between his narration, Shen Sui interjected and asked:

"The abbot often stays up all night in meditation for self-study?"

"No, it just happens occasionally. For example, when there are important lectures or pujas in the near future, there may be overnight situations. On weekdays, the abbot always goes to bed at a fixed time, and his work and rest are very regular." Yuan Hui replied.

"You said that after entering the front hall, you went straight to the back hall dormitory. Did you go around from the west side?"

"Yes, there is only the door on the west side as the entrance to the back bedroom. The door on the east side has been sealed for many years, and there are furniture placed inside the door, which is never opened. Because the abbot gets up early every morning and has to go to the Wash in the bathroom behind the dining room on the west side, and go back to the dormitory to go to bed every night after taking a bath in the bathroom, it is more convenient to open the door on the west side. Therefore, the young monk did not notice the strangeness of the meditation room in the east chamber at the first time."

Shen Sui nodded, expressing that he understood.She raised her hand to signal Yuan Hui to continue.

Yuan Hui couldn't remember what he said for a while, after thinking for a while, he said:

"The little monk found that the abbot was lying on the ground, so he hurried forward to check. When he touched the abbot's body, it was cold and he was not breathing. The little monk was shocked and ran out of the abbot's courtyard to call for help. That's how it happened."

Shen Sui asked: "At that time, the window facing south in the meditation room was closed?"

"Although the little monk didn't notice it at the time, it should have been closed. There was a strong smell of charcoal in the room, and the little monk was choking and coughing. If the window was opened, it would not be like this."

Shen Sui's eyes flashed, and he turned to ask Murong Fu:

"Your Majesty, may I ask what is the cause of the death of Abbot Wu Zuo, the inspector?"

Murong Fu replied:

"There is no external injury on the body, the body is soft and red, but died of charcoal poisoning."

Shen Sui was a little stunned, and immediately shook his head, this is totally unreasonable, this case is so strange.

"According to my humble opinion, the abbot should have died of accidental charcoal poisoning. Perhaps it has nothing to do with the death of Shan Yin on the Charity Pagoda. It is purely coincidental." Make meritorious deeds and save yourself from negligence.

"This is very far-fetched. How could the abbot not know how to leave cracks in the doors and windows for heating? If he really forgot, why didn't he open the window immediately when he smelled the smell, or go out of the house? How could he stay in the house foolishly?" Zhong died?" Wei Han retorted.

"Maybe... fell asleep and didn't pay attention?" Du Yan argued.

"Then how to explain the situation where all the things in the meditation room were overturned? Could it be that the abbot is still punching in his dream?" Liu Yucheng was full of impatience, obviously very dissatisfied with Du Yan's stupid speech.

"But if someone deliberately murdered the abbot, why did he choose such a troublesome method? A certain family really can't figure it out." Du Yan said unwillingly.

Du Yan did not mention the speculation of suicide because even he knew that suicide was impossible.First, according to the findings obtained after on-site investigation, the window facing south, including the cracks in the door of the meditation room, has no trace of sealing. If you don't die yourself, why bother to do this trick?Therefore, the possibility of suicide is very small; secondly, it is absolutely impossible for a devout Buddhist believer to commit suicide, and the abbot is an eminent monk, let alone do such a thing.What's more, the Water and Land Ceremony will be held in a few days. If Ci'en Temple can hold this Dharma meeting successfully, it will be another great merit.

But as he said, if someone really wanted to murder the abbot, why did he take such a troublesome way?Moreover, it is very frizzy and not thorough.If the murderer wanted the abbot to die of charcoal poisoning, then he must first cause the abbot to faint, and then arrange the scene.After all the gaps in the house are blocked, a large amount of charcoal is added to the charcoal basin to burn, and then the murderer himself must flee the scene. When leaving, he must leave an entrance and exit, and then block it from the outside, so as to form a relatively closed Only in this environment can we truly ensure that people are put to death.However, judging from the on-site investigation, the window facing south was not closed, the door of the meditation room was not closed, and the two entrances and exits were not closed. The murderer was too confident to let the abbot be poisoned to death Alright.And the strangest thing is that there is a lot less charcoal in the charcoal basin, only the little charcoal left, can it really kill people?

Everyone fell into thinking, but Shen Sui suddenly said:

"Lady Xinlian, I have a question I want to ask."

"Shen Yihui, you're welcome." Zhang Ruohan seemed very calm as if he had a premonition that Shen Sui would ask her a question.

"As far as I know, the entire Abbot's Courtyard, including the Abbot's residence where we are now, the West Inner Courtyard and the East Inner Courtyard where you temporarily live, except for the Abbot and Master Yuan Hui, currently only you and your maid live here ,Yeah?"

"There is also a rough envoy servant who is serving me, who is also my coachman. But before the case happened, I sent her out to do things for me. It has been more than ten days, and it is about time to come back." Zhang Ruohan replied.

"Oh?" Shen Sui seemed a little interested. Xinlian, a secluded monk like Qingxiu, could have something for the coachman to go out to do. If she went back and forth for more than ten days, the distance is not too far away.Although curious, it has nothing to do with the case after all, Shen Sui didn't investigate it carefully, and asked again:

"On the night of the incident, did you hear any movement in the West Inner Courtyard?"

"It was a snowy night, and everything was quiet. Ruohan didn't hear anything. Ruohan was reading in her room that night, very engrossed, and she was not in the unexpected world." Zhang Ruohan replied.

Shen Sui looked at Wu Ya, the maid standing behind again. Wu Ya was a little dissatisfied with her, but the occasion was not right, and it was not easy to get angry, so he obediently replied:

"My maid didn't notice either. Sanniang was reading, and my maid went to bed early that night."

"There is still a distance between the west inner courtyard and the abbot's residence, so it's normal not to hear any movement." Wei Han vaguely felt that Shen Sui seemed to be suspicious of Zhang Ruohan, so he said.

"Brother Bo Zhao, you haven't told us yet, why did you go around to the west inner courtyard." When mentioning this matter, Murong Fu remembered Shen Sui's half-spoken words before, and it made him uncomfortable to hang on to him.

"Sui went to the West Inner Courtyard because he wanted to see the back kitchen in the west wing of the abbot's room." Shen Sui replied.

"What are you going to see in the back kitchen?" Murong Fu asked strangely.

"Look at the salt." Shen Sui replied with a smile, "The salt used to remove snow in the abbot's courtyard should all be piled up in the back kitchen. I went to the back kitchen just to look at the salt. The snow under the ginkgo tree has a salty smell. It is guessed that it should be left after the snow was sprinkled with coarse salt. However, I met Lay Xinlian on the way, and was called back after that, but I couldn’t see it. become."

Murong Fu's face was full of bewilderment, since he knew it was coarse salt melting snow, why did he have to look at the salt piled up in the back kitchen?Could it be that the salt in these two places is not the same?Moreover, if you want to go to the back kitchen, you don't need to go so far. You can enter the back kitchen from the dining room in the west wing of the abbot's room.Shen Sui seemed to have explained her motives, but in fact, it made Murong Fu even more puzzled.This Shen Sui is young but very intelligent and behaving strangely, Murong Fu really can't figure out her details.

At this time, a young novice came in to pay respects and said:

"Benefactors, lunch is ready, do you want to eat now?"

When Shen Sui heard that it was time to eat, he suddenly felt hungry for a while.The rest of the people were similar to her. After a busy morning, it was almost [-]:[-] noon, and it was time to eat.

So everyone, under the leadership of the little novice monk, went to the dining hall to eat.

The author has something to say: Our heroine is a detective with a foodie soul 2333333