The first work of the imperial prison

The hall was quiet, and the needle drop was silent.

Qiu Yiqing looked at the butler's old servant and asked, "In this house, Guan Xiuzhu often stays overnight?"

"Occasionally," the old servant replied cautiously, "The third young master is a dutiful son. He is not yet married, and the family is not separated. He is very obedient to his parents. They are loving and always worried. He usually lives at home. Rarely sleep out."

"Under what circumstances, will he stay here?"

"When you're very busy with business... I'm really tired. If I can't go home, I'll just stay here for one night."

"How is the relationship between the housekeeper's parents and brothers? Is there any quarrel or disagreement?"

"This is really not the case. The owner and wife are very kind people, and the young masters are also very friendly, and there is no difference."

Qiu Yiqing asked a few more words and then stopped, but Ye Baiting suddenly remembered something, and asked, "Guan Xiuzhu is not married yet, is he engaged? Did his parents visit him for him?"

The old servant looked regretful: "Before it was too late, the third young master had engaged in marriage before, but the girl's life was not good, and she disappeared before she got married. Yishou, if the accident didn't happen on Qixi Festival last year... Madam should be helping him meet other girls now."

Ye Baiting: "Does Guan Xiuzhu have a sweetheart?"

The old servant was stunned for a moment before answering: "This...should not be there, right? To put it bluntly, the villain has watched the third young master grow up since he was a child, and he is most familiar with his temperament. If he has a sweetheart, his behavior will definitely be different. .”

Ye Baiting asked again: "Then is there someone...who has a crush on him?"

The old servant laughed: "That's too much. The third young master looks good-looking, a good-looking talent, and was elected by the imperial examination. How can anyone not like it?"

"Man or woman?"

"The official is joking. Those who like young men are naturally young girls." The old servant tasted it, and then felt that the taste of this was wrong, and said, "All the villains know are girls."

"Guan Xiuzhu is in the household office, and has a particularly close relationship with someone?" Ye Baiting said slowly, "He mentioned it at home?"

The old servant replied firmly: "No."

"Why so sure?"

"Don't blame me, the servants know what you are asking, but the third young master has always been cheerful and can't hide things. He really has such a good relationship. If he has worries, he will definitely reveal them, but he really never has, and No one was mentioned."

Shen Jiang asked again: "Does this house often have guests?"

The old servant: "No, every time I come here to clean up, they are sent by the villain. There is not much work. There are only a few times when the household department meets here, and they say hello in advance. Other than that, no one else has come over. .”

Shen Jiang yawned: "What about the enemy? You can't think that the third young master of your family is so good, and no one has conflicts with him, right?"

The old servant lowered his head: "This... there must be no one in the family. The elders love each other, brothers and friends respect each other, and things outside... the villain doesn't know."

The question was about the same, and Qiu Xunqing threw another heavy punch: "I called you here today because of this, there was a murder case, and there is a dismembered corpse hidden here."

"Ah? This..."

The old servant Khan came down, and accompanied Xiaoxin to answer slowly, just because he was afraid that something might happen, who knew it would be such a big thing!

"Guan Xiuzhu's body, we need to take a look." Qiu Yiqing's words were not asking for opinions, but a notice.

Ye Baiting looked at him, quietly gave him a thumbs up, and praised the leader!

The ancients had different attitudes towards corpses. Generally speaking, most of them would not be willing to open the coffin for autopsy, but this time it was different. They found human bones. There may be a corpse here. Since the owner of the house is Guan Xiuzhu, They have to make sure, don't they?

The old servant had a bitter face, and he couldn't say no to Jin Yiwei. Others had the right reason, so he raised his sleeve and wiped his sweat: "This matter... the villain must ask the Patriarch before he can arrange it, but even if it is It can be arranged, but I'm afraid it won't work in these two days, because the New Year's Day is too busy to cooperate."

Qiu Xunqing has always been generous to those who cooperate with him: "Then three days, after three days, please invite the butler to come and bring Jin Yiwei to open the coffin."

Old servant: ...

I said I'm very busy, two days is not enough, but it doesn't mean three days are enough!

But it's all said and done, he can only talk about it after going back, and dare not say anything else.

In the yard, the Jinyiwei who had been transferred had already started working. All kinds of big lamps were hoisted up, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day, but the little rabbit lamps inserted on the eaves were not so bright.

Qiu Yiqing jumped up, took off the little rabbit, and stuffed it into Ye Baiting's hands: "Leave this to them, I'll send you back to rest first."

Ye Baiting looked at the snow on the ground and the wall next to him, he obviously didn't want to leave, this is all work...

But Qiu Yiqing was very forceful: "Finding broken bones takes time, not your job. When you wake up, there are plenty of jobs waiting for you."

Ye Baiting still hesitated.

Shen Jiang said winkingly: "Then what, it's almost time, I'll go back first, send my daughter-in-law home before coming back!"

Just leave after speaking, and don't leave any chance for the commander to see death.

"Look, Shen Jiang is gone."

Qiu Yiqing pointed at Shen Jiang's back, and looked at Ye Baiting, with an accusation similar to 'you are not good'.

Ye Baiting: ...

"Okay." He looked back at Jin Yiwei who was working, "If you are really too busy, go to Wuzuofang and call Shanglu over. He has seen a lot of corpses, so he should be pretty good at identifying bones."

Qiu Xunqing: "I will arrange it."

Ye Baiting walked out while looking at him: "Then...how about you? Will you go back to rest with me?"

Qiu Xingqing paused: "With you?"

Ye Baiting pointed under his eyes: "Be careful and have dark circles again."

Qiu Yiqing: "Do you care about me?"

Ye Baiting held the little rabbit lamp, confidently: "Otherwise?"

Qiu Yiqing curled her lips: "I will make proper arrangements."

Arrangements will be made, but obedient ones will definitely not be obedient. Anyway, after Ye Baiting returned to Beizhen Fusi, he never saw Qiu Yiqing again. He went back to Nuange to sleep. When he woke up, there was only dog.

"Wang!"

Xuanfeng was not locked out of the door this time, and was very enthusiastic. When he saw that he was awake, he threw himself on him, and Ye Baiting almost couldn't catch his breath. Before he got up, he patted the dog: "Okay, okay Lah, I'm going to be a little busy today, be good, huh?"

"Wang!"

Ye Baiting didn't delay any longer, got up to wash up, took the dog to the kitchen to find something to eat, and then went to the office.

In Wuzuo's room, Shanglu had already come back from a busy circle, and he was in good condition, his eyes were bright, and he was very energetic.

Ye Baiting: "How long did you sleep last night?"

Shang Lu: "I was sleeping all the time at the beginning. What does it have to do with me to go to Lantern Festival and watch lanterns? Why don't you go to bed early? Thankfully, Shen Baihu came to call me in the middle of the night, otherwise I would wake up and have nothing to do. Too idle!"

Ye Baiting: ...

Okay, it also fulfills your boredom.

"There is hot water in the basin, freshly made, wash your hands quickly, and come with me to see the bones!" Shang Lu said with pride in the corners of his brows and eyes, "If you want to talk about the job of finding bones, we still have to work as a housekeeper. Come on, one or two of them are good at fighting. How can you tell the difference between human bones and pig bones? The chickens and ducks have to be brought back, so I have to stop them! If you are not sure, you have to palm your eyes, young master..."

After Ye Baiting washed his hands, he came to the mortuary table. Phytophthora should have just come back. The bones were packed in sacks and dumped on top, before they could be sorted.

"Let's identify it first, let's show it."

Ye Baiting made a rough inspection and found that the bones he found were still very fine and broken. There were a few big bones, but they were not complete. There were broken in the middle, and there were many broken bones. Even if they were assembled into a human shape, they should be broken and not smooth.

"Bones are right, they are all human bones," Ye Baiting praised without hesitation, "Do you have good eyesight as a merchant?"

Shang Lu smiled modestly: "It still doesn't work, I have to practice, for example, I'm not sure about the order of arrangement, I still have to come, and this man and woman...the bones are so few, is it difficult to identify?"

Ye Baiting said: "Generally, the accuracy of hip bones and skull bones is higher when identifying gender based on white bones. The former is [-]% accurate, and the latter can reach [-]% when combined with a complete mandible. But this corpse is very mutilated. There is no skull, only half of the pelvis, it is indeed difficult."

Shang Lu showed distress: "Then what should we do?"

Ye Baiting was not distressed at all, her eyes were burning, eager to try, the white gloves on her hands became whiter and brighter: "Try it."

Shanglu: ...

So this is the boss!There are thousands of difficulties and dangers, without fear, you can break through anything, and you can try anything!

Ye Baiting asked while laying out the last few bones, "Where is the commander?"

"Should be here soon. When I came back, I heard that he was arranging the next things," Shang Lu said, and then said, "Shen Baihu is also here. He canceled his vacation early in the morning and came back to work."

In fact, what Ye Baiting cared about was whether Qiu Xunqing had a rest last night, but for some reason, this question was difficult to ask. carry.

The recovered bones were of different sizes. Because they had been eaten by animals, there were many broken bones and broken bones, which affected the shape and even affected the identification. Some Ye Baiting had to pause to think about it, carefully recalling the knowledge he had learned, Compare shapes, sizes, features, and put it in the right place.

Shang Lu was even more uncertain, and would ask in a low voice from time to time: "What kind of bone is this? Where is it placed?"

Ye Baiting answered in a slow voice: "The navicular bone is the metacarpal bone of a person. This is the radius and ulna, which are against the palm of the hand... This is the patella, on the knee..."

Shang Lu held up a slightly larger bone and leaned closer: "According to this, the gnawing tooth marks are all white marks, without blood, they must have happened after death, but is there something wrong with these breaks? "

"There's something wrong..."

In fact, Ye Baiting noticed something was wrong last night, but at that time the light was too dark, he didn't dare to say that he could see clearly, but today is different, under the sunlight, some traces can be seen clearly, there is no ambiguity.

At this time, the room was very quiet, with sunlight passing through the window, brushing over his eyebrows and eye corners, jumping on his fingertips, even though he was holding a human bone, there was no danger or fear at all, and there was a unique quiet beauty.

When Qiu Yiqing and Shen Jiang came in, this was what they saw. The sun was bright and clear, and even the shadow of the boy's eyelashes could be clearly seen.

Shen Jiang was very understanding, and when he came in, he punched his lips and coughed loudly several times, intending to remind Shanglu, old man, don't be ignorant, you are so close to the young master, be careful when the commander beats you!

Shen Jiang is not the only one in Fusi of Beizhen who understands winks. Shanglu people are old and smart, and there is no one who is clever. He quickly dodges. The posture and position of getting out of the way are very special. He could only stand next to Ye Baiting, the distance was still very close.

Will he not be punished now?Maybe there will be rewards later!

Shen Jiang stared at Phytolaca: What an old dog who knows how to flatter!

Shang Lu Chong Shen Jiang grinned and showed his white teeth: Do you want to learn from Grandpa? Give enough filial piety, and you will be taught and taught!

Qiu Xunqing has already started chatting about business matters: "Can you get something?"

Ye Baiting put down the bones in his hand, smiled and said, "Of course there are."

"With this little stuff, can you still gain something?" Shen Jiang couldn't hold back, and clicked his tongue.

Although the brothers worked very hard and none of them was lazy, but the conditions at the scene were like that, the things they found were really limited, and even when they were brought back, the young master was able to fight, but that’s why the body was seriously incomplete, with even a small half of the sternum and ribs missing. No, there are some arms on the left, some legs on the right, half of the hands and feet are empty, and the head is directly missing, and there are no small bones. With this little thing, what can I gain?I'm afraid I can't tell if it's a man or a woman, let alone the cause of death...

Ye Baiting knew what Shen Jiang was thinking: "Although there are not many bones, some things can still be seen. Men and women are thirteen or fourteen years old. After the second development of the body, the bones will also be different. Men's bones will be relatively stronger and thicker. The compact is thicker, the bone is heavier, and there will be obvious bulges where the muscles attach. On the contrary, women have thinner bones, lighter bones, smooth surfaces, and are relatively thin. The bulges are not obvious where the muscles are attached. Occupations also have different performances on bones. For example, women who have been doing special training all year round will also have heavier bones... You can feel the difference in different bones when you see more. The broken corpse in front of us has stronger bones. Rough, thick and heavy, more like a man."

"Of course, we can't make a judgment based on this alone. The pelvis we found was only a small half, and the skull was not there at all. But luckily, we found the pubic bone. The angle formed has this characteristic. Generally, it is a man, and the angle of the pubic bone of a woman is larger. It should be similar to the angle formed by the expansion of the index finger and thumb. In addition, the greater tuberosity of the ischia is not everted, and the sacrum is narrow and long. , shaped like a fishhook..."

"In addition, the femur is thick and long, the femoral head is large, and the ratio of the length of the sternal body to the manubrium is greater than twice... There is a [-]% probability that this person is male."

Shen Jiang took a deep breath. He understood what is pubisacrum and sternum, but the length ratio...

Forget it, it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand, as long as he knows, the young master is always right and will never make mistakes!

Taking a second glance, the old man Shanglu was holding a pen and paper beside him and was taking notes. It's not that the old man didn't understand and needed to learn. He didn't understand, so it's not shameful at all!

After judging gender, there is age.

Ye Baiting said: "The appearance of ossification points and bone healing are different at different ages. The epiphysis of the clavicle of the deceased has basically healed. We cannot see the skull and teeth that can most help confirm the age, but the most important thing is still that we are lucky. I finally found his pubic bone. His pubic tubercle has no obvious boundary, and there is a mung bean-sized bony bump on the joint surface, which is an ossified tubercle... The age of the deceased must have reached the crown, between 30 and [-] between ages."

"As for height—"

He walked around the mortuary table: "There are a few bones, and the skull has not been found. According to his leg bones... it should be about the same as mine."

Shen Jiang: "As for the cause of death, can you tell?"

Ye Baiting handed him a bone: "Look here."

Shen Jiang held it steady, and stared hard at his eyes, but he couldn't see it for a long time.

"Did you see anything?"

"Been bitten?" Nothing but this!

Ye Baiting shook his head: "There are indeed a lot of gnawing marks on the bones, almost every piece, and it's not easy to find them, but look at the ends of the bones, what kind of animal gnaws, can make the edges smooth and smooth like this?" injury?"

Shen Jiang observed carefully, and this time he really saw the broken marks on both sides of the bone!Smooth and tidy, where it looks like teeth are biting, it is cut with a sharp tool!Uh, such a big bone may not be able to be cut...

"Stomp?"

"It's very possible," Ye Baiting nodded, "All the bones broken due to bite marks will only have white marks left by sharp teeth. Only the smooth and flat cut surfaces like these two ends will have a slight shade of blood. That is to say..."

"The cause of death of the deceased must not be gnawing by wild animals, but someone intentionally hurting him. He kills first and then dismembers the corpse. When the corpse is dismembered, the deceased may not be completely dead."

Shen Jiang trembled: "The murderer is a bit of an animal, why did he kill like this?"

Ye Baiting thought for a while: "Because it's inconvenient? He doesn't want the body to be found."

Qiu Xunqing: "Or at that time, I didn't think of a better follow-up method."

"The corpse is so broken, how many knives did it take!" Shen Jiang frowned, "Then is this person Guan Xiuzhu, or the person who killed Guan Xiuzhu? I don't have much time today. Really everyone said that Guan Xiuzhu is a good person, so I can't believe he killed someone."

Ye Baiting asked: "When did Guan Xiuzhu die?"

Shen Jiang: "Last year's Chinese Valentine's Day, everyone knew about it!"

"The death time of this person, according to my experience, is no more than two months."

Ye Baiting stretched out his hand and signaled Qiu Yiqing and Shen Jiang to look at the black and yellow marks on the bones, some were darker and some were shallower: "The deceased was obviously dismembered after death, divided into small pieces and fed to animals. Raw meat, uncooked, the body has a natural decay process after death, the same is true for bones, which still have body tissues attached to them, and are relatively fresh, if they are dead for more than half a year, they will definitely not be of this color, this retention rate."

Qiu Xunqing: "So, it is basically certain that no matter who this corpse is, or whoever killed and mutilated the corpse, it must be related to Guan Xiuzhu."

Shen Jiang nodded, yes, the house belongs to someone else.

Ye Baiting: "Guan Xiuzhu died on Qixi Festival last year, which was related to the embezzlement case of the disaster relief bank. His death is already very sensitive. If there is anything related to him, it will suddenly be sent out a few months after his death. ? Or something happened..."

Qiu Xunqing: "Or, it's because the spoils were not evenly distributed, and some people can't sit still."

If this dismembered corpse is related to what happened last year, apart from these two directions, there is basically no other possibility.

Ye Baiting thought for a while, and said: "In this corpse dismemberment case, first, what we need to determine is where is the scene of the first crime. Where did the murderer kill the person and dismember the corpse?"

Qiu Suiqing's head: "The room next to the firewood house is very suspicious, and the surrounding area is also stepping up investigations. Clues should come out soon."

Ye Baiting really wanted to thank him for his hard work. If there were modern instruments that could distinguish blood stains after cleaning, the process would be greatly shortened. Unfortunately, no, everyone would have to work harder.

"Secondly, the method of dismembering the corpse." Ye Baiting stretched out his second finger, "After killing someone, why dismember the corpse?"

Shen Jiang: "Because of being abnormal?"

Ye Baiting: "To dismember the corpse with my own hands, the other party is human just like myself. This kind of cruel and bloody process is difficult for ordinary people to face. Even if they are not afraid, they will feel disgusted. They are not born perverted, and there is a high probability that they will not adopt such a method. This is not a necessary process for murder. Generally, there is only one reason for doing this - to hide the source of the corpse. The murderer does not want to be found that the person is dead, and he is worried that the body will be exposed and he will be implicated... so it is very big It may be an acquaintance who committed the crime, once the identity of the deceased is determined, the scope of the suspect will be locked immediately, and there is no way out of this circle."

Shen Jiang nodded, yes, this is reasonable!

Ye Baiting stretched out his third finger: "Thirdly, where did the head of the deceased go? Chopping the body into pieces and distributing them to animals to chew on is a way to deal with it. Even if ordinary people see these broken bones, they probably won't recognize them. It comes out, but the head is different, as long as it is bitten out, even if the person is bitten beyond recognition, it will cause panic and report to the police immediately. What the murderer wants is for this person to disappear quietly. No one knows. Nobody is going to report..."

Shen Jiang swallowed: "So the murderer hid it?"

Chou Yiqing: "The skull is hard and difficult to chew. It is normal for the murderer to do other things out of concealment."

Ye Baiting: "The murderer is so careful, it's very possible that when he scattered the broken corpses to the animals, he just stared in the yard until the gnawing was almost done and the flesh was no longer visible, then he left in peace..."

Shen Jiang: "Then what should I do with this head? Bury it?"

"Bury it or throw it away," Ye Baiting analyzed, "Burying it on the spot is a good choice, but the pit has to be dug deep and in a remote place so that animals can't smell it. If you dig it out and throw it away, maybe a river will be a good choice. ?”

Qiu Yiqing: "Expand the scope of the search and investigation, ask Xuanfeng to go out with the training dog, and see if there will be any gains."

Shen Jiang: "Yes!"

Ye Baiting narrowed his eyes: "Finally, what is the relationship between the deceased and Guan Xiuzhu? As for the murderer, what entanglement did he have with these two people? Why did the body be dismembered in Guan Xiuzhu's house? Is it just a coincidence? I don't believe it. There is a very special reason... Shen Baihu, you have the direction of investigation. The people you have known with Guan Xiuzhu from three months ago to the present. Such as transfer, leaving, or disappearing..."

"The murderer and the deceased we are looking for are probably among these people."