The first work of the imperial prison

The night is still and the wind is silent. Although the candlelight is faint, it may not fail to illuminate the dark colors hidden in the depths.

Shen Jiang thought, if the premise of "like" is added, all the logic can be fulfilled, and there is an obvious line connecting the two murder cases. Once you pick it up, your vision will be clear.

Because there were no more clues and information before, he even paid attention to the death of Meng Nanxing's biological mother Wang during the investigation and visits. It turned out that there was no problem, but he contracted a cold, high fever, and diarrhea. At that time, more than one doctor was called, and he went to ask. They all said that although the illness was a little urgent, it could not be man-made. It was just some bad luck.

Wang's death has nothing to do with the Hubu case, Meng Nanxing will not have any hatred and entanglements because of this, why did he have to die when Ding You left Beijing?As the young master said, he compromised with the rules of the Ministry of Household Affairs, and even participated in the corruption and distribution of the spoils. As long as he is as obedient as always and knows to shut up, there is no need for others to kill him. He must have done something to make others dissatisfied. It ended up like this.He should be a very tolerant person. His mother can endure years of coercion and orders, so disgusting and so resistant, and Shangfeng's "special needs" can also tolerate it. What kind of energy accumulation does he need to be able to bear it?

There was nothing left in his life. After Wang's death, he was relieved and lost. The only pursuit and persistence he had was probably the person he liked at the time. Resistance and rebellion also came from this... He will most likely want to complain for Guan Xiuzhu!

As expected, the young master is amazing!Sit down and stroke, analyze and analyze, and the case will be cleared up, clear and clear!You can't solve the case without the young master!Beizhen Fusi cannot do without the young master!Commander cannot live without Master!

Shen Jiang really wanted to flatter her in a fancy way, but with a glance, the commander was here... a bit inconvenient.

He controlled his outstretched hand, turned in a different direction, and punched his palm: "Go to the household department today, I should ask a few more questions! Maybe I can find out the murderer's suspicion!"

Ye Baiting calmly said, "I asked."

ah?did you ask?What did you ask?

Shen Jiang thought about it carefully, the young master seemed to ask some questions, whether he was good at drinking, whether he would socialize, whether he would visit Shangfeng's house... At that time, he didn't quite understand, he thought he was asking casually just to pick things up, thinking about it now , it doesn't seem to be the case, the young master is trying to test the behavior rules of these people in the household department, and secretly rules...

"Time is limited, how can I just ask nonsense?"

Ye Baiting was holding the tea, and there was a glimmer of light in his eyes: "I have talked about Meng Nanxing with everyone, and according to the murderer's psychological speculation, he must be unwilling to let people know that Meng Nanxing is dead. There are generally two extremes in his performance. Either, I am extremely unwilling to mention it and say very little, or I am extremely willing to mention it, and say a lot, everything is to cover up myself, to show that I have nothing to do with this matter, think about it, who is bringing it up today Meng Nanxing's reaction was different, did he talk the most, or the least?"

Shen Jiang thought for a while: "Jiang Yiqing and Zhao Guangji said a lot...Deng Huaqi only mentioned one thing, when Wan Chengyun was asked about Meng Nanxing's hometown, he threw the question to Zhao Xingde by the way. The answer is neither too much nor too little.”

In the middle, there are many subtle details worth studying.

Ye Baiting said again: "It is known that Meng Nanxing was killed on the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month last year, his body was dismembered, and his head was thrown into the moat. I asked directly about the itinerary for that day. The murderer must be sensitive and vigilant, so before I left, I asked again, Xiaonian How busy were they and what did they do that day?"

Shen Jiang: ...

Isn't that perfunctory!It was obvious that the commander finished the matter. I asked the young master if there is anything else you want to ask. You just asked a random question to avoid embarrassment at the scene. It doesn’t seem to matter what other people answer. Followed the commander and left... Could it be that this also has a deep meaning?

Qiu Xunqing understood the deep meaning of Xiao Wu's work: "After the murder, the murderer will usually continue to cover up his behavior to show his alibi-who's behavior is the most abnormal in the household department on this day in Xiaonian? Who is the busiest?"

Li Guangji drank at home and didn't go out for a day. All family members and guests can testify. Jiang Yiqing made appointments with others, went out to play, and returned at night. There are also witnesses. Many guests came to visit, and they were so busy greeting each other that they didn't even have time to meet Zhao Xingde, the subordinate who visited the door...

If you taste it carefully, you will gain something.

Seeing the young master and the commander looking at each other with a tacit understanding, Shen Jiang felt that his existence was a bit redundant. These two seemed to understand something?What did you infer?

But he doesn't know anything!Can you just say what you think of, it's hard for him to do it!

Shen Baihu is currently working overtime and can't leave. He feels that the atmosphere of others will be disturbed by lightning, so he touches his chin, looks at the densely packed words on the small whiteboard, thinks to himself, and says to himself: "Meng Nanxing wants to replace you." Guan Xiuzhu seeks justice...what does he know? What evidence does he have?"

"Meng Nanxing likes Guan Xiuzhu, but never let him know. Li Jiguang likes Meng Nanxing, but has never received a response... Is it love killing! Guan Xiuzhu occupies the latrine and doesn't shit. Will Li Guangji dislike him, so he lives Killing intent!"

Huh?Love and love... It seems a bit inappropriate to describe it like this, but no matter, he found a new direction!

"Young master!" Shen Jiang turned to Ye Baiting, his eyes burning, "Does Li Guangji know that Meng Nanxing likes Guan Xiuzhu?"

Ye Baiting held the teacup with deep eyes: "What do you think?"

Shen Jiang carefully recalled every word Li Guangji said, every expression on his face: "I can't put it into words, but I just feel... something is wrong."

Ye Baiting tapped lightly on the wall of the teacup with his fingertips: "When the commander and I went to the household department for the first time, there were not so many clues and information. I just wanted to get a preliminary understanding of the atmosphere of the household department's official office, and everyone's attitude towards Guan Xiuzhu. Li Guangji's performance caught my attention a little bit. When he mentioned Guan Xiuzhu, he was still normal, but a little reserved, in line with his personality traits. But when he mentioned "someone likes Guan Xiuzhu", his expression changed very obviously. At that time, I doubted whether the person who liked Guan Xiuzhu was him, but in the end the clue pointed to no, so why did he behave like that?"

There seems to be only one answer.

Ye Baiting narrowed his eyes: "Meng Nanxing's heart, who he likes and who he doesn't, actually knows. He is not confident in himself. On the one hand, he doesn't think that Meng Nanxing will see him, but on the other hand, he has expectations for Meng Nanxing's favor. , so today when I asked him if Meng Nanxing knew his intentions and liked him, he would say, 'I hope he likes me'."

"So, with Guan Xiuzhu's death, is it possible to kill someone with love?" Shen Jiang was stunned for a moment, never expecting that he would guess it right one day!

"It can't be completely ruled out," Ye Baiting shook his head gently, "In the entire household department, Li Guangji is the one who does the most work, and he knows the inside story. His feelings for Guan Xiuzhu are very complicated. He joined the household department in the same year and was also a newcomer. In the face of various difficulties, sympathy and sympathy, because of Guan Xiuzhu's cheerfulness and generosity, he has a bottom line in helping others, and respect in his heart, and because of Guan Xiuzhu's strong resistance, he refuses to obey Shangfeng's discipline, and deliberately avoids for fear of being hurt. Because Guan Xiuzhu is too eye-catching, talented, and loved by many people, he will be jealous... Li Guangji is really timid and afraid of trouble, but if he is very depressed, he will be stimulated to explode and have The energy, no one can say for sure."

"These, we have to continue to find evidence to support it."

Reasoning is inseparable from solving a case, but it is still necessary to rely on evidence to prove the crime and bring the murderer to justice.

With this question in mind, Ye Baiting turned to look at Qiu Yiqing: "What do you think of Guan Xiuzhu's emotional state towards Meng Nanxing?"

Qiu Xunqing: "During the Lantern Festival, you and I walked together the path that Guan Xiuzhu walked before his death."

"Yes."

"Whether it's the information recorded in the case file or the new clues we found, Guan Xiuzhu doesn't know that there is someone who likes him, and it is impossible to have any feedback, but later in the day, it may not be so. .”

The lantern stall owner's words were very indicative of Guan Xiuzhu's expression at that time. Guan Xiuzhu must have thought of something.

"I think the same as the commander. The Qixi Festival is a very good day."

"……Um."

The young master and the commander looked at each other again, and something he didn't understand flashed in their eyes!Shen Jiang's heart felt like being pawed by a dog's paw, itching and anxious, what on earth was on his mind, you all said it out!Tell me to know too!

The eyes of the man in front of him were too deep and dark, which made Ye Baiting ignore the occasion for a while, and always felt that this man was not serious about the case, but talking and discussing other things.

He looked away and took a sip of tea: "Let's not forget that there is another person in the household department office."

"Anything else?" Shen Jiang looked back at the densely packed words on the small whiteboard, and the relationship lines with Liancheng, and his head hurt, "Who else?"

Ye Baiting: "Looking at Jiang Yiqing's performance, we know that he has an ambiguous distance with Shangshu Wan Chengyun and his servant Zhao Xingde. Based on the analysis of Meng Nanxing's clues, there is also this tendency. Lin Bin's performance is more obvious. The first time I went to the Ministry of Housing with the commander, Lin Bin It is said that the rules of the household department are strict, he is a stallholder, and he is not allowed to come to the main hall to spy on official affairs, but he did not leave the official document that day, and he even poured tea for the commander——Zhao Xingde did not stop him, and observed and connived, The sense of distance is equally ambiguous."

"And today, he was accidentally swung aside by the commander. It was Wan Chengyun who supported him and reminded him to be careful. The sense of distance..."

"It's also very ambiguous!" Shen Jiang thought thoroughly at this moment, "He was trained by Zhao Xingde! But although this training sounds harsh, it is not really training. It seems that there is a kind of 'my person, I have trained , Once blamed, others can no longer scold 'meaning'!"

This is not training, this is protection!

Their relationship must not be simple!

The more Shen Jiang thought about it, the more he felt that the Ministry of Household Affairs is really powerful, and there is a lot of work. Looking at all the official robes and looking like dogs, they are actually rotten to the root. They dare to do anything. If you dare to drag them into the house, you are not afraid that others will be a spy and sell your whole litter!

The scene at the door was repeated in his mind, and Shen Jiang clicked his tongue: "That guy named Lin... is a pretty boy. He looks good, with a white face and a thin waist. He bumped into the commander, didn't he... didn't he... ..."

Ye Baiting shook the teacup, looked at Qiu Yiqing, and said in a deep voice, "I think he should know something, and he knows that the commander wants to investigate the case, and I happen to have some clues, why don't I just hint and make a deal .”

Shen Jiang suddenly felt that the atmosphere was not right, what kind of kung fu did Lin Xiaobailian rely on to be able to get along in the household department like a duck to water, what is he good at?This kind of transaction must never be done!The Commander has a clean name!

Ye Baiting: "Does the commander want to try?"

Hatred's blue eyebrows darkened slightly: "You let me try others?"

"No, that's not what the young master meant!" Shen Jiang felt that the atmosphere was not quite right, and hurriedly pulled back, "I'll go! I can go!"

Ye Baiting also came back to his senses, knowing that he shouldn't have said this, touched his nose, stretched out the pot, and refilled Qiu Yiqing's tea: "I mean, there must be something in Lin Bin's place." Turning to the right, she looked at Shen Jiang. , "You can go, but you have to change the way, others may not like you."

Shen Jiang: ...

What evil did I do, to help others out of trouble and still be disgusted!But what the young master said is right, that little boy can catch up with the big shots in the household department, and he knows that it is not a fuel-efficient lamp...

"The young master reminded me, I will pay attention!"

Qiu Xunqing looked at the little gangster who was sitting obediently, and then looked at the hundred households standing in front of the small whiteboard, snorted, and said nothing, as if he had let them go.

Ye Baiting paused for a while, and there was one more thing he had to ask: "What trouble did the Commander encounter today? Why is there so much movement?"

With Qiu Yiqing's skill, if he really sneaked in to find something, he could do so silently without making so many noises.

Qiu Xunqing: "I am not the only one looking for things in the household entry department."

Ye Baiting paused slightly, and almost immediately thought of a direction: "Where is Li Xiaoliang?"

Once this case is overturned successfully, He Yiming will be unlucky. Since foreign organizations are planning to find He Yiming in the near future, it is reasonable and reasonable to pay attention to this case. They have obtained key things. There are two uses. One is to help He Yiming and give benefits. , let him be grateful and use it for himself; second, threaten He Yiming, and the little pigtails are clenched, are you afraid that he will be disobedient?

"At present, there is no definite clue to confirm it," Qiu Yiqing shook his head slightly, "Whether the identity of the man in black is confirmed, whether it is related to Xiaozuo or Yiming, there is no evidence to support it. Whether there is any relationship between them, we have to wait for the follow-up To track down, I have sent people to follow up, and there should be results soon."

The room fell into an eerie silence again.

Shen Jiang looked at the young master, then at the commander, and finally his eyes fell on the small whiteboard. There was a lot of dense information on it, and some lines were already clear: "So what are we going to do next?"

Ye Baiting pondered for a moment: "Think about it, see if you can find Guan Xiuzhu's dog. The dog loves the old owner. If you can find it, it may help the case." At this point, he paused, "The murderer used it to destroy Meng. Didn’t they also use dogs when Nan Xing’s corpse was traced? The commander verified the traces and confirmed that it was definitely not one. So many dogs, where did they come from? Domestic dogs will definitely not be brought out like this at will, and there will be movement when they come out , wild dogs... where did they find it? Where do these dogs find food? Where do they sleep?"

Qiu Xunqing: "Today I found some rosters in the Ministry of Household Affairs. After years of business records, signature traces, according to the investigation, where the embezzled money is, I may be able to find it."

"On the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month last year, the timeline of the people involved in the case needs to be confirmed again, and it must be detailed enough."

"Wan Chengyun, Zhao Xingde has a personal matter with the household department personnel, and there must be enough evidence, time, place, witnesses, it is best to have all of them."

"Lin Bin..."

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing were talking one by one, and Shen Jiang was on the side, holding a small notebook, because this case is quite special, the murder case is important, and the investigation of corruption is also important. The facts have to be clear, all the clues have to be sorted out, the context of the case is now clear, as long as evidence can be found, who is the murderer, can be found out soon!

The more the three of them reasoned, the clearer the case became, and the more they talked, the brighter their eyes became. This conversation lasted until the fifth watch.

At the fifth watch, the sky is the darkest, and it is also the time when it will be bright.

Everything is hidden under calm, and everything is full of hope.

"Okay, young master, just watch!" Shen Jiang stayed up all night, but he didn't feel tired, his face was eager to try, and he wished he could catch someone now.

He did go to work immediately, changed clothes, ate something, and didn't sleep much.Sure enough, Huang Tian paid off, he gained a lot this day, such as investigating Wan Chengyun and Zhao Xingde's past experiences, a detailed study of the timeline, and the working mode of the household department... almost made the young master guess, it really is like this!

But before he could find any more evidence, the next day, a major change occurred in the case. Zhao Xingde died and committed suicide in fear of crime. The place where he committed suicide was a secret room with all doors and windows tightly closed. He was the only one in the room when he was discovered.

When he sent back the news, Ye Baiting frowned immediately.

"Does it feel wrong? I also feel that it is such a coincidence. At this juncture, our investigation has just made great progress, and Zhao Xinde died suddenly..." The more Shen Jiang pondered, the more strange it became, "Why doesn't it feel like that? Suicide in fear of crime, but being silenced?"

Ye Baiting's eyelashes moved slightly, and he quickly thought: "Where is the scene, and how did you find it?"

"It's at Zhao Xing's home, his study," Shen Jiang said, "today is not a day for rest, but Zhao Xingde has not left the house until very late. His wife, Qian Shi, is worried and asks someone to knock on the door to urge him. What's going on inside?" No way, I had no choice but to have someone kick open the door, only to find that the person had been hanged inside, the Zhao family was terrified, and the family members of the officials knew something, knowing that there was a case under investigation recently, they did not dare to Unload the body and immediately report to the official..."

"Where's the commander?"

"Working in the east of the city is different from our direction. I went to the scene when I received the letter. Let me come and pick you up, young master, so let's go now?"

"go!"

The two rode horses all the way, and they arrived at Zhao Xingde's house very quickly.The incident happened in a hurry, Zhao's family hung up the news in a hurry, the servants at the door did not dare to speak loudly, the atmosphere in the whole house was oppressive, and there was a faint cry coming from the back house.

Ye Baiting and Shen Jiang walked in and met Jiang Yi who was going out.

"Both of you have worked hard." Jiang Yiqing stopped and cupped his hands, "Look at this day, it is really a coincidence. Our Master Shangshu is going to meet the Holy Spirit in the palace. We went early in the morning and haven't come back yet. Deng Shilang had a drink with me last night." Dajiu, rumor has it that he hasn't woken up yet, and there is no one else in the household department, so I can only come here to help. Right now, the Zhao family is in deep pain, and the whole family is in a bit of a mess, so please bear with me."

Ye Baiting observed his expression: "Have you been here for a long time?"

"It didn't take long, I came here as soon as I received the letter, and worked hard with your commanders." Jiang Yiqing sighed slightly, "Anyway, there are unpredictable things, and if there is anything you need, just call someone."

After finishing speaking, he left, walking in a hurry, looking like he was really helping.

The study is not far away, the door is open right now, Ye Baiting and Shen Jiang walked over, the first impression is neat and quiet, the study is orderly and clean, the windows are tightly closed, the broken latch fell to the ground, there are An overturned round stool, Zhao Xingde's person was right above the round stool, hanging from the beam, motionless.

Qiu Yiqing was standing in the middle of the study, observing carefully.

Ye Baiting raised his foot and stepped over the threshold: "Did the commander find anything?"

"Not many," Qiu Yiqing shook his head, "I have already finished asking the servants roughly, Zhao Xingde was in the study last night and never went out, because this is not an exception, he will always be like this, the servants have no doubts, today It’s only when I don’t see anyone in the morning that I feel something is wrong, and the door-kicking boy also did it under the direction of the mistress, so there is nothing suspicious about it.”

As soon as Shen Jiang entered the house, he was taken aback by the hanging man: "Excuse me, the Zhao family is also very courageous."

This can also be held back and not unloaded.

Ye Baiting has already started to inspect the scene, the window is closed tightly, the latch is inside, absolutely impossible to operate from the outside, he is looking at the round stool that has fallen down on the ground, he lifts it up to check the height, it is just right for Zhao Xingde to step on.

"The deceased left a suicide note." While the two were moving, Qiu Xunqing quickly said the key information, "I admit that Guan Xiuzhu's death last year was an unjust case. He gave a lot of evidence, including written signatures, book transactions, silver stash, etc., and also admitted another murder case, he killed Meng Nanxing in Guan Xiuzhu's house."

"Even confessed about Meng Nanxing..."

Ye Baiting squinted his eyes, saw the Jinyi guards busy outside, and asked Qiu Xingqing: "Is the on-site investigation over?"

Qiu Yiqing knew what he was talking about, and ordered two Jinyi guards to come over: "Unload the corpse."

The corpse was carried to the flat door by two Jinyi guards. Ye Baiting had already put on his gloves and bent over to examine the corpse.

"The cornea is slightly turbid, and the plaques on the corpse are small, gradually merging into pieces, the color is dark red, the color of finger pressure fades, and it resets when it is removed, and the rigor spreads to the whole body... The death time of the deceased was within two to six hours."

"The deceased's face was bruised and swollen, and there were hemorrhages under the conjunctiva. The sling groove in the neck was formed at one time. The bottom was deep and the top was shallow, and it was horseshoe-shaped. After comparing, the brows frowned slightly, "The width and texture of the cable ditch are consistent with the hanging rope."

Qiu Yiqing also frowned: "Is it really suicide?"

Ye Baiting: "Judging from the traces of the existing corpse, it doesn't look like homicide."

"No." Shen Jiang saw the injuries on the face of the deceased, "Master, look at his face, neck, and injuries! Could it be man-made?"

How could Ye Baiting not see it: "The clothes on the deceased's body were neat, except for the folds on the chest, and minor wounds on the forehead, face, and neck. People have reactions in special occasions, even if the act of hanging themselves is subjective. The decision was made, the moment the chair was kicked away, the body was under gravity, and people were on the verge of death, people would struggle, and the hands would naturally move subconsciously, these were not resistance injuries, and should be caused by the deceased himself.”

He looked around the study for a week, and he could even guess the trajectory of the deceased. Zhao Xingde may have sat in the study for a long time, the night was long and silent, and no one knew what he was thinking. He wrote the suicide note and drank tea in the middle—

Ye Baiting saw the teacup on the desk, the lid of the teacup was lifted, and there was only half of the tea in it.The things on the desk have been sorted out, and it can be seen at a glance that the things have been sorted out very carefully and as flat as possible, but it is obvious that the deceased did not do this professionally, and the neatness is not as good as that of the bookshelf on the other side, where experienced servants take care of it meticulously of.

Tidying things up, leaving a suicide note, closing the doors and windows, placing the round stool, tying the rope, hanging myself up, struggling, dying...

It appears to be a deliberate and willing decision.

There was nothing unusual about Zhao Xingde's death scene. It looked like a suicide, but was he really willing?

As soon as the matter fell on him from the household department, it closed the loop almost perfectly, and even revealed where the embezzled money was hidden. Ye Baiting didn't even have to guess, as hatred and suspicion would lead people to look for it, and they would definitely find it.

"The case is closed? The murderer committed suicide in fear of crime?"

Shen Jiang's expression was a bit confused. To be honest, he really doubted this Zhao Xingde, but now that he is dead, he is not quick to solve the case, but rather aggrieved. Could it be that all his work was for nothing?

Qiu Yiqing said, "Not necessarily."

"Zhao Xingde was involved in the Ministry of Finance's corruption. He has money, which is a fact, but the amount..." Ye Baiting looked at Qiu Yiqing, "Isn't it right?"

Qiu Yiqing shook his head resolutely: "The number of confessions in the suicide note is quite different."

Ye Baiting narrowed his eyes: "It seems that the person we are going to deal with this time is very greedy." He even refused to spit out the money he ate.

Shen Jiang understood: "So this is not suicide at all, it is homicide!"

Ye Baiting still shook his head: "Not necessarily."

Shen Jiang was dumbfounded, so what happened?