The first work of the imperial prison

On the 24th of the first lunar month, the sky is cloudy and the north wind is cold.

The sky seems to be getting darker faster than before, Beizhen Fusi is silent, there are corridor lamps standing on the side of the road, and hourglasses hanging in the corners of the house. There is a faint, inaudible whisper coming from nowhere, it may be the humming night The wind may be the misery of the prisoners who cannot stand the prison, it may be the wild dogs outside the wall, or it may be the silent reflection from the heart, from the depths of the soul, which is only heard and seen by oneself, but not seen by others.

The huge main hall of the Sili has finally been used today. Right in the middle and back, under the plaque of "Mirror Hanging High", there is a long and long table with a black sandalwood bottom. The hall wood, the high chair with the back, is very powerful. The lower left side of the case table, slightly outside the position, is a slightly smaller short table. The color and texture are similar to the long table. It looks like it is made of the same set of wood, but the size is different. One is spacious and grand, the other is exquisite and small, one is inside and the other is outside. There are also pens, ink, paper and inkstones on them. On the chairs on the small side, there is also a soft cushion. Because there are two desks, it is well hidden. , no one outside will see it except the person sitting inside.

Further outside, there are two rows of chairs, with a small square table in the middle, which is used to place tea and sundries. The rows are neat and orderly, with such a large number, it doesn't look crowded and noisy at all. On the contrary, the whole hall is more grand and decent. , solemn and quiet.

At the end of the Shenshi period, the two rows of chairs were full of people, and they all knew each other, except for the people involved in this case, the household secretary Wan Chengyun, the servant Deng Huaqi, the gold department doctor Jiang Yiqing, the warehouse department Li Guangji, and the clerk Lin Bin , as well as He Yiming, Minister of the Ministry of Punishment, and documents, and two Dali Temple Shaoqing Zhou Zhongbo and Wang Jimin.

With all the people involved in the case present, the meaning is very clear. It is to solve the case. As for the existence of the Minister of Criminal Affairs and the two young ministers of the Dali Temple... Wasn't the Ku Yin corruption case that was in charge of Xiuzhu last year on Qixi Festival last year, the case they jointly cooperated?If there are different results today, such as accountability or something, it needs to be discussed and discussed.

Everyone's seats were assigned according to their official positions, and whoever was higher was at the front. As for Lin Bin, the household stall, he was not considered a serious official. Even if there was a seat in front of him, he didn't dare to sit, and stood aside with a low eyebrow.

People on both sides looked at each other, their faces sinking like water, and occasionally their eyes flashed in a way that others didn't understand, but no one spoke.

Because there are several people guarding the side, there are guards at the door, and there are also in the hall. This is not because the partition wall has ears, but the ears are put directly in front of you. Do you dare to discuss something or hint something?

Not long after, footsteps sounded outside the corridor, and it was Qiu Yiqing who walked in with Ye Baiting and Shen Jiang.

Needless to say, the commander naturally drove straight in, walked to the innermost, middle, and largest long case, lifted his robe and sat down, while Ye Baiting was a step behind him, and stopped at the lower side of the same color, waiting for the enemy to wait. Suspect Qing sat down, then lifted his robe, and sat on the soft little cushion.

As for Shen Jiang... Shen Baihu, as always, stood under the Commander's Office, opposite the young master.

It's not that he doesn't have a seat, he already has a hundred households, and he still deserves a seat in front of this group of officials. It's very exciting, he just thinks about the young master's various methods next, forcing the murderer to resist from the corner, refuse to admit it, but is exposed to the truth, the evidence is in front, and the scene where he has to admit the truth, he is gearing up, wishing to see it now arrive!

If not to say that the commander and the young master are not ordinary people, they can still hold back in this scene, each of them has no expression on their faces, and looks like someone owes them 2 taels of silver. Here, he just controls his expression It's already very strenuous, whether to sit or stand, it's cool to be able to move!

The hall was solemn and silent.

After Qiu Suiqinggao was sitting in the case, his voice raised slightly: "Why do you invite you to Beizhen Fusi today? I think you have already understood. Last summer, when the Jiangnan flooded, the Ministry of Households was ordered to allocate money for disaster relief. I don't want the bank to allocate It turned out that less than [-]% of them arrived in the south of the Yangtze River. Who was the greedy ink, who was the troublemaker, and who was the protector——to this day, the case has undergone new twists and turns, and two more victims have been added. Guan Xiuzhu's "suicide in fear of crime" is obviously a misjudgment , this time the truth is presented in court, and I invite you all to be witnesses."

He Yiming didn't like to hear these words. Last year's case was handled by him, and he said it so clearly, what would others think of him?Doesn't it seem that he is incompetent?

"If the evidence is convincing and the truth is clear, the commanding envoy can just submit it directly to the imperial court, without such a high-sounding appearance." It sounds nice, but you also lack evidence, and you want to call everyone together and give it a shot?

"Beizhen Fusi handles the case differently than the Ministry of Criminal Justice." Qiu Suqing was not in a hurry, and spoke slowly, "Motives, physical evidence, witness testimony, and oral confessions, everything must be seamless, and there is room for doubt. If the facts are not clear, the case cannot be closed."

He Yiming's face froze, and he didn't smile: "It's not necessary to distinguish you and me so clearly. I have strict laws in court, and the criminal department handles cases in accordance with the rules. , why not impeach him before the imperial court?"

"Master He is in a hurry?" Qiu Xun's blue eyelids rolled up, "It's a pity that I am here, and the case is prioritized, and the papers will not be submitted until later. If you want to aggrieve Mr. He, you can feel at ease for a while."

He Yiming: ...

The room was silent for a while, and the air was tense.

Ye Baiting looked around and saw Shen Jiang winking at him non-stop, his eyebrows were about to fly out, so he could only smile and said in a soft voice: "The Fusi of Beizhen is busy today, and Shen Baihu has to go to see some evidence in person. Take it, the time is later, but fortunately the night is long enough and the house is warm enough, tonight, I would like to trouble my lords to show you a face, listen to the case story, and cooperate with the commander to unravel the truth."

Qiu Yiqing's voice was cold and solemn: "If you don't want to be here, it's okay, everyone, please feel free."

The people in the seat exchanged glances quickly, but no one moved, whether they had any thoughts in their minds... No one else knew.

He Yiming didn't move, just took the tea, and dropped the teacup by 'accidentally' on the ground, and the teacup broke when it hit the ground, making a loud noise.

With just this sound, the door of the hall was pushed open immediately, and the two teams of Jinyiwei rushed up immediately, there were about twenty of them in number, each of them was wearing a flying fish suit, and the Xiuchun knife was unsheathed, the blade was glowing with a cold light in the night, cold and harsh His eyes were full of murderous intent.

Everyone: ...

In this battle, who dares to leave?With just a little noise, so many people can rush in. Jin Yiwei is afraid that not all staff will be working overtime tonight, and the three floors inside and outside will surround Beizhen Fusi, let alone people, not even a fly can fly out?

He Yiming raised his eyelids: "Sorry, my hands slipped for a while."

Qiu Yiqing waved his hand, and the two teams of Jinyi Wei Xiuchun drew their sheathed knives, saluted, and went down like running water. The queue was silent, coming quickly and leaving even faster.

He Yiming was a little uneasy, and the voice came out: "I don't know, Beizhen Fusi actually treats guests in such a way, threatening the imperial court to order officials, aren't you afraid that I will sue the emperor?"

Over there, Shen Jiang had already hooked his fingers and asked the guards to clean up the broken porcelain pieces on the ground. He smiled and served another cup of tea to He Yiming. He was extremely courteous: "This Isn't it a coincidence? How did Lord He know that our commander came out of the palace? Did he want to see another secret decree?"

He Yiming: ...

Co-authored you to file a complaint first, right?Last time I brought the imperial decree and asked the Dali Temple of the Ministry of Punishment to cooperate with the case. What is it this time?Do things cheaply, and deal with them casually, these court officials, don't you need to report it!

His face was slightly stern, his eyes slid over Shen Jiang, and landed on Qiu Yiqing: "The Fusi of Beizhen is full of style, and the house is warm all night long, so you can't freeze everyone here, but we are serving the court, and we are also flesh and blood." , It’s not hard, everyone needs to rest, why don’t you avoid gossip and go straight to the case?”

Shen Jiang snorted, can't you be patient?Provocative again, what are you afraid of, what respect do you want?The words are high-sounding, so others can't see your cowardice?

Qiu Yiqing didn't bother to play such a small talk, but seemed to be too small, raised his chin slightly, and pointed to the young lady below: "Ye Baiting, come and tell the adults about Meng Nanxing."

"Yes."

Ye Baiting lowered his head to show courtesy, and then slowly opened his mouth: "The [-]th day of this month, the Lantern Festival, I accompanied the commander to inspect the people's livelihood. When I went to Guan Xiuzhu's private house, I found a human palm bone. I felt something was wrong. I checked nearby, and sure enough, I saw a lot of broken bones in the yard, which were neither poultry nor livestock, and were all owned by people. Not only in the yard, but also walking out along the gate and heading to the suburbs, there were also scattered bones—several Later, human skulls were found on the ice of the moat.”

"Under the order of the commander, I conducted an autopsy and quickly identified the deceased as a male, aged between 28 and 22... After multiple investigations, it was confirmed that the multiple features of the bone fragments were consistent with Meng Nanxing. It's Hubu Cangbu Langzhong, who was supposed to leave Beijing on the [-]nd day of the twelfth lunar month last year."

"Master Xiao Meng's death is very regrettable. No one knew about it because the body was destroyed before. Now, everyone here should know."

"Why do you need to go into details about this person's death?" Jiang Yiqing who was sitting on the seat said, "Didn't Mr. Zhao have already admitted the crime when he feared the crime? I was shocked and heartbroken when I heard it, but the facts are clear, so there is no need to discuss it here, right?"

Ye Baiting glanced past him, and landed on Li Guangji who was in the last seat. When he mentioned the word Meng Nanxing and Meng Nanxing's death, everyone in the room showed no expression, because they knew it long ago and were prepared for it. Only Li Guangji, even though he had already Knowing this, I have been sad and uncomfortable, and now I still can't restrain myself, my lips are tightly pressed, and the circles of my eyes are slowly turning red.

"Zhao Xingde did leave a suicide note, saying that he did everything and killed people, but he didn't say how." His voice was a little slow, but clear enough, "Meng Nanxing, when he was still conscious, chopped up with a sharp ax."

The atmosphere in the room stagnated, and everyone couldn't help frowning.

"Meng Nanxing finished the funeral for his deceased mother and greeted all the people he knew. On the day he decided to leave Beijing, on the 22nd of the twelfth lunar month, he went to Guan Xiuzhu's old house and met a person, an acquaintance, two people There was a disagreement in the conversation, and Meng Nanxing was determined, so he was silenced. He was first restrained, knocked out, and then taken to the dog house. When he was still conscious, the murderer used Guan Xiuzhu to feed the dog to eat bones. The murderer didn't think it was enough to do such a frenzied thing. That day, he found a group of wild dogs outside and gnawed up the scattered pieces of Meng Nanxing's body before going out with his head and throwing it away. Into the moat."

While observing the expressions of some people present, Ye Baiting said: "Zhao Xingde's suicide note only said that Meng Nanxing took the benefits, but suddenly retorted, he didn't like it, he wanted to kill people with his own hands, it's just that he couldn't get used to it. Deep hatred, do you have to dismember the corpse and feed it to the dogs?"

After a moment of silence in the room, Hubu Shangshu Wan Chengyun sighed: "Jin Yiwei has doubts, no matter how detailed the investigation is, it can't be overstated, but if everything is as you said, Meng Nanxing had a dispute with someone and was restrained and knocked out. People have such deep prejudices, such strong hostility, why does he not make noise, ask for help loudly, and let others do what they want?"

"Good question, Mr. Wan," Ye Baiting said slowly, "Just now the commander also said that the Beizhen Fusi handles the case, all the logical evidence needs to be completed and there is no doubt. There is no need for the commander to work hard on this issue , let me answer Mr. Wan, because Guan Xiuzhu's house is very special, the room is ordinary, but the depth is extremely deep. ?”

"Since the two are acquaintances, even if there is a dispute, they will know each other's thoughts and style of doing things. If the murderer's nature has always been hidden deeply, and he is used to coaxing, Meng Nanxing was fascinated by the words for a while. It's also a normal thing."

After Ye Baiting finished speaking, he added: "The autopsy process is complicated, and there is a lack of more detailed evidence of the crime. However, except for the tooth marks eaten by wild dogs, the incisions on the edges of all the broken bones are very neat, with blood in between, very It was obviously caused by a sharp weapon, and was injured during his lifetime; the skull of the deceased was found in the ice layer of the river, and after careful inspection, there was an impact injury on the top of the back of the skull, without any signs of fragmentation, but it was enough to cause fainting—all autopsy items were recorded in detail. If Wanda people have any doubts, please ask for a re-examination."

Wan Chengyun didn't speak any more.

Ye Baiting: "Master Wan, do you have any questions?"

Wan Chengyun had no choice but to reply, "Since the Fusi of Beizhen has been investigated, there is no doubt about the cause of death."

"Where are you adults?" Ye Baiting looked around again.

Everyone present looked at each other and said nothing.

Ye Baiting waited for a while, but no one questioned him, so he continued: "So, let's look at the murderous intention. What Zhao Xingde wrote in his suicide note was aimed at past interests, saying that Meng Nanxing had gained a lot of benefits in the corruption case, but in the end he had to retaliate. Mouth, how much benefit did Meng Nanxing get? How did it work? Our command envoy led people to check, and found that there are extremely strict procedures for outbound transfers from the household department, treasury and bank. It can be done, but as for the circle outside washing...Meng Nanxing has no clansmen or relatives, even if his money is divided up a lot, how did it get transferred to his hands?"

Jiang Yiqing snorted coldly: "So he has a helper, isn't it Mr. Zhao? With the protection of the superior, there is no need for him to do it himself, Mr. Zhao can do everything together. In the eyes of the subordinate, this is not a serious doubt , if your company uses this as evidence, it will not be ironclad at all."

Ye Baiting: "Helper, Shangguan is protecting you, you don't need to do it yourself, the relationship between the two is very good?"

Jiang Yiqing's voice was sarcastic: "It's a good relationship, but it's not good, how can you make a fortune together?"

Ye Baiting: "The relationship is so good, so where is the murderous intent?"

Jiang Yiqing was stunned.

"What can't be figured out for a while, just explain and communicate. Why did you kill him in such a cruel way?" Ye Baiting looked at Jiang Yiqing, "Maybe Mr. Jiang can give me the answer?"

Jiang Yiqing couldn't tell.

Ye Baiting's eyes moved slightly: "However, Mr. Jiang reminded me that Meng Nanxing has an affair with the murderer. Does Mr. Jiang know?"

"Why do I know?" Jiang Yiqing looked fierce as if his tail had been bitten, "Go and ask them about those dirty things about him and Zhao Xingde, why are you asking me!"

Ye Baiting narrowed his eyes slightly: "Because Mr. Jiang, you have an affair with Zhao Xingde. Don't you know everything about Zhao Xingde?"

Jiang Yiqing was a little panicked: "I, where is my official, you don't want to swear!"

Ye Baiting: "I only said that they have personal interests, but I didn't say whether they have an affair or an affair. Why are you panicking, Mr. Jiang?"

Jiang Yiqing: ...

Want to swear.

"However, Mr. Jiang made it clear, which saves me trouble," he turned to Wan Chengyun: "Does Mr. Wan know about this?"

Wan Chengyun's brows were calm, and he looked solemn: "Even if the subordinates are selfish, they also want to avoid others. How could this officer know?"

"That makes sense," Ye Baiting nodded seriously, and asked again, "Does Master Wan have any affair with Meng Nanxing?"

Wan Chengyun narrowed his eyes: "Does Jin Yiwei have evidence to identify the imperial court official?"

Ye Baiting sighed lightly: "Master Wan doesn't want to say it, but I can understand it. Everyone is dead, and there is no proof of death, right? What about Jiang Yiqing, my lord, can Master Wan have something personal with him?"

This time without Wan Chengyun, Jiang Yiqing jumped up: "No! What's the matter with you? You asked about the case, about human life, what are you asking about?" He also pointed at Ye Baiting, looking at Qiu Xunqing, "Commander My lord! Is this how you Jinyiwei handle cases!"

Chou Yiqing pressed the gavel, calm and calm: "As I said before, the night is long and the house is warm. There are many details to live tonight, including the deceased's interpersonal relationship. If you are not satisfied, you can leave now and go to sue. Imperial certificates are also available."

Jiang Yiqing: ...

You have so many royal guards buried outside, how can anyone get away!

He was completely speechless, but he was still very angry, and he looked at Ye Baiting quite unkindly.

Ye Baiting ignored him, and looked at Li Guangji who had been pressing his lips tightly: "You have a crush on Meng Nanxing, but do you know about his affair with Shangguan?"

Li Guangji clenched his fists tightly and did not speak.

Ye Baiting: "He thinks this kind of thing is very disgusting, and he will vomit every time after the incident, so that in the recovered skull and the inside of the teeth, there are a lot of traces corroded by reflux gastric juice. He is so painful, can you see it?"

Li Guangji gritted his teeth tightly and still did not speak, but his expression became more tense.

Ye Baiting's eyes drooped slightly: "This investigation by the household department has opened the eyes of the Fusi of Beizhen. Coolies, beauties, and those who blame each other, every newcomer, the moment they step into the household department From the very beginning, the price is secretly marked, which road you should take, which kind of things you should do, which winks you should see and recognize, all have been stipulated early on, and you are not allowed to deviate. You are allowed to rebel, you are not allowed to disobey, and you want to contend..."

"It's too simple for a boss to embarrass a subordinate, for example——Li Guangji, you, let you do everything, let you go through the official documents of the entire household department, in the name of exercising you, training you, waiting for you to do everything If you are familiar and do a good job, it is time for promotion. However, you have not been promoted. Instead, you have more and more things to do on the public case, and you are getting more and more difficult to do. But you have complaints, even if you delay a little bit, you will be promoted. If you are immediately found out about your mistakes and punished, do you accept the punishment, or do things obediently?"

The corners of Li Guangji's eyes were red.

"You encountered such strong oppression, you compromised, behaved, and obeyed, but others did not. Guan Xiuzhu has been a tough guy since he came in. He didn't obey the boss's 'other matters' arrangements, and he was also arranged for these things. Isn't it? How did he choose?"

Ye Baiting's eyes paused slightly: "The solicitation he encountered at first was the same as Meng Nanxing's, wasn't it?"

Li Guangji's lips were almost bitten, but he still didn't speak. It seems that someone gave him a lot of pressure when he came here today.

Ye Baiting is not in a hurry, anyway, the night is still long: "The general is away, and it happens to spread rumors. The work of the Shangguan is special. When he is always busy, someone secretly hides his thoughts and takes the opportunity to spread rumors. Isn’t your path smooth? Mr. Jiang, have you ever done such a thing?”

Jiang Yiqing suffered a disadvantage before, but this time he didn't want to talk to him at all.

Ye Baiting: "You can help your boss train newcomers, but you can secretly bully and suppress Meng Nanxing when your boss clearly wants it, but when your boss is unhappy, you can understand the meaning and let the newcomers suffer ?”

"You said that you persuaded Guan Xiuzhu, reminded him kindly, persuaded him with good intentions, and even warmly helped him think up his speech, telling him how to admit his mistakes and show weakness in front of the Shangguan, so as to get the Shangguan's forgiveness... In fact, you don't want to help at all, you I made a small report with the Shangguan, and I have guided the Shangguan’s emotions. If he doesn’t go, it’s fine. As long as he goes, what I’m waiting for may not be the Shangguan’s forgiveness, and there will be a deeper punishment... All the things you have done, do you think? If you don't tell, no one will know?"

Jiang Yiqing was startled.

Ye Baiting's clear and moist voice had a faint coldness in the night, and it sounded chilling: "As for those little tricks of pulling sideways, which are euphemistically called the art of balance, there are countless of them. In those thick files, I saw that Meng Nanxing, who first entered the household department, was full of ideals and ambitions. He worked hard and accomplished several major things as soon as he came. On the Internet, he repeatedly signaled for power and sex transactions, but if he refused, all the credit would not belong to him. Terrible amount, because of those official duties, he started to have no time to eat, no time to go home, he was often reported and criticized, and if he didn’t follow—he made a big mistake, the fine was irreversible, and he had to be protected to survive .”

"It's been more than ten years in the cold window, with his head hanging on the beam and his buttocks. He can't be sorry for the widowed mother who has worked so hard to grow him up. The road ahead is difficult, and he can't go back. He has no choice but to compromise. After that, he will stay up all night three or four times a month. Gui, so busy that he stayed overnight at the government office, and was called by some people to a private house outside four to five times to do the unreasonable things, but he couldn't control the disgust in his heart, and then he would vomit and ask for sick leave. Jin Yiwei asked Dr. Xiangwen that as long as he took proper medicine, he would be able to recover well, but he was unwilling, Li Guangji, do you know why?"

Li Guangji was shocked.

"From a young man with bright eyes, he has become depressed and lost his brilliance, like a pearl covered in sand. Don't you think it's a pity?" Ye Baiting looked straight at Li Guangji, "On the 22nd day of the twelfth lunar month, he didn't go out of the city at all. , he was brutally killed, using the sharpest ax to chop up his body piece by piece, the body pieces were eaten by wild dogs, and his head was thrown into the icy river..."

Li Guangji suddenly shook his head: "Stop it...don't say it...you don't say it!"

Ye Baiting: "Don't you want to avenge him? In Meng Nanxing's hair, there is this silver powder that the murderer accidentally dropped. It is something that someone would use on his clothes. Let me ask you, the Department of Household Affairs, who has ever worn this? clothes?"

Li Guangji didn't intend to cooperate with the confession, but at this moment, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at the person on the chair.