The first work of the imperial prison

What is Xu Kai's emotional state, and Bai Su just wants to take advantage of it, or has he lost his mind and moved his mind?

Ye Baiting turned around and asked Shen Jiang: "How does Xu Kai determine the relationship with Ying Baisu? Has there been any contact in the past two years? Did you find anything?"

"I just want to find out more things first, so I can confront him. Who knows that others are so anxious..." Shen Jiang lowered his head, flipping through the small notebook, "I only found a little here for the time being. He likes to collect beeswax beads .”

Beeswax beads?

Qiu Yiqing: "Has he ever worn it in front of people?"

Shen Jiang: "Not at all."

"Is he credible?"

"No."

After Qiu Yiqing asked, Ye Baiting also understood, beeswax beads, one of the most widely used is bracelets, who would like this color, bracelets of this texture, why do they have this habit?

He almost instantly thought of something similar - Buddhist beads.

There are different types and sizes of Buddhist beads, some are worn around the neck, some are worn on the hands, some are wound only once, some are wound several times, and the texture is also different, some are sandalwood, some are agarwood, and some are turquoise. There are also beeswax, those who worship the Buddha must have these things on their bodies and hands.

Xu Kai just likes to collect, never wears it in front of people, and doesn't believe in Buddhism, so who is this thing for, needless to say?

"Looks like we have to go see this Miss Di." Ye Baiting looked at Qiu Yiqing.

Hatred green jaws: "Let's go."

Shen Jiang thought for a while, but didn't follow up: "Then I'm here to investigate the scene, if there are any clues, let's meet later!"

Soon, Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing arrived at Ying Baisu's courtyard. The front had already announced that when they saw someone coming, they closed the curtain: "Commander, please—"

This is the first time Ye Baiting saw Ying Baisu.

Ying Baisu suffered from a minor illness before because of an allergy to chrysanthemums. Today she looks in good spirits. She wears a plain hairpin and a green dress, with elegant eyebrows and a string of small sandalwood Buddhist beads wrapped around her wrist. She looks calm and has no desires. It seems that the whole person is detached.

Xu Kai died, Ye Baiting couldn't believe she didn't hear the commotion outside, but she just didn't show any expression, neither sad nor sad, this man died, no different from a house sparrow who hadn't survived the snow in winter, It's a personal fate, nothing to care about.

Ye Baiting asked directly: "Xu Kai died, did you hear that?"

Ying Baisu nodded: "Well, drowned."

"Do you have any thoughts on this?"

"It's a pity," Ying Baisu's voice was light, and he frowned slightly, "He did a good job, and he did everything quickly, but now he's gone. If someone else comes over... I'm afraid he won't be able to take advantage of it for a long time."

There is still nothing to be sad about, but after worrying about myself, it can't be more convenient.

Ye Baiting: "I heard that you don't like to socialize. You don't usually go anywhere. Even though you have family banquets, you rarely attend them. Don't you feel bored?"

Ying Baisu's voice was a bit ironic: "Don't all women have to live like this? Others can live, so can I. It's nothing to worry about."

"To pass the time, what do you like to do?"

"Here," Ying Baisu pushed the Lotus Sutra on the table, and revealed more prayer beads on his wrist, "Didn't you see it?"

Ye Baiting: "Do you like beeswax beads?"

Ying Baisu's eyes were alert: "What do you mean by that?"

Ye Baiting had a direct showdown: "Xu Kai likes you, you should know?"

Ying Baisu's eyes suddenly became sharp, and his complexion was not friendly: "Your Excellency is Jin Yiwei, if you have something to say, it's better not to say it nonsense."

"So you don't like him."

"Why should I like him?" Ying Baisu was agitated, "It's just a servant, can he give me glory and wealth, or do as I please? Don't I still have to stay in this broken yard until I die of old age?"

Ye Baiting paused, and asked again: "You hate your husband?"

The corners of Ying Baisu's lips curled up in a sarcastic arc: "What does it matter if you hate it or not? No one will care."

"He died because of your family business."

"That's his fate too!" Ying Baisu closed his eyes, and quickly twirled the beads, "Who told his mother to see Qian's eyes open and tell him to marry me? There are all kinds of encounters in life, but exchanging two words, they think it's worth it, do it." If you don’t, you have to take the risk yourself, and no one else can take the responsibility.”

Ye Baiting carefully observed her expression: "Your child died young."

Ying Baisu is still indifferent: "Where is there any good place in the world? The world is as black as crows. If you die, you will die. If you live, you will just take a trip in the sea of ​​suffering in the world. What's the point? Our mother and child have a shallow fate, which is also very good." .”

The prayer beads on her wrist were twisting faster and faster, and she couldn't calm down no matter how she changed her mind. She opened her eyes and looked at Ye Baiting with a cold gaze: "You came here to look for me, not to ask Xu Kai, what are you talking about?"

Qiu Yiqing blocked Ye Baiting and asked her: "Did Xu Kai come to look for you last night?"

Ying Baisu narrowed his eyes: "I've said it all, I'm not with him—"

Qiu Xunqing: "Jin Yiwei found out that you didn't want to marry, but hung out with him. Do you think you can hide it?"

Ying Baisu was stunned, and laughed at himself: "That's right, you Jin Yiwei, what can't be found out if you want to check?"

"That's right, I did get along with him back then. I was young and ignorant at that time, thinking I was fighting for myself, and didn't understand that others didn't care if I spoiled myself, whether it was sad or not, they only wanted me Just don't lose face... If you figure it out, you don't take yourself seriously, and you can live a good life."

Ying Baisu sneered: "I have an affair with Xu Kai, but seeing him is caring and easy, he can give me the care I want, he can bring the convenience I want, there is nothing else, how is his life going?" , Do you have family and friends, whether you have any grievances,... No matter how many questions you ask, I don't know."

Qiu Yiqing: "This emissary asked, did he come to see you last night?"

Ying Baisu nodded this time: "Yes."

"What did you do?"

"Lonely men and widows, meeting late at night, what else can you do?" Ying Baisu smiled lowly, with a little coquettish expression in his eyebrows and eyes, "Naturally it's that kind of thing... But he didn't stay for long, and I drove him away after it was over .”

"When was that?"

"At the end of Haishi, let's go before Zishi."

"Did he ever say anything to you?" Ye Baiting popped up from behind Qiu Yiqing, "Seldom would he say anything?"

Ying Baisu: "What else can he have for a dull-tempered person? It's just that I let him win. He is satisfied and emotional. Tell me, let me remember him, think about him, and never forget him for the rest of my life." His words."

"What about the others?"

"Gone."

Ying Baisu was very calm, he didn't hide or evade when speaking, and faced Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing directly.

Ye Baiting: "You really didn't know anything about your husband's death six years ago?"

Ying Baisu narrowed his eyes: "What do you mean?"

Ye Baiting: "Your husband, who left the Marquis Mansion with you, was robbed and taken away on the way back to the historian's house. After that, whether the bandits asked for ransom or gave tokens, no one saw your husband again—he was really returning home. kidnapped on the way home?"

This matter can only be witnessed by Ying Baisu, what if she lied?

Ying Baisu sneered: "What I said at the time is the truth. If Jin Yiwei sees doubts, he can go to Jing Zhaoyin to investigate the file. If he doubts me and has the evidence, he can arrest me-but I advise you two to be careful. It’s not easy to turn over the past, but it’s easy to move the whole body... There are still some things, just know it, don’t spread it, otherwise, my father will not let you go.”

Ye Baiting understood every word in these words, but this was too frivolous and determined, even with a threatening tone, he didn't understand it.

"You know—"

"I know, the Commander of Jin Yiwei, who is in charge of the capital and other guards, is in charge of the defense of the imperial guards, handles the cases of officials, and handles crimes." Ying Baisu knew what the other party was going to say, and she was really not afraid at all, smiling meaningfully , "But others are afraid, but our Hou Mansion is not afraid."

……

Ye Baiting couldn't figure it out until he walked out of Ying Baisu's courtyard. What does it mean that the Hou's mansion is not afraid of hatred?

He doesn't think that everyone has to be afraid of Qiu Xunqing, aside from the status of the commander, Qiu Xunqing is an ordinary person like everyone else, but under this social system, Qiu Xunqing's identity and what he can do What you do does have a lot of weight. The power to handle cases and detain officials ordered by the court can make people frightened. Officials with ghosts in their hearts are even more afraid of Jinyiwei than ordinary people. Once they are caught, they will be investigated and sent to prison , is not a good place.

What's so special about Hou Mansion?Why is it different from others?

Ye Baiting can only think of one direction, which is the bigger backer here... who is it?

He has met the emperor before, and he has a deep personal relationship with Qiu Yiqing. If the Hou family is the emperor's person and has a close relationship, it is impossible for Qiu Yiqing not to know, so if it is not the emperor, who can be more powerful than the emperor?

He has also seen the East Factory and the West Factory. The two father-in-laws obviously have a little love in their hearts, but they are not that strong. At least for Qiu Yiqing and Beizhen Fusi, their attitude is to win over. Of course, whether they can win over is another matter. It's the same thing, but from this result, it can be seen that the power of the two heavyweights in the palace, the empress dowager and the imperial concubine, is suppressed by the emperor.

No, who else?

Or is someone pretending, 'showing weakness' overtly, and secretly doing things that no one else knows?

Ye Baiting glanced at Qiu Yiqing. This secret is what he said is under investigation, but it has not been confirmed yet. Is it not convenient to talk about it?

Qiu Xunqing thought he was thinking about the next itinerary: "There are new murder cases, and Shen Jiang may be too busy alone. I have to go. How about you? Do you want to go together?"

Ye Baiting shook his head: "Look at the scene, I'll go back for an autopsy."

"Alright."

"I will conduct a careful autopsy to confirm the place and time of the deceased's death. Once the result is obtained, someone will send it over immediately."

"I'll take you back first."

……

Ye Baiting returned to Beizhen Fusi, went to Wuzuo's room, prepared tools, and began to examine the corpse as soon as he came back.

It is not difficult to confirm whether the pond is the place where the deceased drowned. First, observe the nails of the deceased. If a living person drowns in the water, it must be accompanied by struggling movements. Hands are scratching randomly in the water, and there may be water plants left in the nails. , the water is very clean and there are no traces, and there is a high possibility that the hands will be injured due to these actions, and there are no injuries. There will always be muscle spasms caused by vigorous struggle, right?

But there are no dead, clean.

I went to the clothes for a closer inspection and found that there were traces of being bound on the wrists of the corpse. The traces were slightly blurred and very shallow. It should not be some kind of hemp rope, but soft cloth. Because the traces are light and shallow, the initial inspection at the scene I didn't find out.

Analyzing the strength of the binding from the way of knotting and the depth of the traces, this form of binding should be with the hands behind the back.

There were also some bruises on the shoulders of the deceased. On the front of the two shoulders, the bones protruded a little. Two bruises were obvious. On the back of the head near the base of the ears, there was a semi-elliptical, not very clear, imprint similar to finger marks...

Next, the lungs will be dissected. The drowned person will have edema due to the air being squeezed in the lungs. The lungs will expand in volume and weight, and there will even be rib indentations on the surface. A large amount of bloody foam will flow out when the incision is made. , obvious bleeding spots.

All of these, the dead had.

In addition to the respiratory tract, the digestive tract of the drowned person will also enter the digestive tract at night. When the forensic doctor performs an autopsy on the drowned person, he will often find a large amount of water, sediment, or different, smaller algae and plankton in the stomach.

The internal organs of the deceased were very clean, nothing...

No, there is still a little bit.

Ye Baiting searched carefully for a long time, but did not find anything related to the pond, but found a small ball of white grease, the size of a grain of rice, slender, rounded edges, tasteless, it looked like...wax oil?

Ye Baiting has been busy in front of the morgue for a long time, and the conclusion is similar to the first one, Xu Kai was indeed drowned, but the place is not the pond where the body was found, but another first scene, he and Qiu Yiqing, who was a little bolder Guess, more likely.The bruises on both sides of Xu Kai's shoulders may have been caused by being pressed against the basin, the finger marks on the side of the ears were the pressure of the murderer, and the soft cloth tied behind his back was also to reduce Xu Kai's struggle.

After the murder, the murderer threw the body into the pond, probably knowing what Xu Kai had arranged, and deliberately created the illusion that 'Xu Kai is throwing himself into the lake' when Shen Jiang arrived this morning...

The person behind the screen that the boy with the letter saw may be the murderer himself. Not far from the pond, he heard a "plop" sound similar to falling water, which may not necessarily be a person, but may be a stone or something.

The murderer's purpose...is very simple, to confuse the time of death and create a favorable alibi for himself. At the same time, according to the letter left by Xu Kai, the third master Ying Yutong has great doubts about the murder case over the years and is already dead. , Xu Kai himself is also dead, enough people have died here in this case, and the sealing can be ended.

It's a pity that Beizhen Fusi is not those foolish officials. There are some things that cannot be fooled like this.

Ye Baiting carefully wrote down the results of the autopsy, and reminded Qiu Yiqing to pay attention to the clue of wax oil. There are still dead bodies, and the distance from the room to the pond is obviously not short. It is difficult to hold or carry it by yourself. Will it be used? Possibility of tools?If the murderer used a tool, what would be most convenient?

After the autopsy was over, he didn't take a break either. He returned to the Snapper to continue the reconstruction of the skull.

This work is not so fast, but he has been doing it for several days, and a lot of basic measurement work has been basically completed, and the next thing is to look at the fine calculations, the manual work of pinching and grading...

Ye Baiting was very focused, and stuck her head on the workbench. I don't know how long time has passed. When I think of it, I eat two bites of rice. I can't remember it. As long as my stomach doesn't hurt from hunger, I just keep working. The guards outside are watching, the sky is dark I will hold the lamp for him, and I will remember to come in and turn it off when it is dawn. He himself has forgotten the concept of time...

Finally this afternoon, he rubbed his face excitedly and jumped up: "You're done!"

He folded his arms, walked forward and backward, looked left and right, made the last small adjustments, then stopped to observe, and found that this person... was not handsome.

Square long face, slightly flat, average features, average temperament, put it on the street, give money to people to praise, at most say one thing is not ugly, add one more thing is honest person, say good-looking, then it is against one's will.

Ye Baiting finally checked the eyeballs and the base of the tongue to ensure that all the angles of the mud are not wrong, the curvature of the face should be like this, and the bone direction is no problem when compared with the age, so he beckoned a soldier over and asked him to go to the archives to check the information , want the historical name and the portrait of Ying Puxin.

Shen Jiang's interview work has always been meticulous. The portraits of the two deceased had been sent back a long time ago. Ye Baiting was worried that his own preconceived ideas would affect the effect of the skull restoration, so he never looked at them. Now that the work is completed, it is natural to compare them!

Hearing that the young master was able to knead clay and draw human faces from skulls, several people came along with the soldier, but they didn't put the paintings on the table, and unfolded them two by two for the young master to see.

Not only the few in the room, but there were people outside the window, Ye Baiting didn't notice, it's noon, the light is so strong that you can't stop it.

The two portraits should not be too obvious, one has a flat and square face, with ordinary features, and ordinary temperament, while the other is extraordinary, with sword eyebrows and starry eyes, and a nose that hangs like courage. With a slight smile, you can see that a gentleman is modest and unparalleled in style.

Compared with the completed skull restoration, the one on the left cannot be said to be very similar, but it can only be said to be exactly the same!

Look at the name again, huh——

"Historical name!"

"It's the uncle of the Hou Mansion who died at the hands of the bandits!"

Ye Baiting immediately squinted his eyes. The bones were found in the secret passage of the Hou Mansion. The secret passage was built six years ago, and the historical name also died six years ago. Combining the information at that time, especially the "historical name himself has never appeared" during the process. At this point, he can almost conclude that Ying Baisu is lying. On the day when the Hou Mansion encountered bandits six years ago, the historical name did not come out at all, and he was killed at that time!

But why tell this lie?The bandit invasion was an accident that no one wanted to happen. Many people died in the Hou Mansion. The historical names were unlucky. They were killed by bandits.

Ye Baiting's brain turned rapidly, one idea after another appeared in front of his eyes, and then quickly disappeared, and finally found one, could it be that when the bandits invaded, they didn't kill him, and when they left, they were fine, but something happened later Some people in the Hou Mansion thought that Shi Xueming must die, and then killed him...

But at this moment the robbers have left, and the number of deaths in the mansion has been counted. His historical name is my son-in-law. He is not a worthless servant. Everyone can see that he is alive. Clean, it can only be a game.

Shi Xueming died in the Hou's Mansion, so there was no such thing as his wife being kidnapped after leaving the Hou's Mansion. All of this was a lie that Ying Baisu co-performed. However, his body did not leave the Hou Mansion, and was quickly buried in the secret tunnel being dug afterwards.

The belongings used to ask for ransom are very simple, just take it from Shi Xueming, and put it at the bottom of the valley, so that the Shi family can identify the clothes. It is not difficult, just take off the clothes on Shi Xueming...

So when Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing found the bones in the wall, they couldn't see any traces of clothes, because they had already been stripped clean.

Then why when he was found, there was a finger wrench with the name 'Ying Puxin' written on it not far from his feet?Was the murderer Ying Puxin, or was someone else deliberately trying to frame Ying Puxin?

Ye Baiting thought for a while, the former cannot be determined, and the latter is also unlikely.The murderer hid the deceased in the dirt of the underground passage, just because he didn't want the body to be discovered, and wanted to cover up this secret for years, there was no need to put in effort to plant it, otherwise he would put the body in a conspicuous place, forge other evidence, and let others catch Ying Puxin. alright.

There may be another reason for the appearance of the jade finger.

This plan is not perfect, the biggest difficulty is the bandits, how did the murderer get the bandits to cooperate?You said that my uncle was taken away by bandits, and you reported it to the officials, and the officers and soldiers chased after him. You must find some traces of bandits. There is nothing. Everyone has to wonder if there is something wrong with it. You hire someone to pretend, bandits are so Easy to install?

There are also bandits themselves, who dare to kill people and steal money in broad daylight, would they be willing to be labeled casually, willing to suffer a loss and admit counsel, and keep silent?You said that I kidnapped your people. To prove that you are right, do I have to kidnap one?You have a plan, and men can't suffer from it...

Ye Baiting almost concluded that there must be a deal between the murderer and the bandits.

Someone just stole your home, killed your people, and took your money, and you just turn around and pay money to talk to people with a smile on your face. Who has such a big heart and doesn't take it seriously?Among all the people, who is the most confident and capable of persuading the bandits to cooperate?

The suspicion of the second room suddenly increased.

Because of Mrs. Cai, it was rumored that she had a close relationship with bandits.

She has to restore her memory...Yaoyin...She is not picky about what she eats, so what is her preference?What is her favorite food?Which food has special meaning to her?

Ye Baiting quickly flipped through the file at hand, here are all the clues of the case, some from Shen Jiangcha, some sorted out by Qiu Xingqing, the dust is broken, the dust is broken...

He had thought for a long time that if Cai Shi did use this kind of medicine, he must have used it consciously. If someone else poured it on her and wanted her to lose her memory and reduce her intelligence, she could just give that kind of destructive medicine directly. Why should she keep it? Hope for recovery?

She takes it by herself, what kind of medicine will she use?What is something that she will definitely eat even if there is an accident? What is the taste that is deep in the memory, forgotten in the brain, but remembered in the heart?

Ye Baiting thought hard, no matter what Cai's past experience was like, and how her husband and wife life with Ying Puxin was, now she can find, see Ying Puxin's portraits and love poems, what about before?Different can be found and seen!

Is there anything special about these things?

Small portraits, characters, flower notes, the color of peach blossoms... no, it's the moon!

Ye Baiting's mind gradually became clear, it was the crescent moon!This shape of the moon, also known as the first quarter moon, will appear on the seventh and eighth day of the year. There are twelve months in a year, and the seventh day of a certain month is a very important day...

Qixi Festival, Qiaoguo.

No, he has to find his sister!

Ye Baiting picked up the pen, hung his wrists flying like a phoenix, brushed and brushed, very fast, wrote down all the points that he just thought of, handed them to Jin Yiwei, and asked them to pass them on to Qiu Xunqing, picked up the corner of his robe, and ran out of the door quickly.

Crowd: ...

Let’s take the young master’s handwriting. It’s really amazing. I can’t recognize any of them. They are put together on the paper. They are round and round, like a puppy with regular arches. In Beizhen Fusili, only the commander and Shen Baihu can recognize this handwriting, but if there are more people, they can ask the young master to help write the special information, and they will not be afraid of losing it!

Ye Baiting quickly ran to the stable, saw Xuan Guang, his eyes lit up: "Why are you here? Didn't you go out today?"

When Xuan Guang saw the young master, he jumped out of the stable in excitement, arched his head on the young master's shoulders, and wanted to kiss and kiss him.

"Since it's so predestined, Xuan Guang can do me a favor!" He turned over and climbed onto Xuan Guang's back.

Xuan Guang lived up to expectations, and immediately rushed to the door, raised his hooves, snorted, and showed off his might, so majestic!

The guards at the gate were all shocked: "Master, you can't—"

Ye Baiting immediately handed over to the others: "Brothers, please forgive me, I really have something very important this time, please don't stop me..."

But Xuan Guang rushed too fast, before he could finish speaking, he flew away like a gust of wind, leaving only a broken sound.

Crowd: ...

It's really not a stop, the commander has already said that due to the accumulation of merit, the young master has the right to do things cheaply in Beizhen Fusi, and he can go out whenever he wants, but he can't do it alone. It's dangerous outside, and he must be guarded by the Jinyiwei team!You run so fast, what if others can't catch up!

Bamboo branch building.

Ye Baishao is facing a pile of ingredients on the table, researching new dishes, just outside the window, where the golden sun shines, and the petals of the apricot blossoms are flying, a young man comes riding alone, with a crown like jade, and a body like tough bamboo , the corners of the clothes fluttered with the wind, rippling like water waves, as beautiful as a painting...

It's not who her silly brother is!

Well, the silly brother ran wildly in the front, and a group of Jin Yiwei chased after him, so frightened that the birds on the branches fluttered away!

Ye Baishao was startled, forgot to leave the door, and leaned out along the window: "Don't worry, Ah Ting, what's the matter, tell my sister!"

Ye Baiting reined in his horse and stopped, his breathing was short, and his face was full of concentration: "Sister, can you make Qiaoguo?"

Ye Baishao: ...