The first work of the imperial prison

The wind blows the curtains, light fragrance and sparse shadows.

The letter paper on the table is yellowed, and when it is flipped, the sound is not as crisp as a brand new page, it has the softness of the years, and it can no longer withstand the wear and tear of the years.

Cai is no longer the same as before, things that correspond to Pu Xin are dispensable, small portraits, letters are also available, you can put them anywhere, and give them to anyone you want. These letter papers, she unfolds carefully one by one, caresses carefully, wants to caress Evening the creases on the top, I was worried that I used too much strength and the paper would be worn out.

This is not a letter, but a love that a man gave her, warm and sincere, meaningful and long-lasting, carrying the weight of life.

Ye Baiting glanced over the letter paper: "He is so kind, have you ever thought about repaying him?"

"I want to repay him, isn't it right?"

Cai's voice was very soft: "He walked into my life, took me to another road, and warmed my whole life. He is the only person in the world who understands me, loves me, and likes me. How can I be willing to leave like this? "

Ye Baiting: "You think his death is not right."

Cai: "I didn't expect it at first, because it was an accident. It was his own choice to save people. I knew he was that kind of person. Even if I didn't see it with my own eyes, I was on the mountain and he was down the mountain. He would know what happened when he heard the report. , I can't blame anyone."

"Half a year after the injury, I felt something was wrong. He is very good at coaxing people, especially how to coax me. I became lazy around him and didn't like to think too much. After he left, no one cared about me. I I have to take care of everything by myself, and I slowly remembered an obvious thing, but I ignored it. He has never been a person who admires the wealth of the Houfu. Since I knew him, he has very little desire for material things. Although we have not discussed it formally Regarding this question, I also know that he has no intention of going to the capital at all, and only wants to live the life he wants, why did he come here? What made him change his mind?"

The corners of Cai's lips curled into a sneer: "I'm serious, I searched carefully, and found that there is something wrong with the Hou's mansion, it's not the 'secret affairs', those dirty things, we will know it as soon as we enter the Hou's mansion, no one will Blind, I don’t think others can’t see it by wrapping it in a fig leaf, this Marquis Mansion has other secrets—it seems to be very deep, and if you touch it, it will kill you.”

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing looked at each other and saw Erfang's wisdom.

Cai is obviously very smart and has great executive power. He has never discovered and tried to pry into the 'secret'. It may be that Ying Puxin discovered this secret earlier, and aware of the danger inside, deliberately used words or other methods to divert Cai's sight. Don't let her take risks, and he himself... probably has touched the core, and even because of this, 'accidental death'.

Cai sneered: "I am a cold-hearted person, thanks to the gift of the old bastard, I have never heard of anything, I have never seen anything, such as the Hou Mansion can't scare me, and can't stop me, I'm not afraid , I didn’t even think about it, I just want to know why my husband came back, whether it was because of this secret, how long I searched for it, and whether I finally understood whether his death had anything to do with this matter.”

Ye Baiting: "You suspect that he was silenced."

"I didn't think about this direction at all at first, but I couldn't accept his death. I knew him well. He was good at water. The flood surge was good at that time, but the flow was not too fast, and the river didn't have sharp turns or drops. With his ability, it should be no problem to deal with it, how could such an accident happen?"

Cai's voice gradually slowed down: "Later, I personally went to look at the embankment that had been submerged, including the place where the water rose the highest at that time, and asked someone who was good at water conservancy to help draw lines and analyze it, taking into account all the accidents of water flow. He should have stayed in a place where a certain house was flooded. After the heavy rain, that house had long been in disrepair. The location, there is a trace that is not right."

"I lived in poverty since I was a child, and I had no wealth. I found and carved it myself, and gave him a Shoushan stone chapter. He liked this chapter very much and kept it with him. On that roof tile, what was left was this chapter. I recognized the traces at a glance. It has been a long time since then, the water has receded early, and the traces of the Zhangzi have become shallower, but I can still see the wear marks on it. It's been rubbed..."

Mrs. Cai narrowed her eyes and spoke with anger: "My husband saved people voluntarily, but it was an accident that he was caught in the flood. He never gave up and kept struggling to survive, but someone prevented him from getting out of the water. Maybe he was in a boat nearby. They used other methods to beat him into the water again and again, making it impossible for him to get out!"

"Our husband and wife have not been in the capital for a long time, and we don't have any enemies. Who would do such a crazy thing? Besides this disgusting and dirty Hou's mansion, who else can be? One day, one day I can find..."

She stopped suddenly.

Ye Baiting asked: "You found out the truth and avenged your husband, so you know what the secret is?"

Cai suddenly stretched out her hand to caress her forehead: "...I can't remember."

This can't remember the point is really terrible.

Ye Baiting carefully observed Cai's expression, but did not find any doubts, either, this person is too smart, too good at pretending; or, everything she said was the truth, so I really can't remember it.

"Where is the trace of the seal, can you still remember?"

"Yes." Cai thought for a while and said a place.

"Jin Yiwei will go to investigate," Ye Baiting wrote down the location, "According to what you said, Ying Yutong was very active on the day of the family banquet. Besides wanting to bully you, did you see him do anything else?"

Cai thought for a while: "Petals, or some plant leaves? I saw he put it in the soup."

"Wooden chrysanthemum?" Ye Baiting asked, "Why didn't you point it out?"

Mrs. Cai shook her head: "I only know that my eldest sister is allergic to chrysanthemums, but I didn't know that the thing Ying Yutong put in is called wooden chrysanthemums. It doesn't look like it at all. It's a little purple in color and wilted, like tea leaves for flower and fruit tea. , he doesn’t move much, it looks like he stretched out his hand to check whether the soup is hot or not through the hot air. Ever since he saw me that day, his eyes have been a little wrong. I want to see what the hell he is doing. This thing was an accident, or he wanted to deal with me, so I didn't drink the soup, let's see who he persuades."

"Who did he persuade?"

"No one," Cai shook his head. "It's strange, isn't it? The soup was the main dish on the table. Everyone drank it, but he didn't respond. I tried to scoop it up, but he knocked over my bowl instead." , Don’t let me drink it... I once thought that this thing was used to deal with me, but in the end I found out that everyone just fell asleep. The most unlucky thing is the eldest sister Ying Baisu. Sin."

"So you were not unconscious that day."

"Yes."

Ye Baiting felt very strange, if the wooden chrysanthemum belonged to Ying Yu, he knew it would make people drowsy, so he wouldn't let Cai drink it, why did he fall asleep too?The results of the autopsy on the scene at that time, but I remember very clearly that Ying Yutong was strangled to death, and there was no trace of resistance on his body. It was obvious that he was in a coma at that time...

"Has Ying Yutong had the soup?"

Cai: "Drink it."

Ye Baiting was startled: "Did he drink it?" Is he stupid or stupid?

"I gave it to him," Cai lowered his eyes. "He wouldn't let me drink the soup, and he didn't drink it himself. There was obviously something wrong. How could I sit still and ask him to plot? When he was drinking with the prince, he quietly Changed his bowl."

Ye Baiting: ...

Then he will be dizzy.

Mrs. Cai: "After that, there are those old-fashioned jokes. The old ones beat the little ones to be good and don't cause trouble. The little ones satirize the married woman who came back. It's really easy. The family doesn't care about the lives of the men. Rong, the director of the family came out to talk about the scene, and each played [-] big boards... This was the same thing back and forth. I was really annoyed by it, so I got up and left. After that, I said it just now, that is Threatened by him, went to his study and found him dead."

Ye Baiting pondered.

If Master Ying’s purpose of using wood chrysanthemums is to make everyone sleepy, take the opportunity to bully Mrs. Cai, and torture Ying Baisu along the way... It’s not difficult to understand Ying Baisu, he doesn’t like Ying Baisu, and the two have always had a small relationship Accumulating grievances can bully Mrs. Cai, why make everyone sleepy?With the filthy appearance of the Hou Mansion, would you be afraid that others would know if you did this kind of thing?

"Ying Yutong... afraid of you?"

"Afraid of me?" Cai almost laughed, "Is there anyone in the world that Ying Yu is afraid of? Other than his father, who has he been afraid of? Even the elder sister dares to scold, if it wasn't for Xu Kai..."

"How about Xu Kai?"

Cai frowned: "You should have found out? Even if the eldest sister is not valued by the family, someone still cares about it."

These words had a deep meaning, she didn't seem to want to say more, but Ye Baiting understood everything.Xu Kai is the housekeeper, and the Hou Mansion's big and small affairs can't get around him. He likes Ying Baisu, and Ying Yutong is not good at dealing with Bai Su, so he is not good at dealing with Yutong. It's a servant, what can he do to him?

But there is a saying that the king of Hades is easy to see, but the imp is hard to deal with.The servants have their own ways, the food and clothing around the master, the cleaning and tidying of the house, all the work, do the servants have to do it?You want something, your monthly bill, your daily allowance, it’s one thing for others to run diligently, and another thing to run slowly. Maybe summer is here, and your spring clothes haven’t been finished yet, so you’re not happy Instead of beating, scolding, filing a complaint, well, this one end is tightened for you, and the other ends are more stretched, can you still rely on filing a complaint to get it back?

The conflict between Ying Yu and Ying Baisu can accumulate in the smallest details, and it started when he was still young. Xu Kai sat firmly in his seat, and he was able to keep Ying Yu and the mute eating Coptis chinensis all the time. With this contradiction getting deeper and deeper, it is impossible to reconcile.

"Xu Kai's death, you must know."

Cai nodded: "Yes."

Ye Baiting: "The night before he was fished out of the pond, did you hear anything? Or, do you have any doubts about Xu Kai's death?"

Cai sighed lightly: "It would be great if I could think of more things, but unfortunately, I am confused about his affairs, I don't know anything, and I went to bed early at night, so I didn't hear anything."

After asking a few more questions, Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing exchanged glances. The two sides didn't have any more thoughts for the time being, so they planned to say goodbye.

Before leaving, Ye Baiting finally asked Cai: "Why is there a crescent moon in the small portrait that Ying Puxin drew for you, and some letterheads on the table?"

Cai was stunned for a moment, then lowered his eyebrows, and said slowly: "It's also fate. Almost every important juncture we get along with is on Qixi Festival, even when we meet in prison. I haven't had a good time before. When we got married, He made a promise with me that every year on this day, we must live it well and never change it for the rest of our lives."

But who knows that the years go by, the seasons go back and forth, and the Qixi Festival comes every year, but the person who made the promise is gone.

"...he's a liar."

When I left the courtyard of the second room, it was already time to turn on the lamps, the lights outside were dim, and the night was getting darker, the maid Xiao Xing came out to fetch the lamps, Cai was the only one left in the room, she sat quietly, the surrounding was empty, her back was melted into the deep darkness, The only thing accompanying her at this moment is a thick stack of letter papers by the table.

The crescent moon, telling my heart, I hope for a beautiful woman, and my heart is at ease.

The paper is short and the love is long, but the words are gentle.

Going out with Qiu Yiqing and riding a horse, it took a long time before Ye Baiting's soft voice fell into the wind, "If only all the couples in the world could be happy."

Qiu Yiqing clasped him in her arms, tightly: "...um."

……

At the gate of Beizhen Fusi, Qiu Xunqing put Ye Baiting off his horse, but did not get off himself: "You go back first, I have something to confirm, I will be back soon."

"it is good."

When Ye Baiting returned to the Nuan Pavilion, he didn't have any other thoughts, so he simply laid out all the files and clues, spread them out on the kang, on the small table, sorted them by category, analyzed and thought, and reconnected.

I don't know how long it has passed, and the outside is getting quieter and quieter. The sound of candles bursting out is very loud. There are very obvious footsteps in the yard, approaching from far away, heading straight for the direction of the warm pavilion. It is Shen Jiang who is very familiar.

Shen Jiang stopped suddenly, saluted, and said hello at the same time. It turned out that Qiu Yiqing had also returned.

The two opened the door and walked into the Nuan Pavilion. What they saw was the young master sitting cross-legged at the table, and there were clue analysis diagrams on the table and the wall...

What Shen Jiang thought was: "It's just right, let's talk about the case?"

After he finished speaking, he scratched his head, he couldn't believe it, when did he start working so actively?In the past, didn't you just fish when you could catch fish, and be lazy when you could be lazy?

But now that he saw the case, he was very excited!

Ye Baiting was quite steady, stepped aside a bit, let Qiu Yiqing and Shen Jiang sit down: "Come on."

Shen Jiang was the first to report: "Xu Kai's body was really not carried over by force. It used a small cart, a gardening servant's car. It is not big, with a single wheel. It is very convenient to push the body. The car is very conspicuous. Usually Put it aside when not in use, and you can see it as long as you pass by. No car marks were found in the secret passage, but traces left by Xu Kai's waist buckle were found on the small cart. His waist buckle was made of brass, with scratch marks Obviously, very clearly."

Ye Baiting nodded: "After the autopsy and the confession comparison, Xu Kai's death time was probably between Zishi and Yinshi. Where are the people involved in the case during this time period? Is there any change?"

Shen Jiang: "I've checked carefully, and because accidents happen one after another in the mansion, everyone pays attention to them. At night, lights are left almost everywhere, and the yards of the masters are the same, so it's not sure who slept and who didn't sleep that night. , I didn't see anyone walking around... The murderer may have acted while others were not paying attention, I have seen their roster of servants, it is very easy to take advantage of loopholes."

"Lao Houye lives alone, Ying Baisu lives alone, Cai's family and Lu's family live alone, what about the eldest son and the eldest lady, may they be witnesses for each other?"

"No," Shen Jiang shook his head, "That Ye Shizi was busy with work, so he rested in the study, and all the people involved in the case were 'alone' in one space."

Qiu Yiqing: "When did you arrive? In the early morning of that day, you went to the Hou's mansion to talk to Xu Kai, who was in the mansion?"

"let me see……"

Shen Jiang took out the map of the Hou Mansion that he had simply sketched, and circled a few points on it: "This is where everyone is."

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing leaned over to have a look together, and gradually got an idea.

Qiu Xunqing took out a piece of news material: "This is the latest information on the second room found by Linqing Wei."

Ye Baiting took it and flipped through it, most of what Cai said matched.Some details of the relationship between the two, the origin of love, are too private to be thoroughly investigated, but the corresponding timeline, things done, and emotional performance of each person can completely help to compare this fact.

"...Chua didn't lie, at least in this matter."

She and Ying Puxin are indeed lovers.

"Not lying? What do you mean?" Shen Jiang didn't understand.

Ye Baiting told him what happened today, and Shen Jiang wiped his face after hearing this: "You are also a poor person."

Qiu Xunqing felt that Xiao Wuzuo's words had profound meaning, and the point was—at least in this matter.

He didn't speak for a while, Ye Baiting simply turned his head to look at him: "Does the Commander think so?"

Qiu Yiqing's head: "Mr. Cai should be very smart."

Shen Jiang: "Wait, what do you mean—Chua lied?"

With a word from Qiu Yiqing, Ye Baiting knew that they were thinking of being together again, and she was a little satisfied: "Yeah."

Shen Jiang didn't understand at all: "I just recovered after taking the antidote, you two are staring under your eyelids, he is so emotional that he told the past, and still has the heart to make up nonsense?"

How much scheming and tiring it takes!

Ye Baiting: "She is not an ordinary woman, she is very smart."

But smartness can't be a reason to confirm that others are lying... Shen Jiang didn't understand this logic.

Ye Baiting looked at him and sighed: "I've told you about her past just now, isn't she a very brave and tenacious woman?"

"Yes," Shen Jiang nodded, "Being bullied like this, but still able to walk over like this, I, Shen Jiang, will convince her!"

Ye Baiting: "She was forced to repay her gambling debts, she has seen the warmth and coldness of the world, the dirtiest side of human nature, she has faced the accusation of 'murder', she can calmly hold a boning knife to deal with bandits, and she dared to help at a young age. Others carried corpses to make money, but when they saw Ying Yutong's corpse hanging on the beam, they panicked and didn't have any ideas, is this normal?"

Shen Jiang thought about it, and it was really a bit abnormal.

"If she didn't emphasize this kind of mood, but said that she did those things in an orderly manner, I would be more convinced. She said that she was in a hurry and panic, and didn't know what to do. In the end, she thought of these things. It's not a good way. I don't think so. It's too reasonable." Ye Baiting's eyebrows darkened, "She must have a deeper reason for doing this, such as this 'mortal fate break', which she had prepared long ago."

Shen Jiang patted the table: "That's right! There is also the fate of the world! Even the medicine introduction has been told to the maid, it is obviously planned for a long time!"

Ye Baiting leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on the table: "Now we have three confirmed murders in front of us, Ying Yutong, Shi Xueming, and Xu Kai. The deaths of Ying Yutong and Shi Xueming were well-planned, if it wasn't for Jin Yiwei. Arrived, Ying Yutong's case may not be investigated so deeply, Shi Xueming's skeleton is also difficult to find, Xu Kai's death is a bit rough, although there is some time delay, and there is a "suicide note" As evidence, the death of Shi Xueming and Ying Puxin was led to the dead Ying Yutong, but the case does not end here, as long as the investigation is done, it will be full of loopholes."

The most obvious point is that Xu Kai's suicide note said that when Ying Puxin died four years ago, Ying Yutong was in Zhuangzi, but Cai said that Yingzhu was not there, she cared so much about her husband's death, and checked back and forth. After so long, if Ying Yu had a share, she couldn't have been unaware, and there was nothing to hide about this.

Qiu Yiqing: "We can try to analyze the motive of the murderer, the origin of the idea, and possible obstacles."

"Then let me tell you first!" Shen Jiang raised his hand, his eyes brightened, "Lao Hou Ye is the most powerful person in the mansion, it seems that he has handed over power, and everything is entrusted to the eldest son, but in fact he is the one who maintains all the relationships. Outsiders are all looking at his face. If he wants to rule out dissidents and rule anyone, it is a breeze, and there shouldn't be any obstacles? The same applies to the son, who is the biggest person in the mansion other than his father. There is no secret between father and son, he can do anything the old Hou Ye can do, and it is easy to deal with a disobedient person!"

Ye Baiting pondered: "For these two people, we can consider the direction of people who cause trouble. If they are seen while handling secret affairs, how to deal with the aftermath? Who will do it? To what extent can we leave it to the next generation?" People, to what extent can't be handed over to the servants, what kind of troubles will be forced to deal with them themselves, and dare not leak it?"

Qiu Yiqing: "The eldest lady Wang's power is not as powerful as the two men in the mansion, but she is in charge of the middle school. As long as it is in the house, she can complete it quietly."

Shen Jiang: "Then if she commits a murder, will her motive be discovered secretly? Picking up ashes with her father-in-law is not a glorious thing. If outsiders find out, she will lose her reputation in this life."

Ye Baiting: "It's also possible that Lu's is because of this. She has to add a little more. She doesn't like her husband at all, and she is even full of resentment. She thinks it would be better if Ying Yutong died, and it would be convenient for her to die."

Shen Jiang: "She also seems to have conflicts with Xu Kai, wait for me to find it... I found it! Not only did Lu Shi quarrel with Xu Kai, but he also had a quarrel with Shi Xueming! But it seems that it has been a long time ago, we have to Think carefully."

Ye Baiting: "Ms. Cai is very smart. She works very hard to downplay herself, but it can be seen from the command envoy and your investigation data. She has done a lot of things, such as fighting with the old master, and being in Linqing. It started in the city, and the capital did not stop once or twice, fighting with the sister-in-law, fighting against the eldest wife and the third wife, if she had any plan, it was really as simple as taking amnesia medicine?"

Qiu Xunqing tapped her fingertips on the table: "There is also Ying Baisu. She seems to like to worship the Buddha, and her behavior is low-key. If you talk to her, you will find that it is different."

Ye Baiting nodded: "Yes, she is actually a bit of a rebellious and irritable person. She has a quick temper. She probably knows this shortcoming. She deliberately cultivated the habit of worshiping the Buddha. However, she dresses plainly and has a similar temperament. Her temper is hard to change. She is very Contradictions, I don't like this family, but I have to compromise. When the family needs it, they will help cover it up. I don't like other people. It's not that she doesn't dare to do things like killing people. It's just to see if there is anything that particularly offends her. "

Shen Jiang patted the table again: "That's right! In this family, Ying Baisu hasn't received much respect since he was a child, even when he came back, he was picked on every day, and he had to continue the relationship with the housekeeper's servants. , I am not very mature in dealing with things, and I also have longings for love, now that I am old, will I feel ashamed and simply kill Xu Kai?"

Ye Baiting's eyes brightened: "Next, let's do the elimination method based on the existing clues and evidence to see if we can exclude anyone."

……

There are more and more clues put on the table, one by one, the thread is becoming clearer and clearer, the eyes are getting brighter and brighter, the more the three of them discuss, the more confident they are, this time they really saw the dawn of the truth !Confirm a few more minor issues, and the case will be solved!