The first work of the imperial prison

At the time when the rankings were released, when the street was the most lively, upstairs and downstairs, someone jumped off the building and fell to his death.

Ye Baiting thumped in his heart, and immediately had bad associations.

Today is a special day. They guessed that many people would have mood swings, loopholes and accidents in their behavior, so that they could take the opportunity to observe and analyze more about the case. They never expected that someone would die.

In such a lively street, in front of all the students and examiners, in front of Jin Yiwei, he committed murder!

Ye Baiting doesn't think about it at all. Falling to his death from a height may be an accident once, and it may be an accident twice. Similar opportunities, all the people involved in the case are there... This third time, it is absolutely impossible to be an accident, it must be someone Premeditated murder!

He struggled hard and walked out of the crowd with difficulty, but it was difficult for the crowd to disperse, he staggered and almost fell down.

"Don't worry."

A big hand supported him firmly, it was Qiu Xunqing.

Ye Baiting looked at him, startled for a moment: "You... have been looking at me?"

But Qiu Yiqing shook his head: "You are protected by Jin Yiwei, the scene was a bit messy just now, but under control, I just found out that there was something wrong with a woman, I went over and looked, someone fell to death at this time, I also started Unexpected."

It's not because you are here that I can't take care of other things.

Accidents happen all the time in the world. We try our best, but we can't stop thousands of loopholes. You can regret it, but don't blame yourself.

Ye Baiting understood Qiu Yiqing's words, took a deep breath, let his mind go, and looked at the direction behind him: "But a young woman with a bright appearance, wearing a red dress?"

Qiu Yiqing: "You saw it too?"

Ye Baiting only faintly saw it upstairs and felt that something was wrong, but it was a pity that as soon as he went downstairs, the surrounding area became lively because of the list, he followed the flow of people, not only did not see the woman again, but also did not see Qiu Xingqing.

"Where is she now?"

"Her figure disappeared very strangely. When I was about to chase her, there was sudden movement and crowds of people. I had no choice but to turn back and let others chase me."

Ye Baiting handed his hand to Qiu Xunqing, and walked out with his strength, while asking, "Maybe you caught it?"

Qiu Yiqing: "Yes."

Walking out of the crowd, the two saw Shen Jiang, who was holding Yu Lianhai by the back of his neck, staring at him and teaching him: "Whoever you run, you are not afraid of being trampled to death!"

Yu Lianhai's brows drooped in embarrassment, his posture shrank, and he looked extremely cowardly: "I... nothing happened to me..."

"Didn't you be brave just now? You dared to break away from me and ran out to chase people. You have good legs and feet. You can run faster than a rabbit. I can't look at you when I have a small cup of tea. If I don't understand Some tracking techniques can make you run away straight away!"

Shen Jiang was very angry, with a little strength in his hands, and slapped Yu Lianhai on the back of the head a few times: "I'm not afraid of being killed by others, there is no place to complain if there is a grievance! Tell me! Who are the two people you are chasing and why? Go after them!"

Yu Lianhai held the back of his head, and became even more cowardly, his voice was like a mosquito: "It's just... the previous creditors, and I borrowed money from them."

Shen Jiang sneered: "Oh, creditor, you ask someone to borrow money, and you still chase after him, are you afraid of being caught and beaten to death?"

Isn't this the case and run away?

Yu Lianhai snorted softly: "Then I'll pay it back...Why did they hit me?"

Shen Jiang: "Since everything is settled, what's the point of chasing after me!"

Yu Lianhai: "Isn't this... money is a little tight, do you want to borrow it again?"

Shen Jiang: ...

"I really don't have any other thoughts," Yu Lianhai hurriedly explained, fearing that people would not believe him, "They don't look well dressed, but they are actually very rich. I have seen them do business for Mr. Geng's shop, and they have not only lent me They will do this business for their own money! I just don’t know why I’m a little timid today, the more anxious I shouted, the faster they ran, could it be that they saw the Jin Yiwei around and wanted to avoid suspicion?”

The conversation between the two went very quickly. Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing just listened to the whole thing and extracted very important information by the way——

The person Yu Lianhai was chasing, who might be in the 'money lending' business, was related to Geng Yuanzhong's shop.

Geng Yuanzhong's shop is not so innocent, every year of the big exam, the 'big business' contacts are very delicate, if these two people are involved in this...

"Catch it!"

"You go in person," Qiu Xunqing commanded his hundreds of households, not polite at all, "be sure to bring him back."

"Yes!"

What work is not done, Shen Jiang has never been picky about the tasks above, but——

"The things here..."

But the dead, need more people thoughtful?

Qiu Yiqing: "As long as you come back quickly enough, you won't miss it."

Now Shen Jiang lost his words, and turned his head and ran away, his voice drifting in the wind: "Just look at it, this subordinate will be right back!"

Qiu Yiqing appointed someone to take over Yu Lianhai, and led Ye Baiting to the crime scene.

The body was on the street, no more than seven feet away from the teahouse, and because it happened to be next to a dark alley with no one coming and going, it looked a little off.The person was lying prone on the ground, the blood flowed all over the ground, and the unknown liquid continued to smear and spread, and he couldn't see what his face looked like, but he was very familiar with the satin and blue brocade pattern clothes, he was Zhang You!

An accident happened here. Apart from Jin Yiwei, the two chief and deputy examiners, Geng Yuanzhong and Gao Jun, were also the first to rush over. Looking at the corpse on the ground, Gao Jun obviously recognized the person, covered his mouth with his hands, and looked shocked: "How could... ..."

Geng Yuanzhong also turned pale, as if he couldn't believe it: "He was drinking tea with me just now..."

Ye Baiting could recognize the corpse at the scene, and so could others.Today, more than one person met Zhang You, and more than one person talked to him. Although Zhang You did not participate in the Shiling, he has a strong sense of presence. He even provoked He Yiming, and everyone was deeply impressed.

It's okay to make a fuss before, but something happened at this juncture... Jin Yiwei moved quickly, able to stop the scene and separate the crowd, but he couldn't stop people's gossip.

"Another person who jumped from a building...is it too scary?"

"Where is this? Every time the big exam year, there will be a few such things... This baby, didn't pass the exam?"

"That's right! I just finished reading the list. Without his name, he really didn't pass the exam!"

"No way, isn't he a relative of Mr. Geng? His family background is not bad, so he didn't pass the exam?"

"It seems that the questions in this big exam are really difficult..."

"Is the exam difficult? People who score points, maybe some people have luck in the exam, and they are 'familiar with these questions', so they can pass the exam? I don't think something is right. Mr. Zhang doesn't seem like someone who would commit suicide."

"That's right, haven't you been bragging these days, saying that you will definitely pass the exam?"

"Tsk, what do you know? They're not bragging. They're telling the truth. What is their identity, what status, how much money do they have, and they are backed by relatives of high officials. If they say they can pass the exam, they have a way to pass the exam..."

"Then why is he dead on the list without being named?"

"How do I know where to go? The water in your circle is deep..."

The onlookers were whispering in their ears, but Ye Baiting pretended not to hear it, carefully observing the surrounding environment.

There are four floors in the tea house. Standing on the top of the building, the height will be very impressive. There are crowds on the street. Because the rankings were announced just now, everyone's attention is focused on moving forward. Almost all the people on the ground and upstairs have come down. , since no one pays special attention to high places...

The most critical issue now is the time of death.

Qiu Xunqing had asked the person who screamed when he saw the corpse for the first time to ask, "When did you see that person?"

That man was a waiter in the teahouse, very young and not very courageous, seeing this kind of scene, his legs were a little weak: "Just, just now..."

"When you saw it, the person was already dead?"

"It's... right? I looked at the person lying on the ground from a distance, but when I looked closer, it was covered in blood, and the bones were crushed. I was so scared that I didn't even dare to breathe. Such... should be dead, right?"

"Did you hear any sound?"

"No, everyone was looking at the list just now, and the villain was busy early in the morning, so he wanted to take advantage of this time to relieve himself. This... this young man is lying on a bit of a side, and the villain also came from behind, so he saw it , I really didn’t hear the voice, and I guess others didn’t either, if I had to call it earlier..."

Ye Baiting pondered.

The officers and soldiers posted their announcements according to the stipulated time, and the bulletin board was overcrowded, and the bustle could last more than a cup of tea. If the murderer deliberately took advantage of this, he would use a certain method to lure Zhang You to a fixed position, push the person down, and then come downstairs by himself. Entering the crowd and pretending not to know anything... is not impossible.

It's just that doing this is very risky, and it can only be done with sufficient rewards and great confidence in on-site control.

Ye Baiting glanced at the crowd, especially the people related to this case—he was thinking a lot.

Qiu Yiqing: "Who was with the deceased just now, when was the last time you saw him?"

Gao Jun stood in front of him, and immediately said: "Young Master Zhang sat with us before, and he never left the table until the street was busy and started to release the list..." He sighed slightly, "As a junior official, you have to be responsible. The commander should know that you must not be lazy at such a time, and when you see the list, you immediately go downstairs, pay attention to the list, and you don't know what happened next."

Geng Yuanzhong also said: "I was upstairs all the time before, and I didn't leave when I posted the list. I just walked to the window and watched carefully. The results of the big exam are closely related to my achievements. All my thoughts are here, and I have no time to worry about it." , I don’t know when the people behind me left or where they went, I don’t know Zhang You’s movements, and why this accident happened.”

Qiu Yiqing: "Master Geng has been upstairs?"

"Yes," Geng Yuanzhong nodded, "I didn't see the accident happen, and I didn't hear any strange noises. It wasn't until there were screams in the street downstairs that I felt something was wrong, so I hurried downstairs and saw the scene... and the conductor make."

Qiu Xunqing's eyes turned to the other people present——

Hu Anju's eyes were serious, and he sighed: "The lower official has been looking at the rankings with others just now, and he didn't notice it."

He Yiming felt that Qiu Suqing's eyes were not friendly, and his attitude was not very friendly: "Young Master Zhang had a lot of opinions and provocative words towards me before, and everyone has seen it. It is impossible for me to be willing to be with him. just left."

Qiu Xunqing: "Where were you just now?"

"It's as convenient as this little brother." He Yiming pointed to the waiter in the teahouse, "I went downstairs earlier than everyone else, and Mr. Gao was still upstairs when I left. To join in the fun, I didn't go upstairs, I was downstairs all the time, where Zhang You went, what he did, why he couldn't think about it and jumped off the building, I don't know anything about it."

Gao Jun thought for a while, and said: "I can testify to this point. It is true that Mr. He left before the official went downstairs. Until now, I have never seen him again."

Ye Baiting knew it well, and briefly met Qiu Yiqing's eyes.

So still, everyone's time exists independently. When the list is released on the street, when it is the busiest and the most noisy, all the people involved in the case have their own separate time slot. Even Yu Lianhai disappeared under Shen Jiang's nose. for a while...

The definite alibi is estimated to be obtained through an in-depth visit to the teahouse and its surroundings.

"Report to Commander—"

Jin Yiwei, who went upstairs to search for clues, came down and bowed his hands to Qiu Yiqing: "There are obvious footprints on the roof and wall tiles, and the slip marks are clear. It is suspected that the deceased fell from the building. The scene has been isolated and clear, ready for investigation!"

Ye Baiting also put on gloves and walked up to the corpse, preparing for the initial on-site inspection.

Qiu Yiqing waved his hands and told his subordinates to go back and continue: "Conduct the inspection immediately, and the envoy will come in person later."

"Yes!"

Qiu Xunqing just stood there, not only watched Ye Baiting's autopsy by himself, but also didn't let the people involved in the case leave the scene, let them watch the autopsy process together, and pay attention to the changes in their expressions and external performance.

Ye Baiting is now concentrating on the corpse on the ground——

"The deceased's shoulder bone was on the ground, and it was obviously broken. The local skin was severely scratched, the joints were contused, and there was bleeding in the ear... It should be that the internal organs were severely ruptured."

"The arm was shattered, and the hands could not even be withdrawn in time, and they were pressed under the body. The deceased still had a subconscious support action of 'supporting the ground with his hands', but it was too late at such a height and speed. The joints of the body were extensively damaged, and internal organs were bleeding instantly. The cause of death of the deceased is obvious, but he died from a fall from a height."

Simply put, he fell to his death.

But the dead man's expression was a little strange...

Because he was lying on his stomach, half of his face was almost completely broken. What Ye Baiting could see was limited, but he could also interpret this limited expression. The deceased had very rich emotional expressions before death, similar to anger, fear...

"...The nails of the deceased are intact, no cyanosis, no toxicological phenomena, he should have been conscious when he fell...the shoe on his right foot is crooked, it may be caused by vigorously rubbing somewhere."

"Isn't this just stepping on the wrong side and accidentally falling off?"

After listening to Ye Baiting's words, Gao Jun thought deeply, "Could it be that he couldn't take it because he was unnamed on the Enke list this time? After all, Mr. Zhang was so confident and convincing before that he said that the celebration banquet was all set up. It is hard not to be saddened by this sad news.”

Geng Yuanzhong seems to have come to his senses only now: "So my cousin...isn't an outsider's intentional murder, but he was not careful?"

Gao Jun sighed, and cupped his hands: "My lord's condolences, it seems to be true, this crooked shoe...is too obvious."

Qiu Xunqing ignored the words of the two, just looked at the little servant who had stood up after the autopsy, and asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

"The shoe is crooked, it does look like an accident, but...why didn't he bark?"

Ye Baiting circled around the corpse, frowning slightly: "The commander asked you to see that his entire palm to arm was almost shattered, he was awake during the fall, and he knew how to lean on the ground with his hands. When he died, his expression was violent and Obviously, fear and panic - shouldn't ordinary people scream for help at such a time? Why did he die so silently, without a sound at all?"

If it is said that he fell from a high altitude and hit the ground heavily, it might just be covered by the noisy voices, but the continuous screams were difficult. No one heard Zhang You's voice, it is very likely that the whole process of his fall was caused by Quiet, without making a sound.

why?

Geng Yuanzhong: "Did he be given medicine? It's not a poison, maybe it's just a drug that makes people stunned or dumb?"

"There is no such discovery yet, Jin Yiwei will continue to investigate." It's not impossible, but Ye Baiting disagrees, "The deceased's teeth were clenched, his eyes were wide open, and the 'suffocated' element in his expression was very heavy. Compared with drug reactions, It's more like trying to control myself..."

Does he have any mental illness?For example, if you are afraid of heights, you can’t make a sound when you stand on a high place, or do you have other concerns, knowing that you can’t escape this death, you just hold back and don’t make a sound, in case other accidents happen?

Then there must be a reason for this behavior, what is it for?

The surrounding Jinyiwei worked quickly, and the irrelevant people were quickly evacuated, and the scene returned to tranquility.

A figure approached from a distance, and it was Shen Jiang who escorted them over.

"Suddenly a murder case occurred in the downtown area. I dare not be careless. Please don't leave for the time being and cooperate with Jin Yiwei to handle the case."

Qiu Yiqing didn't listen to their answers at all, and raised his hand to call Jin Yiwei over, and took Geng Yuanzhong and the others to different rooms to separate them.

At this moment, Shen Jiang also came to the front, and brought not only two men, but also a woman in a red skirt: "This girl seems to be wanted by the commander? The subordinate saw that the soldier who was escorting her was busy, so he brought her here together." .”

Hatred and green jaws: "Yes."

The woman in the red dress had a frightened face at first, and the frightened pear blossoms were raining down, pretending to be pitiful. The moment she saw the corpse on the ground, she suddenly moved forward and wanted to pounce on the person—she was stopped by Jin Yiwei, and she cried even harder , quite sincerely.

Ye Baiting: "What's going on?"

Shen Jiang looked around and said in a low voice: "This is Zhang You's best friend, named Hanrui, her status is not very high, she is the lowest class, a girl who came out of a private nest, but Zhang You fell in love with her, He redeemed his body, put it in a yard, and hid it quietly... He covered it tightly, and avoided people every time he went back. Almost everyone didn't know that he hid such a woman. In the past one or two months, he was preparing for the exam. He simply didn't go back because he was on the cusp of a storm, as if he was afraid that others would find out... Our people didn't find out."

"Then she must also know that this relationship is secret, and she won't go out at will, so that people will notice?"

"No, she didn't expect to come here. A few men in black tied her up quietly, pointed her at her with knives, and let her come. I don't know what the purpose is. The commander noticed her and sent someone to Instead, I saved her, otherwise she would have died!"

"Where's the man in black?"

"You're good at it. You run too fast. All of us have to focus on the affairs here. We didn't have time, so we sent someone to run away... There are two tracking technologies that have been adjusted well. I don't know if we can catch up."

When the two were talking, Hanrui cried out of breath: "Zhang Lang... why did you abandon the slave's house and go first..."

Ye Baiting looked at the woman carefully with his eyes, and he had a bottom line in his heart.

Sophisticated clothes styles, fabrics, fine lines tailored to fit, valuable jewelry tops, high-end spices that can be sensed with a slight smell...

"Zhang You treats you well?"

"Yes..." Hanrui wiped her tears, "No one treats the slave family better than him. He doesn't treat the slave family as a thing. He really likes the slave family, takes care of the slave family, and asks the slave family to serve him... and is also very considerate, never caring about himself. happy……"

She lowered her head slightly, a little bit shy: "There is a wife in Zhang Lang's family, who always says that he owes the slave family, but the status of the slave family, he never dares to dispute, every time he says that, he feels more pity for the slave family, the slave family... I really have never met the slave family. Having lived such a good person, he really likes the Nu family, and the Nu family knows..."

"How much do you know about him?"

"Not much," Hanrui shook his head, "he doesn't know many things to tell my family, but my family only remembers a day two months ago when he was in a very good mood, saying that he will participate in Enke this time, and he will definitely win. He has already thought of a way, saying that as long as the official is dispatched smoothly, he will be able to take the slave family back to live a life, and be a marriage document in an upright manner. He has this ability and qualification, and he is not afraid of being talked about..."

"Did he say what this 'method' is?"

"No, I just seem to be very dissatisfied with Mr. Geng... It doesn't matter if relatives don't help, he is smart and can find a way. If others don't want to give it, he can force others to give it..."

Women are timid and not very smart. No matter how many questions are asked, these words are repeated over and over again, and there is no more information.

Ye Baiting turned his attention to the other two men who were related to Geng Yuanzhong's shop and were in the business of 'borrowing money'.

There is no need for him to ask, as soon as Qiu Yiqing let go of his aura, the two of them knelt on the ground and talked to themselves: "I don't know anything... Indeed, I did borrow some money from this civil servant, and I also helped Mr. Geng has done a few errands in the shop and done a few things, but we are really just errands, to get some rewards, to frighten the timid officials, and we have no courage to do more things!"

Qiu Xunqing: "Have you ever done a 'borrowing money' business?"

"No, I really don't dare!" The two of them lay on the ground with their foreheads on the ground, "It is only a big man like Zhang Gongzi, Mr. He, who dares to mention such a thing. How dare we!"

Hatred's green brows raised slightly: "Have you seen Zhang You and He Yiming raising money?"

"Just... I heard it from a distance, but it may not be true, we really don't know anything!"

Qiu Yiqing asked a few more questions. The two of them were sincere and fearful, and they dared not lie. They seemed to be little people who had nothing to do with this matter. They just had nothing to do today. They came to join in the fun. There is this chasing and running thing.

But he couldn't relax his vigilance, Qiu Xingqing raised his hand and asked someone to take the two of them down, and then questioned them carefully.

Xiao Luo, people who run errands without knowing it, don't know the core secrets, and seem to have nothing to do with some dark forces, but they still brought crucial information——

Ye Baiting's mind turned quickly. Could it be that they had thought wrong before, and it was not Huang Kang who blackmailed He Yiming, but Zhang You?

According to the clues of this case, it is speculated that the game of "fraudulent imperial examinations" has been manipulated by the people behind the scenes for a long time. They did not sell and sell the questions on a large scale, but had a selection standard. Zhang You obviously did not meet this standard, so it was impossible for him to be selected. He and Geng Yuanzhong are relatives, but he has said more than once that Geng Yuanzhong is unreliable. His confidence in this big exam all comes from his own preparations...

So who gave this opportunity?

He Yiming?

In addition to what Yu Lianhai said before, before and after the contact between He Yiming and Yu Wenzhang, it is hard for Ye Baiting not to doubt that He Yiming is the broker of this interest group, who is here to find all kinds of targets, to test and lure...

Even if he wasn't the murderer, the one who actually did the killing must be the one who knew the secret and participated in the operation behind it!

"What should we do next?" Shen Jiang asked the commander's opinion over there, "Should we strike while the iron is hot and ask for a confession by the way?"

Chou Yiqing's thoughts were the same as Ye Baiting's, the sharpness in his eyes was revealed: "The scene of the crime, why didn't you ask?"

Ask questions quickly and carefully!

He stretched out his hand to Xiao Zuo: "Come together?"

Ye Baiting walked in the sunshine, stepping forward with sharp eyes: "Ask!"

Ask now!