The first work of the imperial prison

After a cup of tea, Shen Jiang came back.

While observing the yard, he accompanied Ye Baiting to walk in, and at the same time, he talked about what he had just learned: "Just now that is Bi Zhenghe's wife, surnamed Wang, who is the mistress of the family. None of the servants in the family knew about it, and they never expected such an accident to happen..."

"Just yesterday at noon, Bi's family had a small banquet. Bi Zhenghe is an official, and there are various small banquets at home regularly. He attended the banquet, and there was nothing wrong with his behavior. Wang said that he didn't see anything on his mind, or his behavior and expression were different from usual. Didn't he get hurt when he fell from upstairs two days ago? He just moved a little slower. He has been handling official business in the study room at home for the past two days. Yesterday was as usual. It was very quiet in the afternoon and he didn't go out at night. When the twilight falls, call Someone brought the food into the room, and there has been no movement since then. This is always the case when he is busy, and Mrs. Wang didn't find it unusual."

"Because he said that no one would disturb him, the servants did not dare to approach, saying that the study room is very large, divided into two rooms, the inside and the outside, and hot water is no longer needed. When the servants brought the meals, they would fill the small urns in the outer room. It was filled with water to ensure it was clean, and cold boiled water was also prepared. There were not many meals delivered, which were all the amount that Bi Zhenghe would use on weekdays. Some snacks and peanuts that might be left over would not go bad if left outside overnight. Bi Zhenghe didn't call, and no one came over."

"But something was wrong this morning. Bi Zhenghe didn't come out. He said yesterday that he had something to go out this morning. Mrs. Wang was anxious, so she called someone to come over to remind her, but no one responded no matter how much she urged, she was so frightened that she was kicked. After opening the door, seeing that Bi Zhenghe was dead, and it didn't look like he committed suicide, Mrs. Wang reported the case..."

Ye Baiting: "So since yesterday afternoon, there are only Bi family members here, no outsiders?"

"Yes!" Shen Jiang nodded, "I asked specifically. The noon banquet didn't last long, and the guests left after eating. From then on, there were no outsiders in Bi's house."

"Let's go and see...the Commander?"

Ye Baiting was about to walk in when he paused when he saw Qiu Yiqing.

Qiu Yiqing obviously just came from a distance, with sweat still on his forehead, and he didn't say much: "Let's see the scene first."

The three of them went in together.

The study is really not small. There is a small hall in the middle, which is separated from the inside by a bead curtain. The study room is an important place, with more exquisite furnishings and more functional uses, such as bookshelves, desks, pens, inks, papers and inkstones...

The deceased, Bi Zhenghe, was lying on the desk, with an open official file in front of him, a brush on the pen holder in the upper right corner, and a brush washer filled with water next to it. The water in the washer was clear and clean, but the tip of the brush was dry and black and hard. Obviously, it has not been washed.

Further down is the teacup, which looks like it has been drunk half a cup, the tea is slightly cloudy, and there is a circle of dark brown stains on the white cup wall.

On the left side of the table is a food plate for the dishes. The food plate is not big, and the dishes are not big. There are only four dishes in total, and one dish. The portion is not big, but they are not finished. Rice, barely moving.

On the outside of the food plate, on the table, is a jade jug with a long neck, and the same set of azure-colored wine cups. The wine cups are dry, and the wine jug...

Shen Jiang went over to touch it: "It's half a pot, I must have drunk it." But he was more curious about the food, "I haven't finished eating this little thing? It's just not right for your appetite... Drinking and not eating, the food is too Don't move, he is alone in this study, what's the matter?"

"Not alone."

"Two people."

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing almost spoke in unison. After speaking, they looked at each other, Ye Baiting frowned and smiled, and Qiu Yiqing nodded slightly.

Normally, Shen Jiang would find it difficult to intervene at such times, so he simply asked the question: "There were two people in this room last night? How did you know that?"

"Look here—"

Ye Baiting said first, "Where is the dead man's toes pointing at?"

Shen Jiang looked down: "Facing the door."

"When you were sitting in front of the case, your toes pointed towards the door?"

"I don't think so," Shen Jiang tried, "this posture is also uncomfortable. Sitting behind the table, the feet naturally land on the ground, and the toes also rush forward. The deceased is so far to the left, and he is facing the door... It's not too awkward. ?”

"So he was not sitting upright, but sitting sideways, and beside him, there was another person."

Ye Baiting pointed to the small square stool against the east wall: "Didn't you notice that this small stool is a bit off?"

Shen Jiang looked at it: "It seems to be a bit... this kind of place, it must be because the servants didn't clean it carefully... someone else pulled it out and sat on it, and didn't do a good job when it was restored?"

Ye Baiting looked at him with some relief: "Young children can be taught."

Shen Jiang hated himself for being slow in reacting, for not noticing this in the first place!

"More than that," Qiu Yiqing pointed to the jug on the table, "this is a special lotus green jade jug made by the official kiln five years ago. Each jug is equipped with two wine cups. There will be no more or less. Most of them will not be used when drinking alone.”

"Two wine cups? Meeting friends?" Shen Jiang frowned, "Then where is the other one?"

Could it be that he was taken away by someone?Looks like I'll have to look for it later...

"No!" Shen Jiang paused, "When I was asking questions outside, Mrs. Wang only said that the servants delivered the food as ordered, and did not mention the wine. Where did the wine come from?"

Qiu Xunqing had already taken two steps to the side, and opened the side cabinet. There were several jars of wine in it, of different sizes and styles, and it seemed that there were some in the room.

Shen Jiang: ...

Qiu Yiqing also knocked on the window lattice with his knuckles: "In this weather, even at night, it is inevitable that the heat will intrude. Why are the windows closed so tightly that no wind can pass through?"

Shen Jiang wiped his face and understood: "Because Bi Zhenghe had guests last night. Because the second person in the room...is not convenient to be seen by others, he needs to be cautious in every way, even if he endures the heat, the window will be closed." Gotta close."

The young master noticed the direction of the dead man's toes, the traces of the square stool by the wall, and the commander discovered the type of jug, the characteristics of the inevitable pairing, and the intentionally closed windows... If one is accidental, then two, three or four, absolutely It's not a coincidence, Bi Zhenghe was definitely not the only one present at the scene of the crime last night!

Thinking about it carefully, Shen Jiang felt that if he was given more time, he would be able to discover this too. Just now, his brain turned a little slower... When will he be as good as the young master and the commander, so good that the whole person seems to be shining Woolen cloth?

He observed carefully, and finally found something: "There is still a brush, right? Most people wash their brushes after use, otherwise they will become hard next time. Bi Zhenghe is an official, so he must have this habit, but this brush has not been washed. However, it’s just placed on the pen stand, he must have been disturbed, and he didn’t come to wash it, so he put it aside first, and then continued with official documents or wash pens after preparing, but he died first, didn’t he!”

Ye Baiting smiled: "I didn't leave it to you in vain, I finally saw it."

Shen Jiang immediately puffed up his chest: "Of course! It doesn't matter who taught me!"

So it is very important who this guest is. A visitor who is not known by everyone, deliberately tidy up and hide traces, what is the purpose of this person, but a murderer?

Shen Jiang rubbed his chin and kept thinking: "Bi Zhenghe even took out wine to drink with someone. He must be an acquaintance? But this is his own home. Although the study is in the outer courtyard, there are many people coming and going. How did this person get in?" where?"

Just now he briefly asked Bi's family members, and they all said that since the end of time, there has been no one at home.

"When I came in just now, I took a look along the way." Qiu Yiqing said, "Although this place is an academy, the place is a bit remote, and the west outer wall is a small street."

So the facts are obvious, if it is a normal visitor, of course they have to go through the gate, and the concierge will report all the way to welcome them in. All the servants who come and go can see it, and the mistress will not be ignorant. Instead, they turned in from the west outer wall.

Shen Jiang frowned and looked out the window: "The person who came in, does he need to have martial arts?"

Qiu Yiqing: "After careful investigation, if there is no other direction that is beneficial to ordinary people, martial arts are indeed needed to be able to remain silent."

Shen Jiangying said: "Later, I will also ask Mrs. Wang for a list of yesterday's guests, to see who they are, how long they stayed, and whether there are any people we know well."

Ye Baiting took out his gloves: "Let's look at the cause of death first?"

Qiu Yiqing stepped aside from the table: "Yes."

Master Shen Jiangzhi is used to it, let him carefully observe the status of the corpse first, walk around the corpse, and record the details on the rice paper, and then step forward to help, move the corpse off the table, and lay it on the side, so that more inspections can be carried out .

"...Corpse plaques mostly gather on the face, chest, and front of the limbs. They are large, dark in color, discolored by finger pressure, partly transferred when the corpse is turned, and the traces in the original place cannot be completely disappeared. The stiffness of the corpse is obvious, and the cornea is moderately cloudy..."

Ye Baiting glanced at the sky outside, and quickly calculated in his mind: "The death time of the deceased was more than six hours. According to the testimony of the servants of the Bi family, the last time I saw him was when delivering dinner. His death time should be right after that." soon."

Shen Jiang rubbed his chin: "He died so early, and no one came to take a look for such a long time in between. It can be seen that Bi Zheng is so popular. He is not very good in the officialdom, and he is not very good at home."

Qiu Yiqing said: "When he ordered his servants not to come in—the 'foreigner' was probably already in the room."

Shen Jiang opened his eyes wide: "Then he ordered this meal for him alone, or did he bring a guest's portion?"

There are only four small dishes and a small bowl of rice. Wouldn’t it be a bit stingy if you bring a portion for guests?

"Maybe the purpose is not to eat or treat guests, but..." Ye Baiting's eyes narrowed slightly, "Not to be disturbed by others."

The arrival of this 'foreign guest' may not be unexpected to the deceased, or there is no way to do it unexpectedly. For some reason, he must receive him, but the other party suddenly entered the room silently, and the whole family did not know about it. To be safe, he had to Keeping this secret, I checked the weather outside, ordered dinner by the way, and told the servants not to be disturbed by anyone.

Because this order was not sudden, it was a habit in the past, and the subordinates did not find it abrupt.

That's why the bowl of rice on the dinner plate has not been touched, and there are few dishes left. Even the wine jug was taken by Bi Zhenghe from the study.

The 'foreigner' finished what he was supposed to do and left. In order not to let others know, he returned the small square stool to its original position and disposed of the wine cup he had used...

"There are also chopsticks." Qiu Yiqing said, "You have a wine cup for drinking, and chopsticks for eating."

The servants delivered meals to the master according to the rules. The meals were served for one person, and there was only one pair of chopsticks. Bi Zhenghe found wine, and the jug and wine cup had to find a pair of chopsticks to entertain guests, but this pair of chopsticks was obviously not there. A pair of used chopsticks.

Where are the wine cup and chopsticks?

Shen Jiang's eyes lit up: "Master, I'll check after the autopsy! These two things must be on the path of others!"

Ye Baiting lowered his head and continued the autopsy: "...the deceased's retina was congested, and the optic disc was pale..."

This particularly prominent feature has appeared twice in this case. This time, he didn't need to say a conclusion. Shen Jiang slapped his thigh fiercely: "It was poisoned by fake wine again, didn't it!"

And there is only a jug of wine in the room...

He lifted the jug and sniffed it up to his nose: "Oh, it stinks! This thing must be fake wine!"

Qiu Yiqing turned to look at him: "Didn't our master teach the identification method, and why don't we try it?"

"Order!"

Shen Jiang took another cup, poured out a cup of wine, got angry and asked the kitchen master for help, and ran back after a while: "It's really fake wine, there is no doubt that this pot of wine is the murder weapon !"

"But the most convenient person to get in touch with Mu Jing is Lu Ming. He died a long time ago. Zhong Xingyan is the only one who has the opportunity to get this thing now? This Zhong Xingyan and Bi Zhenghe have a grudge. so big!"

Ye Baiting conducted a preliminary on-site inspection of the corpse, and got up: "The deceased's own wine storage must be fine, and he would not commit suicide with this kind of thing all the time. The fake wine wood essence must have been brought in by a 'foreigner'."

But these fake wines appeared in the jug used by the deceased to entertain. If a visitor wants to buy wine, there is no need to put it in the jug of the deceased, and then pour it out of the jug. Well, there's no need to do that, unless...

This fake wine was poured in while the deceased was not paying attention.

Qiu Xunqing: "This case is not an accident. The purpose of the 'foreigner' coming here is to kill people."

But the deceased himself did not know it.

All the above inferences are based on the 'jug is Bi Zhenghe'...

Ye Baiting pointed to the jug on the table: "So the ownership of this jug must be clearly determined."

This is not difficult, Shen Jiang waved and called the servant who often waited in the yard to come over, and showed him the jug: "Do you recognize this thing?"

"I recognize it. It's my master's jug, a long-necked jug with two small wine cups," the servant pointed to the location of the west wall, "It's in the cabinet over there, next to the wine jar. The master likes this, and when I want to have a drink occasionally, I use this set of drinking utensils."

"If he uses it, should he only use a wine cup?"

"Master drinks by himself, of course he only uses one. Every time he uses it, the villain has to clean it up, wash it and put it back in its original place. However, the two wine cups are exactly the same. When the master uses them, he always takes them with him, so he doesn't have to use which one. .”

"Are you sure you have two wine cups?"

"That's right, it's just put in one place, and it's matched like this when I bought it, and there are no more."

But there is nothing in the cupboard. Obviously, the young master and the commander guessed correctly that the wine was brought out by Bi Zhenghe, as were the jug and wine cup. The host and the guest had a few drinks, tasted a few dishes, and chatted about some things , Maybe the host thought the atmosphere was good, but he didn’t expect that when he turned around or lost his mind, the wine in the jug had been replaced, and the wine poured by the visitor was the farewell wine on Huangquan Road.

Qiu Yiqing: "Yesterday, there was a small banquet in the mansion, did you use wine?"

"some."

"Whose wine did you use? But Suji Winery?"

"That's right, it's the Su family's wine, how could the commander... know?"

Not to mention that this servant is curious, Shen Jiang doesn't understand at all, why did the commander think of this all of a sudden, and suddenly mentioned the Su family, and he was right!

Ye Baiting understood Qiu Suqing's thinking direction very well, because at this moment just now, he also thought of this problem. It was also the fake wine that caused death. The last time the mission banquet used the Su family's wine, this time it might not be possible either. free from vulgarity...

He had a vague feeling that they had been being led by the nose in the direction of the case this time, and a big hand was secretly controlling the left and right. What he wanted was that they couldn't figure it out, and what he wanted was that everyone was involved, making the water even more muddy.

What is the murderer's purpose?

"Who is the Su family who came to deliver the wine?"

"Is that little apprentice of his family called Du Kang?" The servant thought for a while, "That's right, it's him, he is young, he doesn't like to talk, but he is not rude, he is quite decent, he came a little late yesterday Some time later, I arrived at a late hour, said it was delayed by something, and wiped off the change of the wine money..."

"When did he leave?"

"Leave after delivering the wine."

"Is there any wine left for the banquet?"

"Yes, it's in the warehouse."

Without the young master's signal, Shen Jiang understood: "Go, take me to see."

After a while, he came back and reported to the commander and the young master that all the drinks were fine, real wine, quite fragrant, it seems that Du Kang came here by accident?But it's not right, since there is no problem with his whereabouts, and Du Kang was late when something happened, and he cut down the drink price, how could he behave like a guilty conscience...

"...This guest, this guest! You can't come in, you said you have something to do at home, it's inconvenient for you to come—"

"Why can't I come? Do you know who I am? I can come if anything happens to your mansion!"

Suddenly there was a commotion outside the courtyard. It was a guest who broke into the room. The servants couldn't stop them, and they entangled all the way from the gatehouse to here. When they appeared in the study courtyard, the scene was silent, looking at each other.

As soon as Shen Jiang saw the person coming, his eyebrows jumped up: "Chief Da? Why is it you again! You are indispensable everywhere, right! Let me remind you, this is not your wild land in Wala, you can go anywhere, and you can go anywhere. Ye De, this is the capital of Dazhao, and I follow the rules everywhere!"

"Isn't this Bi Zhenghe's family? Why did I meet you again? What bad luck!"

Daha flicked his sleeves, and instantly felt that the atmosphere of the scene was a little different. He stretched his neck inward, his brows became prying and gossipy: "Jin Yiwei is here, could it be that something really happened here? Who died? Bi Zhenghe?"

It just so happens that his position has a good view angle, along the gap of the bead curtain, he can see the scene of the study: "Fuck, it's really dead! How can I be so unlucky!"

Shen Jiang narrowed his eyes and blocked his sight: "Leader Da, please explain, why did you appear here?"

"Why..." Daha stomped his feet suddenly, "Could it be that you are suspicious of me again, and are going to frame me again!"

Shen Jiang: "Stop talking nonsense, let me ask you, why are you here!"

Daha looked aggrieved: "I have an appointment with Bi Zheng! Didn't he hurt his butt the day before yesterday and couldn't move it? He agreed to take care of him for two days, and he will accompany me out to see seafood this morning. I'll wait until he doesn't come, right?" When he doesn't come, I can only come over to see what's going on, I thought he was pretending to be garlic again, who would have thought that something happened to him, and he died at this very moment!"

Shen Jiang: "Everyone is dead, and there is no proof of death, so what do you say?"

"You Jinyiwei are shameless!" Daha was angry, "If I really killed someone and did something, it's too late to avoid suspicion, why would Baba come to your door for you to arrest, am I out of my mind!"

Shen Jiang sized him up from head to toe: "That's not sure."

"you--"

Daha took a deep breath, and looked at Qiu Suqing with dark eyes: "The commander handles the case, shouldn't he not need evidence, and treat people as suspects indiscriminately?"

Suspicion green as ink eyes rolled around him: "Jin Yiwei never wronged a good person for no reason, and he will never let a villain go."

These words are quite meaningful, but Daha looks like a dead pig who is not afraid of boiling water. Anyway, it has nothing to do with him, and there is no need to be afraid, and he can even expand his thinking. What are you doing in your study?"

He moved his gaze down and saw the jug that Shen Jiang had just put down, and rolled his eyes: "Could it be that fake wine caused death again? Who is it this time? Let me guess... Oh, last time I held a banquet, there was someone Such a death, this time again, could it be the Su family?"

Qiu Yiqing: "Why do you think it's the Su family?"

Daha snorted: "Didn't I just say that? First, I had an accident while hosting a banquet. This time, Bi Zheng and his family held a small banquet, and another accident happened. The same wine, the same person, the same way of death, who else but the Su family ? Isn’t this a certainty?”

Ye Baiting suddenly asked: "How do you know that the Bi family's small banquet yesterday used wine from the Su family?"

"Look and see, do you doubt me again?" Daha sighed shallowly, and said earnestly, "I said that you are a little clerk, you have to be careful in doing things, and you have to listen to others. Didn't I just say that I am with you?" Bi Zhenghe has an appointment to go out to see seafood together today? When Master Bi made this agreement with me, he explained that he took a rest for a day or two to heal the injury on his buttocks. There is also this small banquet at home. I know this small banquet Isn't that normal?"

Ye Baiting: "Bi Zhenghe also told you personally that the wine for the small banquet was ordered from the Su family?"

Daha raised his head high, waved his sleeves confidently: "Of course! He told me himself!"

Shen Jiang: "You have said that there is no evidence to prove it. Who knows if you are telling the truth or a lie?"

"If you want to say that, I can't help it," Daha spread his hands, "Anyway, I'm here, it's like this, believe it or not. But you are rude, but I have to be magnanimous. After all, I, the Wala people, have always been generous and informal. , I can give you a clue."

"What clue?"

"That Lu Ming, you have a wicked mind..."

Daha looked around, took two steps forward, and said earnestly: "You Jinyiwei are too upright and don't know how to be flexible. You need evidence everywhere, and you have to diverge your thinking. Think about other places. Zhong Xingyan has taken a fancy to the Su family. Little girl, Lu Ming is also a bit sloppy, and deliberately ends the game, arranging that people are wrong here and there, but in fact, the Su family is doing well, I see, the old one is upright, the young one is not good, both father and daughter are good, that's it Du Kang, there is something wrong with him, he looks quiet, but he is actually very thoughtful, Lu Ming has been beaten by him before?"

"The day before yesterday at the Zhuzhi Building, cough, I wanted to save people, but I made a wrong estimate and almost stepped on Mr. Wuzuo, your company. Fortunately, the commander came in time and did not cause any misunderstanding, but I don't know if you two found out, that old man Su Tu When he was leaving, his apprentice Du Kang rushed to the scene and helped him go..."

"My master was bullied by Bi Zhenghe so much. Young people are bloody, so maybe they will take action to take revenge or something, isn't it normal?"

"The leader's words are wrong."

Before Daha could finish expressing his sudden point of view, there was another person in the courtyard, Mu Ya, the deputy leader of the mission.

When Shen Jiang looked at the person's footsteps and posture, he couldn't help but "excuse" from the bottom of his heart, "Okay, the Wala mission, let's get together and put on a big show!"

I would like to see what kind of medicine you sell in your gourd!