The first work of the imperial prison

Royal Palace.

The glazed tiles are shining with gold, the main hall is majestic, the ridge beast on the roof looks into the distance, majestic, and the guards in front of the hall have serious eyes, and each person walks a few steps. Let alone someone who passes by immediately knows, even if there is a group of mosquitoes flying past, you can count the number of them.

Qiu Xunqing was alone at the scene of the murder, investigating and thinking about what he learned when he came here.

This is a pavilion on both sides of yin and yang, which contrast each other. It is built on the water surface, surrounded by rockery outside, and the fish in the pond are pleasing to the eye. It is covered everywhere, and others can see it at a glance. Because it is too cold and the wind blows all around, it is easy to blow the hair and clothes unsightly. Although the scenery is open, it is not so unique. It is everywhere, but it is different now. It is summer now. , the heat is hard to dissipate, and this place has become an excellent place to enjoy the cool air.

Today's court affairs are complicated, and it is a little late to disperse the court.It’s not that as long as the court is gone, the emperor will be fine, and he can go back to approve the papers. There are many unfinished matters in the court, which need to be discussed in the future. The emperor will summon civil servants in the South Study Room every afternoon, and there is a memorial today. To ask Xing Mingda, it was too late to leave the court, and no one else had time to go back to eat, so the emperor gave a banquet.

It's also a coincidence that Xing Mingda's wife, Mrs. Tong, is going to pay homage to the palace today, and it's at the queen's place. The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and many things need to be prepared in advance. There is also a small circle among foreign wives. It may be to show her face when she goes to the palace to pay her respects , to remind the empress to pay attention to where, or it may be to show her ability and tell the empress that she is very useful.

The emperor and the empress are deeply in love with each other. Emperor Yu'an has to greet the empress at breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. If he can spare some time, he will definitely use it together. If it is not possible today at noon, Emperor Yu'an sent a letter to Kunning Palace... …

Based on Qiu Yiqing's understanding of Emperor Yu'an, it is definitely not a serious message, there must be private goods in the middle, sell it badly or something, talk about how difficult it is for the emperor, and don't even have the time to eat with his sweetheart, Accompanying an old man in his forties... maybe not talking about political affairs, but commenting on Xing Mingda is indispensable, so that the queen will feel sorry for him.

The queen felt sorry for her husband, and when she looked down, there was still Mrs. Tong. This man talked to her a lot, and went to pay respects to the empress dowager and Concubine You respectively. I don't know who dragged him to say something. It was a bit late when he came to say goodbye. It's not appropriate for people to go back so hungry, the queen thought about it, don't let people send a message to ask the emperor, do you want to have a meal together?It's a blessing to the couple.

Anyway, I have to eat, so why not do something else and see my queen?

Emperor Yu'an agreed, and asked the people below to send a message. The queen didn't need his reminder at all. She had already invited the empress dowager and concubine you. It's a good day today. There is also Mrs. Hou's Mrs. Shan, there is no Concubine Youtai, but Mrs. Tong has visited, and people already know about it. Now you have someone to give you a banquet, why don't you go over and ask?

Unexpectedly, the two palaces were very respectful, so in the end, everyone arranged to have dinner in this pavilion together.

The pavilion is very big, and it can accommodate these people completely. Although there are Yin and Yang sides, and everyone sits separately for men and women, the middle is not too far apart. While maintaining the rules, they are not so alienated.

On occasions like this, Qiu Xingqing doesn't like to participate. He enters the palace as a routine today, asks and arranges the imperial guards, and waits for Xing Mingda after the dynasty. It's nothing if Xing Mingda is given a banquet. He just waits. , did not expect to wait until the notice of the murder.

As soon as the incident happened, Emperor Yu'an ordered people to control the scene, and sent someone to send the commander of Jin Yiwei to come over to check.

Qiu Yiqing came very quickly, and immediately surveyed the sealed site, the terrain, the environment, the food and drinks left on the table, and other details...

The imperial guards are also good soldiers trained by him, and their ability to do things is not weak. However, they specialize in surgery, and in some places, they are still not as smooth as the Jinyiwei of Fusi in Beizhen. Qiu Xunqing analyzed various orders , while thinking, still have to transfer Shen Jiang over.

The pavilion extends in all directions. There are five roads leading to the outside. One of them leads to the official building. It is slightly longer, covered by bushes, and very quiet. Xing Mingda died on this passage. He should have left the seat in the middle and went to the official building, or... As soon as he came back from the official room, he encountered misfortune.

He was lying on his side with his right arm down. Except for the left forehead, he had no special wounds on his body. The wound on his forehead was serious, and it was obvious that he had been hit hard. The blood flowed down and covered the entire left face. The visual effect was quite horrifying. , but the blood volume is only these, not too big.

Qiu Yiqing squatted down and carefully inspected the wound of the deceased. It was uneven and slightly larger. Compared with it with his hand, it was definitely not a human fist. What kind of weapon should it be, what kind of weapon... Could it be this kind of surface?He thinks that he has done a lot of intensive research in martial arts, and there are few weapons on the market that he has never seen before. This kind of weapon is really unprecedented.

But... Although the deceased was hit hard on the head, the cause of death may not be the same.

Apart from the few bloodstains on the deceased's body, Qiu Xunqing also saw the deceased's bluish-purple lips and nails of the same color. This is the cyanosis after poisoning... Poisoning?

Whether the cause of death is this or not, we still have to wait for the body to be sent back for inspection to confirm. Qiu Xunqing is more concerned about the scene. The passage here is clean and quiet. It's easy, but Xing Mingda's wound is very fresh, and it's obvious that the time is very close, and the person who killed him is likely to be the last person Xing Mingda saw before he died.

This is the imperial palace, inside the imperial palace, how sensitive is poison, where did it come from, in the palace, or brought from outside?Where are the ones in the palace usually, and how can they avoid being searched by the guards if they are brought from outside?

Qiu Yiqing watched the scene, and many doubts were not resolved, but one thing is obvious, the speculation about the murderer is definitely not Emperor Huiyu'an.

When they just came all the way, the palace people made it very clear that Emperor Yu'an and the deceased were the first to give the banquet here. During the whole process, Emperor Yu'an did not leave the banquet, so it is naturally impossible to cause the death of the deceased. If you really want to kill someone, just give him death, there is no need to be so troublesome.

At the end of the gazebo, Emperor Yu'an was waiting for him, a cup of tea on the table remained unmoved, a few memorials were spread out on the left hand, and a vermilion pen was held in the right hand, which did not stop for a moment.

"Have you finished watching the scene?"

"Yes."

"The murderer is deliberately looking for trouble today. I'm afraid he knows that I'm too busy to take care of him." Emperor Yu'an sank his head while criticizing the memorial without raising his face. ? But if I really want to put aside other things and ask this case myself, wouldn’t it be embarrassing to them!”

Seeing that the memorial had been marked with a big x by Zhu Bi, Qiu Yiqing was full of anger: "It's dry in summer, the emperor must of course meditate."

Emperor Yu'an snorted, finished approving the last paper, closed it, stood up, and looked at Qiu Yiqing: "You are good at this, and you are the commander of Beizhen Fusi. I entrust this matter to you. Time to ask."

Qiu Su Qing's head: "The minister's responsibility is under the jurisdiction, and the truth will be found out after investigation."

"It's boring, you always have a straight face," Emperor Yu An looked at him, "Are you like this in front of little A Ting?"

Qiu Yiqing was a little helpless: "Your Majesty, the murder case is coming—"

"Forget it, let's talk when I'm free," Emperor Yu'an looked pitiful, "But I didn't lie to you, I really have a lot of things at hand, I haven't been able to sleep well for the past two days, and I didn't even find the queen for dinner." I don't have time, this time it's really up to you, you've given me a little...time to think about the little prince."

Qiu Suiqing: ...

Want a little prince or make a little prince?

The king of a country, is it appropriate to say such a thing?

Of course, Emperor Yu'an knew it was inappropriate, so he ran away before Qiu Yiqing changed his face and remonstrated, his footsteps were hurried, with an urgency of "I'm so busy, I'm so busy, it's too late": "This time you are walking in the palace, and I will give you the right to take advantage of it. If you have any needs, you can go to the queen's dignitary, and if you don't need it, you can go to my eunuch Gao, and I will go to work!"

Qiu Suiqing: ...

He watched the site survey work go smoothly before going to see the queen.

The queen's name is Yuege. According to her own words, she was the daughter of an ordinary official family before she got married. She is not a famous family, nor is she a high-ranking official. The Empress of the Palace is not drifting, what she used to be is what she is now, except for the expenses and decorations required for various occasions, she is always the same as before she got married, the things around her are only based on habits and preferences, and do not pay attention to luxury.

There are palace documents on her left hand, and a cup of tea on her right. Her posture is very similar to that of Emperor Yu'an approving memorials. When she saw Qiu Yiqing coming, she was more polite than Emperor Yu'an. , serve tea."

She knew that today, when someone died in full view of everyone, the emperor would definitely invite the commander to come, and the commander would definitely come to see her, so she had already made preparations, and she spoke up without waiting for Qiu Suqing to ask.

"Probably, you must have known the situation. From the perspective of my palace, I don't know if it was a coincidence. The emperor meets every day. It is not unusual for Mr. Xing to be here. It is a little late to leave the court. It's normal, but Mrs. Tong doesn't come to the palace very often. She invited me to see her today because it was a matter of preparation for the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Tong family and my natal family had contacts in the early years, but she handed over the sign to see her, and it was Bengong himself who met her. sure."

Qiu Xunqing understands the meaning of these words, Xing Mingda will go to court, everyone knows, but he was kept by the emperor, it was a temporary decision by the emperor, outsiders could not know in advance, Tong's entry into the palace is also the same, the rules in the palace are strict, It's not that she can see whoever she wants to see, she needs to hand in the card early, the date is set by the Queen, it is today, but whether to stay or not is at the discretion of the Queen, and no one can interfere.

The murderer chose to strike at this time, did he have a plan, or did he strike suddenly?

Empress Yue's voice continued: "Today, the Empress Dowager also summoned Shan Shi, the mistress of Han Ninghou's Mansion, and she seemed to be very concerned about the Mid-Autumn Festival. Tong Shi went to Ningshou Palace and Changle Palace to visit respectively. During the meal, I sent people to the two palaces to ask for a talk. The Empress Dowager and Concubine You were very respectful, and went to the pavilion together. There were not many people, so it was just for fun. Since there are female relatives during the dinner, we will not talk about it. During the court affairs, the emperor even made a few small jokes with Mr. Xing, and the atmosphere was not bad. On the side of the women’s family, because Tong’s husband’s official position is considered to be the lowest, during the meeting, they kept few words, and were teased by Han Ninghoufu Shan’s family..."

Speaking of this, Empress Yue raised her eyebrows slightly, and paused: "It's a joke, no matter whether it's a woman in the harem or a woman in the back house, some words are meant by the speaker and the listener, and Tong's is even more speechless."

"I don't know if Concubine You and Mrs. Shan have grudges against each other, or if they just don't like it, so I picked her up a few words, saying that she has a sharp mouth, and Mrs. Shan is the one who was invited into the palace by the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager relied on her status. She didn't say anything, but the Banchang Gong from the West Factory smiled and helped, and Concubine You Taigui stopped talking. Is there any Fuchang Gong from the East Factory beside her? "

Qiu Xunqing understood that it was still in that play, the Empress Dowager and Concubine You had been fighting for a lifetime, and any situation where these two were present, no matter what the cause was or who was involved, would eventually become a rivalry between them.

"Concubine You Taigui protects and protects the Tong family... Are the two of them on good terms?"

Empress Yue thought for a while, then shook her head: "I can't see it. During the banquet, Concubine You Taigui was not very polite to Mr. Xing. She said that he has a romantic face and is really not a good person. I am afraid that his subordinates will not be able to do things well. I suggest the emperor to be careful." Listen to it."

"The two giant Buddhas in the palace have always been at odds. Let alone you and me, everyone in the court knows that I married in March. It has been three or four months, and the time is still short. For the empress dowager and Concubine You Taigui... still can't figure it out, this murder case really doesn't make sense, I don't know if there is something hidden in it, I'm afraid it will be too much work for the commander."

Qiu Yiqing cupped his hands: "Don't worry, empress, the envoy's duty is to live up to everyone's expectations."

Empress Yue smiled: "That's it, I won't mention too many guesses. Unfounded things will affect your direction of handling the case. I will talk about the time. The people in the harem will go late. When the time comes, the emperor and Mr. Xing will be together." Already there, the emperor never moved during the banquet, because the palace wanted to confirm the dishes, I left the banquet once in the middle, the empress dowager was old, and it was hard to avoid sitting for a long time, and she was served by Banchang Gong in the middle, and she also left once , It should be to go to the official room. Mrs. Han Ninghou, Mrs. Shan, was unhappy because she was run over by Concubine You Taigui, and she also left. Not long after she got up, Tong followed her out. Is there any discord among them? Why did you follow her out? , To add insult to injury or to justify, outsiders don’t know, about a quarter of an hour later, Mrs. Tong came back by herself, Mrs. Shan was not there, and she didn’t come back until the murder happened.”

"As for Imperial Concubine You... Probably everyone left the table, and she sat alone. I felt that the style was lowered. I also called Mr. Fuchang in the middle and left once."

After saying the same thing, Empress Yue sighed: "If someone really did this on purpose, all those who left in the middle will be suspected. The command envoy can clearly observe the clues and make more comparisons. There is no need to worry too much about it. If there is doubt, it can be investigated.”

Qiu Yiqing: "Yes."

Empress Yue: "This time the imperial banquet was given by the imperial court, Yin Mengqiu, a female officer of the Shang Palace Bureau, has been on the sidelines. During the banquet, she often enters and exits. All the drinks and dishes have to go through her hands. I have just sent a message to let her In the past few days, I have cooperated with the Commander to investigate the case, and the Commander can ask any questions, but this person has served in the palace for nearly 30 years, and the Commander should verify the authenticity of what she said."

"Thank you Queen Empress."

"On the contrary, I should thank you. There was a homicide case in the palace, and the emperor is busy with government affairs. I should take care of it, but you are too tired." Empress Yue's eyes darkened, "If you have any difficulties in handling the case, just come to find me Kunning Palace."

"Yes."

Qiu Xunqing asked a few more questions, and the two discussed the rules of giving banquets in the palace, the process of serving food, the surrounding environment, etc. for a while, and they almost finished asking about the details of the case.

At the end, when Qiu Yiqing was about to leave, Empress Yue paused and called him back: "...A Ting, how are you doing recently?"

Atin?

Enmity stumbled, and some didn't understand the title.

Empress Yue smiled, her eyebrows were simple and elegant, and there was a warm light inside: "He may not have told you that when we were young, we had crossed paths, and he even saved me. Later, because my father's generation went to other places to be officials, I have never been able to get married. See, his family returned to Beijing last year, thinking that he would finally have a chance, but unexpectedly he was sent to prison..."

She lowered her eyebrows: "I'm not afraid of your jokes. I was going to be engaged to the emperor at that time, and I was so entangled by him that I didn't care about it. It was too late when I found out, and Ah Shao was worried that I would cause trouble, so I never asked him to come see me." , there has never been a chance, since this investigation in the palace, why not bring him along with the commander?"

Qiu Suqing frowned, and remained silent for a while.

The smile on Empress Yue's face deepened: "Don't think about it, the emperor also knows at this time, I just miss the love he saved when I was young, thinking that I have some skills today, and I can take care of him a little bit."

"As for the situation in the palace... Dongchang and Xichang have the intention of recruiting him, and they are very optimistic. It somewhat represents the meaning of Ningshou Palace and Changle Palace. No one will deliberately embarrass him. Your man, the emperor will protect him, and I I will also guarantee the safety of my friend from the past, he will be fine, how about it, can the commander rest assured?"

Only then did Qiu Yiqing salute and said, "I will consider it."

Empress Yue nodded: "It's best to come here tomorrow. After such an incident today, I'm afraid that the two palaces will be too lazy to make troubles. If you come early tomorrow morning, you can also knock on the gates of the two palaces and ask questions."

……

While Qiu Yiqing was busy in the palace, Beizhen Fusi was also not idle. Shen Jiang stared down to check the information of the deceased Xing Mingda, and immediately reported any gains, and soon learned some information.

"Wow... this Xing Mingda is not easy. When he was young, he was a pretty boy. When he was old, he got along well with his appearance. It is said that he has a lot of nepotism, and he is coaxed by his mouth... He has good friends outside. Everyone Very sure, but the guesses are specious, and I can’t find out a name, do you think it’s serious?"

Ye Baiting took the news file, but what he was most concerned about was not this, but——

"Is Mrs. Tong released from the palace?"

"That's right, Xing Mingda went to court today, and Mrs. Tong also entered the palace. The husband and wife were at the imperial banquet together. Why did one die and the other didn't? Could it be Mrs. Tong who killed her husband?" Shen Jiang touched. With a chin down and a serious face, "Because this bitch is messing around outside?"

Ye Baiting: ...

"What I said is that Mrs. Tong has been released from the palace."

"Uh?"

"The case has just been released, and the details are still unclear. Any guesses may be wrong, but Tong is out of the palace." Ye Baiting looked at Shen Jiang. "The commander is in the palace. Now that he has taken over the case, he will not let it go." The suspect walked around and released, there must be a purpose."

"What's the purpose of this, maybe it's because I'm too busy..."

Shen Jiang blinked and understood: "Maybe I'm really too busy. The suspect is in the palace. The commander alone is enough to understand the situation. It's even more difficult to ask about the case. Let a person come out. Let's help to ask." , wouldn’t it save time and trouble?”

Ye Baiting frowned: "So what is Shen Qianhu still doing?"

"I'll send someone to investigate right away!"

"Just send someone." Ye Baiting looked at the sky outside, "If my prediction is correct, the commander will go through the procedures in the palace later, I'm afraid he will call you in to help, don't let him miss someone."

Shen Jiang nodded: "Okay, I'm not going anywhere, just nail it here! Since the commander ordered Tong to be sent out, he must have inspected it and sent someone to monitor it. It will be fine in a while. The people below are also very capable!"

Ye Baiting: "I guess...the corpse is coming back soon."

The two were talking, when a small soldier ran over to report: "Master, command the missionaries to transfer the body back to the Sili, immediately enter the door, and send it to Wuzuo's room!"

Shen Jiang snorted, "You're really back! That young master, let's go?"

Ye Baiting took the lead: "Go, let's go to Wuzuo's room."

Because I had received a notice before, knowing that there was a homicide in the palace, the corpse would definitely be transferred out. The autopsy room was prepared early on. The autopsy environment, autopsy tools, and the tools in the autopsy box were all lined up, shining brightly in the sun.

Ye Baiting cleaned his hands, put on his overalls, and quickly went to work.

Shen Jiang had nothing else to do for the time being, so he followed along, and sighed when he saw the face of the deceased: "It's so bloody, how can you tell if the face looks good? But..." He walked around the corpse, " The lips are so obviously bruised and the nails are bluish, a layman like me can tell, young master, did he die from poisoning? Was he poisoned in the palace?"

Not to mention Shen Jiang's incredulous expression, Ye Baiting was also very surprised, for such a dangerous thing as using poison, would anyone dare to do it in the palace?

Like Qiu Yiqing, Shen Jiang saw the wound on the left forehead of the deceased at a glance. It was because of this injury that the deceased's face was covered with blood, and he couldn't even see whether it looked good or not: "What was it used for? Why? It’s still uneven? It doesn’t look like a common murder weapon, could it be a stone? What kind of stone is so capable?”

What is the place in the palace, I can't wait to clean it everywhere, even the pebbles have to be in a particularly pleasing shape, how can there be such a stone?

Ye Baiting put on the gloves: "Let's look at the corpse first."

The first is the time of death. There is probably no doubt about it. Didn't come back until the palace people found the body. This time is not long, because everyone's time is very important, no matter the emperor, the queen or the big figures in the harem, and it is impossible to be wasted like this. Also have to be alert all the time.

Along with the corpse came Qiu Suiqing's brief analysis of the case, which took no more than two quarters of an hour.

Ye Baiting cautiously opened his eyelids and looked, after checking the plaques and rigor, and after confirming that it was correct, he accepted the time of death.

But the strange thing is that the left forehead of the deceased was hit hard, and the blood flowed like this, but he himself did not have any resistance or reaction...Why?