The first work of the imperial prison

Night fell.

Road frost knows the cold, charcoal fire knows the warmth, every night will come as scheduled, some people see its darkness, its length, some people wait for the dawn and warmth after the darkness.

At the house of the right servant of the household department, the mistress Zhuang passed away, closed the door and closed the house, and did not even start to set up a mourning hall. Xu Liangxing enjoyed the service of the servant girl, not even taking chopsticks, and the wine and meat were delivered with fragrant lips and soft tongues. Before the meal was finished, the clothes were disheveled and the hat was not straight, and it was too late to clean the hands, and she had already pulled the maid and pressed it on the table...

Princess Yun'an's mansion set up a mourning hall, and it was painted plain. The princess' eyes were a little red, but it was hard to feel any more sadness. She looked down at the letter in her hand, and finally folded it slowly, and ignited it.

Some people come home after a busy day and have dinner with their families, and the time is quiet. There are also people who work at night, either put on a smile, busy for their livelihood, or calm down, and when they return home at dawn, there is hot food on the stove...

Different from the warm atmosphere in other places, it is true that the imperial prison has been tossing and can not be quiet, and the guards have stepped up inspections, and the control is strict, no one dares to move rashly.

Almost everyone in the torture room next to it has been there, sometimes once or twice, and many are innumerable. The things hanging on the wall are not decorations, so it’s okay to disobey them, but the previous wave of excitement was really beautiful. This waist is so thin that the wind blows The young master who can fold has something!

Chai Pengyi has been here for many years, he is an old fritter, but anyone who pays attention to his surroundings can vaguely guess what he is doing. Ye Baiting is different. He only came in summer. He didn't eat much, and almost starved himself to death, but when he figured it out, he not only hooked up with Jin Yiwei, but also ran amok in the imperial prison, even messing with old people!

Not only provoked, but also stepped on his face, and he retreated completely!

It is true that there are talents from all over the world, and Lao Lang will be photographed on the beach sooner or later.

"Master...Master? Do you want someone else?"

"Come back and bring me one!"

"I don't want much, a bowl of meat porridge is definitely cheaper than the two next to you!"

Reserved and not reserved, whenever you pass Ye Baiting's cell, or talk to him, they all come to recommend themselves, and they all express their submission. You are the boss, and I will follow you in the future!

Someone came over secretly and asked him what happened to the water outside, how could he control the things outside when he was in the prison?The prisoner let Beizhen Fusi go, and no one is in charge of the prison. How is this possible?Who will believe it?

Of course Ye Baiting kept his secrets secret, so it was impossible to elaborate.

Of course there was no water outside, how could he control so much and set fire to Qiu Yiqing's territory?He just let Niu Dayong go out for a walk, and accidentally sent some signals, how big the misunderstanding can be, how much can be deceived, and the time can be delayed for a moment, who knows that Niu Dayong is so powerful this time, The commotion is so loud?

Generally speaking, the young master has a good fate, today's lucky stars are shining, and the wind is going smoothly.

But these people in the prison don't know.Xiang Zi'an secretly suggested that it is better to take advantage of the trend and create a character design of Zhuge Kongming, so that it can be used later...

Ye Baiting ignored it.

Of course the master will not be disappointed, in their line of work, just think of ideas, whether bad or good, bad or upright, the more they come up with, the more they seem capable, right?As for whether to take it or not, it is the owner's business.

"...But it's true that I'm lucky today, and this little car," he fanned, pointing to the long flat skateboard with two small wheels outside the cell, "it's so easy to use, what do you think?"

Of course Ye Baiting has seen it.

In fact, he had never played skateboarding, he was not proficient, and he didn't have much athletic talent, but he couldn't think of a better way at the time.In the event of an accident, he needs to race against time. No matter how good Qin Gentian's martial arts are, he can't take care of everyone. He has to find a way to make himself faster. The conditions are limited, and there are not many things he can do. He only thought of this, as long as the wheels are good. , at least faster than myself, without any effort.

It's just that his craftsmanship is not very good, and the small skateboard is not durable. After just such a short time, the wheels are already a little loose, and I'm afraid it will break soon.

"Simply Playing."

"Wow - woof!"

The dog pawed back and forth to stop the car, and tried to bite it with his teeth, looking very interested in this new thing.

"Yes, and our General Xuanfeng, thank you this time, but you are not allowed to make small reports with others."

The dog ignored Xiang Zi'an, and went back and forth to the prison several times a day. It saw no one but Ye Baiting in its eyes. At the beginning, it was all kinds of vigilant and cold, but Ye Baiting licked it a few times, and it was completely defeated by people. Be good. Very much, I don't like to leave.

"Woof!" It held the rope of the cart in its mouth, tilted its head to look at Ye Baiting, as if asking if it could be played.

Xiang Zi'an was almost over the edge, and the voice was so loud that it was breathless: "Give it! You can see that its eyes are wet and cute, young master, give it to it!"

It doesn't matter if the dog ignores him, as long as he can see it often!

Qin Gentiana snorted, "Oh, lick the dog." It was unclear whether it was a dog or a person who scolded.

Ye Baiting rubbed Gouzi's head: "Go and play." Anyway, he doesn't need it now.

The dog was so happy, he dragged the cart and ran away, and not long after, he came back again.I don't know how it does it, but it can send food to Ye Baiting with a basket in its mouth at any time, sometimes it's snacks, sometimes it's dried fruits and preserves, this time it brings over dried braised meat, a lot of it, probably as a thank you gift for the little car?

Ye Baiting knew at a glance that it wasn't Shen Jiang's instruction. Everyone has their own preferences. If it was Shen Jiang, the jerky must be hard and salty, but the things in the small basket are more fragrant and soft, as if they will Finished, and not much dried in the sun.

He didn't know where Gouzi snatched it from, but when he thought that it was called Xuanfeng, he was General Gou who went everywhere in Beizhen Fusi and was respected by everyone, so he didn't think much about it.

Qin Gentiana got the meat thrown by the young master, put it in his mouth and chewed it, his eyes narrowed: "This time is enjoyable, the old thing inside is so scared that he was so angry!"

It's rare that the master didn't argue this time, and he has the same opinion, and he swayed his fan: "Not only, maybe I'm so angry." He took the jerky and took a bite, "But the old thing is such a thief, the things he said... should be true. Is it true or false, is there something to hide?"

Ye Baiting nodded: "Of course."

The meat in Gentiana Qin's hand suddenly tasted bad: "Then your case..." If it can't be solved, isn't it a waste of time?

Ye Baiting squinted from the corner of his eyes, with a look of 'what are you talking about': "Are you questioning my ability?"

Qin Gentiana paused.

"How is it possible, of course it can be broken!"

Now that the young master is confident and energetic, he can rest assured that the meat in the future will be guaranteed, and he can eat what is in his hand without hiding it.

Ye Baiting: ...

Jin Yiwei tossed and tossed inside and out, and finally got free. When he had time, Shen Jiang ran over: "Ancestor, what's wrong with you!"

Ye Baiting was quite calm, with an innocent face: "What's wrong with me? Oh, you're talking about the little crisis that happened before? What does it have to do with me? It's not the prisoners inside... Is someone surnamed Chai making trouble?"

Shen Jiang choked, looked at Ye Baiting several times up and down, his face was full of doubts about you, but I had no evidence: "You won't lie to me, will you?"

Ye Baiting smiled: "Of course, we are partners, why should I lie to you? Shen Baihu shouldn't be too sensitive."

Shen Jiang didn't understand: "Then Niu Dayong..."

Ye Baiting pretended not to understand: "What happened to him? Did he do something wrong?"

"That's not true, it's just a coincidence..." Shen Jiang reminded himself not to be fooled by stereotypes, and held back abruptly.

Ye Baiting's eyebrows turned cold: "Master Baihu, this is wrong, because some accident happened outside, it's a coincidence, so you come to doubt me?"

Shen Jiang: ...

"I've said it all, others are making trouble, but I've been here obediently, even if I walk out of the cell occasionally—"

"You really went out?" Shen Jiang suddenly raised his voice, his throat broke, like a cock being strangled.

"That's also to avoid the vicious rioting prisoners," Ye Baiting said with a smile on his brows, and his voice was low and obedient, "Shen Baihu also knows that I am weak and cannot withstand other people's fists, so I have to think about how to protect myself all the time. Own?"

Shen Jiang stared at Young Master Jiao for a long time, but he couldn't see anything unusual, and was gradually persuaded: "... also."

He was outside today and was not there when the accident happened. I heard that the sound of the gong was sharp and the water came suddenly. Everyone looked for the flame everywhere, but before they found it, someone came back and shouted loudly. Drilling, so everyone organized effectively and evacuated nervously...

After the commander took office, each of them was handed out a pamphlet with detailed contents, ranging from rules to punishments, big and small, and this 'drill' requirement was naturally on it.Jin Yiwei has assessment tasks at the end of each month, and usually has face-to-face drills. This is the first time that this "walking water" practice has been done.

During this period, the gate of the prison was closed, and all the guards came out to 'fight the fire'. Is there any movement inside... because the outside is too noisy, it is hard to tell, and then the door was opened, and all the prisoners were in their cells. It was locked, very quiet, there were those with bruised noses and swollen faces, who said that they fell asleep and didn’t make a good dream, knocked against the wall, and some people died in their own prisons, not many, three or four, but there were some in the prison. It is common for prisoners to die. From time to time, some people can't stand it anymore, sometimes one in a few days, sometimes several in a day, which is not new.

But Shen Jiang always felt that there was something wrong. After asking, the people below said it was all right, everything was normal, and the superiors did not pursue it. Obviously, this matter was not out of the ordinary. It's really nothing out of the ordinary.

Everyone said it was fine, and it was not easy for him to hold on to it, and it didn't have any bad influence, so why bother making his colleagues feel uneasy, it really made everyone punished, and it was not easy for him to be an official with a hundred households.

In the end, I can only remind Young Master Jiao: "Your status is sensitive now, remember to stay away from troubles, the commander's eyes can't tolerate sand, I'm really going to reveal my secrets... At most, I don't want this hundred households anymore, what about you, this little girl?" Don't want to die."

Ye Baiting smiled like a spring flower: "I understand."

He knew it would end like this.How can such a thing as jailbreak be put on the table?Chai Pengyi was already impulsive when he was so angry. How could he continue to expand his influence? Of course, he did so in a low-key way. The prison door he kicked open was closed by himself, and the lock that was opened was locked back by himself. Of course, the wound on his body and face can only be his own. Those inmates who were hit and unfortunately "sacrificed" must also be dragged back to the original cell, and you have to die in the right place.

Chai Pengyi suffered a lot, so he didn't dare to show it, and he didn't dare to report him. He was very safe, so why worry?

Ye Baiting shrugged Shen Jiang away, and laughed out her little white teeth: "So, Shen Baihu came here this time to threaten and intimidate me?"

"of course not."

Shen Jiang rolled his eyes and opened the cell door: "Come out, hurry up, put on the little skirt, the boss wants to talk to you."

Ye Baiting let out an oh, and walked out like a stream of kindness, just in time, he also had something to say.

"Aren't you surprised?" Shen Jiang himself was surprised. "The commander seldom talks to anyone. He's so busy every day, so it's not like he's idle."

The corners of Ye Baiting's lips twitched slightly: "So I'm what he's busy with."

"Ah?" This... Could it be some unspeakable private meeting!

"The case." Ye Baiting looked at him like a fool, "Isn't it broken?"

Shen Jiang: ...

That is still necessary.

In the small hall, Qiu Yiqing was already sitting at the head, Shen Jiang sent Young Master Jiao to him, saluted and was about to leave when he was stopped.

"Didn't you find a new clue? Tell me."

Shen Jiang: ...

It turned out that it was really not a private meeting, but an investigation, he was narrow-minded!

He hurriedly cleaned up his expression: "Yes! My subordinates went down to check on Hong Mei, a woman from the brothel. Due to the urgency of time, this person's whereabouts cannot be determined for the time being, but the order of sending out the Supa has been found out. Xu Liangxing got it first, and it was at Zhuang's. On the day of the flower banquet, he had asked someone else to bring it to him. The county horse was bought by someone anonymously at a huge price after leaving Miaoyinfang on the evening after the banquet... "

So there is no problem in the order, and all the previous reasoning of Master Shangjiao is correct.

"There is also the poison. The subordinates have carefully checked the Xu family and the list of banquet guests. Who did the hands and feet, and the direction is still unclear, but the Junma and the Zhuang family were not the only ones who were poisoned that day. The poison should be in the In a round of tea, besides the two of them, there were more than a dozen other guests who also had the same symptoms. There was no major reaction, just a loss of appetite and no diarrhea. After recovering, the subordinate asked the doctor to show them that there is nothing wrong with the pulse condition, there is no abnormality in the skin on the body, the appetite has returned, and it is very healthy."

Ye Baiting pondered: "So this poison was not given to a certain person precisely. The murderer couldn't control this. He just tried to do it in a small area, as long as he was sure that the deceased could be poisoned."

Shen Jiang: "That's right, it's the same as what you and the commander speculated before!"

Ye Baiting looked at Qiu Yiqing: "The commander should have also asked for information from Xuan Pinghou when he came back this time?"

Qiu Yiqing shook his head: "Master Hou drank a lot of wine, he is not sober and can't tell clearly. If you want to know more details, you have to wait for him to sober up."

Ye Baiting tilted his head, but?

Qiu Xunqing: "But this envoy has confirmed it, and he also got Hualiu."

Shen Jiang snorted: "But Xuan Pinghou...wasn't on the banquet list! He didn't go to the flower banquet that day!"

The blue eyes of hatred came over: "Who said that the flower feast and the flower willow are necessarily related?"

Shen Jiang retracted her head, just you, you and Young Master Jiao, didn't they all speculate like this...

Ye Baiting thought for a while, and asked Qiu Xunqing: "Is the willow on Xuan Pinghou's body more serious?"

"That's right." Qiu Sui's jaws were green, his eyes showed approval, "He got sick earlier than the two deceased."

Ye Baiting's gaze deepened: "Then his current living environment must be very unsatisfactory. Drinking too much alcohol is mostly a depression that cannot be resolved."

Qiu Yiqing: "The wounds are festering, family members shy away, relatives and friends don't ask, even servant girls——I would rather bear the family law than serve close to me."

"Then this... I have to use wine to drown my sorrow..." Shen Jiang carefully winked at Young Master Jiao with Qiu Yiqing on his back. What's going on, tell me quickly, you can't both understand, I'm the only one in the dark Drum!

Ye Baiting smiled: "It just so happens that I also got some news and I need to report it to the commander."

Qiu Xunqing: "Tell me."

"In the depths of the prison, there is a prisoner named Chai Pengyi..."

Before he finished his sentence, Shen Jiang's eyes stood up, what a charming young master, you still lied to me that you were obedient and did nothing wrong, how did you get the new news, and you also know that there is a prisoner deep in the cell Chai Pengyi?Did you ask someone!How did you come up with such a big deal?But if you ask me a question, you don't have to make such a fuss!

And where is this place, the commander is sitting on it, can this kind of thing be said casually?You are not afraid that the commander will kill you on the spot!

Shen Baihu was anxious and panicked, afraid that something might happen.

Ye Baiting gave a 'relax' wink, promising that nothing would happen.

Qiu Yiqing pondered for a moment: "I have seen this name on the list of prisoners. It must have been eight years ago because of the river corruption case?"

Shen Jiang: ...

Shen Baihu's eyes were straightened, thinking that it's all over, let's take it easy, make sure everything is all right, then there's nothing wrong with it!What kind of brain does the commander use, everyone remembers it!

Ye Baiting's voice was calm and steady: "The river corruption case back then involved countless people, and Xu Liangxing and Shen Huarong were also one of them. , One retired because of his wife’s strenuous efforts, and the other was not escorted to prison because his wife was a princess and was punished for a small crime.”

Shen Jiang's attention was immediately diverted by this sentence: "I know! This is revenge! The victim from back then came to kill the fish that slipped through the net!"

But Qiu Yiqing shook his head: "The victims of the Hedao corruption case are the common people, and it may not be possible to overcome many obstacles to find the perpetrator, and it also cannot explain the most critical point of this case - deliberate humiliation."

If kneeling is just for punishment, what about Hualiu?This direction is too obvious, just for the purpose of humiliation. What the murderer wants is that the deceased is tortured both physically and mentally, anxious and depressed, and mentally disturbed. Behind this kind of behavior, there must be a special victim. The murderer's revenge is for this person , not a group.

Ye Baiting smiled, and decisively dragged his neighbor into the water: "There is a prisoner named Xiang Zi'an in the imperial prison. There is nothing he doesn’t know about business affairs, I chatted with him a few words, and after giving him some benefits, he mentioned a story that he had learned from other people’s mouths.”

"Xiang Zi'an..." Qiu Yiqing seemed unfamiliar, and looked at Shen Jiang, "I don't have much impression, but he doesn't cause much trouble?"

Shen Jiang guessed that Young Master Jiao had a ghost when he heard it, but at this time, how could he betray his teammates, and immediately handed him over: "Indeed... that's true, this criminal is usually more obedient, but his mouth is a little oily, and he hasn't caused trouble since he came in. .”

Hatred green jaws, slender knuckles knocked on the table: "Continue."

Ye Baiting: "It is said that 20 years ago, there was a beautiful woman named Zi Yuan in the south of the Yangtze River, with beautiful eyebrows and red lips, and a jade shadow. She shocked the world with her piano skills. I don't know how many people are eagerly looking forward to her beauty."

Qiu Yiqing showed no expression, as if she had never heard of it.

Shen Jiang patted her thigh and remembered: "I know! This Ziyuan girl is very beautiful. She is proficient in all kinds of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, especially her profound piano skills. She has a great reputation and has attracted everyone's attention. How many people rely on their talents to challenge them? In the most prosperous period, as soon as her carriage passed by, countless people flocked to the road to peek, as long as she took out the piano, within a moment, the streets would be empty, and everyone would go to listen to the music!"

"However, this girl's beauty is unlucky, and she didn't marry her lover at her best age. After she was [-] years old, she found a man and married her. Since then, she has been a low-key wife. She seems to have settled in the capital. People who are not particularly familiar with her I don’t know, maybe ten years ago, I heard that I disappeared in a barren mountain, no one was alive, no dead body was found, and I can’t find it anymore.”

After the words fell, the room was silent.

Ye Baiting: "Continue."

Shen Jiang blinked: "Continue...what?" I've finished talking!

Ye Baiting: ...

I thought I could collect more clues, but it was hard for Shen Baihu.

"What I heard is that ten years ago, Ziyuan did not disappear, but died, and was killed by someone."

Ye Baiting told all the stories he heard from Chai Pengyi in detail.Ziyuan's behavior, Zhuang's behavior, Shen Huarong's shamelessness, the mob hunting in Xishan, how things happened, how to lure others into the game, how to coax and persecute them, how to coerce people into threats, how tragedies happened, how people didn't Yes, how the corpse was handled, how the husband of the deceased had nowhere to ask, ran around helplessly, and ended up being folded inside himself...

"...The murderer's revenge is not because of the river corruption case, but because of Ziyuan."

Shen Jiang took a breath: "You said that Ziyuan and his wife are kind-hearted and have supported many children. According to this year, the older children have grown up. It is very likely that these people have come back to take revenge!"

Ye Baiting shook his head: "Friends can't completely rule it out. After all, this siege is Zhuang's coquetry, and it was created for Xuanping Hou. It seems that all the bad things are done by others, but Xuanping Hou is not innocent. It's just useful, he saw the whole process, knew everything, but didn't stop for a moment, drank wine, ate fruit, enjoyed the whole process, and even bullied Ziyuan in the end, he was the first one, after that other men It can be said that he is the main target of the murderer, and the reason why he has not been killed now is probably because he has some special ideas."

"In the murderer's whole murder plan, the 'flowers and willows' link is extremely important. These perpetrators must suffer and suffer, but not necessarily at the same time. Zhuang and Shen Hua promised to be convenient and suitable. Calculating together can alleviate my suspicions. For Xuan Pinghou, he may have done it long ago. Chang Shan, the 'sage in the field', doesn't know, because Xuan Pinghou has a special status, he has money and power, and maybe even an imperial doctor can be hired. , look down on folk doctors."

After listening to this, Qiu Yiqing looked at Ye Baiting with focused eyes and deep eyes: "So, some people can be ruled out."

Ye Baiting smiled back, with stars shining in his eyes: "That's right, I think I know how to catch the murderer."