The first work of the imperial prison

The time of death this time is still very subtle, and there was also a church meeting yesterday.

People in the world experience birth, old age, sickness and death every day. If Lou Kai dies, others will not be able to play, right?This matter is subtle because several people know each other.

The meeting was scheduled half a month in advance. It was organized by a small official named Zheng Hongchun. Originally, Lou Kai and Prince Lu's son were the guests of this meeting. Lou Kai died, so he couldn't go, but Prince Lu's son also didn't go, the reason is unknown, now, he is dead.

The location of the incident is also a bit subtle.The church is located in a different garden, and compared to the front one, one east and one west, the distance is very far away, but the places where the deceased was found are all in small courtyards near the garden, very unremarkable single-family houses, searched It is easy to be ignored in the process, and it is regarded as a partial courtyard of other people's homes.

Even the atmosphere feels the same.

Opening the gate is a patio, square and square, with skylight visible, and hand-painted verandahs on both sides, clean and elegant. There are not many things in the yard, and most of the decorations are bonsai. These flashy things are not used by ordinary people at all. Cleaning tools, slightly messy storage space and other living atmosphere.

Obviously, this is also a house that is usually unoccupied, and someone will come to clean it regularly.

Before entering the room, there was an overly strong smell of powder through the door, sweet and choking, exactly the same as the scene where Lou Kai's body was found last time.

"I'll go take a look first!"

It was still Shen Jiang who covered his nose with his sleeve, pushed the door open first, checked the details of the doors and windows, and after confirming that they were correct, opened the window to ventilate the smell, and then invited Master Jiao and the commander to come in: "Tsk tsk tsk, come quickly, master! This time Strange, the way of death is exactly the same!"

Ye Baiting walked in, and the first thing he saw was the corpse hanging on the beam. It was still in the posture of "four horses with hooves upside down". Bent posture, no clothes on the body, many whip marks, the rope binding method is symmetrical, beautiful, and artistic, and the whole body is covered with a piece of clothing on the head. From Ye Baiting's perspective, the face of the deceased cannot be seen clearly for a while. But judging from the color of his chest——

The deceased was probably also poisoned, his face, neck, and chest turned blue, and something was cut off from his body.

Qiu Yiqing first found the incense cauldron in the corner of the room, but it was also a pity that the spices inside had been burned out, and there was no trace except for a little smell.

The teapot on the table was empty, and the tea set hadn't been moved. This time the deceased... didn't drink tea?

Shen Jiang took the clothes on the dead man's head and asked Young Master Jiao: "It was also there last time. Is there any special meaning? The murderer has killed everyone, and you are so kind to cover it with a cloth?"

Ye Baiting pondered for a moment, and said: "Generally, this kind of behavior has two directions. One is to feel guilty in the heart. No matter what hatred there is, it is killing someone after all. This kind of behavior is not allowed in the secular moral concept; the other is to feel guilty. I just feel that even this way of death, the deceased is not worthy, he has committed a heinous crime, his crime cannot be punished, and he does not deserve to show his face after death, the murderer is ashamed for the deceased."

There are so many similarities in the time, method, and on-site performance of the two cases before and after, it can be seen at a glance that they are committed by the same murderer, so what is the difference?

Ye Baiting observed carefully, and soon found that the cleanliness of the room was far worse than that of the outside, and there were traces of activities everywhere. On the bed and floor, it was unknown whether it was a special arrangement, or a torn gauze, deep and shallow crimson pink cloth. The whole room is full, and there is still no Kang in the room, but there are three charcoal basins in Guangda. Such a small room is more than enough, it is almost impossible.

Looking at the cabinet again, there are piles of uneaten food, dried fruit snacks in packs, opened ones and unopened ones, the quantity is good and the quality is good, just like someone who just came back from the New Year's shopping...

These were not found at the scene of the previous crime.

Shen Jiang also saw it, and his voice was full of sarcasm: "Why don't you say that he is the eldest son? He has money and power, and he can have a full meal before he dies. Isn't this murderer being treated too discriminatingly?"

"Traces of activity for at least two to three days." Qiu Xunqing shook his head, and had a different opinion. "It is not the murderer who treats them differently. Here, it is likely that the son took the initiative to hide."

Shen Jiang was stunned: "Hiding?"

Ye Baiting immediately reacted: "It is impossible for a living person to suddenly see no one alive, no dead body...is there a special reason?"

Qiu Yiqing's head: "After investigation, he has a family heirloom treasure, which needs to be handed over to Dongchang Changgong Fu Lixing - in exchange for his position as a prince."

Shen Jiang thought straight, but didn't realize it: "King Lu is dead. He is his own son. Isn't it natural to inherit Laozi's title? At worst, you need to wait, and you still have to change it?"

"It's just that after waiting for too long, it might turn yellow..." Ye Baiting looked at Qiu Yiqing, his eyes were clear, "He is not willing to give it, and wants to delay it? Or see what the people above think, whether their attitude will be softer, Or can we talk about more benefits?"

Qiu Yiqing nodded: "Probably."

Unfortunately, before the result came, the person died first.

Ye Baiting narrowed his eyes slightly: "He disappeared suddenly at a critical time, so it was probably expected that others would look for him? So many people outside were looking for him, but no one could find him... Who would know where he was hiding? This house , and who prepared it?"

Including the things in the room, food, water, and charcoal that cannot be separated for a moment in the cold winter months, who prepared it?

And the person who made an appointment last night is also very important, did he make an appointment himself?Or is there a middleman going through the needle?

"That's not right..." Shen Jiang remembered the clues that Young Master Jiao had found before, "Doesn't this prince like to abuse others? Isn't there something strange about the death of his prince concubine? Why did he play with himself... Could it be that he What do you really like to be beaten? If the Crown Princess is not satisfied, he will get angry and turn into beating instead?"

But thinking about it again, it doesn't seem quite right, this son doesn't fit what Young Master Jiao said, likes to play this kind of game, and the general characteristics of being beaten, is it another abnormality that can't be seen from the outside?

Ye Baiting shook his head: "These two cases, I also have something that I can't figure out... Have you found the thing that was cut off by the deceased?"

"found it!"

A small soldier ran over, and according to the command of the previous commander, the task was not in the yard, but in other nearby places, especially in secluded places with few people but piled up with filth, and they really found it.

"A blood-stained tray, and more than half of the rotten meat that was bitten by rats. If you carefully identify it, you can see that it belongs to a man!"

Ye Baiting's eyes fell on Qiu Yiqing, and his eyes were full of admiration. This man can always overlook the whole situation and never miss a detail: "Good job."

Qiu Yiqing knew that he was teasing her before, so she raised her eyebrows slightly: "It's just not bad?"

Ye Baiting's eyebrows curved into a smile: "It's very good! The commander is mighty! The commander is the best!"

Shen Jiang: ...

Hey, can you two calm down a bit?Although this is Jin Yiwei's daily work, daily work needs to maintain a happy state, there is nothing to be afraid of, anyway, the dead still fall on it, can you respect it?

He walked to the tray and looked at it. It was really a lump of rotten meat, more than half of which had been bitten off. The visual effect of the rest was very disgusting: "What a hatred, this is not only cut, but also thrown away." To feed the dogs, no, to feed the mice... Eh, the teacups on the table are all buckled up, have they ever been used? Don’t people in this world need to drink water?”

Ye Baiting pointed to the clay pot and bowl on the side: "He drank this."

It looks like a soup made with rose sauce, except for a little peach pink color, it looks neither oily nor greasy, and it smells only slightly fragrant, not sweet.

Shen Jiang looked at it carefully: "This soup is very clear, there is not even petal residue in it, how can you poison it?"

Ye Baiting: "After surveying the scene, I'd better go ask the people in Prince Lu's Mansion to see if they can do an autopsy."

The on-site inspection work was carried out in an orderly manner. Everyone was busy separately. The corpse was unloaded. Ye Baiting also roughly inspected it. Most of the cause of death was suffocation. The death time was within six hours. The way, where the whip marks fall...

When the on-site work was over and they were walking back, the people sent by Qiu Xunqing sent back news one after another, and one piece of information was very important.

The two locations before and after the incident were all short-term rental transactions, and the two single-family homes are now under the name of one person-Ma Xianglan.And this Ma Xianglan was Zheng Hongchun's wife, the one who gathered in yesterday's church meeting, and she participated in the two church meetings before and after.

Qiu Xunqing quickly read the quick report, and the dark eyes flickered: "This Ma family knows how to make money."

Shen Jiang and Young Master Jiao read the flash report together, but they didn't understand, the way to make money?There is no detail on this.

Ye Baiting thought for a while, and then understood, what are these men really trying to do in such a situation?The words are pleasant to hear, such as listening to the music, appreciating the sound, and talking about appreciation, but the real purpose is not to play.

If it is inconvenient to do at home, do it outside. What if it is inconvenient in the garden?For example, if you want to do something special, you don’t want others to see it. It’s too far away and it’s inconvenient. Maybe you’ll lose your interest before you reach it. Isn’t it the best place near the garden, a place that is quiet and free from worries?

Ma Xianglan grasped the minds of these men, and searched for suitable places around the garden, such as a small courtyard, or bought it, or rented it out for a long time, and hired someone to do maintenance work to ensure it was clean and tidy. If the men needed it, Just to say, in the past, she spent a lot of money to stay here for one night. The more noble she is, the more generous she is. Occasionally, just rewarding money is enough for all her expenses...

Men are also very relieved. They don’t need to find a place by themselves. They can use it when they come here, and they can leave when they are finished. They don’t worry about being disturbed, and they won’t be found in the middle. Just say what you need or want. , people can prepare for it, in one sentence: as long as the money is enough, everything can be served in place, and privacy is guaranteed, and no face-to-face with outsiders will be guaranteed.

Ye Baiting thought of a more crucial point: "The food in the Shizi's room was also given by Ma Xianglan?"

Hatred and green jaws: "Yes, it's a request from a guest."

Shen Jiang stared: "Then there are so many people out there looking for the prince, it's impossible for Mrs. Ma not to know about it, why didn't they report it?"

Qiu Xunqing: "She said that she was only collecting money to do business. She knew that there was a guest who wanted to use this house, but she didn't know it was the eldest son, and she didn't know who the visitor was or what she did here."

But if it is true or not, no one else will know.

Ye Baiting asked, "Where's Lou Kai?"

"It's the same," Qiu Xingqing paused, "I didn't dig up this bit of information before, one is that the time is a little short, and the other is an exception."

Jin Yiwei only had time to find the women who came to clean. They were all ordinary people not far from here. They charged a little money, brought their own tools, and did the cleaning and tidying. Once every four to six days, the time was relatively regular, but they couldn't say no Sure, sometimes other tasks come in a hurry, so you have to look elsewhere first. They don't know who has been to the crime scene, and they have never seen it. As for what they have done... There will always be some traces in the room. I can guess a little bit.

At that time, everyone thought that Lou Kai had a good relationship with someone and always came here, but they didn't expect that this was not an exception.

Ye Baiting: "At Li's place, has the investigator come back?"

"I'm back, I just came back!" Shen Jiang had already seen the subordinates who had been sent out, went to ask questions, ran back quickly, wiped his face, a little ashamed, "I seem to have wronged this Mrs. Li, except for the tie on the wrist Bie Qingyu, she still has many injuries on her body, it's quite miserable..."

"She wasn't the one who hit, she was the one who got hit."

Ye Baiting raised his eyebrows. Li Shi and Lou Kai are husband and wife, and they are the closest people on weekdays. Then it is obvious who caused the injury.

Shen Jiang sighed: "Ms. Li smiled so happily... Is it because the man died? Lou Kai died, so she won't have to suffer such terrible things in the future?"

Maybe it was because I felt that I had misunderstood and regarded the victim as the perpetrator. Shen Jiang sympathized with the true feelings and scolded Lou Kai for nothing: "Not only did he beat Li Shi, he beat her so hard, he seemed to have threatened her, It's best to be obedient, and if you dare not obey, go deal with her parents. His old lady with bad legs is not a thing. She doesn't care if her son is so vicious. What's the matter with two hits, I can't beat you to death! Still relying on her son's strong back, she ordered Li to do this and that. If Li did not do well, she was dissatisfied, so she told her son to let him beat Li , as far as I saw that day, huh, she really deserves it, if you ask me, Mrs. Li shouldn’t be raising her anymore, and give her porridge to eat, just let her starve to death!”

"After suffering so much, why didn't Mrs. Li say anything?" Shen Jiang was indignant, and she didn't understand, "She's not a fool, it's hard not to know that she will be suspected by Beizhen Fusi for her behavior like that. ? If Lou Kai is still alive, she dare not say it, because she is afraid of being beaten more severely, but everyone is dead, so what can she worry about?"

Qiu Yiqing: "Maybe it's because the person is already dead."

Ye Baiting: "Anyway, I won't be hurt in the future, so it doesn't matter."

For professional reasons, he has seen a lot of domestic violence. Different people have different manifestations. The most typical and common domestic violence is fisting and kicking. The trauma of this kind of victim is obvious. On the arms, legs, and face, men are attacking He doesn't know where to pick at all, he just hits whatever is convenient for him, begging for mercy or not, what they want is your pain, this is their way of showing their authority, it's hard to hide such traces, Outsiders can tell at a glance.

There is also a very subtle kind of violence related to sex.This kind of outsider is difficult to see, because usually the husband will not fight with his wife, and the skin exposed by the wife outside the clothes will not have scars, but once the two have sex and have sex, the man's actions will be accompanied by violence. Including but not limited to the use of tools, the victim suffers pain, and the most serious injury is covered under the clothes. This kind of attack and pain accompanied by personality will make the victim feel more ashamed and lose trust in others. And more and more insecurities, they dare not mention these things to anyone, and the more they dare not, the more inferior they are, the more they will be bullied by the perpetrator and unable to break free...

Li's state is very similar to the second one.

Shen Jiang saw that Young Master Jiao had a wrong expression: "Did you think of something!"

Ye Baiting nodded, seeing Beizhen Fusi in front of him: "We'll talk about it when we go back."

In the end, there was no way to tell right away that Beizhen Fusi had a guest, and it was the girl whom Prince Lu's son was negotiating a marriage with, and the younger sister of the concubine, Sheng Long.

She is taller than ordinary women, and she looks quite slender, with a very beautiful shoulder-to-waist ratio. She is wearing a light moon-colored skirt, has a regular gait, long eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and a pair of black and white eyes. A delicate but not rigid feeling.

Seeing that the person who was waiting for him came back, Sheng Long came up to greet him and saluted politely: "I have seen the commander."

Qiu Yiqing's expression was serious: "Young lady visited Beizhen Fusi, why?"

"The corpse of the prince cannot be dissected."

Sheng Long lowered her eyebrows: "I'm sorry, I know that my trip is presumptuous, and my status is not suitable, let alone saying this in front of the commander, it is really rude, but my father is dead, and the two children in the family are very scared. Brother Pug's eyes were swollen from crying, and sister Yue was also very shocked. She was comforting her brother, but she couldn't move away. When Jin Yiwei came to report the funeral, I happened to be there. Say this..."

"I know that the case is important. It's not easy for Jin Yiwei to go up and down and work hard, but the children are also very important. I hope the commander will be considerate and fulfill the filial piety of the children."

Ye Baiting and Qiu Yiqing looked at each other.

The scene at the moment... could not be more clear.Prince Lu's Mansion has no master now, and the eldest son and daughter are the only ones. According to Zhan Shi He Fangning, Zhu Po is only eight years old, and his mind is not yet mature. Ye Baiting met him when he left the Palace. The little boy is very attached to his sister and trusts him very much. According to He Fangning, his elder sister Zhu Yue has a close relationship with Shi Zifei's younger sister and has frequent contacts...

This Sheng Long girl seems to be surnamed Sheng, and she hasn't married yet, but in fact she has a lot of power in the palace. Whoever made the decision of 'not wanting to be autopsyed' is very plausible.

He doesn't believe in filial piety. Zhu Yue is already 15 years old. She is already a mature girl in this era. She really doesn't know what happened to her mother, and doesn't she hate her son at all?If you don't know, don't hate, why are you not close to Shizi?He Fangning, Zhan Shi of the palace, mentioned the parent-child relationship of the master, saying that the son and the children are not close, and the children rarely take the initiative to find him.

Zhuyue may have a different attitude if dissected or not, but the word 'filial piety' is really not enough to explain it.

Qiu Yiqing walked into the main hall, sat up and served tea, took a sip, and pointed to the lower head: "Miss Lao Sheng, please come this way, sit down."

Ye Baiting understood in her heart that this was a question she wanted to ask by the way.

Sheng Long seemed to understand, walked over slowly, and sat down with her skirt pulled back.

Qiu Yiqing put down the teacup: "I heard that the Sheng family is negotiating marriage with Prince Lu's son. I think it's Miss Sheng. Do you really like the son?"

Sheng Long lowered her eyes: "It doesn't matter whether I like it or not, I only love my sister's two children, and there must always be someone to take care of them."

Qiu Xunqing looked at her: "The emissary heard that Zhu Yue, the eldest daughter of the eldest son, is 16 years old and can discuss marriage."

Sheng Long nodded, her expression remained unchanged: "It is precisely because of marriage negotiations that we need the help of elders. A girl's marriage must not be sloppy."

How could it be so rare for a small talker to defeat Qiu Xunqing: "So you are not at ease with the son, and you can't even say that you like it."

It was only then that Sheng Long realized that the previous question was a trap, no matter how he answered it, he would be tempted by others, so he simply smiled generously: "The marriage between the Sheng family and Prince Lu's mansion is the order of the parents. Satisfied, I don't want to push, so I can continue to go down."

Qiu Yiqing: "You treat Zhu Yue very well?"

"My sister is a good person, and the children she teaches are also good," Sheng Long said softly, "I am about the same age as Sister Yue, and I look like an elder or junior, but in fact, I have a good relationship in private. I treat her well, and she treats her well." I am fine too."

"She knew that you were going to marry into the palace and changed from aunt to stepmother, so she didn't object?"

"I don't object...I don't know," Sheng Long shook her head, "This matter is up to the prince to decide. She is a junior, she is soft-spoken, and if she disagrees, the matter is settled and she can only accept it."

"Why does the son insist on marrying you?"

"Maybe it's because I look like my sister."

"You mean, the prince loves your sister sincerely, and your sister lives happily after marriage?"

"This..." Sheng Long clenched the handkerchief slightly, but his face remained unchanged, "Whether you're happy or not depends on what you think, even if I'm a younger sister, I can't comment."

"The prince is very satisfied with you."

"That's it."

"Then he has been missing for many days and has never contacted you?"

"No."

Qiu Yiqing pointed to the teacup on the table: "You don't seem to like drinking tea very much."

"No..." Sheng Long picked up the teacup and took a sip.

Qiu Xunqing: "Where is your son, do you know what he likes?"

Sheng Long looked at the teacup in his hand, his brows and eyes were blurred in the steam, "My son used to like Longjing, but half a decade ago he was not feeling well, he saw a doctor, and the doctor prescribed medicine to temporarily stop tea..."

"Where were you yesterday?"

"I went to Mr. Zheng's church meeting." Sheng Long paused, "At that time, I didn't know that something would happen to the eldest son. Sister Yue and Mr. Zheng's only daughter Zheng Baiwei were given handkerchiefs. Mrs. Ma invited her earlier, so it's not easy to miss the appointment. "

"When did you leave the house and when did you return home? Can anyone prove it?"

"In the middle of the day, I went to the palace to pick up Sister Yue, and we went there together. I had dinner with the wives at noon. There were many ladies and ladies attending this church meeting. Sister Yue and Bai Wei came together. There is always something to talk about. If it was too late, I refused to leave, so I went out and strolled around, bought some things, and left with Sister Yue when it was Shenshi. At that time, I was going back to Sheng's house, but Sister Yue My son is very interested and has a lot of gadgets to share with me, insisting on dragging me to spend the night in the palace..."

Sheng Long's expression was not unnatural: "When my sister was here, I often stayed in the palace for a while, and everyone in the mansion was used to it. Except for the eldest son who was not at home, everything was as usual last night. I ate with my siblings. , and stared at Pogeer writing a few big characters, then turned off the lights for a rest, and never went out again.”

Qiu Xunqing: "Is there any witness?"

Sheng Long: "I don't think anyone is kept on guard when going to bed, but the guards of the palace should be conspicuous. If I have gone out, they shouldn't be unaware."

Qiu Yiqing was not talking, and the room became quiet.

Ye Baiting suddenly asked Sheng Long: "Do you know Lou Kai's wife, Mrs. Li?"

Sheng Long reacted, and then said: "I'm not very familiar, and I haven't met much."

Ye Baiting noticed that her expression was wrong when she said this: "Why?"

Sheng Long lowered her eyes: "I heard that the Crown Prince has harassed her. She is not friendly to everyone in the palace. I am not a member of the palace now, so I don't want to get involved in these disputes. Usually, when Mrs. Li is around, I will deliberately avoid suspicion."

"Yesterday, Mrs. Li wasn't there at the church meeting?"

"It may be inconvenient for her to lose her husband."

Ye Baiting looked at Sheng Long: "What do you think about Lou Kai's death?"

Sheng Long covered her lips with a handkerchief, and said in a low voice: "This...doesn't seem to have anything to do with me? But I'm a little curious, who killed him."

"Why are you curious?"

"As far as I know, Mr. Lou is the kind of person who is fierce at home and tyrannical at home. He doesn't dare to provoke anyone outside, let alone make enemies..."

After Sheng Long left.

Shen Jiang touched his chin: "Why did she suddenly say that Mrs. Li has a bad relationship with her?"

This feels too deliberate, like trying to hide something, isn't the relationship not bad, but the relationship is very good?Mrs. Li attended the meeting last time, but Sheng Long did not. This time, Mrs. Li attended the meeting, but Mrs. Li did not. The last time Lou Kai died, this time the son died. These two women are very close to the deceased. people...

What is the inside story of the two cases?Do the two women know something?

There is also the alibi, which seems a little blurry. He fell asleep at night and there is no witness, but no matter whether Lou's house or the palace, there are indeed people patrolling at night. If he really went out, there would be no movement at all?

"Whether there is hatred or affection - you will know if you see it?" Ye Baiting finished speaking with a smile, and looked at Qiu Yiqing.

Qiu Yiqing nodded: "Tomorrow Lu Wang's mansion will be hung, and there will be a lot of guests. We can go and have a look together."