Return to the grave.
This place is thirteen miles south of Bianjing City and is the burial area for the people of the capital.
Of course, it requires people with certain financial resources.
According to traditional concepts, the ancients advocated burial after death, which is true, but in real life, cremation was also popular in many periods, especially among ordinary people.
The reason is very simple. Burial requires a large space and the cost is high, and the people cannot afford it.
For example, in the Song Dynasty, cremation was called "burning burial". According to records, "Hedong has a large number of people and a small area. There are funerals in people's homes. Even if they are close relatives, they will burn the bones and send them to the monks' houses. They will accumulate for a long time and become a custom." , the same is true in the north, and the same is true in the south, "the dead of Chu custom are burned and their bones are left in the wild"...
The most popular place for cremation in the Northern Song Dynasty was the capital city of Bianjing. The reason is very simple. In a place where land is at a premium, even outside the city, there were not many tombs for people to be buried. Most people had to choose cremation for their funerals.
In the end, Zhao Kuangyin couldn't stand it any longer and made a special decree, "There have been many cases of burning corpses and coffins outside the capital and elsewhere in recent days. We should order them to stop in the future. Those who have traveled a long way to be buried, as well as monks and Tibetan people, are allowed to burn them." .”
It's useless.
The extremely high cost of burial makes people prohibitive. Rich people still have burials, while poor people have cremation, and then collect the ashes as a memorial. The most miserable water burial is to find a river and throw the body into the water...
So one of the things Di Jin asked Di Xiangling to check before was how the bodies from the family murder case three years ago were disposed of in the end.
After Di Xiangling found out, he told him that he was buried in this grave, and that the coffin was generally intact and had not been stolen.
This is actually a kind of comfort.
The case was not solved and the murderer was not caught. Sun Hong's entire family was dead, but his wives and concubines had families, as well as more than 20 servants and maids. Some of these people were intimidated by the majesty of the government and did not dare to come forward, while others did not. Always waiting outside the government office for the results.
Lu Yijian, who had the power to know the Kaifeng Prefecture at that time, ordered that the corpses of the deceased be sent to the grave and buried decently, which indeed comforted many relatives of the victims.
The government's official attitude was that the relatives would borrow the donkey to go down the slope, but that did not mean that the matter was forgotten. It is completely conceivable how angry this group of people would be when the news came out that the coffin would be dug up and opened three years later.
"Can't open the coffin! Can't open the coffin!"
"My father's body has not yet been recovered, and now you still want to disturb his soul. Whoever dares to open the coffin today will step over my body!"
"Whoa whoa whoa!"
There was a lot of wailing on the other side, and a group of scholars gathered on the other side.
"Ha! Let's see how this great talent opens the coffin later!"
The leader, Zhang Zongshun, pointed and looked gloating, just put a small table with some seasonal fruits and snacks on it, and tasted the good show while eating.
Wang Yaochen, Han Qi and Wen Yanbo also came, but they did not stand with them.
As soon as the exam results were released, those who passed the exam and those who failed the exam were consciously divided into two groups. The behavior of Zhang Zongshun and others really made them feel disgusted.
Wang Yaochen said: "This incident shocked the capital. It is now being spread in the streets and alleys. Zhang Sanlang and the others should not have done this. Di Shilin was forced to come forward. This open coffin autopsy is inappropriate after all..."
He had been studying hard during this period, just to compete with the other party in the provincial examination. When he heard the scholar explain the matter, he was quite shocked and a little worried, so he came here.
Wen Yanbo's tone rose: "I don't think Di Shilin was forced to come forward at all. Jie Yuan has to prepare for the provincial examination. If he really wants to bury himself at home, the Queen Mother can't do anything to him. This is an act of integrity that others dare not do! Since you have such courage, you are not afraid of gossip!"
Han Qi shook his head slightly: "Having said that, if nothing is gained after opening the coffin, it will still be a lot of trouble. Let's see how he will deal with it... Huh?"
Just as he was talking, there was a sudden commotion in the distance. The crowd outside retreated and made way for them. Soon, the wailing relatives stopped crying and stared blankly at the approach of a group of people.
He was not an official from the Kaifeng government, but a monk from the Daxiangguo Temple.
The leader of the old monk has kind eyebrows and kind eyes, holds a magic weapon, and has a very good appearance: "Amitabha, I am kind and kind, come to pray for the salvation of the deceased!"
The relatives looked at each other and murmured loudly before. The young man who had opened the coffin and stepped over his body also got up and stepped forward to ask: "I wonder who entrusted you to come here?"
The old monk clasped his hands together: "I was entrusted by Di Jieyuan!"
The man hesitated and opened his mouth. In the end, he couldn't say anything, so he could only say: "Thank you, Master!"
Among the monks, the young monk Zhiwu, who once sold in the market of Daxiangguo Temple, was among them. He calculated the commissions he could get from this ritual and raised his lips happily.
As expected, it was his discerning eye, and the person he approached to deal with him was actually Jinke Imperial Academy Jie Yuan. What was even better was that this man seemed to have a big business, and he actually had such a fast-acting and high-profit job.
You must know that the main source of income for monks in the Tang Dynasty was to perform religious services. Whenever a disciple of a noble family passed away, he would ask an eminent monk to come and perform religious services. Sometimes, it would take seven, seven or forty-nine days for him to be saved. Temples in various places could rely on these alone to make a living. You can make a lot of money, not to mention the money you can entrust to a Buddhist temple to pray for your descendants.
But in the Song Dynasty, the gentry's belief in Buddhism was not as strong as that of the high-ranking gentry in the former Tang Dynasty. The people in the capital were even forced to have them cremated, and it was impossible to have the money to hire eminent monks to perform Buddhist rituals. This kind of salvation was much less common, and the ashes could only be entrusted to others. When praying in Buddhist temples, Buddhism can only exert its subjective initiative and turn to lending money and engaging in transactions with thousands of people.
Now comes the big business.
Seeing the monks coming to the grave one after another, playing with magical instruments, chanting sutras and mantras, and performing salvation rituals, the family members did not dare to make a fuss at this time and stepped back one after another.
On the hillside, Zhang Zongshun's smile disappeared and he snorted: "This Di Shilin is so cunning, using the monk's salvation to appease his family... But it doesn't matter, after he opens the coffin and performs an autopsy, and there are no results, those people will still make trouble! "
There are many onlookers with this idea, and they all want to see how it ends.
The ritual ceremony went smoothly, and when the monks were chanting words and the scene was solemn and peaceful, the sound of horse hooves was heard. This time, people from the Kaifeng government office finally arrived outside the cemetery on horseback.
Not only the judge Wang Boyang, the official Lu Andao and dozens of government officials, but also Chen Yaozi, who had the power to know the Kaifeng Mansion, were present at the scene.
After everyone dismounted, everyone's eyes fell on one person.
The young scholar with sharp eyebrows and straight features walked out calmly and bowed to those around him.
Some people returned the gift right away, while others looked at each other coldly, all waiting to see how Jieyuan, the imperial eunuch who was becoming more and more famous in the capital, would touch this taboo that everyone in the world avoids!
Di Jin's attention was mainly focused on the people who blocked the opening of the coffin. He saw that these relatives were struggling, but at least they did not object immediately. He immediately pointed out a few government officials: "You dug out three coffins in that open space. After digging a pit five feet long, three feet wide and two feet deep, separate the charcoal and pour it into the pit. Then go pick up some firewood nearby and pile it all in the pit..."
"yes!"
The government officials were a little confused. They were quite afraid of digging the earth and opening the coffin. They didn't expect to dig a pit, but they did as they were told.
Di Jin turned around and looked at the people in the government office: "We are going to be paraded!"
Five people stood up.
In addition to the magistrates from Kaifeng Prefecture, Chen Yaozi also cooperated with Di Jin's request and transferred four magistrates from the counties under Kaifeng Prefecture to participate in the autopsy.
These four works were from Chenliu County Government, Fengqiu County Government, Yanjin County Government and Taikang County Government.
Di Jin looked at them one by one.
The widower of the Kaifeng government office was tall and thin, with a sharp mouth and monkey cheeks, and he was seen dodging and dodging. In the previous case of Liu Congguang, this person was the subject of a hasty autopsy, which made it more difficult to solve the case.
Di Jin's eyes immediately moved away from this person, then looked at the four people behind him, and finally landed on one person.
This person was Fengqiu Zuozuo who had rushed to the scene with the county captain Ren Changyi in the previous case of a haunted inn. At that time, he listened to his analysis of the blood at the scene and his eyes were quite eager.
Di Jin also had some impressions of this person. He paid close attention to it yesterday when he taught them how to identify bones. Now he looked at him and said, "Xu San, do you remember what I told you about the splicing of bones and bones?"
Faced with so much attention, Xu San, who had never received such treatment before, tried to straighten his chest and said loudly: "Remember!"
"good!"
Di Jin nodded and said to the other four men: "You will take Xu San as the leader next. My request is to be cautious and not to be greedy for merit. As long as you successfully complete the autopsy, it will be a great achievement." Pieces, do you understand?"
The four people were a little disappointed, but also relieved: "Understood!"
Di Jin gave specific instructions in a low voice. While they were talking, the pits over there had been dug. Three pits were lined up in a row, spaced apart. The charcoal and firewood were also poured in, and they were all piled in the pits. .
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Di Jin looked at it and ordered: "Light the pit on the right!"
"What is this doing?" "Is there such a way to do an autopsy..." "I don't know!"
The yamen officer stepped forward to light the fire, and light smoke ignited in the pit on the right side. The onlookers were talking about it. Before they could figure out the reason, Di Jin was already walking towards the many graves.
The relatives who came to protest watched his steps with bated breath until he stopped in front of a damaged tablet, feeling as if he had been granted amnesty.
No one made a fuss.
Because this tomb belongs to Sun Hong, the head of the family.
Sun Hong's family members were already dead, so naturally no relatives protested. The key point is that judging from the digging of the pits just now, only three holes were dug. Does that mean that only three corpses will be examined?
There is no need to worry, after all, there are only a dozen or so relatives present, and it may not disturb the rest of their families at all...
"let's start!"
From the corner of his eye, Di Jin could see the expressions of these people. Knowing that relatives were no longer an obstacle, he pointed to the grave.
"You guys go!"
The three government servants pointed out by Wang Boyang reluctantly picked up hoes and shovels and stepped forward to dig the grave.
The tombs outside the capital were still precious. The graves were small and the coffins were not buried deep. After a while, the soil on the graves was dug up and the coffins were exposed.
Ordinary people's coffins naturally don't have carving patterns. They seem to be painted with a layer of paint, but they are also faded and mottled.
The yamen servant took a crowbar and pried open the coffin lid from the side. A foul smell wafted out, and he quickly covered his nose and retreated.
Di Jin stood still while the five men smeared something between their noses first, and then took something into their mouths. After being prepared, they all stepped forward to check.
The quality of the coffin was very poor and it had already been damaged. It was probably affected by the rain, so there was a lot of mud inside, and many bones were already submerged in the mud.
Seeing this, the gangsters could only take out the gloves from their arms and put them on, put their hands into the mud, and began to carefully take out the remains.
The five people cooperated very quickly. Before long, a headless corpse was placed on the ground outside the coffin.
Xu San, the leader, thought of Di Jin's instructions, reached in again, and continued to pick out the tiny bones, not daring to miss anything.
Di Jin nodded slightly and commanded: "Go get some water!"
The yamen servants carried buckets of water as instructed and put them aside, and the slave laborers began to wash the bones one by one with clean water.
While cleaning and wiping, observe carefully.
Because there are gaps and cracks in the bones, if they were caused during life, the cause of death may be determined, or the identity can be determined through records of injuries during life. If the gaps are small, it may be caused by insects and ants after being placed in the coffin. .
Xu San observed carefully and after repeated inspections, he believed that judging from the marks on the cracks, it was more likely that they were eaten by insects and ants.
"Bring over the bamboo mat and fine hemp rope!"
After Wu Zuo had washed the bones and laid the bamboo mat on the ground, the most important step that tested Wu Zuo's ability came.
Use fine hemp rope to string the broken bones into shapes according to the position of the human bones and place them on the mat.
After Di Jin gathered the governors of Kaifeng Prefecture and the four counties, he mainly taught them these. In fact, an experienced clerk should have a certain understanding of the human skeleton, but the level of the five people varied, and the one from Kaifeng Prefecture was indeed the best. Incompetent, almost ignorant, relying entirely on external inspections, but the other four counties know more or less, and it is much easier to explain.
At this time, Xu San, the widow of Fengqiu, was the main one, and the others took over. After sweating profusely, they worked for a full three-quarters of an hour, and the remains of a human body finally appeared in front of everyone.
The onlookers were so curious at this time that they no longer cared about the bad luck and filthiness, and wanted to get closer and take a closer look.
Di Jin, on the other hand, looked calm and looked at the pit next to him.
The fire had been burning for a long time. Seeing that the topsoil in the pit on the right was burning red, he ordered: "Take away the charcoal in the pit and pour the wine and vinegar evenly!"
The yamen servant did as he was told, and soon the heat was steaming, and the smell of wine and vinegar was mixed with it, slowly filling the air.
"Wu Zuo carried the remains into the pit and covered them with straw mats. Be careful!"
Together, the widowers carried the bamboo mat on which the remains were placed to the pit, and then covered it with a straw mat.
People in later generations will understand at a glance that this relies on the steaming heat to steam the bones, but people today are baffled and even trance-like. Even the discussions among the Imperial Academy students stopped.
Whether it was the relatives of the deceased or the crowd of onlookers, hundreds of people around were silent. There was silence around the grave. Only the opened coffin and soil proved that this was an autopsy.
Di Jin waited patiently, while Xu San, the co-worker, squatted down and touched the ground next to the pit from time to time. When he found that the ground had basically cooled down, he stood up and called out: "Di Jieyuan! It's done!"
Di Jin nodded: "Uncover the straw mat, you guys take out the remains and carry them to where I am standing!"
He was standing on an open space that was being illuminated by the sun.
When the steamed bones were carried here, Di Jin squatted down beside the bamboo mat and waved: "Umbrella."
A red oil umbrella was handed over.
This is also the most puzzling thing among all the equipment prepared.
Then everyone saw Di Jin open his umbrella and face the sun, covering the remains.
Under the red oil umbrella, most of the bones remained unchanged, except for the broken part of the neck bone, which glowed with a very faint red.
"Everyone, please come and see!"
Chen Yaozi, Wang Boyang, and Lu Andao, who had been impatient for a long time, were the first to step forward, and Wang Yaochen, Han Qi, and Wen Yanbo were the second to step forward. Zhang Zongshun, who originally stood far away and did not want to be contaminated by the bad luck of the corpse, all came with them. He leaned over from left to right.
After taking a closer look, his eyes fell on the faint red color, and he asked in surprise: "What is this?"
Di Jin said: "It's blood shadow, a faint mark that appears after blood stasis. Once blood shadow appears on the bones, it must have been seriously injured during life. If there is no blood shadow, even if the bone is damaged and broken, it was caused after death."
"There are many cracks on this skeleton, but there is no blood. This is because the coffin was damaged and eaten by rats and insects after the burial. Only the cracks on the neck showed blood. This is the characteristic of being beheaded with a sharp weapon while alive.”
Blood shadow is indeed a typical method used by later generations to judge whether injuries were caused during life or after death.
If injured before death, the injured soft tissue will show symptoms of inflammation, bleeding, congestion, congestion, redness and swelling. The wound surface will be red and there will be blood stains inside. This is the reaction of life.
If there is an injury after death, there will be no inflammatory and bleeding reaction, and the color of the wound and surrounding injury will not change, and will be basically the same color as the normal soft tissue. Even if the corpse is boned, there will be no blood test. This is the principle.
The blood shadow is difficult to distinguish with the naked eye. It can only be seen after steaming the bones and using a red umbrella to block the light and examine the bones.
This method is not 100% accurate and is far inferior to the instruments of later generations, but it also has a certain scientific basis. In ancient times when autopsy conditions were backward, it was already the best choice for easy operation and quick results.
To be honest, not to mention Wang Yaochen, Han Qi, Wen Yanbo and other students from the Imperial College, Wang Boyang and Lu Andao who handled the case did not fully understand it because they were not familiar with autopsy at all.
Fortunately, facts speak louder than words.
The deceased was beheaded to death, but the bones that had been buried in the coffin for three years could actually detect traces of blood. This is really amazing!
Chen Yaozi also didn't understand, but he stroked his beard and smiled. This shocking process at least made the initiative of opening the coffin and conducting an autopsy gain something and convince the public.
But there were always people who ruined the atmosphere. Zhang Zongshun was dissatisfied and said directly: "Your method is novel, but of what use is it? Who doesn't know that the deceased in this family murder case were beheaded by gangsters, and their heads have not been found yet! "
Di Jin glanced at him and didn't recognize him, but judging from his attitude, he also knew that he was his opponent. He smiled peacefully: "The headless corpse does not mean that they were beheaded and died. They may have suffered other deaths during their lifetime." Because of that, he was beheaded."
"Unfortunately, due to the lack of case files and the death of the deceased, we cannot determine the specific cause of death of the deceased three years ago, so this step must be taken."
"More importantly, if there is a body with blood on it, not on the neck, but on other parts of the body, will this clueless murder case have a turning point?"
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