The tall and thin inner guard had a gloomy look on his face, and asked without tears, "Then, what should we do? If there is another murder case, we will all be miserable." He grabbed the young inner guard in panic. Wei's arm: "Brother, brother, you have always had face in front of Mr. He Qi. You, you have to save me, brother."
The young inner guard patted the tall and thin inner guard on the shoulder, and persuaded him with a smile: "Just stay here and guard with peace of mind. Don't let anyone else out again. Don't worry, I will definitely pick you off." ”
The lanky inner guard smiled gratefully and sent the young inner guard back to the official hall. He watched the young inner guard leave, his face suddenly darkened, and a sinister light flashed in his eyes.
He suddenly heard a few low-pitched chirping of insects, and slowly turned his head, only to see a black shadow flashing past the corridor.
He hurriedly blocked the door of the official hall and watched as the window next to him opened a gap, and the figure slipped in quietly like a gust of wind.
Then he breathed a sigh of relief, looked around, and leaned safely under the pillar.
A window on the third floor of Mingyuan Building was closed quietly, without disturbing anyone.
Yao Yao stood behind the window, and the faint skylight filtered in through the window, reflecting a light bright blue and reflecting on her face.
She turned her head with a smile and said with a narrow look on her face: "Sir, it seems that the salary of the internal guards is still a bit low."
After hearing this, Han Changmu's originally very irritable mood unexpectedly calmed down.
He curved his lips and smiled: "Then, give the internal guards some salary increases?"
Yao Yao sneered and said, "It's up to you, my lord, to make the decision. Whether the salary of the internal guards will be increased or not has nothing to do with the lower officials."
Han Changmu's eyes flickered and he glanced at Yao Yao: "Has Meng Sui made arrangements there?"
Yao Yao nodded: "It's all arranged, but will they take action in the next two days?"
Han Changmu shook his head inexplicably: "No, at least not today."
Yao Yao understood in an instant.
The scholars will leave Gongyuan at dusk today. If someone is willing to take action tonight, the scope of suspicion will be narrowed and the water will not be muddied to the maximum extent.
Yao Yao glanced at Han Changmu, what a vixen.
The sky had just dawned, and wisps of blue emerged from the gray sky, adding a touch of color to the dull and lonely sky.
The Gongyuan, which had been silent all night, gradually became lively. In the east and west dormitories, the scholars began to prepare for the morning meal.
The stove at the back of Mingyuan Building was filled with smoke and steam, and the aroma of rice spread with the heat. It was not affected at all by the sudden change last night and was full of fireworks.
Four flat trucks delivering food were parked outside the corner gate of the Gongyuan. The leader, Mr. Cai, saluted the imperial guards at the door and said politely: "You two military masters, I'm here to trouble you two military masters again."
As he said this, he carried two three-layered octagonal food boxes and handed them to the imperial guards. He smiled deliberately and said with a smile: "You two military masters, this is just a little food. It's nothing. I hope you will accept it."
This is a conventional rule, there is nothing to shirk, and there is nothing to feel guilty about.
The Imperial Guards smiled at each other, collected the two food boxes with a clear conscience, opened the top lid and took a look.
The aroma of beef wafted out.
The smiles on their faces deepened.
Beef was a rare item at this time, and only the rich or noble could afford it.
One of the forbidden soldiers walked to the car, lifted up the oilcloth covering the car, glanced at the juicy vegetables inside, nodded, and said casually: "Okay, let's go in."
Mr. Cai had smile lines all over his face. He nodded and led the driver, pulled the cart, walked into the Gongyuan through the wide open corner door, and finally parked four piled flatbed trucks in the corridor.
He shouted to the driver to unload the truck. When the people in the kitchen heard the noise, they also came over to help.
He glanced towards the end of the corridor, and saw a dark corner of his clothes fluttering at the end of the corridor. He walked over quickly, and disappeared at the end of the corridor in a flash.
Everyone was so busy unloading the dishes that they had no time to pay attention to who was coming next to them, nor did they notice that Boss Cai had walked away.
The sun is gradually rising, the sky is blue, clouds are lingering, and the weather is fine.
The door to the empty room next to the warehouse on the first floor of Mingyuan Building opened again.
Two internal guards carried the Bingjian into the room. A cool white mist lingered above it, and winter suddenly entered the room.
Seeing the corpse on the ground, Sun Ying's eyes suddenly lit up. He walked forward quickly, walked around the corpse, and sighed: "It's too cruel, too cruel, too strong. Big.”
Han Changmu nodded: "I did a rough examination and found that this person was strangled to death with his arms. As for whether he was poisoned or something, Sun Wu will do an autopsy."
Sun Ying's eyes were so excited that she rolled up her sleeves impatiently: "The humble position will surely fulfill the mission."
Seeing Sun Ying's eagerness to try, Yao Yao smiled, looked at He Zhenfu and said, "What kind of medicine did you give him to make him crazy?"
He Zhenfu raised his eyebrows and smiled: "I just told him that there was an autopsy job, and he became like this."
Sun Ying glanced at Yao Yao and He Zhenfu, and snorted disdainfully: "You don't understand, who is like you, a model of uneducated and incompetent."
Yao Yao and He Zhenfu both snorted and gave Sun Ying a look of contempt.
Sun Ying laughed twice and opened the autopsy box. All kinds of tools were neatly placed under the candlelight. The cold light flashed, making it chilly.
He untied and took off all the clothes on the corpse. When he saw the shoes on the deceased's feet, he let out a light sigh: "Why is there only one cloud pattern shoe?"
Yao Yao explained: "Yes, the deceased was fished out from the hut. When he was fished out, he only had one shoe on his feet. I thought that the shoe fell off because of the violent struggle before death, but the guards salvaged it. The missing shoe was not found all night long, and now it seems likely that the murderer took the other shoe."
Sun Ying nodded, took off the deceased's shoes, and inspected them carefully.
The thick layer of dirt covering the upper has not been completely cleaned off, but where the dirt is thin, you can see the bamboo green upper with moon-white cloud patterns embroidered on it.
The upper is ordinary satin, and the embroidery thread is ordinary silk thread, nothing special.
The soles are wooden and carved with patterns to prevent slipping.
This kind of shoes is commonly used by scholars. They are lightweight, waterproof and non-slip, and they are of high quality and low price.
Sun Ying frowned twice, reviewed the results of the inspection one by one, and thought: "Sir, this cloud-patterned shoe is really unusual."
Han Changmu frowned and said distressedly: "If it is really just an ordinary cloud pattern shoe, why did the murderer deliberately take it away."
Sun Ying was also puzzled. He took the smelly cloud-patterned shoes and turned them over to look at them.
"What is this?" Yao Yao's eyes flickered, and he suddenly pointed to the tip of the shoe downward, close to the sole, and let out a light sigh: "Why is the color of this piece so different from other ones?"
Sun Ying hurriedly turned the shoes over and peeled off the joint between the wooden sole and the satin upper. In the gap, she saw two moon-white spots the size of a small fingernail.
He narrowed his eyes: "Scissors."
Yao Yao quickly took a pair of sharp and exquisite copper scissors from the autopsy box and handed them to Sun Ying.
Sun Ying held the scissors and carefully opened the soles and uppers.
As the sole and upper of the shoe were taken apart, his expression suddenly changed: "Sir, this shoe has been taken apart!!"
"What?" Han Changmu was surprised: "Has it been taken apart?"
"Yes." Sun Ying took the candle and illuminated the removed shoe upper.
On the edge of the bamboo-green upper, there are two rows of pinholes, one row is new and the other is old. The half-old pinholes are arranged very neatly, while the new pinholes are uneven and crooked.
The person who re-sewed the upper seemed to want to sew along the previous needle holes, but due to poor craftsmanship, some needle holes overlapped the old needle holes, while some were extremely far apart. The cut thick cotton threads hung on the new pinholes one by one.
Several people looked at each other, unable to hide the shock on their faces.
The upper of the shoe had indeed been taken apart and then sewn back hastily.
But why?
Why take a shoe apart and sew it back together again?
So what about the other shoe? Has it also been disassembled?
In addition to the two small spots, Sun Ying found another small spot where the upper and sole were sewn together.
Yao Yao asked doubtfully: "Is this fading?"
Han Changmu shook his head: "This shoe looks new. It shouldn't fade so quickly."
Sun Ying lowered his head and looked at it for a long time, then twisted the upper of the shoe with his hand, his face darkened, and suddenly said: "This is not an ordinary fading. This bamboo green color is dyed with woad mixed with wormwood. The color is bright, but If the color fixation is not done well, the woad will fade when exposed to water, and the color of the woad will also fade to a very light color, eventually turning into moon white."
He took a breath and added: "Obviously, this shoe has not been fixed in any way. It will fade very badly when exposed to water. It's just that," he barely ignored the smell on the shoes, "it's just that the shoes are covered with filth." It’s done, but the fading on the upper is not as obvious as in the gaps.”
Han Changmu was quiet for a moment, his mind moved, and he suddenly said: "Is there a way to completely remove the color of the shoes?"
Yao Yao suddenly realized: "What you mean is..."
Han Changmu nodded: "Yes, there is not much time until dusk."
Sun Ying looked at Han Changmu, then at Yao Yao, and smiled proudly: "As long as there is clean water, I can quickly change the color of this shoe."
"Wait, wait, wait," He Zhenfu suddenly came to his senses and asked urgently: "Sir, this is not right. When the scholars enter the Tribute Courtyard, they have to search their bodies. If someone brings a shoe in, wouldn't that mean they will be searched? Is it suspicious?"
Han Changmu said calmly: "If someone brings a shoe to the tribute courtyard, there is no need to search him?"
He Zhenfu pursed his lips and ordered the guards to bring in several basins of clean water.
Sun Ying placed the disassembled shoe uppers and shoe soles in two basins of clean water respectively. The clear water rippled slightly for a few times before returning to calmness.
He clapped his hands and said, "It will take about one stick of incense and the color will begin to fade."
Yao Yao and He Zhenfu, one on the left and one on the right, guarded two copper basins.
Sun Ying took out a slender silver needle, flashing with cold light, and stabbed it into the throat, stomach and abdomen of the deceased in turn.
There was silence in the room, no human voice, everyone held their breath, waiting for the final result to appear.
It was almost time for lunch, and the scholars began to make preparations before leaving Gongyuan. After checking the examination papers one last time to confirm that they were correct and without any dirt, some scholars handed in the examination papers in advance and left the dormitory with confidence. .
When the scholars reached Feihong Bridge, they discovered that this year's provincial examination was very different from the past.
In the past, the scholars could leave the Gongyuan directly after each exam, but this year there was a group of Beiya Imperial Guards and a group of internal guards at Feihong Qiaotou.
Two Beiya Imperial Guards and an internal guard formed a team and searched the departing scholars again.
Such an incident made the scholars somewhat panicked, but after witnessing the merciless and inhumane methods of the imperial army and internal guards, most of them dared not speak out in anger, so they had to hold their breath and calmly He raised his arms and allowed the Beiya imperial guards and internal guards to search him thoroughly from beginning to end.
A low sigh came from the quiet room. Sun Ying wiped his sweat, looked at the silver needles placed side by side in the copper tray, and said clearly: "The silver needle examination showed that the deceased had no signs of poisoning before death. The autopsy results can also confirm that the deceased died of suffocation and did not inhale any drugs before death."
This result was expected, and Han Changmu and Yao Yao did not show any surprise.
The door of the room creaked, and He Zhenfu took the disassembled shoe upper, pushed the door open, and shook his head: "No one in the group of scholars who just went out wore a pair of shoes like this."
This cloud-patterned shoe has completely changed its appearance, from bamboo green to moon-white. The moon-white cloud pattern is looming. If you don't get closer and look carefully, you won't be able to tell that there are embroidered patterns on the shoe.
Yao Yao stared at the greatly changed cloud-patterned shoe, frowned and said: "Sir, none of us have seen the appearance of the lost shoe. We just have a preconceived idea that the lost shoe and this shoe It's a pair, they're the same, but what if the murderer actually took away a pair of the deceased's shoes and left this one shoe to fish in troubled waters and confuse the public?"
Han Changmu's eyes lit up and he urgently ordered He Zhenfu: "Keep all those scholars who have brought an extra pair of shoes or shoes with them, as well as those who wear a pair of shoes that don't fit well."
At dusk, the sky is filled with rays of light and colorful colors on the azure blue sky.
After all, there were only a handful of scholars who handed in their papers in advance. Most of them waited until the last moment when Gongyuan opened its doors before carefully handing in their papers and walking to Feihong Bridge with an uneasy heart.
Xia Yuanji followed the flow of people outside and saw that the people at the front were divided into eight teams and lined up neatly at the head of Feihong Bridge, being carefully searched by the imperial army and internal guards.
Seeing this situation, the faces of the scholars changed greatly and they began to discuss.
"What's going on? I've never heard of people having to be searched after leaving Gongyuan."
"That's right. This is simply a shame."
"It's an insult to politeness, it's an insult to politeness."
Although there were angry comments one after another, the scholars only dared to lower their voices and complained, but they did not dare to curse loudly. They did not even have the courage to say another word, even pointing fingers and insinuations.
As the crowd gradually moved forward, Xia Yuanji finally could no longer maintain the calmness on his face. He carefully looked around, and when he saw that no one was paying attention to him, he quietly and slowly retreated.
Just after he took a few steps back, he hit something hard on his back, making a soft clang sound.
He looked back and saw a smiling black face. He was about to get angry when he heard the owner of the black face say apologetically: "Brother, I'm really sorry for bumping into my brother." Brother, please don’t blame me, I will apologize to you.”
He suddenly felt that he had punched the cotton, and he had nowhere to vent his anger. He looked down and saw two test baskets hanging on a pole, one behind the other. The test basket that hit him was in the middle of his The front of his body was shaking and spinning.
He suddenly changed his face and said with a tolerant smile: "Brother, you are too polite. This is nothing. Brother, there is no need to blame yourself." He looked at the pole and turned sideways: "Brother, Brother, let’s go first.”
The man was not polite and thanked him carelessly. He then passed Xia Yuanji with his pole and walked forward.
Xia Yuanji followed the man and slowly approached Feihong Bridge. He saw the imperial army and internal guards picking out some people after searching them. He also vaguely heard that he had brought an extra pair of shoes. What was going on with these shoes? Questions like that.
His heart trembled, his expression changed slightly, he looked around cautiously, and quickly stuffed a pair of shoes from his own examination basket into the examination basket that the person in front had picked up behind him.
After doing this, he covered his pounding heart, walked out of the team calmly, and lined up at the end of the team next to him.
Han Changmu stood on the third floor of Mingyuan Building, standing by the window, taking in all this scene, and then told He Zhenfu expressionlessly: "Let Xia Yuanji go out, and order people to follow him, and don't alert the snake. In addition, he will Bao Cheng buckles it and waits until all the scholars have left before letting him go. Don't confiscate the pair of shoes and let someone protect him in the dark to see if Xia Yuanji will go find him."
Yao Yao fiddled with the clean and dismantled cloud-patterned shoes, muttering to himself: "What secrets can be hidden in a pair of shoes? Li Cheng is a scholar who took the provincial examination." , why did he wear a pair of shoes with secrets to the Gongyuan? Is it because he was afraid that if he entered the Gongyuan and left the shoes at home, they would be stolen? This is great, because if he loses his life with these shoes, it is better to be stolen. It’s over.”
When Han Changmu heard Yao Yao's muttering, he couldn't help but laugh. He walked over slowly, took the shoe upper, and said in a low voice: "It's also possible that Li Cheng was ordered to go to the Gongyuan to look for these shoes and then give them to someone. But in the end he was killed and silenced.”
Yao Yao curled up his almond-shaped eyes and said with a smile: "Sir, don't be ridiculous. When the guards in Gongyuan are lax, you don't come in to look for things. Instead, you come in to look for things when the guards in Gongyuan are the tightest. I'm afraid you're not looking for something. Yes, he is here to die."
Han Changmu raised his eyebrows: "What if the person behind the scenes just got the news? He just knew that the things were hidden in the Gongyuan, and the Gongyuan was guarded by the Beiya imperial guards and internal guards, and the place where the things were hidden was the most guarded in the Gongyuan. It's such a tight place that no one can come in, so we can only take advantage of the provincial examination to fish in troubled waters with so many people talking."
Yao Yao was a little dissatisfied, and asked with his neck raised: "Then these shoes must have been hidden in the Gongyuan for more than a day or two. Then tell me, where is the most heavily guarded place in the Gongyuan, but how can a pair of shoes as big as this be hidden?" What if they have escaped the searches of the imperial army and internal guards one after another without being discovered?"
Han Changmu smiled and tapped the desk twice with his fingers: "The warehouse in Mingyuan Building."
Yao Yao suddenly realized: "Sir, are you talking about the wooden floors that were pried up?"
Han Changmu nodded: "We have never been able to figure out why the leaked test papers were invalid and sealed. Maybe the people who entered the warehouse did not really want to steal the test papers, but to find out where the shoes were hidden. , after investigating clearly, I didn’t know why I couldn’t take the shoes away, so I had to leak the exam papers stolen in advance to cover up the real purpose in order to take the shoes out of the Gongyuan.”
Yao Yao thought: "Perhaps those who stole the examination papers and shoes were officials in Mingyuan Tower, or the imperial guards and internal guards in Gongyuan. These people were not allowed to leave Gongyuan before the results were released. After getting the shoes, , this person handed it over to Li Cheng, who took him out of Gongyuan, no, no." She denied herself eagerly, shook her head and said: "Since it was Li Cheng who brought him out of Gongyuan, why would he? He died in the toilet, how could those shoes end up in Xia Yuanji's hands again?"
Her mind moved, and she blurted out: "Sir, Li Cheng and Xia Yuanji belong to two different forces. They infiltrated each other and monitored each other. In the end, Xia Yuanji was more skilled and got this thing. In order to avoid long nights and dreams, he took advantage of today to leave. Gongyuan will take this thing out and hand it over to the people behind the scenes."
Han Changmu smiled: "Yes, this is the most reasonable explanation, but it is still unknown who did it in the warehouse, and who Li Cheng and Xia Yuanji took orders from."
Yao Yao breathed a sigh of relief: "My lord, haven't you already ordered people to follow Xia Yuanji? Sooner or later, you will know whether the person he is going to see is a human or a ghost."
As she said that, she laughed happily: "Isn't Bao Cheng a born unlucky guy? Such a rare thing can happen to him, and the shoes are still hidden in his exam basket. If It would be better to say that those shoes are not the one that holds a secret, otherwise, he would not be able to escape the end of being murdered."
Han Changmu raised his eyebrows and asked curiously: "Why, do you think the shoes hidden in Baocheng's examination basket are just an ordinary pair of shoes?"
Yao Yao nodded heavily and said matter-of-factly: "Of course, such an important thing must be worn on your feet so that you can feel at ease."
Han Changmu stared in the direction of the window and carefully recalled Xia Yuanji's walking posture. It was natural and comfortable, without any awkwardness. He squinted his eyes: "You are saying, then there is something hidden in these shoes that is worthy of further investigation." ”
