Yidu government office is very spacious.
The area of the government office is equivalent to a square area, including several gates, cloisters, main hall, inner hall, inner hall, flower hall, study room, yamen prison, corpse collection hall, case hall, inner yamen (living area of Yidu prefect), officials There are houses (collective dormitories for government officials and delinquents), stables (stables and warehouses), Chuanshe (accommodation for non-government personnel), kitchens, dining rooms (collective canteens), and several courtyards. There are also pavilions, ponds, In the garden, the most outrageous thing is that there is a Cuju court, which shows that the life in Yidu is comfortable.
Hua Yitang, a member of the Yidu Judicial Service, came to the government office for the first time. The first stop was not the main hall, nor the meeting hall, but the gloomy Corpse Hall.
Immediately, he ordered the bad guys to carry the corpse into the corpse collection hall. Once the door was closed, he concentrated on the autopsy and left the box containing the corpse outside the door.
Hua Yitang and Ling Zhiyan walked around the box clockwise and counterclockwise, but Taishou Chi didn't dare not accompany them. He wanted to sit but had nowhere to sit, and his face turned pale as he stood there.
Hua Yitang tapped the edge of the box with the handle of the fan: "The material of the box is ordinary poplar wood. Judging from the length and width, ordinary people cannot use it. It should be a special wooden box used by cloth shops to ship cloth."
Ling Zhiyan put on coarse cloth gloves, her index and middle fingers together, and slowly wiped the inner wall, inner seams and four corners of the box. "The joints of the wooden boards are sealed with wax to make them waterproof."
Jin Ruo: "The craftsmen of Huanhuaxi said that this box floated from the upper reaches, and it floated all the way to Huashi Paper Mill. I don't know what was stuck on it. The craftsmen felt strange, and they took it out, and then they discovered There are actually dead people inside."
Lin Sui'an hugged Qian Jing and frowned: "It means that the box has been specially treated and turned into a small waterproof and moisture-proof cabin. This is unreasonable."
Governor Chi was confused: "Why, why is it unreasonable?"
Hua Yitang straightened up, opened the fan with a bang, and slowly started shaking it, "Generally, after murdering a murderer, a murderer either chooses to hide the body or destroy the body to eliminate traces, but this murderer put the body in a dry wooden box and sent it to The densely populated Huanhua Creek seems to have been specially designed for people to discover the corpse."
Ling Zhiyan sighed and stood up, "The wooden box was very clean and no special clues were left." She took off her gloves and said, "Prefect Chi, regarding the case of the Peach Blossom Murderer——"
Governor Chi waved his hands repeatedly, "It can't be the Peach Blossom Demon! The Peach Blossom Demon was sentenced to death four years ago. I personally supervised the execution and the people in the city witnessed it. It was Wu Canjun who captured the Peach Blossom Demon at that time. Wu Canjun , please tell Ling Sizhi in detail the ins and outs of this case."
Oh? Unexpectedly, this Wu Shenjun actually has some real abilities.
Lin Sui'an was a little surprised and glanced sideways.
Wu Zhengqing didn't seem to hear what Governor Chi said at all. He stared straight at the wooden box containing the corpse, his face was pale, his expression was dazed, and his fingers twitched from time to time.
Lin Sui'an thought something was wrong. Could it be that she had struck him too hard just now and accidentally castrated him? No, this person seemed to have noticed something wrong after seeing the face of the corpse. Could it be that he knew the deceased? Oops, it can't be such a coincidence. Wu Zhengqing is the murderer, right?
Not only Lin Sui'an discovered Wu Zhengqing's anomaly, but Ling Zhiyan and Hua Yitang also discovered it.
Ling Zhiyan frowned: "Wu Canjun, can you tell me about the case of the Peach Blossom Murderer? Wu Canjun!"
Wu Zhengqing came back to his senses, clasped his fists and said, "The real name of the Peach Blossom Murderer is Tu Yan. He is forty-three years old. He is a butcher. Because his wife eloped with others, he hated women in his heart, so he followed several women to rape and kill her. At that time, he searched his home When it came to the murder ax and peach blossom iron, the evidence was conclusive and he himself confessed."
Chi Taishou: "Yes, yes, this Tu Yan probably kills pigs and sheep all year round. He has a very fierce temperament. When we captured him, he injured several of our government officials. Thanks to Wu Shenjun's efforts to turn the tide, we were able to capture this man." Wu Canjun made a great contribution to solving this case."
Wu Zhengqing twitched the corners of his lips, as if trying to put on a smile, "This is what subordinates should do."
Hua Yitang said "Oh", tapped his fan with his palms, walked up to the opposite side of Wu Canjun, and suddenly said, "Does Wu Canjun know the deceased in the box?"
Wu Zhengqing suddenly raised his head, his eyes shattered, "Why did Hua Canjun say this?! I have never met this woman!"
"Ah, Hua just saw that Wu Canjun was in a daze, and he was curious for a moment, so he asked casually." Hua Yitang's eyes widened in shock, and he slapped his chest with his fan, "You don't have to yell at me so loudly, you scared me to death. .”
Wu Zhengqing's expression darkened, "Wu just couldn't bear it when he saw the tragic death of that woman."
Hua Yitang nodded repeatedly, "Wu Canjun is truly a man of thunder and a bodhisattva's heart."
Lin Sui'an and Jin Ruo looked at each other.
Lin Sui'an: There must be something wrong with this Wu Zhengqing.
Jin Ruo: Master, don’t worry, I will get to the bottom of this person.
The door of the Corpse Collection Hall opened, and Fang Ke came out smelling of Atractylodes and vinegar, and handed Hua Yitang an autopsy sheet. Hua Yitang and Ling Zhiyan looked at it and presented it to Prefect Chi.
"There is a horizontal horizontal indentation on the neck of the deceased, two fingers wide, with no lines. The indentations overlap at the back of the neck. The indentations are purple-red. His hands are hanging down, the tongue cannot come out, and the teeth are not touched. They are taken from someone. A rope-like object was wrapped around the neck and strangled to death. There were still food residues in the abdomen of the deceased. He should have died about an hour after the meal. Based on the degree of rigor mortis, it was estimated that the time of death was between 1:00 and 0:00 of last night. There are fixed corpse spots on the side, but there are no corpse spots on the sides of the body, indicating that the body lay flat for at least three hours after death, and then someone folded the legs and put it into the wooden box."
"The brand on the base of the right leg was made after death. The tool should be a red-hot peach blossom-shaped iron. The brand is one inch in diameter and has five peach blossom petals." Fang Ke took out another piece of paper, "This is the rubbing of the peach blossom brand. print."
The rubbings carved by Fang are very detailed, including all the petals and stamens, and they look like exquisite jewelry.
Fang Ke: "The palms and fingernails of the deceased were very clean. The nails were of a certain length and had not been specially trimmed."
"This is unreasonable," Ling Zhiyan said, "Generally, people who are strangled will struggle violently, sometimes grabbing the murderer's hair, leaving strangulation marks on his palms, and the murderer's skin flakes are often left in his fingernails."
Hua Yitang: "Does that mean the deceased didn't struggle particularly before his death? Are there any binding marks on his hands and feet?"
"There are not only binding marks, but also whip marks. But they are all old injuries." Fang Ke said, "Looking at the color and the degree of subcutaneous congestion, it should be an old injury from a month ago. Moreover, the deceased's left shoulder bone and clavicle were broken. I presume that the deceased had been beaten before."
Everyone looked at each other and their expressions darkened.
"Another thing is strange," Fang Ke paused, "the deceased's weight was 30% lighter than that of an ordinary woman, and she was very thin."
Lin Sui'an: "Could it be that he has been imprisoned and tortured for a long time without food?"
Fang Ke shook his head: "Her stomach has not shrunk, and her diet should be normal. The skin on her thighs and arms is a little loose, which is inconsistent with her age. It is probably caused by sudden weight loss."
As he spoke, Fang Ke took out a white porcelain jar the size of his palm and touched it with great care. Lin Sui'an and others instantly took a few steps back and stayed far away.
Governor Chi was curious: "What is this?"
Fang Ke raised his eyelids and raised the corners of his mouth, "I also retained part of the deceased's heart, gastric juice, large intestine, small intestine, lung lobes, and urine remaining in the bladder. I will examine it carefully later."
Governor Chi's face turned green, and Wu Canjun's face turned green. Their throats rolled up and they almost vomited.
"The cause and time of death have been basically determined, but the identity of the deceased-" Hua Yitang looked at Prefect Chi.
Governor Chi pinched his nose and said, "Wu Canjun asked you to send someone to check. Have you found anything?"
Wu Zhengqing shook his head and said, "I haven't reported back to Mr. Chi yet. I'm afraid an official notice will be issued and pictures of people will be posted to identify the body."
"Your government is doing things like mother-in-law and mother-in-law." Jin Ruo said impatiently, "I just sent the portrait of the corpse out. If you count the time, the news should be here."
Wu Zhengqing was shocked: "What?!"
Sure enough, as soon as Jin Ruo finished speaking, a bad person came to report that a salesman outside the government office had sent a letter to Jin Ruo by name.
The envelope was very ordinary, with a blank front and "Wanshui Qianshan" written in beautiful calligraphy on the back. It was obviously sent by Jingmen. Lin Sui'an was overjoyed. He didn't expect that Yidu Branch would come in handy so quickly.
There is only a piece of paper in the envelope.
[Name of deceased: Lian Xiaoshuang, year: thirteen. Embroiderer. Lives in No. 451, Machuan Street, Jinxifang, Chengnei District]
Taishou Chi praised: "As expected of Jingmen, the news is so fast!"
Wu Zhengqing's expression changed, and sweat even broke out on his forehead.
Hua Yitang smiled and held a fan in his arms and saluted, "Hua has just arrived in Yidu and is not familiar with the place. I wonder if Prefect Chi can ask Wu Canjun to accompany Hua to investigate the case, so that he can take care of him."
Of course, Taishou Chi agreed wholeheartedly. Wu Zhengqing avoided Hua Yitang's gaze, and the veins on his forehead jumped wildly, "Wu will accompany you."
Wu Zhengqing's performance was so suspicious that Lin Sui'an cheered inwardly, thinking that if he got lucky this time, he would be able to catch the real murderer and close the case in one day, without having to stay up late and work overtime.
There are two rivers outside Yidu City, Qingyuan River in the north and Jianjiang River in the south. There are also two rivers in the city, Yujiang River in the north and Jinjiang River in the south. Yujiang is a tributary of Qingyuan River, Jinjiang is a tributary of Jianjiang, and Huanhuaxi is a tributary of Jinjiang.
Yujiang and Jinjiang divide Yidu City into three parts: north, middle and south. Among them, the Jinjiang River Basin is the most prosperous, running through Taibaifang, Tianqingfang, Chengnei District, Yacheng South District 1, South 5th District, South 4th District in order. District and Daci Temple, and finally go out of the city around Xiaodongqiao Gate and merge with the main stream of Jianjiang River.
There are eleven squares in the city, which is the most densely populated area in Yidu City. The largest square in Yidu, Xishi, is on the edge of Jinjiang River, across the river from Huanhua Creek.
Jinxifang, where the deceased Lian Xiaoshuang lived, is located in the southwest corner of Dongcheng District. It is adjacent to the West Market. Machuan Street is only separated from the West Market by a low wall. Along the way, you can see many Shops directly open the walls to make passages, and install a door for those who are particular about it, and leave it open for those who are not particular about it.
The bad guys surrounded Lian Xiaoshuang's house early, and the neighbors hid in the distance and whispered to each other. When they saw Hua Yitang getting out of the car, the crowd burst into loud cheers. It must be that Hua Yitang spent a lot of money to meet his great-grandson at Wanli Bridge. His heroic deeds have been widely known.
This house is very small. As far as the eye can see, there is only one main room, one side room and one kitchen.
Although the house is small, it is very elegant. There are herbs planted in the open space in front of the kitchen. The tender leaves are translucent in the glow of the setting sun, exuding a refreshing fragrance. Lin Sui'an took a glance and found this The shape of vanilla actually looks like modern mint.
Wu Zhengqing ordered the bad guys to guard the gate, and he also stayed outside the gate. He refused to enter the hospital, claiming that he was only a soldier and joined the army and could not overstep his authority. Hua Yitang didn't force it and let him go.
The windows in the main wing are bright and clean, and it is very tidy. Jin Ruo looked around first, shook his head and said there were no signs of fighting, then turned around and went to the side compartment with Ling Zhiyan.
Hua Yitang and Lin Sui'an entered the main compartment and looked separately.
Although it is the main room, it is not big. Opposite the door is a crabapple three-fold screen with fine embroidery and bright colors. On the right side of the screen is a small tea room with a tea table, seat cushions, and a small table. They are all very clean. Tea cauldrons, tea rollers, tea rolls, water spoons, and tea cups are neatly placed in several cabinets against the wall.
On the left is the bedroom. There is a bright green bed curtain hanging on the bed. There is a narrow wardrobe beside the bed. The clothes in the wardrobe are neatly folded. There is a dressing table by the window. Lin Sui'an walked around in a circle and lifted up his robe. Sitting in front of the dressing table, she opened the makeup box and drawers one by one, looking through them one by one. Lian Xiaoshuang had very few jewelry, only three silver hairpins, two pairs of silver earrings, and she was almost out of lipstick, blush, and charcoal pens. , I didn’t see the flower mother-of-pearl, I only found a long black and red lacquer box at the innermost side of the drawer. It was empty. Looking at the marks left in the box, there should have been a gold walking stick inside.
Suddenly, Lin Sui'an heard a crisp ringing sound. He couldn't help but look up and found that he could see Zhang Yilou through the window. The source of the ringing was not the silver bell of Zhang Yilou, but the copper wind chime hanging outside the window. The wind chime shell It was already rusty, and there was a piece of dark green paper hanging underneath. It seemed to have something written on it, but it could no longer be seen clearly.
The paper sign swayed in the wind, the bell jingled, and the shadow of the window lattice was printed on the face, giving it a quiet beauty.
Lin Sui'an suddenly had a feeling that Lian Xiaoshuang must like sitting here, blowing the wind, listening to the wind chimes, and looking at the sky and Zhang Yi Tower in the distance.
Hua Yitang found a yellow paper bag from the compartment of the closet. It was the residue of the medicine. He wrinkled his nose and smelled it, then wrapped it and put it away.
Beyond that, nothing more was discovered.
One person went to the side compartment again, but to his surprise, Ling Zhiyan and Jin Ruo were still standing at the door, struggling with the copper lock of the side compartment door.
Jin Ruo: "Ling Sizhi, can you stop being so rigid? The owner of the house is dead, so just split it up."
Ling Zhiyan: "No, if you break the lock rashly, you may destroy the clues. Someone, go find the locksmith quickly——"
"Give me." Hua Yitang poked Ling Zhiyan open with a fan, squeezed forward, took out the hosta on his head, rubbed his fingers, and a slender copper needle popped out. He held the lock in his left hand and the needle in his right hand, making a clicking sound. After a few clicks, the lock opened.
Ling Zhiyan and Jin Ruo were stunned, and their eyes suddenly looked wrong when they looked at Hua Yitang.
Lin Sui'an: "..."
She knew that this guy must know more than just the Hua clan's locks.
Hua Yitang inserted the hairpin back, "Why are you so surprised by my amazing skills?"
Ling Zhiyan sighed, "Fortunately, the Hua family is as rich as any other country, otherwise——"
"Otherwise you will be another Yun Zhongyue." Jin Ruo complained.
Hua Yitang sneered and pushed open the door, "How can Yun Zhongyue be compared to me? Even if I want to be a thief, I have to be Yun Shangyue - wow!"
Everyone never expected that this side room turned out to be an embroidery room. Next to the window was a large embroidery frame covered with half-embroidered crabapple flowers. Judging from the color matching and stitching, it seemed that it was made by the same person as the screen in the main room.
In front of the embroidery stand is a sit-down chair. There are three layers of dark green cushions on the sit-down stand, with a dent in the middle. It should be used all year round. There are layers of embroidery hanging on the left side of the embroidery stand. When the wind blows, it floats up. Almost all are crabapples.
There were two large black wooden boxes placed side by side against the innermost wall. They were four feet wide and half a person long. They were exactly the same as the wooden box containing Xiaoshuang's body.
Hua Yitang immediately reminded everyone not to go in yet. He took out the small four treasures he carried with him and quickly drew a picture of the locations of all the furnishings in the house. Jin Ruo put on his shoe covers, walked in on tiptoes, and finally squatted down and sat down. Behind him, he bent down and lowered his head, his head almost touching the ground. He glanced at it for a long time with one eye open and the other closed, and then clicked his tongue.
"This is where Lian Xiaoshuang was strangled to death."
small theater
Fang Ke, the master of the corpse collection hall, touched a row of small porcelain altars and laughed strangely: Yidu is indeed a geomantic treasure, and interesting corpses were delivered to the door on the first day. :,,
