In the early morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month in the third year of Xuanfeng, there was a heavy snowfall in Yidu City, where it almost never snowed. The sky and the earth were vast, and the wind was so cold that it could freeze people to death.
At the first quarter of the twelfth lunar month, Xu Laosan, who was pouring night fragrance, discovered a female body next to the sewage drain in Huancui Lane, Cihangfang, East Second District. The female corpse was dressed in red and was lying in the snow in a large shape. Her long black hair was like splashing ink, and her whole body was covered in bruises. Her skirt was torn, revealing her blue-white thighs. At the base of her legs, there was a Black and red peach blossom brand.
This was the first victim of the Yidu Peach Blossom Demon Murder Case, which was famous in the Tang Dynasty.
"The deceased's name was Yu Qing. She was 20 years old. She was a singer from the Wusi family in Hongxiangfang. She was invited by a benefactor to perform at Sanhua Tower the night before. She left at midnight and died on the way. According to the widow's work The autopsy showed that the deceased was raped first and then killed. The fatal cause of death was strangulation. The peach blossom mark was branded after death. The place where the body was dumped was not the first crime scene." Ling Zhiyan paused, "Since then, the real murderer has not been found. First scene.”
"According to these records, from the twelfth lunar month of the third year of Xuanfeng to the first lunar month of the fourth year of Xuanfeng, a total of sixteen women were raped|murdered, with peach blossom marks on their thighs|roots. The corpses were found all over Sanfang, Dongyi District, Dongyi District. The government visited Erfang, Dongsifang, North 4th District 3rd, and North 2nd District 3rd. They even canceled the night market and restored the Lifang system. , but still could not find the murderer. For a while, Yidu City was in turmoil, and the people lived in panic, until the seventeenth deceased was found in the sewer outside Dongshi."
"The deceased was also raped first and then killed. He was fatally stabbed into the neck with a knife. At that time, the body was covered in blood, and the amount of bleeding was obviously beyond the amount of bleeding for a person. After an autopsy, it was found to be pig blood. Based on this clue, the suspect was finally identified. The suspect is a pig butcher in Dongshi, named Tu Yan. The murder weapon, a bloodletting knife, fragments of the deceased's skirt, and a peach blossom-shaped soldering iron were found in Tu Yan's home. This confirmed that Tu Yan was a peach blossom murderer. Demonic facts.”
Lin Sui'an: "What were the previous causes of death?"
Ling Zhiyan: "Everyone is different. Deceased Nos. 1 and 2 were strangled, Nos. 3 to 6 had their throats cut, Nos. 7 and 9 were strangled to death, and Nos. 8, 10 to 16 were all killed by someone. He died by disembowelment with a sharp weapon. When the body was discovered on the 13th and 16th, a lot of the internal organs had even been eaten by wild dogs."
Hua Yitang: "Where are the doubts you found?"
"There are three doubts," Ling Zhiyan said. "First, there are two conditions for these seventeen cases to be merged for investigation. First, there are peach blossom marks on the thighs of the corpses. Second, the deceased were raped first and then killed. . The problem lies here, the peach blossom brand on the legs of the seventh and ninth deceased is different from the brand on the other deceased."
With that said, Ling Zhiyan turned all the files to the autopsy page, compared them one by one, and said, "The peach blossoms of deceased No. 7 and No. 9 are obviously smaller, more delicate, and have six petals."
Lin Sui'an stepped forward and took a closer look. Good guy, it's true!
The peach blossoms of the other deceased persons were all five-petal peach blossoms, about one inch in diameter, but the peach blossoms of the two deceased persons pointed out by Ling Zhiyan were obviously different in size.
Hua Yitang raised his eyelids and glanced at Xia Changshi, "Xia Changshi, how do you explain this doubt?"
Xia Changshi Mohan said, "The person who specifically supervised the case was Wu Zhengqing, the chief arrest officer at the time. He knew the details of the case best."
Hua Yitang: "It just so happens that the Military Department is next door. You might as well invite Wu Canjun to join us."
"Yes, yes, that's what Hua Canjun said."
Not long after, Wu Zhengqing arrived. His face was worse than last night, with dark circles under his eyes and a swollen face. It looked like he hadn't slept all night, and his breath was not good.
"Ling Sizhi, please ask clearly, where was Wu yesterday?"
"I have asked the scribes who were on duty in the case library yesterday. They can all testify for Wu Canjun." Ling Zhiyan said, "What I am asking today is not that, but the doubts about the Peach Blossom Murderer case."
Wu Zhengqing frowned: "This case has been closed for five years, what's the doubt?"
Ling Zhiyan raised the doubts just now again, and Wu Zhengqing's expression became even more ugly.
"Although the peach blossom brands on the two corpses are slightly different, according to my inference, the Peach Blossom Demon's previous peach blossom brand was probably lost or burned, so he made a new peach blossom brand."
Ling Zhiyan shook her head, "It doesn't make sense. If the new Peach Blossom Brand was used, why did the first version of Peach Blossom Brand be used again?"
Wu Zhengqing's throat moved and he fell silent.
Ling Zhiyan's face darkened and her voice also darkened, "The second doubt is that of the seventeen deceased, only fifteen were identified. The identities of deceased No. 7 and No. 9 remained unknown until the case was closed, and they happened to be with Tao Hua. Don’t you think it’s a coincidence that Wu Shenjun’s doubts coincide with each other?”
Wu Zhengqing: "Yidu has a population of 500,000. It's not surprising that there are occasionally a few corpses whose identities cannot be traced..."
"These two deceased people, one is ten years old and the other is only eight years old!" Ling Zhiyan suddenly shouted, making Xia Changshi and Wu Zhengqing tremble at the same time.
Lin Sui'an and Hua Yitang were horrified. They stepped forward and took a closer look at the autopsy examination. The ages of the two deceased were written respectively as "young girl, about ten years old" and "young girl, about eight years old."
There was a "buzz" in Lin Sui'an's mind, and without warning, the memories of the white animals he had seen in Yang Ducheng poured out like crazy, like a kaleidoscope spinning in front of his eyes——
【Aunt...】
[The two mothers drank the medicine obediently...]
[The water in the river in the ninth day of the ninth lunar month is clear and clear, and grandma’s baby has clear eyesight... grandma’s baby is also going home——]
【Xiuer...】
[Brother has the best smile...]
Unspeakable blood and murderous intent and pain penetrated his limbs and bones. Lin Sui'an suddenly grasped the handle of Qianjing's sword. The blade of Qianjing's sword kept buzzing, and the dark green murderous aura almost overflowed from the scabbard.
"Lin Sui'an!" Hua Yitang's hand suddenly covered Lin Sui'an's hand, and the warmth from his palm spread to Lin Sui'an's hand along the skin, gradually calming the restless Qian Jing.
Lin Sui'an took a long breath and realized that the entire Judicial Department was eerily quiet. Everyone was staring at her blankly. Ling Zhiyan was a little overwhelmed, Mu Xia looked worried, Xia Changshi and Wu Zhengqing looked frightened, Hua Yitang His eyes were red and he looked like he was about to cry.
"It's okay. I probably had a fight in the morning, and some energy and blood are rising. Just take a rest." Lin Sui'an squeezed Hua Yitang's hand with his backhand and comforted him.
Hua Yitang tightened his chin, took a step forward, and used his body to cover the hands held by the two of them. His hand was still holding Lin Sui'an tightly, with no intention of letting go.
Ling Zhiyan glanced at Lin Sui'an again, and saw that Lin Sui'an's mood had stabilized, and then continued, "The case record records that the last deceased person was Zuo Fangfang, who was thirty-one years old. He lived in Dongerfang and often went there on weekdays. I bought meat from Tu Yan’s pork shop in Dongshi, so I was targeted by Tu Yan and became the last target.”
Wu Zhengqing clasped his fists, "That's right. Tu Yan confessed to the process of raping and killing this woman, and also identified the location of the murder. It was in his bedroom. The bloodletting knife used to kill the woman matched Zuo Fangfang's wound. Taohua brand was found under Tu Yan's bed. The most important thing is that Tu Yan confessed in court to the crime of killing sixteen women before and was tacked on in court."
Ling Zhiyan pulled out Zuo Fangfang's autopsy examination, "Don't Wu Canjun think Zuo Fangfang's peach blossom brand is different from before?"
Wu Zhengqing's eyes widened, "Where did Ling Sizhi start from saying this? The peach blossoms on this autopsy grid are clearly marked. The five-petal peach blossoms are one inch in size. They are clearly the same as the previous peach blossoms!"
Lin Sui'an was about to put her head in to see the autopsy examination, but she was pulled back by Hua Yitang and gave her a fierce look.
"The edge of this brand is clearer and it is newly made." Ling Zhiyan said.
"This just confirms my previous inference," Wu Zhengqing said, "Tu Yan made a few extra peach blossoms just in case, just in case."
Ling Zhiyan: "This is the biggest doubt. Why didn't Tu Yan mention such an important thing in his confession? Moreover, his confession of the details of the previous murder was very vague, and it was very different from the autopsy pattern."
"This..." Wu Zhengqing glanced at Xia Changshi, who frowned and nodded. Wu Zhengqing then continued, "To be honest, after Tu Yan was imprisoned, he probably knew that he had done all the evil things. After escaping death, he became a little crazy under the fear and spoke garbled words. But he gave the location of the first murder scene of the previous deceased. We sent people to investigate and indeed found the deceased's belongings. As for those details, Tu Yan said that he was in a state of madness when he committed the murder and could not remember clearly afterwards."
Ling Zhiyan frowned, "So, you conclude that Tu Yan is a peach blossom murderer?!"
Xia Changshi sighed and said: "Ling Sizhi didn't know something. At that time, the Peach Blossom Demon case caused a lot of unrest in Yidu City. Everyone in Yidu was in danger, especially young women. They didn't even dare to go out. It was even worse at night. Everyone was in trouble. All kinds of thieves and thieves came out to take advantage of troubled waters, and the public security in Yidu plummeted. If Wu Shenjun hadn't used thunderous means to capture the peach blossom demon Tu Yan, and turned the tide to bring order to the chaos, Yidu would still know how long it would be in chaos."
Wu Zhengqing took a deep breath, clasped his fists and said, "Wu knew that the case was not impeccable, but after Tu Yan was imprisoned, the Peach Blossom Demon disappeared. Doesn't it just mean that Tu Yan is the Peach Blossom Murderer?"
Hua Yitang raised his eyebrows, "What about the peach blossom brand on Lian Xiaoshuang's body?"
A strange expression appeared on Wu Zhengqing's face, "Wu thought that there was another hidden reason for Lian Xiaoshuang's death, and that the real culprit was just using peach blossom branding to divert attention."
Ling Zhiyan frowned and remained silent.
Lin Sui'an and Hua Yitang looked at each other and couldn't make a conclusion.
Fang Ke walked out of the side room carrying a wooden tray and said, "The contents of the embroidery have been taken out."
Everyone looked shocked and gathered around. There was a small piece of white cloth in the wooden tray. It was not a good material. The warp and weft were sparse. It was probably torn from something. There were threads floating around, and it looked like it was about to fall apart.
Hua Yitang's eyelids twitched, he wrapped his fingers in a handkerchief and picked up the fabric and looked at it carefully, "It's the fabric from the embroidery from Simian Village in Qingzhou City County!"
Ling Zhiyan: "What?!"
Lin Sui'an: "Are you sure?"
Hua Yitang frowned, "Not sure."
"I'm sure." Fang Ke motioned for everyone to enter the side room. There were two pieces of white paper on the table in the side room. There was a small white line on the paper on the left side. It should have been cut from the cloth. Fang Ke poured a lot of water from a small porcelain bottle. The transparent liquid soaked into the white line, and soon, the white line turned into dark blue.
"This piece of cloth was once soaked in the talisman water of Dragon God Temple." Fang Ke said.
Everyone's faces turned dark.
Hua Yitang gritted his teeth, "I didn't expect that there would be some fish that slipped through the net."
"More than that." Fang Ke pointed to the white paper next to him. There was a dark blue trace on the paper. "During the autopsy, I had doubts when I found that Lian Xiaoshuang's body was too light, so I kept her internal organs. , gastric juice and urine, this is what I found out from Lian Xiaoshuang’s internal organ extract. Lian Xiaoshuang has deposits of Dragon God Fruit poison in his body and has been taking it for a while.”
Lin Sui'an felt his head hurt. Lian Xiaoshuang's case became more and more complicated as he investigated it. From the current clues alone, several possibilities could be deduced.
The first possibility: The Peach Blossom Killer returns.
Although Wu Zhengqing categorically said that Tu Yan was the Peach Blossom Murderer, Lin Sui'an still felt that the handsome guy Ling's judgment was more reliable. Putting aside a bunch of doubts in the dossier, Ling Liulang was more credible even if he only looked at his face. .
The second possibility: love killing.
This is based on the inference that Lian Xiaoshuang has a history of abortion, and there is currently no evidence.
The third possibility: Lian Xiaoshuang is involved in the Dragon God Fruit case.
The Dragon God Fruit embroidery is hidden in the embroidery. It looks like it was left on purpose. However, the source of the clue is unknown and remains to be verified.
The third possibility: vendetta.
Even Xiaoshuang's previous abuse is a clue.
In addition, the most incredible thing is Lian Xiaoshuang's method of disposing of the body. It is meticulous and contradictory at every turn, which really makes Zhang Er scratch his head.
Lin Sui'an now has the feeling that this case is like a mess of embroidery threads, with so many threads that there is no thread that can be used to peel off the cocoon.
Taishou Chi was invited out of the back office by Ling Zhiyan again. He sat on the Taishi chair with his head drooped and his belly in his arms, like a pile of sluggish old socks. He probably couldn't figure out why he had just taken a shower for an hour. How could this case be more disturbing? .
Hua Yitang thoughtfully gave him a new set of tables and chairs. Then Governor Chi cheered up and called the bad guys to invite Wu Zhengli and his wife in.
This time, Hua Yitang seemed to be planning to adopt the interrogation method of "hiding a knife behind a smile and attacking the unprepared". He smiled and invited Wu Zhengli and his wife to take a seat. Mu Xia prepared high-quality flower tea. Chi Taishou and Xia Changshi were responsible for their heavy responsibilities and chatted enthusiastically with Wu Zhengli about home affairs.
Lin Sui'an was observing Wu Zhengli's wife.
She is a woman over thirty years old. Like Wu Zhengli, she is very thin. She wears a decent dress and has a dignified manner. She has her hands folded on her lower abdomen. She has thick pink makeup on her face and neck, and a flower patch on her forehead. , only the center of the lips is lit with cherry red, which is the most popular cherry makeup in Yidu.
The highlight of this kind of makeup is a white face with small cherry lips. It's okay to have an expression, but if there is no expression, it's like a weird mask.
At this time, Wu Zhengli's wife seemed to be wearing a mask.
The second elder, Shen Xiang, stood behind Lin Sui'an and narrated the background information in a fast and low voice: "This woman's surname is Qu Minghui. Her mother died early and her father opened a private school. Wu Zhengli studied in this private school when he was young. He and Qu Hui were Childhood sweethearts. Qu Hui married Wu Zhengli when she was sixteen. After the Wu family became prosperous and became a new gentry in Yidu, Qu Hui became the matron of the family, taking charge of the household and being very stable."
"The Wu couple are a well-known loving couple in Yidu. Their only regret is that they have no children. It is said that it is because Qu Hui is in poor health and cannot conceive, so they have been raising their health in a villa in the suburbs. Wu Zhengli is very affectionate towards Qu Hui, Even though Qu Hui was infertile, he never thought of divorcing his wife. He often went to other houses to accompany his wife and never even took in concubines. Qu Hui liked embroidery the most, so Wu Zhengli invited Lian Xiaoshuang to teach Qu Hui embroidery to make her happy. .”
Lin Sui'an's head was buzzing.
Childhood sweethearts, married at a young age. The husband is middle-aged and rich and has become a gambler. The wife is infertile, but the husband still never leaves her and never takes concubines. She is famous all over the country for her love - good guy, this buff is full!
Chi Taishou and Xia Changshi chatted for a long time. Their mouths were dry and they couldn't talk any more. They winked at Hua Yitang frequently.
Hua Yitang had a familiar smile on his face, waving the folding fan that said "The beauty has fallen away from the green plum", looking like an innocent and harmless young man, "I invited the head of the Wu family to come over today. It's just a routine to cooperate with the inquiry. Please, virtuous couple, please don't mind."
Wu Zhengli held the tea cup, took two sips, and smashed his mouth, "Didn't Hua Canjun ask about it yesterday? What are you going to ask today?"
Ling Zhiyan: "We have sent people to investigate. The head of the Wu family did have an alibi yesterday. It's just that Lian Xiaoshuang lives in seclusion on weekdays and only has contact with the noble lady. So I want to ask the noble lady about Lian Xiaoshuang. Condition."
"Okay, I understand." Wu Zhengli patted Qu Hui's arm sideways and said softly, "It's just a routine matter, don't be afraid."
Lin Sui'an's pupils shrank, and she noticed that when Wu Zhengli was photographing Qu Hui, Qu Hui's body tensed for a moment, because through the wide skirt and sleeves, no one except her dynamic vision could notice it. .
Qu Hui lowered her eyelids and said softly: "What does Hua Canjun want to ask?"
Hua Yitang: "How many days does Lian Xiaoshuang go to Wu's Villa?"
Qu Hui: "About two or three times a month."
"Who set the date to go to the other village?"
"Ms. Lian and I discussed it."
"Are there any fixed days?"
"It's mainly because it's convenient for the lady to see, and it's not fixed."
"How long does Lian Xiaoshuang stay at each time?"
"Even my wife doesn't like seeing people. She always comes at night and leaves in the morning. She sleeps with me at night."
"What are you talking about?"
"Of course he is an embroiderer."
"Talk about embroidery at night? Is it too dark?"
"My husband has prepared many candles, so the view is clear."
Hua Yitang picked up the tea cup and took a sip, "Mrs. Wu and Lian Xiaoshuang can sleep together, which shows that the two of them have a good relationship."
Qu Hui raised her eyelids, and the first expression that appeared on her mask-like face was a soft smile, "Yes. We are very good friends."
Hua Yitang put down the tea cup and said, "Do you know that Lian Xiaoshuang is pregnant?"
The room fell silent for a moment, Wu Zhengli's eyes widened, his face trembled uncontrollably, a hint of anger flashed in his eyes, and he quickly picked up the teacup to cover it up.
Compared to Wu Zhengli's gaffe, Qu Hui's expression was calm, "I know."
"Who is the father of the child?"
"She never said the man's name, but every time she mentioned that man -" Qu Hui pursed her lips, "her eyes were full of hope."
Ling Zhiyan frowned and said nothing.
This wording is so strange, Lin Sui Anxin said. Most women will use words like "love" and "favor" when talking about their lover. They have never heard of "hope" being used to describe it.
Hua Yitang: "Then did you know that Lian Xiaoshuang had an abortion?"
Qu Hui's eyes dimmed and she shook her head gently.
"When was the last time you saw Lian Xiaoshuang?"
"On the eighth day of August, she said that she had a batch of embroidery work to be finished and she wouldn't be coming next month."
Lin Sui'an: The eighth day of August was more than a month ago. Could it be that it was during this period that Lian Xiaoshuang had an abortion?
Hua Yitang picked up the tea cup again, "Last question, where were you between Youshi and Chou the day before yesterday?"
As soon as he said this, Wu Zhengli's expression changed and he suddenly stared at his wife.
Qu Hui looked calm and said, "Sleep at home."
"Who can testify?"
"All the servants in the house can testify."
"That's enough!" Wu Zhengli shouted, "Did Hua Canjun put my wife on trial as a suspect?!"
Hua Yitang curled his lips and smiled, stood up with a tea cup and bowed respectfully, "Hua is being abrupt, I hope Mrs. Wu won't take offense."
Qu Hui stood up and nodded, "It's okay to join the army as part of your responsibilities."
Hua Yitang raised his arm a little higher, "Hua is willing to offer tea instead of wine to apologize to Mrs. Wu."
Qu Hui lowered her eyebrows, picked up the tea cup that had never been touched on the table, returned the favor, took a sip, put down the tea cup, took Wu Zhengli's arm, and left gracefully.
Hua Yitang, Lin Sui'an, Ling Zhiyan and Fang Ke stood in a row, looking at their backs with solemn expressions.
Hua Yitang: "Did you see it?"
Ling Zhiyan: "She has been hiding it, but it was exposed when she was serving tea. There is a wound on her arm."
Lin Sui'an: "The powder on her face is too thick, as if it was applied on purpose, as if to cover something up."
Fang Ke: "There is a new injury on the arm. It looks like it was slapped with some kind of strip."
Governor Chi: "W-what do you mean?"
Hua Yitang sighed, "This Mrs. Wu, like Lian Xiaoshuang, is often beaten."
Xia Changshi: "Who, who would beat up Wu Clan Leader's... madam——"
Xia Changshi didn't say the rest. When he asked this question, he already knew the answer.
It's Wu Zhengli.
small theater:
Governor Chi: This group of people is so scary. They are all top investigators! When can I take a rest? :,,
