"The fatal cause of Duan Hongning's death was strangulation. The murder weapon was a hemp rope. The murderer's methods were brutal and almost broke her neck bones. The lines on the neck of the corpse were consistent with the hemp rope carried by Pi Xi. A small amount of human skin remained in the fingernails of Duan Hongning's hands. There were skin flakes and blood, and there were scratch marks on Pixi’s arms, which were consistent with the shape of Duan Hongning’s fingernails.”
Fang Ke's voice floated into Lin Sui'an's ears, and he calmly recounted the autopsy results, "The peach blossom brand on the thigh was branded after death. The five-petal peach blossom petals, the size and texture are the same as those of Xiaoshuang and Minina." The ones on the corpse matched perfectly and were made from the same piece of equipment. After comparison, it was the peach-shaped iron hairpin on Pixi's hand."
It seems that the murderer of Duan Hongning is indeed Pi Xi...
Lin Sui'an sighed softly in her heart, and her five senses came back bit by bit. She wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were so heavy - she heard the grunt of wheels rolling on the ground again, and the car body shook rhythmically - she You should be lying flat on your back. The pillow under your head is very comfortable, and the fragrance is warm and fragrant. If you rub a little coldness on your temples, you can smell the refreshing aroma of the Ningshen Balm.
"The person who killed Duan Hongning was Pixi, the person who killed Lian Xiaoshuang was Qu Hui, and the person who killed Minina was Wang Jingfu. The three different murderers used the same peach blossom iron hairpin, but these three people seemed to have no intersection. , It’s really unreasonable.” Hua Yitang’s voice was soft and low, and you could even feel his breath.
Lin Sui'an soon realized that she was actually lying on Hua Yitang's lap, and her posture was quite ambiguous - Lin Sui'an felt that it was really inappropriate, but her body was sleepy and tired, and she was too lazy to move at all.
"Pi Xi insisted that she was the Peach Blossom Demon, but Ling felt that there must be a hidden secret," Ling Zhiyan said.
"Usually murderers try their best to exonerate themselves. How can anyone admit that they are a serial killer unless they are mentally ill." Jin Ruo's voice.
Hua Yitang: "Is there any special reason why he must become the Peach Blossom Demon?"
Ling Zhiyan: "When we get back to the government office, we will definitely interrogate this person."
Jin Ruo: "If you ask me, if you give him a good beating, even eight generations of ancestors will be able to explain clearly."
Fang Ke: "Kill him and scalp him, and I'll know by looking at his brain."
The voices of the three people changed their tone, "No, no, no."
Lin Sui'an laughed out loud in his heart and discovered a magical thing - listening to everyone analyzing the case one by one, the fatigue and aches and pains in his body gradually dissipated, and the long-lost strength trickled down. A trickle of water poured into the limbs and bones. His eyelids moved and he opened his eyes.
The first thing that caught the eye was Hua Yitang's Adam's apple, then his smooth chin and jade-like neck - Hua Yitang's neck looked so white and tender, like tofu, Lin Sui An said, not knowing how to take a bite What does it feel like.
Hua Yitang, who was talking eloquently, seemed to feel something, and lowered his head. When their eyes met, Lin Sui'an clearly felt that the "leg pillow" under the back of his head suddenly stiffened. Hua Yitang's ears turned red.
To be honest, Lin Sui'an originally thought this posture was a bit embarrassing, but now that Hua Yitang was more embarrassed than her, it immediately stopped being awkward. He put his hands on his hands and sat up.
Everyone in the car looked straight at her.
Hua Yitang held the balm box in his hand with a worried look on his face. He was relieved to find that Lin Sui'an's face had improved a lot.
Jin Ruo: "Master, have you not been sleeping well recently? Why do you feel faint every now and then?"
Ling Zhiyan: "Is Mrs. Lin too tired?"
Fang Ke: "What did you see again?"
Ling Zhiyan was startled, and Jin Ruo said "Huh?"
Lin Sui'an took the ointment from Hua Yitang's hand, generously took a lump and rubbed it on his forehead, "There are three women in Duan Hongning's memory... No, they should have been children at that time, one was Minina, and the other was Lian Xiaoshuang, and another unknown person, they were buried in a very dark place, and then... escaped - it was a very desolate place with the moon, tall trees, and a crabapple tree with open flowers. flower."
Ling Zhiyan and Jin Ruo's eyes almost popped out, Fang Ke suddenly said: "In other words, Lian Xiaoshuang, Minina and Duan Hongning have known each other since they were young."
Lin Sui'an nodded, "Their clothes are in tatters, they all have injuries on their bodies, and they are no more than ten years old -" She did not say the rest of the words. Based on their condition at the time, it was almost certain that they were...
"A white animal?" Hua Yitang asked in a low voice.
Lin Sui'an sighed, neither confirming nor denying.
A flash of water flashed in Hua Yitang's eyes, and he took out the Little Four Treasures he carried with him, "What does the last person look like?"
"Very thin, with an oval face and an average appearance," Lin Sui'an recalled. "Half of his face had whip wounds. The injuries are unclear and there should be scars."
With such a lack of adjectives, even the best painter in Yangdu could not draw a line. Hua Yitang's expression was a little helpless.
Ling Zhi's face changed slightly, "Could it be the left side of the face that was injured?"
Lin Sui'an was surprised, "How did Ling Sizhi know?"
"Ms. Xueqiu, the female shopkeeper of Qiuyue Tea House, was injured on the left half of her face," Ling Zhiyan said. "When Ling met her before, she had decorated her with a special makeup. If you didn't look closely, she looked almost different from ordinary people. It’s no different, thanks to Hua Sanniang’s guidance, Ling just discovered it.”
Lin Sui'an's eyes lit up, "What does Lady Xueqiu's makeup look like?"
This question really stumped the handsome guy Ling. He struggled for a long time and finally said, "It's quite white."
Hua Yitang, Jin Ruo and Fang Ke all held their foreheads together.
Unexpectedly, Lin Sui'an actually understood, "The kind of white that makes your face glow faintly?"
Ling Zhiyan was overjoyed, "Exactly!"
"That's right!" Lin Sui'an clapped her legs, "Duan Hongning's makeup is to put gauze, mica, and powder on her face to form a second layer of skin. This is her secret method that is not passed on to others. If Mrs. Xueqiu Being able to use this secret method means that she has a close relationship with Duan Hongning, and it is most likely the third person in Duan Hongning's memory! Jin Ruo, let's hurry up - what are you doing?"
Jin Ruo's eyeballs protruded, like the bubble eyes of a goldfish, "Master, can you really see the memories of dead people?!"
Ling Zhiyan: "What?!"
"When has my master ever lied to you?" Lin Sui'an smiled brightly, "Let's go!"
As he said that, he jumped out of the carriage and said, "Go to Qiuyue Teahouse——"
Before the voice fell, the person was already drifting away, and Jin Ruo quickly chased after him.
The carriage fell silent. Ling Zhiyan was still confused. She glanced at Hua Yitang first. Hua Yitang stared at the blank rice paper in his hand with a sad expression, obviously not wanting to communicate. Then he looked at Fang Ke, who drooped his eyelids and began to pretend to be asleep. , in desperation, Ling Zhiyan had no choice but to poke her head and ask Mu Xia who was driving, "Just now...that...what... what did Mrs. Lin say...just mean?"
Mu Xia smiled and said, "Zi Buyu has the power to confuse gods and monsters. What is false can also be true, and what is true can also be false. Why does Lord Ling Sizhi need to get to the bottom of it?"
Ling Zhiyan was thoughtful and slowly sat back, thinking that she was indeed still too young, not to mention that compared to Si Lang and Brother Fang, she was even far less calm than Mu Xia.
However, Lord Ling Sizhi didn't know that Mu Xia, the all-powerful manager, heard about this for the first time, and his heart was already fried:
Mrs. Lin's ability is really amazing. Sure enough, she and Shiro, who "will die wherever he goes", are a match made in heaven!
The Jingmen disciples at the gate of the city had prepared their horses early. Lin Sui'an and Jin Ruo changed their horses and entered the city. They rushed all the way to the Qiuyue Tea House. They found that the door of the tea house was locked tightly and had the door sign of "Xiu Mu" hanging on it. Jin Ruo asked around The Jingmen disciples learned that today was not a fixed rest day for Qiuyue Teahouse, but a temporary adjustment.
Lin Sui'an said something was wrong. Three of the four women in Duan Hongning's memory were dead, and now only Xueqiu was left. She had just found this person, but she disappeared again - could it be another bad luck? !
do not!
"Jin Ruo, hurry up -" Lin Sui'an didn't finish his sentence, Jin Ruo had already sent out a message smoke, and the big red smoke penetrated the sky with a shocking roar, and merged with the fire cloud, and then , yellow, blue, and white smoke rushed into the sky, and only a crimson smoke appeared in the northwest.
"Found it!" Jin Ruo squinted to identify the direction, "Outside the Daxi Gate, Yujiang Pier!"
The two got on their horses and galloped towards the fiery red sunset.
Mu Xia drove a carriage into the Yidu Mansion Office in the bright red sunset. Wu Da hurriedly greeted him, speaking quickly, "Hua Canjun, Ling Sizhi, my subordinates have put Pi Xi in jail and can be arraigned at any time." .”
Hua Yitang said, "Very good." He turned around and walked to the prison, but Wu Da stopped Hua Yitang and added half a sentence, "Prefect Chi and Xia Changshi please go to the flower hall to talk."
Hua Yitang raised his eyebrows, thinking that the sun was really shining in the west today.
You must know that Chi Ji, the governor of Yidu, and Xia Ren, the chief minister, are typical "fishing type" officials. They believe in the eight-character tenet of being an official: "Turn big things into small things and turn them into small things." Their work style adheres to the four-character mantra: "It's none of my business." "The two of them were so tired from the previous series of cases that they were filled with resentment and found various excuses to take a break for several days. Why did they suddenly change their sexual orientation and start caring about the case today?
Ling Zhiyan was greatly pleased, "Prefect Chi and Xia Changshi are indeed diligent in their work and love the people."
Wu Da's expression was a little hard to explain, "I heard that someone from Yushitai came and wanted to see the files on the serial murder case of the Peach Blossom Demon returning to the world."
Hua Yitang and Ling Zhiyan looked at each other in surprise.
The basis of the judicial system of the Tang Dynasty was the "Three Legal Divisions", which were the Yushitai, the Ministry of Punishment and the Dali Temple. To put it simply, Dali Temple is responsible for the trial of cases, the Ministry of Punishment is responsible for review, and the Yushitai is responsible for case supervision. The three divisions work together, cooperate with each other and restrain each other. If you encounter a major and difficult case, you can apply for a joint trial by Dali Temple, the Ministry of Punishment, and the Yushitai, which is the so-called "three-division joint trial."
The Yushitai has the responsibility of impeaching officials and upholding the rules and regulations, which includes a unique right - "hearing things", that is, when someone hears that someone has committed a crime, regardless of whether there is conclusive evidence, the Yushitai can impeach the saint to the sage. People, Marble and the Ministry of Punishment need to follow up the investigation. Even if the suspect is finally proven innocent, the Yushitai officials will not be found guilty of false accusations.
But this does not mean that Yushitai can fabricate it out of thin air and frame it at will. In fact, most of the cases submitted by the Yushitai were dismissed by Dali Temple, and the reasons for the rejection were also bizarre. The normal ones were "insufficient evidence", the absurd ones were "pure rumors", and the most outrageous ones even replied " Fuck you”.
Fang Feiguang, the imperial censor, often fought with Chen Yanfan, the minister of Dali Temple, because of the filing of the case. The relationship was so bad that it was no exaggeration to say that the dogs of the censor station would spit when passing by the Dali Temple.
Although the Yushitai can supervise the trial of Dali Temple, it has no right to interfere with the trial process of Dali Temple. In other words, the Yushitai can re-read the files of the Peach Blossom Murderer case five years ago, but it cannot interfere with the unfinished case. The case of Lian Xiaoshuang.
Therefore, at this time, the Yushitai sent people to review the files, which was not only against the rules, but also very strange.
Hua Yitang lowered his voice, "Could it be another colleague of your secret censor?"
Ling Zhiyan shook his head, saying that he had never heard the news at all.
The two went straight to the flower hall. Chi Taishou and Xia Changshi had been waiting outside the door early, like two headless flies. They were overjoyed to see Hua and Ling, "Hua joined the army, Ling Sizhi, you guys can count." Here we come, Shangguan has been waiting for a long time!"
Without waiting for a reply, they pushed open the door of the flower hall, one on the left and one on the right, like two doormen.
There was a person sitting in the flower hall, wearing a loose plain shirt, a black turban on his head, a Chinese character face, a goatee, bright eyebrows, and gray temples. When he saw the two of them, Shi Shiran stood up and said with a smile, "The fourth son of the Hua family, the sixth son of the Ling family." , I haven’t seen you for many years, you have all grown up.”
Hua Yitang narrowed his eyes. He didn't recognize this person at all, but from his tone, he seemed to be familiar with Hua.
Ling Zhiyan's expression changed slightly, and she bowed and saluted, "Ling Zhiyan, the director of Dali Temple, has met Jiang Zhongcheng."
Jiang...Zhongcheng?
Hua Yitang immediately recognized the identity of the person coming.
There is one censor doctor in the censor station, who is of the third rank and is at the same level as the minister of Dali Temple. He is in charge of the work of the Taiyuan. There are two censors, Zhongcheng, who are on the fifth rank and are in charge of the palace courtyard and the procuratorate.
Since this Yushi Zhongcheng's surname is Jiang, he is Jiang Wende, who is in charge of the palace. He comes from the Jiang family in Taiyuan. If Hua Yitang remembers correctly, based on seniority, this person should be Jiang Dongyi's uncle. :,,
