Chang Feng stared at Shen Zhou. He did not believe that Shen Zhou, a master of calligraphy and painting, would turn to Li Guang as a traitor.
Shen Zhou told an old story: "As you know, in addition to officials' private files, there are also files of major cases in the stalls."
"In the 18th year of Chenghua, Zhu Ji, then the governor of Beizhen, handled the murder of an official. The official who was killed was a chief of the Ministry of Personnel, named Yuan."
"I drew a portrait of the criminal based on the description of Master Yuan's servant. Beizhen Fusi arrested a suspect based on the portrait, and beheaded him after trial and conviction."
Chang Feng nodded: "I know that many major cases in Wei were solved by the portraits you painted."
Shen Zhou said: "But this case seems to be an unjust case! Last month, Shuntian Mansion caught an old thief."
"The old thief is already suffering from the terminal disease of consumption. When a person is about to die, his words are also good."
"He voluntarily confessed that thirteen years ago he entered the house of Chief Yuan of the Ministry of Civil Affairs to steal. Chief Yuan saw him and stabbed him to death with a dagger in desperation."
Chang Feng was surprised: "In other words, the criminal who was killed before was wrongly accused?"
Shen Zhou said: "He was wrongly accused. Human life is at stake! I want to find out whether the portraits painted back then were not different; whether the person who was wrongfully killed died because of my paintbrush."
"So I went into the archives two days ago and looked for old portraits in the case file."
Chang Feng asked: "What's the result?"
Shen Zhou replied: "The old portrait is exactly the same as the real murderer. I think it was from the beginning."
Shen Zhou's words stopped abruptly.
Chang Feng asked: "What happened back then?"
Shen Zhou hesitated and said: "It's not easy to speak ill of the deceased. I think it was Wantong who urged Zhu Ji to solve the case as soon as possible. Zhu Ji randomly arrested someone to take the blame."
Chang Feng asked: "Can the place of origin of the person who was wrongfully killed be found out from the case file?"
Shen Zhou replied: "I can find it."
Chang Feng said: "What's wrong is wrong. Just to protect the reputation of the deceased, we can't let the injustice go unpunished."
"Go to the Sanju Division. Turn the case over and let the real culprit be brought to justice."
"In addition, if the parents, wife, children, or relatives of the person who was wrongfully killed can be found in the household registration, five hundred taels of silver will be compensated to them. The money will come from Wei Li's private treasury."
Shen Zhou cupped his hands and said, "I would like to thank Master Chang on behalf of the man who was wrongfully killed."
Chang Feng said: "Okay, you go out."
After Shen Zhou left, Fatty Xu rubbed his big belly and said, "I don't think Shen Zhou is a mole."
Chang Feng nodded: "He has been painting all his life and has never participated in power struggles. How can such a person who is indifferent to fame and fortune rely on powerful officials and frame important ministers?"
Fatty Xu said: "There are three people left, who will be called next?"
Chang Feng said: "Call Wang Miaoxin to come in."
Xiaoguo player Wang Miaoxin got a valuable room.
Chang Feng got straight to the point: "Brother Wang, you went into the stall three days ago. What did you do?"
Wang Miaoxin replied without thinking: "I'm going to check the hidden secret files."
In the case of the Vulture Society, Chang Feng found the secret files in the ruins of the teahouse. Since then, the secret files have been stored in the Jinyiwei stall.
Chang Feng asked: "Oh? When you check the secret files of hidden stakes, do you want to activate the hidden stakes?"
Wang Miaoxin replied: "Exactly! In the first month of last year, Ahema, the leader of Turpan, invaded the Hami Guards. The imperial court sent Liu Ning, the general of Suzhou, to lead troops on a westward expedition to repel them."
"However, the so-called 'repulse' only killed 800 enemies. Turpan's vitality was not lost."
"In the past year, Aheima has been busy fighting with Chijin Mongolia and has no time to invade Hami again."
"But recently, news came back from Nansi's hidden stake in the Western Region that Aheima has defeated Chijin Mongolia."
"Therefore, I plan to use the hidden stakes of the Zhonghui, Hacihui, and Uighur tribes in Turpan to closely monitor Amahei's movements."
"The contact information, hidden identities, and secret codes of the three clans' secret stakes are all in the secret stake list. So I went to the stall three days ago."
Chang Feng praised: "If you don't plan for the whole world, you can't plan for a moment. Brother Wang is worthy of being a national master, and his thoughts are really thorough."
"The whole court is still immersed in the joy of winning last year's Western Expedition. You are already making preparations for the next war."
"I recommended you to be the right minister and the governor of Nanzhen at the beginning. It was really the right choice."
Chang Feng's praise was sincere. Nanzhen Fusi cannot do without Wang Miaoxin, a man who is good at planning.
Wang Miaoxin smiled and said, "Master Chang is overly praised."
Chang Feng suddenly asked: "Brother Wang, how is your relationship with Mr. Li Bingbi, the Supervisor of Ceremonies?"
When asking this question, Chang Feng kept staring into Wang Miaoxin's eyes.
Wang Miaoxin replied: "I've met a few times. It's just a simple relationship between a superior officer and a subordinate. There is no personal relationship."
Chang Feng could see no deception in Wang Miaoxin's eyes, only sincerity.
Wang Miaoxin asked: "Why did Mr. Chang suddenly ask about my relationship with Eunuch Li?"
Chang Feng replied: "Oh, it's nothing. I just asked casually. You go down first."
After Wang Miaoxin left, Fatty Xu said, "You won't easily exclude the players from small countries, right?"
"After all, he is a national player in the fourth level of Nether Realm. In terms of intelligence, there is probably no one in our entire Jinyi Guard who can match him."
"If a person like him wants to lie, he can definitely do it without blushing and without a beating heart."
Chang Feng said: "His suspicion cannot be ruled out. But at least there are no loopholes in his words. How should I put it? There is a possibility of at most 30% that he is an insider."
Fatty Xu said: "There are two more people. Who will be called next?"
Chang Feng said: "Call Black Maitreya to come in."
Black Maitreya Zhao Xiangfo walked in. In his hand he held a string of prayer beads.
Chang Feng believes that people who believe in Buddhism have nothing to do with the world. During the Chenghua period, Zhao Xiangfo lurked in the bitter cold of the Uzang Snow Mountain for ten years without any complaints.
At the beginning, Sun Guishou was promoted by Chang Feng to the position of You Tongzhi, and Wang Miaoxin was promoted by Chang Feng to become the right minister and also the envoy of Nanzhen. Only Zhao Xiangfo was not promoted in his original position.
Chang Feng smiled slightly: "Zhao Qianhu. What are you busy with recently?"
Zhao Xiangfo replied: "Back to Mr. Chang, I have been training the hidden stakes sent to Annan recently."
Chang Feng asked: "Oh? Annan has been provoking provocations at the border in recent years. It is indeed important to have good information about Annan."
"By the way, is this why you went to the stall two days ago?"
Zhao Xiangfo replied: "Exactly. New hidden stakes must be recorded in the hidden stake list. Otherwise, if they are sent out, they will become kites without identity."
Chang Feng nodded: "Yes. By the way, now our private treasury in Weili has a surplus every year. I plan to increase the salary of the overseas hidden stakes. What do you think?"
Zhao bowed to the Buddha and said, "Amitabha, Mr. Chang is so kind. I have been a foreigner who has been a foreigner, and I know all the sufferings of an foreigner."
"It would be a great kindness for you to increase their wages."
Chang Feng said: "Sure. You go to the accountant Bai Hu Ding Abacus now. Tell him to increase the salary of the overseas hidden stakes by 30%."
Zhao Xiangfo thanked him profusely and left.
Fatty Xu said: "Yes, another plausible argument with good reasons. There is only one left. I'll call Gao Wenze."
Gao Wenze, the manager of Baihu, entered the duty room, his eyes flickering, as if he had something on his mind.
Chang Feng asked: "Gao Baihu, why are you looking so sad?"
Gao Baihu said: "There is something strange, I forgot to report it to Master Chang."
Chang Feng became interested: "Oh? What's the matter?"
Gao Baihu told this strange thing.
Jinyiwei stalls are divided into three stall areas: A, B and C.
The list of hidden stakes in charge of Fusi, Fangnan Town, Area A, and the enemy intelligence collected over the years.
Officials and nobles in charge of Fusi, Fangbei Town, District B.
Area C stores the imperial case files handled by Beizhen Fusi over the years.
Two days ago, Black Maitreya Zhao Xiangfo asked to enter the stall, saying that he wanted to add his name to the hidden list.
Gao Baihu unlocked the stall door for Zhao Xiangfo and let Zhao Xiangfo in. He himself was sitting in the off-duty room of the stall.
By coincidence, a fat, rat-proof chrysanthemum cat raised by Gao Baihu came into the stall.
Gao Baihu remembered that Fat Chrysanthemum Cat had not had lunch yet, so he called it back.
Fat Chrysanthemum Cat didn't listen to him and went straight into the depths of the stall.
Gao Baihu left the off-duty room and took a look inside the stalls. But he saw Zhao Xiangfo standing in Area B.
If he were to add a name to the hidden list, Zhao Xiangfo should go to Area A, why should he stand in Area B? Area B is where officials’ private files are stored.
Zhao Xiangfo saw Gao Baihu looking at him and smiled awkwardly: "I haven't entered the stall for a long time. I went to the wrong place."
At this point, Chang Feng frowned: "He is the old Feiyu in Jinyiwei. How can he not even be able to distinguish between the three stalls?"
Gao Baihu said: "Master Chang, don't worry. There is something even more strange!"
Chang Feng asked: "Oh? What's the matter?"
Gao Baihu replied: "At noon that day, the waiter in Weili gave me a cup of tea, saying it was the pre-rain tea that just fell this year for me to try."
"I was just about to drink when I happened to be full of shit and went to the palace."
"When I came back, I saw my fat anus cat licking my tea."
"People can't drink the tea that the cat has drunk. So I drove away the fat chrysanthemum cat and spilled the tea."
"After about two moments, the fat chrysanthemum cat was twitching all over at my feet, foaming at the mouth, and dying!"
Chang Feng was surprised: "Someone wants to poison you? Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
Gao Baihu smiled bitterly: "I thought that the fat chrysanthemum cat was playing around wildly and went to the Liubu Yamen across the street to eat food bait mixed with rat poison."
"I didn't take it seriously, so I buried the fat chrysanthemum cat."
Chang Feng sighed: "This unlucky fat chrysanthemum cat! It is very likely that it died for you. Where did you bury it?"
Gao Baihu replied: "It's buried under the crabapple tree outside the stall."
Chang Feng said: "Okay, this time we have to perform an autopsy on a cat. Fatty Xu, go and call Taoist Zhang under the crabapple tree."
Taoist Zhang had been arguing about resigning for ten years, but he still failed to do so. Now that he has been promoted to a thousand households, he still specializes in autopsies.
Chang Feng, Fatty Xu, Taoist Zhang, and Gao Baihu came to the bottom of the crabapple tree.
Fatty Xu dug out the cat corpse with a shovel.
The cat corpse was already stinking and water was flowing everywhere.
Taoist Zhang held his nose and said, "Examining human corpses is my daily routine. Examining cat corpses is really the first time a little nun gets on the sedan chair."
After speaking, Taoist Zhang took out a scarf and covered his nose. He also took out the set of household items used for autopsy.
Taoist Zhang first pricked the cat corpse with a silver needle, but the silver needle did not turn black.
He said: "It seems that he didn't eat some common poison like Hedinghong."
After saying that, he opened the cat's mouth with his hand and took a look.
It didn't matter what he saw, he was shocked: "It's actually a strange poison from outside the territory?"
Chang Feng quickly asked: "What kind of strange poison?"
When asking this question, Chang Feng saw that the teeth in the cat's mouth turned green.
Taoist Zhang did not answer, but took out some powder and soaked it in a bowl of water. Then he used a pair of small pliers to pull out a cat tooth and threw it into the water.
The green cat teeth entered the water and started to bubble.
Taoist Zhang stood up and said, "Master Chang, I can confirm what kind of poison this unlucky cat has. It's the strange poisonous green aconite in the snow!"
"Green Aconitum is a kind of flower. It grows in snowy areas. After being ground into powder, it becomes a strange poison that can kill people. It is colorless and odorless when dissolved in water."
Chang Feng took a breath of cold air.
Gao Baihu saw Black Maitreya Zhao Xiangfo going to the second stall area where he shouldn't have gone.
Someone planned to poison Gao Baihu that day. Fortunately, Fat Chrysanthemum Cat cried out for thirst and drank the poisonous tea for him.
Taoist Zhang said that this poison is a strange poison in the snow. Zhao Xiangfo also lurked in the Uzang Snow Mountain for ten years.
The inner ghost gradually became clear, and it turned out to be him!
Chang Feng lowered his voice and told Fatty Xu: "Go and arrest the waiter immediately."
Chang Feng returned to the check-in room and prepared to interrogate the waiter who delivered tea to Gao Baihu.
He never expected that Fatty Xu would be gone for an hour.
An hour later, Fatty Xu left and returned: "Master Chang, the General Affairs Bureau said that the waiter has not been here for two days."
"I went to the waiter's house. His old wife said she hadn't seen him for a day and a night."
"Is this waiter absconding out of fear of crime? Do you want to go to sea to capture documents?"
Chang Feng shook his head slightly: "No need. The emperor asked us to clear Li Dongyang and Xie Qian's innocence before tomorrow morning. It's too late to go to sea to capture the documents and arrest the people."
"The mole is a person who is proficient in assassination and secret planning. It is not difficult to make a waiter disappear out of thin air."
Fatty Xu said: "You mean, the waiter has already silenced that person?"
Chang Feng said: "Nine times out of ten."
Fatty Xu suggested: "I think the culprit must be Zhao Xiangfo. Can't we arrest him and use the memory restoration technique?"
Chang Feng smiled bitterly: "He has always made great contributions to the country. We have no evidence, just suspicion."
"If he is sentenced to death, if he is unjustly accused, won't it chill the hearts of the old brothers in Wei?"
Fatty Xu said: "What should we do?"
Chang Feng asked: "Fat man, do you think I have treated Zhao Xiangfo badly in the past few years? Does he have any resentment in his heart?"
Fatty Xu sat on the chair: "Ahem. How do you say this? If you are not promoted to Sun Guishou and Wang Miaoxin, you will not treat Zhao Xiangfo badly."
"Originally, they were all thousands of households. If you promoted Sun or King but didn't promote him, it would be a mistreatment."
"I'm afraid of comparing myself to others. Comparing others will make people mad! How can he not have any resentment in his heart?"
Chang Feng said: "I didn't promote you either. Why don't you have any resentment?"
Fatty Xu said: "I'm like an idle official in Jinyiwei. When I have nothing to do, I sneak away to visit Yihong Tower to try out new products."
"I haven't suffered much for Jin Yiwei in these years. Besides, I still have the title of Duke to inherit. It doesn't matter whether I get promoted or not, I have no resentment in my heart."
"Zhao Xiangfo is different. He suffered a lot in the Uzang Snow Mountain for the imperial court!"
"That damn place is said to be so cold that even half of your poop will freeze. You have to bring a poop stick when you go out to poop."
"Zhao Xiangfo returned to Weili and worked as a member of a thousand households for nine consecutive years without promotion. It's strange that he doesn't have any resentment!"
Chang Feng said: "You are right. I can't expect everyone to be indifferent to fame and wealth."
Fatty Xu asked: "What should we do now?"
After thinking hard for a while, Chang Feng said, "I'm going to do something to scare away the enemy."
I recommend the Siheyuan-related book "Siheyuan: Don't mess with me, I just want to be an idle fish" written by my eldest brother who lacks money and loves water. There are close to 10,000 high-quality books in the Siheyuan category, and the quality is harder than my hemorrhoids. If you like Siheyuan Books, don’t miss it.
(End of chapter)
