"Your Majesty, your refreshments."
Teshiro-san, who was in her prime, bowed to Nishino and took off the plate of glutinous rice dumplings on the tea tray in her palm.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Nishino put his hands on his legs and nodded to Teshiro sternly.
"Ah, you're welcome."
Nishino's seriousness made Teshiro-san feel flattered.
She returned the gift quickly, then hurriedly left holding the tea tray.
Nishino picked up a bunch of glutinous rice dumplings and bit off one - his demeanor was straight and upright, which can be said to be the truest portrayal of "only the tips of the chopsticks are wet when eating".
——Ahhh... so delicious...
The soft and sticky flour crust is very elastic, and the sweet taste will spread in your mouth with every bite. Not to mention the rich taste and mellow aftertaste.
After eating his favorite food, a faint feeling of happiness spread in Nishino's heart.
In order to keep this happy moment with him for a while, Nishino deliberately slowed down his chewing speed, and the cold lines on his face relaxed unconsciously.
Suddenly, as if he suddenly remembered something terrible, his expression suddenly changed.
——Ah, no, no, no!
——As a descendant of the Wu family, he should set an example for all people. How could he show such an unseemly appearance?
Nishino took a deep breath, and his expression changed back to this serious look (￣︿￣).
At this time, a gust of cold wind made a hoarse whistle through the cracks in the window, sending chills straight into people's bones.
The wind played with Nishino's hair and also played with his thoughts.
——There is still no movement at all today...
Nishino raised the tea cup and pretended to drink tea. In fact, he used the tea cup as a cover and quietly glanced toward the distance outside the window.
His gaze, without sadness or joy, cut a straight and transparent track in mid-air, and finally landed on an unremarkable river embankment.
Almost all passers-by passing by this river embankment hurried to the left and right as if they were avoiding the god of plague.
No wonder they reacted this way.
After all, someone died here not long ago.
And the people who died here were not ordinary people.
The river embankment that Nishino was staring at was the place where the captain of the second division of the Fire Bandits Kai, Kanazawa Chusuke, and his sister Kanazawa Qin died.
The murder case was already beyond the scope of its own capabilities, and at the same time, a case of this level was not qualified for the fire thief to take action, so the "Kanazawa Brother and Sister Murder Case" was naturally handed over to the "Sanchai" of the Enforcement Office.
This month is the month when Hoban is in charge of Edo.
The deceased was not an ordinary civilian, but an active-duty officer of the shogunate army. Chujiro Susui (the mayor of the town of Kitabansho), who was well aware of the seriousness of the case, did not dare to neglect and directly revealed his trump card... that is, he sent Nishino to take action!
As a result, Nishino took charge and took full responsibility for investigating the case.
Becoming a man who is more worthy of the name "samurai" than anyone else - this is both Nishino's ideal and his life creed.
Indolence in government and dereliction of duty...this is not what a samurai does.
Therefore, he did not hesitate even after being ordered to do so in a critical situation.
He rushed to the scene of the crime and immediately started investigating the case.
With many years of criminal investigation experience, he immediately judged that the Kanazawa brother and sister were killed a few hours before their bodies were found, and it was still night.
The murderer is very skilled. Although Nishino didn't know Kanazawa Chusuke, he had heard about the name of "The Dog of Fire".
Judging from the death conditions of Kanazawa Chusuke and Kanazawa Qin, both brothers and sisters were killed by the murderer with one blow before they even had time to draw their swords.
In addition, the murderer was very cunning and did not leave any valuable clues at the crime scene.
At the same time, because the crime occurred in a secluded night, there were no witnesses.
There were no witnesses, and there were no useful clues at the scene... If it were an average police officer, he would probably be blinded after encountering this situation.
But Nishino Hosejiro is, after all, "the trump card of Kitabansho's 'Three Chapters'".
This level of predicament did not make him feel helpless.
He immediately resorted to a unique trick that was time-consuming and labor-intensive but tried and tested - monitoring the crime scene.
Nishino has a very good habit, that is, every time he handles a case, he will review it secretly and think about whether there is anything that needs to be improved in handling the case.
At the same time, in his spare time, he would often go in and out of the case library of the law enforcement office, read through past case files, and learn from the case-handling methods and experiences of his predecessors.
While "swimming" in the vast ocean of files, Nishino discovered a very interesting phenomenon: whether they are murderers or thieves, all criminals particularly like to return to the scene of the crime.
After detailed investigation, Nishino discovered that the main purpose of criminals frequently performing such abnormal actions was to collect intelligence.
Has the case been discovered?
Did I leave any evidence?
Did the official intervene?
How far did they search?
How seriously do they take this case?
Do they have any speculations?
Should I go back, pack my things and run for my life?
Many criminals will always return to the crime scene to collect more intelligence when they think they can ensure their own safety, that is, their identity has not been exposed.
There are even some prisoners who will try to get acquainted with the officials handling the case to find out.
Of course, the above are all based on "rational" considerations.
There are also some prisoners with mental problems who will also repeatedly return to the place where they abandoned the body or committed the crime. This is not for the purpose of collecting intelligence, but to satisfy their own desires, re-experience the pleasure of committing the crime, and pursue spiritual satisfaction. Joy and detachment.
Nishino has encountered such a pervert before.
That was a case two years ago in the sixth year of Anzheng (1859).
The prisoner brutally murdered the proprietress of a wagashi shop over a trivial matter.
On the way home, the victim was put around the neck with a hemp rope from behind and strangled to death.
Due to the scarcity of clues, the search progress was stalled.
Even three co-workers at the execution center were unable to find out the murderer.
It was not until the fourth concentric...that is, after Nishino entered the battle that the situation of the case underwent a breakthrough change.
Only a week after taking over the case, Nishino discovered that a middle-aged man was wandering near the crime scene almost every day, and would eat at least one wagashi every time he showed up.
Nishino, who felt that this middle-aged man was very suspicious, immediately took him back to the prison for interrogation.
Although it is far inferior to the fire-for-thief reform, the "three rounds" of interrogations at the execution center also have more tricks.
How could ordinary people without any professional training withstand an interrogation attack that reveals the weaknesses of human nature?
After just one night in the interrogation room, the middle-aged man was convinced that he was the murderer of the boss's wife.
Afterward, the confession he recounted was both hilarious and downright creepy.
This is what he said: When he strangled the proprietress to death, he smelled a very good scent of wagashi from her body. From then on, he discovered that as long as he went to the murder scene and ate a wagashi, he could recall the scene where he killed the proprietress and feel uncontrollably excited.
Gradually, he developed the habit of eating a wagashi near the murder scene every day. Otherwise, he would feel extremely uncomfortable all over his body.
After this case, "surveilling the scene of the crime without making a decision" became Nishino's unique method of solving crimes.
Although not all criminals like to return to the scene of the crime, it can be regarded as a good way to break the situation when nothing can be done.
The tea house that Nishino is currently in is only average in terms of size, and the tea and food are not that good, but it has the same advantage that is particularly outstanding for a "criminal policeman" like Nishino - vision. Very good.
The town where this tea house is located has a relatively high terrain.
There aren't any tall buildings or lush woods around.
When the weather is nice, just sit by the window on the second floor of the tea house and you can have a panoramic view of everything within a 10-town radius. (1 town = 109 meters)
And along the position where Nishino was sitting at this time, if you extend your sight to the southwest, you can clearly see the place where the Kanazawa brothers and sisters were killed.
These days, Nishino and his subordinates have been closely monitoring the river embankment stained with Tadayoshi's blood.
Or squatting near the river embankment pretending to investigate.
Or disguised as a trafficker and sitting on the street where the murder scene can be seen.
Or like now, pretending to be drinking tea in this tea house, but in fact his eyes never leave the window.
Whether it's people or things, "surveillance" is an extremely tiring job.
Even an iron man with a strong body and a strong will will feel extremely tired if he is required to stare at the same place for several hours without moving.
Therefore, Nishino and his Okahiki adopt a "shift system".
Just 2 hours ago, Okahibiki, who was last responsible for monitoring the scene of the crime, went to rest, and now it is Nishino who takes over this boring task personally.
Maybe it was because of the glutinous rice dumplings he had just eaten. The blood flowed to his stomach, and Nishino felt sleepy.
——As a warrior, how can you yawn in public?
Nishino thought to himself as he licked the roof of his mouth vigorously.
This is a "life hack" taught to him by his father.
When you want to yawn, lick the roof of your mouth vigorously. This can effectively suppress the urge to yawn.
In order to fight against fatigue, Nishino decided to order another cup of refreshing tea.
"Miss Teshiro! Miss Teshiro!"
He turned his head and shouted towards the stairs not far away.
"I'm coming!"
With the sound of vitality responding one after another, Teshiro-san returned to Nishino's eyes again.
"Have a cup of black tea."
"Um... I'm sorry, sir, the black tea is sold out, can I only have black tea?"
"Black tea... that's okay too. Please add more tea leaves to make the flavor stronger."
"Okay!"
Nishino listened to the sound of Miss Teshiro's retreating footsteps and stretched out his right thumb to knead his brow, which had accumulated a lot of fatigue.
At this moment, a conversation sounded from behind him, attracting his attention.
"Huh? Is that Nishino Hosejiro?"
"Oh? It seems like it's really him."
Nishino was startled for a moment, then turned his head at an imperceptible angle and looked behind him with the corner of his eye.
The speakers were a pair of young men dressed as carpenters with sweat towels draped around their necks.
"I never expected that I would meet such a famous person here."
"Well, Nishino Hosejiro is just like the rumors... He is a person who is not easy to mess with just by his appearance. I have heard a lot of rumors about him. It is said that he has a very harsh personality and treats others very harshly. Harsh, all the people who worked for him were tortured to death. If it weren't for the high salary he offered, no one would be willing to work under him."
"I have heard similar rumors, but it is undeniable that he is indeed a very capable person. Among the 'three chapters' of Jeonbuk Bansuo, his ability is the most outstanding, otherwise he would not be able to He is recognized as 'the best crime-solving expert in the North Division'."
"Oh, he's quite lucky. If Nioh hadn't been moved to the right by the Huofu Thieves, then his golden name of being the best crime-solving expert in the North Division would have been taken away by Nioh long ago. .”
"You can't say that. Nioh's strength is swordsmanship. When it comes to solving cases alone, Nioh may not be able to beat Nishino."
…
In order to avoid Nishino hearing their conversation, the young people deliberately kept their voices extremely low.
But they miscalculated: Nishino has very good hearing.
Although they kept their speaking volume to a minimum, every word and sentence they spoke was still transmitted to Nishino's ears very clearly.
He has a harsh personality and treats others harshly. Regarding this evaluation, Nishino not only did not want to refute, but also wanted to nod vigorously: Yes, you are right! This is the kind of man I am.
He always believes that Okabiki is not only a job, but also a mission.
Now that we are wearing Muho's Juju, we must bravely shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting Edo and protecting the people.
[Note: The Ten Hands are the standard equipment of the "Three Chapters" of the practice. Tongxin wears the Juju with a red tassel at the end, and Okahiki wears the Juju without tassels. 】
As an Okabiki, any slack and any mistake may lead to irreparable serious consequences.
Therefore, Nishino was extremely strict with his subordinate Oka Hiki, so strict that he could be described as harsh words.
People who were scolded by him cried, people who only worked for one day and then ran away with their buckets... there were many people.
However, on the other hand, it is precisely because of his severity that all those who can persist under his command are, without exception, outstanding talents who can stand alone.
Because of this, Nishino's team has always maintained a fault-level high case detection rate within the "three rounds" of the North Division.
However, Nishino complained about another comment made by the two young men - that is, that he was not as good as Tachibana Aoden... This made Nishino complain.
However, all human beings with normal body and mind do not like others to say that they are inferior to another person. This is especially true for people like Nishino who aspire to become a samurai among samurai and have extremely high self-esteem.
If Qingto's swordsmanship is better than his, then Nishino has nothing to say.
He still has self-awareness. He knows that if he and Qingdeng were to change positions, he would not be able to survive the more brutal death battle.
However, he never believed that Qingdeng's criminal investigation ability was better than his own.
This is self-confidence honed by a blend of talent and rich experience.
However, although he was very unwilling to do so, Nishino had to admit that he was very impressed by Qingden who was not returning to Wu Xia Amon.
Nishino's values drive him to have a natural and strong hostility towards incompetent people...especially incompetent people in the samurai class.
In the past, Aoto was clearly a samurai and an active member of the "Three Chapters" of the Northern Division, but he turned out to be dull and slow--he was completely dancing on Nishino's minefield.
If Aonto was Nishino's Okabiki, he would have scolded him until he was bloody and suspicious of life.
Therefore, Nishino has never given Qingto any good looks before.
As a result, somehow, just a year ago, Qingdeng seemed to be a different person, suddenly becoming wiser and more powerful.
He is brave and resourceful, has repeatedly made special achievements, and quickly prospered.
It only took a little more than half a year to move from the "Three Chapters" of the Enforcement Institute to the right to become the captain of the Third Division of the Huo Fu Thieves.
The promotion speed was so fast that even Nishino, who had extremely high self-esteem, couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
In terms of official rank, Nishino, who is still a "criminal police officer", is far inferior to Aonto.
However, Nishino has never regretted his contempt for Qingneng back then - no matter how powerful Qingneng is now, it can't change the fact that he was ineffective before.
"Sir! Your black tea is here!"
Suddenly, the footsteps and call of Miss Teshiro brought Nishino's consciousness back to reality.
"Come on, be careful!"
"Thanks."
Nishino bent down and thanked Teshiro-san meticulously.
"Oh, sir, you are too polite. You are really embarrassing me."
Teshiro-san smiled shyly.
"Sir, if you need anything else, please feel free to call me."
After saying that, Miss Teshiro turned around, leaving behind a beautiful back figure that flew away quickly.
Nishino grabbed the still steaming teacup and took a sip.
The slight bitterness, the aroma that permeates the internal organs, and the unique refreshing taste of tea make the nose very comfortable.
As the fine tea fell into his stomach, Nishino suddenly felt that the sleepiness in his mind had subsided a bit.
Just when he was about to take another sip——
"Oh~ Isn't this Nishino Hosejiro from Kitabansho Town?"
Nishino was stunned for a moment, and then turned his head following the sound - a young man about 25 years old strode straight towards him while holding on to the saber on his waist.
"Aha~ It's really you~~"
The tone of the young man's speech was very strange, and the sound at the end of each sentence was very long, making him appear dazed and lazy.
This way of speaking gives people a casual and unreliable feeling.
Looking at the uninvited guest in front of him, Nishino suddenly lowered his eyes and his eyes became sharp.
Nishino recognized this young man who suddenly appeared.
After all... I just met him not long ago.
"The Huo Fu Thieves changed to the captain of the first team...my grandson Chutaro..."
Nishino Hosejiro whispered the young man's name.
*******
*******
There aren’t 8,000+ today…it’s okay! There's still tomorrow! (Leopard head crying.jpg)
Bao Baozi's brother has caught a cold. Combined with the recent epidemic of influenza... Bao Baozi is a little scared now... (Bao Baozi cries.jpg)
(End of chapter)
