The housekeeper of the Gu Mansion knew that these words were because he suspected whether Jun Tao had a grudge against someone, so he shook his head and said: "Jun Tao is very popular in the house and is a lovable girl, so after her accident, everyone was very sad, especially the second lady. receive a blow."
Lu Anran and Yun Qi exchanged a look, with a hint of surprise in their eyes.
The housekeeper of the Gu family did not notice it and continued: "Excuse me, sir. I just want to ask for the second master and his wife. This case has not yet been resolved, but my county master was attacked two years ago. The criminal department should give Gu a report." The government will give an explanation."
Yunqi moved his fingers and the folding fan smoothly turned in a circle, "Who did your Gu family report the case to at that time?"
Butler of the Gu Mansion: "Mr. Liu Dongkun, who was Sicheng at that time."
Yun Qi raised his lips, spread his hands and said, "Isn't that right? You go find him."
Butler of the Gu Mansion: "..."
"Master Liu has resigned, how can I find him again?"
Yun Qi's smile faded, and he glanced over lightly, with innate dignity, "Now that the government is handling the case, do I still need to answer you one by one?"
The pressure from this sight rose sharply, and the housekeeper of the Gu family couldn't help but take a step back and lowered his head.
Yunqi raised his chin to Lu Anran and continued to ask.
—
After questioning for a long time, the housekeeper of the Gu family told some trivial matters, none of which were related to the case.
The two came out of the Gu Mansion and returned to the carriage. Yun Qi pointed at the gate of the Gu Mansion with his jade bone fan, "Did you see that it's so difficult for me to be the Prime Minister? Even a little steward of the Gu Mansion dares to act wildly on this prince's head." .”
Lu Anran said coolly: "If you want to carry the body to my house, I won't give you a good look."
Yun Qi chuckled: "I just said it casually, but I really hold a grudge, tsk."
After this errand, Lu Anran regretted agreeing too early. Perhaps his biggest mistake was getting involved with Yun Qi.
"What's in your eyes?" Yun Qi touched his chin. Was it his misunderstanding? Lu Anran's eyes were full of disgust.
Lu Anran tilted her head: "As a maid, Jun Tao has easy contact with the people she interacts with. She has good relations with most of the people in the Gu family. Even if there is a small disagreement, it is not life-threatening."
Yun Qi opened the jade bone fan with his thumb, slapped it randomly a few times, and said, "You are wrong to think so. This is not an ordinary murder case, but a serial case."
Lu Anran was stunned: "Then you..." Before he could finish his sentence, he realized that even if the murderer committed the crime randomly, there would be no conflict with going to the victim's home to learn about the situation.
Always find the one in ten thousand possibility of a pattern among the irregularities.
An idea flashed, "Where is the vendor who had a dispute with Jun Tao? Has he been found?"
Yun Qi sighed: "Without a trace."
Lu Anran: "I remember that anyone operating and selling in the royal capital must register with the government in advance."
"The name is real, but the person is fake." Yun Qi said: "That night, Qi Shang arrested the person and took him to Jingzhao Mansion for interrogation. Only then did the person know that he had lost his identity card."
In other words, if someone assumes someone else's identity, that person is most likely the murderer!
Lu Anran thought of another thing, "What does the autopsy say?"
Yun Qi laughed with unknown meaning: "A knife kills a life, it is done with a sharp weapon."
Lu Anran frowned: "That's it? What about others?"
Yun Qi: "No more."
Lu Anran frowned, such an autopsy method was either perfunctory or incompetent.
The royal capital is where the imperial city of Daning Dynasty is located. Unlike other places where doctors perform autopsies on their behalf due to the scarcity of widows, there are widows who serve specifically in the Department of Punishment and the Department of Prime Ministers, receive official salaries, and also take up posts in the government.
Compared to doctors, Zuo Zuo is naturally more expert in autopsy. After all, there are still many differences between treating patients and examining corpses.
To say that a full-time official in the Criminal Division cannot work would be a slap in the face of the Daning Dynasty officials, so they could only deal with it perfunctorily.
They didn't dare to deal with the imperial court, so in the end it was Yun Qi who was dealt with.
Yun Qi saw the change in Lu Anran's eyebrows and said at the right time: "Now you know why I'm looking for you? I must be your son."
Perhaps everyone is waiting to see this famous playboy from Shengle County embarrassed.
Yunqi raised his forehead with two fingers and said angrily: "This time, I really jumped into the emperor's pit."
When they arrived at the Punishment Division, Guanyue, who had disappeared at some point, jumped out again and handed a piece of paper folded in half to Yun Qi.
There was actually a portrait on it, with thick eyebrows, a square face, wide temples, dark eyes with a hint of violence, and droopy corners of the mouth, giving the whole face a fierce look.
Guan Yue said: "The snitch who attacked the Lord of Rongan County that day was found by my subordinates from the Gu Mansion."
Yun Qi threw it back and said, "Catch people."
Guan Yue grimaced: "I can't catch him. From the time when the Lord of Rongan County got into trouble until now, not to mention the Jingzhao Mansion and the Criminal Division, the Gu Mansion himself has sent people to search the capital several times, but he can't find him." This guy."
The three of them walked in together, and Lu Anran thought: "If a small vendor has stolen someone else's identity card, and this person's appearance is visible to others, there can be no mistake."
"Yes, that's the truth." Guanyue said: "You think it's strange or not, people can't appear and disappear out of thin air. Unless, this face is fake!"
Lu Anran looked at him, "Fake face?"
"Disguise can change the shape of the face, but it's not that magical. Just slightly modify the face, change the eyes, temperament, etc., and the person will become a different person."
"Slightly modified." Lu Anran murmured and suddenly stopped.
Seeing that Lu Anran was interested, Yun Qi tapped her shoulder with the handle of the fan and said with a smile: "It's not that mysterious. It's just a lie to people who have never seen the world."
Guanyue, a person who has never seen the world, seemed to have a little pain on the side of his face that was close to Yunqi.
Lu Anran looked at Yunqi with burning eyes, "Have you ever thought that the person they saw might not be that person?"
Guan Yue looked at the sky and thought for a moment, "I don't understand."
Yunqi half-squinted his eyes, "You mean...the person in their eyes is not really the person in their eyes."
Guanyue: "..." Is it possible to speak properly? Why did you suddenly start playing riddles? Fun?
Lu Anran nodded: "When people are in a state of extreme fear or excitement, their pupils will dilate. Over-stimulation of what they see can lead to cognitive biases, making scary thoughts seem more terrifying, and beautiful fantasies seem even more beautiful. "
Yun Qi let out a sigh and said clearly: "Beautiful beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?"
Lu Anran pursed her lips: "You can understand it this way."
"I understand." Yun Qi snapped his fingers, "Guanyue, ask the painter to readjust the figure on it. His eyes shouldn't be so gloomy, and other parts should be normal. His eyes are so wide, and his mouth is like a monkey. Yes, you still have some face, so move up a little."
Guanyue came so clearly and left in a daze.
—
The dripping water from the eaves forms a line, and the mountains in the distance are undulating, a vast expanse of gray, separated by the mist, like an ink painting on the horizon.
A corner of the white brocade fox fur lifted up in the cold wind and fluttered back and forth into the mist. The wet moisture hit the hands hanging down at the waist.
This hand has distinct joints and slender fingers, which are as textured as cold jade. It holds a jade bone fan. Occasionally, if the fingers move, the fan will rotate flexibly, and it can be played with ease in the hand.
There is a sky and an earth, one person and one fan. Rainwater fills the space, maintaining a quiet atmosphere for a long time.
Until the dark wooden door at the back finally opened.
Yunqi turned around, his sleeves and robes gracefully curved. The face was soaked in water color, and against the background ink painting, it was particularly gorgeous and dazzling. It was as if the rain had cleared, and the dim sky and earth were suddenly filled with bright colors.
As soon as Lu Anran opened the door, he saw such a picture, which seemed like a real life, but also like stepping out of a painting.
"tired?"
Lu Anran was awakened by Yunqi's rambling voice. She took off her deerskin gloves and walked along the corridor while saying, "Jun Tao struggled before he died."
"What did you find?" Although it was a question, it had an affirmative tone.
"I found a thread in the nail of Jun Tao's right hand." Lu Anran took out a handkerchief with a short thread wrapped in it, shorter than an eyebrow.
Yun Qi: "You are very careful." After carefully identifying it for a while, he said: "If I read it correctly, this kind of thread is rough but has a certain toughness. It is generally used in the weaving of coarse cloth."
Coarse cloth is cheap and wear-resistant, and is generally worn by ordinary people in the city. Even if such a line is found, it seems that it still won't play much role in the case.
"Yeah, but that's not what I want to say." Lu Anran put away the handkerchief and said, "In addition, I found a small bruise on Jun Tao's left arm, and the wear mark on the upper heel of the shoe is heavy and new."
After some gestures, Lu Anran continued: "The place where the wear marks appeared is stained with some moss."
The humidity in the south is heavy, especially in dark and humid corners, which can easily breed moss. Even if the vegetation is sluggish in winter, moss will persist year after year.
"So, judging from the traces, the murderer subdued Juntao from behind that night, probably covered his mouth and nose and dragged him into the alley, and then made him unconscious or temporarily suffocated."
Lu Anran stopped and said, "The only fatal injury was told to you earlier, but I have seen the incision on the neck. It is very smooth, which shows that the murderer is very skilled in his techniques."
Yun Qi asked: "Why do you say this?"
Lu Anran asked: "Where will the executioner behead his head?"
"The prisoner leads backward and downward."
The two of them just walked into the room. Lu Anran went to the side and washed his hands. He washed his fingers one by one with great patience and meticulousness. He said without raising his head: "This is what ordinary people know."
"Oh?" Yun Qi chuckled: "Isn't that unusual?"
Lu Anran raised his eyes, with a hint of thoroughness hidden in his calm eyes, "Before the executioner beheads, the knife will roll back and forth on the back of the neck. That's because he is looking for a seam in the knife bone."
Yun Qi slowly narrowed his eyes, "You mean... the murderer is very likely to be from this line of work?"
Lu Anran shook his head again: "Not necessarily. Butchers and doctors who have a certain understanding of animals and human body structures can do it."
"So now the targets can be on these people."
"This is the job of the Criminal Division, Mr. Yun."
This time Master Yun immediately made Yun Qi laugh, "Ugly girl, why do you hold a grudge more than the people in the Gu family?"
