Chapter 139: Snitch

The empress wanted to go to Qujiang Garden during the Flower Festival, and she asked Jingzhao Prefecture to catch the murderer before February 14th to ensure that the palace ceremony could be smoothly discharged. Although the empress said February 14th, in fact, the three provinces and six ministries were dismissed at 3 p.m., so they had to catch the murderer before 3 p.m. on February 13th and pass the news to the Ministry of Justice.

Everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture was spinning like a top. Even Ming Huashang had no time to spare. She arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture early, found Ren Yao who was in a hurry, and said, "Sister Ren, I will go with you to search the streets today."

Ren Yao and Jiang Ling were discussing today's manpower arrangements. Hearing her words, Ren Yao said, "You have drawn the area, and searching for people is the responsibility of the Yulin Army. You can stay in Jingzhao Prefecture and don't have to worry about it."

Ming Huashang said, "Catching the murderer is the most important thing. What's yours and what's mine? I'm not very strong, but I don't have time. One more person means more strength. I'll go with you."

Now they were indeed short of people, and Ren Yao saw that Ming Huashang was determined, so he stopped insisting. While they were talking, a group of people came in through the door. Jiang Ling saw them and patted Ming Huashang hard: "Why are you following us? Your second brother is here, just follow him."

Jiang Ling's voice was loud and clear, and the whole courtyard could hear it. The pedestrians walked to the middle of the courtyard and looked in their direction. The person leading them was Ming Huazhang.

Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang parted on bad terms last night, and she didn't want to see him at all. She even avoided him when she went out today. Suddenly being called out by Jiang Ling, Ming Huashang was very embarrassed, and she pulled Ren Yao away: "I have something to say to Sister Ren, we'll leave first."

She lowered her head, pulled Ren Yao and ran out the door quickly, as if something was chasing her. Jiang Ling called out several times from behind, shaking his head in surprise: "What are you hiding from? What is it that you have to avoid talking about?"

Ming Huazhang glanced at her leaving figure, then withdrew his gaze and said to Jiang Ling, "Please take good care of her. It's cold today and she is afraid of the cold. Let her wear this hand warmer. You don't have to tell her that it was given by me."

Jiang Ling took it and held it in his arms without hesitation, muttering, "You two are really weird. If you have something to say, why don't you just say it directly? One of you runs outside and the other asks someone to pass it on. Okay, I'll remember it."

Ming Huazhang pursed his lips, and his whole body was as pale as the moonlight at dawn, pale and thin, as if he would be swallowed by the sunlight in the next moment. He nodded to Jiang Ling and said seriously, "Thank you."

Jiang Ling said "You're welcome" in a careless manner, and waved his hand to chase after Ren Yao and Ming Huachang. Ming Huachang silently looked at the backs of the three people, and the yamen runner behind him couldn't help but remind him: "Shao Yin, Jingzhao Yin is still waiting for you."

Ming Huazhang came back to his senses, lifted his coat and strode forward: "Let's go."

Jingzhao Yin was the chief official of Jingzhao Prefecture, and his palace was located in the middle. Ming Huazhang entered the store and smelled a faint smell of blood. He frowned secretly and saw a handkerchief crumpled under the table leg, with blood stains in the middle.

Is Jingzhao Yin's cough already so serious?

When Jingzhao Yin saw them coming in, he immediately started talking about official business. This thought only flashed through Ming Huazhang's mind before it was immediately overwhelmed by the case.

Jingzhao Yin asked: "There are only two days left. Have you found the murderer?"

Gongcao said, "Not yet, but there are still sixteen districts that have not been searched. The Yulin Army will search six of them, and I will ask the detectives to work harder on the rest. We will try to search all the districts before tomorrow."

Minghua Zhang frowned and said, "There are 108 wards in Chang'an. We can't and don't need to search every ward. The first victim, Qian Yi, died in Jinxiu Tower in Xishi. The second victim, Chu Ji, died in the jurisdiction of Chang'an County in Nancheng. Although Yan Jingcheng's family lived in Dongcheng, his main pharmacy was opened in Xishi. So I guess the murderer should live in the southwest of Chang'an. Taking people to search the places where the rich and powerful gather in Dongcheng will only waste time and manpower. It is better to gather everyone in Xicheng and search the wards near Xishi again."

If there was enough time, Ming Huazhang would of course think it would be safer to search all the markets, but now there were less than two days left, and being conservative at this time would only lead to mistakes, so it would be better to take a gamble and search the place with the highest probability.

Besides, Ming Huazhang was not just relying on luck, he really thought that the murderer should live near Xishi.

Chang'an was divided into two parts by Zhuque Street. The East City had Daming Palace, Qujiang Lake, Pingkangfang, Jinzouyuan, etc. Therefore, the residents were either rich or noble. Most of the nobles built their houses in the northeast of Chang'an, and the houses granted by the court were mainly in the southeast. The West City was more like the market, mostly the houses of ordinary people and foreign merchants. Only those officials who were not satisfied with their careers and had a tight life would live in the West City.

No one would go to a completely unfamiliar place to kill people. Judging from the murderer's movements, it was obvious that he was more familiar with West City.

Jingzhao Yin frowned after hearing this: "The deadline that the Saint has given us to solve the case is coming up soon, and there are still 16 districts that have not been searched. At this time, we are ignoring such a large area and investigating the places that have already been searched. Isn't this ridiculous?"

Ming Huazhang argued: "But solving the case is the most important thing. Why bother doing it again when you know it's useless?"

Jingzhao Yin pondered for a moment, then shook his head slowly and said, "The closer it is to the end, the more we must not mess around. We should follow the original plan. If we move quickly and there is still time after searching the entire city, we can go back and search again."

Ming Huazhang frowned. That was true, but the fact was that there would be no time left after the search. Time was limited, energy was limited, and manpower was limited. How could he not make choices and just follow the old process?

But his idea was too risky for other officials in Jingzhao Prefecture, and Jingzhao Yin finally made the decision to speed up the search of the remaining districts. Ming Huazhang argued to no avail, and pursed his lips helplessly, feeling deeply powerless.

Ming Huazhang led his men to the East City. He had gone through the same process of questioning many times before, and unsurprisingly, he got nothing. At noon, the yamen runners and the detectives were resting on the street. Ming Huazhang was thinking about Ming Huashang, and he subconsciously stopped the child running errands and asked, "Do you know the clothes of the Yulin Army?"

The child grew up in the streets of Chang'an and had developed a pair of sharp eyes to recognize people. He immediately said crisply, "I recognize him."

"Okay, then you take this money, buy three cups of five-spice drinks, and go find the Yulin Army that is searching in the West City, and tell them..." Ming Huazhang was stunned for a moment, and said, "Forget it, there is no need to tell them who sent it, just let the Yulin Army deliver it to Lieutenant Jiang or Lieutenant Ren. The rest of the money will be yours."

The child agreed, grabbed the money and ran away. The yamen runner next to him reminded Ming Huazhang: "Shao Yin, you can't give him the money first, otherwise he will run away with the money!"

Ming Huazhang shook his head and said softly, "It's okay. I believe him. Besides, it's the court's fault that Chang'an has to go out and have children when he's only ten years old. If he takes the money and runs away, it means that the court has failed to make him distrust the outside world. The money will be my compensation to him."

The yamen runner was shocked when he heard this and said sincerely: "Shao Yin, you think too highly of others. You are so kind, but others may not return your kindness with the same kindness. You will suffer a loss."

"It doesn't matter." Ming Huazhang looked at the bustling streets of Chang'an with his hands behind his back, and said to himself, "This is what I should do. It has nothing to do with others."

After a short rest, Ming Huazhang led his men to search the next market. After a while, someone came and said, "Shao Yin, there is a child looking for you."

"Child?" Ming Huazhang was surprised. He turned around and saw the child who had just run errands standing not far away, holding two bamboo tubes in his hands and waving at him. Ming Huazhang walked over and asked, "Why are you back? Didn't you deliver the things?"

"It was delivered." The child said, "A very beautiful sister picked it up. She took me to the West Market to buy two cups of red bean ice cream and asked me to bring them to you."

Xishi? Ming Huazhang frowned as he heard this. Shouldn't the Yulin Army search the six districts of Pinghe? Why did they go to the vicinity of Xishi? Ming Huazhang thought as he reached out to take something. Unexpectedly, the child held it tightly and said, "This cup is mine. This cup is for you."

Ming Huazhang was stunned for a moment, feeling helpless. Ice cream is not cheap, it requires milk, sugar and clean ice, even in Chang'an only the rich can afford it, and it is even more out of reach for these children who make a living by running errands. Ming Huazhang asked why she bought ice cream for him in such a cold weather, it turned out that she bought it mainly for this child, and he was just a byproduct.

Ming Huazhang readily took the other cup and thanked the child: "Thank you very much."

After finishing his errands, the child couldn't wait to lick the syrup on the ice cream. He asked curiously, "What are you doing with so many people? I went to Zhaoguofang to look for you just now, but you were gone. I asked many people before I knew that Jingzhaofu was here."

The details of the case could not be disclosed to outsiders, so Ming Huazhang said simply, "We are looking for someone."

"Who are you looking for?"

Ming Huazhang did not give in to the fact that the target was a child. He took out the portrait from his sleeve and said, "We are looking for several people. A beggar, a man wearing a cloak, and a lonely and strange man who rarely goes out. Do you recognize them?"

Ming Huazhang was just asking a routine question. He did not expect a 10-year-old to help him. Unexpectedly, the child looked at the portraits and pointed to one of them: "I know him."

Ming Huazhang was slightly surprised. What a coincidence! He just found a kid to run errands, and the kid just happened to know the little beggar who helped the murderer pass the message? But on second thought, it made sense. They were about the same age and ran errands in Chang'an. It was not surprising that these kids knew each other.

Ming Huazhang asked: "Do you know where he is?"

"I haven't seen him for a long time." The child dug out a large piece of ice cream and said, "I'll try to find him."

"Okay." Ming Huazhang took out the token of Jingzhao Prefecture, thought for a moment, and then changed it into a jade pendant. He handed it to the child and said, "If you get any news, take this jade to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and tell the doorman to look for Ming Huazhang. They will find a place to put you. Just stay there and I will have them prepare some ice cream for you."

When the child heard that there was free ice cream to eat, he agreed without hesitation. After the child left, the yamen runner came over and asked, "Shao Yin, what's wrong?"

Ming Huazhang shook his head slowly and said, "It's okay, just a small bet. Let's continue investigating."

Ming Huazhang's luck seemed to be particularly good today. At 3 p.m., another piece of news that he had arranged early but did not expect a response came. The official who reported the news said that the county magistrate of Huxian had sent him a letter. Ming Huazhang tore it open and found that it was the county magistrate of Huxian who was seeking credit, saying that he had found the names of Song Boyan's parents in their county's household register.

To buy, sell or rent a house, one must register one's name at the local county government office. After Ming Huazhang sent official letters to the surrounding counties, the county magistrate of Huxian County searched for this person in his spare time and actually found this person. However, the official documents were complicated, and the letter was not delivered to Ming Huazhang until now.

This was indeed a pleasant surprise. Ming Huazhang asked, "Has anyone read this letter?"

"Not yet." The official said, "The official post sent a lot of letters. When I was sorting them out, I saw one from Shao Yin, so I brought it directly for Shao Yin."

Ming Huazhang was relieved. He held the letter in his hand and looked at the yamen runner who was asking questions in a daze. He hesitated for two breaths before making up his mind: "You continue the search according to the previous arrangement. I have to go out for a while. I probably won't be back tomorrow. Please help me ask for leave. If Jingzhao Yin asks, just say I have some personal matters to deal with."

·

Longevity House.

Jiang Ling just drank a cup of five-spice drink and couldn't eat the ice cream anymore. He couldn't help complaining: "What's wrong with Ming Huazhang? He suddenly gave me five-spice drink. If I had known you were going to treat me to ice cream, I wouldn't have had his."

Ming Huashang glared at him unhappily and said, "I treated you to food, but you didn't appreciate it and you even complained about it. Don't eat next time."

Jiang Ling was scolded for no apparent reason and looked at Ren Yao aggrieved. Ren Yao said truthfully, "I told you to talk too much. You deserve it."

Jiang Ling shut up and scooped up the ice cream to eat. Changshoufang is only one block away from Xishi, and it is very busy. Ren Yao looked at the crowd and was not without worry: "It's already halfway through the day, and we only have a day and a half left. Isn't it too risky for us to not go to the agreed block, but come back to search for places we have already searched?"

Ming Huashang thought for a while and shook his head: "Based on my understanding of the murderer, it is more likely that he lives in the vicinity of Xishi. Our ultimate goal is to find the murderer, not to search the city. In this case, why not go to a place with a greater possibility of finding him?"

Ren Yao thought about it and said, "This place was previously under the jurisdiction of Jingzhao Prefecture. The Yulin Army has never been here, and I don't know the situation. Let's find someone to lead the way."

The bailiffs were busy searching for the murderer in the streets and alleys, but in Zhang's residence in the east of the city, the atmosphere was completely different and leisurely.

With a crackling sound, the harsh sound of broken porcelain pierced the silence. Zhang Changzong stood up angrily and asked, "Are you serious?"

"It's true." Li Chongfu said, "Duke Ye, I heard it clearly. After Prince Shao came back from the banquet at the Taiping Palace, he and Yongtai and his wife said a lot of bad things about you. From what they said, Prince Shao and Prince Wei also have some complaints about Your Majesty, and they seem to think that Your Majesty has given you too much power. They also said..."

Zhang Changzong asked coldly, "What else did they say?"

Li Chongfu lowered his head and said, "They also said that what you and Hengguo Gong learned was the skills of serving people, not the strategies of governing the country, and that you should not interfere in government affairs."

With a bang, Zhang Changzong angrily swept the silver plate of fruits on the table to the ground, and the cherries rolled everywhere. Zhang Yizhi glanced at his brother indifferently and said, "Sixth Brother, you need to be quiet to listen to the piano. You are too impatient."

Zhang Changzong sneered: "I don't have the time to listen to the music when someone points his finger at me and scolds me. I took the trouble to speak for the King of Wei, but his son talks about me behind my back. He is really ruthless."

Zhang Yizhi's eyes darkened, he glanced at Li Chongfu, and said, "Thank you, Prince Ping'en, for reporting the news. Outsiders attacked us brothers, but only Prince Ping'en spoke a fair word for us. I really don't know how to thank Prince Ping'en."

Li Chongfu said, "This is what I should do. Duke Heng and Duke Ye, please don't be polite. My stepmother dislikes me, and I am afraid that I will be punished if I stay away from the palace for too long. I will take my leave first and come back to pay my respects to the Duke tomorrow."

Zhang Yizhi smiled modestly and nodded, saying, "Ping'en, Prince, take care. Today, time is tight and I don't have time to talk to Yunniang. Please, Prince Ping'en, tell Yunniang for me."

Yunniang is Li Chongfu's principal wife and the niece of the two Zhang brothers. Li Chongfu came to the Zhang residence today under the pretext of the princess returning home to visit her relatives. Li Chongfu agreed and turned away.

After Li Chongfu left, Zhang Yizhi's face darkened and he scolded, "Sixth Prince, how could you bring up the matter with the King of Wei in front of King Ping'en?"

Zhang Changzong sneered and said disdainfully: "He is just a bastard. His mother is not favored, and the crown prince doesn't care about him. He dare not tell anyone about it."

"He is the prince's son after all." Zhang Yizhi disagreed, "Sixth Prince, now is not the time when we were the most favored. If you don't change your outspokenness, you will kill us sooner or later."

Zhang Changzong sneered: "Why wait until later? Now, some people are tired of us and want to take back our power. The Queen is not dead yet, but some people dare not take us seriously. If I don't establish my authority this time, I don't know how those people will bully us in the future. I want to let them know that I, Zhang Changzong, still hold the power. No matter whether the Queen is healthy or seriously ill, alive or dead, the Zhang family will not fall."

Zhang Yizhi knew his brother well, and he realized that he had an idea. Zhang Yizhi frowned and asked, "What do you want to do?"

"It's nothing more than returning a favor by telling Your Majesty what they said." Zhang Changzong narrowed his eyes, stepped on the red and plump cherries, and slowly crushed them. "Oh, I want to see how much better their statecraft is than my skills in serving people."