This is a very sharp question.
It is unlucky to have a pagoda stained with blood, but the Empress Dowager is about to pass away. If Wei Gou cannot hand over any offerings, then Wei Gou, the eunuch who holds the seal, will have to give up his job.
However, both Shuntian Prefecture and Jinyiwei were only following orders to investigate the case, and they were naturally unaware of how Your Majesty wished to congratulate the Empress Dowager on her longevity.
Yao Yuan paused, but suddenly understood what Jiang Lingyao meant: "Xiao Qiao, what you mean is that if Rong Jingui died on the pagoda and the pagoda was stained with blood, then the carefully prepared birthday offerings would naturally not be presented. Is this another murderous intention?"
Jiang Lingyao pondered for a moment and said, "I just think it's a little strange. The deceased was obviously not hanged on the pagoda and killed. The safflower poison has already killed him. Isn't it unnecessary to do this?"
"But if it was really the people of the Yu Yongjian who did this in vain, wouldn't they want to present a birthday gift to commend him? Rong Jingui is dead, but the other craftsmen are still here. Even if they can't get an official title like Rong Jingui, they will definitely get a reward of several dozen taels of silver."
As they investigate further, the case seems to have clear clues and clear suspicions, but if you look closely, you will find that it has become a mess and each case contradicts each other.
But the case has been analyzed to this point, and further investigation is needed to get to the bottom of it.
Shuntian Prefecture had to look for more clues. First, they had to determine the cause of death. Jiang Lingyao was going to lead the yamen runners to the Yuyong Prison to check every corner of the prison in detail. Clues would be clearer during the day than at night.
On the other hand, the Royal Guards will probably review the evidence again.
Jiang Lingyao's heart moved slightly. She looked at Yao Yuan, and then looked at Zheng Feng with curiosity: "Sir Zheng, do you want to interrogate the suspect again?"
They have more clues today, and if they interrogate carefully, this time it is not as minor as yesterday. The Royal Guards must find out more about the situation.
Zheng Feng nodded and said, "Yes, the master will personally interrogate the suspect this afternoon."
Jiang Lingyao blinked her eyes, a slight smile appeared on her face, and she said, "I have never seen a Jinyiwei trial before. I wonder if I will be lucky enough to watch it this afternoon?"
Zheng Feng was stunned for a moment, then said, "This matter is subject to the orders of the governor."
Jiang Lingyao smiled gently and innocently, like a friendly girl next door, with a little regret: "Well, let's leave it at that."
Zheng Feng looked cold and hard, but he actually had no idea. Seeing Jiang Lingyao like this, he was a little flustered. He was stunned for a long time before saying, "Then I will ask you, sir. If it is feasible, I will inform you, sir."
Jiang Lingyao then smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Zheng."
After Zheng Feng left, Yao Yuan looked at Jiang Lingyao and said, "The counselor may not agree, but it's good to give it a try."
Jiang Lingyao had already put away the innocent smile on her face. She said calmly, "This new town counselor is young and arrogant, but he is not necessarily ignorant of the ways of the world. Even if he wants to take the lead, he has to solve the case, right?"
Yao Yuan took a big sip of tea: "Yes, solving the case is the most important thing."
Jiang Lingyao said thoughtfully, "Sir, looking at Zheng Qianhu's words and actions, it seems that what he said is not what he thinks. He doesn't seem to be a meticulous person."
Yao Yuan smiled and said, "He is not a hall official of the East Office, but a deputy. What he said must not be what he thought. It is likely that the unknown town envoy gave him instructions in advance."
Jiang Lingyao was a little surprised: "Your Excellency doesn't even know who this comforter is?"
"I don't know," Yao Yuan said with a smile, "I have asked around, but this governor has just taken office, and this is only the second major case, so not many people in the capital know him well. You also know that Lord Cen has a bad temper, and now the Jinyiwei is very tight-lipped and won't say anything unnecessary."
It sounds like even if Lord Cen was dismissed from his post and imprisoned for excessive use of the criminal code, this new young town governor can still control the East Office and have considerable prestige in the North Town Office.
How could such a person be the careless Third Young Master Duan?
It's impossible to even imagine it with your toes.
After all this busy work, it was already lunchtime. Yao Yuan's Shuntianfu kitchen served the dishes, including the Shuntianfu Yamen's most famous "Dalan Huoshao". Jiang Lingyao ate with several colleagues, sat for a while, and then went back to Yuyongjian.
When they arrived at Yuyong Prison, the Jinyiwei captain guarding the gate had already recognized Jiang Lingyao and let her in without saying a word.
Probably in order not to pollute Buddhist affairs, the gilded pagoda placed in the front yard of the Yuyong Prison had been wiped clean of blood stains and now stands brightly in the light.
The bright golden light of noon fell on the compassionate face of Guanyin. As soon as the blood and tears disappeared, her appearance became solemn and dignified, and her Buddhist teachings were boundless.
This two-story pagoda is gilded all over and features a statue of Guanyin sitting on a lotus, with Sanskrit inscribed on the side.
Jiang Lingyao looked around carefully and found that the middle of the pagoda was empty. There was a door at the back, which was about the size of an ordinary family's dressing table.
At this time, several apprentices from the Yu Yongjian were sweeping the dust around the pagoda. Jiang Lingyao called them over and asked, "Why is there an empty space in the middle?"
The apprentice was only thirteen or fourteen years old, and his hair had not even grown back yet. He looked at Jiang Lingyao tremblingly, and seeing that she was not as ferocious as the Jinyiwei, he whispered, "I heard that there is a sutra box in the middle."
Jiang Lingyao asked, "Scripture box?"
The apprentice replied, "Yes, I heard that the Queen Mother loved to copy Buddhist scriptures, so when designing the pagoda, Rong Dajia specially designed an inner room to store the Buddhist scriptures copied by the Queen Mother so that she can easily take them out."
Jiang Lingyao nodded. Although it was revealed through interrogation that Rong Jingui was a bit domineering in his position as the Supervisor of Justice and many of his subordinates were dissatisfied with him, he was indeed the best craftsman.
"Where is this phylactery placed?"
The apprentice said, "I put it in the storeroom, intending to put the finishing touches on it before putting on the cover. I never expected..."
When he said this, there was no sadness in the young apprentice's eyes. He looked up at the golden pagoda, and there was a hint of regret in his eyes when he saw the kind face of Guanyin.
"What a wonderful pagoda! This kind of craftsmanship will probably be hard to find again in the future."
Jiang Lingyao paused for a moment and let him go. She then went to find Li Da, and led Shen Suning and several young yamen runners to the storehouse.
"Brother Li, was this place searchable yesterday?"
Li Da is an old clerk in Shuntian Prefecture. Everyone says that the officials in the government office are constantly changing, but the clerks are permanent.
These clerks in the three classes and six rooms are all local residents of Shuntian. If they are from other prefectures, some of them don't even take the governor seriously. But those who can go to Beijing to become the prefect of Shuntian have some ability, so the clerks of Shuntian will give the adults some face.
The work that needs to be done will still be done well.
Jiang Lingyao had frequently dealt with yamen runners in the past six months and had heard some stories about them. This Li Da was considered the leader of the clerks and was very popular in the Shuntian government office. Throughout Shuntian, people from various county offices were also familiar with him, and Yao Yuan sometimes had to ask him to do things for him.
However, these officials obviously like Lord Yao, who is kind and smiling all the time. Recently, the atmosphere in Shuntian Prefecture is much better than before.
In particular, the magistrate was replaced by a cute girl named Jiang Lingyao. She was also very kind, never looked down on others, and even often brought snacks from home. Therefore, Li Da and others were very cooperative.
Hearing her question, Li Da replied, "Master Qiao, we checked it last night, but it was too dark and there were only used furniture in here, so we didn't dare to turn on too many lights, so we checked it very roughly. Fortunately, Master Qiao took the trouble to check it again today."
Jiang Lingyao said gently, "It's hard work for everyone."
Li Da hurriedly smiled and said, "This is what I should do. Lord Yao is the hardest-working one. He hasn't slept much yet and has been checking the files of the Yu Yongjian."
Jiang Lingyao also sighed: "Lord Yao is truly a good official who is wholeheartedly serving the people."
Li Da was moved: "That's right, ever since Lord Yao came to Shuntian Prefecture, the people in the capital have said that we really have a father and mother official, and they are all very happy."
Li Da looks like a tall, sturdy man, seemingly without any brains, but he is always flawless in what he says and does.
The civil officials all looked down on the messengers, thinking that they had risen to their positions by clinging to the powerful and wealthy and that their positions were not legitimate, but the ordinary clerks did not think so.
To be able to have some favor in the eyes of His Majesty and even win the position of a sixth-rank prosecutor is extremely rare, even in the capital.
The key point is the Yu Yongjian they are investigating today. If a deputy envoy of the Wensi Academy can cause a death, then a sixth-rank prosecutor is even more valuable.
Amidst all this wealth, Jiang Lingyao's daughter's body was even more unique.
Although this female prosecutor was young, she was very experienced. When she arrived at Shuntian Prefecture, she solved several cases in succession. She was also friendly and polite, which made the clerks who originally had some complaints speak less and more willing to obey her orders.
The most important thing is that if a major case is solved and the court receives a reward, everyone in Shuntian Prefecture will be proud of it. Who would want to pass up the credit that they have earned?
The two of them flattered Lord Yao and quickly came to the warehouse.
The Yuyongjian was not spacious but not small either. In addition to the storehouse, workshop and living quarters for the craftsmen, it also had kilns and other places used for forging and smelting.
The largest of these is the warehouse.
The warehouse is divided into multiple rooms by category. In addition to raw materials such as wood, cloth, stone, and gold, there is also a warehouse for finished products.
Finished products are also divided into furniture, ornaments, and canopies.
Jiang Lingyao took a quick look at the raw material room and then went to the furniture room. As soon as she reached the door, she found that the room was locked.
Li Da slapped his head and said, "Oh, I forgot. I asked someone to open the warehouse a long time ago, but I didn't explain clearly. Only half of it was opened. The other half needs to be opened by the eunuchs."
The two of them had no choice but to stand at the door and wait.
At this point, Jiang Lingyao felt a little bored, so she lowered her head and looked at the ground. However, as she looked, she found a lot of drag marks on the stone road.
These traces were carved into the stone slabs layer by layer over the years, dividing the area into different age layers.
Jiang Lingyao asked a few people to squat down and grope on the stone road.
"This is a new mark," Jiang Lingyao pointed to the double-line mark on the top, "because no one has cleaned this place. The things that were just transported to the warehouse left marks on the ground. The powder on the stone slab has not been cleaned yet and is left here."
"It's so wide," she gestured with her hand, "what could it be?"
The group was really studying there, but suddenly they heard voices coming from outside.
Jiang Lingyao's ears twitched, and she heard a cold, low voice: "Where are the people? Send them directly to the west chamber. I will make a judgment today."
As far as Jiang Lingyao could see, a group of bright red figures walked quickly past amidst the greenery.
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