Seeing that Jiang Lingyao still wanted to go down to the ice cellar to check, the eunuch said, "Master Qiao, please sit down for a moment. I will go to the office to get the key and will be back in a moment."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, and after he left, she began to look around the ice cellar.
But she still felt a little dizzy, and her whole body felt a little groggy and not very alert.
Seeing her like this, Shen Suning advised: "My lord, the ice cellar will not leave many clues. The main reason is that more than 20 craftsmen have been here, and the traces left are too many and too complicated to distinguish."
That's true.
Jiang Lingyao simply sat down next to the ice cellar, took Shen Suning's water bag and took a few gulps of cold water.
After taking a few sips of water, she felt lucid again.
There was really nothing to investigate outside the ice cellar. Jiang Lingyao just sat there and said, "I think the breakthrough in this case should not be the clues at the scene. After all, the clues have been almost exhausted. The most important thing is why Chen Shuangxi was killed."
There were so many craftsmen in the prison, but the only one who died was Chen Shuangxi, who was under the custody of the Jinyiwei captain. This shows that the other party had reasons to kill him.
Jiang Lingyao said thoughtfully, "Either Chen Shuangxi was involved in the first case and we have not found out something in the first case, or the murderer has a grudge against Chen Shuangxi and he hates him so much that he must kill him."
No matter which one it is, it will depend on the interrogation by the Royal Guards tonight.
Shen Suning said, "The Jinyiwei had already conducted a night interrogation of the prisoners the day before yesterday. If we interrogate them again, we should get a lot of clues. But we probably have to endure tonight."
As the two were talking, the eunuch came back. He opened the door of the ice cellar neatly and said considerately, "The key to the bureau has always been with my brother. No one has touched it."
Jiang Lingyao thanked him and followed him down to the ice cellar.
It was very cold inside the ice cellar, and the chilly air instantly hit him. The young eunuch came down from the ice cellar and stood at the stairs, saying, "After all, this is the prison's ice cellar, so a hanging shaft was built at the stairs. The craftsmen can push the ice directly onto the pallet and pull the rope to send the ice up, without the need for help from outsiders."
Although Jiang Lingyao was wearing her work uniform, the ice cellar was so cold that her mind, which had just cleared up a little, became dizzy again.
She just took a quick look and didn't go deeper into the ice cellar.
There is really no way to leave any clues here because the floor of the ice cellar is covered with a layer of ice, which is very slippery and cold, making it difficult to walk.
Even if there were any clues left, they would disappear without a trace on the layers of frozen ground.
Jiang Lingyao took a quick look at the ice cellar and went upstairs with the eunuch.
When she went up, her lips were frozen purple, but she still said politely, "Thank you, uncle."
The young eunuch waved his hands and said nonchalantly: "My lord, you are joking. It is rare for you to be so polite."
Nowadays, officials are either nobles or scholars. Civil officials and military generals, even peddlers and porters, all look down on eunuchs.
In the eyes of those people, they are not even worthy of being called human beings.
Although the young eunuch was young, he had sharp eyes and could tell the difference between good and bad. The Shuntian Prefecture's prosecutor, Mr. Qiao, treated him just like an ordinary person.
That's enough.
After looking at the ice cellar, the eunuch led her back.
Jiang Lingyao suddenly remembered something and asked, "Young eunuch, that Feng Shuanzi is still in prison. What do you think will happen to him, Master Wei?"
The young eunuch looked around and whispered, "I'll tell you the truth, sir. It turns out that the only two people in our prison who can do the inlay and finishing touches are the master and his apprentice. Although Feng Shuanzi is young, he is very talented. As for the household registration matter..."
He said, smiling lightly, as if he didn't care: "No, I still want the seal to say whatever I want."
Jiang Lingyao understood that Wei Gou wanted to protect Feng Shuanzi. Otherwise, no one would be able to practice this craft in the future.
The two of them walked all the way to the front yard gate. Jiang Lingyao clasped her fists towards the eunuch and said, "I will not mention anything I said before to anyone else. Don't worry, eunuch."
The eunuch was also very polite. He returned the greeting, then turned around and left with a smile.
Jiang Lingyao had been frozen in the ice cellar for such a while that she felt dizzy at the moment. However, she knew that the case had to be solved today, so she forced herself to stay awake and walked quickly to the front yard.
Perhaps she was not as alert as before and did not notice the voices in the front yard until the Gilded Guanyin appeared in front of her. Then she realized that there were quite a few more people in the front yard.
Among them, a bright red figure was standing there with his eyes fixed.
At this time, Duan Nanqi was wearing a Feiyu suit, holding a Xiuchun sword in his hand, and standing beside the deceased with a frown on his face.
As if he sensed Jiang Lingyao's presence, he turned his head slightly, and his cold and indifferent gaze locked onto Jiang Lingyao's face for a moment.
Even though Jiang Lingyao felt uncomfortable at the moment, she could see that his eyes solidified in an instant, as if thousands of stars condensed into the moon.
Jiang Lingyao could be sure that the person in front of her was Duan Nanqi, so she could also be sure that with Duan Nanqi's intelligence and cleverness, he would definitely recognize her.
But after looking at it from a distance in the bamboo forest earlier, Jiang Lingyao was already prepared in her heart, or rather, she had already thought of a countermeasure.
Therefore, when Duan Nanqi's eyes were fixed on her, she was not flustered at all, and even looked back at him calmly.
She used all her acting skills and strength to make a puzzled expression.
As the special prosecutor of Shuntian Prefecture, how could she know who Duan Nanqi was?
The couple's eyes collided and sparks flew in the cold night.
Duan Nanqi suddenly lowered his eyes, said a few words to Yao Yuan beside him, and then walked step by step, firmly to Jiang Lingyao.
His tall figure blocked out the sun, blocking out the dazzling lights in the front yard and also blocking out his handsome face.
What Jiang Lingyao didn't expect was that Duan Nanqi didn't ask any questions or hesitate. He used extremely fast movements to describe this unexpected meeting perfectly.
He smiled gently into Jiang Lingyao's calm yet somewhat doubtful eyes.
That smile is like the spring day now, warm and ambiguous, with the fragrance of flowers filling the air.
He was facing away from the light, so Jiang Lingyao couldn't see deep into his eyes. She could only feel the gentle smile on his face as usual.
Jiang Lingyao suddenly felt short of breath.
Duan Nanqi stared at her without dodging his gaze. His voice was extremely gentle: "My lady, what a coincidence."
The word "maid" proved that Duan Nanqi recognized her at the first sight.
However, Jiang Lingyao also tried hard to clear her mind. She raised her head and looked at Duan Nanqi with the eyes she used to look at a lecher.
She said quietly, "Sir, who are you? I don't know you, and I'm still unmarried. Your word 'wife'..."
Jiang Lingyao's voice was already filled with anger: "I really don't deserve this position."
The two men stood facing each other, neither far nor close to the people waiting in the front yard. The moment Jiang Lingyao suddenly appeared, Duan Nanqi quickly walked up to her, which made the people behind him a little confused.
They didn't hear Duan Nanqi's word "wife", but they could vaguely see that Jiang Lingyao looked unhappy.
But they didn't move, just looked at the two people from a distance, waiting for them to finish what they had to say.
As soon as Jiang Lingyao said this, Duan Nanqi's eyes deepened a little, as if he wanted to see Jiang Lingyao's face clearly. He lowered his head again, and the two of them got very close to each other.
Such a distance made "Master Qiao" feel offended.
Jiang Lingyao frowned and took two steps back before speaking sharply, "This... lord... of the Imperial Guard?"
The smile on Duan Nanqi's face never changed from beginning to end, and he was not angry even after being refuted by Jiang Lingyao.
After hearing the doubts of Lord Qiao in front of him, he even held the Xiuchun Knife and bowed to Jiang Lingyao, with an elegant and neat posture.
"Master Qiao, we met the day before yesterday. I am the Jinyiwei East Division Fangzhen Envoy. My surname is Duan. Master Qiao called me..."
He said with a satisfied smile: "Just call me Lord Duan."
Jiang Lingyao: “…”
Jiang Lingyao was 70% sure, and her words did not make Duan Nanqi suspicious or change his perception. He firmly believed that Lord Qiao from Shuntian Prefecture was Jiang Lingyao.
She is also his newly married wife.
Another 30% is because Duan Nanqi is inconsistent on the inside and outside. Even if his own cognition is shaken, he will continue to test, just like now.
"How come Master Xiao Qiao didn't recognize me after not seeing me for just one day?" Duan Nanqi continued, "I thought Master Xiao Qiao had an extraordinary memory, which was beyond the reach of ordinary people."
Jiang Lingyao's face was cold, and she said in a cold voice: "There is a screen between us, so who knows whether it is a human or a ghost sitting on the other side? As a criminal officer, I always have to be vigilant. Am I right, Lord Duan?"
The two men fought fiercely, neither of them giving in, and it seemed that they were about to come to a fight.
It was Lord Yao Yuan who was worried that they might fight, so he stepped out to smooth things over: "Hey Lord Duan, what happened? This is Lord Qiao, the best judge in Shuntian Prefecture, and a capable general of Shuntian Prefecture!"
Lord Yao wiped the sweat off his face and moved his round body forward.
"Master Qiao, this is the favorite of His Majesty, Master Duan, the head of the East Office. I wonder if you two know him?"
"What a coincidence! Now we know each other, right?"
Lord Yao had a sincere face and spoke earnestly, but there were subtle hints hidden in his words.
Jiang Lingyao had already guessed Duan Nanqi's identity, and had just heard Duan Nanqi introduce herself, so she didn't show much surprise on her face. Instead, she was very dignified and calm, and comforted Yao Yuan: "Master Yao, don't be anxious. Master Duan and I just had some misunderstandings."
"It's nothing serious."
Her voice was crisp and her face was calm. Her anger seemed to have subsided and there was no trace of anger at being flirted with by a stranger on her face.
"I think Lord Duan thinks so too," she raised her face slightly and glanced at Duan Nanqi, "I think Lord Duan would not bother a small sixth-rank official like me, right?"
The warm smile on Duan Nanqi's face never changed from beginning to end.
He listened quietly to what Jiang Lingyao said, then turned to look at Yao Yuan and gave him a hearty smile.
He took a step forward and patted Yao Yuan on the shoulders twice, making the two of them seem extremely close.
"Oh, Master Yao, I do have a connection with Master Xiao Qiao from your yamen," Duan Nanqi said with a big smile, "After all, Master Xiao Qiao and my newlywed wife look 80% similar in appearance."
He put his arms around Yao Yuan's shoulders, and because of his tall stature and long arms, he could easily wrap his arms around Yao Yuan.
Yao Yuan was sweating profusely.
Duan Nanqi smiled and said, "I accidentally recognized the wrong person just now. It's my fault. I hope Master Yao and Master Xiaoqiao will forgive me. I really didn't do it on purpose."
He lowered his head and looked at Yao Yuan in his "arms": "Lord Yao, since Lady Xiao Qiao is so similar to my wife, please take good care of Lady Xiao Qiao."
Yao Yuan: “Ah?”
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