The other people in Shuntian Prefecture and the Jinyiwei who were not far away naturally had no idea what had happened, but when several superiors returned to the deceased's side, they all looked normal, as if nothing had happened.
Although Duan Nanqi is always smooth-talking and nonchalant, he is just talking and never crosses the line when it comes to the real thing.
At this moment, he just stood there with a serious look on his face, not paying any attention to Jiang Lingyao.
Restrained and polite.
Jiang Lingyao didn't look at him either. She coughed lightly and said to Yao Yuan, "Sir, I just asked the eunuch in the prison and went down to the ice cellar to check. The murderer should be the craftsman who was able to get the key to the ice cellar. And because they are still working recently, they often come to the ice cellar to get ice. Ten people have received ice today."
Yao Yuan nodded to her, then looked at Duan Nanqi: "Master Duan, this is the clue that Shuntian Prefecture has found. Do you have any new clues?"
Duan Nanqiao raised his head and looked at Yao Yuan.
He was smiling and playful just now, but now he is calm and composed. His whole body is so majestic that it is very impressive. He is simply the epitome of mood swings.
Duan Nanqi still did not look at Jiang Lingyao. He said to Yao Yuan, "Master Yao, the evidence of Xu Baocai's murder of Rong Jingui is solid, so only Xu Baocai was imprisoned. Now he is still in Shuntian Prefecture Prison, so he cannot be the murderer of Chen Shuangxi's case."
"It is precisely because the case has been closed that the Jinyiwei patrol here has been changed from one hour to two hours. It is not very strict. It is just to help Eunuch Wei so that he can smoothly present the birthday gift to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty will not be unhappy."
The sound from Nanxi at this time was exactly the same as the sound from behind the screen the day before.
It was low and cold, carrying an oppressive force that could make people shiver. It was like a poisonous snake, as if it was always watching people in the dark, waiting for an opportunity to kill them.
Jiang Lingyao just felt her throat tingling and she couldn't help coughing again.
But this cough made Duan Nanqi glance at her, and his expression became even colder.
He said, "Although the Jinyiwei captain did not carefully check the front yard, their ability to enter the East Office is obvious to all. Therefore, I can be sure that the Jinyiwei patrolled at the beginning of the You hour and did not see anything unusual at the scene. Therefore, the deceased and the murderer must not have been in the front yard at that time. In other words, the deceased must have died between the beginning of the You hour and the end of the Xu hour, which is three and a half hours."
Although Duan Nanqi's voice was cold, he spoke in an orderly manner so that everyone could hear him clearly.
Jiang Lingyao blinked and felt more and more dizzy.
At this moment she finally realized that something was wrong, but the case was tense, so she squeezed Shen Suning's hand and did not say anything to interrupt the discussion on the scene.
Duan Nanqi continued, "So the Jinyiwei investigation has two directions. One is how Chen Shuangxi got out of the room, and the other is who among the prisoners had the opportunity to kill someone at this time."
He said calmly, "I have found out how Chen Shuangxi got out of the room. You can ask Lord Yao to go to the back room to take a look. The interrogation of the craftsman in charge of the Yu Yongjian has also started two quarters ago, about..."
He glanced at the sky, thought for a moment, and said, "It will probably end at three o'clock in the morning."
Hearing his words, Yao Yuan's face showed some joy, which was rare.
This case tormented him so much that he couldn't sleep for three days. He could only pray to God that the case would be closed today.
"Then let's go quickly," Yao Yuan said, "Lord Duan is really a young talent, and he is really amazing. No wonder His Majesty entrusted him with such an important task, because Lord Duan can relieve His Majesty's worries."
Actually, Duan Nanqi was only a fourth-rank peacemaker, while Yao Yuan was the third-rank governor of Shuntian Prefecture. However, he was able to be so amiable and had no airs of a superior at all.
However, Duan Nanzhu did not act like the emperor's confidant. The coldness on his face melted away in an instant, just like the melting of spring snow, and spring returned to the earth in an instant.
He politely bowed to Lord Yao and made a gesture of invitation: "Lord Yao, what are you talking about? If it weren't for these capable subordinates in Shuntian Prefecture, how could the Rongjingui case be solved so quickly? In the final analysis, Lord Yao is still good at controlling his subordinates, which is admirable."
The two of us complimented each other, and we were in perfect harmony.
Behind them, Jiang Lingyao also wanted to follow them to the back compartment to investigate, but she had just taken half a step forward when her vision suddenly went dark and she couldn't control herself and fell to the side.
In her dazed ears, Shen Suning's shocked voice was heard: "Senior Sister, what's wrong with you?"
Although she felt dizzy and uncomfortable, she was not completely unconscious.
She closed her eyes tightly, thinking that she would fall on the bluestone road. When she was about to grit her teeth, she did not feel the sudden pain.
A hard crossbar was placed against her lower back at the right time, like a copper wall or an iron wall, allowing her to lean on that fulcrum and not fall down.
But during this period of catching her breath, Shen Suning came to her senses and hugged her.
"Senior Sister, are you sick?" Shen Su Ning's face was full of worry.
Jiang Lingyao stroked her arm. She felt dizzy and shook her head reluctantly, then lowered her head to look.
What clearly caught her eyes was a pair of slender and powerful hands, with veins bulging on the backs of the hands, and tightly grasped in the hands was a plain and simple Xiuchun knife.
It was this knife that supported her steadily behind her and prevented her from falling to the ground.
Jiang Lingyao's gaze slowly moved upwards, climbing up from the brocade flying fish dress, and finally along the strong and powerful arms, falling on the other's handsome face.
It is Duan Nanxi.
Duan Nanqi seemed to be quite relaxed. Even though he was holding up a person with his Xiuchun sword, he did not look very strenuous. Instead, he seemed to be doing it with ease.
But no matter how relaxed his movements were, his expression was unusually solemn.
"Master Xiao Qiao, what's going on? Did you catch a cold from going into the ice cellar?"
Although his voice was cold, every word he spoke was filled with indelible concern.
Jiang Lingyao blinked. A strange feeling swept over her heart. She only felt a slight warmth in her heart. Waves of heat surged into her heart, making her feel at a loss.
Jiang Lingyao murmured, "No."
Duan Nanqi leaned forward slightly: "What?"
"No, it's not the ice cellar," Jiang Lingyao said stutteringly, "Before I left the ice cellar, I felt something strange all over my body."
Duan Nanqi's dark brown eyes fell on her pale face. Although she looked sick, she was not suffering from a cold. Instead, she was sweating all over her head and her pupils were dilated. She looked... like she was poisoned.
Duan Nanqi's eyes darkened, and he said in a sharp voice: "Chu Xiunian, come over to see the doctor. Zheng Feng, bring a chair."
He made these arrangements very quickly. Before Lord Yao could react, Jiang Lingyao was helped to sit on a chair. A young Jinyiwei was squatting beside her, taking her pulse.
Beside Yao Yuan, Xu Qing's face changed. "It's bad. There must be heresy in that pagoda. I have been performing autopsies for many years. Those tiny poisons can't infect me. But Qiao is not susceptible to poison for a long time. That's why she got poisoned."
As soon as he finished speaking, a captain of the Jinyi Guard named Chu Xiu Nian spoke up: "What Coroner Xu said is very true."
He took Jiang Lingyao's pulse very carefully, listening to both her hands, and then stood up and said, "Master Qiao was poisoned by the Ecstasy Powder. This poison can be taken orally or burned. If taken immediately, one will be paralyzed on the ground and unable to move for up to four hours. If inhaled by burning, the sooner one inhales, the more severe the symptoms will be. One will also become weak in the limbs, dizzy, and unable to help but fall forward."
He spoke quickly: "But the strength of the inhaled medicine is not high. You will feel better in about half an hour, and your hands and feet will be able to regain strength. Master Qiao should have inhaled a small amount of tail poison. He has only been dizzy and hot, and can still walk normally. But Master Qiao just went down to the ice cellar, and the cold air shocked him, so he almost fainted..."
Duan Nanqi interrupted his chattering: "How to treat it? Are there any side effects?"
Jiang Lingyao raised her head and looked at him, and saw that he was looking at Chu Xiunian seriously, as if he was quite concerned about this issue.
Chu Xiunian bowed and said, "Sir, whether you take the Ecstasy Powder or inhale it, there is no need to detoxify it. It will heal naturally after a period of time..."
Chu Xiunian felt that the master's gaze on him was getting colder and colder. He felt a pang in his heart and said, "But I have a family detoxification pill. I can give one to Master Qiao. It may relieve the discomfort at the moment."
Duan Nanqi: “Yeah.”
Chu Xiunian: “…”
Chu Xiunian was startled, took out the medicine box from the pouch on his waist, handed a pill to Jiang Lingyao, and said, "Master Qiao, please take it. Don't worry, it won't taste bad if you add honey."
For some reason, Jiang Lingyao felt like laughing. Although everyone was afraid of the Jinyiwei and called them Jinyidogs behind their backs, after getting along with them for the past few days, Jiang Lingyao found that they were just following orders.
In private, it's quite funny.
Jiang Lingyao had no doubts and took the detoxification pill decisively. It was indeed not bad as Chu Xiunian said, and it tasted slightly bitter but also had a sweet aftertaste.
After taking the detoxifying pill, Jiang Lingyao immediately felt less dizzy.
She looked up and saw that everyone was waiting on the sidelines, and suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
Jiang Lingyao lowered her head obediently and said, "Thank you very much, Master Duan, and Master Chu. You gentlemen should go to the back room first. I will be there in a moment."
She paused, glanced at Duan Nanqi's face, and said, "The medicine is very effective. I am much more sober now."
Duan Nanqiao did not say anything, Chu Xiunian retreated tactfully, Yao Yuan looked here and there, and suddenly said: "Hey, since Lord Chu said so, then Chen Shuangxi was also poisoned, and that's why he couldn't control himself and fell forward when the ice cube hit his back."
Jiang Lingyao's eyes lit up, and her mind became clear again.
She said: "Then, Chen Shuangxi's death is clear."
"Let's not talk about the previous events for now. Anyway, he sneaked to the pagoda, entered the pagoda, and was hit by ice while inhaling the Ecstasy Powder. Then he was stabbed to death by the demon-subduing pestle standing on the ground."
Xu Qing nodded: "That should be the case. Dead people have no pulse, and there are no symptoms of death after inhaling the Ecstasy Powder. We can only guess based on Qiao's symptoms."
Jiang Lingyao nodded and said, "Regarding the ice block, I think it was stuck in the ring around the inner side of the pagoda. The ring should be used to fix the sutra box. As time passed, the ice block melted and fell just when Chen Shuangxi entered."
Duan Nanqi said: "If that's the case, then the time when Chen Shuangxi enters the pagoda must be controlled, not too early or too late."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, but then became a little doubtful.
But Duan Nanqi continued with the topic just now: "In other words, the murderer must kill Chen Shuangxi and must let him die here."
"We just need to know who is determined to kill him."
————
The Jinyiwei's case solving was simpler and clearer than Shuntianfu's, and they often directly interrogated suspects and acquaintances of the deceased.
But another disadvantage can easily occur, that is, torture and forced confession.
Even worse, there is frame-up and exclusion of dissidents.
Therefore, even though the Jinyiwei had the Beizhenfusi and the imperial prison, major cases would usually be tried by the Jinyiwei together with the three judicial departments.
Until today, due to the accumulation of unjust, false and wrong cases over the past few decades, the current emperor feels that the imperial prison is inappropriate, so he set up the East Office and the West Factory, which were headed by two of his most trusted confidants.
From this perspective, Duan Nanqi is one of them and Gu Lin is the other.
But the Jinyiwei Panhuan has been around for a hundred years. It is a powerful weapon for the royal family to control the court and the country, just like a knife hanging over the heads of civil and military officials, waiting to chop off their heads at any time as a warning to the public.
A century-old system cannot be changed overnight.
Even if he is as young as Duan Nanqi, according to the Jinyiwei's habit of investigating cases, that is, to interrogate first and then investigate, the dead cannot speak, but the living can.
Jiang Lingyao looked at Duan Nanqi's dark eyes and brows in the light of the waiting lamp, and suddenly recalled his playful smile in the daytime.
Which one is he?
However, Jiang Lingyao did not have such a deep curiosity about Duan Nanqi, and she did not need to explore what kind of person Duan Nanqi was. She just wanted the two of them to live in peace and not interfere with each other. This was the best result.
Therefore, Jiang Lingyao moved her feet and found that her strength was returning. She stood up and said weakly, "Today's case cannot be delayed. We should solve it as soon as possible."
Duan Nanqi looked back at her, with no trace of pity in his eyes. He said calmly, "Okay."
Shen Suning supported Jiang Lingyao, and the two followed the team. It seemed that because there were so many people and the road was dark, the group did not walk very fast, so Jiang Lingyao did not have any difficulty keeping up.
The longer time passed after she took the detoxification pills, the more relaxed she felt and the more awake she became.
By the time they reached the door of Chen Shuangxi's single room in the back alley, Jiang Lingyao was already able to move freely, showing no signs of weakness.
Jiang Lingyao breathed a sigh of relief.
She let go of Shen Suning's hand and followed Duan Nanqiao and Yao Yuan into the single room.
Chen Shuangxi's single room was the same as Feng Shuanzi's single room. The bed, table and chairs were arranged in exactly the same way. But at this moment, the place where the wooden bed should have been placed was completely opened, revealing a pitch-black tunnel to everyone.
Jiang Lingyao was somewhat shocked: "How could there be a tunnel here?"
This is at the foot of the Imperial City, outside the Forbidden City, and within sight of the Imperial Palace. Moreover, the Imperial Household Inspection Bureau is a century-old bureau that has always been the craftsman bureau for royal household utensils. The appearance of a tunnel here is simply unbelievable.
Duan Nanqi glanced at her again.
He squatted at the edge of the tunnel, pointed at the edges of the blue bricks, and said, "This tunnel is not newly built. Judging from the wear marks on the tiles, it has been there for at least 20 to 30 years."
As descendants of nobles, they knew exactly what had happened in the capital thirty years ago.
But these things cannot be spoken of.
Jiang Lingyao quickly reacted and asked softly, "Where does the tunnel lead to?"
Duan Nanqi said calmly: "There is a fork in the tunnel, leading to three directions in total. One leads to the outside of the prison, one is the stable of the prison, and one is completely blocked by a wall and cannot be broken through violently."
There were only three people in the room at the moment, Duan Nanqi, Jiang Lingyao and Yao Yuan.
Duan Nanqi's voice was so low that it could not be heard by the fourth person: "Judging from the location of the wall, it should be the imperial city."
Lord Yao did not wipe his sweat, and Jiang Lingyao did not answer. Duan Nanqi changed the subject and said directly: "According to our guess, Chen Shuangxi should have gone to the stable."
There are three roads in total, one is blocked, and one can never come back after leaving. After all, there are Jinyiwei guarding everywhere, so Chen Shuangxi can only go to the stable.
Duan Nanqi stood up and said, "According to the officers' search, there were originally four horses in the stable, and there are still four horses now, not a single one is missing."
This is unreasonable.
Jiang Lingyao frowned: "Chen Shuangxi's behavior is too strange."
Duan Nanqiao and Yao Yuan both looked at her. Jiang Lingyao closed her eyes. At this moment, her mind was extremely clear.
When she opened her eyes again, she was the calm and intelligent Judge Qiao again.
Jiang Lingyao spoke quickly and clearly: "Chen Shuangxi's crime is nothing more than stealing and selling materials used for military purposes. According to your previous investigation, he only stole and sold 500 taels of stone. It is not a serious crime to count such a small amount of money. If Eunuch Wei is willing to plead for him, Shuntian Prefecture can sentence him for this insignificant case. He will just be sent back to his hometown and continue to work as a craftsman."
"It seems that he doesn't need to escape at all."
Jiang Lingyao paused and said, "His behavior is not an escape at all. He has used this tunnel before, which means he knows where the tunnel leads to. If he really wants to escape, he can just go out and use the prison."
"It will expose him to new problems."
Jiang Lingyao spoke crisply and clearly: "If he escapes secretly, he will immediately become an illegal resident. There are many inns in the capital, and the investigation is very detailed. The Five Cities Military Department has so many soldiers, it's no joke. Once he becomes an illegal resident, he may not be able to survive in the capital for even a month."
"If he wants to be a beggar and make a living, that's fine, but beggars will be investigated, and he would rather be a beggar. Wouldn't it be better to send him back to his hometown and continue to be a craftsman?"
There were three people in the room, and the other two listened to her quietly.
Jiang Lingyao said: "So it seems that if Chen Shuangxi really wants to escape, he can't just escape from the prison. He has to solve the household registration problem first before he can proceed to the next step."
"If you don't have a household registration, a customs pass will do. As long as you can leave the capital and go to a prefecture, it's not that difficult to get a household registration."
Disguise as a refugee, or go north, it's actually easier to live outside.
Only in the capital, if you want to survive, you must have a proper identity.
Jiang Lingyao looked at Yao Yuan, then moved his eyes upwards and finally looked at Duan Nanqi: "My Lords, from what I have seen, Chen Shuangxi stayed in the prison in order to obtain a household registration or a travel permit. Then someone must have told him how to obtain it, and the place to obtain it is in the pagoda."
Jiang Lingyao said: "The note I found in the pagoda before should have written the method to obtain these two things."
Having said that, the mystery of Chen Shuangxi's death has been solved.
Duan Nanqi's expression eased a little, and he continued Jiang Lingyao's words: "So, when Chen Shuangxi opened the back door of the pagoda and saw the note, he would definitely sneak in."
Duan Nanqi's voice was steady. He said, "It seems that even if there was a demon-subduing pestle suddenly appearing in the pagoda, Chen Shuangxi did not give up. He must have a reason to escape."
But what was the reason? And the person who seduced Chen Shuangxi must have known where the cellar was, otherwise how did he communicate with Chen Shuangxi?
The murderer must have known Chen Shuangxi very well and knew that he would never sit still and wait for death.
Jiang Lingyao's eyes fixed, and she asked Duan Nanqi: "Master Duan, have all the people who were used as supervisors been reviewed? What about Feng Shuanzi? What about Zhao Cheng? And...what about those eunuchs who lived with the craftsmen day and night?"
Duan Nanqi's eyes were slightly cold. As Rong Jingui's apprentice, as the fourth in command of the Yu Yong Supervisor, and as a eunuch who controlled these craftsmen in order to win the favor of His Majesty, he was most likely to be familiar with Chen Shuangxi.
Duan Nanqi looked back at Jiang Lingyao. It was clearly the first time they met at the crime scene, but the two of them had an unspeakable tacit understanding. They didn't need to say much. As long as one could explain the case clearly, the other would know how to respond.
This kind of tacit understanding cannot be ignored.
But the two of them just glanced at each other quietly, and in a flash they lost sight of each other and no longer looked at each other.
Duan Nanqi said: "In the Rong Jingui case, Feng Shuanzi had a motive, but he had no possibility of committing the crime, and Zhao Cheng had neither motive nor opportunity. However, the confessions they gave previously did not involve Chen Shuangxi. Therefore, in this case, the Jinyiwei first detained them separately in preparation for the final interrogation."
Duan Nanqi is countless times smarter than Cen Yu. He does not resort to private actions or torture. Instead, he spends more time gently questioning the people involved in the case, from the lightest to the most serious, and uses the testimonies of the previous people to interrogate the next generation.
Although this kind of trial is slower than severe torture, it is very effective. It not only reduces the number of false and wrongful convictions, but also solves cases quickly. This has also led to the Dongsifang headed by Duan Nanqi being commended by His Majesty three times in just two months.
No wonder the captains under him are so honest and obedient. With such a smart leadership, promotions are just around the corner.
The boss can lead them all the way to success, so why should they work so hard on their own?
Duan Nanqi looked at Jiang Lingyao and said, "Guess who will be the one handling the case in the end?"
Jiang Lingyao paused, lowered her eyes and said, "I can't guess. We can't solve cases by guessing, we have to rely on evidence."
Duan Nanqi laughed lightly, but Jiang Lingyao knew that he was laughing at her stubbornness and simplicity.
The two men did not say much here. When they came out from the back compartment, they had already searched the place in detail for more than an hour.
Yao Yuan was very good at livening up the atmosphere. Seeing that everyone had gloomy faces, he said, "Ah, this is really amazing. In the past, it took at least three to five days to find clues in a murder case. Today, we found the cause of death in just one hour. This is already the best result."
Jiang Lingyao paused slightly, but she didn't say much. However, she knew what was going on in her heart.
The murderer arranged this situation hastily. Due to limited time and insufficient conditions, there are many loopholes in his arrangement. Jiang Lingyao thought that as long as Chen Shuangxi was not overwhelmed by the joy of escaping death, he would not necessarily die here and die obediently according to the method of death set by the murderer.
It was precisely because of their haste that they were able to uncover the truth about the death so quickly and deduced step by step to the final murderer.
After the first round of interrogation is over, all the testimonies are summarized, and combined with all the clues at the scene, they will be able to analyze the final few suspects.
Then there is a second interrogation of the final suspect.
Jiang Lingyao believed that with the interrogation skills of the Imperial Guard, they would be able to identify the real murderer.
Thinking of this, Jiang Lingyao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She had been tense from the moment she heard of Chen Shuangxi's death until now, and she had been holding on even after being drugged. At this moment, she finally relaxed, and then she felt the fatigue coming over her like a tide, causing her to sway for a while as she stood there.
At this moment, the familiar sheath of the Xiuchun Sword was pressed against her lower back again.
The knife was solid and hard, as if it was tempered with ice and snow that had not melted for thousands of years, and it exuded endless chill.
Thanks to this knife, Jiang Lingyao did not fall down and stood up straight with the help of it.
Jiang Lingyao calmed herself down, turned around, and saw Duan Nanqi looking down at her.
There was a dull and cold look in the eyes of both of them, and neither of them smiled when they looked at each other.
Duan Nanqi only glanced at her once and then looked away, as if there was no need to look at her any further.
"Master Xiao Qiao, you should practice more," Duan Nanqi suddenly said jokingly, "You don't look strong enough."
"If we encounter danger and fail to avoid it in time, it would be really worrying, don't you think?"
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