No one could have imagined that the skinny young man could be so agile. Before anyone could react, he flashed in front of Jiang Lingyao.
The carving knife in his hand stabbed towards Jiang Lingyao's throat at lightning speed.
Jiang Lingyao had already been drugged tonight, and the interrogation room was dark at the moment. Even if she reacted, her hands and feet could not keep up, and she could only watch the carving knife approaching.
In a trance, she heard Pei Yu's voice: "Bold!"
Then, a cold light flashed before her eyes. Jiang Lingyao closed her eyes unconsciously, without having time to think about anything.
But the pain did not spread from the throat. Jiang Lingyao took a breath and then opened her eyes.
In front of her were Duan Nanxi's strong and powerful arms and the familiar Xiuchun sword.
Duan Nanqi's Xiuchun sword is not similar to his official position. There is no gemstone inlay on the blade, the scabbard is made of dark red sandalwood, and the handle is wide and long, which can be held with both hands.
But such a plain and simple sword is as powerful as thunder and can resist all wolves, ghosts, snakes and monsters.
Jiang Lingyao only heard a "bang" and Feng Shuanzi was flung away in an unimaginable manner by that ordinary Xiuchun sword.
She only had time to open her eyes wide and didn't even have time to scream before Feng Shuanzi fell to the ground in a panic.
Duan Nanzhi had not yet retracted his Xiuchun Sword, and all the Jinyi Guards around him, except for one who was holding Feng Shuanzi tightly, fell to their knees.
"Sir, it is my fault. Please punish me."
Duan Nanzhui slowly put the Xiuchun Knife back to his waist. He did not even look at the Jinyi Guards kneeling on the ground, but looked at Jiang Lingyao politely.
"Master Xiao Qiao, are you not scared?" Duan Nanqi asked, "It is all because I was not strict enough to control you, so Master Xiao Qiao got scared. It is my fault."
Jiang Lingyao had never seen Duan Nanqi like this before. Although he had a smile on his face and a gentle voice, Jiang Lingyao could somehow sense some anger in him.
Of course, this anger did not come from Jiang Lingyao, but from Feng Shuanzi who was lying on the ground.
Jiang Lingyao had been a magistrate for half a year. Although she had encountered some major cases, she had never been in danger. But she was not a young lady who had never seen anything. At this moment, she could still raise the corners of her lips and reveal a gentle smile.
"Master Duan, it's just a small matter," Jiang Lingyao said in a soft and soothing voice, "No one would have thought that such a frail young man could have such murderous intentions."
It seemed that because of her persuasion, Duan Nanqi's aura suddenly faded a little.
Yao Yuan spoke up at the right time: "Hey, Master Duan, aren't they all unharmed? Master Qiao said it's fine, so it's fine. Don't worry too much."
This case involves two government offices. If Shuntian Prefecture does not offer to mediate, looking at the situation of Duan Nanxi, I'm afraid that several Jinyiwei will be punished on the spot.
This matter cannot be resolved peacefully.
Lord Yao is well versed in the ways of officialdom, and what he said at this moment was simply brilliant.
Duan Nanqi then said: "No matter what, it is all my fault. I owe Master Qiao a meal at Zui Xiang Lou."
As he said this, he turned around and looked at the Jinyi Guards who were kneeling on the ground: "Why don't you thank Master Yao and Master Qiao?"
After everyone thanked him, Duan Nanqi allowed them to get up.
It seems that Duan Nanqi has the final say in the East Office. The leaders of the Jinyi Guard, even those as high as the thousand households, all follow his lead.
At this moment, Feng Shuanzi had been shackled, with his feet and hands tied to the torture chair. Duan Nanqi was not even prepared to torture him, so he said, "You speak for yourself."
Criminals who are cornered often look like this. They may seem extremely vicious, but they are completely defeated and do not need any torture at all.
From this point of view, Feng Shuanzi is not as good as Xu Baocai.
Sure enough, after hearing Duan Nanqi's words, Feng Shuanzi slowly raised his head.
The cowardice on his face disappeared, leaving only resentment that had nowhere to vent: "I can't imagine how you found out. I did it perfectly, and God was helping me, but you still found out."
Feng Shuanzi's voice was like a bellows with a leak, wheezing, as if he could no longer ignite the fire in his heart.
He really didn't need anyone to ask, he said: "My family is in the north, and we have been fighting all year round. Unlike the military households in Yanjing, we have to train in the barracks since we were young, and be ready to resist the attack of Wala at any time."
Feng Shuanzi said, "I have had poor health since I was young, and I am much thinner than ordinary people. I used to have my father and brother to take care of me, but they died in the battlefield one after another, and I am the only one left at home. I don't want to die in vain, leaving only a line of cold numbers on the military roll without even a name."
"So during one of the battles, I escaped."
"I originally learned the craft of making military weapons in the military camp. With this skill, I went all the way to Lizhou. I found a dark alley in Lizhou to change my household registration and entered the craftsman bureau in Lizhou."
Lizhou is not far from Yanjing and can be reached in just one day by horseback riding. It is also considered an important road in the north.
"It was there that I met Rong Jingui. Rong Jingui was there to select people. He actually knew a lot of people in the black alleys, so he knew my story. He saw that I had good skills, so he held my weakness and asked me to be his master and apprentice. In fact, he just wanted me to do the delicate work for him that he couldn't do."
"It is the wish of every craftsman to be able to enter the Yu|Yongguan, and I am no exception even if I changed my profession halfway."
"But I never thought Rong Jingui would be so cruel."
Feng Shuanzi sneered, "In fact, I have already learned 80% of the eye-dotting skills. The only thing left is the inlaying of large materials. As long as I can learn this, Rong Jingui will be useless, and I can completely replace him. He has been drinking for many years, and his hands have been in bad shape for a long time. The past two years have been particularly difficult. Fortunately, Yu Yongjian doesn't have many large jobs, and I can make small objects perfectly by myself."
"But he was too greedy." Feng Shuanzi's voice was filled with obvious hatred. "He wanted to change his job, wanted to get rid of his craftsman status, wanted to trample all the people in the prison under his feet, and then leave alone to live a carefree life. That's why he came up with the idea of the gilded pagoda and designed such a majestic Buddha statue on the front."
"But he was already at the end of his rope. He wanted to do everything he could to please Wei Gou, but he didn't think about whether he could actually build this ultimate pagoda."
As expected, the pagoda could not be built. Or, in other words, with only the last step left, the pagoda had failed.
How can the Buddha be blind?
Is this slandering Buddha or disrespecting the royal family?
Rong Jingui was blinded by greed and overestimated himself. Even after the pagoda and the Buddha statue were completed, he still could not complete the final finishing touch.
Feng Shuanzi asked, "Do you know what method he has come up with in order to avoid taking responsibility for his mistakes?"
Jiang Lingyao answered him: "He wants to burn down the pagoda?"
Feng Shuanzi laughed bitterly, "No, he wanted to burn down the entire prison. Only if the prison was destroyed by accident, he would not start building a second pagoda immediately. And... who knows how many people would die in the prison? And would he injure his arm while saving people in the prison, and not only would he be unable to work, but also become a loyal hero?"
"If all the craftsmen are dead and there is no one available, then it is uncertain whether the pagoda will be built or not. Then the emperor will only blame Eunuch Wei for lax management. How will he know that it was the prison guards who set the fire themselves?"
Feng Shuanzi raised his head and looked at Jiang Lingyao: "I can tolerate him bullying me, I can work hard for him, I can even be his OEM without a name, but I can't tolerate him trying to kill me."
"He thought I knew nothing, but I had been with him for two or three years, serving him day and night, so I knew exactly what he was thinking."
"I saw him prepare kerosene in advance, I saw him conspiring with Xu Baocai, I saw him threatening Chen Shuangxi, I saw him secretly studying the lamppost, so I thought, I can't let him do this."
"As long as he dies, I can make a Buddha statue for him. Even if it's not perfect, even if it can't become a treasure passed down from generation to generation, I can still make a pagoda that is 80% to 90% perfect."
Feng Shuanzi seemed to have known that he would not survive. He spoke in a sinister and presumptuous manner: "How can the emperor, who is so high above us, tell the difference between each weapon? He doesn't even know that every precious tribute presented in the past two years was made by me."
"What am I afraid of?"
Jiang Lingyao did not refute him, but just asked: "So, you used your savings to buy a killer?"
Feng Shuanzi nodded. At this point, he simply said everything he knew: "Yes, Tonghua Lane can sell anything and buy anything, but the murderer is not so easy to buy. If I hadn't been there for more than half a year and hadn't been very cautious, Tonghua Lane would definitely not accept my business."
"Guess what, with all his wealth and glory, how much is his life worth?"
Jiang Lingyao did not answer, as she did not know the price of Tonghua Lane, but Duan Nanqi said calmly: "Although Rong Jingui is a prisoner, he is only a craftsman. To Tonghua Lane, he is only half a level higher than ordinary people. Ordinary people are worth about 200 taels, while he may be worth 300 taels."
Jiang Lingyao frowned slightly. The three hundred taels was exactly the price of the stones that Feng Shuanzi had stolen and sold. However, Feng Shuanzi had started stealing the stones in August last year, and the construction of the pagoda only started in January this year.
This made her feel a little strange, but she couldn't figure out what was strange about it.
Just as Jiang Lingyao frowned in deep thought, Feng Shuanzi said, "Your Excellency is truly a man of foresight."
Jiang Lingyao had never heard of the story of Tonghua Lane. She was shocked when she heard this. She subconsciously worried: "If three hundred taels can buy a life, then isn't that..."
Isn't it that there is no law under heaven? How can ordinary people make a living? If this continues, the world will be in chaos.
Duan Nanqi glanced at her and his voice slowed down a bit: "The origins behind Tonghua Lane are complicated, and Jinyiwei cannot investigate them one by one. However, Tonghua Lane does not have more than two murders a year. Most of them are just engaged in reselling."
Duan Nanqi glanced at Feng Shuanzi and whispered to Jiang Lingyao, "If it's not someone who really deserves to be killed, Tonghua Lane won't take action."
Jiang Lingyao suddenly felt relieved.
She immediately understood that Rong Jingui wanted to burn the entire prison to death. Once the prison caught fire, it would surely harm ordinary people nearby, and the casualties would be incalculable. This behavior was too shocking, and Tonghua Lane didn't know how to find out the details, so it accepted Feng Shuanzi's order.
But Xu Baocai did not kill the man, so why did Xu Baocai admit it so easily?
Jiang Lingyao looked up at Feng Shuanzi. She thought for a moment and was a little surprised: "Could it be that... Xu Baocai wanted to kill Rong Jingui not just to protect you, but also to do so. Did you two act at the same time?"
Feng Shuanzi didn't know how Xu Baocai confessed, but he saw the scene when Rong Jingui died, so he just sneered and said, "Xu Baocai regarded Yu Yongjian as his own life. He has always been proud of his identity as a Yu Yong craftsman. How can he accept Rong Jingui's intention to destroy Yu Yongjian?"
Feng Shuanzi said mockingly: "Rong Jingui chose him as his assistant, which is neither cunning nor stupid."
"But," Feng Shuanzi sneered, "but it doesn't matter anymore. Anyway, they are all dead, and I am going to die too."
————
At this point, the whole case was basically explained, but Jiang Lingyao was still a little confused. She asked, "Then why did Xu Baocai set up the crime scene for you? And when you hired a killer to kill someone, what method did you choose to kill him?"
As Feng Shuanzi said, when he hired a killer to kill someone, Tonghuaxiang would definitely only do the job for money. The killer probably wouldn't go to the trouble of arranging the scene, and would leave quickly after killing someone. After all, the killers only live to kill people and don't care about anything else.
It was because of Jiang Lingyao's question that the indifference on Feng Shuanzi's face gradually disappeared, and was replaced by confusion.
He really doesn't know.
Feng Shuanzi recalled for a long time before saying, "Sir, I have come to this point. There is nothing to hide anymore. I know I cannot survive, so I will just tell you everything I know."
Feng Shuanzi seemed extremely sincere: "But I really don't know how the killer killed people, and why Xu Baocai did that."
Feng Shuanzi said: "But after the killer killed the man, he left two leaves by my window, which means that the job was done."
Jiang Lingyao was a little confused: "What if the killer didn't make a move, or was a step slower than Xu Baocai, but he did see Rong Jingui was dead, would he also tell the buyer that the matter was successful?"
Feng Shuanzi didn't know how to answer, so he didn't say anything. Instead, Duan Nanqi said, "No."
His voice was calm, but everyone in the interrogation room could hear: "Tonghua Lane values integrity above all else. If the target is dead before the killer strikes, the killer will only leave a leaf, which means the action has failed."
Duan Nanqi was very familiar with Tonghua Lane: "They will even return 30% of the silver as compensation for the failure of the operation."
Jiang Lingyao did not consider whether Duan Nanqi's words were right or wrong. She directly said affirmatively: "In that case, Rong Jingui must be the killer. If that's the case, Xu Baocai's behavior is even more bizarre."
Feng Shuanzi had nothing more to say at this point. He didn't care about these matters. He just asked, "Why do you suspect that I am the murderer of Chen Shuangxi? When he died, I should have been looking at the Buddha statue with He San."
Jiang Lingyao said, "Because you acted hastily, you thought you had arranged a perfect murder scene. But if you look closely, you'll find flaws everywhere. We can easily guess that the scene was arranged in advance, just waiting for Chen Shuangxi to fall into the trap. You were not in the front yard when he died, which seems to be ironclad evidence of your absence."
Jiang Lingyao sighed: "But have you ever thought about this? In the first Rong Jingui case, you were the only suspect who was not in custody. In the Chen Shuangxi case, you seemed to be not at the scene. The first time was just luck, but what about the second time?"
"Twice it must have been intentional."
Jiang Lingyao's words made Feng Shuanzi's face suddenly full of gloom.
He murmured, "It turns out that my organization is not mature enough, or I am too hasty."
Jiang Lingyao looked at Duan Nanqi, who lowered his eyes to look at the testimony in his hand and asked, "You said you wanted to kill Chen Shuangxi because he had seen you go to Tonghua Lane and you were afraid that he would guess that you hired someone to kill someone. But in fact, Xu Baocai had already admitted that he was the one who killed Rong Jingui. Why did you do this?"
Feng Shuanzi was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't know Chen Shuangxi, and you're not familiar with him. He is usually timid, but he dared to steal the stones and sell them in Tonghua Lane. He is a ruthless character who will bite back if he is cornered. Only he and Rong Jingui knew my military household status. I think he was the one who exposed me."
"But I didn't know he had exposed me, so I was always worried that the matter would be exposed."
"Now it seems that it was Eunuch Wei who saved me, and he was abandoned. If you were Chen Shuangxi, how would you act?"
If they were Chen Shuangxi, they would definitely tell him about Feng Shuanzi's murderous behavior in exchange for the opportunity to stay in Yu's custody.
Jiang Lingyao nodded. At this point, she basically understood everything.
She finally asked, "Feng Shuanzi, tell me how you killed Chen Shuangxi."
Feng Shuanzi's gaze moved and finally landed on her face. Seeing that her expression was gentle and there was no intention of belittling or neglecting him, he lowered his head.
He whispered, "Many people in the prison don't know how Rong Jingui died. They only know that Xu Baocai killed him. I stayed in the prison well. Chen Shuangxi saw that it was Eunuch Wei who wanted to protect me, but I didn't know that he had revealed my household registration status. So when he went out to the toilet, he handed me a note."
Chen Shuangxi was also very powerful, and he used this as an excuse to threaten Feng Shuanzi.
"He didn't know that I hired someone to kill Rong Jingui. He thought I was so timid that I wouldn't dare to resist even when I was bullied. So he threatened me that if I didn't tell him where to change my household registration or travel permit, he would sue me for all my crimes."
Feng Shuanzi had done so many bad things in his life that he was naturally afraid.
“So I decided to go all out and use the empty room in the workshop where the Buddha statues were being made to set up the scene in the front courtyard.”
"I took some ice and used ropes to set up a hoisting mechanism. The other end of the mechanism was stuck with a piece of paper with the address he wanted. He only needed to tear off the paper and the mechanism would be triggered, and the ice cubes on the hanging ring would fall and hit him towards the demon-subduing pestle I had made and installed at the bottom of the pagoda. The position was originally suitable for the pestle, and a groove had been left there."
So that's why there are so many hemp ropes at the bottom of the pagoda. Chen Shuangxi didn't think there was anything unusual about the vajra.
Feng Shuanzi paused and said, "I was afraid that he would be quick to move, so I specially burned the Ecstasy Powder in the pagoda to make sure that he would die. Then, Master Qiao."
"Did I succeed?" Feng Shuanzi raised his head and looked at Jiang Lingyao.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi looked at each other and finally said, "You succeeded.
Feng Shuanzi smiled a smile that was uglier than crying: "Look, I am the best craftsman in Yu Yongjian. No one can compare to me."
"What a pity. I have a bad luck."
At this point, Feng Shuanzi had completely lost the will to live.
Duan Nanqi saw that he had explained the case clearly, thought for a moment, and said: "Master Yao, Master Qiao, this case has been reviewed, and the people involved have been arrested or killed. There should be no further follow-up. So this case is closed at this time. The Jinyiwei will re-record the statement later. The two masters can go to the outer room and wait for a while."
Jiang Lingyao didn't notice anything wrong. It was only when she followed Yao Yuan out of Jinyiwei that Yao Yuan narrowed his eyes.
Because Lord Yao was too fat, there was no place for the fat on his face, so his eyes were squeezed so hard that he had to squint.
At this moment, he squinted his eyes, and only two slits could be seen on his face, making it impossible to see the gleam in his eyes.
Jiang Lingyao was quite familiar with him. When he narrowed his eyes, Jiang Lingyao asked in a low voice: "Sir, what's wrong?"
Yao Yuan glanced back at the closed interrogation room and whispered, "The Royal Guards are probably not here just for this case. They may want to continue the interrogation."
But Yao Yuan did not say what the interrogation was about, and Jiang Lingyao did not ask any further questions.
The two of them sat in the room on the other side of the west wing for a while, and then Duan Nanzhu walked in quickly.
With just the right amount of cynicism on his face, he bowed to Yao Yuan as soon as he came in and said, "Hey, Master Yao, congratulations, you solved the case so quickly."
Lord Yao also stood up hurriedly, smiling until his face turned red: "Congratulations, congratulations, the speed at which this case was solved is simply shocking. Lord Duan is really a dragon among men. No wonder His Majesty admires him so much. I am ashamed, ashamed."
Duan Nanqi put his arm around his shoulders and said in a friendly tone, "It's all because of the capable subordinates of Lord Yao that the work was done so quickly. Lord Yao, rest assured, I will report every detail of this case to Your Majesty."
Yao Yuan's face showed a look of surprise.
"Thank you, Master Duan."
Duan Nanqi was very kind: "Of course, of course. We are all colleagues. There will be many opportunities for us to work together in the future. Besides, I may have to borrow some capable men from you in the future. I will let you know in advance."
Yao Yuan paused for a second, then smiled again: "They are all working for His Majesty, how can they be borrowed? It is their blessing to be able to contribute to the case, and I hope Lord Duan will promote them more."
The two of them talked back and forth, without missing a word or stopping, but every sentence made people feel comfortable and they wished they could call each other brothers.
After this series of attacks were completed, both of them were satisfied. After they sat down together, Duan Nanqi said, "Let's review the case again. What we record today will be the final case record, which will be presented to Your Majesty."
Duan Nanqi asked Pei Yu to unfold the letter and write, then he looked at Jiang Lingyao and said, "Master Qiao, please."
Jiang Lingyao was a prosecutor. The prosecutor's job was to assist the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture in solving criminal cases. After the case was closed, it was usually the prosecutor who would issue a record of the case.
Jiang Lingyao was already very familiar with the driving, so when Duan Nanqi opened his mouth, she closed her eyes and then spoke.
She first described the circumstances of Rong Jingui's death and the clues she found at the time, and then went on to explain how the autopsy and trial were conducted. Finally, during the interrogation of the suspect, Xu Baocai confessed.
She spoke all this based solely on her memory, and her description was clear and accurate.
Duan Nanqi kept his eyes down, but listened attentively. After she finished telling the first case, Duan Nanqi spoke at the right time: "Master Qiao, you have a great memory. Master Qiao should take the credit for solving this case."
At some point, he stopped jokingly calling her "Little Lady Qiao" and had long since become the serious Lady Qiao.
Jiang Lingyao was quite reserved and said calmly, "Thank you, Lord Duan, for your praise. I don't deserve it."
Duan Nanqi did not dwell on the matter any further. He said, "I wonder if Master Qiao can infer why Xu Baocai did this."
Jiang Lingyao paused slightly. She had actually already thought of the reason why Xu Baocai took action, but that was not a question to be asked during the interrogation of Feng Shuanzi, so she had not said much.
When Duan Nanqi asked her about this, she said, "Sir, in my opinion, the killers in Tonghua Lane should have used silver needles with safflower poison to kill people. They blew the needles from a distance, and the poisonous needles with safflower poison pierced the blood vessels of the deceased. The needles may be very thin and leave no trace. Once they enter the body, they will disappear into the blood vessels of the deceased like a fish entering the sea. If Uncle Xu carefully investigates every inch of Rong Jingui's bones and blood, he can probably find it."
Duan Nanqi nodded: "Yes."
Jiang Lingyao continued, "I think that after Rong Jingui got drunk, he lost consciousness, and Xu Baocai dragged him all the way back to the prison, and he didn't know whether the people around him were dead or alive. When he returned to the prison, it was probably when he entered the room that the murderer blew the needle into the body of the deceased. The poison needle was special, so there was no external injury on the deceased's body."
Jiang Lingyao's face was as calm as water and her words were clear. It seemed that she had already figured out the causes and consequences clearly and was just repeating them now.
Duan Nanxi raised the corners of his lips slightly and listened to her story with great pleasure.
Jiang Lingyao said, "According to Uncle Xu, after a person is poisoned by safflower, the poison enters the blood and harms the heart. Rong Jingui died after taking a few breaths. At this moment, Xu Baocai thought he was just drunk and sleepy. He was very nervous because he was going to kill someone, and he didn't notice that he was actually killing a dead person."
"So, he stabbed Rong Jingui's throat with a silver needle. After killing him, he stopped panicking and saw that Rong Jingui was indeed dead. He then continued to arrange the scene and arranged the deceased to look like what we see now."
Jiang Lingyao finally said, "When Xu Baocai confessed, he only said that he bought a steel needle to kill someone, but he didn't know that the victim died of safflower poison. At that time, we guessed that the dark market might be merciful and worried that he would fail to do his job, so they gave him a buy one get one free and gave him an extra needle with safflower poison."
"But this is not common sense. Lord Duan just said that those who do these secret businesses value honesty the most. So if someone wants to buy a steel needle, they will only give him the steel needle. They won't do anything extra because the buyer won't say that they want to use it to kill people. After all, the steel needle can be used for anything."
Unless Xu Baocai was crazy, he would not say when buying the steel needle that he was going to use it to kill people.
"So, when the fact that Feng Shuanzi hired the murderer is confirmed, we can analyze the whole case clearly. Feng Shuanzi hired the murderer first, and Xu Baocai killed the dead Rong Jingui, and then arranged the body. Feng Shuanzi was worried that the Tonghua Lane killer did not completely kill Rong Jingui, and he did not know what happened in the front yard, so he sneaked over to take a peek."
Jiang Lingyao said: "He didn't care about Rong Jingui, he just wanted to know whether Rong Jingui was dead or not. However, Rong Jingui's death was so horrible that he was beyond his expectations. However, he was very smart and made up an excuse that it was the Grandmaster's heavenly punishment on the spot."
"Everything is so seamless."
If they had not conducted on-site investigations, performed autopsies, interrogated suspects, and then discussed the case together, they would not have been able to investigate the case so quickly.
During this period, neither is indispensable.
Once Jiang Lingyao had finished talking about the Rong Jingui case, there would be no need to review the Chen Shuangxi case any further.
This prison serial murder case came to an end at this moment.
Yao Yuan was good at playing dumb, and did not ask how much credit he had received. He immediately stood up and said, "I know you have worked hard today, so why don't you go back and rest early? If Lord Duan still has other questions about the case, you can send someone to the Shuntian government office tomorrow, and Shuntian will cooperate."
Jiang Lingyao then stood up with him and saluted Duan Nanxi.
"Master Duan, I will take my leave."
Duan Nanzhuo sat steadily on the chair. He looked up at Jiang Lingyao. The flickering candlelight diffused behind him, making half of his face look handsome like an immortal.
He is half light and half dark.
Duan Nanqi smiled brightly at Jiang Lingyao: "Master Qiao, go back and have a good rest. During the day you should..."
Duan Nanqi's voice paused slightly, but became gentler: "There should be nothing wrong at home during the day."
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