The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries, and Shen Suning's mood noticeably improved.
Jiang Lingyao then said seriously, "Su Ning, I came to Wanping to investigate a person named Li Hong. He came to Wanping fifteen years ago, but disappeared after entering the city. No one knows where he is."
Shen Suning said: "Okay."
Jiang Lingyao was touched and happy. She stretched out her hand and pinched Shen Suning's face, saying helplessly, "You are too obedient, girl. What will you do if you are deceived in the future?"
Shen Suning said, "But I don't trust outsiders, how can I be fooled?"
"You..." Jiang Lingyao's throat choked. She took a deep breath and said, "You are familiar with Aunt Wang. She will go with you to consult people tomorrow. She will just be disguised. Don't be afraid then."
Jiang Lingyao asked Xingyun to fetch the box and said, "This is a portrait of Li Hong. Because more than ten years have passed, the memories of those who are familiar with him have become fuzzy. I pieced together this portrait from various sources, so it can only be used temporarily."
"Li Hong was not yet 30 years old when he came to Wanping. I don't know whether he was alone or had a wife. I also don't know whether he had changed his name or his disguise. Therefore, I can only follow the portrait to find him."
Jiang Lingyao said, "Auntie Wang is the most clever. She has been hanging around in the fields for many years. She knows how to ask questions skillfully. You just need to listen to her. But Auntie Wang is not good at investigating cases, so you need to help and guide her."
Jiang Lingyao was not very confident about the two of them helping in the investigation, so she couldn't help but be a little nagging.
"In my opinion, if you want to check, you should first check the inns, then look for pawnbrokers and post houses. If Li Hong wants to live here permanently, he will probably look for pawnbrokers. If not, he can also look for post houses to rent or buy horses and wait for an opportunity to leave Wanping."
Jiang Lingyao said everything that was on her mind in one breath, and then said, "I will first handle the Jingye Huayuan case in the next few days. When I have some free time, I will go to the county government to check the files from the early years and try to find clues from them."
They knew very little about Li Hong, except for his portrait and age as dictated by his ancestors, and nothing else.
We can only take our time and do a good job.
Shen Suning saw that Jiang Lingyao had a headache, so she said, "Don't worry, Senior Sister. Aunt Wang and I will definitely try our best."
Jiang Lingyao nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work. The guest room has been prepared in the backyard. Come back early every day to report safety. If I am not here, have someone tell Xingyun not to stay overnight."
Jiang Lingyao is her senior sister, so it is natural for her to take care of her affairs. Shen Suning felt warm in her heart and lowered her head and said, "I understand."
After Shen Suning climbed through the window and left, Jiang Lingyao called Xingyun and said, "I didn't expect that I would have to investigate a case in Wanping and didn't prepare any other accommodation. In this case, we should clean up the East Cross Courtyard in case of emergency."
The west wing of the Jiang family was purchased separately in the past, so only a moon gate was built on the wall. However, the west wing had another gate, and the Jiang family rarely lived there, so they did not spend money to repair it.
In this way, this western wing can be used as the temporary residence of Tui Guan Qiao.
This busy trip took almost half an hour. When the main hall in the west wing was tidied up, Jiang Lingyao and Tong Yun went over to put the magistrate's uniform and other belongings away.
She had just changed into her work uniform, combed her hair into a bun and put on a hair crown when she heard footsteps outside.
The sound of his footsteps was neat and uniform, not complicated, and one could tell that he was a military lieutenant.
This is the Royal Guard.
Jiang Lingyao's eyes lit up, she immediately put on her boots, sat up straight and listened carefully.
The Jinyiwei's voice was very quiet, and apart from the sound of footsteps, nothing else could be detected.
Jiang Lingyao sighed and said, "If Lord Yao had such a group of subordinates, he would probably wake up laughing in his dreams."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. Jiang Lingyao straightened her clothes, asked Xingyun to wait in the room, and went to open the door.
She opened the main gate of the west wing, and as expected, as soon as the gate opened, Wen Zhu's familiar face appeared outside.
Wen Zhucu was obviously very surprised when he saw her face. Jiang Lingyao almost bit off her tongue when she saw that he couldn't even finish the word "Qiao". She had to force herself not to laugh out loud.
When Duan Nanqi went out on duty, Wen Zhu usually just waited in the yamen and did not follow him day and night. Therefore, he had never met Qiao Tui Guan from Shuntian Prefecture. When he was sent by the young master to invite him, he was still worried. Now, seeing the face of this "Qiao Tui Guan", Wen Zhu almost popped his eyes out.
"Husband...husband..." Wen Zhu stuttered twice, then coughed lightly and said, "Qiao, Master Qiao, Envoy Duan Zhen from the East Office of the Jinyi Guard has a request for you. It's about a murder case. Please come to the mansion to report it."
Jiang Lingyao was impressed by Wen Zhu's straightforwardness. Although he was only a boy of seventeen or eighteen, his ability to respond was excellent. At least he did not call the wrong name in a panic.
Jiang Lingyao pretended not to know him and said calmly, "I understand. Please ask this... this young man to report to Lord Duan. I will be there soon."
Wen Zhu took a deep breath and saw that she looked unfamiliar. He knew that she definitely didn't recognize him. He started to wonder, could it be that they just looked similar but were not the same person?
He responded in confusion, turned around and walked back obediently. By the time he passed the Jiang family's gate, he had already made a judgment in his heart.
"Madam, you are a wealthy woman, you only wear gold and jade hairpins and brocade clothes, how can you live in a remote house with no makeup on?"
Wen Zhu was muttering to himself and was about to fall on the doorstep. Pei Yu helped him up and asked, "Is Wen Zhu okay?"
Wen Zhu shuddered when he heard this. He looked up suddenly and saw that Duan Nanqi didn't even look at him, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
If the young master knew that he had recognized the wrong person, he would definitely laugh at him and say that he was blind.
Jiang Lingyao did not let the people next door wait too long. She only took the badge and documents with her, and carefully put away Yao Yuan's handwriting, and then came to the Jiang family alone.
It is really strange that I have to wait at the door to be informed when I return to my own house.
However, it was late at night, and the gatekeepers of the Jiang family were all servants from Wanping County. They had never seen the face of the Sixth Miss, so when they saw the plain and elegant Qiao Tuiguan, they were naturally more surprised than Wen Zhu.
Jiang Lingyao entered smoothly. As soon as she arrived at the front hall, she saw several familiar figures. What surprised Jiang Lingyao was that Zheng, the coroner from Shuntian Mansion, was also there.
When Judge Qiao arrived, the officials exchanged greetings. After everyone had exchanged greetings, Jiang Lingyao asked the coroner Zheng, "Brother Zheng, how come you are here so quickly?"
Zheng Sanji is Xu Qing's apprentice. He is about thirty-four or thirty-five this year. He is a tall and thin middle-aged man. He looks somewhat like Xu Qing, but his temper is much better. He even smiled politely when he saw Jiang Lingyao, which shows his character.
Zheng Sanji was wiping the sweat off his forehead and said, "Ah, Master Qiao, I didn't want to handle the case in the nearby suburban county. When I returned to the county office in the evening, I heard about this big case and didn't ask the county magistrate to go to Shuntian Prefecture to ask for a coroner. I didn't expect that Master Qiao was also in Wanping."
Jiang Lingyao bowed politely and said, "I am also on a mission and just happened to be here."
That being said, it's quite a coincidence.
After the two finished talking, Duan Nanqi said, "Please sit down and talk. I originally came here with my wife to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Lantern Festival in two days, but I didn't expect to run into such a murder case as soon as I arrived in Wanping. Since I have encountered it, how can I ignore it? Therefore, this case will be investigated by the owner of the East Office."
Duan Nanxi bowed to the two of them, his face full of politeness: "I am very happy to have the help of the two Lords Yao's capable generals. When I return to Beijing, I will definitely thank Lord Yao and tell them about their hard work."
Jiang Lingyao was a superior official, so she spoke in an official tone: "It is our duty to share the worries of Your Majesty and serve the court. We don't deserve the word hardship."
The three of them talked for a few more words, and then Duan Nanqi coughed lightly and said, "I think Coroner Zheng has already known the case. The deceased is still in Jingye Garden. Why don't we talk while we walk?"
Zheng Sanji stood up quickly: "Yes, yes."
On the way there, Pei Yu explained the key points of the case to Zheng Sanji. When he heard that there was peony embroidery on the victim's waist and back, Zheng Sanji's face suddenly changed.
Duan Nanqi and Jiang Lingyao were walking beside him at the moment. Seeing his expression change slightly, the two looked at each other, and Jiang Lingyao pretended not to know and asked, "Brother Zheng, is there any doubt in this case?"
Zheng Sanji's squinting eyes that used to be happy now showed no joy at all. His face was pale, and there was a hint of depression between his brows.
"I only found out about this case after I went to the scene to investigate."
Jiang Lingyao paused for a moment, and immediately realized that there was a mystery behind this peony embroidery, so she whispered about what the peony embroidery looked like. Zheng Sanji just listened carefully and didn't say much.
When they arrived at the gate of Jingye Garden, the group was about to dismount, but Zheng Feng suddenly looked at the bushes on the south side of the garden gate with sharp eyes.
He jumped up and asked, "Who is it?"
As he moved, a figure in the grass moved, and a gray figure turned around and ran, rushing towards the wasteland ahead for his life.
But in the moment of catching their breath, both the peeping thief and Zheng Feng disappeared into the shoulder-high grass.
Duan Nanqi frowned slightly, and before he could say anything, the captain was so scared that his knees went weak and he fell to the ground: "Sir, I have done my job poorly, please punish me."
Duan Nanqi said calmly: "You are not my subordinate, how can I punish you?"
Having said that, he didn't even look at the captain of the police, and walked in quickly with a few people.
It is now starry night, and the garden is silent. The colorful flowers in the daytime are now like silent ghosts, standing one after another in the garden, layer upon layer, breathtaking.
As people arrived, dozens of lanterns were lit high and hung in rows on lampposts in the garden.
Zheng Sanji's quick steps suddenly stopped.
Jiang Lingyao immediately noticed that something was wrong with him. She turned around to look at him and saw that his eyes, which were always squinting, had widened sharply, as if he had seen some jackal, tiger or leopard, and his face was full of fear.
Jiang Lingyao didn't need to turn around to know that he had seen the shape of the deceased.
In the garden late at night, among the clusters of enchanting peonies, a corner of a deep red embroidered peony painting is revealed.
As the lights around it came on, the peony was filled with flowing light and shadow, as if swaying leisurely in the night.
Zheng Sanji's breathing became rapid.
Cold sweat ran down his face and his heavy breathing caused several people to look at him.
But Zheng Sanji no longer cared about that.
He pursed his dry lips and murmured in a clear voice: "It's him, he's back again."
Duan Nanqi asked in a deep voice, "Who is it?"
Zheng Sanji replied: "I don't know."
"It's been fourteen years, fourteen years," Zheng Sanji said, almost in tears, "This case has been going on for fourteen years."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
