As she spoke, Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi's eyes fell on the embroidery at the same time.
Even if you ask an ordinary embroiderer to look at this embroidery, she would not be able to examine it so carefully. Only because this old embroiderer had seen Rong Niang's craftsmanship before, could she clearly recognize the word "Rong".
The two of them put their heads together and stared at the old embroiderer's hands intently. They saw that among the layers of red flowers and leaves, there was a leaf near the upper right corner with slightly complicated veins. Looking closely, it was undoubtedly a word "Rong" embroidered on it.
The veins and leaves are both red, but one is darker and the other is slightly lighter. If no one points it out, you really can't tell the difference.
The old embroiderer said: "Her embroidery signature is very unique. It is completely integrated into the embroidery pattern and does not stand out. I praised her for it back then. Who would have thought..."
The old lady sighed and said, "Who would have thought that she would never come again."
When they heard the old embroiderer talk about this embroiderer, they speculated whether she was one of the two victims. But when they heard that the embroiderer had a birthmark on her face, they knew that she was not a victim.
Seeing that Old Lady Xiu had finished her words, Jiang Lingyao spoke up at the right time: "Grandma, apart from the birthmark on her face, what does Lady Rong look like? Is there anything else special about her face? Or has she ever said where she is from or where she lives?"
The old lady thought about it carefully, shook her head at first, and then she said hesitantly: "It's been too long. I don't think I asked her where she lived and where she was from. So I don't know where she is, but here at the corner of her mouth..."
The old lady pointed to the corner of her lips and said, "There is a small mole here. I felt very sorry for it back then. If she didn't have the birthmark covering half of her face, she would have been a beauty."
When Jiang Lingyao heard about the mole on the lip, her heart skipped a beat. She exchanged glances with Duan Nanqi, then looked at the old embroiderer: "Grandma, can you tell when this embroidery was made?"
This time the old embroiderer did not look at the embroidery again. She said with certainty, "This embroidery must be more than ten years old. Look at the base fabric, it is made of diamond pattern brocade. Diamond pattern brocade was discontinued six years ago. The cloth shops nearby no longer produce it. But using this kind of diamond pattern brocade to make birthday clothes was a hobby ten years ago. Both of the two side coats sold by Rong Niang at that time were made of diamond pattern brocade. Looking at the stitches, they are almost the same as the embroidery of that year. I think this side coat was either made by Rong Niang fifteen years ago, or no more than two or three years later, probably around that time."
"But..." said the old lady, "It's obvious that the person who preserved this garment cherishes it. Look at the embroidery. There is no roughness or pilling at all. In fact, the entire embroidery is clean and looks like new. Except for a strange smell, it is almost brand new."
Jiang Lingyao asked: "Grandma, this embroidery is over ten years old, how can it be preserved like new?"
The old embroiderer said, "This embroidery piece must be carefully cared for. When not in use, wrap it with silk and place it in a box with insect repellent to avoid the sun. It will not go bad over the years. But if it is used all year round, it will become mottled and the color will fade. This red color will become mottled and unsightly, and it will not be so complete."
Jiang Lingyao nodded and said she understood.
Duan Nanqi looked at Pei Yu and saw that he had written down the testimony of Old Xiu Niang, so he asked politely, "Grandma, what else can you remember about this Rong Niang?"
The old lady thought about it for a moment, and finally shook her head: "That's all I have."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, with a warm smile on her face: "Grandma, if you think of anything, please inform the nearby patrol shop and we will come back to ask. Thank you for your cooperation."
"Grandma, I'll have to trouble you to sign the testimony."
The old embroiderer was quite calm. She finished her words neatly and signed her name directly. Perhaps because she had been painting patterns for many years, her signature was very beautiful and had a sense of exquisite meaning.
After everything was done, Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi stood up together, looking like they were about to leave.
Old Xiuniang sat there without moving. She sighed and asked sadly, "Did something happen to Rongniang?"
Jiang Lingyao paused and said, "We don't know yet. This embroidery is just related to some cases."
Old Xiu Niang said, "I understand. If you don't mind the trouble, please let the yamen runners tell me how Rong Niang lived in the end."
"After all, we met each other..."
Amid the old man's sigh, the group left the teahouse. After they were able to mount their horses, Jiang Lingyao asked, "Sir, do you want to check other embroidery shops?"
Duan Nanqi looked up at the golden sign of the embroidery shop and said, "No need. Since Miss Rong brought her embroidery here to sell, she must have known that she could get a high price here. So she would not sell her embroidery elsewhere, and the things she practiced in her early years would not be appreciated so much and remembered till now."
However, Duan Nanqi is still extremely rigorous in his work.
He called Captain Zhou who had been following behind him and said, "Take your people to continue asking the embroidery workshop. If anyone remembers this Rong Niang, please write a testimony and sign it. It must be done today."
After giving these instructions, he said to Jiang Lingyao, "Master Qiao, why don't we go to the county government office and meet with Magistrate Qian first?"
Jiang Lingyao cupped her hands and said, "Okay."
It was morning time, and the city of Wanping was becoming increasingly lively. The streets and alleys were filled with common people coming and going. Even if the group was riding horses, they could only walk slowly and could not go fast.
Duan Nanqi saw Jiang Lingyao frowning in deep thought. After a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Master Qiao, do you think that Rong Niang has anything to do with this case?"
Jiang Lingyao tilted her head to look at him, and saw that he was riding the horse leisurely. Although the questions he asked were very serious, there was a bright smile on his face, as if the group was just out for fun.
Jiang Lingyao was already used to seeing him like this, so there was no extra emotion on her face. She just said, "I thought there was."
Duan Nanqi raised his eyebrows and looked at her: "Oh? Please give me your opinion, Master Qiao."
Jiang Lingyao said, "It would be the best if the embroidery in the old case could be preserved. We can ask Grandma to check it again. Even if it cannot be preserved, based on the clues we have now, we can probably infer that Rong Niang must be a special person in this case."
"The most important thing is the embroidery she made. It is more than ten years old. If it is even older, it must be about fourteen or fifteen years old. If she used it to make up the dead just because she liked the pattern, I think it is inappropriate. I always think that the murderer deliberately preserved this exquisite embroidery and carried out the murder today to get what he wanted."
If the dough was newly bought, or was a ready-made product found everywhere on the streets, then it certainly had little to do with Rong Niang. However, the dough had been made for many years, and if Rong Niang were still alive, she probably would not sell second-hand items from more than ten years ago. Therefore, they could infer that the dough was obtained by the murderer that year.
"The second is the small mole on Rong Niang's lip. The three victims before and after her all had this mole on their lips. This is no longer a coincidence. This must be the killer's inherent preference."
"Based on the above, Rong Niang must be related to this case, but..." Jiang Lingyao lowered her eyebrows and said, "But is Rong Niang alive or dead, and where is she?"
Several people were silent for a while. After a while, Duan Nanqi said, "Whether he is dead or alive, this case has fallen into our hands, and we must investigate it thoroughly."
Jiang Lingyao felt relieved. She looked up and saw that Duan Nanqi still had that carefree smile on his face.
Jiang Lingyao used to find this smile disgusting, but at this moment, she somehow started to laugh along with it.
Under the warm morning sun, Jiang Lingyao's smile was pure. Even though she was not wearing fancy clothes or heavy makeup, she was still bright and eye-catching, as bright as the moon.
The two of them actually laughed at each other foolishly for a while, until Pei Yu pinched his nose and rubbed his arms which were covered with goose bumps. Then he quickly looked away as if he had just woken up from a dream.
Before the group arrived at the county government office, they saw from a distance a slightly overweight middle-aged official standing outside the government office. He was surrounded by a group of people of varying heights and weights. It was obvious that he was the Wanping County Magistrate.
The county magistrate was a seventh-rank official, half a level lower than Jiang Lingyao, who was a sixth-rank prosecutor, not to mention the high-ranking Jinyiwei Zhenfushi.
They had originally said they would come to the mansion in the afternoon, but who knew when they would arrive? Wanping County Magistrate Qian was smart. He had people keep an eye on them in advance and go out to greet them as soon as they arrived.
But after taking a breath, a team of Jinyiwei stopped in front of Wanping County Yamen.
Qian Zhixian looked two sizes thinner than Lord Yao, but he also looked quite plump. However, the fat on his face was too much, making his long face look square.
Just by looking at his appearance, he looks a bit old-fashioned, and it is obvious that he is a veteran official.
Sure enough, before Duan Nanqi and Jiang Lingyao had time to dismount, they saw Qian Zhixian rushing up and saying in a flattering manner, "Welcome to Duan Zhenchao and Qiao Tuiguan. I apologize for not welcoming you from afar."
These words sound very touching.
Jiang Lingyao jumped off the horse and just stood there without saying a word. It was obvious that Qian Zhixian had come to curry favor with Duan Nanzhui, so she didn't need to know how to respond.
She was just about to hear Duan Nanqi's smile, but then she saw Duan Nanqi quickly walk up to him, put his arms around Qian Zhixian's shoulders, and enveloped the short Qian Zhixian with his entire body.
"Hey, Lao Qian, it's been a long time since we last met. Didn't we meet once before when I came to Wanping to buy horses?"
Duan Nanqi had a clear voice and a warm smile. His voice echoed at the entrance of the county government office. Although he was so enthusiastic, he made Qian Zhixian sweat all over his forehead.
"Well, sir, I have a bad memory and I don't like horses very much."
Jiang Lingyao followed behind the two of them and watched coldly. Although Duan Nanqi was smiling, the smile did not reach his eyes, and his voice was much colder than usual.
The tone is warm, but the intonation is extremely cold.
"Mr. Qian, you are a forgetful person. Don't you remember? Last spring, Wuxing Horse Farm on the outskirts of Wanping City was selling horses. I originally just wanted to buy one or two to play with, but you got the upper hand."
Duan Nanqiao suddenly let go of Qian Zhixian, waved his right hand, and patted him lightly on the shoulder.
This slap almost made Qian Zhixian fall to his knees.
"I thought at the time that they were just two horses, and I could buy them later. If I hadn't come to Wanping, I wouldn't have remembered this matter," Duan Nanqi said in a very cheerful voice. "Today, when I met Qian Zhixian, I remembered these little things. I wonder if the horses I bought are in the stables of the county government? I would like to see how good Qian Zhixian's horse breeding skills are."
As Duan Nanqi spoke, Qian Zhixian's face was covered with sweat.
His face was pale and he was trembling. His whole body was shaking like a deflated sepak takraw ball. He couldn't roll far even if he kicked it.
"My Lord, my Lord... Your humble servant, your humble servant..."
Duan Nanqi smiled cheerfully: "Are those horses already in Yanjing? Let me guess, whose house are they in? Are they in Yang Ge's old house?"
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