Jiang Lingyao paused, then suddenly opened her eyes and said, "That makes sense. He was either a fisherman who traveled between Wanping and Tongzhou to sell fish, or he had a legitimate business in Wanping and would not be suspected of transporting goods. But that was only fourteen years ago. Now, he has changed the place where he dumped the body back to Wanping."
"Because he can no longer transport the body back and forth between the two places, the Baihe River section in Tongzhou is rarely crossed. If the murderer suddenly enters Tongzhou by boat, it will arouse suspicion. Moreover, after the case 14 years ago, all the gardens in Tongzhou have been abandoned. He has nowhere to dump the body."
So now after killing someone, he would just dump the body in Wanping.
Wanping happened to be opening its lantern festival at this time, and there were more tourists than usual. With so many unfamiliar faces, ordinary people's memory would not be so good, and they would not be suspicious when they saw unfamiliar faces.
It can be said that the murderer chose a very good day.
It's a bit too flattering.
Jiang Lingyao narrowed her eyes and said, "So, after fourteen years, the murderer may be weak or old, or he may have become less courageous. He is much more cautious than before. He is not as decisive as before, nor does he provoke the government as much as before."
After the first murder case shocked the whole government and the people of Yanjing, he dared to dump the body in the same garden for the second time. The decisiveness and courage of the murderer at that time were truly shocking.
Duan Nanqi said: "Things are different now than they were in the past. He is more cautious and careful, but he forgets that his change is also a clue."
Jiang Lingyao hummed, then she slowly stood up and looked down at Duan Nanqiao.
The two seemed to be having an awkward quarrel just now, but when they started talking about business, they completely forgot about the unpleasantness.
"Master Duan, I want to go to the Quiet Night Garden again to take a look at the scene."
Duan Nanqi stood up easily and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."
The two of them walked out of the interrogation room. Duan Nanqi called Pei Yu and told him, "Give the clues that Aunt Xinghua just confessed to Lord Zhao. Lord Zhao should know how to search. Add more people to check the past files. Look for the names of several dead people and related clues in the three-year files of the sixth, seventh and eighth years of Tianyou. Also, start investigating the death list and missing list of those three years, focusing on Rongniang, Xiuhong, Xiuying and others."
Pei Yu immediately said, "Yes, sir, don't worry. We have already mobilized people from the capital and they should arrive tonight."
If the Imperial Guard wants to investigate a case, there has never been a case that they could not find out. Now that the Beizhen Fusi has come across this case, they will certainly not ignore it. Even if they have to mobilize more people, Duan Nanqi will pursue the case to the end.
While Duan Nanqi was arranging the Jinyi Guards, Jiang Lingyao hurried to the library. She whispered to Shen Suning again and said, "When the case is solved, we will check the files together. We will find clues."
Shen Suning nodded, rubbed her swollen and painful forehead, and returned to the library.
When they returned to the interrogation room, Chu Xiunian brought Aunt Xinghua back. Aunt Xinghua had obviously just cried again. Her eyes were swollen like walnuts and her face was pale and tired. Although she was in her thirties, her temples were already frosted.
When Aunt Xinghua saw Jiang Lingyao, she opened her mouth but couldn't say a word.
Chu Xiu Nian walked quickly to Duan Nanqi's side and said to them, "Sir, Master Qiao, Auntie Xinghua identified the deceased as Xiaozhen."
Although they still hold on to a glimmer of hope, everyone knows that Xiaozhen is likely to die. But now Xiaozhen has finally been claimed by someone, and once the case is solved, she will probably have a place to rest.
Duan Nanqi asked Chu Xiunian to send Aunt Xinghua home, while he led a group of people and rushed to Jingye Garden with Jiang Lingyao.
The two of them were silent again on the way. Jiang Lingyao looked at the setting sun from afar and whispered, "I was reckless this afternoon. I apologize to Master Duan. I hope you don't mind."
She was talking about her misunderstanding with Duan Nanqi.
Jiang Lingyao is like this. Outsiders can only see her vanity, arrogance and tyranny, but only those who are close to her know that she is a good girl who can admit her mistakes and correct them, and is smart and generous.
If you say something wrong or blame the wrong person, you should apologize.
Duan Nanqi was surprised that she would suddenly say such a thing. A warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart, which made his originally cold face soften a little. He raised his peach blossom eyes and actually started joking with Jiang Lingyao.
"Master Qiao has wrongly blamed me. I feel extremely wronged. How can Master Qiao make it up to me?"
Duan Nanqi's voice sounded extremely aggrieved.
Jiang Lingyao pursed her lips, but was amused by him. A trace of joy appeared on the corners of her brows, and she said, "How about I treat you to a bowl of hand-rolled noodles?"
Her voice was low and light, just like a wisp of summer breeze, carrying a hint of green and drifting into Duan Nanqi's heart.
Duan Nanqi raised his eyebrows, turned his head and smiled at her: "I have a very picky taste, I won't eat all kinds of noodles."
Jiang Lingyao said, "Once the case is solved, even if Lord Duan wants to eat the auspicious noodles at Baorui Tower, I can afford it."
But after a few words, the two of them returned to their old ways. Duan Nanqi laughed loudly, pulled the reins in his hand, and said, "Drive."
Following his voice, the black horse rolled up a hurricane and flew out of the team in an instant.
Jiang Lingyao's heart suddenly became happy. She pushed off her feet and ran forward.
Two figures rushed away, one in front and one behind, and disappeared in a moment of distraction. Zheng Feng, who was behind, led a team of Jinyiwei and was about to follow when he was stopped by Chu Xiunian.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Chu Xiunian rolled his eyes at him and turned back to order, "Follow me, we are not in a hurry."
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi were both experts in horse riding. They rode their horses and arrived at the Quiet Night Garden in a moment.
Since yesterday, Jingye Garden has been surrounded by yamen runners and Jinyiwei. Not only is there a cordon, but there are also people patrolling the garden all the time to not give the murderer any chance.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi dismounted at the gate and walked inside step by step on the dry land.
Duan Nanqi asked: "Where can I check?"
Jiang Lingyao said, "In fact, I have never understood why the murderer was so fond of the embroidery. There were embroidery on the backs of several victims. We have no way to check the crime scene that year, but based on this scene alone, we can be sure that the embroidery was what the murderer wanted to show to others. This is the reason why he killed people."
Duan Nanqi walked quickly into the garden with her, and they soon arrived in front of the peony flower bed.
"We have said before that compared to the past, the murderer has become more cautious in disposing of the bodies after killing, but he has not held back at all in displaying the embroidery behind the deceased. This flowerbed is directly opposite the gate of the Garden of Peace, and the embroidery is also placed directly opposite the gate. He even removed the peonies on this side to show off his masterpiece."
Jiang Lingyao said: "So I think that killing people was not his purpose, but setting up such a place to dump bodies was his purpose."
"The difficulty of this case lies in the fact that the murderer had no hatred for the murder. He did not know the victim at all, and the victims had no connection with each other. He also chose to dump the body in a different place. Therefore, it was very difficult to solve the case at that time, and it became an unsolved case."
"But now, the murderer's old age and prudence have given us more opportunities. He probably didn't expect that when he strikes again fourteen years later, he would run into us."
Now that the Quiet Night Garden has been sealed off, all other gardens in the city have also been given additional staff, either to close their doors or to increase the number of patrol officers. It is almost impossible for the murderer to set up such a perfect crime scene again.
Jiang Lingyao said: "Wanping is in the spotlight right now. I don't think he will commit the crime right away. At most, he will do it like he did last year, waiting a month before striking again."
"Why do you think I dispatched so many Jinyiwei cavalry?" Duan Nanqi's eyes were cold. "It was to scare the murderer and tell him clearly that if he dares to commit a crime again, Jinyiwei will immediately arrest him."
Although Duan Nanqi's actions might lead to him being reported by his subordinates for disturbing the people, mobilizing troops, and being arrogant and domineering, he gave everyone time to carefully investigate the murderer, and also made the people in Wanping City safer.
At the very least, as long as the Imperial Guards are not withdrawn, the murderer will not dare to kill again, unless he is crazy.
Jiang Lingyao turned around and looked at Duan Nanqi, and saw a flash of determination and coldness in his eyes. He was upright in body and mind, and was never afraid of impeachment from anyone.
Everything we do is out of justice in our hearts.
Jiang Lingyao was stunned unconsciously, but it was Duan Nanqi's voice that woke her up: "Master Qiao, what's next?"
Jiang Lingyao suddenly came back to her senses. She felt a little warm on her face. She coughed lightly and said, "I want to check the pavilion carefully."
Duan Nanqi followed her to the pavilion: "It was late last night, even with the street lights on, it was still dark. Today we can find out what's going on."
Jiang Lingyao nodded and stepped onto the pavilion step by step.
She came to her senses and was about to look at the flowerbed where the dead person was. She recalled the dead person's bodyless eyes, turned around slowly, and looked up at the four lanterns above her head.
Jiang Lingyao narrowed her eyes and said, "Master Zheng said before that the first two victims had their eyes closed, but Xiaozhen had her eyes open. The murderer took great pains to choose such a place to dump the bodies. I think it is not as simple as simply showing the embroidered clothes on the back of the victims. What Xiaozhen looked at might also be crucial."
It was late last night and they were busy all day, so they didn't have the chance to come to Jingye Garden again. This time, while the sun was still setting and there was still light between heaven and earth, Jiang Lingyao hurried to Jingye Garden.
She tilted her head back and looked closely at the lantern above her head.
There are four lanterns in the pavilion, one for every two of the eight corners, and they are now hanging firmly on the beams.
The pavilion is not too high, and you can see the general shape of the lantern when looking up from the bottom.
These four lanterns are all made of colored glaze revolving lanterns, with a layer of colored glaze cover on the outside and figures and rocks on the inside. The frames of the lanterns are made of green bamboo, which looks simple and exquisite.
"Master Duan, please send someone to take down the four lamps."
Duan Nanqi and Jiang Lingyao left the pavilion and asked the Jinyi Guards to take down the lantern.
Jiang Lingyao said, "Generally, the lights used in these suburban garden pavilions are only for lighting, and they don't make such exquisite and expensive glass lanterns."
Duan Nanqi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Could it be that the key lies in the lamp?"
The Jinyiwei moved swiftly and had already taken down the glass lamp. Jiang Lingyao went forward to examine it carefully and did not move the four lamps.
The outside of these four lamps are all made of colored glaze, which looks very heavy, but inside there is a layer of figures and landscapes of galloping horses. As long as the candles are lit inside, the galloping horses inside will slowly rotate, as if telling a story.
Jiang Lingyao took a quick look and found that there was something wrong with one of the lights.
The other three lamps are all made of paper-cuts, and you can see the paper texture at a glance, but the last lamp is not made of paper-cuts.
Jiang Lingyao bent down to look, and saw that the painting of horses galloping was glowing with a creepy oily sheen.
She subconsciously took two steps back, and her back touched Duan Nanqi's strong chest.
Jiang Lingyao felt her hair stand on end: "Is that... human skin?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
