This gilded pagoda is about two stories high and is covered in dazzling gold. Even in the dark of night, it still looks so glittering and precious.
Especially the Buddha statue carved on the front, the Lotus Guanyin has a solemn appearance, except for a drop of blood tear in the corner of the eye. The whole body is made with perfect craftsmanship. If you are in a trance, you will really think it is a Bodhisattva descending to the earth.
It’s a pity that Guanyin has no eyes and has not yet been painted.
Jiang Lingyao tilted her head back and squinted at the person on top of the tower.
After she calmed down, she said, "Sir, in my opinion, the deceased was not nailed to the top of the tower by a square. His collar was hung on the top of the tower by the back of the collar. Because there was no wind or rain today, the deceased was hung very firmly and did not fall or shake."
Yao Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "That's right. The Jinyiwei's chief criminal officer just said the same thing. They have already checked the scene and won't stay for long. Jinyiwei doesn't serve as a coroner. They just need us to perform the autopsy and then they can check the autopsy details."
Jiang Lingyao paused for a moment and asked, "Master Yao, why is it so chaotic today? It's the Jinyiwei and our Shuntian Prefecture. Who is in charge of this case?"
There are six rooms in the third shift of Shuntian Mansion, and there are two experienced coroners in the coroner's room. Two experienced coroners are usually invited to the scene of major cases in Beijing. If the case is assigned to Jinyiwei, the coroner of Shuntian Mansion will be asked to perform the autopsy. Yao Yuan deals with Jinyiwei all day long, so he still has some face in Jinyiwei.
Speaking of this, Yao Yuan could not help but sigh.
He said, "Let's talk while we investigate."
Jiang Lingyao led Shen Suning to check the surroundings one by one. Yao Yuan followed behind like a rattan ball, muttering to himself.
"This case was initially handled by the Imperial Guard. Their Eastern Division had just been established. I heard that the person in charge was a fourth-rank garrison commander, a newly appointed official with a salary by His Majesty. Perhaps he wanted to achieve results."
"Promotions in the Imperial Guard are based on merit, and catching a murderer is a great achievement," Yao Yuan sighed.
"But Gu Changgong was also well-connected. When the Jinyi Guards learned about the case, Gu Changgong also knew about it. Because it was a case of the Yu Yongjian, he immediately assigned Yu Yongjian's Left Junior Supervisor, Eunuch Wei, to come to the scene. Eunuch Wei was shocked when he arrived. He said that the gilded pagoda was built to commemorate the Empress Dowager's longevity. The gilded pagoda was stained with blood, and the Yu Yongjian's top craftsman died on the pagoda. This was really disrespectful."
Eunuch Wei of the Yu Yongjian was also a sly person. He did not come to a conclusion immediately, but exaggerated and reported it to Gu Changgong. Who was Gu Lin? He was only 18 years old and he had instigated His Majesty and the Concubine to set up the West Factory for him. He was extremely powerful and had connections. When he heard that this matter involved the Queen Mother and involved Buddhist affairs, he immediately wrote a letter, one to the Jinyi Guard and one to Shuntian Mansion. "
In theory, the Chief Eunuch of the Imperial Household Department had no right to interfere in state affairs. Gu Lin was not a Chief Eunuch, but his relationship with the Imperial Concubine was different after all. Therefore, when he stepped forward to manage affairs, the various departments obviously refused to obey.
After all, they were still afraid of the spies from the Western Factory.
But there are exceptions.
The Inner Cabinet is one, and the Imperial Guard is the other.
But Gu Lin was also smart. This handwritten letter was sincere and heartfelt, and it moved people emotionally and made sense. Therefore, Jinyiwei actually agreed and was willing to cooperate in the case.
After all, the Empress Dowager only has five days left to live. If the pagoda is not presented and the case is not closed, then when His Majesty comes to blame, no one will be able to bear the consequences.
Not even Gu Lin.
Yao Yuan was long-winded, but his words were clear, and Jiang Lingyao understood immediately: "In other words, the two departments should handle the case together and catch the murderer as soon as possible."
Yao Yuan heaved a sigh of relief, and the sweat on his head finally dried up: "That's right, but..."
Jiang Lingyao said calmly, "It's just that the new master of the East Office has a desire to make a name for himself through this case, and to gain some favor from His Majesty."
"Yes and no?"
Jiang Lingyao said this, then suddenly squatted down, and asked Shen Suning to hold up the lantern and look carefully on the ground.
"Yes, yes, Xiao Qiao is still smart. With you in Shuntianfu, who knows who will win? Oh, don't be nervous. As long as the case is solved, it doesn't matter who solves it."
Yao Yuan didn't mind his colleagues stepping on him to get to the top. He just wanted to do a good job as the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, work hard for the people, and avoid false cases. When his term was up, he could leave with nothing. It would be a blessing. As for his reputation and achievements, they were all false. He was an outsider, so how could he be as powerful as the local bosses in Beijing?
It’s good as long as you don’t offend anyone.
The whole Shuntian Prefecture knew about Lord Yao's good attitude, and Jiang Lingyao was no exception.
Jiang Lingyao did not answer. She carefully examined the traces on the ground. Finally, she took out a pair of tweezers from the purse at her waist and picked up a blood-stained hemp rope from the ground.
The hemp rope was only as long as a little finger, thin and narrow, and difficult to find even in the daytime, let alone in the pitch-black night.
Shen Suning immediately handed her a cloth bag and asked her to put the hemp rope into the bag.
"This gilded pagoda has been built, and it seems that only the last step is left to complete it. For this reason, the front yard of the Yuyongguan has been cleaned up. Even the wooden crossbeam under the pagoda has been set up and is waiting for an auspicious day to be sent to the palace. Since it has been cleaned, this hemp rope is a new item."
Yao Yuan also squatted down and looked carefully: "There are bloodstains on the ground."
Jiang Lingyao nodded and said, "There is a clear indentation on the ground here. It seems that there was something else there before. Judging from the location, it should be a lamp post, but it has been removed now. I don't know where it has been moved to. I need to check further."
Yao Yuan looked around and realized that the lamps they used to investigate the case were all hung on the walls. But if the gilded pagoda had been built before, there must be lamp posts here.
"Li Da, did you hear what Master Qiao said?"
Li Yacha immediately bowed and said, "Don't worry, sir. I have already sent people to search the prison."
Jiang Lingyao paused and said, "We also need to check the tool room, the craftsmen's residences, and the warehouse, which is also of top priority."
Li Yacha bowed again and retreated neatly.
As Jiang Lingyao spoke, Shen Suning, who was standing behind her, quickly took notes in a book, listing the doubts one by one.
After checking here, Jiang Lingyao walked around and after searching again and again without any results, he returned to the foot of the pagoda.
There is a circle of wooden crossbars that have been built under the pagoda. There are eight of them horizontally and vertically. They pass under the pagoda and require sixteen people to lift it.
Jiang Lingyao walked around the wooden cross carefully and suddenly asked, "Master Yao, has this place been cleaned?"
Yao Yuan shook his head: "No, the Jinyi Guards just checked around and only searched, they didn't clean it up."
Jiang Lingyao said, "But there is no blood here."
As the scene had not been fully checked, the deceased could not be put down. He was still hanging on the top of the pagoda. Looking up from here, one could see the blood flowing from his neck.
It was pitch dark and the lights could only illuminate the ground but not the night sky.
All people could see was the dark bloodstain on his collar, nothing more.
Jiang Lingyao frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, "From this point of view, the ruler is inserted in his blood vessels. If he died directly here, the murderer must have followed him and lay on the high tower, and stabbed him with all his strength when a living person was struggling. If so, not only would it require extremely high martial arts skills, but it would also spray a lot of blood."
Jiang Lingyao put her hands behind her back and looked up as she moved forward.
"But if he was nailed to the pagoda after death, then the amount of bleeding and the demeanor of the deceased would make sense. This place is too far away to see whether the deceased struggled violently before death, so it is impossible to draw a conclusion."
Yao Yuan said, "Coroner Xu will be here soon. We'll be able to handle this matter when he arrives."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, still analyzing: "Look at the blood on the body of the deceased, if he was stabbed and fought on the pagoda, his blood would have splashed everywhere, and the pagoda would not be completely clean. Only a little blood remains in the corners of the Buddha statue's eyes."
"But this..." Jiang Lingyao said thoughtfully, "Why?"
Yao Yuan was a little stunned: "Why why?"
Jiang Lingyao then said, "Sir, murders are often caused by personal relationships and money grudges. If this is the case, the murderer certainly doesn't want to leave more clues, nor does he want the dead to be discovered immediately, right?"
Yao Yuan nodded: "That's right."
Jiang Lingyao continued, "If the deceased was hung on the pagoda after death, the murderer went to great lengths to arrange everything. This would not only leave more clues for himself, but also make it easier for others to see him, and would also allow the deceased to be discovered quickly. Why would he do that?
Yao Yuan's forehead was sweating again when he heard this: "No wonder Mr. Gu was unwilling to let the West Factory come forward and left this rotten stall to us and Jinyiwei. There must be something behind this case."
Hearing this, Jiang Lingyao laughed.
She said, "Sir, although the case is difficult, as long as the murderer has taken action, there must be clues. There is no such thing as perfection in the world. If someone kills someone, he must pay for it. This has been the case since ancient times."
She straightened up, her face solemn, and saluted with both hands: "Don't worry, sir, I will do my best to solve this case."
Yao Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief, smiling and sighing: "Fortunately, I didn't refuse when your master recommended you. You have solved several cases in the past few months, which allows me to wear this black veil for a few more days. Thank you for your hard work."
Lord Yao was like a Maitreya Buddha, speaking in a friendly and kind manner. Jiang Lingyao also knew how to behave. Upon hearing his words, she said, "It is because Lord Yao is willing to make an exception and employ someone that I can make use of my abilities."
Shangguan and Xiafeng flattered each other, making each other look very happy.
However, before they could finish their boasting, there was a loud noise coming from the side.
There was a bang, and a voice kept crying out: "This is the apparition of Saint Lu."
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a gray figure crawling and kneeling on the ground. He was prostrating himself on the ground, crying and kowtowing to the pagoda.
"Lord Lu, I am doing my job diligently, please don't kill me!"
He yelled and cried, his cries shook the sky.
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