The Jinyiwei investigation team had not yet been withdrawn, and the Yuyong Prison was sealed at this time, with outsiders not allowed to enter or leave at will.
The only people who appeared here were the craftsmen from the Yuyongjian, the Jinyiweiqi and the officials from Shuntianfu.
Judging from the way this man is dressed, he must be a craftsman working for the Yu Yongjian.
Even though Yao Yuan had a good temper, he frowned at this moment: "The crime scene has been sealed off. How did you get in? Who are you?"
When the visitor heard what Yao Yuan said, he couldn't help shivering. He raised his head tremblingly, and in the light of the fire, Jiang Lingyao found that he was a very young boy.
The boy was no more than sixteen or seventeen years old. He was wearing a short linen robe and his hair was a little messy. He looked like an apprentice who was learning a craft from his master.
Seeing that he was indeed somewhat frightened, Jiang Lingyao took a half step forward and asked softly, "Who are you first?"
The young craftsman was like a frightened rabbit. He glanced at Jiang Lingyao cautiously. Seeing that she was pretty and kind, he stammered, "I'm the apprentice of Yu Yongjian. My name is Shuanzi. The person who died up there... was me, it was me..."
He couldn't help sobbing as he spoke: "He is my master."
"My master is gone, my master is gone. He was punished by Saint Lu, wuwuwuwu."
The young apprentice was young and had no opinion. He was crying pitifully. Yao Yuan's tone became much gentler: "Shuanzi, why did you come here? Why did you say that Lord Lu punished your master?"
They had just arrived at the crime scene and had not had time to conduct a detailed investigation. They only knew that the deceased was named Rong Jingui, 36 years old this year. His family had been craftsmen for generations, and he had been working in the Yuyong Prison, and was quite respected in the prison.
He inherited his father's skill in gilding and inlaying gems, and was very popular in the entire Yuyong Prison. Even Eunuch Wei had some feelings for him, and it was obvious that the deceased was a man of honor and wealth.
If that is the case, why would Shuanzi say that he broke the rules and was punished by Duke Lu?
Shuanzi raised his head carefully, and his long thin eyebrows seemed not to dare to look at his master on the top of the tower, and he lowered his head for a moment.
"I, I can't tarnish my master's reputation. My master is gone, I can't be so cruel."
Jiang Lingyao asked, "But if you don't tell me, won't your master die with regrets?"
Shuanzi shuddered for a moment, then whispered, "My master...my master likes to drink wine on weekdays and can't help but eat and drink. But according to the rules of the ancestors, one must observe the abstinence when building a pagoda. Only in this way can one be sincere and abstain from wine and meat. Master...Master never takes it to heart."
This was also the first time that Jiang Lingyao heard that one had to observe abstinence when building a pagoda, but each industry has its own rules and regulations, and the craftsmen abided by the rules, so outsiders naturally could not criticize them.
Jiang Lingyao asked, "You mean to say that the Grand Master punished your master because he did not observe the precepts? So he killed him?"
Shuanzi was shocked and said hurriedly, "Sir, how could the Grand Master kill people? The Holy Lord only sent down heavenly punishment, and those who broke the precepts usually had it to themselves."
When he said the last four words, he couldn't help crying again: "I, I didn't mean it, but something happened to Yu Yongjian and Master hasn't come back yet, so I wanted to come and see if it was true..."
Is the deceased his master?
As a result, he secretly came to the crime scene and saw Rong Jingui's horrific death at a glance. He couldn't help but have wild imaginations and immediately thought of supernatural things.
Jiang Lingyao looked down at Shuanzi, who shrank back.
She was out of character, no longer showing her gentle expression, but instead said coldly, "There are everything in this world, except ghosts and gods. If you say there are gods, then why don't they come out when good people suffer, why don't they come out when disaster strikes, why don't they come out when injustice is not redressed?"
"When a person dies suddenly, there must be a vicious person who killed him. How can there be any ghosts or gods?"
She fell to the ground with such a loud noise that the prison suddenly became quiet. Jiang Lingyao looked at Shuanzi again and saw that he had a look of confusion in his eyes. He finally shook his head and sighed.
Why does she say so much?
Jiang Lingyao glanced at Yao Yuan, who then waved to another yamen runner, "Send him to the west room, where the Jinyiwei will be trying the case."
Departments, offices, and military camps all have their own functions.
The Imperial Guards are experts at undercover investigations, interrogations, arrests, and detective work. Although the Shuntian Prefecture's yamen runners can also make visits and inquiries, they are certainly not as skilled as the Imperial Guards, so the case is handled according to each side's own rules.
Yao Yuan smiled and said to Jiang Lingyao, "I think the new governor of the East Office is a smart man. He did not show up and only sent his thousand men to negotiate with me. He said that the Jinyiwei would be responsible for interrogating the witnesses and the rest of the matters would be left to Shuntian Prefecture. We would exchange evidence every day and catch the murderer together. But the final result would still depend on who is more capable."
So Shuntianfu investigated the scene here, while Jinyiwei interrogated witnesses in the west compartment. The two did not interfere with each other, and even if they were finally determined to be superior and inferior, they each had their own theories.
Jiang Lingyao was not surprised at all, even though she had asked the Imperial Concubine for the Shuntian Prefecture's official position just to investigate a case, and even though Lord Yao Yuan was a good man, the Shuntian Prefecture was not a monolithic entity and would still fight when necessary.
There are all kinds of people in official circles, but there are no fools.
By this time, more than half an hour had passed. It was only then that Coroner Xu reported Shan Shan's late arrival.
It doesn't matter if the young captain of the Jinyiwei doesn't know the prosecutor Xiao Qiao, but he must know the skinny and thin coroner Xu who always wears a gray coat.
Coroner Xu is an old coroner from Shuntian Prefecture, now about fifty years old. He has superb skills, and his techniques of steaming bones and dissecting corpses are unmatched. In the city of Yanjing, he dares to say he is second to none, and no one dares to say he is first.
Another coroner in Shuntian Prefecture was his apprentice, whose surname was Zheng and was investigating a case in the nearby Taohua Mountain.
Coroner Xu had something to do at home today and was not in the capital, so he was specially invited from Shuntian Prefecture to the suburbs.
As soon as he arrived, Yao Yuan greeted him with tears in her eyes: "My Uncle Xu, you are finally here. Look, the dead man has been hanging for an hour. If you hadn't come, I would have been afraid that his collar would have broken and he would have fallen and been smashed into pieces."
Coroner Xu’s name is Xu Qing. It’s a nice name, but he is a stubborn old man.
His hair was a little gray and he was very skinny. Dealing with corpses all year round, he looked very gloomy and scary.
But the people of Shuntian Prefecture are not afraid of him. To be honest, whether they can get promoted depends entirely on his unique skills.
Coroner Xu wasted no time. Upon entering the scene, he nodded to Jiang Lingyao and several yamen officers, then looked up at the deceased.
Even though he was already in his fifties, his eyesight was still very good and he could see the L-shaped mark at the deceased's throat at a glance.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "The square is not sharp. If you insist on whether it can kill people, it can. But to kill someone with a square, the killer must be very strong. You can kill people with a square without a sharp edge or blade."
"Killing someone from such a high altitude really takes a lot of effort."
Jiang Lingyao listened quietly and said, "What Uncle Xu said is very true. Moreover, the deceased was hung on the stupa, not nailed to death by the ruler. It seems that the ruler is just a decoration for outsiders to see."
Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and nodded. He looked at him again and said, "It's OK. Let's have him put down. We'll do a preliminary examination first and then send him to the morgue for a detailed examination."
When the coroner arrives at the scene, he must take a look before making any changes, otherwise the autopsy results may be biased.
As he spoke, he took the autopsy form and began to write furiously, filling in the circumstances of death and the surrounding environment.
They said the body could be lowered, but several yamen runners climbed up the side of the tower with ropes tied to their bodies. It took them a lot of effort to untie the body from the brake, and then lowered it to the ground bit by bit.
In this way, five or six yamen runners were busy for two minutes before they finished.
Jiang Lingyao looked at everyone busy and sweating, and seemed to be thinking about something.
After the body was placed on the stretcher, Xu Qing led everyone forward for a rough inspection.
"The deceased has been dead for a long time, but his body is not completely stiff yet," he said, bending the dead man's legs. "You can see that his lower body is still soft and can be bent. I think he has been dead for no more than three hours, probably between two and three hours."
Three hours, that is, after dusk and before Haishi, and no later than Zishi.
According to the night watchman, he saw the deceased when he was on duty at the third watch. At that time, the deceased was already hanging on the top of the tower. He could only have died before that.
However, there is a night curfew in Yanjing from 1:30 am to 5:50 am, and strangers are not allowed to move around freely. This means that the murderer is most likely the person in prison.
Jiang Lingyao has been a prosecutor for half a year. During this period, she has helped solve countless cases. In the first month, she was led by her master, but later she figured things out on her own. She is so familiar with corpses that she is not afraid of them at all.
At this moment, she had no scruples and squatted beside Xu Qing, looking through the clothes of the dead man.
The deceased was wearing a short brown robe commonly worn by craftsmen. Because he was quite respectable in the prison and was very much favored by His Majesty, he was rewarded with many gifts. The short brown robe he was wearing was brand new, without any damage or patches.
This was the transition period between spring and summer, and there was still a chill in the middle of the night, but the deceased was wearing only a single layer of clothing and did not seem to feel the cold.
The weather was strange in spring, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, so although Rong Jingui was wearing a short brown shirt, the sleeves were very long, reaching below his elbows.
Jiang Lingyao was flipping through the documents when she suddenly saw two dead ants on his clothes at the elbows.
The ants were stuck to his sleeves, leaving only the stumps, but if you look closely you can still make out the general outline.
Jiang Lingyao pinched the ant, moved closer with a puzzled look, and sniffed it gently.
Amidst the bloody smell, there was a sweet smell.
Jiang Lingyao's eyes lit up: "Uncle Xu, there is honey on his elbows and sleeves."
Xu Qing was drawing on the autopsy grid. With just a few hasty strokes, the deceased's body shape was drawn on it.
His eyes fell on the deceased's body and he marked all the wounds and body spots one by one. After hearing Jiang Lingyao's words, he also made additional marks on his sleeves.
When the painting was finished, he called his apprentice to come forward and help. The two of them checked Rong Jingui from head to toe. Finally, he asked in surprise, "Hey, why is his injury still here on the L-shaped mark? There are no other injuries anywhere else."
Jiang Lingyao was stunned.
Just now, she, Yao Yuan and Xu Qing had discussed this together and they all thought that the square ruler was just a thing to scare people and not a real weapon. But now it seems that they were wrong.
Jiang Lingyao frowned and squatted there for a long time without moving.
Yao Yuan said, "Well, it's late tonight and everyone is tired. The real cause of Rong Jingui's death still needs to be determined by the autopsy results. Xiao Qiao, you should go home first and come back to Shuntian Mansion to investigate the case tomorrow."
Jiang Lingyao is not a stubborn person. The witnesses are in the hands of the Golden Guards, so they can only wait for the results of the autopsy.
She sighed slightly, bowed to Yao Yuan and said, "Yes, I will obey your command."
At this time, a red figure walked out of the west wing quickly. The man was tall and had a stern face. Behind him were a dozen Ti cavalrymen, who hurried out together.
Next to him was an extremely tall and burly Jinyiwei captain.
There were more than a dozen people in the group, but they were silent. When they reached the front yard of Yuyong Prison, Yao Yuan caught a glimpse of a group of people in bright red flying fish uniforms, and then he realized that the Jinyi Guards were coming from the west compartment.
At this time, the tall Jinyiwei guard leading the group narrowed his eyes and looked at the crow-green figure that disappeared at the gate.
I took a quick glance at it, why does it look so familiar?
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