Chapter 79
The study was in an unusual mess at this time, with tables, chairs and benches tilted all over the place, plates and cups scattered all over the floor, and even the Duobao Pavilion was mostly empty, looking very shabby.
Duan Nanqi carefully walked around the objects on the ground and slowly came to the Duobao Pavilion. He said, "This place should be able to hold ten antiques, but now only this jade pot spring vase and the rockery bonsai are still there. The other eight are nowhere to be found."
Although the servants in the mansion of the Marquis of Zhengyang would clean it every day, judging from the traces on the Duobao Pavilion, the eight empty spaces were originally filled with something.
Jiang Lingyao looked around the floor quickly and said, "There are no such eight things in the room. The things scattered on the floor are the tea sets on the tea table, the lamp on the table, and the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, etc."
Duan Nanqi turned around, and the two men asked in unison: "Robbery and murder?"
Jiang Lingyao said: "That's possible."
The two of them seemed to search the house for a while, and then came to the golden plate where the iceberg was placed.
In the hot summer, wealthy families usually use ice cubes and icebergs to keep away from the heat. The golden plate on which the iceberg is placed in Zhengyang Bo's house is not big, about three feet square. The iceberg on it is naturally smaller, which is enough to keep this small study room from being too hot.
However, this iceberg had probably been there for a long time, and most of it had melted. The icy water flowed onto the ground and spread around the golden plate.
Some of the water had dried up, while others had re-emerged, leaving a patch of deep and shallow stains on the birch floor.
Jiang Lingyao squatted down and found an oil lamp placed next to the ice plate.
The oil lamp had gone out and the oil inside had run out, apparently having been overturned during the fight.
The two of them walked around the room, memorizing all the traces of the scene, and then turned their attention to the desk where Lord Zhengyang was sitting.
The desk was spacious and majestic, with an ancient atmosphere. The pens, ink, paper and inkstone on it were scattered all over the floor, and there was only a half-copied Buddhist scripture left on the desk.
There was a row of three drawers under the table, two of which were pulled out and lying on the ground, and the last one was half-hidden on the table. Two or three letters inside immediately caught the attention of the two men.
Duan Nanqi whispered, "Hurry up and watch. The Jinyiwei will arrive in a moment."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, and the two of them took out the letters and read them one by one.
To Jiang Lingyao's surprise, there was no secret in the letters. One letter was a reply from the abbot of Guiyin Temple, Master Sibian, who only said that he was a firm believer in Buddhism and they could debate the scriptures together in a few days.
The other letter was from a man named Li Cheng, who said that the land had been arranged and asked him to rest assured. He also helped his wife burn incense and said that she wanted to listen to Buddhist teachings and would stay in Changle Temple for a few more days.
This letter may seem ordinary, but if you look closely, you will find that it was written three years ago and has survived to this day.
Apart from these two letters, the rest are some poems that Zhengyang Bo wrote in his daily life. There is no big problem with them except that they are not elegant and unrestrained enough.
The two men read the two letters quickly, not knowing what was unusual, and placed them on the table.
Jiang Lingyao looked at the furnishings in the study and said in a low voice, "I always feel that it is a little strange."
Duan Nanqi said: "Tell me about it."
Jiang Lingyao pointed to the bookcases that lined the entire west wall and said, "Look, sir, the bookcases here are all the same. They take up the entire wall, making the study seem even more cramped. Moreover, the bookcase on the far left is not full. It's half empty, and there's even an inkstone in there to make up the number."
This study gives people an extremely depressing feeling. Not only is it very narrow inside, but the bookcases that take up an entire wall make people feel suffocated. Moreover, the windows in the room are not big, and there are rockery and dense bamboo forests outside, which makes it even more cramped.
The two of them felt uncomfortable as soon as they came in, but Uncle Zhengyang could work in there day and night, and he also practiced fasting and chanting Buddha here. Wouldn't he feel uncomfortable when he was alone in the study?
Jiang Lingyao's eyes fell on the corpse-stain-covered Zhengyang Bo, and her voice became even lower: "I always feel that there are still secrets in this study."
Duan Nanqi nodded: "After we finish investigating the case, we will check this study. I will order the Beizhen Fusi to cordon off the entire main courtyard and not let anyone get close."
Jiang Lingyao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After reading all this, the two finally came to the side of Xue Dingshan, the Earl of Zhengyang.
Xue Dingshan must have been dead for a long time. There were obvious marks on his body, especially on his face, which seemed to have been caused by a collision and had a scar as big as a copper coin. It looked very scary.
Xue Dingshan's eyes were tightly closed, his lips were dry, and his whole body was stiffly embedded in the armchair, with his legs stiffly stretched out.
The dagger stuck in his heart was ordinary, nothing special, and could be bought anywhere.
The blood flowing from the wounds has dried up. Considering the corpse spots on his body and the stiffness of his body, he must have died at the latest this morning, no later.
Jiang Lingyao did not touch the dead body directly. She said, "So we can probably judge that the murderer knew the situation in the Zhengyang Marquis's house and knew that Zhengyang Marquis would be here at midnight. He was able to knock on the door of the study, so he must be someone Zhengyang Marquis knew."
Duan Nanqi followed up, "Based on the things missing from Duobao Pavilion, there are two inferences. One is that the murderer was just trying to kill and rob people and steal property. He chose to come to the study room in the dead of night, find an excuse to knock on the door, and then commit the crime after entering. But for this kind of murderer, property is much more important than murder. Generally speaking, he would put robbery first and would not intentionally kill people."
But the study in the main courtyard of the Duke of Zhengyang's mansion was very special. The Duke of Zhengyang kept a close eye on this study. It was impossible for the murderer to enter the study when no one was around, as there were locks inside and outside the door.
He could only accomplish his task when there were the least people in the study and someone in the study would open the door for him.
But there is another doubt.
Duan Nanqi frowned and said, "Why do you have to steal the property in the study? Even before that, you have to take the risk of being discovered by Zhengyang Bo and resisting, or being discovered by the servants. The gain is not worth the loss."
Jiang Lingyao nodded, thinking that Duan Nanqi's words made sense. She added, "If there is another possibility, it is that someone in the mansion of Marquis Zhengyang wanted to kill Marquis Zhengyang. The murderer chose this opportunity to come to the house, kill Marquis Zhengyang, and then mess up the scene at will, making us mistakenly think that it was a servant in the mansion of Marquis Zhengyang or an unexpected robber who entered in order to rob property."
"So, no matter what kind of lost property it is, we have to search for it. Lord Duan, we should ask the Jinyiwei to get the list and go to the pawnshops in Beijing to see if anyone is pawning those things."
Duan Nanqi nodded: "It should be so."
Both men were experienced and searched the scene quickly. By the time Jinyiwei and Shuntianfu arrived, they had almost completed the on-site investigation.
Since this matter concerned an honorable person and was a murder, there was no need for the Emperor to issue a personal decree. The Jinyiwei, Dongsifang, and Shuntian prefectural governor all arrived at the scene.
In the hot summer, Yao Yuan was sweating profusely in his official uniform.
While wiping the sweat off his face, he quickly walked to the study. When he saw the faces of Duan Nanqi and Jiang Lingyao clearly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Master Duan, Master Jiang, luckily both of you are here today, otherwise if this scene is messed up, it will be difficult to investigate."
Yao Yuan greeted Duan Nanqi very warmly, and then looked at Jiang Lingyao very naturally.
He seemed to have not noticed any similarities between Jiang Lingyao and Judge Qiao, and just said, "I heard that Lord Jiang and Lord Duan had solved a major case in Wanping more than ten years ago. It is a blessing for the people of Yanjing that he can come to my Shuntian Prefecture."
That's a very beautiful thing to say.
Yao Yuan must have guessed that Jiang Lingyao and Qiao Tui Guan were the same person. As for why they had to hide their real names, that was other people's business. As long as the case could be solved and the injustice could be cleared, Yao Yuan didn't care much.
Just as Jiang Zhisheng said, Yao Yuan looks honest, but he is a sperm.
Nothing is a big deal in front of him.
The prefect always had this attitude, and the runner who followed him was stunned for a moment, then immediately stepped forward to greet him: "This subordinate has met Lord Jiang."
Jiang Lingyao greeted them one by one, and then looked at the thin old man who was surrounding Xue Dingshan's body.
"Coroner Xu, the deceased was in this state when we came in. Neither I nor Lord Duan touched him."
Xu Qing nodded: "Okay."
Having said that, he began to instruct the apprentice beside him to take out the autopsy form and start the initial inspection.
"The cause of death was severe chest injury, resulting in a ruptured heart. His limbs and trunk were all stiff, with obvious body spots. He had been dead for more than six hours, probably between eight and six hours."
In other words, the deceased died between the hours of Xu and Zi yesterday.
After Xu Qing finished speaking, he looked up at the melting iceberg not far away and said, "There is an iceberg in the room where the deceased died, which offsets the accelerated decomposition caused by the heat. The time of death can no longer be accurately determined."
"My Lords, this is the preliminary cause of death, but further reexamination is needed. If other causes of death are found, they will be reported separately."
The cause of death seen from the symptoms of the corpse may not match the actual cause of death. Xu Qing has been a coroner for decades and is very strict about this.
Duan Nanqi looked at Yao Yuan, and Yao Yuan said, "Master Duan, when I came here, I had already received an order from the court. His Majesty asked you to take charge of this case."
The Marquis of Zhengyang might be involved in an old case, which Duan Nanqi had already reported to the emperor, so it was reasonable for the court to issue this order.
Duan Nanqi immediately bowed to Yao Yuan and said, "Master Yao, thank you for your help. Your Highness's Judge Jiang is very careful and attentive. I would like to temporarily transfer Master Jiang to handle the case."
Yao Yuan was very interested: "Of course, of course. Lord Jiang has experience... He must have learned a lot and can definitely help Lord Duan solve this case."
With just a few words from the two men, the tone of the case being judged by the Royal Guards was set.
On the other side, the yamen runners assisted Xu Qing in lifting the corpse from the chair. As the corpse was already stiff, it could not lie flat, so they could only place it on its side on a stretcher. Even with a white cloth covering it, it still looked very strange.
Jiang Lingyao's gaze paused on the corpse for a moment, and she said, "Wait a moment."
Li Da, who was carrying the stretcher, stopped. Jiang Lingyao took two steps forward and called Xu Qing and Duan Nanqi to watch together.
Xue Dingshan was dressed neatly and wore short boots, but the soles of his soap-colored boots were firmly stuck with a piece of wax.
The wax seemed to have been squeezed and had become a round piece with some marks of varying depths on it, and it was unknown when they were made.
Xu Qing said: "This place must be painted well, and the boots will be carefully kept when we return, so don't worry, sir."
Duan Nanqi ordered Pei Yu to go back with him to Shuntian Prefecture to examine the body.
After everyone left, Duan Nanqi said, "Master Yao, why don't we interrogate the people in the Zhengyang Marquis's mansion right away?"
Yao Yuan said: "All listen to Master Duan."
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A banquet was still being set up in front of the Marquis of Zhengyang's mansion. Both the Marquis' wife and the young master were busy. Duan Nanqi asked the Jinyi Guards to go to the garden to keep an eye on the two people to see if there was anything wrong. Then he started interrogating them directly in the tea room on the first floor of the main courtyard of the Marquis of Zhengyang's mansion.
They first questioned the maids and servants in charge of the main courtyard, with Duan Nanqi and Jiang Lingyao presiding over the trial, and Yao Yuan listening in.
One of the housekeepers said, "Master Bo has been fasting for the past three days and has to sleep in the study at night, so Madam is naturally staying alone on the second floor. Oh, by the way, at midnight yesterday, the mansion specially invited Master Le Kong to give a lecture, which lasted for more than half an hour. Madam, Young Master, Young Madam, and Butler Wen were all there."
The time when this sermon was given was exactly when Xue Dingshan was likely to die.
Could it be that these people had nothing to do with Xue Dingshan's death? Is it possible that they speculated that he was murdered for money?
The nanny only knew so much, and asked another servant to interrogate him. He said, "Last night, when the sutras were being preached, I came to add some lights to the main room, and found that the light in the master's study was suddenly on."
Jiang Lingyao's eyes lit up and she asked, "Do you remember when?"
The servant recalled carefully and said, "It was when the lecture was about to end, around the beginning of the midnight hour. Madam remembered that the lights in the main courtyard had not been lit yet, so she asked me to come over to check, fearing that it would be too dark for Master to come out of the study and he would stumble."
Duan Nanqi asked, "Where do you preach?"
The servant said, "There is a Buddhist temple in the mansion, in the Mingxin Hall in front of the main courtyard. Usually, rituals are held here. Madam also often stays in the temple, and she is very sincere."
The family of Zhengyang Bo seems to be very pious.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi looked at each other and asked, "Are you sure that the light was on at the beginning of the midnight hour? This captain is writing a testimony and will sign it later to confirm it."
The servant was startled by her, and thought for a long time with a pale face before saying, "It was exactly that time."
The servant looked at the officials in front of him, and only Jiang Lingyao seemed to be much kinder. After thinking for a while, he whispered, "Actually...actually, Master Bo doesn't like having too many servants to serve in the main courtyard. Usually, there are only Nanny Zhang and Nanny Li who are with Madam Bo, and Steward Wang who is with Master Bo. Servants like me don't live in the main courtyard. We only go to the main courtyard to wait for the call when we serve Master Bo's wife. When I entered the main courtyard, it was pitch black. As soon as I arrived at the door of the study, I saw that the light inside suddenly turned on, so I kept it in mind."
This also explains why there were no lights on in the main courtyard of the Bo's Mansion even after sunset and even in the middle of the night.
Because the ladies and others were all in Mingxin Hall, and the uncle was the only one in the study in the main courtyard, there was no need to light the lights.
Jiang Lingyao asked calmly, "When you came to the main courtyard, was Steward Wang, who served Master Bo, there?"
The servant was very decisive: "Manager Wang is not here. He went out to buy Yuye wine for Master. Master is the only one in the study."
This Zhengyang Earl Xue Dingshan is really weird. Not only does he not want anyone to serve him, he also practices Buddhism alone in his study and observes abstention for several days. Yet he even lets his personal steward go out to buy wine. How weird he is!
Seeing that the boy really didn't know anything more, Jiang Lingyao said, "Go and invite your steward Wang."
After the servant left, Jiang Lingyao said to the other two, "The time when Master Liaokong gave his lecture was a coincidence. It was exactly the time when Zhengyang Bo died. But according to the servant's testimony, the light was on in the study at the beginning of the midnight hour."
In other words, it is possible that Xue Dingshan was not dead at that time, or the murderer might have lit a lamp inside.
This excluded the Xue family and other major families from the conspiracy, leaving them with no time to commit the crime.
Duan Nanqi nodded and said, "According to the confession, it is indeed so, but it cannot be concluded yet."
Yao Yuan was smart this time and asked, "Why didn't Master light the lamp until midnight? Or was Master already asleep and woke up at midnight?"
This is another idea.
Jiang Lingyao frowned, "But that room can only accommodate a tea table and tea ceremony, and there is no soft place to put anything. Why does Master Bo insist on living in a state of abstinence in the study?"
Xue Dingshan still had work to do in the Wucheng Bingmasi, and he couldn't be absent without a reason, so in order to observe the fast, he had to ask for leave in advance, and he had to get approval from his superiors.
All this trouble, just to spend days in the study?
Jiang Lingyao was a little confused.
Yao Yuan suddenly laughed and said, "Perhaps Lord Zhengyang is more pious."
Nothing is strange to a pious person.
Jiang Lingyao and Duan Nanqi looked at each other and saw the deep meaning in each other's eyes.
It seems that this study room needs to be checked carefully again.
At this time, the middle-aged steward who had met him at the door was already waiting outside. When Jinyi Wei Tiqi led him into the house, his eyes suddenly turned red and he knelt down on the ground.
"Sir, is our master really dead?" His voice was filled with tears.
Jiang Lingyao noticed that everyone in the mansion called Xue Dingshan Uncle, except him.
Jiang Lingyao nodded and sighed, "Mr. Zhengyang is indeed dead. You are his personal steward. Where were you yesterday?"
Wang, the steward, had tears in his eyes and a sad face, but he still said, "The old man has always liked Yuye wine, but he usually has to fast and worship Buddha, so he rarely drinks. He only drinks it on his 50th birthday, and he never drinks much on other days."
"The master liked to be quiet while he was praying in the study, and he didn't allow the servants to disturb him. He wasn't the kind of person who liked to be served, so he didn't need servants to follow him around. So I went out to buy some wine, but when I came back, the master seemed to have gone to bed, and the lights were off in the study, so I didn't bother him again."
Jiang Lingyao asked, "When did you go? Why did you go then?"
Manager Wang's expression changed. He looked at Yao Yuan, and finally at Duan Nanqi who was sitting in the main seat: "Sir, this... I'm afraid you will punish me."
Duan Nanqi spoke in a very friendly tone: "You left the mansion after the night curfew, right?"
Steward Wang smiled awkwardly and said, "Your Excellency is indeed very good at predicting things. I have already been to that wine shop during the day, but they have sold out their Yuye wine. They said they would receive another batch after sunset."
"Master Liaokong is at home, so it's not good to go out to buy wine all the time. I also wanted to let the old man have some wine as soon as possible and celebrate his birthday, so I went there again after the curfew. But sir, I swear to heaven that I was only out for about two quarters of an hour and came back, and did not disturb the security of Yanjing."
Duan Nanqi nodded calmly and said, "I understand. Please continue."
Steward Wang lowered his head and wiped his tears, a little dazed: "Sir, what did you say?"
Duan Nanqi's eyes were as cold as a knife: "Tell me why you served Lord Zhengyang personally. He died yesterday, but no one found him until noon today."
Duan Nanqi leaned forward and looked at Steward Wang: "Don't you want to serve Lord Zhengyang in the morning? Help him wash, change clothes and have breakfast? Doesn't the iceberg in the room need to be replaced? Does he need to go to the toilet?"
This series of questions befell Manager Wang, who was stunned for a moment before saying, "Sir, I can explain."
Duan Nanqi's aura suddenly relaxed. He leaned back and leaned back in his chair leisurely: "Speak."
Steward Wang didn't care to act like a loyal servant. He wiped his face and said, "Sir, our master doesn't like people to serve him personally. Whenever he is in his study, servants are not allowed to come in and out at will. I was the master's servant when I was young, but I was not allowed to come in and out frequently."
"Your Excellency can see that there are two high tables at the door of the study. They are used to place fruits, snacks, meals and tea. If the master is busy in the study, I will put the things on the high tables and the master will come to take them when he is done."
This Lord Zhengyang was too cautious. He didn't even allow his personal servant to enter his study.
Steward Wang continued, "I usually wait in the side room. If the master needs me, I will go and serve. If the master doesn't need me, I will wait quietly."
"Especially the fasting rules. The master doesn't allow us to come and go as we please. Last night, the master came out to have a fasting meal with Master Kong. I got the master's order and went into the study to clean it up and changed the iceberg tea and snacks."
"The master said at that time, let me leave breakfast at the door today. If he is hungry, he can eat it. If he is not hungry, he can take it away at 9 o'clock."
Jiang Lingyao suddenly asked: "Who do you think would kill Lord Zhengyang?"
Steward Wang was immersed in his memories. When she asked him this question, he subconsciously said, "Butler Wen."
After saying this, Steward Wang's expression became even uglier than before. He seemed to be very regretful and felt that he should not have betrayed Steward Wen.
Jiang Lingyao also seemed to be interested: "Why did Steward Wen want to kill Uncle? I heard that Steward Wen is very powerful in Zhengyang Earl, and several family heads rely on him. Why did he want to kill Uncle?"
Manager Wang hesitated for a moment and dared not say anything.
Jiang Lingyao glanced at Duan Nanqi, and Duan Nanqi gently picked up the startling wood and smashed it hard on the table.
There was a loud bang, which frightened Manager Wang so much that he almost fell to his knees.
Steward Wang raised his head and saw Duan Nanqi's cold eyes. He became more and more afraid and finally lowered his head: "I just happened to hear Steward Wen talking to someone."
"About two or three years ago, I passed by a remote bamboo forest in the mansion and heard him talking to another person. He said... that he couldn't die yet and that the title still depended on him. We had to keep him and plan for future glory and wealth."
Steward Wang's face turned pale: "I thought he was talking about the master."
After saying this, Steward Wang kowtowed several times and stammered, "Sir, this is all I know. I don't even know what the steward wanted to do. I don't know who he told this to. I really just heard it suddenly."
Duan Nanqi asked casually, "After hearing this, did you tell Lord Zhengyang?"
Manager Wang's face turned pale and he remained silent for a long time, as if he didn't know how to answer.
After a moment, Manager Wang gritted his teeth and said, "I didn't tell the master."
Duan Nanqi didn't even need to ask why, Manager Wang confessed: "Why should I tell the old man? I have served the old man since I was a child, and later accompanied the old man to Beijing to take the exam. I have been by the old man's side for so many years. Even when the Xue family's ancestral home in Linzhou caught fire, not only the old man's parents were burned to death, but also my parents. I didn't blame the old man, and even accompanied him back to his hometown to worry about Dingyou. But what about the old man to me?"
"Shouldn't I be the housekeeper? Am I not a close friend of the old man? I am the old man's confidant!" Steward Wang was heartbroken, with deep resentment in his words.
"So I think if Butler Wen really takes action, Master will be able to find evidence of his evil intentions. Then Butler Wen will not be able to stay in the Earl's Mansion, and I can become the butler."
This person is a deep person, but he is a bit stupid, so he can't accomplish anything.
Duan Nanqi asked, "Is there anything else you haven't told me? You know a lot about the Xue family, right?"
Steward Wang gritted his teeth and whispered, "Sir, I know a secret of the old master. Please don't tell the young master and his wife."
"Master... Master only said it, but he didn't really ask for the title of Crown Prince for Young Master. He didn't even write a single word in the petition."
This is big news, and truly shocking.
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