Chapter 104: Lightning Speed Case Closure
"Master!"
A silly voice sounded from behind Zeng Anmin.
Soon, Dachun was seen jogging towards this side.
Dachun's running posture was very strange. He was tall and strong, with his arms clenched together. His hips, which were as wide as two people, twisted and turned when he ran, which looked extremely awkward.
"Aren't you going to the Imperial College today?"
After Dachun ran over, his face was not red and he was not out of breath. He looked at Zeng Anmin innocently.
"No, I have an important case to handle today."
Zeng Anmin turned his head and glanced at Bai Ziqing.
At this time, Bai Ziqing's eyes were dull and he looked like he was worried about something.
"I'm going to help Brother Bai with a case."
"Oh, then I'll go to the Imperial College to ask for leave for you?" Dachun scratched his head and asked Zeng Anmin.
Zeng Anmin's expression turned incredible, his eyes widened, and he looked at Dachun with a sudden rise in his voice:
"What price? What price?"
Dachun's wise eyes became even more confused:
"Ah? I mean..."
"I'm helping my big brother solve a case and you're still quoting a price? Am I such a snob?!"
Zeng Anmin looked disappointed. He took a deep breath.
"Brother Bai and I are brothers, how can we measure our friendship with money?"
"I didn't..." Dachun was already a little incoherent at this time.
"Shut up! If you say another word, the master will enforce the family rules!"
Zeng Anmin's face was filled with anger.
Then he turned his head and looked at Bai Ziqing with an apologetic smile:
"Brother Bai, please don't mind me. My family comes from a slave merchant family, so it's inevitable that we are a bit snobbish. I will definitely teach them a lesson when I return home."
Bai Ziqing also came back to his senses at this time, and said with a serious face:
"I really can't let Quan Fubai go with me."
"How about this, now that this case is over, regardless of whether you've helped me or not, I'll treat you. You can go wherever you want and spend as much as you want in the entire capital!"
"Oh no! With our relationship, there's no need for this!"
Zeng Anmin looked very friendly and walked closer with a smile:
"Let's go to the Minister's Mansion and take a look. Let me see what kind of bull, snake, ghost or spirit is causing this trouble."
"good."
Bai Ziqing no longer hesitated, jumped on his horse, and the three of them headed towards the street.
…………
With the sound of horses stopping.
The residence of Lou Yingqi, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, also appeared in front of Zeng Anmin.
"Ouch~"
He stopped the green horse under his crotch, turned over and looked towards the mansion in front of him.
At this time, at the gate of the mansion, two officials from the Imperial City Bureau stood guarding on both sides of the gate with serious expressions.
Bai Ziqing hid the anxiety on his face at this moment, and his eyes were calm. After getting off the horse, he headed towards the mansion.
Zeng Anmin and Dachun followed behind him at a very fast pace.
"Bai Tisi."
The two Tizi saluted together.
"Um."
Bai Ziqing nodded calmly and continued to go inside.
Walking on the road, Zeng Anmin looked deeply at every corner of the courtyard.
For him, every building at the crime scene has the potential to provide clues.
His eyes were like those of a hawk, searching for any possible information bit by bit.
"The crime scene is in the inner courtyard."
Bai Ziqing naturally noticed Zeng Anmin's actions. He took a deep breath and said:
"The room of Lou Yingli's son Lou Tong and the room of Lou Yingli's wife are in the same courtyard."
After the incident, a doctor came, as well as people from our Imperial City Bureau.
Lou Tong was poisoned by a snake and fell into a coma. I immediately cordoned off the crime scene.
All the servants in the courtyard were locked up, and this continues to this day.
"Um."
Hearing this, Zeng Anmin nodded with relief.
Bai Ziqing's professionalism and the knowledge of sealing off the scene after the crime will definitely be of great help to him in solving the case now.
Although it's not a murder case.
But as Lou Yingqi was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, his son's poisoning would naturally be listed as a top priority case by the Imperial City Bureau.
He plotted to murder the son of a third-rank official in the capital.
It is definitely a top-priority case.
"Anyone poisoned by the Green-bellied Snake will not survive for more than three days. However, Lou Yingqi has served Your Majesty diligently for so many years, so Your Majesty has specially bestowed upon him a life-saving pill from the palace treasury."
As they walked, Bai Ziqing explained the basic details of the case to Zeng Anmin:
"But the Life-Saving Pill can only extend his life by seven days at most. In other words..."
Having said that, Bai Ziqing shut his mouth.
"That is to say, Lou Tong won't live to see tomorrow."
Zeng Anmin narrowed his eyes.
Bai Ziqing had already said when they first met that the only antidote to the green viper's venom was snake gall.
But the Green-bellied Snake had been killed and exterminated in the battle of Yinwu to destroy the demon seven years ago.
That means...Lou Tong is beyond saving.
"Well, the best outcome now is to find the person who poisoned me and give an explanation to Minister Lou and to His Majesty."
Bai Ziqing sighed.
Zeng Anmin's expression remained unchanged. He didn't say much, but just followed Bai Ziqing towards the crime scene.
At this time, the two of them had arrived at the gate of the inner courtyard.
Sure enough, a group of people from the Imperial City Bureau were standing at the entrance of the inner courtyard.
Everyone stood there with a serious expression, meticulously.
No one moved.
“Tsk.”
Zeng Anmin raised his eyebrows.
Never mind how bad the Imperial City Division's reputation is or how efficient it is at solving cases.
Just the attitude towards handling the case alone is enough to make people praise their professionalism.
"Lord Tisi."
The young man with sword-like eyebrows bowed respectfully towards Bai Ziqing.
"Yeah." Bai Ziqing nodded lightly.
He took Zeng Anmin and walked towards the courtyard.
Zeng Anmin didn't say anything, but just followed Bai Ziqing into the yard.
He took a quick look at the situation in the yard.
The layout of the entire courtyard is similar to Shangshu Di’s own courtyard.
There are several peach trees planted in the middle of the yard.
It is April now.
The peach blossoms are extremely beautiful.
On the left side of the yard is a spacious study.
The main room is in the middle of the opposite door.
The house is divided into two sides, and the left and right sides of the main hall are bedrooms for people to live in.
There is also a bedroom on the right. A quick glance at the environment reveals that it is where the servants live. The layout of the room is much simpler than the bedrooms on both sides of the main hall.
"There are ten servants in this yard."
"The four maids are Madam Lou's personal maids."
"The four maids serve Lou Tong."
"There are two more, one for the kitchen and one for the stable."
"oh."
Zeng Anmin nodded slowly.
"Until the case is solved, they are all suspects and are being held in the yard over there. You can interrogate them at any time."
Bai Ziqing took a deep breath, looked around, and then said in a deep voice:
"I knew I could 'solve' the case by finding a scapegoat."
"But... I can't get over this."
Zeng Anmin was stunned for a moment.
His eyes met Bai Ziqing's.
Zeng Anmin didn't know if it was an illusion, but he felt that Bai Ziqing's temperament had changed.
No longer as impetuous as before.
All that remains is a kind of grace that is worthy of endless praise, and a touch of lion-like steadiness.
Even that weird yellow curly hair looked as heavy as the waves of the sea.
"Well, let's look at the victim first."
Zeng Anmin nodded lightly.
"Um."
Soon, Zeng Anmin followed Bai Ziqing into the house.
To the right of the main hall is the house of the victim Lou Tong.
At this time, there was a man from the Imperial City Bureau looking after the room.
In order to protect the crime scene, everyone in the yard was moved to another yard, not even the victim's family members were left behind.
As the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lou Yingqi naturally knew the importance of the crime scene. Although he was reluctant, he could also distinguish between the important and the unimportant.
He did not force himself to stay, but placed all his hopes on the Imperial City Bureau.
Zeng Anmin came into the room and looked at Lou Tong who was lying on the bed.
At this time, Lou Tong's face was dark and his eyes were closed.
The only thing that reminded others that he was still alive was the slightly rising and falling of his chest.
The smell in the room was dull, even a little smelly.
Although Lou Tong has been in a coma these days, his most basic human instincts are still retained.
Although the Imperial City Division has been taking good care of Ti Zi, there are still some shortcomings in his excretion.
“Huh~”
Zeng Anmin did not hesitate. He went straight forward to check Lou Tong's body.
"Sir, this..." The man hesitated for a moment and looked at Bai Ziqing beside him.
"This is the staff I hired."
Bai Ziqing didn't say much, just nodded steadily to the man.
"Yeah." The man finally felt relieved and looked at Zeng Anmin.
At this time, Zeng Anmin had already checked the unconscious Lou Tong's body thoroughly.
"There are no wounds..." Zeng Anmin thought thoughtfully.
It meets the characteristics of being poisoned.
He looked up and asked:
"Did the victim eat before being poisoned? When did he eat?"
"Around three quarters past midnight." Bai Ziqing said in a deep voice:
"The cooks in the kitchen and the maids who brought food were the main targets of the torture, along with all the servants who had any dealings with the courtyard that day."
"But Minister Lou Yingqi himself is a fifth-rank Confucian scholar. He personally examined his conscience..."
Bai Ziqing's face showed bitterness: "Nothing was gained."
Zeng Anmin frowned even deeper.
Bai Ziqing's words also conveyed a message.
Lou Tong was poisoned because of this meal.
He slowly looked around and didn't find anything wrong. Then he turned his gaze to Bai Ziqing and asked:
"Is this where the victim usually lives?"
"Yes." Bai Ziqing nodded and said, "This house was already searched on the day of the crime, but there are no clues."
"oh."
Zeng Anmin felt a little disappointed.
He knew that eight days had passed since the incident.
Even if there are clues, with Ti Zi from the Imperial City Bureau around, he will probably be persecuted to some extent.
"Let's go look somewhere else."
Zeng Anmin sighed and took the lead to leave the room.
Not long.
Then he appeared in the second room.
The decoration of this room is obviously more luxurious.
It is obvious at a glance that the owner of this house has an extraordinary status.
"This is the house where Lou Yingqi and Madam Lou usually live."
"However, when the incident occurred, Minister Lou had already gone to the morning court, and Madam Lou was still asleep."
"Lou Tong was poisoned and unconscious. Madam Lou woke up immediately after hearing the cry and went to Lou Tong's room."
At this time, the windows in the house were open.
Except for the bed being a little messy.
Everywhere else is in great order.
In just a moment, Zeng Anmin felt something was wrong.
He looked towards the bed.
There was a sharp look in his eyes:
"You mean, Lou Tong was poisoned around 3:30 AM."
Three quarters past the hour of Mao, to be more precise, is six forty-five in the morning.
"Um."
"Mrs. Lou was awakened by the servants' cries and immediately got up and went into Lou Tong's room?"
"Um."
"Let me ask you again, after the incident, you immediately brought people to this courtyard and sealed off the entire scene?"
Zeng Anmin's eyes were now extremely sharp as he looked towards Bai Ziqing:
"are you sure?"
"Sure."
Bai Ziqing's expression was extremely serious: "This is a matter of great importance, so I will be extremely careful."
Zeng Anmin took a deep breath and walked to the slightly messy bed.
He pointed at the bedding on the bed and said:
"According to common sense, when Madam Lou was awakened and heard the servants say that her only son was poisoned, she immediately jumped out of bed and headed towards Lou Tong's room, right?"
Bai Ziqing looked a little confused at this moment. He frowned and nodded:
"right."
"Then, when someone subconsciously lifts the quilt, it's either turned from the outside in or from the top down."
"Look at this quilt. Why is it turned from the back to the front? Could it be that Madam Lou usually sleeps at the end of the bed? Instead of the head?"
After Zeng Anmin said this, he waited quietly for Bai Ziqing's reaction.
"this……"
Bai Ziqing's expression changed slightly.
He looked at the bedding on the bed carefully.
It's not like he hadn't thought about searching for evidence in this room.
But this room is clean and tidy from beginning to end.
It doesn't look like anyone has been here at all.
He expressed his doubts: "You mean..."
"The thief came to this room after the crime."
Zeng Anmin slowly looked towards the open window.
"It's March now, and although the weather is getting warmer, do you sleep with your windows open?"
Bai Ziqing's pupils suddenly contracted and he looked at the half-open window.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But this house... is clean and tidy, it doesn't look like it's been robbed..."
As the Chief of the Imperial City Bureau, Bai Ziqing has been involved in many cases.
He knew that if he stole something, the house would definitely be turned upside down...
Zeng Anmin took a deep breath and said nothing.
Go straight outside.
"where you go?"
Bai Ziqing was still feeling uneasy at this time, when he saw Zeng Anmin walking out. He became anxious and followed him.
"Squeaky teeth~"
Zeng Anmin came to the study on the side of the courtyard.
This study is the study of Lou Yingqi, the Minister of Rites.
The entire study is extremely tidy.
Apparently, there had been no damage since the day of the incident.
After reading it, the entire process of the thief's crime emerged in his mind.
"Poison Lou Jia Dalang, attract everyone's attention, and go to Lou Jia Dalang's house."
"The thief searched the study but didn't find what he wanted."
"He then sneaked into Minister Lou and Madam Lou's room to continue his search, but at this moment, the Imperial City Office, who had heard the news, arrived and rushed over. The thief...flipped out of the window and escaped."
Zeng Anmin's voice was soft but steady.
He thought again of the letter he had found in Prince Qi's mansion yesterday.
At this moment, a thought came into his mind.
And this idea is exactly the purpose of the person behind the scenes.
Lou Yingqi must have evidence in his hands that the people behind the scenes are afraid of.
Zeng Anmin's eyes flashed with a terrifying light.
But the more he spoke, the more Bai Ziqing frowned.
He frowned and looked at Zeng Anmin:
"If the thief's purpose was to search... then these two rooms, aside from the bedding and windows being suspicious, are otherwise so neat..."
Zeng Anmin took a deep breath and said calmly:
"What if the thief who came in is very familiar with the environment here?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Ziqing's expression froze.
But then he shook his head: "All the maids and servants have been questioned..."
Zeng Anmin did not give a direct answer this time.
He slowly walked out of the study and looked outside the courtyard. With Bai Ziqing on his back, a faint voice reached his ears:
"So you asked?"
"All the servants in the entire Minister's Mansion."
"A servant who has already resigned and left the Minister's residence."
"Well...even servants who have died for various reasons..."
Every time Zeng Anmin mentioned a possibility, Bai Ziqing pursed his lips a little harder.
The whole courtyard was filled with the gentle breeze of spring.
There was no sound at all.
Zeng Anmin slowly raised his head, looking directly at Bai Ziqing, a hint of disappointment in his voice:
"If you want to solve a case, the first thing you need to pay attention to is rigor."
"Brother Bai, let me ask you, have you ruled out all these possibilities?"
At this time, Bai Ziqing's back was already covered with sweat.
"After eliminating all possibilities, we can say that this case is difficult to solve."
"But there are obviously so many possibilities..."
Zeng Anmin sighed, "Go, go find the housekeeper and ask if there are any servants who have left the house in the past two years."
"Um."
Bai Ziqing walked straight out of the yard without any hesitation, and soon his figure disappeared from sight.
Zeng Anmin was the only one left in the yard.
At this time, Zeng Anmin was sitting on a stone bench under the peach tree.
There was a leisurely look in his eyes.
This case is not as difficult as imagined.
After all, he had already obtained some clues in Prince Qi's Mansion yesterday.
It is indeed easier to solve a case if you have a preconceived idea.
In addition, Bai Ziqing’s work these days was not in vain, and he had eliminated some doubts.
That's why he can so keenly find the direction closest to the truth.
Fortunately, Bai Ziqing is very efficient.
In just half an hour, he had asked the butler all the questions he could.
Zeng Anmin crossed his arms and looked at Bai Ziqing who had hurried back.
At this time, Bai Ziqing's face showed some joy.
"Quan Fu, I found out that there was a maid named Xiangchun who served Madam Lou in this courtyard."
"She came to the palace seven years ago, but six months ago she sent a letter of resignation to the palace to redeem her indenture."
"Besides that, it was eight years ago... but it doesn't match the time of the crime, nor the time when the Green Belly Snake exterminated the clan."
As soon as Bai Ziqing came to Zeng Anmin, he poured out all the questions he had asked like beans pouring out of a bamboo slip.
"Um."
Zeng Anmin nodded slowly when he heard this, with a sharp look flashing in his face:
"Then this maid named Xiangchun will be the main target of the next investigation."
"She won't be able to get far in eight days."
"And the person behind this case might be trying to intimidate Minister Lou, so he won't let this maid get away."
Having said this, he slowly raised his head and looked at Bai Ziqing, his eyes gleaming with brilliance:
"If you had acted faster, Lou Tong might... still be saved."
"ah?"
Bai Ziqing paused, his eyes widening as he asked, "What do you mean?"
Zeng Anmin slowly stood up, looked up at the peach blossoms on the tree, and said in a quiet voice:
"Brother Bai, if it was just an ordinary maid, how could she sneak into the courtyard quietly, poison the room, and then quickly sneak into Minister Lou's study and bedroom?"
"And he was able to leave quietly after the crime... Isn't that suspicious?"
Bai Ziqing's mind was a little confused at this time, and he didn't understand what Zeng Anmin meant.
"Green viper venom is extremely difficult to preserve. From eight years ago to now, the amount of spirit stones consumed alone must have been tens of thousands..."
Zeng Anmin continued calmly:
"But what if... that maid is actually a green viper?"
"ah??!"
When Bai Ziqing heard this extremely bold guess, he was dumbfounded.
After a long while, he asked with great difficulty:
"But Minister Lou is a fifth-rank Confucian cultivator. How could he not have noticed a demon lurking in the mansion for years?"
"Heh." Zeng Anmin sneered: "What if there is a special method?"
At that time, in Liangjiang County.
My father is a Confucian and Taoist leader at the third level of the Firewood-Baoing Realm.
No one realized that the courtesan Shi Yi was a demon.
If it was the same method, how could Lou Yingqi, a mere fifth-rank minister, have this ability?
"You mean... the Xuanzhen Division's Hidden Breath Array? Impossible. Why would a master from the Xuanzhen Division help a demon?"
Bai Ziqing's mind was a little confused at this time. He kept talking and guessing:
"Besides the Xuanzhen Division, there's the Jiang Kingdom's Eastern Sect... and the Taoist Sect..."
Bai Ziqing fell into confusion.
This proliferation of thoughts made it really difficult for him to make a decision...
When Zeng Anmin heard this, he gently reached out and rubbed his chin.
He just uttered softly:
"Looking for that maid now is like looking for a needle in a haystack, and it's very likely to alert the enemy."
"Go to Minister Lou and tell him about these speculations. Ask him to cooperate with you in this play. See if you can lure the snake out of its hole. This is the best way to save his son, or to find the murderer."
Bai Ziqing was confused for a moment: "How should I act?"
"Don't worry about that. Just express your thoughts. I believe that Minister Lou will come up with a very realistic scenario targeting the person behind the scenes."
Zeng Anmin smiled, patted Bai Ziqing and said:
"Hurry up and go. There are less than ten hours left before Lou Tong dies of poisoning."
As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Ziqing's expression changed. He jumped up and headed out of the yard.
They disappeared in the yard in a flash.
Looking at Bai Ziqing's back, Zeng Anmin's expression turned gloomy.
He thought of an extremely terrifying point.
There is one person who is indispensable in this case of the Minister's Mansion.
King of Qi.
This brings us to another point.
The black agarwood in King Qi's hand!!
So where did the black agarwood come from? ! !
Qi Xianlin?
Or is he another direct disciple of Xuanzhensi?
Or maybe... Jiangguo's Eastern Religion?
Or Taoism?
In this case, there are more people behind this case.
"interesting."
After a long time, an inexplicable smile appeared on Zeng Anmin's face:
"That seems to be good news."
"This case will not only strengthen Dad's power, but also give him some leverage over certain people."
"I'm really looking forward to the day when Dad becomes the Prime Minister of the Cabinet..."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
