Chapter 121 Murder in a Locked Room
The Imperial Guard Commander's words struck them like a boulder, leaving Pei Zhiwei and Yan Jinghong stunned and speechless.
"What do you mean... he didn't show up at the morning court session today?" Yan Jinghong's voice trembled slightly.
She felt dizzy, her body swayed, and her face instantly drained of color.
Pei Zhiwei quickly grabbed her arm, held her cold hand in one hand, and called out urgently, "Mother!"
Yan Jinghong seized Pei Zhiwei's hand with such force that it almost dug into her flesh.
She took a deep breath, forced herself to stand firm, and said, word by word, "Don't panic, neither of us can panic right now."
"Under the emperor's nose, right at the foot of the imperial city, your father will be fine."
But when she said this, the hand holding Pei Zhiwei trembled slightly, betraying her inner unease.
Moreover, Pei Zhiwei saw that her mother's eyes were somewhat unfocused, and she could clearly feel the uncontrollable slight trembling. Her heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, both suffocating and painful.
She composed herself, turned to look at the commander of the Imperial Guards, and was about to ask a question when the steward rushed in from outside, his face pale, and he didn't even care about etiquette.
"Madam, my lady, something terrible has happened!"
Yan Jinghong's heart tightened, and her voice even changed slightly: "What is it?"
"A man claiming to be Zhou Ping, the head constable of the Dali Temple, just came to deliver a message," the steward said urgently, speaking very quickly.
"They said...the county government received a report that the magistrate...he killed Vice Minister Zhang of the Ministry of Revenue, and Zhang's second son!" The tone changed at the end.
"What?" Pei Zhiwei and Yan Jinghong exclaimed in unison, their faces filled with disbelief.
Pei Zhiwei's mind raced. With Zhang Xuren gone, the Zhang family only had Zhang Qifeng left who could speak for them in court. Could it be that they had even abandoned Zhang Qifeng in order to protect their clan?
She turned to the commander of the Imperial Guards and asked, "General, may I ask why Lord Zhang did not attend court today?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards shook his head slowly, his expression serious: "No."
"Madam Pei, Lady Pei, this matter is of utmost importance. I must return to the palace immediately to inform His Majesty."
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two of them, then turned and quickly left.
Pei Zhiwei asked the steward in rapid succession, "Did Constable Zhou say where the crime scene was?"
“He didn’t have time to explain in detail,” the butler quickly pulled a note from his pocket and handed it over.
"He just handed this to me and left in a hurry, saying he was going to check out the crime scene first."
Pei Zhiwei took the note and saw that the handwriting was messy, obviously written in a hurry.
In addition to an address, it also reads "Locked inside, two Zhangs dead, Pei alive, weapon in hand".
She stared at the words on the note, her brow furrowed.
According to the laws of Daliang, in the case of ordinary murder, the local magistrate should conduct the trial first and then inform the family.
Zhou Ping was a constable of the Dali Temple, which was not under his jurisdiction, but he had many informants and must have gotten the news from them. Since he came to deliver the message in a hurry, it should be more of a friend than an enemy.
"Go to the scene and see what's going on." Yan Jinghong's voice had regained some composure, and she patted Pei Zhiwei's hand.
"I'll stay at home so that we can keep in touch if there's any news."
She paused, her eyes resolute, "Don't panic, Mother is here for you."
Pei Zhiwei nodded emphatically, put the bag into his brocade pouch, and turned to leave.
The steward had already prepared a fast horse. Pei Zhiwei mounted the horse, spurred it on, and galloped off toward the address on the note.
The wind whistled in her ears, making her hair fly wildly, and the anxiety in her heart grew like weeds.
They had just returned to the capital yesterday. Why did Father change his route on his way to court and go to the crime scene?
He knew perfectly well that those people might attack him before he reported the matter to His Majesty, so why didn't he go to court first?
This is not in line with my father's usually meticulous nature.
There must be something hidden here, but the words "locked from the inside and a weapon in hand" are like a thorn stuck in my heart.
But since those people all chose to harm their father, why didn't they just kill him outright?
The crime scene was a secluded courtyard in the north of the city, which was now surrounded by yamen runners from the county government, drawing many onlookers and sparking discussion.
As soon as Pei Zhiwei dismounted, she saw a middle-aged man dressed as a constable walking quickly towards her. It was Zhou Ping, the head constable of the Dali Temple.
When Zhou Ping saw her, his expression brightened, and he quickly stepped forward to pull her into a nearby alley, lowering his voice to say, "Madam Pei, you've finally arrived."
Lord Pei and the corpse have already been taken back to the county office. There are too many people here, so you can't go in now to avoid causing trouble.
Although Pei Zhiwei was burning with anxiety, she forced herself to calm down, looked past the crowd towards the house, and asked, "Officer Zhou, don't worry, I don't want to go in. I just want to look around from the outside."
Have the county government found any clues?
Zhou Ping glanced around warily, making sure no one was paying attention to them, before whispering, "I just asked Li Lin, the head constable of the county government, and he told me the general situation."
Someone reported the incident to the neighbor, who said that around dawn, they heard someone shouting in the courtyard, "How dare you kill my son!" The voice was urgent and angry.
He rushed to knock on the door to ask what was going on, only to find that the door was locked from the inside. Then he heard a man scream from inside, and then there was no more sound.
He was so frightened that he quickly gathered the neighbors to break down the door. As soon as the door was broken open, he saw Lord Pei sitting slumped in the corner, holding a blood-stained dagger, while the other two men lay in pools of blood, already lifeless.
They dared not delay and immediately sent someone to report to the authorities.
When the county officials arrived, they confirmed that the two dead were Zhang Qifeng, the Vice Minister of Revenue, and his second son, Zhang Yanzhi.
As soon as I received the news, I rushed to your residence to inform you.
Pei Zhiwei took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and continued to ask, "What did they say in their initial examination?"
"Old Li told me that after the coroner's preliminary examination, he said that the murder weapon was the bloodstained dagger in Lord Pei's hand, and the wound matched the blade perfectly," Zhou Ping said in an even lower voice.
"Of the two victims, Zhang Yanzhi was slashed in the neck from behind and died from excessive blood loss; Zhang Qifeng was stabbed in the heart and died on the spot."
Moreover, Lord Pei was covered in splattered blood, which looked like it had been splashed on him during the crime.
Therefore, the county government has basically concluded that Lord Pei is the murderer.
Pei Zhiwei frowned even more, her doubts growing: "Logically speaking, the county magistrate hasn't even formally tried the case yet, so why would Constable Li Lin tell you these details?"
"You two are very close?"
Zhou Ping quickly explained, "Does my wife still remember Qin Chaochao's case from before?"
At the time, I had a constable surnamed Li take you to check Qin Chaochao's room; that's Li Lin's nephew, Li Shun.
Zhiwei looked at Zhou Ping, quickly sorting out her thoughts, knowing she couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake.
When you think about it, they had only investigated one case involving Qin Chaochao with Zhou Ping, so they weren't close friends. Why would he rush over to tell her the news as soon as he got it?
Could there be a trap involved?
Could it be that someone deliberately orchestrated this, sending Zhou Ping to deliver this information and mislead them?
Zhou Ping was, after all, an old constable who had been working in the Dali Temple for more than 20 years, and his ability to read people was already superb.
He noticed the doubt in Pei Zhiwei's eyes and took the initiative to speak, "Madam Pei, I know you have concerns."
Although I haven't had much contact with Lord Pei, I've been a constable for so many years and have seen countless criminals and handled countless cases.
I can't guarantee that Lord Pei will never kill anyone in his life, but it will definitely not be like this today.
Think about it, from the time of the incident to the location of the incident, to the identity of the deceased and the murder weapon, nothing makes sense.
As the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Pei has been handling cases for many years. How could he not flee the scene after committing murder, but instead slump to the spot, still holding the murder weapon?
I felt something was wrong after I received the news, so I went to inform you first.
After I learned the preliminary test results from Li Lin, I felt that something was even more wrong.
Moreover, the fact that Li Lincoln told me such detailed information indicates that he shares my opinion that the case is strange.
Hearing this, Pei Zhiwei felt a little more at ease.
When Qin Chaochao was handling the case, she had heard her father say that Zhou Ping had worked at the Dali Temple for many years and had handled numerous cases.
Although he had some preconceived notions about that case, judging from past case files, Zhou Ping was a responsible and capable investigator.
She quickly calculated that the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue were both high-ranking officials in the imperial court.
The county magistrate certainly wouldn't dare to handle this hot potato on his own; he would definitely report it to the imperial court immediately.
The Imperial Guard Commander had already learned of his father's absence from court while at home, and now His Majesty must also be aware of this bloodshed.
Xiao Yunzhan and Xie Ji had already made an agreement with their father to report to His Majesty today on the matters they had investigated during their trip south.
They must have already received the message, and they certainly won't stand idly by.
She immediately said to Zhou Ping, "Officer Zhou, please keep an eye on things here. If there are any new developments from the county government, please let me know in time."
I have to go there…
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Ping nodded and said, "My lady, you go ahead. Leave this to me."
I will keep an eye on the people at the county government office and also keep an eye out for any unusual situations. If I receive any news, I will send someone to the prefecture to deliver a message.”
Pei Zhiwei bowed deeply to Zhou Pingxing, her tone sincere: "No matter what happens in the future, I will remember the great kindness you have shown me today, Constable Zhou."
Zhou Ping quickly returned the greeting and waved his hand, saying, "My lady, you flatter me. I just felt that this matter was too strange, and I was simply fulfilling my duty as a constable."
"Go quickly! The sooner you find out the truth, the less danger Lord Pei will be in."
Pei Zhiwei didn't delay any longer. After looking around to make sure no one was paying attention, she lightly leaped onto the roof next to her with a light touch of her toes.
Using the rooftop for cover, she avoided the constables surrounding the scene and quickly ran towards the palace.
The roof tiles made a soft sound under her feet as she moved swiftly among the staggered eaves.
At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind: to find Xiao Yunzhan and Xie Ji as soon as possible, find a way to see her father, and find out the ins and outs of this bloody case.
She had only gone a few intersections when she saw a familiar figure riding towards her in the distance—it was Xie Ji.
He rode his horse, looking anxious, and hurried toward the crime scene.
"Xie Ji!" Pei Zhiwei shouted, leaping off the roof and landing by the roadside.
Xie Ji looked over at the sound and saw Pei Zhiwei. He quickly reined in his horse, which neighed and stopped.
Seeing that he was alone, Pei Zhiwei asked, "Where is the Prince?"
Xie Ji opened his mouth, the words were already out, but he suddenly swallowed them back, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.
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