Chapter 55 Night Blindness
Staring intently at the contents of the letter, Qiandeng reviewed and sorted out what was said over and over again.
The mother said that the letter could change her destiny, and then the decision that changed her destiny really appeared in the letter.
Her mother asked her to make a decision after she had chosen a husband, so the content of the letter concerned her marriage.
Before her death, her mother asked her to look for the letter but she couldn't find it. So she finally discovered that the reason why the letter disappeared was such a coincidence...
The person who wrote this letter was in Zhuangzi that day.
Not only had he read the authentic letters, he also knew everything about Zhuangzi and was even able to easily adjust and change them.
Vague and terrifying speculations filled her mind, causing her to unconsciously clench her fists.
Her nails dug deep into her palms, and the pain gradually pulled her out of the chaos, and her mind gradually became clear.
She took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
Ignoring the cold sweat on her back, she folded all the letters as they were, put them back into the envelopes one by one, and locked them again with trembling hands.
After all the letters were cleared, she sat back at her desk and drank a cup of cold tea.
A chill rushed to her chest, slowly waking her brain.
Impossible, no, she shouldn't make such assumptions.
Before everything is settled, the most important thing for her to do is to find out the murderer of the case at hand and confirm who is colluding with the rebel soldiers in the mansion. That is the right way to find the real murderer of her mother.
Qian Deng's urgent expectations were not disappointed, and soon the search for Feng Yi was resolved.
Jian Taiping was familiar with water, so he led the craftsmen of the water department to search upstream, and they successfully found the body.
Upon receiving the news, Qiandeng immediately rushed to the canyon stream.
The cliff was steep. Although Ling Tianshui and Cui Fufeng were there to protect them, and Qiandeng was holding on to grass roots and branches, they still slipped a few times at the steepest part.
When she reached the valley, she saw that the Dali Temple officials and the coroner had already arrived, and a mutilated male corpse was lying on the flat rocky beach.
After soaking in shallow water for two or three days, his clothes were torn, his muscles were festering and rotting, he was eaten by fish and shrimp underwater, and jackals and wolves on the shore had gnawing at him. Only a bloody skeleton was left.
But from the only remaining outline, the identity of the body can be roughly identified, and it is indeed Feng Yi without a doubt.
Jian Taiping gestured to Qiandeng while observing the traces at the scene, explaining that the deceased had fallen from a cliff, been caught in a whirlpool and then swept upstream. Judging from the angle of the water's circulation, there was no doubt that the person had come here from the cliff.
After the autopsy, the coroners determined that based on the degree of muscle decay, the time of death could be confirmed to be three days ago, which was when Qiandeng and others witnessed them falling off the cliff.
It seems that Feng Yi died by falling off a cliff and into the water that day.
"Is there only... this one body?" Qiandeng looked back at the canyon creek, his voice trembling slightly.
"It's true that there's only Feng Yi's body." Cui Fufeng walked over to her and told her to be careful of the rocks beneath her feet. "However, judging by the situation at the time, Meng Lanxi fell from such a high cliff, and she's not as strong as Feng Yi. Her chances of survival are extremely slim. I'm afraid..."
"I'm afraid his body couldn't be washed ashore and has now sunk to the bottom of the water." Ling Tianshui's voice came from behind, but his usually steady and powerful voice now seemed stagnant.
Qian Deng looked back at him, paused for a moment, and then whispered, "Not necessarily. If she's alive, I'd like to see her; if she's dead, I'd like to see her body. As long as there's no trace of her, I believe Meng Lanxi is still alive."
Cui Fufeng sighed lightly and ordered the Dali Temple runners not to relax. He also asked Jian Taiping to lead the water department to continue searching along the canyon. If necessary, they should take protective measures and go into the water to check. They must find any trace of Meng Lanxi.
After all the instructions were given, he turned around and saw Qian Deng and Ling Tianshui standing half a foot apart by the stream, both looking at the water without speaking. There seemed to be some strange undercurrent surging between the two.
Thinking of the unusual atmosphere between them, and the obviously wrong atmosphere between them after the autopsy in the ruined temple last time, he felt complicated and confused.
He walked between the two men and stayed silent with them for a moment before asking, "This case seems to be getting even more confusing. Not only is there no clue about Jin Tang's death, but the body found in Caoqu has also been confirmed not to be Su Yunzhong. And now Meng Lanxi is in trouble again... County Master, do you think Ji Linyou can still overturn the verdict?"
Qian Deng didn't answer. He just turned to look at Ling Tianshui and asked, "What does Ling Dianjun think?"
Ling Tianshui's voice was slightly stiff. "Based on the many signs we've verified so far, Ji Linyou is indeed the biggest and only suspect. But now that the case is progressing and new clues have surfaced, I'm a little unsure."
Qian Deng looked at him with a cold, piercing gaze. "Tell me, what's the reason for your uncertainty? And who is the person you're considering now?"
He remained silent, only staring at her for a long moment before saying, "I do suspect someone, but for now, I only have suspicions. I haven't caught any clues, nor do I have any evidence or certainty. It's best to keep it to myself for now. I think once the evidence emerges, the county lady will naturally have a clear idea."
Qiandeng lowered his eyes and turned to look at the rapids in the canyon before him. After a long pause, he said, "Okay, in that case, after I find out the truth, I'll compare it with you to see if we are both identified as the same person."
They continued to climb up along the winding and steep road of the canyon.
When she climbed to the steep part where she had slipped before, Qiandeng was on high alert, but she saw a rope tied to the tree. She pulled the rope to gain leverage and quickly climbed to the top of the cliff.
Seeing Old Wei and Little Wei gathering their ropes below, Qian Deng asked Captain Ma, who had followed them, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days. When we were cleaning up the collapsed temple earlier, I remember you, Uncle Ying, Uncle Wei, and the others were helping as well."
Captain Ma quickly replied, "Yes, but there's a lot going on at the farm, so Uncle Ying went back the day before yesterday. Old Wei and his son have been busy running around."
Qiandeng nodded and looked at Ling Tianshui thoughtfully.
Ling Tianshui obviously knew what she meant and asked calmly, "My Lady, are you wondering why I refused to accept Xiao Wei into the Northern Yamen Forbidden Army?"
Not to mention Qian Deng, even Captain Ma pricked up his ears, obviously paying close attention to this matter.
Qian Deng said, "I think Xiao Wei has good character and is very agile. He is also a former subordinate of my father and grandfather. He should be suitable to serve as a soldier in the army."
"No, he's not suitable." Even though he saw that Old Wei and his son had come up and would obviously hear what he said, Ling Tianshui was merciless. "Do you know why the Imperial Guards mostly use children from wealthy families and not common people from the countryside?"
At this remark, Captain Ma, Old Wei, and other impoverished figures all looked grim. Furious, Captain Ma even said angrily, "So Ling Sijie still has such prejudices! If that's the case, then we old buddies will find another way out for Little Wei. If that doesn't work out, guarding the mausoleum for the prince and his son is even an option!"
"Xiao Wei is too young to guard the mausoleum," Qian Deng said, gesturing to Ling Tianshui. "Besides, he's no longer Ling Sijie, but Ling Dianjun of the Changhua Palace. I wonder if, according to the palace's rules, Xiao Wei would be worthy of your attention and be accepted as a guard?"
"No," Ling Tianshui said mercilessly, "Although he looks tall, he's only grown up on vegetables and noodles because of his young age. He's different from the soldiers who grew up eating meat."
Xiao Wei was full of dissatisfaction. "But Ling Si... Ling Dianjun saw it during the competition before. Many of those young men who grew up eating meat were defeated by me!"
Even Cui Fufeng tried to smooth things over, saying, "A thousand years ago, Cao Gui said that those who eat meat are vulgar. This shows that the coarseness of food is not a criterion for selecting scholars."
Ling Tianshui remained silent, only asking Xiao Wei, "You and your son said earlier that you would help the county lady clean up the temple ruins as soon as possible, but then I saw you guys went to the manor to rest after dark, right?"
Captain Ma complained, "It's dark now, we can't see anything, how can we clean it up?"
"People who rarely eat meat may appear normal, but at night they may experience blurred vision. This is called night blindness. When I was in the northwest, I rarely saw anyone with this condition because the northwest diet is high in beef and mutton offal, so soldiers don't have this problem. But in the Central Plains, dietary habits are different, and many soldiers in the army suffer from this condition."
Night blindness...
Qiandeng seemed to be thinking about something, looked at Cui Fufeng, and continued listening.
"The Imperial Guards are responsible for defending the Imperial City, and the guards of the Changhua Palace are also responsible for protecting the palace. Both have frequent night patrols. Although Xiao Wei is quite skilled, his vision is poor at night, and he will inevitably be delayed in his duties. Especially since he is responsible for protecting the nobles, if something goes wrong, it could bring disaster to the entire family. Therefore, I do not think he is suitable."
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