Chapter 62: Killing Two Birds with One Stone
"That's right. He was leaning against the pillar, his carotid artery facing the window, and his throat facing the three of us sitting by the back door—and Cui Shaoqing and I obviously couldn't shoot someone silently." Qian Deng stared at Ling Tianshui, emphasizing each word. "Also, now I think about it, after the accident, you first checked the body, then searched the wall for the murder weapon, starting from the corner facing us. According to common sense, if someone is injured by a flying knife, shouldn't you look directly for the murder weapon in the direction of the door or window? Why did you start in the corner?"
Ling Tianshui did not argue, but simply asked, "What do you think, County Lady?"
"I believe you knew exactly where the murder weapon was embedded. You needed to use the opportunity of inspection to remove it, then search along the wall until you reached an angle facing the window, then pretend to have found the murder weapon, thereby diverting our attention outside. By then, the fire you had secretly started had already been started. You took advantage of the opportunity to pretend that the murderer had committed murder and arson, so that you could naturally burn all the soldiers and bandits to death in the ruined temple!
"Unfortunately, you missed one thing. Jin Tang ran into the fire to save Lan Xiurong, causing Feng Yi to escape as well. Ultimately, they didn't all perish in the flames. And when Ming Jiu and I went in pursuit, we were caught in danger because we were unfamiliar with the terrain. Fortunately, you showed up in time and rescued me from the forest. At that time, I saw blood on your clothes, and you said it was from chasing the murderer. Now we know the murderer wasn't outside the temple at the time, so whose blood could it be?"
Qian Deng stared at Ling Tianshui, fearless and awe-inspiring, as he spoke. "It wasn't until Feng Yi's body reappeared that I realized, how could the person you want to kill possibly escape?"
"What a great plan! While Meng Lanxi was escaping, it also successfully covered up Ling Tianshui's suspicion of murder and arson. It really killed two birds with one stone!" Xue Xiyang didn't even care about Ling Tianshui's terrifying aura. He asked with a gloating tone, "No wonder when Meng Lanxi needed to escape, the bandit who was nowhere to be found by so many soldiers - no, that corpse - appeared!"
Ling Tianshui ignored him and didn't bother to argue. "Those bandits caused chaos in the northwest back then, and I have a deep hatred for them. It's a relief for them that they died eighteen years later!"
He didn't reveal anything more, but Qian Deng naturally knew that Ling Tianshui had been pursuing them for eighteen years and had finally wiped out all the deserters from the Yellow Sand Valley. With his ruthless nature, he would definitely not leave any enemies behind to make his mother rest in peace.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she paused for a long time before continuing, "You killed Feng Yi and Lan Xiurong, but because you had a guilty conscience, you kept it a secret, wanting them to disappear from the world without a sound. But then, Meng Lanxi killed Jin Tang on the farm. He could hide it from us, but he couldn't hide it from you, who knew his background well and was the first to get the clue. When you saw the cup in Jin Tang's hand, you immediately knew why Meng Lanxi came to quarrel with you with the oil lamp last night. You took the cup from Jin Tang's hand in advance under the pretext of performing an autopsy, dipped your finger in the remaining poison on the rim of the cup, and then went to check and touch the teapot on the table, thus transferring the poison from the cup into the teapot, misleading all of us.
"But the murderer of Jin Tang's death is among the young men in the same courtyard. In order to completely clear Meng Lanxi's name, you must find a scapegoat—Ji Linyou, the one you have chosen. Because of the argument that night, both Qilin cups were actually broken. However, when Aunt Xuanji went to clean up, she naturally knew that the cup Meng Lanxi had swapped was only a cup, so she didn't ask anyone to replace it. You picked up a broken Qilin cup that had been swept away, faked the traces of Ji Linyou's cup being thrown outside his window, and quietly hung a dried pine leaf in his silver sachet, misleading us that the poison was poured in from the roof, thus locking in Ji Linyou as the culprit and successfully clearing Meng Lanxi of suspicion.
"Unfortunately, although Ji Linyou was framed, Cui Shaoqing and I don't believe this is the truth. If we continue to investigate, the truth will surely be revealed. Fortunately, it wasn't long after Feng Yi's death. You quickly found an opportunity to let Meng Lanxi enter the barracks and, under the guise of a search, moved his body and preserved it, setting up a reasonable stage for him. A few days later, on a distant cliff, you used the body to perform a play for us, attempting to deceive the world and put an end to everything once and for all."
Qian Deng finished speaking and looked directly at Ling Tianshui: "Is what I said wrong?"
"The county lady is extremely intelligent, so she will naturally not make mistakes." Ling Tianshui replied calmly.
Ji Linyou's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at this "cousin" he once admired from the bottom of his heart, seething with anger. "Ling... bastard! I used to admire your extraordinary skills and envy you for helping the county lady so much! But now you're colluding with the murderer and framing me to help him! Is this what a man should do?"
"I've registered two bandits for you in the ruined temple. Even if you're suspected of murder since you've just made a military achievement, you'll most likely lose your place as a candidate for the County Lady's husband and be exiled to the frontier to earn more merit." Ling Tianshui said calmly, "Also, during my investigation, I've discovered you've shown signs of being harmful to the County Lady. On the night Madam Qi was murdered, you were seen committing misconduct at the manor. Therefore, it's only natural that I'm moving you out of the County Lady's backyard."
"Who did something wrong? On the night my wife passed away, I..." Ji Linyou recalled the symbols carved on the outside of the pillars and immediately said to Qian Deng anxiously, "County Master, I told you, I didn't draw those marks! Many people in the army know my habits. He-"
As he spoke, he pointed at Ling Tianshui and said, "He naturally knows everything. How do you know it wasn't him who drew it to frame me?"
"After I discovered your suspicion, I took advantage of the situation and shifted Meng Lanxi's crimes onto you. Why would I have done anything to you before I discovered it? Furthermore, we later examined your sword and confirmed that the blade was damaged at several key points, and it matched perfectly with the clues left at the scene."
"This is baffling!" Ji Linyou felt for his sword, but found nothing. Then he remembered that the sword had been confiscated by the Dali Temple because of his suspicion. Furious, he turned to Cui Fufeng, "Master Cui, my sword should still be in your Dali Temple, right? The blade is definitely not damaged. If you don't believe me, check it out!"
Cui Fufeng said, "What Ling Tianshui was talking about was the standard sword you used in the Imperial Guards."
"I hardly ever use that knife. I only noticed the blade curled up inexplicably when I was in the camp, so I went to fix it..." At this point, he muttered to himself in confusion, "Yeah, I didn't pay much attention to it at the time. How did the blade suddenly curl up?"
Ling Tianshui stared at his confused expression, as if examining whether he was being guise.
Cui Fufeng lowered his voice and asked Ling Tianshui thoughtfully, "The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Since we can easily replace his sword, how can we know if the sword we have obtained has already been replaced by someone else?"
Ling Tianshui's eyes were slightly cold, but he did not refute his guess. After all, things had come to this point now. The most urgent and important thing before him was not Ji Linyou, but Meng Lanxi.
"This is my personal suspicion. Whether it's true or not, the county lady will carefully clarify it. But county lady, you really don't need to go to all the trouble to expose all this. I have already decided to take Meng Lanxi away. From now on, I will teach him well and control him. I will never let him cause any more trouble."
Qian Deng stared at him intently: "Even if he has committed numerous crimes and murdered Jin Tang and his cousin Meng Yongshun, will you still protect him?"
"Meng Yongshun?" Ling Tianshui glanced at Meng Lanxi and saw that his eyelids didn't even move, as if Qiandeng was not talking about him killing someone, but just stepping on an ant.
He suddenly realized that he actually didn't understand the younger brother whom his mother entrusted to him before her death.
"Why did the county lady suddenly bring this up? As far as I know, Meng Lanxi didn't have much contact with the Meng family, and Meng Yongshun had already returned home to recuperate. How could they have killed someone, one in Chang'an and the other in Dongting?"
"No, in my opinion, Meng Yongshun is not by the Dongting Lake, but has long since died in the canal of Chang'an."
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