Chapter 55 Twice "Or you are the murderer!"
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As soon as Yan Siqing left, Jiang Hui felt that he had no worries. He was still confronting King Qi, let alone Jian Wuliang.
The dignitaries of Chang'an who were in the White Horse Temple also deeply realized how cold, arrogant and domineering this little devil of the royal family who was personally recognized by the emperor was.
King Qi wants to hear the case?
OK.
Now that everyone is well, the rumors have been effectively dispelled.
The body is laid out, and the king is praying.
When the seats were full, Prince Qi just took a sip of water...
Jian Wuliang recounted the clues and evidence of the case, and everyone became more and more awed as they listened.
Later, King Qi's brows twitched violently, he put down the cup, but did not suggest leaving.
Dissect the body and remove the worms.
The nobles were suddenly in an uproar, vomiting and shocked, and were terrified, fearing that these insects were still alive.
Jiang Hui: "Don't move, Uncle Wang, they can fly."
"But don't be afraid, everything is under my control."
Prince Qi: “….”
His face was covered in profanity.
It turned out that the insect eggs were suppressed by ice cubes made from saltpeter in the White Horse Temple. Because this case had such a huge impact, both the cabinet and the emperor were paying attention to it. It was not possible for the Dali Temple to make a final decision on the case by just reviewing and verifying it alone. Therefore, these were all evidences and needed to be presented in court for the serial murder case to be fully handled and made into an ironclad case.
However, these insects are hidden dangers after all. It is okay to take the insect corpses and report them, but it is better to have multiple witnesses to witness the truth of the case, understand the murder method, and realize that it is human beings rather than ghosts behind the scenes. This will avoid public opinion storms.
Naturally, with so many people present, they are all witnesses, so it doesn't matter if the eggs are burned later.
King Qi was even a part of it.
King Qi was furious, but he could only accept it, and even hypocritically sighed that it was just like this...
"Master Jian, did you figure all this out by yourself? How about Master Yan's help?"
King Qi asked deliberately.
Huai Xuan glanced at Jian Wuliang. In fact, she guessed that the investigation of the case was most likely led by Master Yan. If Jian Wuliang could make some progress, he would not have caught so many big roosters to make such arrangements. That was a desperate measure.
No one will suddenly become enlightened just by arriving at the White Horse Temple.
Xie Rong whispered to Xie Juanshu about what happened when they were hiding from the rain in the Fourth Ring Courtyard. "Sister, I think this must have been investigated by that Young Master Yan. She's really amazing and smart."
Xie Juanshu put her finger on the teacup and glanced at him. "You seem to admire her very much. What did you say when you came here?"
When he got the information from home, he also believed that the other party was a woman, just like her, and that it would endanger his family's interests. He came to Chang'an in a hurry to intercept and cause trouble. But then...
A fence-sitter will bend with the wind.
Xie Rong touched his nose and said helplessly, "That person does look very elegant."
Xie Juanshu did not comment.
Jian Wuliang lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, this is something I, His Highness the Crown Prince, Young Master Yan, and many others have investigated together. We also encountered some assassins who plotted against us, which nearly led to disaster. Now that Young Master Yan is missing, the situation is extremely critical. We must intensify the search."
He was vague in his words, and I don't know whether he didn't want to give up the credit or wanted to downplay Yan Siqing's existence.
Prince Qi looked at him deeply and asked about the investigation in the back mountains, "Have there been any traces of the murderer? Can he be caught?"
Jian Wuliang: "Through last night's tracking and today's careful search, we were able to determine the location where the murderer shot the arrow. However, he was cunning and left no traces. We can't track him at the moment. However, we can investigate after the mountain is closed and take witness statements from each person to see if there was anyone who was not present at the time. This will help us narrow down the suspects."
"After all, it's raining, and if you go into the mountains in the rain, your clothes and other things will definitely leave marks."
This is also the reason why he had to close the mountain and even obtain the decentralization of imperial power, because he had no right to investigate the White Horse Temple where so many powerful people were.
Moreover, there were a lot of people in the White Horse Temple, making it very difficult to investigate.
But at present, there is indeed only this stupid way. There are enough people to do the work, and the powerful people are willing to cooperate out of respect for the imperial power. In fact, the investigation can be carried out quickly.
Prince Qi remained noncommittal and slowly said, "It is indeed my duty to seal off the mountain, and I think it is helping the Dali Temple. However, I am a little worried that I gave the order too late. What if the suspects related to the murderer, or the murderer himself, have already escaped?"
This statement is ambiguous.
Jian Wuliang pretended not to understand. Xie Juanshu and Huai Xuan glanced at Jiang Hui calmly, and the old man from the Liao family lowered his head to drink tea.
Jiang Hui: "That's okay."
Everyone: “?”
Jiang Hui: "Anyway, it's the Dali Temple's responsibility if the murderer isn't caught. Lord Jian will just be punished. What does Uncle Guan have to do with me?"
Jian Wuliang, who had just been acting like, "What does your royal family's factions killing each other have to do with my Dali Temple?", said, "..."
The scene was silent for a moment, except for the corpse which was as horrifying as before.
Prince Qi chuckled. "Chi Lin's words make sense. That's fine. I'm just worried that if we can't catch the murderer, some people will doubt Mr. Yan's identity. After all, this is the king's land, and those with unclean backgrounds will eventually be exposed."
Jiang Hui: "Indeed, the arrows used by the murderer last night came from the 'Tianji Camp'. The military bows and feathers have always been the core of military secrets, and the 'Tianji Camp' is of paramount importance. And the Marquis of Dongling, who controls the 'Tianji Camp', was recommended by you, Uncle Wang. If anyone suspects a connection, suspecting you of having something to do with this, and you happen to have brought so many troops that we can directly seal off the mountain, then the murderer can easily enter and exit the back mountain, or even escape far away from the White Horse Temple's sealed entrance and get away."
"This crime is too difficult to clear."
"This prince couldn't sleep at night, couldn't eat, and now he hasn't even had breakfast."
King Qi's face turned ugly, and he suddenly realized that he had been tricked by this brat.
The reason why he brought so many soldiers and horses was naturally to use this case to interfere and kill Yan Siqing in the mountains in the name of the murderer. If it goes well enough, for example, as he guessed from the previous intelligence - Jiang Hui cares about the girl of the Yan family very much and will definitely take the risk to rescue her, then it would be a great opportunity to kill him in the White Horse Temple.
As a result, the other party stabbed him.
Huai Xuan and others watched the two men engage in a game of yin and yang for several rounds, and in the end Jiang Hui threw the most serious dirty water on King Qi.
The most important thing is that this matter is indeed very logical - it seems that with so many guards surrounding the back mountain last night, it is very strange that the murderer could enter and exit easily. Is he a peerless master?
But His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his men are masters in themselves, and there are also capable people in the Dali Temple. It is really unacceptable that they can have almost the same traces.
The most important thing is the little arrow.
It can bring up so many associations.
In fact, Jian Wuliang also knew that Jiang Hui's threat was more effective because several of the deceased were indeed related to the Ministry of War and certain things. Now the special arrow of the "Tianji Camp" appeared, almost pointing directly at the old case of the Ministry of War.
Prince Qi is now implicated.
Prince Qi also reacted, his expression was dark and hard to read, no longer calm and secretive, and finally he just smiled faintly, "Innocence is in the hearts of the people. Who is my status to be involved in such dirty things?"
"However, since this case is related to the Tianji Camp, I have become a suspect and have no choice but to avoid suspicion. Chilin, you are so loyal and righteous, so I can only let you be responsible for investigating this case."
Jiang Hui: "Thank you for your trust, Uncle Wang. I also ask that the people you have assigned obey your orders and devote their full efforts to investigating the case."
Does that mean you still need to mobilize his troops?
King Qi looked unhappy and wanted to scold him, but he held back.
Jian Wuliang's eyes flashed. If he could mobilize King Qi's men, then...
Jiang Hui: "Uncle Wang, are you unwilling? Do you have any concerns? Well, then..."
King Qi threw a token casually.
Jiang Hui took the guard token of Prince Qi's Mansion and smiled.
King Qi thought out of sight, out of mind, and just drank his tea without looking at him.
Seeing this, the others expressed their willingness to let their guards accept his orders.
Jiang Hui took the token and arranged to keep an eye on all the pilgrims in the mountains, checking their proof of presence. Those who could not prove their whereabouts last night were singled out for further investigation.
Strict orders, no face-saving, and equal treatment.
Huaixuan and the others were quite embarrassed and annoyed. Princess Huimin was straightforward and expressed her displeasure, saying, "I was sleeping at that time. Who can prove it to me?!"
Jiang Hui glanced at her indifferently.
"Weren't you disguised as a zombie to scare people? You painted yourself into that horrible look and went to bed without even showering or cleaning up? With your procrastinating habits, you've been tinkering all night, and you only make your servants work for you. How could there be no witnesses?"
Huimin's face was embarrassed. She just didn't like being interrogated. She had witnesses and a bad temper, but Jiang Hui's cold and fierce words made her cower and stammer, "I, I do have witnesses. Taozi and the others are here, so they can testify for me... But you, cousin, understand me well and know that I have a habit of dawdling. It shows that you care about me. You must know that I'm not mean..."
Jiang Hui: “?”
Everyone: “…”
Her tone changed from reluctant and annoyed to self-relief and logically consistent. In just a short while, she smiled shyly.
The expression of Princess Huaixuan, her mother who was sitting next to her, was truly amazing - she simply covered her own daughter's mouth, expressing her disapproval.
It's so embarrassing.
Fool!
She interrupted her daughter's soliloquy, saying that she didn't have time either. Prince Qi smiled and asked, "Did your daughter bring those little darlings from the past?"
He is a mistress.
Huai Xuan rolled her eyes at him, fiddling with her hairpin, and said calmly, "It's not like I'm 'busy' as usual. Second brother misunderstood. I came to the White Horse Temple to really be a vegetarian. But wasn't it because of the commotion in Chang'an a few days ago that made me restless and anxious, that I came to the White Horse Temple to practice meditation."
Prince Qi: "Really? Wasn't it because Chi Lin executed your confidant during the investigation?"
Huai Xuan's expression grew even colder as he glanced back and forth at him and Jiang Hui, secretly cursing the two families for fighting so fiercely. Whoever got close to them would be in trouble. Even if they ran to the White Horse Temple, they would still be affected by their bad luck.
But she didn't dare to offend them too much. After all, one of the two families must be the future master, and she couldn't afford to offend them.
"My Royal Brother, what you said is true. We can't replace the closest relatives in our family, but aren't there many close friends in the world? If one dies, I can just replace him with another."
"It's not like the only people you like are those who break the law."
In fact, how could Huai Xuan be sad for a mere lover? The reason she was angry was simply because she felt ashamed, because she did not know people well, and because she was assigned the task by a junior. In her opinion, this was a great humiliation. She could not resist the courtesy in Chang'an, so she simply ran away and hid for a while.
I never thought...
They all gathered at the White Horse Temple.
Princesses, as they were, had enormous privileges. Initially, the censors were quite dissatisfied and joined forces with the Qingliu to impeach them. However, the emperor didn't seem to care much and was particularly lenient. He also said that as long as they didn't violate the law, they could do whatever they wanted. After all, many princes and nobles were obsessed with women, so in this matter, the emperor was rarely fair...
Therefore, the royal women of this dynasty were willful. The impeachment failed many times and aroused the dissatisfaction of the royal women. These censors suffered a great loss and dared not show up again.
This is also the reason why Jian Wuliang treated Huai Xuan with courtesy.
Although King Qi was teasing him, Huai Xuan was not afraid. He was just still annoyed and said a few perfunctory words.
It was normal for the Jiang family to quarrel with each other. This was the norm for all generations of royal family. Others could only pretend not to hear and never dared to interrupt.
Jiang Hui was impatient to listen to these trivial matters, and had already arranged a series of matters with Jian Wuliang for a comprehensive investigation.
What else can the powerful and wealthy do? They can only cooperate.
All those who did not come to the dining hall were also summoned, including some long-term hermits and scholars.
There were so many people that they were sealed in the dining hall for investigation. Seeing the heavily armed guards and fierce men from the Dali Temple, everyone dared not refuse and spoke out in unison.
Jiang Hui did not interrogate the suspects personally, as he was still responsible for the powerful and influential people. After all, ordinary people did not dare to act toughly towards these nobles.
Used to being crushed.
The Liao family was also there, but the two of them greeted each other politely and mentioned their experiences before and after coming to the White Horse Temple...
"Appointed to meet at the White Horse Temple with your relatives?"
"Yes, Your Highness. I have been waiting for three days. I thought it should be here soon, but I never expected to encounter such an unexpected event."
Jiang Hui looked at the other families again, but heard Liu Wuzheng's words not far away.
"We passed by the post station..."
Jiang Hui narrowed his eyes, Liu Wuzheng shuddered, and began to avoid the important matters of the post station, only mentioning his experience in the White Horse Temple.
In fact, Jiang Hui was picky about this person because his behavior in the post station was too abnormal.
"Keep an eye on him."
Jiang Hui ordered Ruoqin.
Ruoqin agreed, also curious: "Is it because the place where these students and teachers live is closest to the narrow path leading into the mountain?"
After a thorough search of the entire back mountain, it was found that the cheapest way into the mountain was mostly occupied by the guards brought by the powerful and even the troops of King Qi. If the murderer was not one of their men, it would be very difficult to get in.
It is actually very easy to tell whether the powerful and wealthy are not here to prove their guilt. There are so many people serving them on a daily basis, and either they are giving false confessions or they are really serving them.
If it is a false confession, the people in the Dali Temple will be able to identify it.
Moreover, most of the powerful and wealthy are women, led by Huai Xuan and others. Rather than expecting them to carry out the hidden attack themselves, it would be better to expect them to send their guards to do it.
So there is no need to ask these powerful people for their alibis.
But equality is the most important thing, so we still have to ask.
Jiang Hui and the other man had other suspicions.
But the remote villas to the north, next to the cliffs, are not valued by the nobles and are not easy to live in. In fact, they are inhabited by these ascetic masters and some monks who practice asceticism.
They have a narrow path leading into the mountains, which is difficult to walk on, but there are fewer people there and it is not easy to be noticed.
So from the time the incident happened last night until the daybreak, Jiang Hui and Jian Wuliang both suspected this possibility, and also suspected these teachers and students.
Jiang Hui: "When they were invited here, someone had already sneaked in to thoroughly search the house they were staying in. Any signs of handling clothes after going out in the rain would be a flaw."
So gathering everyone in the dining hall was actually a deception. His and Jian Wuliang's real purpose was to thoroughly check everyone's residence.
People's confessions can be distorted and they can lie, but physical evidence is difficult to disappear out of thin air.
Burning clothes requires ashes from the brazier and dry firewood, which are all evidence of their existence.
This is more effective than interrogation.
Therefore, the intense and seemingly strict interrogation in the dining hall actually focused on the thorough search of the residence, and even the royal villa was no exception.
Now just waiting for the results.
The results haven't come out yet, and Your Highness is already suspecting this Liu guy?
He doesn't seem to have any martial arts skills. If he did, he wouldn't have almost become a scapegoat at the post station...
You have to know that what happened between him and Qiu Moyu and Jiang Lingxin was completely an accident. If he is unable to resolve the disaster caused by the accident, then his foundation will be exposed.
If he really had such powerful means, he would have saved himself at the post station long ago, and it might even be Qiu Moyu who died.
So... Your Highness is prejudiced?
Ruoqin: "Is it because he has no self-awareness and has other ambitions?"
They were all men, so they could still tell something. Moreover, they all knew that the other party had been to Xiacheng or Yancheng, so it was not surprising that he knew Yan Siqing. And judging from Yan Siqing's attitude, she also had an impression of this person, and even had direct contact with him.
After everyone was sent away, Jiang Hui unexpectedly met a related person and remembered him again. He was a little dazed, but he quickly came to his senses.
"That's nothing strange. It's normal to think about it."
"I just don't understand... This person is quite talented. He'll eventually pass the imperial examination and become a member of the Imperial Academy. She can feign indifference to that He guy, so why doesn't she invest in him?"
Ruoqin was stunned. It was indeed true.
However, he looked embarrassed and asked cautiously, "Miss Yan, if you really want to invest in this person and rely on him as a pillar of support for the court, are you happy with that?"
In fact, remarrying the former and achieving class advancement would be of great benefit to her and seemed to be an excellent choice at the time.
Of course, now they see that this person is absolutely not worthy of Yan Siqing.
But he also suspected that it was because Yan Siqing was extremely smart that she had long felt that this person was not suitable, so she did not provide any financial support. You know, many of the managers under her were people who had been frustrated in their lives but were recognized by her and entrusted with important tasks. This kind of favor from a mentor plus a lot of money is the most difficult to betray, and it is also the main reason why she has so many loyal and capable people under her.
So it's strange that she doesn't invest in Liu Wuzheng.
Jiang Hui glanced at him sideways.
Ruoqin immediately turned around and went to work.
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On the other hand, although the main purpose was to search the residence, Jian Wuliang pretended to be very serious. He glanced at Liu Wuzheng and the haggard and elegant scholar beside him and asked, "Didn't you go out last night?"
The elegant master stroked his beard and said that he was sad about the tragic death of his disciple and did not go out.
Jian Wuliang asked: "Always together?"
The two of them were not together all the time, as the master had a servant to serve him.
That leaves Liu Wuzheng.
Jian Wuliang remembered this person. According to the confessions at the post station, this person almost became the murderer of Jiang Lingxin.
Liu Wuzheng: "I went out because I was upset, so I went to the Dharma Hall to copy scriptures. There were other monks copying scriptures at the time. After copying, I received guidance from the monks and went to visit Master Jingye."
Monk Jingye, the top Buddhist scholar in the White Horse Temple, lived in seclusion from the world, and many dignitaries from the court came to visit him.
The Master was not a suspect because he was in poor health and had been staying at home for a long time. Without his servant's testimony, the matter could not be handled. Liu Wuzheng also had a witness.
There is no suspicion.
Jian Wuliang asked about the time again.
"When I left the Dharma Hall and went to Master Jingye's place, it was probably between the hours of Yin and Mao. I'm not sure how long I stayed there. It was raining and the sky was dark, so I couldn't see clearly. But I heard the crowing of a rooster, the crowing of a big rooster..."
Jian Wuliang raised his head and glanced at him, "How many times have you heard it?"
several times?
Liu Wu Zheng was stunned for a moment, clenched his five fingers, and dug his nails into his palms. Such a small action would be a flaw in the eyes of a gourmet like Jian Wuliang and other Dali Temple disciples, but they were calm and not in a hurry, just waiting for his answer.
Soon, Liu Wuzheng whispered, "Twice."
twice.
Jian Wuliang suddenly laughed.
Jian Wuliang: "I'm sorry, Liu Juzi. According to what you said, you were first in the annex, then went to the Dharma Hall, and finally went to Master Jingye's place. According to our experience in investigating the case last night, when the rooster crowed for the first time, you were still in the Master's annex. But you can hear the rooster crowing in the meditation room below from the annex, but you can't hear it from Master Jingye's place."
A Dali Temple official like him has investigated countless cases and is extremely sensitive and proficient in geography and sound transmission.
It's like a warrior on the battlefield who has a unique ability to identify positions by hearing sounds.
That is the ability honed under extreme pressure and stress day after day.
Liu Wuzheng was shocked, his muscles trembling. He retorted, "Although Master Jingye's residence is a little far away, it's not that far. There's only the Dharma Hall between us. How could I not hear it? I clearly heard it!"
Jian Wuliang said slowly, "If Master Jingye's residence wasn't surrounded by a lush bamboo forest, like a secluded valley, you could indeed hear the crowing. But it's blocked by the bamboo forest, and the bamboo forest is noisy under the sound of wind and rain. How could you possibly hear the second crowing?!"
It was already during the attack period, and the roosters were released to catch insects.
"Or you are the murderer!"
"Or, you're lying and protecting the real murderer! Tell me now!"
Jian Wuliang slapped him angrily to frighten him, and Liu Wuzheng's face turned pale immediately.
All the Dali Temple officials present were awed.
Liu Wuzheng finally couldn't help it, he lowered his head, "I...I did go to Master Jingye's place, but I didn't go in, because..."
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