Chapter 92: Ordinary "That guy is really amazing, it's only been a short time, and this...
_____
When people reach a dead end, they will turn into dogs, because a desperate dog will do something desperate.
But once the wall is high enough and full of archers, you can't jump over it, and even a desperate fight will be difficult.
Either you have some backbone and accept defeat and ask for death, or you kneel down and beg for life.
These people can curry favor with King Lie and run businesses like Fanxianglou. How can they be considered upright?
then.
"I, I, I! I want to report this to Lord Yan."
A fat man dressed in gold and silver slid to his knees on the earthy ground, raised his hands, and kowtowed to confess his sins. "I, the sinner, would like to plead for a reduction of my punishment!"
Others were shocked and cursed angrily, but some even knelt down and begged for mercy, and said they would file a lawsuit first.
In the carriage, Shaoyun looked at this group of people. Any one of them who came to Fanxianglou in the past was arrogant and cruel, and would kill people at will, and let them do whatever they wanted to them like animals.
Some who couldn't endure it died.
Drag them out if they're dead.
I don't know where to drag it to.
But she had been in good health since childhood, was able to read people's expressions, and was good at speaking. She endured the nausea and tried to please these people's perverted hobbies, so she survived.
Complete and intact.
But a person like this...now kneeling there begging for mercy, looks exactly like him.
"Is it like the way you begged them before?" Xiaoyun asked in a low voice.
Shaoyun nodded, then lowered her head woodenly and touched the box.
"These delicious treats are actually given as rewards from someone inside occasionally."
"I remember when the body of one of my sisters was dragged out, the rest of us who survived... were rewarded."
"You said people are really strange."
“I still think it’s sweet and delicious.”
"People's hearts really do become harder and harder."
She was mumbling to herself, as if she was talking to herself. Xiaoyun looked at this person and remembered that she was about the same age as herself.
But I also came from a poor family, but I was lucky enough to serve a different master.
The fates seemed to be completely different.
She lowered her eyes and said, "Then look carefully and think about why Lord Yan brought you here."
Um?
Shaoyun watched and soon had an epiphany.
“They’re not that scary.”
"If I catch him, my family..."
Xiaoyun sneered, "Like grasshoppers after autumn, monkeys scatter when the tree falls. How can there be any noble people left? You will just have to wait and see what happens to these people in the future."
"That's much more delicious than this peach blossom pastry."
Shaoyun looked at it and smiled.
Delicious indeed.
Eating it will prolong her life - if she can still survive.
She blinked, feeling a little hopeful.
Is it a merit for the first complaint?
——————
In just a cup of tea, Yan Siqing and the others changed their route.
It wasn’t that far. At around 3:00 p.m., they arrived at the seemingly ordinary and deserted village.
The village has a sparse population, with only a few farmers still making a living from farming. When they saw a carriage coming from afar, they came forward to sell fruits and vegetables in a friendly manner. They seemed to recognize that the person in the carriage was the real owner and walked towards this side.
The carriage curtain had already been opened.
Yan Siqing looked at the small town that looked desolate and shabby even in the sunlight in the warm afternoon sun.
Many houses have fallen into disrepair, with the straw on the roofs covered in mildew, and the air is filled with a rotten and decaying smell.
The crops in the fields were sparse and did not seem to have been carefully cared for, but the fields looked old, as if all the young people had gone out and a group of old people had to stay in their hometown.
This kind of small village is very common.
The old woman had a weak leg and limped, and was a little reserved, as if she was afraid of the guards. But she should also know that these nobles were generous, so she still plucked up the courage to come over.
In the past, as the emperor's personal guards, the Jinwu Guards were always cold and arrogant, with a strong aura and not much kindness.
However, after working with Yan Siqing for a long time, her style has changed somewhat - she does not like to oppress the lower-class people.
Dignity is one thing, using it to bully others is another.
Many people cannot control the scale of this.
At least Zhou Li came from a big clan, learned at a young age, held a high position and was a favorite of the emperor, enjoying unlimited fame, so he seldom reflected on whether his own nobility naturally made him worthy of being superior to others.
Deep down, he looks down on these ordinary people.
Until the Zhou family suffered a disaster some time ago, they had to watch over the faces of many people inside and outside the family, and their status plummeted, and everyone avoided them.
When he was kneeling in front of the palace gate and being beaten with a stick, all he could think about were the various possible future outcomes such as confiscation of property, extermination of clan, and exile to the army. Only then did he suddenly wake up.
Cold sweat all over, hot blood underneath.
Looking at Yan Siqing in the brothel, she is obviously in a very powerful position and even Wei Tingzhong is very polite to her, but she is as usual, being gentle and equal to the girls in the brothel.
This kind of ordinary, silent and gentle influence is like a light rain in the afternoon in spring, so common that it is not worth mentioning.
But it made him realize that one should be cautious in life, restrain oneself and return to propriety, otherwise one will fail, otherwise one will fall hard.
So with that attitude, the Jinwu Guards followed his lead and became much calmer, more cautious in their words and actions, and no longer showed off in public.
Now, facing such a ragged and poor old woman, they couldn't scold her. Zhou Li was already prepared to buy the vegetables.
result.
"Hold her down."
Yan Siqing lifted the curtain with his fingers, looked at the old woman, and said something that stunned Xiaoyun and Shaoyun.
Then Zhou Li dismounted and pressed the man down without saying a word.
And quickly searched the opponent's body for sharp blades and poison darts.
"He's a deadly warrior!"
The old woman looked resentful and only calmed down after her muscles and bones were broken and she could no longer fight.
Not far away, other elderly people saw this and turned around and ran away.
He is as agile as a monkey, so he is no ordinary person.
The other Jinwu guards were all on horseback, so they were able to escape. There were also archers shooting from a distance, so they quickly captured all of them.
Zhou Li tied up the old woman and took a closer look around before realizing, "This is because everyone here is elderly, yet there are many wheel tracks in the dirt, indicating traffic. Yet, there are no horse-drawn carriages or anything else in the village, let alone anything worth traveling and buying. So, it's not normal."
They knew that this town was not normal because those powerful people who had fallen from power had brought disaster upon themselves, and the tall and thin fat man who slid to his knees the fastest was a lord.
The place he mentioned was this small village.
But he didn't say that the people here are abnormal.
The fat man was now in a panic. After being pulled off his horse by the Jinwu Guards, Zhou Li drew his sword and pointed it at his throat.
"Why, at this moment, are you still thinking of using these hidden assassins to turn the tables? Do you want to take this opportunity to kill Lord Yan and put an end to it all, or do you think these few people can wipe out our entire line of Jinwu Guards?"
The fat lord was so frightened that he screamed like a ghost and howled like a wolf, repeatedly saying that he had nothing to hide.
He really doesn't know.
"When I came here before, they only said that these old men were from the village and were bribed to see people, otherwise it would appear suspicious. I really thought they were locals and were being controlled!"
"Master Zhou, I am innocent! I dare not! Killing Master Yan will not benefit me in the slightest. I have already filed a complaint. Maybe it can reduce the punishment for my family. I really dare not..."
He begged for mercy repeatedly.
Zhou Li frowned and looked at Yan Siqing.
Yan Siqing: "There's no need to delve too deeply into this matter. It could be that King Lie is suspicious and cunning, and he wouldn't trust all his cards to his subordinates. Arranging these assassins to disguise themselves is his last resort."
Once exposed, these assassins will have the hope of counterattacking and quickly clearing the place.
This is also a backup plan.
She felt that it was normal for King Lie to have such a strategy given his intelligence.
"That's right. If a truly upright person like Prince Ling had reached adulthood early, Prince Lie, who was closer in age, wouldn't have been looked down upon by Prince Qi for so many years."
Fortunately, they are numerous and powerful, and now they represent the court in power. They are not afraid of such counterattacks from these villains. Fortunately, they are really smart.
Zhou Li put away his sword, worried that there might be other hidden traps, so he asked Yan Siqing to stay in the carriage under heavy protection and wait for the results of the search.
He first swept the village and eliminated the hidden dangers.
Yan Siqing agreed with this, and she never liked to show off.
So she waited here. She was busy on the road investigating and hadn't eaten yet, so she simply ate something in the carriage.
But after looking at the open space and surroundings in the village...
"Be careful with the haystack over there."
Zhou Li: "I know. There are no cattle or sheep raised here, and the roofs of the houses are not repaired with hay. They don't need this hay. I think there must be something fishy going on."
He was cautious and quickly led a small team of fast horses into the village.
While Yan Siqing was satisfying his oral desire, Zhou Li took out his bow on his horse... and shot an arrow into the tall haystack!
There was a muffled groan from inside the haystack, and there was movement.
"Someone, capture him!"
Hearing the noise, the other stalkers hiding in the haystack had to jump out and fight for their lives.
Another round of fighting...
Half a cup of tea, and everything is settled.
Zhou Li also found the entrance to the tunnel. Because there were assassins stationed outside, he had to be cautious. So he asked someone to guard the entrance for the time being and went back to report to Yan Siqing.
Yan Siqing wiped the food crumbs off her fingers, and seeing Zhou Li covered in blood, she also escorted some of her assassins alive.
Since there are unknown things about Lord Fatty and his men, do these assassins know about the secret guards deployed inside?
Ask first.
After being tortured, these assassins said that the rules here are very strict. The old men are sentinels and also disguised as the facade. They are the guards near the entrance. If they see something wrong, they have to assassinate the intruders.
As for the inside.
"There are two ways in and out. One is the stone passage under the shack. The other is the way out. If something dangerous happens and we block them, the people inside will pass through the trap at the entrance, activating the red bell to alert them. They will then escape through the small door at the back and leave this place."
That's really cautious.
Fortunately, I didn't force my way in, otherwise the other people hiding inside would have escaped.
"Could it be that the other people here haven't been completely transferred or eliminated?"
Xiaoyun was curious. She thought that the people in the wasteland area were the entire population. After all, according to King Lie's "secret letter", all traces of these people should be eliminated.
Everyone who knows about this must die, or our people must evacuate.
The place is blocked,
Evidence destroyed.
That's right, is there someone else inside?
The Fat Lord said, "We'll just leave a few behind to clean up the mess. We'll deal with the people and the evidence, and we'll need to burn everything from the inside when the time comes. According to the timetable, they should have almost finished their work and left."
Um?
Wouldn't that be a step too late?
Zhou Li frowned, preparing to force his way in and stop the people inside from burning some important evidence. The crime scene also had to be kept for investigation. After all, the poison...what if there was a mistake?
Yan Siqing: "Did you take the source of the poison away?"
The fat lord shook his head like a rattle and refused to admit that it was poison.
"We just wanted to make some new medicine and make a lot of money. We never thought of causing a plague that would destroy humanity. Who knew there would be a mistake? This highly toxic medicine was stolen by criminals and used on the emperor's relatives. It was definitely not our doing."
This makes no sense.
Because no matter what their original intention was, as long as the truth is revealed, even if they have to endure such ugly things as killing people to silence them and making medicine for others, they must never admit that their original intention was to make a controllable poison to influence the court party struggles and even the power of the world.
No matter how he reported it, even if he was brave enough to report his master, King Lie, he would not be able to reduce his guilt - because that was rebellion.
The entire nine clans will be killed!
Yan Siqing also knew this, so she didn't take his words seriously, and was too lazy to examine his sincerity or hypocrisy.
She only glanced at him and asked, "I'm just asking if you took the source of the poison away with you during this cleanup?"
"Even if you don't know it's poison, I'm just asking you, are you taking it out for transfer?"
The fat Lord was sweating profusely and hesitantly. "Anyway, we dare not. None of us plan to touch this thing again. We are scared. My lord, whether your previous secret letter is true or not, it was leaked to that person before. We knew that the hot spring villa was infected with the plague. We were scared because it is uncontrollable. I heard that the entire Imperial Hospital was dispatched. We don’t have an antidote, so how dare we touch it! Besides, my family is in Chang'an, and our foundation is also in Chang'an. The big families often have hundreds or thousands of people. How can we guarantee that we will not be infected?"
They are ambitious and a bit beastly, but they are also afraid of getting into trouble.
"That's why we're going to burn the place down and put an end to it all."
"According to our plan, the best outcome for us in this situation is self-preservation. How could we dare to think of anything else? This is the truth! No lie!"
I understand.
Yan Siqing stopped forcing people, and asked people to make thorough preparations and also asked about the location of the back door.
First look at both ends, if they are blocked, then plan how to get in.
She soon arrived at the abandoned house next to the loquat tree on the southern outskirts of the village.
The entrance was still closed and there were no cigarette stains.
"It shouldn't be burned yet."
Zhou Li felt that he could go in, but he also followed Yan Siqing's arrangements to see how to get in.
After all, the biggest danger now is not this group of people, but the murderer who is independent of these people, who has spied on the secrets of the poison and King Lie and others and is waiting for an opportunity to eliminate the poison.
He seems ordinary and at the bottom, but he is obviously cunning.
They have to be extremely careful.
Yan Siqing looked around and couldn't see any traces.
After pondering for a moment, she made the most cautious choice.
"Get some chickens and ducks."
"Is there a bell?"
She had bells tied around the necks of chickens and ducks, and let a batch of them in through the front and back doors.
Chickens and ducks were running around, and bells were ringing constantly inside.
Everyone watched from both sides for a while.
The bell sounds gradually died down.
Um?
Did the people inside catch the chickens and ducks?
Zhou Li's face was heavy. "It's unlikely. There are so many chickens and ducks, about 20 or 30 of them. It's impossible for only a few people to stay inside. Even the most powerful martial arts masters can't catch all the scattered chickens and ducks in just a few breaths."
“So, there’s poison in it.”
"These chickens and ducks were poisoned, so they died at about the same time."
"The bells are silent."
Yan Siqing used this to figure out the truth inside, and also knew that this kind of "mopping up" method could not have been done by those who stayed behind.
Nine times out of ten - the murderer has been here.
He had also made some arrangements here, waiting for them to go in - and be poisoned to death.
But shouldn’t that person be trapped in the hot spring villa?
Could it be that she made a wrong judgment? The person was not in the villa, and the real murderer was someone else, or had accomplices.
"If that's the case, the real murderer has an alibi and can put the blame on the helper."
It also makes it impossible for them to find his identity, let alone convict him.
This is really cunning.
Or is it that the reasoning itself is wrong and they suspect the wrong person.
That's right, if he was a low-ranking person from Fanxianglou, why would he pretend to be someone else in the hot spring? It seems that there are no two people with overlapping identities.
"The list that Jian Wuliang got lists over a hundred people who worked for Fanxianglou. They're still investigating, but no definite suspects have been found."
"There are still too many people, and it will take a lot of time to check."
Zhou Li found the situation extremely tricky, but he didn't know what Yan Siqing was thinking.
Yan Siqing lowered her eyes, but she couldn't see any flaws.
There are too few clues to accurately determine the other party's methods.
We can only handle it with caution.
"Let's ventilate and disperse the poison first."
"We still have to go in and take a look."
While waiting, Yan Siqing also asked about the living people's diet. "You also said that you have a clear division of labor. In order to ensure that what is happening inside does not become known to others, outsiders are not allowed to enter, and those inside are not allowed to leave at will. So, you will guard the entrance, but is there anyone watching the exit?"
"There is also an exit. We have arranged for an old man. He has been captured by you."
That's strange.
Very strange.
Yan Siqing: "What about food and water? There are quite a few people in there, and there are also issues with daily life. How are we going to deal with that?"
"We provide them with food and have dedicated personnel to receive it. They don't go out, so we don't have to deal with any other dirty things. They chose this place as their nest because there is groundwater and underground channels, so they don't have to worry about excretion."
At this time, the fat Lord couldn't help but say, "Sir, we are also puzzled. How did the evil person behind the scenes manage to sneak past the surveillance and spread the poison? Even if he had accomplices, it would be extremely difficult for them to sneak in. After the incident, we investigated and asked the surveillance personnel on both sides, and they all said that no outsiders had been allowed to sneak in. Is there something wrong with our people?"
That's not right. I've already said that people inside can basically not go out.
King Lie is vicious and does not treat others as human beings, nor does he treat these people as human beings. In order to ensure that this matter is kept secret, he will not leave any loopholes.
The attack at the Hot Spring Villa was a conspiracy by King Lie. King Lie wanted to use the poisoned Liu Guangzhi to kill Yan Siqing and Jiang Hui. As a result, this man killed Liu Guangzhi, and the poisoning target affected the entire Hot Spring Villa.
That time, he didn't have to come here.
But this time, either he comes or his helper comes.
But you need to cross the checkpoint to sneak in, right?
"Could it be that he also borrowed these chickens and ducks like us? Uh, that doesn't make sense." Xiaoyun slapped his head.
The people here are cruel. If people get close to chickens and ducks, they will suffer the same fate. The latter will be eaten.
I really can't figure it out.
Yan Siqing: "Water source."
"In the area of Baqiao, even if there's groundwater, there's a water source for ferrying. Also, I see there are quite a few ancient wells in the village. So there must be a nearby water source, making it convenient to dig a canal to get water."
"That person only needs to place something containing the poison in the water source. He doesn't need to come here that day. He can place it there a few days in advance. The toxin will naturally settle and accumulate, and after a few days, it will kill everyone."
"He doesn't need any help at all."
"The corpses that died inside also carried the same toxins after decaying. They released the poisonous gas, which was trapped, leading to the result just now."
"Once we investigate this, we'll go in."
"Double kill."
This person has no preferences and kills everyone.
And you don’t have to do it yourself.
Insight, arrangement, waiting, alibi.
No one was spared, but he stayed out of it.
Everyone was silent for a moment.
The fat lord lowered his head, confused and puzzled. Had they ever offended such a person?
How much more terrifying than his opponents in the factional struggle - Prince Yan or Prince Qi.
Is this a devil or a madman?
Yan Siqing was wiping her sleeves a little slowly. She tucked her fingers inside, holding the precious silk handkerchief. She whispered, "That's amazing."
Zhou Li smiled bitterly, "Yes, he is powerful. This person is cunning and has evil intentions towards everyone. He is completely crazy. If he is released and masters this poison technique..."
The subordinates used chickens and ducks to test the toxicity in the eyes every once in a while.
According to calculations, this poisonous wind will not be too strong, and the two openings will allow for quick ventilation.
Half an hour later, the chickens and ducks were fine and the bells were ringing.
That's fine.
But everyone still brought wet masks, detoxification pills, etc., and only went in after they were fully prepared.
Corpses, groundwater, poisonous gas, poisoned chickens and ducks, various medicine workbenches and medicine dishes, and also...
Everyone suddenly fell silent as they saw the cage.
Missing persons.
A living client?
Yan Siqing looked into the cage and found that the hairpin had fallen out.
Oh, there are also many women who are infected with the disease in brothels.
Either going to the mass grave or coming here?
Or to go to the hospital for treatment.
Are you here too?
She was silent for a moment, then turned to ask Zhou Li.
"Have I ever said anything about being the first to report something today?"
Zhou Li's eyes flashed, "No, I didn't hear it."
He turned and asked his other subordinates.
"Did you hear that?"
"No, no, absolutely not."
"When did Lord Yan say that?"
"Strange! I have very good hearing and I didn't hear anything."
"That's right! I didn't hear it either."
The fat lord was completely paralyzed. There was resentment in his eyes, but he still tried hard: "I can give out the relatives of those people... Lord Yan, don't you want to save more people? This woman's relatives are also here, doesn't she..."
Shaoyun's expression changed.
Yan Siqing didn't look at him, but her tone was very calm.
"Your subordinates don't have as deep a foundation as you do, and don't have as many things to weigh the pros and cons."
"After the Dali Temple's punishment, he will become obedient after peeling off a few nails."
"Have you never suffered since childhood?"
"Don't you know that you can actually be very humble?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
The previous saying that being the first to report is successful was just to save time.
Now that the place where the poison was made has been found, and there is definite evidence, enough to incriminate King Lie, it is still easy to control the people on his side.
As for how he proved that the poisoning at the hot spring villa had nothing to do with him and how he gained the trust of His Majesty, he was trying to survive and Yan Siqing was just doing his job.
The mentality is different.
Yan Siqing's goal is to find the real murderer as soon as possible...
"Sir, we have found the water source above."
Yan Siqing noticed that his subordinate's expression was not right, as if he was frightened.
They went up to take a look.
In broad daylight, the water source is hidden halfway up the mountain, with spring water dripping and lush grass and trees.
But, in the daytime, there are lanterns - big red lanterns hanging on the branches of the trees.
Many of them were hung.
Because the forest was dark, blocking out the sunlight, the red flowers looked desolate.
It's nothing.
It's the leather of the lampshade, a little...
There is hair growing on it.
Human skin lantern.
There are twelve lamps in total, and each one has crooked handwriting on it like a child learning to write.
Together they form a sentence.
——The matter is done, how can you look for me?
A provocation?
Mocking Yan Siqing for not being able to find him.
Everyone was furious, thinking that this person was both perverted and arrogant, and was not even a human being.
"Human skin lantern, stripping bones and flesh."
“What an amazing skill.”
Zhou Li sneered, turned to look at Yan Siqing, his eyes relaxed a little.
"Don't worry, Master Yan. Since ancient times, those who start evil first are in the dark. They have the advantage of starting. Besides, it's only been a few days, so it's not a big deal..."
Yan Siqing was still looking at the human skin lantern, but after a while, he lowered his brows.
“It’s really puzzling.”
"What's the point?"
She is very organized and never lets go of anyone easily. I really don't understand why she is so crazy.
No constraints means no worries, only hatred.
Is it really that satisfying to do this?
Yan Siqing, who had many concerns, smiled bitterly.
"Indeed, it will take a while to find him."
Zhou Li and others still wanted to comfort him.
I'm talking to you twice.
"It's come to this."
"Let's go home and eat first."
——————
evening.
The banquet was held at Prince Yan’s palace.
When Yan Siqing returned, he happened to see the women of the mansion returning from a banquet outside.
She was stunned for a moment and greeted him politely, but the latter saluted even more politely.
Yan Siqing realized belatedly that in the eyes of these people, she was now an official.
Things are like this, changing constantly.
But she just sighed in her heart, knowing that things are changing so fast now, and they could change even more so in the future.
We are all living under someone else's roof, so there is really no need to waste our efforts on the interests of our host. Fortunately, the other party is smart and does not pester us, so we wanted to part ways politely.
One of the little girls couldn't help expressing her curiosity.
"Sister Yan, has the case been solved? We are at the table, and many people are asking... wuwuwu..."
Yan Siqing was always kind to children, so he smiled and patiently replied, "Not yet."
"Try to go out less and wait until the storm subsides."
She was polite and left after saying that.
Others were very cautious and decided not to go out for the next few days.
"Is he afraid that the murderer will commit another crime?"
"It's terrifying! There's a lot of commotion in Guanzhong, even affecting the border..."
"Stop talking."
There was a sudden silence, and everyone saluted the heroic figure coming in through the gate.
————
Yan Siqing heard it, and she also knew that affairs on the border would actually be deeply affected by the civil strife in the court.
But it's out of reach, and everyone has their own battlefield.
As she walked, she became a little distracted, and was suddenly startled by a warm yellow color, and looked up.
Under the eaves, the house was brightly lit. A person was standing under the eaves, leaning against a pillar, looking at the bright moon. When he heard the noise, he turned his head to the side, his eyebrows and eyes were gentle and charming, and his face, which was originally as quiet as a pool of spring moon water, suddenly blossomed.
He waved and turned to tell the maid inside to heat up the food.
It's very lively.
Outside the courtyard, separated by an archway, Jiang Rong saw the man's movements from afar, confirmed that the two had met, and also saw the lively preparation of dishes inside.
He paused for a moment, and the butler behind him asked if he should notify...
It seemed as if the prince really wanted to go in and have dinner together.
Unfortunately, Jiang Rong turned around.
"Just make two dishes. We still have military matters to deal with later."
He used the time during the day to follow and protect, but he would definitely have to put in more effort afterwards.
As for the process of investigating the case, he was shocked several times.
After entering the house, he held his forehead and frowned as he thought of Yan Siqing's charm.
What's wrong with this kid...so weird.
But it seems that the murderer has not been found?
——————
Xu Junrong didn't ask, but Yan Siqing said it himself. He didn't describe the process of investigating the case, which was too dangerous and scary, but he gave a general idea.
Xu Junrong was also a lively and curious person, chatting while eating and drinking.
"This murderer is truly terrifying. It's okay if we can't catch him right now. It's not your fault. There's still a long way to go. Look at you, you've lost weight."
Yan Siqing hummed and drank a mouthful of the delicious pig stomach soup, "No need to come again tomorrow."
Eh?
Xu Junrong was stunned.
——————
In Guanzhong City, it has been more than half a day since Yan Siqing and his companions left. As Yan Siqing and Zhou Li believed, the affairs of the Ministry of War are taboos, and the investigation is very secretive. Even those who are still trapped in the villa are unaware of the inside story.
Xie Juanshu had no intention of prying into secrets, he just patiently arranged the affairs of the upper and lower levels in an orderly manner.
Food, drink, accommodation and transportation all need to be carefully arranged. There are so many people, and it is difficult to serve everyone...
"It's night time. Put him in solitary confinement and don't let him go out."
"yes."
The access control is closed.
In a guest house in the hot spring villa, the group greeted each other, washed up, and went to their own small rooms to sleep.
Some people lay down, while others were still sitting at the table reading music.
Light the lamp, the candlelight is dim.
Suddenly, he turned and looked out the window.
Over at the watchtower, the light changed direction—someone was coming.
Squinting his eyes, he put down the music sheet.
Open the small window...suddenly!
Figures appeared in the corridor under the eaves of the opposite house and on the path leading to the back mountain.
"Where are you going, Mr. Music Master?"
"Your name is Zhan Tianli, right?"
After Wei Tingzhong received the message from the carrier pigeon, he immediately locked onto a person.
It’s the person in front of you.
The musician, who had just climbed out the window and looked dull, ordinary, even unremarkable in the torchlight, pursed his lips and smiled. "I didn't expect that."
"That guy is really amazing. It hasn't been long since he found me."
————
Before returning home, Yan Siqing said he wanted to go home for dinner, and no one objected.
She has been managing the affairs of state one after another these days, and has resolved one disaster after another. It has been hard work, but even cattle and horses have to be put in the pen, and they don't need to be whipped like this.
In addition, her current superior officer also means that no one can control her.
So we prepared to return.
While they waited, they discussed the identity of the murderer.
Shaoyun also came over. She knew the identities of all the people in Fanxianglou, and she could get almost all the information about their lives just by speaking.
After a while, Yan Siqing thought of something, "It will take about two hours to go from here to Fanxianglou."
Say that suddenly?
Um?
Zhou Li reacted and immediately turned around to ask Shaoyun.
Shaoyun originally intended to contribute her value so as to give herself some trump cards. She also knew that Xiaoyun's few words in the carriage must be because Yan Siqing wanted her to play a role.
That's no problem.
She was chosen because she is a smart person, bold and careful. The same applies to Yan Siqing now.
She blinked. "I remember when the master first asked about the working hours of us lowly people. It's actually very busy, with no rest time. Moreover, we are slaves, eating and drinking in the building. We have no family door or place to go outside. We have to register when we go in and out. Except for sleeping at night, we can only rest for half an hour. After dark, the building is the busiest. We have to work in shifts. If it's not our turn, we can't go out. If we go out, we have to have a reason, such as illness, or other urgent and unavoidable reasons, and we have to register."
"But as far as I know, unless someone like me is a courtesan of some value and can make a lot of money, other low-level workers never pass through the front room."
Yan Siqing raised an eyebrow and said directly to Zhou Li, "Quickly inform Jian Wuliang to check on the musicians."
"Only people of this kind have more freedom of movement and a higher status."
"Also, if they are externally hired musicians, they might also have a job at the Hot Spring Villa. After all, they are all musicians from the Chang'an area. If the troupe is well-known, they will be invited to perform."
“It just happened to match.”
"But there should be quite a few musicians there. They should have served at Fanxianglou. If the entire group has been there, then we can also try to identify those who come from families without support, perhaps with ancestors who were coroners, butchers, or doctors. Furthermore, this person has a high status within the group, so they can be assigned a separate small room at the Hot Spring Villa to facilitate their work."
"If it's still hard to pinpoint, you can also keep an eye on this person to see if they have some literary talent or are good at reading."
ah!
yes!
Musician...!
Zhou Li prepared to leave, but also asked, "I understand the other things, but why do you see that he's well-educated and well-read? He's just a musician, and while the handwriting is obviously intentional to hide his true handwriting, are there any other flaws?"
Yan Siqing: "Brush strength and experience in grinding ink."
"That's written on human skin. Human skin doesn't absorb ink as well as paper. It's greasy and smooth. The handwriting looks childish, but the ink concentration is just right."
“It shows this person has this experience.”
"It shouldn't be difficult to identify someone like this. First, send a message via carrier pigeon and have Lord Wei conduct a thorough investigation. Then, make some noise to lure him out. By then, we can basically confirm his identity."
"After all, screening reasoning is just reasoning, not empirical evidence."
"I'm also afraid of finding the wrong person."
"If he takes the initiative, we'll lock him down and investigate him thoroughly."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
