Chapter 131 Mystery
The prince was tough for once and asked for the help of the Yulin Army. Ming Huazhang, Ren Yao, and Jiang Ling led people to search the city, and they were so busy that Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan had some free time.
All Ming Huashang could do was to draw a direction in advance so that the soldiers could focus their search, but finding people still depended on the experience and intuition of the front line. Xie Jichuan was idle simply because he was lazy and didn't want to go through the pain of going out to find people, so he spent all day hanging out with Ming Huashang, a physical waste.
The two of them had nothing to do, so they turned their attention to the scene left by the murderer. They were very interested in the murderer's riddle and stayed in the gazebo all day, looking left and right, trying to find the name of the next victim left by the murderer.
Unfortunately, the two looked at every tile of the pavilion and found nothing. Xie Jichuan was puzzled: "It shouldn't be possible. The pavilion is only this big. Where can he hide? Or did he write his name outside?"
Xie Jichuan's eyes could not help but fell on the river and the forest. Ming Huashang pondered for a while, shook his head and said, "I don't think so. His first two gifts - the longevity lock and the plaque, seemed very obvious afterwards, but in the context of the situation at the time, one was a treasurer who was happy to have a son, and the other was a respected doctor. It was reasonable for them to receive such things. The murderer thought highly of himself and would not write the riddle in a very abrupt place, such as carving words on a tree or a stone. That would be too low-class. I guess the riddle must be right in front of us, where everyone can see it, but no one will pay attention to it."
Xie Jichuan looked at the pavilion and raised his eyebrows and asked, "What is the name of this pavilion?"
Ming Huashang walked outside, walked around, and said, "There is no name written, but there is a couplet here."
Xie Jichuan lifted his legs lightly, crossed the railing, and looked at the couplet outside: "The sun rises and the dawn is bright, no one cares; the moon shines and the flowing water flows wherever it pleases."
Ming Huashang touched the edge of the couplet. Even though it was blackened by smoke, he could still tell that the wood underneath was new. Ming Huashang asked, "Is this a new wooden sign?"
Xie Jichuan sent someone to ask, and the yamen runner replied: "Reporting to the Sheren and Madam Ming Er, this was changed uniformly throughout the city when the capital was moved last year in order to welcome the emperor."
It turned out to be replaced by the government... Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan were a little disappointed. Ming Huashang asked: "Is the wooden sign you replaced at that time the same one as now?"
The bailiff took a serious look and shook his head helplessly: "Madam, these couplets are all similar. I really can't remember them clearly."
Ming Huashang thanked him and let the runner go. Xie Jichuan looked up at the couplet again and said, "It's a clue after all. Take it back and try it out. No one cares when the sun rises and the sky is bright. When the moon is bright, the water flows wherever it wants. If the name is hidden in these words, it will be hard to find it."
This couplet was ordinary, using common characters, which together could spell out half of Chang'an. Xie Jichuan was proud of his quick wit and his ability to solve puzzles, and he didn't believe that he would lose to a murderer. He stared at the couplet, folded his arms and said nothing, quickly combining words in his mind.
Ming Huashang was not good at solving riddles, so she gave up after a while. She paced in the pavilion, feeling that they seemed to have forgotten something.
She turned around several times, staring at the shape drawn by Jingzhao Mansion on the ground, and suddenly clapped her hands: "Yes, who said there was only this pavilion at the scene? There is clearly a corpse!"
Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan copied the couplet and returned to Jingzhao Prefecture, and on the way they went to Yizhuang to see Yan Jingcheng's body.
Ming Huashang picked up the gold ornaments and broken jade from the tray beside her and sighed sincerely: "It seems that jewelry should be made of gold, which is not afraid of being burned by fire or broken by falling."
Xie Jichuan raised his eyebrows and said, "If it was to participate in the explosion, then it is true."
Ming Huashang ignored him and checked Yan Jingcheng's accessories one by one. Xie Jichuan looked at them lazily for a while, then he exclaimed softly and asked the guard to come in: "Has anyone come in during this period? Why do I feel like something is missing?"
The guard said in fear, "No! Sir, I patrol every day and check several times at night. There is absolutely no thief coming in."
"Really?" Xie Jichuan thought, "I didn't remember it specifically, but I always felt that he had more things on him than these."
Ming Huashang put down the fragments and asked, "Xie, is there any problem?"
Xie Jichuan thought about it and shook his head slowly: "It's okay, maybe it's my illusion. Are there any clues in these things?"
Ming Huashang sighed, "No, they are just ordinary rings, belts, and fan pendants. There is nothing unusual except that they are made of a lot of gold."
Xie Jichuan knew this would happen. He looked at the sky and said, "The court is almost over. Let's go back to the city first."
The guards of Yizhuang carefully escorted them out. The inspections in Chang'an these days are much stricter than in the past. You can feel the murder when walking on the road. Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan have the token of Jingzhao Prefecture, so they pass through the city gate smoothly and walk to Tongjifang. On the way, Xie Jichuan asked: "You are running around all day, do your family have any objections?"
"Yes." Ming Huashang said, "but I didn't listen."
Xie Jichuan chuckled softly: "The impression you give to others is completely different from your true self."
Ming Huashang has a sweet and gentle appearance, speaks in a delicate and cute voice, and looks very well-behaved. When he first met her, he thought she was another spoiled daughter. When he saw her at the murder scene with his own eyes, he realized that under her delicate and lovely appearance, she might also hide a rebellious and unruly heart.
Ming Huashang blinked innocently, his eyes were big and clear, and he didn't look like someone who would do anything bad. The two of them chatted casually, and Jingzhao Prefecture was in front of them. Ming Huashang was anxious to see Ming Huazhang, and didn't notice that he bumped into someone.
There was a skinny and short man standing in front of him. He was bumped by Ming Huashang and took two steps back as if frightened. He fell to the ground. Ming Huashang was stunned for a moment and leaned over to help him up: "Sorry, I didn't see you standing here. Where did you fall? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Although Ming Huashang felt that she did not use much strength, the other party fell down, and it was her fault in the end. Unexpectedly, the man avoided her like a snake and scorpion. He dodged Ming Huashang's hand violently, climbed up from the ground regardless of his foot injury, and limped away.
Ming Huashang paused in the air and said in surprise, "I haven't finished yet... Is it really okay?"
The man had already run far away. Xie Jichuan slowly stopped beside her, looked up at the man's back, and said, "He can still run. It seems that his foot injury is not serious. Don't worry about him. Let's go."
Ming Huashang frowned, propped up her knees and stood up, saying, "This is the first time I've seen someone get bumped into and not get angry or say anything, but instead run away without even looking back."
Xie Jichuan said leisurely: "There are all kinds of birds in the forest. Maybe he just did something shameful and feels guilty."
Ming Huashang still felt very strange. She and Xie Jichuan were talking as they walked into Jingzhao Mansion. They bumped into Ren Yao and Jiang Ling at the door. Ming Huashang saw them escorting a person in a big way and asked in surprise, "Sister Ren, what are you doing?"
Ren Yao said "oh", loosened his wrist guard, changed his hand to hold the knife, and said, "This is a witness. We have found the jewelry store that made the longevity lock for Liu's son. At the end of last year, there was indeed a man who came to their store to order a longevity lock. At that time, the other party was wearing a cloak. They didn't see his face clearly, but they recognized his figure. This is the waiter of that store. We arrested a suspicious person based on your portrait. Jingzhao Yin is interrogating him in the back. Ming Huazhang asked us to bring the waiter here to identify the person."
Jiang Ling followed behind and said, "Where have you and Xie Jichuan been going? Why did you come back so late? Ming Huazhang has been looking for you every other incense stick. It's so annoying. He said that if you come back, he will let you go to his palace to rest and wait for him to finish his trial before going home together."
Ming Huashang nodded and said, "Don't bother, I'll go find him."
Ren Yao said, "Then let's go together. I just need to go to the inner hall to see someone off."
Jiang Ling looked at the time and had a feeling that he would not be able to leave the court on time again. Seeing Xie Jichuan standing still, he pulled him over and said, "I can't leave, and no one else can leave. Let's go, let's starve together."
The court of Jingzhao Prefecture was divided into the main hall and the inner hall. The former was for the public to watch, while the latter was not open to the public. Today, Jingzhao Prefecture used the more private inner hall. The sound of the wooden door inside could be heard from a distance, and they all stepped lightly and walked into the court.
Jingzhao Yin sat at the top to interrogate the suspect, while Ming Huazhang sat at the side with his sleeves rolled up. He noticed someone coming outside, glanced at her with his peripheral vision, and only softened his gaze when he saw Ming Huazhang, and stretched out his hand to signal her to come over.
Ming Huashang tiptoed behind Ming Huazhang, who held her wrist and placed her next to him. Neither of them exchanged many words, and they listened quietly to the interrogation in front.
Ming Huachang arrived halfway and guessed after listening for a while that this person was a small vendor selling fireworks and firecrackers. He was a loner, almost 40 years old, without a wife or children. Neighbors said that they had seen him stalking decent women several times. He was sneaky and no one wanted to associate with him. The government thought this person looked very much like a criminal, so they brought him back for interrogation.
Jingzhao Yin spoke angrily, slammed the wooden pillar and said, "You wicked man He Yong, you still won't tell the truth. Did you blow up Qian Yi, Chu Ji and Yan Jingcheng?"
"Sir, I am innocent." The man kneeling in the hall was tattered, slurred, and had a sly look. He looked very gloomy and wretched. He begged for mercy, "I am just a commoner. I can't even talk to these big shopkeepers. How can I have the ability to blow them to death?"
"How dare you make excuses!" Jingzhao Yin shouted angrily, "Someone clearly saw you appearing near Jinxiu Tower several times and following Liu's carriage. You must have coveted Liu's beauty and were dissatisfied with your own poverty and loneliness, so you killed her husband. Do you admit your guilt?"
The man kept shouting his innocence, but he could not come up with anything to say. It was not very convincing. Jingzhao Yin was too lazy to waste his words. He looked at the waiter with a stern face and asked, "Was it him who came to your store that day?"
The waiter frowned, stared at the man kneeling in the hall, looked left and right, and said hesitantly, "A bit like him."
The witnesses said so, so it was confirmed. The guards beside him said one after another: "He must be the murderer. He looks so gloomy, he doesn't look like a good person."
"Yes, he is small, gloomy and weird, and he deals with gunpowder all the time. It must be him."
Ming Huazhang frowned quickly, stood up and bowed to Jingzhao Yin: "Jingzhao Yin, you can't ask like that. Pointing to a person and asking the witness to recall, even if he doesn't look like that person, the witness will think he looks like that person."
Jingzhao Yin's face was unfriendly: "Ming Shaoyin, the emperor ordered us to solve the case within ten days. Why are you trying to stop us? The witnesses all said it looked like him, and you dared to question them?"
"I dare not." Ming Huazhang lowered his eyes slightly, but his voice was clear and calm, completely different from the humility he showed. "But human life is at stake, and I dare not close the case arbitrarily and cause loss of life."
Seeing Ming Huazhang and Jingzhao Yin confronting each other again, everyone in the hall lowered their heads silently, and no one dared to touch their heads. In the silence, Ming Huachang suddenly asked the man in the hall: "Your name is He Yong?"
He Yong was stunned for a moment, not understanding why such a beautiful young lady appeared in the court, and stammered, "I am a commoner."
Ming Huashang took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, unfolded it and asked, "What do you think this is?"
He Yong was at a loss
He looked at her and shook his head, saying, "I can't read, so I don't know what you are talking about."
Ming Huashang showed the paper with the words "No one cares when the sun rises, no one cares when the moon shines" to everyone, and said, "This is the couplet I copied down at the scene of Yan Jingcheng's death. Xie Sheren suspected that the name of the deceased in the next case was hidden in these few words. Xie Sheren was born in the Xie family of Chen County, and was known as a genius, but he still didn't figure out the mystery. Could He Yong, a commoner who doesn't even know a word, come up with a couplet that stumped Xie Sheren?"
Xie Jichuan stood behind the crowd with his arms folded, raised his eyebrows slightly, and chuckled: "Second sister, are you praising me or scolding me?"
"Brother Xie is a man of rare talent, and everyone in Chang'an and Luoyang knows this. Of course, they are exaggerating you." Ming Huashang said without blinking, "He Yong is lonely and gloomy, and lives alone. He seems to fit my description, but in fact, he is nothing like him. The murderer must be an arrogant person who likes to teach others, and it can't be him. Thank you all for your hard work these days. Tomorrow I will go out with you to look for him. Please look further away."
·
It was already dark, and a group of tall, strong, and fierce yamen runners walked out of Jingzhao Prefecture exhausted, with a few young men at the end. When everyone had walked away, Xie Jichuan said with a smile: "You two brothers and sisters are really amazing. One dared to insult your superior in person, and the other fanned the flames and added bricks and tiles."
Ming Huazhang's voice was still cold, and he said, "That's how it should be. Human life is at stake, so we'd rather spend more effort than wrongly accuse anyone."
Ming Huachang found it a little funny to see Ming Huazhang trying to hold back his anger, and shook Ming Huazhang's arm affectionately. Ming Huazhang held her hand, and although he didn't say anything, his temper had calmed down a lot.
Ming Huashang comforted Ming Huazhang and then said with a smile, "It's only because I know you are here that I dare to brag. I will go with my second brother to search tomorrow. I'll leave the matter of the character puzzle to you, brother Xie!"
Minghua Zhang said coldly, "What kind of brother is he to you? Why do you ask him everything?"
"That's perfect." Xie Jichuan said, "I am not very knowledgeable and not good at guessing riddles. Why don't you do it?"
Ren Yao walked behind with a knife in his arms, his eyes darting around the three people in front of him, a thoughtful look on his face. Jiang Ling followed Ren Yao, strolling with his hands behind his back. Seeing that the two men were in a stalemate, he said generously: "Since you can't figure it out, let me do it. Give me a day, I guarantee it will be solved!"
Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan were at loggerheads, but neither of them said anything. Jiang Ling suddenly felt that he had a great responsibility on his shoulders, so he stepped forward and said, "Sure enough, this team cannot be without me... Ouch!"
Ren Yao put away the scabbard and said unhappily, "Shut up, idiot."
·
Daming Palace.
A eunuch came in carrying a box. The palace maid saw him and asked, "Zheng, is the box heavy today?"
The eunuchs in the palace were divided into eunuchs in front of the palace, eunuchs in charge of cases, eunuchs in the palace, eunuchs in charge of affairs, eunuchs in charge of attendants and ordinary eunuchs according to their ranks. The eunuch who delivered the box was named Zheng. He had served in the palace for more than ten years and was promoted to eunuch in charge a few years ago. The palace maids in the Kongheguan were used to calling him Zheng Zheng.
Zheng Hui stopped immediately, bent down slightly, and said in a flattering tone: "It's lighter than yesterday. I'm sorry to bother you sisters tonight."
Although Zheng Zhengwei's qualifications are older than these palace maids, he is a eunuch, and his job is to carry the notes of intelligence from outside the palace into the palace and carry them out the next day, which is a huge difference from the palace maids who sit in the palace and read letters. Although the eunuchs have been removed from their roots, they are still men after all, and are far less meticulous and prudent than the palace maids, so the empress relies more on the palace maids. From Shangguan Wan'er, who is known as the prime minister, to this group of palace maids who analyze intelligence for the empress, they are all people that the eunuchs cannot afford to offend.
The maid worked in the Kongheguan, and was exposed to secrets that might not even be known by the three provinces and six ministries. Obviously, she would not take a eunuch seriously. The maid sighed, waved her sleeves and said, "Leave it here. I will have to watch it again in the middle of the night."
Zheng Huizi responded attentively, saying, "Sister, please sit down. These papers are too heavy. I will help you carry them."
Zheng moved the secret letter in the box to the table, and cleaned up the floor before leaving with a smile. The maid pounded her aching shoulders, picked up the top letter resignedly, and started today's work.
She skillfully and numbly tore off the wax on the envelope and read the secret letter at a glance. She wrote down the valuable ones on paper, but most of them were thrown into the brazier beside her and burned after reading. Until she tore open a certain letter, she sighed and showed the most obvious expression of the day: "Trouble."
What's the matter with these two pieces of jade? No one can do the porcelain work without the diamond drill. But he took the task on his own initiative. Now that he cannot complete it, he requires the Control Crane Supervisor to provide him with all the books related to gunpowder preparation, and put them under the big willow tree on the southeast wall of Guangdefang at 11:00 am tomorrow.
Although the Konghejian was notorious, the Empress originally established the Konghejian for the purpose of compiling books and writing manuscripts. Zhang Yizhi led 20 left and right Konghejians to serve the Empress so that the two Zhang brothers could stay in the palace. Although the Konghejian has now become a synonym for keeping male pets and holding banquets, there are indeed many books hidden in the prison.
From the stars and the sky to the mountains and rivers, the Konghejian has everything. Shuangbi and Konghejian wanted books related to gunpowder, and they really asked in the right place.
The maid was reluctant for a while, but she finally got up and went to the library to find what Shuangbi wanted. The crane monitor had rules for every move, and before the maid left, she certainly threw the secret letter on the table into the brazier and burned it immediately.
But she was in a hurry to get out, so her aim was not good, and the piece of paper turned around and landed on the edge of the brazier, with black ash curling up a little at the edge. Zheng Zheng came in to add charcoal, and seeing that the fire was almost gone, he came over with a pair of tongs to light the fire.
He turned his back to the people, raised his eyes slightly, and saw the unburned words.
·
The next day, Ming Huashang leaned against the carriage, so sleepy that she couldn't even open her eyes. Ming Huazhang, who rarely rode a horse, accompanied her in the carriage. Seeing her expression, he said helplessly, "If you are really sleepy, go back and sleep first. You are not needed for the search, I can do it."
Ming Huashang struggled to open her eyes and shook her head stubbornly: "No, I'm not sleepy, I'm wide awake now."
Ming Huazhang looked at her, sighed softly, held her head on his lap, and said, "Sleep a little longer. I'll call you when we get to Jingzhao Prefecture."
Ming Huazhang's legs were long and straight, with even bones and flesh. Ming Huachang fell asleep almost immediately after touching them. Ming Huazhang looked at her defenseless sleeping profile, raised his fingers to block the light in front of her eyes, and said calmly to the outside: "Walk slowly, she's asleep."
The driver hurriedly slowed down the horse, and it took a long time to reach Jingzhao Prefecture. When driving into Guangdefang, Ming Huazhang protected Ming Huashang with one hand, and with the other hand he opened the curtain and looked out quietly.
Not surprisingly, there is a box under the big willow tree in the southeast. It is chilly in spring, the morning breeze is rustling, the willow branches are swaying in the wind, and everything is shrouded in the dim mist, which looks quiet and beautiful.
However, Ming Huazhang knew that at this moment there were countless pairs of eyes hidden in every corner, staring at the box like lurking snakes, waiting for someone to approach.
He just glanced at her and then looked away, calmly lowering the curtain. He gently pushed the person on his lap and said softly, "Shangshang, we've arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, it's time to wake up."
His fingers were long and well-proportioned, with distinct joints and a natural coolness. In her sleep, Ming Huashang only felt a mosquito flickering on her face, making her feel itchy all over. Ming Huashang could no longer bear it, so she slapped the mosquito away, turned in another direction, and continued to sleep soundly.
Ming Huazhang looked at the red mark on his hand helplessly, sighed softly, and no longer politely put his other hand directly into the back of her neck, and woke her up with icy force: "Shangshang, it's time to get up."
Ming Huashang walked down the stairs listlessly, rubbing her neck and complaining, "Why didn't you call me? My neck hurts from sleeping."
Ming Huazhang lifted his clothes and went up the stairs, glancing silently at Ming Huashang. He had been kind enough to be her human pillow, but she had turned the tables on him. Ming Huazhang waved his sleeves, and without telling her that she had a bad sleep habit, he said calmly, "Okay, I'll try to end the court early today, and you can go home and sleep early."
The two of them walked towards the palace, one in front of the other, and bumped into Jingzhao Yin at the main hall door. Jingzhao Yin glanced at them and asked, "Where are you going to search today?"
Ming Huazhang stood straight and bowed slowly, without the embarrassment of yesterday's confrontation with his superior, nor the arrogance of looking down on his superior. He said calmly, "Reporting to the Jingzhao Yin, I should go to Yong'anfang today."
Jingzhao Yin nodded, glanced at Ming Huashang for the last time, turned around and left without saying anything more. After he walked away, Ming Huashang stuck out his tongue and quietly moved to Ming Huazhang's side: "Second brother, you offended Jingzhao Yin, he won't hate me too, right?"
"Why, are you afraid of being implicated by your brother?"
"That's not the case. I'm just worried that you'll be bullied when I'm not around."
Ming Huazhang laughed very quietly and said, "Okay, then you must follow me closely and don't let me go alone."
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