Chapter 23 Chapter Eighteen

The yamen of the Jingzhao government office is about to be promoted in the evening.While helping Di Gong to dress, Tao Gan asked, "Master, did you go to Mr. Mei's study to find the murder weapon?" "No, I went to the study to see what Mr. Hai was writing before he died. What puzzled me most at the time were the few ink stains on his cheeks. As you said, the ink stains Maybe he accidentally got it on his face when he was grinding the ink. However, I found that the inkstones in his study were neat and unused. He was reading his "Golden Chamber Medical Prescription". I immediately thought whether it would be It would have been another stone inkstone that crushed his head. It must have been a larger precious stone inkstone, and it had been used not long ago. Because the ink on the inkstone was not dry, only the remaining ink of the precious inkstone would not It dries quickly."

"Then when did the master become suspicious that Mrs. Mei murdered her own husband?" "The old housekeeper of the Mei Mansion told me that the big red lantern under the beam in the flower hall is usually lit until midnight, and I became aware of something strange about Mr. Mei's death. Besides, an accidental accident—Mr. Mei fell down the stairs— How could it be so well-arranged and seamless? Think about it, Mrs. May left the candle lying there on purpose, which is very unreasonable. The soft felt shoes in the middle of the stairs, the blood on the tip of the lotus buds, all these are meticulous and skillful. On the contrary, it makes people think that it is the deliberate arrangement of the murderer after careful consideration. In addition, Mei Yaoren used to be a famous prostitute in Haitang Courtyard , and Mr. May is a serious and orthodox figure, and his age is more than 20 years older than Mrs. May. This naturally reminds people of the most common trilogy in this type of mystery: the old and aging husband, the young A beautiful wife, and a handsome lover. The reason why I didn’t doubt Mrs. Mei’s character at first was that I firmly believed that Mr. Mei had the ability to choose wives rationally.——It’s only now that I realize that I was wrong.”

Tao Gan said: "The east wing of the flower hall is the most ideal place for Mrs. Mei and Doctor Lu to have a tryst." Di Gongdao: "As soon as I heard the old housekeeper say that the East Wing is connected to the garden and the bamboo path and the street outside the mansion, I insisted on taking a look at this wing. Sure enough, I found the most important clue in that wing. Mrs. Mei said that the East Wing has three No one has lived in it for a month, but I saw that the rouge lead powder on the dressing table has been used recently, and someone has slept on the bed, not only is there no dust, but there is also the smell of rouge. Of course, the main clue to reveal the truth of the case Still ink and blood on the floor and on the back of the bed curtain."

"Obviously, Mr. Mei suddenly crashed into the east wing room in the middle of the night or late at night. The couple panicked. The so-called rape and near murder, the man picked up an inkstone on the desk and hit Mr. Mei on the head. Mr. Mei fell on the ground. On the ground at the foot of the bed. Then the two murderers dragged Mr. Mei's body down the stairs in the flower hall." "Because the red lanterns were already out at that time, they played Mr. Mei's clumsy trick of holding a candle in his hand.--Trying to cover up the crime perfectly, but revealing the flaws instead, the so-called superfluous. The upside-down candle, the soft felt shoes, The bloodstains on the stone carvings of lotus buds are unnecessary snake feet. I remember you said that falling down the high and steep stairs would kill you no matter what, let alone an old man who is nearly seventy years old. No No matter what arrangement is needed, everyone will believe this accident. However, if it is too real, it is false, so it shows its feet."

"Master, how did you see through Dr. Lu?" Tao Gan asked again. "Dr. Lu was smart enough to lie to us about the time of Mr. Mei's death, but he was smart enough to tell us a lie. When Mrs. Ye committed suicide, he was in the Ye Mansion. Mr. Mei's death raised suspicions again. I asked him if Mrs. Mei was once the head of the Begonia Academy, and he replied that he didn't know Mrs. Mei's life experience very well, so of course I didn't know anything about it. But he insisted that Mrs. Mei was born in Jingyang He has a rich family and never worked as a prostitute. So I understood that he knew all about Mrs. Mei, but he was just trying to hide us. The purpose was very clear: to protect Mrs. Mei so that we would not suspect that Mrs. Mei had committed a crime. The crime of adultery—”

The inner yamen was suddenly pushed open, and Ma Rong hurried in. "Miss Lanbai is waiting at the yamen on duty. She said that she has something important to report to the master." Di Gongdao: "I also really want to see this Miss Lanbai, but I don't have time right now. I'm about to beat the drums and get promoted." "She said that the matter was very important, and she had to kowtow to her before she was promoted to the hall. I was afraid that it would be delayed and make a big mistake." Ma Rong was even more anxious. "Did she say anything?"

"No. She just wants to see the master before she is willing to talk about it in detail." "Then, I ask her to wait patiently, and I will come in to report after the office is over." There is a sound of gong in the yamen hall, and the three-way drum is finished.Yamen, Yajiang, officials, and secretaries are divided into two lines.Di Gong's purple robe and jade belt ascended to the high seat.Qiao Tai and Ma Rong stood behind him.Tao Gan sat beside the recorder and assisted with the camera. Mr. Di slapped the gavel and shouted: "The case of Mei Liang's murder is being heard in the evening hall of this yamen. Now bring the defendant Lu Hongji to the court!"

After a while, the Yamen brought Dr. Lu to the hall.When Dr. Lu saw Di Gong, he knelt down under Dan Chi with infinite grievances. Di Gongdao: "Lu Hongji, as a medical officer, you don't want to do good deeds and save people from sickness and illness. Instead, you are soliciting truth and confusion, perjury and false testimony. What should you do? I will point out two things for you first: one is that Mr. Mei died. Time, the second is Meiliu's life experience. I allow you to repeat the confession truthfully, and if you dare to hide even the slightest bit to deceive the hall, you will not be lightly forgiven until I find out."

Dr. Lu kowtowed to the ground, and said with a mournful face: "Master hangs a mirror high, observes the details, how dare the villain hide the slightest deceit. The villain dare not deny the crime of perjury and false confession. It's just that the villain never murdered Mr. Mei, it is true that a villain can do nothing but murder, but a villain would not dare, I hope the master will make a clear judgment based on the facts." Di Gongdao: "You must tell the details of the night Mr. Mei was killed. Mr. Mei and his wife invited you to dinner that night, so let's start from here."

Dr. Lu confessed: "After dinner, we chatted for a while. Mr. Mei was going to study in the study, so I went to the old housekeeper's room to deliver medicine. Mrs. Mei also said that she was not feeling well, so I also took some medicine for her. —so I took my leave and went home.” "Then," Di Gong said, "the fact that you heard Mrs. Mei screaming loudly in the Flower Hall of the East Courtyard and then hurried away is purely fabricated?" "Yes. Master, the villain is convicted. The next morning I rushed to Mei's mansion again to see if the old butler's condition had improved. I remember that it was Mrs. Mei who opened the door herself, and she led me to a secluded room. The penthouse, said to me softly, "Mr. Mei is dead!" Sleep. If Mr. Mei has any orders in the middle of the night, she can go upstairs to take care of them. Not long after midnight, she had just slept soundly, when Mr. Mei came into the wing room, panting, and said that he had a splitting headache, chest tightness and suffocation. She had not yet Before he had time to fetch the medicine for Mr. Mei, Mr. Mei fell down and hit his head on the bluestone floor at the foot of the bed. She stepped forward and looked down, her head was broken and she was out of breath."

"I actually believed her words at the time. I knew that Mr. Mei had heart disease and often suffered from asthma. I said let me go and see the body, but she said she had moved the body down the stairs, and she wanted me to come to the yamen to ask him to do it. , and reported that Mr. Mei had a heart attack and fell down the stairs, fell on his head and died." "I came to the Yamen to find Wu Zuo, informed him of Mr. Mei's death, and asked him to go to the Mei Mansion for an autopsy. When we walked into the Flower Hall of the East Courtyard, I couldn't help being shocked. I saw that Mr. Mei's skull was crushed , brains spilled out, bloody and bloody, obviously not caused by hitting the head on the foot of the bed or the ground. And the scene was arranged so cleverly, it looked like she really fell down the stairs. I suspect that Mrs. May has an accomplice, and I also suspect the accomplice It was her lover. I was terrified, and I realized that I was in a very embarrassing position, that I had been her accomplice, or at least guilty of perjury, in the murder of her husband. I—I hated myself for being I fell into her trap and was used by her. Of course I thought of going to the government and denouncing Mrs. Mei—" Di Gongping asked kindly: "Then, why are you so slow to come forward and give false testimony several times to confuse this official?" Dr. Lu hesitated for a moment, cleared his voice, and said, "After Wuzuo left, Mrs. Mei called me to the anteroom again, locked the door, knelt down in front of me, and begged me to save her life." ——Mei Sure enough, Mr. broke into the East Wing that night and broke her adultery. The adulterer was so vicious, he grabbed an inkstone on the desk and threw it at Mr. Mei's head. Only two hits shattered Mr. Mei's brain. , and was killed immediately. The two discussed carefully, and they came up with a scam in which Mr. Mei accidentally fell down the stairs, and quickly set up the scene, intending to deceive the government and get away with it. Mrs. Mei also said This move is flawless, there is absolutely no flaw, but I should rest assured." "Who is that adulterer?" Duke Di hurriedly asked. "She refused to spit out. I was already terrified at that time, I was worried that she would insist that I was her adulterer, drag me into the trap, and put me in the trap of the adulterer. ——Master, don't believe her lie Confession, what the villain said in class today is true, Master Fu Wang is the master of the villain, and makes a clear decision on this case." He drew a charge on the confession, and Di Gong told the Yamen to put Dr. Lu in prison without mentioning it. "This beast with a human face!" Qiaotai scolded softly. "Put all the crimes on the whore's head, and clean it up myself." Di Gong knocked on the gavel and ordered Mei Liu to be brought to court.Two yamen guards escorted Mrs. Mei, who was completely naked, to the hall, followed by a female jailer. The female prison guard kowtowed to report to Duke Di: "The female prisoner Meiliu may have been infected with the epidemic. After entering the prison, she vomited many times and had a fever all over her body. The trial was postponed according to the law, but Meiliu herself insisted on not allowing it and insisted on going to court to wait for trial. I hope the adults will stop." Di Gong stroked his beard, thought for a while, and said: "This hall only needs a brief confession from Mrs. Meiliu. After resigning, I will order the prison doctor to diagnose and treat me." Mrs. Mei knelt down under the Dan Chi limply, her face was flushed and she was panting frequently. Di Gong ordered Mei Liushi to stand up, looking anxiously at her slender body. Mrs. Mei raised her head proudly, her face was calm and as cold as ice. She glanced resolutely at Mr. Di in the hall, and said: "Master, there is no need to inquire. It was the servant who murdered my husband. Mei Liang and I are called husband and wife, but we have no feelings at all. I can't stand his behavior." False hospitality and consideration, I married him just to use his money to pay off debts. I was sold to Haitang Courtyard when I was fifteen, where I was humiliated and tortured." Her voice gradually mellowed, and a pair of big bright eyes shone brightly with the sapphires on the earrings on both sides. "Later, I met a kind-hearted man who redeemed me from the Begonia Yard with money, and I got rid of my music status. We lived a very happy life for nearly two years. But he went bankrupt soon, except for a building There was almost no money outside the garden. At that time, I still owed a large debt and never paid it back. So I could only marry Mei Liang, who is the head of a wealthy family in Chang’an. With all my debts, I live a life of luxury and luxury. But I have no love, I am like a flower in the dung. I have known many people, and each is more stupid than the other, and each is more greedy. They bought my body with gold and silver for their lust, and they treated me as a doll. Gradually, Mei Liang found out that I was wrong, but he just forgave me and sympathized with me. However, I regarded this as something bigger The ridicule and insult. After I killed Mei Liang, I had to beg that despicable Dr. Lu, and I had to agree to his filthy demands. ——I always wanted to get some, but in the end I always lost some. The more you have, the more you have lost. It is too late to realize it now." A violent cough nearly shook her weak body.She was out of breath, struggled for a long time, and then spit out another sentence; "I'm tired of everything... I'm tired of it. I hope that I can break free from the shackles of hard work... and pay off from now on..." She gave Di Gongtou a desolate and mournful look, a mouthful of phlegm welled up, and she fainted on the ground from both eyes. The female jailer hurried forward to unbutton Mei Shiren's collar, and suddenly saw that butterfly-shaped red spots had covered her body, and some of them had already festered.Her body squirmed for a while, her limbs twitched violently a few times, and then she stood still. Di Gongnai understood what was going on, sighed subconsciously, looked at Mrs. Mei's pale face with pity, ordered the prison doctor to examine it, and then covered the corpse with a reed mat. Then, Di Gong shouted hoarsely: "Bring He Peng!"