Chapter 29 third chapter

When Di Gong returned to the state government office, he immediately ordered the clerk on duty to pass the order. After a while, the autopsy was carried out in the back hall of the government hall, and everyone who was not involved in the case avoided.During the autopsy, the Ye brothers were allowed to watch over him. Hong Canjun and Tao Gan followed Di Gong back to the Yashe.Hong Canjun handed Di Gong a cup of freshly brewed fragrant tea. Di Gong took a sip and sighed, "This tea is really different from what I drank at Shopkeeper Guo's house! I saw that Shopkeeper Guo and his wife are not very compatible, but they treat each other like guests and are very harmonious."

Tao Gan said: "Mrs. Guo's name is Zhiying. Her ex-husband was originally a bohemian butcher. His surname seems to be Wang. He died five years ago after drinking heavily. The most indebted is the brothel. The procuress of the brothel threatened Zhiying to sell her body as a mortgage, but Zhiying refused to pay her death. At a time of desperation, Lao Guo generously donated money, repaid all the debts for Zhiying and married her. Zhiying has since So she became her Mrs. Guo smoothly, and she naturally respected and loved her husband very much, and her life became more and more interesting. After being a prisoner for women, she showed her extraordinary insight in her chest, so everyone in the yamen respected her. She respects everything."

Di Gongdao: "Mrs. Guo seems to be quite self-cultivated, and she must be knowledgeable about books and etiquette." Tao Gan replied: "I only read some books after marrying Lao Guo. Thanks to her natural intelligence and wisdom, she can never forget. She also learned a lot of medicine from Lao Guo, and she has extraordinary ability to identify medicinal herbs. In ancient times It is said that Shen Nong tasted all kinds of herbs, but Mrs. Guo really tasted all the herbs herself, so she is very familiar with the properties of various herbs. She often goes to Yaoshi Mountain alone to collect herbs. At present, there are many rich families in Xiazhou City See her for medical treatment, especially for women who have unspeakable ailments, they all come to her. She cures illnesses quickly and rejuvenates her hands, so she is more and more respected by people."

Di Gongdao: "Of course I am very relieved that an outstanding woman like her will manage the women's prison in the state government." While talking, Qiao Tai and Ma Rong returned to the street.After brushing off the snowflakes all over his body, he kowtowed to Mr. Di and reported the drinking and fighting in the wine shop in the market.They have brought the person who caused the accident after drinking to the Yali for detention, and they are only waiting for Di Gong to interrogate him personally.Duke Di nodded in agreement, and asked again: "Did you catch that wild wolf that the farmers hate so much? It killed many of the farmers' livestock here, and it is also a local plague."

"Caught it, sir." Ma Rong replied. "The hunt was quite successful, and Zhu Yuanwai also helped us to encircle and suppress the wild wolf. The master knows that Zhu Yuanwai is the best shooter in Beizhou. He has never missed a shot. He was the first to find the wolf today. The wolf, but he shot three arrows and missed, which puzzled me. Chotago shot through the wolf's throat with one arrow." Qiao Tai said: "Zhu Yuanwai must have been humbly on purpose, and made me a meritorious service. I have never seen Zhu Yuanwai make mistakes in archery. Compared with him, Ma Rong and I feel inferior."

Ma Rong said: "Zhu Yuanwai practiced archery in the backyard every day, using a big snowman as a butt. He rode a horse and galloped, and fired three arrows in a row after half a circle. Every arrow would hit the snowman's head. Archery on horseback is Zhu Yuanwai's favorite hobby." Ma Rong paused for a moment, and suddenly changed the subject: "Oh, master, I heard that there was a murder case in the south of the city, and everyone was talking about it along the way." Di Gong's face was gloomy: "Well, let's go to the back hall to watch the autopsy of shopkeeper Guo."

Qiao Tai and Ma Rong followed Di Gong into the back hall of the hall.A snow-white sheet had been laid on the square table in the back hall, and a headless female corpse was lying on it.Hong Jianjun stood at the side of the table.Tao Gan, on the other side stood Ye Bin and Ye Tai brothers.Prepare a copper basin, boiling water, towels and various utensils before the table. Shopkeeper Guo went to the copper basin of boiling water, wrung out the towel, and wiped the stiff corpse.The dried blood was wiped away, and the skin and flesh gradually became loose, and the arms could move slightly.He untied the rope that bound the dead man's hands, took off a silver ring from the dead man's finger, put it in a porcelain basin by the table, and began to examine the various parts of the body carefully.

Hong Canjun lowered his voice and told Ma Rong and Qiao Tai about the discovery of the female body.The two couldn't help but look at each other, and frowned tightly. Shopkeeper Guo looked closely at the bloody neck of the corpse for a long time, then filled out the corpse form, handed it to Duke Di, and said, "The deceased is married and has not yet given birth. There are no congenital birthmarks or physical defects, and there are whip marks on the shoulders and back." , was killed by beheading, and the murder weapon was a kitchen knife or a sharp axe." Di Gong drew a mark on the corpse, stamped it with a big red seal, and put it in his sleeve.Then he picked up the silver ring from the porcelain basin and handed it to Ye Bin.

Ye Bin took a look, and exclaimed in amazement: "My lord, what a joke! Why is there no ruby ​​on the ring? When I saw her the day before yesterday, I saw a ruby ​​on this ring." Duke Di understood what he heard, so he asked, "Ye Bin, did your sister wear any other rings before she was alive?" Ye Bin shook his head. Di Gongdao: "You go back today and use a coffin to collect Lingmei's body. When the case is solved and Lingmei's head is found, then choose an auspicious day for burial. The Yali will try its best to find the head. And capture the real culprit to avenge Lingmei's injustice."

When Di Gong returned to the yamen, Ma Rong saw that the brazier was about to go out, so he hurriedly added some charcoal to it.Sparks "cracked" a few times, and the flames curled up again.The Yashe soon became warm again.Di Gong sat in the armchair silently, slowly stroking his beard.Hong Liang, Tao Gan, Qiao Tai, and Ma Rong discussed around the brazier. Tao Gan said: "The novelty of this murder case, the murderer deliberately took the head after killing someone, what does this mean? Is it because he is afraid that people will recognize the real face of the deceased?"

Ma Rong said: "Where is this demon Pan Feng going with his big bulging skin? The head is not at home, not in the well. Could it be that it has wings and flew away? Master, no matter what, we must first capture Pan Feng, the biggest suspect." Ask the truth." Di Gong woke up from his contemplation, and suddenly said loudly: "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Pan Feng cannot be the murderer. All the clothes, skirts and coats of this woman have been taken away, and even shoes and socks are gone. Just imagine Pan Feng When Feng killed his wife and left in a hurry, he wrapped his wife's dress, shoes and socks and put them in a leather bag, and put the head in a leather bag, but why didn't he take the precious gold jewelry in the box and a large pile of broken silver in the shop with him? body? Isn’t this a strange thing?” Hong Canjun said: "The master means that there is a third party involved in this murder case, and Pan Feng is innocent. But why did he abscond?" Di Gong replied: "The reason why Pan Feng went out is not clear yet, but it is not easy to cut off a human head with a kitchen knife or a sharp axe. Even if a strong person needs a lot of effort, Pan Feng is already Can an elderly person with a weak and sick body be able to do it? What's more, his wife is so young, can she not resist? Ma Rong is right, we must find Pan Feng as soon as possible! Capture Pan Feng, don't worry This headless case is puzzling, and there is no need to worry about not finding the head." At this time, the old housekeeper hurried into the yamen to report that Mrs. Di had received a report from the Taiyuan post envoy, and Mrs. Di's mother-in-law was seriously ill. The wife asked the master if he could spare time to accompany her back to Taiyuan to visit. Di Gong sighed, and said: "Pan Ye's unsolved case has not been solved, how can I leave Beizhou? Oh, I have agreed to Zhu Yuanwai's invitation to be a guest at his house tonight. You four should leave before dark. Let’s all come to the yamen and wait, let’s visit the richest man in Beizhou together, and taste the roast lamb and vintage wine from his mansion.” Di Gong turned around and ordered the housekeeper to go back to the mansion first. After returning from the banquet at Zhu Yuan's house, he and his wife packed up their luggage.