During the Lantern Festival, every household in Puyang County was decorated with lanterns and festoons, and had a reunion feast. At this time, a lame beggar died on the street. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the traditional Lantern Festival, and the people in Puyang are full of joy.Lanterns were hung in the streets and alleys, and the government also tied up Aoshan Mountain, with lanterns for ten miles, and cheers were flying.The thoroughfare city is bustling with traffic.Pedestrians on the road, shoulder to shoulder, all dressed up and smiling. In the afternoon, guests came to the Yashe to pay their respects one after another. Mr. Di was exhausted due to socializing, and after drinking a few cups of water and wine, he felt a faint headache and restlessness.After the last congratulatory guest Lin Zizhan, the head of the gold and silver city, paid his respects, he felt relieved.At this time, the moon rises on Dongshan Mountain, and the reunion is clear. Lanterns of various colors have been hung inside and outside the courtyard, colorful and festive.

His three children are lighting a big lantern in the garden. The lantern is octagonal in shape, inlaid with gold thread pinching flowers, hanging tassels and tassels, and the eight-faced palace silk is painted with the legendary portraits of the Eight Immortals, which is very interesting. The lantern was lit, and the Eight Immortals spun around. The youngest son, Agui, ran around the garden happily holding the lantern.Brother and sister looked at Agui with jealousy, feeling very itchy in their hearts. Di Gonggong was about to go out of the yamen to have a look, but he saw Hong Canjun walking in hastily.

"Oh, Hong Liang, look at your tired and pale face, I think the yamen is too busy with business. I should take time to visit you, but because there are so many congratulatory guests, I can't get away, especially Mr. Lin Zizhan, Lai He didn't move there, and didn't have anything to say, so he dawdled for half an hour." Hong Canjun said: "There is nothing serious in the yamen. The officials and miscellaneous servants are all thinking about the family banquet at night. They behave in a haphazard manner and are absent-minded. Therefore, I let everyone go back and have a happy Lantern Festival. However, the north of the city But a small incident happened. Lijia there came to report at noon that a lame beggar had fallen to his death in a dry river ditch. His head hit a boulder at the bottom of the ditch and he bled a lot. The beggar was wearing only He was wearing a shabby long robe, and his long gray hair was scattered on his head, stained with blood. I heard from Narijia that this old beggar had never been seen before. Maybe he came to the city to beg for the Lantern Festival from a foreign country. fell to his death."

Di Gongdao: "The railing of the ditch in the north of the city has been in disrepair for a long time. You can ask A to send people there to repair and strengthen it. I just don't know where the beggar fell?" Hong Canjun replied: "I'm facing the back street of Mr. Lin Zizhan's house. My lord, if there is still no relative to identify the dead body after three days, I have to order the servants to burn the dead body." Mr. Di nodded in agreement, and then warned: "Hong Liang, tonight's family dinner, you must arrive early, don't be late." Hong Canjun agreed, saying that he would first go back to the Neiya to review the arrangements for patrolling and guarding the three streets and six cities. ——Tonight during the Lantern Festival, tens of thousands of people will go to the streets to watch the lanterns and have fun, especially beware of criminals taking the opportunity to commit crimes and cause troubles.

Mr. Di sent Hong Canjun away, turned out of the yamen house, and was about to go through the garden to go to the inner mansion, when he suddenly saw an old man with white hair hanging from behind the opposite screen wall, a worn-out robe fluttering in the wind, leaning on a A thin bamboo tree came towards him slowly with a limp.Di Gong was shocked, and stood still at the bottom of the steps, he felt that his whole body was as heavy as lead, and his legs could not move.The old man was about to meet Di Gong face to face, but he turned around suddenly and drifted away to the depths of the bamboo bamboos in the garden, where he disappeared.

Di Gong broke out in a cold sweat from fright, and when he came to his senses, he yelled loudly: "Old man, come out! But it's okay to see me." There was silence in the garden, and the bamboo leaves rustled as the night breeze passed by.Di Gong became bolder, approached Zhuhuang and called out several times, but no one answered.Di Gong suddenly realized: it must be the soul of the lame beggar! Di Gong calmed himself down, feeling no surprise in his heart.Although he didn't believe in the theory of ghosts appearing, he couldn't help feeling the strangeness of the old man's whereabouts. ——He floated up and passed away, he didn't want to say anything, and his whereabouts were mysterious. Could it be that he was reminding me that he died unjustly, and he was still angry, and his soul came to tell me, asking me to find out the truth for him, Redress your grievances.

He became more suspicious as he thought about it, and felt uneasy, so he changed direction and hurriedly ran to the inner office study with his robe lifted. Hong Canjun was alone in his study holding a candle to review the patrol books. He looked up and was surprised to see Mr. Di arriving in a hurry. Di Gong casually said: "Hong Liang, I want to go and see that dead old beggar." Hong Canjun didn't want to ask in detail, so he picked up the candle on the desk and led Di Gong out of the study to a side room at the west end of the street courtyard. The body of the old beggar was lying on a long table in the room, covered with a piece of paper. reed mat.

Di Gong took the candle from Hong Canjun, held it high, and lifted the reed mat, Dingqing took a closer look.The face of the deceased was gray and white, with disheveled beard and hair, emaciated.He looks about fifty years old, with deep wrinkles and hollows, but his face is sharp and bony, unlike ordinary vulgar and low-level people, and there is a neat short beard on his two thin lips. Opening the robe of the deceased, one can see that the left leg has shrunk abnormally, and the once broken knee is not properly joined, turning to one side. "This beggar walks with a terrible limp," Duke Dee asserted.

Hong Canjun took a thin bamboo stick from the corner: "Master, he is very tall, and he uses this bamboo stick to support him when he walks. This bamboo branch was also found at the bottom of the ditch and fell beside him." Di Gong wanted to lift the dead man's arm, but it was already stiff.He looked at the dead man's hands carefully again, and said in surprise: "Hong Liang, look at his hands are smooth and smooth, without calluses, and his ten fingers are slender with long armor. Come, turn the body over." Hong Canjun turned the stiff body over with all his strength, with his back facing upwards.Duke Di carefully inspected the wound on his head, then gently wiped the wound with a silk handkerchief, and moved closer to the candlelight for a closer look.

"Hong Liang, there are fine sand and white porcelain powder on the wound. How can there be these two things at the bottom of the river?" Hong Canjun shook his head in bewilderment. Di Gong looked at the dead man's feet again: the soles of the feet were white, soft and smooth, and there were no calluses. "This man is not a beggar, nor did he accidentally fall into the ditch. He was killed and thrown into the ditch!" Hong Canjun realized something, and tugged at his gray beard in frustration. "My lord, I saw that there was no underwear or shorts in the robes of the deceased. The murderer must have stripped off all the clothes and pants of the deceased, and then put on this beggar's rags for him. It's the first lunar month, and only this rags Don’t you want to freeze to death? My lord, what was the head of the dead man smashed into?”

Di Gongdao: "I can't tell for a while, Hong Liang. In the past two days, has anyone come to the yamen to report that his family members are missing?" Hong Canjun suddenly realized: "There is one. Mr. Lin Zizhan mentioned yesterday that his housekeeper, Wang Wenxuan, did not return to the library for two days after his vacation." Di Gong was stunned: "Really? Why didn't he talk about it after sitting in the yamen for half a month just now? Hong Liang, hurry up and prepare the sedan chair with me! —— You go back to the mansion and tell the wife that they are asked to wait for a while for the night banquet. " Hong Liang was well aware of Di Gong's temperament, so he didn't dare to disobey, so he had to leave his study to order the sedan chair to be prepared. Di Gong lowered his head to look carefully at the old beggar's disfigured face, and murmured, "Could it be your wronged soul who came to complain to me?" The official sedan chair was carried to the door of Lin Zizhan's house, and Di Gong got out of the sedan chair.When Lin Zizhan heard the news, he hurried out of the front yard after the banquet to greet him, saying "negligence" and "forgiveness". ——While speaking, there was a burst of alcohol in his mouth. Di Gongdao: "Mr. Lin's drinking has been defeated. I have something to ask today. Has Mr. Wang Wenxuan, the guest of honor at the residence, returned to the residence?" Lin Zizhan replied: "Mr. Wang was on vacation the day before yesterday, and he hasn't returned to the museum yet. I don't know where the autumn wind is blowing." "Mr. Lin, can you tell the lower officer Wang Wenxuan's figure and appearance?" Lin Zizhan was slightly startled, and replied: "Master Di, Mr. Wang is lame, and it is easy to recognize him. He is quite tall, very thin, and his beard and hair are grey." "Mr. Lin, do you know where he has been these past two days?" "God knows! I don't care much about family affairs. As usual, he takes a vacation on the 13th and returns to the library on the 14th. Today is the 15th, so don't make trouble outside." Di Gong asked again: "How long has Wang Wenxuan been sitting in the mansion?" "It's been about a year. He was recommended by a colleague of the capital, and he just happened to enlighten the two young grandchildren. Master, Mr. Wang has a good character, a quiet disposition, and he is good at teaching lessons. In the past year, the two young grandchildren have benefited a lot. shallow." "Wang Wenxuan came to Puyang from the capital to sit in the hall, can he bring his family?" "Mr. Wang has no family members. In the past, I only asked about my young grandson's poetry and books, and never paid attention to Mr. Wang's private affairs. If I want to ask about these matters, I can call the housekeeper. Master may wish to ask him. Maybe he knows better than me. some more." The housekeeper heard the master's question, and saw the official's master sitting at the head, so he couldn't help being timid, trembling and afraid to look up. Di Gong asked: "Do you know if Mr. Wang has a family in Puyang?" The housekeeper replied: "Mr. Wang does not have a home school here." "Where does Mr. Wang go on vacation as usual?" "Back to the master, he never talked about it. He thought he was visiting one or two acquaintances to make friends. Mr. Wang has always been taciturn and rarely talked about private matters. He was always locked in the room alone to read and write. He also went for a walk in the garden on rare occasions. Look at the fish in the flower and bird pond." "Don't you see that he has correspondence?" Di Gong asked again. "I have never seen him have a letter, and I have never seen anyone visit him. Master, Mr. Wang's life is very poor. His salary is not low, but he never refuses to use it. I don't see him hiring a sedan chair when he goes out. He is walking with a limp. But the villain can see that Mr. Wang was once a rich man, maybe even an official. He speaks in a smooth manner, and he enjoys himself, but sometimes he expresses emotion occasionally. Heh! Wake up! Once, I asked him why he was reluctant to spend any money he earned. He looked up to the sky and said: "Money is only useful if it buys real happiness, otherwise, it will cause troubles in vain." —— How interesting it is for the master to hear this From a few conversations that day, I found out that he had a family, and then divorced. It sounds like Mr. Wang and his wife are very jealous, and their temperaments are not compatible. ——As for how he ended up in poverty, I don’t know. It's clear." Standing next to Lin Zizhan felt cramped, and looked anxiously at Di Gong, then at the housekeeper.The housekeeper realized that his words were presumptuous, and lowered his head unconsciously. Di Gongwen Yan said to the housekeeper: "It's okay for you to say it, you know everything, don't forget the plot. Let me ask you again: Mr. Wang is on vacation, coming in and out under your nose, really a little bit of whereabouts." Don't you know?" The butler was embarrassed, frowned, and replied in a low voice: "Although the villain saw him coming and going, he never asked where he went. But every time I saw him go out, I was always very happy and very happy, but when he came back, he would often cry and sigh.Even so, he never missed a lecture in the library. That day, the lady said that Mr. Wang was able to answer all the questions she asked.The lady said that he was very knowledgeable and admired him very much. " Di Gong sternly said to Lin Zizhan: "I heard you right now, Mr. Wang is only teaching Sun Kaimeng, why is there another young lady?" Lin Zizhan replied: "Before my daughter left the boudoir, Mr. Wang also taught some strong girls, boudoir training, and now I have been married for three months." Di Gong nodded.He ordered the housekeeper to take him to Wang Wenxuan's room to have a look.Lin Zizhan stood up and wanted to follow, Di Gong said: "Mr. Lin, wait here for a while." The butler led Mr. Di to walk around the house and meander to a small room in the west courtyard of Lin Mansion.The butler took out the key and opened the door, held up a candle, and let Mr. Dee in.The furnishings in the room are very simple: a desk, a chair, a bookshelf, a suitcase, and several ink orchids hanging on the wall. The housekeeper said: "Mr. Wang loves orchids the most, and he painted these screens all by himself." "Mr. Wang loves orchids so much, why aren't there a few pots in the room?" "I think it's too expensive to afford." The butler guessed. Di Gong took a few volumes from the bookshelf and flipped through them. Seeing that they were all Liang Chenyan poems, he frowned.He opened the desk drawer, only to see blank paper and no money.I opened the suitcase again, full of worn clothes, and there was a money box at the bottom of the suitcase, but there were only a few pennies in loose money.He asked: "Who came into this room to search when Mr. Wang went out?" The housekeeper was surprised: "No, master, no one has ever entered this room. Mr. Wang never forgets to lock it when he goes out. Besides him, only I have a key hidden in my body. " "You said that Mr. Wang is usually not willing to spend any money, so where did his salary of more than a year go? This money box is not full of ten copper coins." The butler was also confused, shaking his head in confusion and said, "Master, this... this villain can't explain clearly. But the villain in the room can guarantee that no second person will come in, and the servants in the house have never seen any tampering. Clean." Di Gong pondered for a while and waved his hands: "Let's go back to the living room, Mr. Lin thinks he is in a hurry." Coming out of the west courtyard, when winding around the corridor, Duke Di asked the housekeeper in a low voice: "Is there a brothel near here?" The butler was suspicious and hesitated, and said: "There is a family two streets away from the back door, called 'Lechunfang', the bustard's surname is Gao, and she is a romantic widow. Dare to ask." Di Gong couldn't help nodding, with a happy expression on his face. Back in the living room, Di Gonggong said to Lin Zizhan, "Your Majesty can now tell you clearly that Wang Wenxuan has been murdered and died. His body is now parked in the yamen, and Mr. Lin must follow me to the yamen to formally claim it. Wait until the cause of death is found out. Prepare a coffin and choose an auspicious day for burial."