Chapter 25 Chapter VII

It was nearly midnight when Duke Di rode his horse back to the Yamen of the state capital.He reined in his horse and tapped lightly on the iron-covered gate with the handle of his whip, and two yamen servants responded and opened the heavy gate.Duke Di got off his horse in the courtyard in front of the outer hall, handed the reins to the sleepy-eyed groom, and looked up to see that there was still a light on in the window of the inner office study.He picked up the saddle bag and hurried to Neiya's study. Hong Canjun was sitting on the stool in front of Di Gong's large book case, reading official documents by a candle.As soon as he saw Mr. Di coming in, he stood up and asked anxiously: "What happened in Baiyuqiao Town? Master, half an hour ago, Li Jia led a few regiments there to bring a female corpse to the Yamen. I then He was ordered to conduct an autopsy, and here is the autopsy form he filled out."

Duke Di took over the body and stood by the desk to read it hastily.The posthumous form stated that the deceased was a young married woman who was stabbed in the heart with a sharp sword and died.The deceased had no physical defects, but there were several old welts on her shoulders.She is three months pregnant. Di Gong returned the corpse to Hong Liang, and sat down on the grand teacher's chair behind the desk.He put the saddle bag on the desk, leaned on the back of the chair and asked, "Did the Yamen bring Xia Guang? It's Dong Mei's partner." "No. Master, the yamen official came to report an hour ago that Xia Guang hadn't returned to his apartment. Xia Guang's landlord, the shopkeeper of the old clothes shop, told the yamen official not to wait, because Xia Guang lived very irregularly and often He didn’t go back to his apartment for two days. The Yamen officer searched the room shared by Xia Guang and Dong Mei, and then came back to the Yamen. He appointed two guards to monitor the guards there, and arrested Xia Guang when he showed up.”

Hong Canjun cleared his voice and said, "I talked with Assistant Teacher Ouyang for a long time. He didn't praise Dong Mei. He said that Dong Mei and Xia Guang were not smart in reading, but they were very cunning. They indulged in sensuality, They behave dissolutely, and they don't shy away from suspicion for unclear money transactions. Although they have obtained a reputation as a scholar, they do not abide by the school rules, especially in recent months, and they have not been seen in the state school at all. The teaching assistant said that he was not angry at these two scoundrels for their willingness to degenerate and ruin the school's ethos. He just felt very sorry for Mr. Dong, and he felt ashamed. He is a noble man of self-cultivation, he keeps his morals and righteousness, writes poems and books for the elderly, and treats people with kindness and generosity. As for Xia Guang, his parents are both in Chang'an. him."

Digong nodded.He opened the saddle bag and put the two swords aside first, then untied the kerchief, and let the turtle crawl out, its shell glistening in the candlelight.Suddenly it stopped, its limbs and head retracted into the shell. Hong Canjun stared at the turtle in amazement, without saying a word. Di Gong smiled slightly and said: "Hong Liang, if you make me a cup of hot tea, I will tell you where and how I met this little creature." Hong Canjun stood up and took the teapot to make tea. Di Gong went to the back window and put the turtle into the rockery among the rocks in the back garden outside the window.

At this time, the captain who guarded the south gate came in and reported that the city gate was closed, and there was no one who had been newly wounded by a knife coming in or out.Di Gong nodded, and the captain retreated to the south gate. Di Gong sat down, took a sip of new tea, and then told Hong Canjun everything about what happened in Dong Yiguan's emerald villa and the meeting with Ke Yuanliang in Ke's mansion.Finally he said: "Therefore, the two cases seem to be connected. There are two completely different conjectures. Hong Liang, let me give a brief outline first, and you can help me draw up a specific procedure for starting the investigation." .”

Di Gong drank the tea in the teacup in one gulp and moistened his throat. "If what Ke Yuanliang just told me is true, there are two possible conjectures in this case. The first possibility is that the person who poisoned Dong Mei knew about the transaction of Yuzhu in advance, and in order to steal and rob Yuzhu and Jin, he murdered Dong Mei without any hesitation, and used Dong Mei's name to go to Amber's date. When Amber defended herself with a knife, he killed Amber again, or he wanted to kill to silence him. Another possibility The person who killed Amber had nothing to do with poisoning Dong Mei, but he knew about the huge deal that was going to be done in the Emerald Villa. When he heard that Dong Mei died suddenly during the dragon boat race, he decided to go on a date in Dong Mei's name. The purpose is also to win the royal beads and gold. ——The two possibilities are also attributed to robbery, and robbery and murder are strictly distinguished, and the perpetrators are separated from different social status, and they are triggered by different personnel backgrounds.”

Di Gong paused for a moment, looked at the silent Hong Canjun, slowly twirled his beard, and continued: "However, if Ke Yuanliang's words are only partially true, he said he didn't know the place where Hu Po and Dong Mei were dating. , then, I can assert that both Dong Mei and Hu Po were murdered under Ke Yuanliang's direct plan!" "How is this possible? Master." Hong Canjun exclaimed in surprise. "Hong Liang, you must know that Dong Mei and Hu Po grew up together. They were childhood sweethearts, and they have been in love with each other for a long time. Dong Mei is handsome and dignified, with a good-looking talent; Hu Po is beautiful and intelligent, with extraordinary charm. They have been in love for a long time, and even after Hu Po entered the Ke Mansion, she still maintains her old relationship with Dong Mei."

"That's true. Amber is indebted to Mr. Ke." "Hong Liang, the actions of a woman indulging in lust are often incomprehensible. Although Ke Yuanliang is handsome and elegant, he is more than 20 years older than Hu Po. The autopsy shows that Hu Po is pregnant, and Dong Mei must be her lover. Ke Yuanliang found out that Hu Po was unfaithful, but he kept it secret and secretly waited for an opportunity to retaliate. When Hu Po told him that Dong Mei was going to sell the Royal Pearl, he thought that the opportunity had come, and he could take this opportunity to get rid of both of them. The opportunity to kill three birds with one stone without losing the gold is once in a thousand years. It was easy for Ke Yuanliang to poison Dong Mei when he was serving rowers in a hotel in Baiyuqiao Town. Emerald Villa dated Amber, asked him to kill Amber, snatch the gold ingot and try to find Dong Mei's hidden Royal Pearl in the pavilion. Hong Liang, I repeat, both of these scenarios are just speculation, far from being considered Conclusion. We are going to investigate here, and the first thing we need to do is to obtain real evidence and iron proof."

Hong Canjun nodded slowly, realizing something.He suddenly said anxiously: "Master, we have to try to find the imperial pearl anyway. Your unexpected appearance, sir, caused the murderer to flee in panic. The imperial pearl must still be in the pavilion. We might as well go to the emerald at this moment." Let's search the villa again!" "No! That's unnecessary. I have ordered Li Jia of the Baiyuqiao Township Office to set up a sentry there, and we can search it carefully tomorrow morning. But it is also possible that Dong Mei took the bead with her. His Are the clothes here?"

Hong Canjun took from the tea table next to the wall a bundle that was sealed with the big red seal of the Yamen.Di Gong tore open the cover, and searched Dong Mei's clothes carefully with Hong Liang.They checked every crease, and Hong Liang also cut open the upper of the felt shoes, but there was no trace of the imperial pearl.Hong Canjun had no choice but to re-wrap the clothes and sign the cover. Duke Di silently drank a cup of tea, and said after a while, "These two murders are connected with the imperial pearl that was stolen from the palace a hundred years ago. It is not easy to evaluate his character and behavior. I really want to know more about his life, but unfortunately his wife Jin Lian has suffered from madness and lost her rational memory. Now that she is dead, who can know Ke Yuanliang's behavior and character? Hong Liang, do you know when and how Jinlian became so ill?"

"I've heard it go like this: Four years ago, one night four years ago, Jin Lian went out to visit a relative in the neighborhood. She suddenly fell ill on the way. Youyou left the city from the east gate, wandered around in the wilderness overnight, until several farmers found her lying in the field the next morning, and had already lost consciousness. After being sent back to Ke Mansion, she was very sick for more than a month Afterwards, he recovered at last, but his brain was damaged, he lost his previous memory, and he became crazy and insane, which made people feel sorry for him.——This incident was quite a commotion at the time, almost everyone knew about it, and those who heard it No regrets for it.” Hong Canjun gently stroked his gray beard with his hand, pondering for a while.Then he said: "My lord, is there such a possibility that Dong Mei's death has nothing to do with that imperial bead. I remember Tao Gan once told me that in dragon boat races, although ordinary people don't bet much, rich brokers, The bets between the shopkeepers are astonishingly high. Tao Gan also said that the liars and villains often play all kinds of tricks on those huge bets. Therefore, I thought that Dr. Bian's No. 9 boat might have secretly decided to lose before the race, Most of this is dirty work. If a shrewd liar knew in advance that the drummer on Dr. Bian's ship would have an accident, he would bet a huge amount of money to try his luck. Perhaps it was this liar who planned to poison Dong Mei again. " Duke Di nodded in agreement and said, "You are right, Hong Liang, we are about to consider this possibility—" There was a knock on the door, and the yamen official came in and respectfully handed a dirty envelope to Mr. Di, saying, "My lord, this envelope was found in Xia Guang's suitcase. Dong Mei's suitcase was just some worn-out clothes." , not a single piece of paper." Di Gong ordered the yamen officials to come to the inner yamen to report as soon as they had Xia Guang's message, and the executive officials were ordered to retreat. Duke Dee opened the envelope and took out three neatly folded papers.The first one is the certificate of Xia Guang's fame as a scholar.The second is Xia Guang's household registration in Puyang.When Di Gong opened the third piece of paper, his eyes lit up, and he couldn't help raising two thick eyebrows.He carefully spread the piece of paper on the desk, moved the candle closer, and exclaimed excitedly: "Look, what is this?" Hong Canjun looked down and saw a rough map of the inside and outside of the south gate of Puyang City.Di Gong pointed with his finger and said: "Look, here is the Baiyu Bridge, here is the Mandala Grove, this long square is Lao Dong's Emerald Villa, and only this pavilion in the Emerald Villa is marked with words. Xia Guang must have Involved in the transaction of this imperial bead! Hong Liang, we must capture this guy as soon as possible." "Xia Guang is probably wandering around in the streets and alleys of the city. Master, my friend Shen Ba undoubtedly knows Xia Guang's whereabouts. Shen Ba is the head of the beggar household in Puyang City. He is in charge of all beggars. When beggars see him, they are cautious and submissive to his jurisdiction, and dare not offend him like a slave. He has been told all the news of the three religions and nine streams, so his ears and eyes are very well-informed." "Good idea, you might as well ask him." "Shen Ba usually stays at home only in the middle of the night, when the beggars gather at his place to pay daily money, and give Shen Ba a share of the beggars' money, which is regarded as daily filial piety. My best Go to him now, sir." "Why do you need to be so anxious, you are already very tired, you should have a good sleep now." "Master, it will take a whole day! I have a deep friendship with Shen Ba, and I know many habits of this old devil. As long as he knows Xia Guang's whereabouts, I will have a way to lure him out." "In that case, Hong Liang, you can go in an official sedan chair and bring four guards with you. It's so late, and the neighbors of Shen Ba's residence are all restless guys." After Hong Liang left, Mr. Di drank another cup of tea.He was very worried at this moment, but he didn't want to show it in front of Hong Canjun.The death of a poor scholar actually brought out the imperial pearl that was stolen from the palace a hundred years ago. Whether it was true or not, he could not delay reporting the news of the imperial pearl to the higher authorities.He must find out the ins and outs of this imperial pearl as soon as possible, and solve this strange case as soon as possible.Thinking of this, he stood up with a sigh, and slowly walked back to the courtyard behind the garden. Di Gong thought that his wives and concubines had already fallen asleep, he didn't want to disturb them, so he planned to spend the night in the small study by himself.But when the butler led him into the inner courtyard, he heard laughter coming from the brightly lit front hall. Seeing Di Gong's surprise, the old housekeeper hurriedly explained in a low voice: "Master, Mrs. General Bao and Mrs. Wang Sima came to the house to visit the wife at night, and the wife invited them to stay and play cards. The wife ordered, and when the master returned home, I will report to her." Di Gong said: "Go and invite your wife to the small study, don't disturb the guests." The old butler agreed to go. Not a moment later, Mrs. Di swayed into the small study.Her eyes are like autumn water, her eyebrows are like distant mountains, and her actions are like weeping willows blown by the wind.Seeing Di Gong bowing quickly, he asked anxiously, "Master, there is no accident in the dragon boat race, right?" "No, there has been an accident. At this moment, you should go back to the front hall to play cards with the guests. I am very tired, and I just want to rest here alone, and the butler will serve me." Mrs. Di was full of grievances, knelt down and was about to turn around and go out, when Mrs. Di suddenly asked, "Did you find that 'whiteboard'?" "I haven't found it yet. I think the card must have fallen into the river." "It's impossible!" Di Gong said angrily. "Our card table is in the middle of the open room, unless it is thrown into the river. Hey, where will that card fall?" Mrs. Di said half-seriously and half-jokingly: "We have been married until now, and I have never seen you worry about such a trivial matter seriously. Master, it is best not to ask about it again!" Duke Di smiled and nodded in agreement.