Chapter 33 Chapter fifteen

Di Gong was startled, and he exchanged glances with Hong Liang and hurriedly asked, "Who plotted against Bian Jia?" "My lord, the gangster has escaped, and Dr. Bian is still lying on the street." "Report in detail, what exactly is going on?" "At that time, Dr. Bian was walking on the street, saying that he was going to see a doctor on the other side of the Shiqiao. He had just passed under the wall of the Confucian Temple when a mob suddenly stepped forward and beat him violently. Seeing that the situation was not good, he left Dr. Bian and ran away. Shopkeeper Yang chased after him closely. The thug crossed the Shiqiao and went into the maze-like winding alley and disappeared. Fortunately, Dr. Bian was not seriously injured. Feeling, shopkeeper Yang told a handyman from Confucius Temple to come to the Yamen to report the letter."

The yamen official took a deep breath, and said, "It's just that Dr. Bian is still unwilling to get up. He has to wait for the yamen to come and make a diagnosis before he gets up." Di Gong stood up and ordered the yamen official to say: "You go and report to Zuo Zuo and then come, and then ask the fan servant to carry a stretcher. Hong Liang, let's go to Confucius Temple Front Street immediately." The sun was scorching and steaming in the street.In front of the Confucian Temple, a group of people had already gathered to watch the excitement.The yamen official pushed away the crowd and let Di Gong come forward.

Bian Jia lay down at the foot of the red plaster wall of the Confucian Temple, moaning softly, while Yang Kangnian stood aside.Bian Jia's cap fell to the ground, his hair was also loose, and his long gray beard stuck to his sweaty face.There was a large bruise above his left ear, the left side of his face was badly bruised, and his robe was torn from shoulder to waist with a lot of dust. Wu Zuo arrived and hurriedly bent down to check.Bian Jia was full of grievances, moaned in pain, and said softly: "Quick! Check my ribs first, is my right leg and right arm bone broken, ouch, ouch—"

Di Gong bent down and asked, "Doctor Bian, what happened?" "Master Di, I'm going to see a doctor at a large family on the street over Shiqiao, and there are no pedestrians around here... Ouch..." Wu Zuo was tapping his chest ribs. Shopkeeper Yang couldn't help but interjected angrily: "The thug came up from behind and attacked him—" Bian Jia said in a weak voice: "Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me, and when I was about to look back, the man punched me right in the temple. I was dizzy for a while, I saw stars in my eyes, and slammed into the temple wall , fell down. In the dimness, I saw a tall figure about to grab my neck. I shouted for help, and he quickly tore off my robe...Suddenly he saw someone coming, left me and went to the side of Shiqiao I ran away in a hurry. It turned out that shopkeeper Yang arrived in time and saved my life."

Yang Kangnian said: "The thug is tall and tall, wearing dark brown clothes and pants." Duke Di asked, "Did you see his face clearly?" "I just glanced at it briefly, and didn't look very carefully. It looks like a big round face with bushy mustaches on both cheeks. ——Doctor Bian, do you think it looks like this?" Bian Jia nodded. Di Gong asked Bian Jia: "You have a lot of money with you?" Bian Jia shook his head. "Did you bring any important book coupon deed?" "Just a few prescriptions and a receipt." Wu Zuo stood up and said with a relaxed smile, "Doctor Bian is worried. Although his ribs are slightly injured, he didn't break a single rib. His right elbow is slightly sprained, and his right knee is also bruised. It's not a big deal. I'll talk to you again when I return to Yamen." Double check."

Di Gong ordered the fan guards to carry Bian Jia into a stretcher, and turned back to tell the Yamen officials: "You appoint four fan guards to go to Banyue Street at the other end of Shiqiao to search carefully, and if you see a suspicious person who looks like the description of shopkeeper Yang, immediately arrest him. Come to Yamen." Duke Di turned to the servant in the Confucian Temple again: "What did you see or hear? What were you doing when the accident happened at the gate here? Did you see anyone wandering outside the Confucian Temple wall looking back and forth?"

"I...Go back to the master. I...was playing a ton at the time. It was the shopkeeper Yang who woke me up. He asked me to come to the Yamen to report." Yang Kangnian hurriedly said: "Before I took a nap, I went downstairs to the store to settle the accounts. My little guy picked out a batch of expensive pearls and jadeites and was planning to send them to the waiting mansion for sale. He asked me to have a look. I reviewed the authenticity. When I was locked into the cupboard, I heard someone shouting for help from outside. I immediately rushed out of the shop. I saw that the thug had torn Dr. Bian’s robe and seemed to be robbing something. I went to chase him, but he disappeared in a flash. In fact, how can I really catch a strong man? It’s just a coaxing. With a gloomy wry smile.

Di Gongdao: "It was the storekeeper Yang who rescued him in time. What if we really made a mess? Maybe he just recovered Dr. Bian's life. Shopkeeper Yang, come with me to the yamen." Write a testimony at the door, and when the interviewer finds the real culprit, he will find out the whole story, and he must have something to do with those murders. " On the way back to the yamen, Di Gong whispered to Hong Liang: "The timing is really good. There are very few people around here just after noon. The streets and alleys of Banyue on the other side of Shiqiao are like a maze, which is the easiest way to escape and hide. I just don't know that this mob Why do you want to murder Dr. Bian at this moment?"

"Could it be that he was appointed by the devil? But isn't Bian Jia himself the suspect?" Hong Canjun said. Di Gong didn't answer, and pondered for a while, then turned his head and signaled the yamen official to come forward and ordered: "At this moment, you prepare a horse and go to the west gate of Shui, and go straight to the sailing boat of Guo Ming, to see if he is on board. If he is, then say I have an invitation, invite him to come to the yamen for a walk. If you are not here, please wait patiently. Go, don't delay along the way." The yamen official was ordered to lead a fast horse, and resigned from Di Gongfei's horse and went first.

Wu Zuo, Yang Kangnian and the stretcher returned to the Yamen after Di Gong and Hong Liang. Di Gong said to Hong Liang again: "Go to Ke's mansion immediately to find out if Ke Yuanliang is taking a nap." Hong Liang agreed, and he would not mention the matter when he went to prepare the horse. Back at the yamen, Yang Kangnian went to the valet room to get a pen and paper to fill in the testimony, and Wu Zuo helped Bian Jia off the stretcher and went to the back hall to apply the medicine. Mr. Di went back to Neiya's study, poured himself a cup of tea and drank it with his neck up, half lying on the grand master's chair and thinking hard.

This sudden incident at present gave rise to a hazy intuition in Duke Dee's heart. He found that there was a new explanation that could run through the whole case in one go and clear up all doubts. His fine-striped kudzu robe was drenched with sweat and stuck to his back and shoulders, but he didn't notice it at all.He is devoting himself to thinking outside of heaven and earth. Suddenly, he slapped the desk and said to himself: "What a wonderful strategy! It can not only confirm my inference, but also judge my intuition - the next move is..." Wu Zuo walked into the study and said with a smile on his face: "Master, Dr. Bian is much better. I applied a layer of pain-relieving ointment on his chest aid, and tied a bandage on his sprained right elbow. He can walk now. It will recover in a few days. Master, Dr. Bian asked if he could go home to rest and recuperate at this moment?" Di Gong said: "Tell him not to worry about going home. He is most at ease in the yamen. He can leave when he recovers. Besides, I have something to ask him." Wuzuo nodded and bowed back. Hong Canjun hurried in without a cup of tea.Di Gong motioned him to sit down, and asked anxiously: "Ke Yuanliang—isn't he taking a nap at home?" "It's really not there! Master. The housekeeper of the Ke Mansion told me that Mr. Ke felt that the house was too hot to sleep, and he was in a bad mood, so he went to burn incense in the Temple of the City God by himself. ——Does the master know that Mrs. Hu Po's coffin is full of nuts?" I was buried there temporarily, and the auspicious day for burial has not yet been selected. When I went, Mr. Ke had just burned incense and returned home, sweating profusely. I told him that the master would call him to the yamen for questioning at any time, and asked him to wait at home. He readily agreed. Oh, my lord, Bian Jia almost lost his life in a cannibalistic attack, how can this be explained?" Di Gong slowly replied: "If the thugs tried to hijack him, it is not enough to overthrow my suspicion of Bian Jia. Although the reason is a bit strange, Bian Jia may still be the culprit. If this incident is a murderous attack That is to say, the thug wanted to destroy Bian Jia's life, so Bian Jia is completely innocent. He himself is still ignorant and has not figured out what happened. He must know some inside information about these three murders. And this is the most taboo thing for the devil, so the devil intends to kill him to silence him. If this is the case, the suspicion will be brought closer to Ke Yuanliang. He pretended to be sad and went to Chenghuang Temple to burn incense and pray for amber. Second, find an excuse to sneak out and pay a lot of money to hire a desperado to kill Bian Jia. Bian Jia is not seriously injured and can move around now. I ordered him to recuperate in the yamen. The second terrible assassination. You have ordered Ke Yuanliang to wait at home for an order from the Yamen for questioning. I am very happy. ——Yes, I only mentioned two suspects just now, Hong Liang, and the third suspect is Guo Ming.” "As expected." Hong Liang exclaimed excitedly. "Why is the master suspicious of him? Of course, his appearance is very similar to the thug who attacked Dr. Bian described by shopkeeper Yang Shijian, but the master has already listed him as one of the three suspects before that." Mr. Di smiled slightly and said, "Guo Ming is a very important suspect. When I realized why I lost that mahjong card, I immediately suspected him." "A mahjong card?" "Yes, a 'white board'. ——Actually last night before the dragon boat race, when my wife and I were enjoying the scenery of the canal on the open pavilion of the official boat, someone stole that 'white board' from our card table. There are only three people who have been on the official boat and may have stolen the "white board": Ke Yuanliang, Bian Jia and Guo Ming. Ke Yuanliang and Bian Jia came aboard to report to me that the dragon boat race was ready. Guo Ming boarded the boat privately. At that time, all four of our decks of cards were upside down on the card table, but there was a pile of upturned cards in the card pool. When Guo Ming came on the boat, no one noticed. , he is about to steal that 'blank board'." "But, my lord, why would a ferocious criminal need a mahjong card made of bamboo?" Hong Canjun was full of suspicion. Duke Di gave a bleak smile, and replied: "The criminal is not only very vicious but also very alert, in fact he is far smarter and more meticulous than you and me. When he found a 'white board' turned upside down on the card pool, he immediately thought of this 'white board' It is very similar to the bamboo cards issued by the south gate guards to the people to go back to the city late at night. He thought of this in a flash, but it took me two whole days to figure out the meaning of this 'white board'. "He thought that it would be a bit tricky for Xia Guang who was hired by him to return to the city after finishing his work in the Emerald Villa late at night, because he had to declare his name, identity and house address when he received the bamboo plaque from the guard at the south gate. If Amber later In pursuit of the incident, the names and times of those who returned to the city late at night must be checked. Xia Guang has scars on his face, and people can recognize him at a glance. Besides, Dong Mei will definitely die. Together, Xia Guang is more easily exposed, because he and Dong Mei are classmates and friends, and they work together every day. Guo Ming is likely to be the culprit. He originally planned to take the risk to keep Xia Guang on the boat overnight, so Xia Guang didn't know when he left the south gate. I didn't receive the bamboo card. At this time, he caught a cold eye and stole the 'white board' from my card table. He scribbled a number 'Er Bo Ling Qi' on it with a pen and handed it to Xia Guang; Telling him not to stay overnight on the boat, he can return to the city safely with this 'white board' without showing a trace. Xia Guang really used the 'white board' when he returned to the city after killing Amber in the pavilion of the Emerald Villa. The white board was pretending to be a bamboo card. Later, the captain of the South Gate handed over this 'white board' to me, because they already had a 'two hundred and seven' in their set of bamboo cards. Cleverness was mistaken by cleverness. It was the 'white board' that exposed his tail. How could he know that I was so interested in this missing 'white board' and linked it to this murder case. Oh, I remembered, Hong Liang , go and see if the Yamen official has returned from Shuiximen, I am waiting for news from Guo Ming." Hong Liang led the way out of the study, and Di Gong walked to open the back window.There is a breeze outside the window, and the greenery is swaying.He leaned over to search among the grass and rocks, and saw the turtle slowly crawling by the goldfish pond behind the rockery, and he couldn't help showing a satisfied smile on his face.He turned around when he heard Hong Canjun return to his study. "Master, the yamen officer hasn't returned to the yamen from Shuiximen Wharf, I hope Guo Ming won't run away." Hong Liang said anxiously. Di Gong shook his head: "No, Guo Ming will never run away, he won't do such a stupid thing. Come on, since there is still no news about Guo Ming, let's continue the topic just now and see how gentle and elegant Guo Ming is. What role did the polite agent play in these three cases! "Guo Ming might as well live a well-behaved life in the capital. It was only when he went out to do business in three ports and six cities that he would wantonly pursue evil lust. He is extremely meticulous and cautious in his actions. Even if he indulges in sensuality, he never shows On the outside, he tried his best to pretend to be dignified, and used the name of invitation. Every time Guo Ming came to Puyang, he got acquainted with Dong Mei and Xia Guang because of collecting antiques. He hired Dong Mei first, and then He also hired Xia Guang to hunt antiques and women for him. At the same time, it was because of the antique business that he met Ke Yuanliang. The shopkeeper Yang said that Ke Yuanliang occasionally bought antique treasures from Guo Ming. Guo Ming must have seen amber when he visited Ke Yuanliang , because Amber is actually Ke Yuanliang's assistant. Guo Ming was fascinated by Amber's beauty, knowledge, demeanor, and spirit, and he wanted to win Amber wholeheartedly. He made Xia Guang pay close attention to Ke Yuanliang's inside and outside, and seize Amber whenever he had the opportunity. Inform him if you are caught or deceived. "A few days ago, Xia Guang wrote to Guo Ming to tell Guo Ming that it was possible to rob Amber. He got extremely reliable news from Dong Mei, and he dared not neglect it. He first asked Guo Ming to come to Puyang before taking it easy, because the specific date for Amber's appearance has not yet been determined. In order to claim credit, Xia Guang first hired Fang Biao and other three gangsters to abduct Peony for him——Guo Ming had met Peony at a certain banquet before, and had shown that he was interested in her in front of Xia Guang, so Xia Guang was There is such a calculation. Yesterday morning, Xia Guang rushed to see Guo Ming under the Baiyu Bridge, reported the matter of Peony and brought even greater good news-Guo Ming was able to get the amber that night. Xia Guang told Guo Ming in detail How Ming Dong Mei and Hu Po agreed to meet secretly after the dragon boat race in the pavilion of Dong Mansion’s Emerald Villa, and buy the legendary imperial pearl with ten gold ingots. He said that as long as Guo Ming managed to drive Dong Mei away, he would Then they can go to the Emerald Villa in the name of Dong Mei to act according to circumstances. Guo Ming is overjoyed after hearing this, because the plan is successful. First, he can get the amber and take it to the capital, and second, he can get ten gold ingots for nothing. Although Guo Ming is also suspicious of that The existence of the Royal Pearl, but he only buried it in his stomach secretly, not showing his face. "In the evening, when Bian Jia took him to the Baiyuqiao Hotel for a banquet, he secretly poisoned Dong Mei's wine and food, and Xia Guang went to the Emerald Villa to lock the chicks in the chicken coop as promised. Once Xia Guang came to inform him that he had After locking Amber in the pavilion, Guo Ming went to Emerald Villa to catch his "chicken". In addition, Guo Ming also bet a lot on the loser of Bian Jia's ship. He ordered Xia Guang After terminating the contract with those three gangsters, Guo Ming's interest is all in Hu Po, and the ordinary but slightly pretty Peony has already dismissed him." Outside the window, thunder rumbled from far to near.Di Gong was silent for a while, looking at the sky that was about to change, thinking about possible changes in personnel and affairs. "Then, master, Guo Ming had the leisure to visit your official ship last night, why is that?" "I have asked myself this question. The only explanation can only be that Guo Ming deliberately showed up in front of me to prove that he was always present during the Dragon Boat Race, and only returned to the boat at Baiyuqiao late at night. In fact, Guo Ming went to the official boat. The 'white board' that came to steal me was handed over to Xia Guang and hurried back to Baiyuqiao, waiting impatiently for Xia Guang to announce the good news. In the middle of the night, Xia Guang came to Baiyuqiao to report that things had gone wrong. He had to kill Amber, and only brought back ten gold ingots. Because someone had followed him to the pavilion, he was almost caught, so how could he dare to search for the imperial beads in the pavilion. "Guo Ming helped Xia Guang bandage up and urged him to go back to the city quickly, and agreed that he would go to the pavilion to look for the Royal Pearl together the next morning. But he asked Xia Guang to make up to avoid being detained by the city gate guards. Guo Ming Ming himself had already agreed with Bian Jia to come to the Emerald Villa to look at the property, which was justified. ——The next morning, it was still the same old saying: Xia Guang was smashed in the head when he was not careful, and the body was thrown out of the low wall At noon, he rushed to the mansion behind the Laojun Temple and strangled Mrs. Meng—no need to go into details.” Hong Liang couldn't help asking: "However, when Guo Ming saw Xia Guang's dead body this morning, why did he immediately vomit out of shock when he saw Xia Guang's dead body? As usual, he was well prepared." "It was because of the preparation that he could have acted so realistically!—While the three of us were looking at the horrible corpse, he turned his face and stuffed his fingers down his throat." The yamen official finally came back, and said with a smile: "Master, I waited for half a day on the boat under the Shuixi Gate, and finally brought Guo Ming to the yamen. The owner of the boat told me that Guo Ming and his buddy Sun Wei ate After lunch, I went to the street to buy goods. Sun Wei came back alone. He said that Guo Ming had gone to Shiqiao to negotiate a deal. I thought the thugs who attacked Dr. Bian hadn’t been caught yet, so I couldn’t help but feel vigilant. , rushed to the Shiqiao side immediately, but saw Guo Ming in a small drugstore on Banyue Street. I announced the master's will, and he heard that the master asked me to come to the yamen. Along the way, his attitude Although he is courteous, he is only asking questions, and Luo Hao is not resting. At the moment, he is on duty in the outer hall, waiting for the master to see him." "Ok".Di Gong looked happy.Then he asked Hong Canjun, "Where is Bian Jia?" "Doctor Bian is drinking tea and playing chess with Wu Zuo in the back hall of the street. Master, he has written down the details of what happened in the front street of the Confucian Temple. I also brought the testimony written by shopkeeper Yang. Shopkeeper Yang has his shop I have something to go back to." Di Gong turned to the yamen official and said, "Go and tell Guo Ming that I will see him soon. However, I want Ke Yuanliang and Bian Jia to be present when I talk to him. This is just a private conversation, not an interrogation by the court. So I have decided to go to Ke Yuanliang's mansion to have a chat with Ke Yuanliang, Bian Jia and Guo Ming, while sipping tea. Now you prepare a small curtained bridge to lead Guo Ming and Bian Jia to Ke's mansion first, and pass on my message to you. Ke Yuanliang, just say that I want to chat with the three of them in the study of the Ke Mansion all night, and I have no other intention. The study is very elegant, clean and quiet. I went to the Ke Mansion last night, and Ke Yuanliang entertained me there. You tell Ke Yuanliang Said, I will come here in person after finishing some routine business here." The yamen official replied: "Master has many orders for humble officials to understand." Di Gong said again: "After you send Guo Ming and Bian Jia to the Ke Mansion, immediately return to Yali to wait for orders." The yamen official bowed and exited the study. Hong Canjun had a little understanding, and said, "Master combined these three suspicions together, which is a good thing, so as to teach them to be suspicious of each other and talk to each other. If you look at them coldly, the real culprit will not be difficult to reveal." Di Gong smiled and said: "What Hong Liang said is very true. Now I entrust you with an important mission: try to get me a wooden arm." "Wooden arm?" Hong Liang couldn't believe his ears. "Go to Shopkeeper Yang's shop and take a look. You might as well borrow one from him. I saw many Buddha statues scattered around the back of his shop, some made of clay and some carved of wood. Carpenters in the workshop often carve out many arms first and put them away, waiting The body of the Buddha statue is carved before the arm is attached to it. I want a left arm that is life-sized. I asked Shopkeeper Yang to paint the wall of the hand white, and put a cheap ruby ​​copper ring on the finger . . . I need it tonight when I meet with Ke Yuanliang and the other three." Suddenly, a dazzling flash of lightning flashed outside the paper window, illuminating the study brightly, followed by a deafening thunderclap.The coolness suddenly rises, and the heat disappears. Di Gongdao: "It seems that there will be heavy rain in a short while, Hong Liang, you go in a small sedan chair, go back quickly. I will wait in the yamen, time is running out, and I will explain it to you in detail when you come back to the yamen." .”