Chapter 37 Chapter Nineteen

Hong Canjun returned to the study and brought some young leaves to feed the turtle.Di Gong saw that his wrinkled face showed a look of hurt and faint pain.He poured a cup of tea for Di Gong, and said in frustration: "Master, you told me that the trap tonight was specially set up for Ke Yuanliang, Bian Jia, and Guo Ming, but you didn't mention Yang Kangnian!" Di Gong said calmly: "Hong Liang, sit down, and I will explain the reason to you slowly. In fact, only Ke, Bian, and Guo could steal the 'white board' I lost, and the person who stole it Inevitably involved in these four murders. It is possible that he was employed by a fourth man, and he acted on the orders of a fourth man. I only think of this possibility because of this vague feeling that the latter two murders The method of the crime is a bit unusual. Both Xia Guang and Mrs. Meng were brutally killed. I can't help but think that if the murderer was Ke, Bian or Guo, they must have stabbed the knife into Xia Guang's body from behind. Instead of smashing Xia Guang's head with a big brick, they would deftly put a little poison in Granny Meng's teacup instead of frantically strangling her to death with a silk scarf.

"Furthermore, the two murders were so closely connected in time but so far apart in location. It is conceivable that he must be a powerful man, not only full of energy, but also used to galloping between urban and rural areas on horseback. Ke, Bian and Guo are not consistent. At the same time, since the murderer must be closely related to the antique business, of course I listed Yang Kangnian as the fourth suspect. He is tall and powerful, and he often rides to the countryside to buy ancient steles Ding Yi And so on. And he has the same chance as Ke, Bian, and Guo to commit the crime. He was at the scene of the dragon boat race, and after that he was very concerned about the official diagnosis of Dong Mei's death. Early this morning, he rode to the countryside again and said it was a bribe. An ancient stele, so he is the most suspected of killing Xia Guang. His shop is not far from the yamen. When Miss Zilan escorted Fang Biao and other three scoundrels and Miss Mudan to the yamen, he must be on the road or in the shop. See. In addition, he still has three major doubts: 1. Although he denied having ever been to the Temple of the White Lady in the Mandala Forest, he knew that the pedestal of the statue in the temple was separate from the altar, which revealed that he intentionally Lie. I even deduced that he was the one who stole the goldware from the altar in that temple. Second, he said that he didn’t know Dong Mei and Xia Guang, which was even more unreasonable. Because Dong Mei and Xia Guang were mainly engaged in Is there any reason why people don’t know each other about the antique business? Puyang is such a big place, how many antique brokers are there? Third, what he said about Bian Jia’s financial difficulties contradicted Shen Ba’s statement.——This is just right It explained that Bian Jia owed him debts and was hired by him. He also protected Bian Jia everywhere so that he would not be suspected by the government.

"However, Yang Kangnian has no motive or background for committing the crime. He gives the impression that he is noble and indifferent, not greedy for money, not close to women, not chaste in behavior, and not extravagant in his life. He only cares about the serious antique business. If there is a motive and background, it can only be found from the old grudges of previous generations. "Tonight I set up this trap. Although it is clearly aimed at the three suspects, it is also intended to test Yang Kangnian. If one of Ke, Bian, and Guo is the real murderer, I will read the fake letter and talk about ghost revenge. The sudden appearance of the white hand with the ruby ​​ring will surely scare the real murderer into panic and show his true feelings. The only thing I didn’t tell you loudly is that I still suspect Yang Kangnian. I think that if Yang Kangnian is the real murderer, he will definitely be killed tonight Sneak into Kefu to eavesdrop, thus falling into the trap set by me.

"Before I left the yamen, I had already instructed the yamen officials to have a good plan. When I sent the steward of the Ke mansion, the yamen officials had already ordered the servants to guard all the servants of the He mansion in the east chamber, and they were not allowed to move around. Then, the yamen officials took Four Fanmen also went to this pavilion to ambush at the curved corner at the end of the corridor. They were ordered to arrest anyone who tried to escape from the study, but they would never interfere with anyone who slipped into the study from the outer corridor. With this arrangement, if the murderer Among Ke, Bian, and Guo, there is no way to escape tonight; and if Yang Kangnian is the real murderer, he will definitely sneak up and fall into my trap. You have listened carefully to his confession just now, but he unexpectedly tonight Daring to come with a weapon proves that his crime is beyond doubt."

"Master, you are taking too much risk. If I knew about this joint in advance, I would never let the master act so rashly. You see how panicked I am tonight, almost something bad happened. I have been wary of those three people, and I don't know what will happen. There is a fourth person who sneaked in and even carried a murder weapon." Duke Di glanced at this loyal subordinate, and said with a smile: "This is also the time for the murderer to be exposed. In fact, I almost made a big mistake tonight. I was reckless and miscalculated. I thought the three pairs of large candles along the wall were extinguished." Finally, the movement of the door on the right and the faces of the three people on the other side of the table can be clearly seen just by the candle on the table of the Eight Immortals. If Yang Kangnian sneaked in to eavesdrop, he would definitely push the door halfway open. Once he boldly broke in , I was able to quickly grab him and call the yamen officials and fan servants who were ambushing outside the corridor. However, I made a big mistake, as there was darkness beside the door, and I couldn’t see the faces of the three people on the other side of the table at the same time. When I heard movement at the door, the intruder was already standing behind me, and he wiped my neck with a single gesture of his hand. Fortunately, it was not Yang Kangnian but Jinlian.

"Hearing Yang Kangnian's confession, I know that all these crimes started from his coveting of the golden lotus. This perverted lust led this lonely widower to the brink of crime madness, and his own flesh and blood Filled in the executioner's blade. As for Bian Jia, according to the law, he can't be lightly spared. I hope he is cowardly and exploited by others. He has no intention of killing people. He is proposed to be sentenced to five or eight years in prison. Hong Liang, there is one more thing to forget In order to remind me, I will give Miss Mudan a proper arrangement when the case is recognised. I will reward her with a portion of Yang Kangnian's confiscated furniture, so that she can redeem her life. She is a poor and weak woman with a duty. , should leave the academy to marry a husband, and live a happy life with his diligence and thrift."

The tortoise woke up and was eating the green leaves that Hong Liang fed it with relish. "Hong Liang, I made another big mistake tonight. When I ordered the yamen officer to take all the servants of Ke's mansion into custody in the East Chamber, I forgot Mrs. Ke Jinlian! He also took away Auntie, the maid who took care of and served Jinlian, leaving the sick Jinlian alone in the room. Jinlian ran out ignorantly, and began to live in the empty courtyard of Ke Mansion. He saw Yang Kangnian walking into the pavilion, but Yang Kangnian never noticed her. She followed Yang Kangnian up the pavilion, walked through the corridor, and slipped into the study with him.

"Yang Kangnian has been avoiding her since he insulted Jinlian in the Temple of the White Lady four years ago, for fear of being recognized by her. He said that he never stepped out of the room when he visited Ke's mansion or negotiated antique business with Ke Yuanliang. It was he who was afraid to see Jinlian's face because of his evil intentions. Tonight, Jinlian didn't recognize Yang Kangnian in his head, but just this quick glance attracted her to follow Yang Kangnian like a magnet, and she couldn't help feeling dizzy I was so excited, I didn’t quite understand it. When you screamed, you saw her floating into the study. In fact, Yang Kangnian entered the study early at that time and hid in the corner on the left of the door. Jin Lian beat him After walking by, he stood still behind me, which protected me unintentionally. It happened to be a stormy night, with thunder and lightning, and the gloomy and terrifying atmosphere in this study room was exactly the same as that of Yang Kangnian who abducted Jinlian to the Bainiangniang God four years ago. Same night at the temple.

"People who are insane are particularly sensitive to the weather. The similar climate and terrifying atmosphere finally led to this thrilling scene tonight. When I put the wooden white hand with the ruby ​​ring on the table, Jin Lian immediately recognized it. This is the hand of the White Lady. On that horrible night, when she was lying on her back in despair on the white jade altar of the temple, she looked up and saw this white hand.——This white hand with the red jade ring! The White Lady’s Revelation flashed through her mind like thunder and lightning outside the window, she finally came to her senses, and immediately recalled the scene of that horrible night. At this moment, she again combined the white hand with the familiar face that had just slipped by. Connected.——The memory of everything that had been forgotten for four years, so clear, so detailed, so clear and picturesque, as if in front of my eyes. The spiritual shock cured her madness. She regained her sanity And feelings, restored all memories. She recognized Yang Kangnian, the devil!"

Hong Canjun nodded frequently, and said: "The merciful and merciful white lady blesses Mr. Ke. The lewd Hu Po died unexpectedly, and the steadfast Jin Lian recovered his health. After all, Mr. Ke has accumulated meritorious deeds from his ancestors. The cured Jin Lian will surely heal Mr. Ke's pain. Mr. was saved. But...my lord, how did my lord know that the night when Yang Kangnian seduced Jin Lian was also full of storms, thunder and lightning? Neither Yang Kangnian nor Jin Lian seemed to have said that before, right?" Di Gong replied: "Neither Yang Kangnian nor Jin Lian said anything about it, but you forgot that four years ago, the white lady appeared and frightened Dong Yiguan's family to death. It was the night of thunder and lightning. Was it a storm? Did you Still don't understand that the white lady who appeared was the golden lotus who escaped from the temple? That day, when the golden lotus ran like crazy, she just broke into Dong's mansion from the edge of the mandala forest, and Mr. Dong's family was in the garden at that time. Enjoy the coolness. You see, every detail here is seamlessly connected. At that time, Jinlian was full of horror, her hair was disheveled, her dress was torn, and her body was covered with blood. It was at this time that a thunderstorm rolled over, and it poured down like a torrential rain. Poor Jinlian After walking around for a whole night, he was found fainted in the rice field outside the east gate the next day. Hong Liang, you can go and check the exact date. I firmly believe that Jinlian was deceived by Yang Kangnian and appeared with the white lady in Dongdi Emerald Villa. It happened on the same night!"

There was a long silence in the study, and the two listened to the rustling rain outside the window at the same time. Hong Canjun came to his senses, and said with a smile, "Master solved two difficult mysteries in one fell swoop tonight. Not only were the four murders solved, but also the truth about the appearance of the White Lady four years ago was also revealed." Worried, the truth has come to light at this moment." Di Gong slowly stroked his beard, with a smug smile on his face.He stood up, put the tortoise into his sleeves, straightened his robe, and said: "The rain has stopped, let's go back to Yamen."