A Sword of Frost

Chapter 43: The flood flooded the city

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In the bedroom filled with the smell of bitter medicine, Mrs. Xu's eyelids trembled, and after a lot of effort, he asked, "My lord and Mr. Zhang, are you still looking up the new nursery rhyme?"

"Yes, we are investigating." The maid on the side hurried forward to reply, thinking that he was still worried about the safety of the villa, so she said that the prince and Mr. Zhang were here, and the master of the Yunmen was also there. The bad guys are brought to justice.

Old Mrs. Xu's chest heaved and heaved for a long time like pulling a bellows, before he stretched out half of his arm and let the servant girl help him up.

"Go...go invite the lord to come here, I have a story from the past, a story to tell...say..."

He coughed violently, almost spitting out all his lungs.

The maid hurriedly went to the table to pour water, and accidentally kicked the chair, which made half of the red candle on the high platform tremble.

Mrs. Xu was lying on the bedside, surrounded by a group of servants, but he couldn't hear anything clearly. His eyes were only through the crowd, staring at the swaying candle, and finally saw that the candlestick was stable, and he felt a little regretful. Come.

If it can fall off, that's fine.

Light the tables and chairs, light the bed curtains, and burn them all with one fire.

Ji Yanran and Yun Yifeng haven't gone far, still thinking about the new nursery rhyme. After listening to Mr. Xu, he struggled to sell his land and move his family. It must be because he saw a new threat from it—but now he is running away, can he run away

The five brothers of the Xu family were murdered one after another, regardless of their innocence, at least it shows that the murderer behind the scenes was absolutely extraordinary. If such a person really wanted to continue to commit murder, it would be easy for him. So no matter how confused Old Master Xu is, he should be aware of the current situation. It is the safest choice to stay in Shiba Villa honestly and be firmly protected by the government's troops.

Ji Yanran said: "Unless he knows in his heart that the killing is actually over and there will be no new murders."

Yun Yifeng stopped and didn't react for a while: "Then why did the Xu family run...to hide from the government?"

Ji Yanran smiled: "Smart."

Even if the killing is over and the culprits stop, it is impossible for the government to terminate the investigation. Especially according to Zhang Guhe's character, he will hold on to the new nursery rhyme. It doesn't matter if it's a year or three years. This is what Old Master Xu fears the most.

Yun Yifeng said: "So just like our previous guess, the nursery rhyme of Evil Sheep Eighteen is not for the Xu family, but for the government, not the future, but the past?"

The old sheep took five lambs, first flooded the city, and then wore gold and silver, and the evil sheep enjoyed honor from then on.

The family history of the Xu family.

"My lord, Master of the Cloud Gate." At this time, a servant ran over from a distance, panting, "My old man just woke up, and I want to invite the two of you over."

Old Mrs. Xu was sitting on the head of the bed, wearing a dark gown, hunched over, his gray hair was disheveled like a chicken coop, coughing continuously.

Someone nearby was packing up tape measure and powder ingots. After seeing Ji Yanran and Yun Yifeng, they hurriedly saluted and left. He is the manager of the funeral business in the city, so he came to measure the size, so it was natural to prepare the shroud.

The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and a maid beside her had already begun to wipe her tears. The old master Xu let out a long sigh, and sent all the servants away, not even keeping the personal servants.

After the surroundings were completely quiet, he was slumped and said in a trembling voice: "My lord, Master Yunmen, I know what the nursery rhyme is about."

The old voice is like the rough bark hollowed out by beetles, dropping slag rustlingly.

"I have never been a shopkeeper. Seventeen years ago, I took my five sons and wandered around the Kanto area, doing some stealing business."

At first, it was just opening the window in the middle of the night, but after tasting the sweetness, it started to block the road and rob, and later, there was murder and arson.

Getting something for nothing, or getting more for less, is addictive.

"Kandong is full of big businessmen going to Baisha Kingdom, all of them are rich." Mr. Xu continued, "After slaughtering fat sheep a few times and saving enough principal, we washed our hands and came to Wangxing City. We thought we could From then on, I got rid of the old things and started to live again, but I didn't expect that... I will not escape retribution after all, and I will not escape retribution."

Weeping and mourning, he rolled down from the bed, knelt and kowtowed: "My lord, Master Yunmen, I know that I have committed a heinous crime and I cannot escape death, but my grandchildren are all innocent! Concealing these things, let Lun'er sell the property as soon as possible, leave Wangxing City overnight, and hide her name from now on... But, but I am really afraid, afraid that the government will not let Lun'er go before they find out, and I am afraid that the murderer will come after him again... There is really nothing I can do, I beg the lord to take me to jail, it doesn’t matter if I can be hacked into pieces, or I can be happy, as long as I can calm down the murderer, I don’t want this old life and all the property of the Xu family. Implications, as long as they are not implicated by my heinous crimes back then..." He spoke in a confused manner, but every word was crying blood, the blood from his forehead dripped down his face, he wiped his sleeves, and it was a mess, looking at Miserable.

Ji Yanran said: "So that new nursery rhyme is saying that the six of you, father and son, once massacred all over the city of Kanto, causing a bloody storm, and then you have the capital to wear gold and silver, and build eighteen villas?"

"Yes... yes." Mrs. Xu said without a word, his eyes stared blankly, "There is no massacre in the city, there are only a dozen merchants."

Ji Yanran rubbed her chin, and asked again: "Who is the culprit behind that scene, do you know who it is?"

"Maybe it was someone who escaped from the saber back then." Old Master Xu said, "Sometimes it is too dark, and after killing people randomly, if you don't check carefully, you can't tell the difference between the living and the dead."

While talking, he took a few short breaths, if Yun Yifeng hadn't carried him to the bed in time, he might have fallen to the ground again. But even so, his complexion was already pale, he was moaning with sweat all over his body, unable to speak.

The servants outside didn't know what happened. After being reported in, they were shocked to see the old man's head and face covered with blood, and hurriedly searched for a doctor. Ji Yanran ordered the officers and soldiers to keep a close watch on him, and then left the courtyard with Yun Yifeng.

The guards patrolling back and forth had trampled down the path so that not a single blade of grass grew, only a Xifu Begonia in the corner, blooming a bit of spring for this gloomy villa.

Yun Yifeng asked: "What does the prince think?"

Ji Yanran sneered: "There is no half truth."

The rich merchants in the Kanto area are indeed "fat sheep" in the eyes of bandits. They are all rich, and they can make a lot of money by going to the Baicha Kingdom. Dozens of bodyguards have to be hired, and those with larger businesses may even ask the government to escort them along the way. The five members of the Xu family, father and son, can at most know some ordinary boxing skills, they are just petty thefts, but they really robbed them with swords, and they died countless times.

Yun Yifeng said: "He wanted to prevent the government from continuing to investigate, so he did not hesitate to charge himself with murder in exchange for the peace of the rest of the Xu family?"

Ji Yanran nodded: "Also, he just found Xu Lun in the morning, and taught him to sell the property as soon as possible, but before noon, he confessed his crime and said nothing. He would rather cut himself into pieces and kowtow to blood , and even got a tailor to measure the shroud, who happened to be bumped into by us. Judging by the posture, he was almost lying in the coffin and talking."

Putting all his effort into acting, it shows that he is not yet confused. Although he is as dry as a candle, he is still a shrewd businessman.

Then everything he does should have a reason and a purpose.

Yun Yifeng guessed: "He expected that I would send someone to watch him, so he deliberately approached Xu Lun, said something about selling the property, and then admitted it face to face, so that we can believe what he said just now, and believe what he said. Every sentence is true, so you believe the story of being a robber in Kanto?"

"The only truth is that he is willing to die himself in order to keep the descendants of Xu's family." Ji Yanran was thoughtful, "Killing people and stealing goods is already a capital crime, he would rather tell such a lie..."

"He would rather tell such a lie, only because he wanted to cover up a deeper and more heinous crime." Yun Yifeng continued, "It is more serious than a capital crime, and the only thing left is to kill everyone."

But what were the identities of the Xu family, father and son, and the ability to cause such a catastrophe

Ji Yanran said, "Tsk."

"The rain is about to come." Yun Yifeng sighed, and poked him on the shoulder, "Now I want to understand, why do you want to make a ghost painting talisman from the Red Crow Sect, and leave Wang Yeqiang here?"

The crimes of copying and beheading are all major crimes related to the foundation of the country, treason, collaborating with the enemy, treason... In short, no matter what, it is enough to give the ruler a headache.

Zhang Guhe may not be able to find out the people and things involved, so he can only rely on Ji Yanran.

Yun Yifeng said again: "My lord, you should be more careful in the future."

It’s true that the murderer behind the scenes is an insider, but he is also an unruly insider. He does not send letters and does not seek justice, but instead leaves behind mysteries, such as broken scrolls hanging in the forest, half-hidden, if you want to take a closer look, It is only possible to step into the vast white mist and stick very close, but when you are groping forward, there is no guarantee that you will fall into a trap at any time.

"Let's go back first." Ji Yanran said, "I probably guessed the other party's purpose."

Yun Yifeng was taken aback: "So fast?"

Leaving Shiba Villa, even the sun in the sky will be brighter.

Lao Zhang made a pot of the best oolong and served it with desserts. He wanted to take the opportunity to praise Yunmen Master's new clothes, but he saw that the two of them looked dignified, as if they had something to say, so they kept quiet. With a voice, he only put the things in order, then bowed and retreated.

Yun Yifeng asked: "Are you here for the prince?"

Ji Yanran said: "Since the new nursery rhyme is from the Xu family's past, it is only for the government to read, so it shouldn't be overcomplicated. Perhaps it is the same as the literal meaning, saying that Xu's father and son once flooded the city, so they got a A penny of money, and lived a prosperous life.”

Yun Yifeng was puzzled: "It's fine to set fire to the city, colluding with foreign enemies to massacre the city also makes sense, diverting water to flood the city... how to do it?"

Ji Yanran replied, "The river diverted."

Yun Yifeng was still puzzled: "But such a huge project, only the imperial court—" He stopped abruptly in the middle of his words, a hypothesis flashed in his mind, and he looked at Ji Yanran in surprise.

"Seventeen years ago, in order to protect a large piece of fertile land in the Central Plains, the imperial court mobilized tens of thousands of people to dig day and night, forcing the Baihe River to divert at Heilang Pass." Ji Yanran said, "On the day the gate was opened, hundreds of villages were flooded and destroyed. Thousands."

Although thousands of families will move away from their homeland, in the long run, it is a move that benefits the country and the people. The diversion of a river cannot be accomplished overnight. Before the gates are opened, the imperial court will check again and again to ensure that all the villagers downstream have moved out.

Unless someone neglected his duties and caused the huge waves to rush in, the village was still full of people, so that the "flood flooded the whole city", it would be a heinous crime, and everyone would be executed.

Yun Yifeng said: "Grandpa Xu used to be a member of the imperial court? But this is not right, Zhang Guhe can handle a case, why should the prince be left behind, who else is involved in this?"

Ji Yanran said: "You guess."

Yun Yifeng and him stared at each other for a moment, and this young and reckless commander-in-chief with great military exploits could be so distressed, only...

Ji Yanran sighed: "Seventeen years ago, when I was still at the age of being playful and active, I heard about the great achievement of the emperor's elder brother alone, with the assistance of the prime minister, overseeing the diversion of the Baihe River."

Li Jing was only fifteen or sixteen years old back then, perhaps even the late emperor himself did not expect that this son would be so talented and act resolutely.

Since then, he has been talking about it, boasting for at least ten years, boasting during the Mid-Autumn Festival, boasting on New Year's Eve, even during hunting and outings, boasting that the rest of the princes are full of admiration, and boasting that Ji Yanran's brain hurts when he hears about Baihe.

Yun Yifeng hesitated: "Then do you want to continue to investigate?"

Even seventeen years ago, the Xu family's father and son really did not do their job well, causing floods to flood the villages along the way, and then escaped to escape responsibility. But the person who supervised this matter is the emperor, and if he really wants to pursue it, he is also to blame. I am afraid that it has been exaggerated for more than ten years.

Yun Yifeng poured a cup of tea and continued: "I don't know what kind of person the emperor is, but if the prince is willing to listen to my advice, let's stop at this point."