Shen Zhiyan looked at the villager and asked gently: "What is your relationship with the Li family?"
The villager wiped away his tears, and cried back: "I am Mr. Li's brother-in-law, and my sister is the concubine of the Li family. My name is Qian Dayong."
"You just arrived at Li's house"
"As soon as I arrived at Li's house, I saw that everyone was dead. My brother-in-law and my sister-in-law died so badly. Master Qingtian, my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law's family died so badly. You have to avenge the Li family."
"Is that Qian Dayong? How long have you traveled from the countryside to the Imperial Capital?" Murong Ci asked kindly.
"It takes me two hours to walk from the village to the city. I get up and hurry before dawn. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every year during the Mid-Autumn Festival, I send rice grains and dry goods grown at home. My sister and brother-in-law like it. Rice grains and dry goods. Unexpectedly." Qian Dayong burst into tears again, very sad.
"Your sister is Lord Li's concubine, and she has raised several children"
"My sister has only been in the Li family for fourteen years. She has given birth to a pair of children. The eldest daughter is only twelve years old."
"Is your sister in harmony with Mrs. Li?"
"Harmony, of course harmony. My sister has a gentle temperament and will not feud with others. She will serve the old lady with all her heart, and she will not be disrespectful to her." Qian Dayong said sadly.
"How does Mrs. Li treat your sister?" she asked again.
"Old Madam Li likes my sister, because my sister is gentle and well-behaved, even if there is a grievance, she will not tell anyone."
"As far as you know, does the Li family have any grudges with anyone?"
"I haven't heard my sister mention this, she never mentioned it to me."
"Does Mrs. Li's mother's family, the Zhu family, have a lot of contacts with the Li family?" Shen Zhiyan asked.
"There are contacts, but I don't know how many contacts there are." Qian Dayong was anxious and anxious, "Master Qingtian, I can't help you, I'm really useless, I"
"You don't need to blame yourself, you have already helped us a lot." Qin Ruo comforted.
"Why don't you go back first. Take the rice back too." Shen Zhiyan glanced at His Highness and said.
"I want to take a last look at my sister," Qian Dayong said sadly.
"Yes." Shen Zhiyan ordered a yamen servant to take him there.
After investigating the murder scene, Murong Ci, Shen Zhiyan, and Qin Ruo visited the neighbors, and then rode back to Dali Temple.
They briefly told Gu Huai about the massacre of Li's house, and Gu Huai's face was extremely serious, "The massacre of Zhou's family has already made the people of the imperial capital terrified and discussed a lot. Two or three days later, another massacre of Li's family happened. Gossip must be rampant."
Shen Zhiyan said coldly: "My lord, Your Highness and I preliminarily deduced that the murderer possessed martial arts, and it is very likely that he was seeking revenge and killing."
Murong Ci's eyes were gloomy, "We can check with the relatives and friends of the Li family."
Gu Huai sighed heavily, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and every family is reunited. I didn't expect the Li family to be wiped out. This is true."
Half an hour later, the yamen servants of Jingzhao Mansion sent forty corpses and relevant evidence to Dali Temple.
Shen Zhiyan prepared for a moment and began to examine the corpse in detail.
Before that, Murong Ci carefully looked at the physical evidence, but found no useful clues.
"The deceased Li Chunqiu had no other wounds on his body, only the fatal wound on his chest where the long sword passed through his chest."
"Mrs. Li, Mrs. Li and their children are all like this. There is only one fatal injury."
Murong Ci saw that the nails of the master of the Li family were clean and intact, which shows that they did not entangle and fight with the murderer.
The same conclusion they had drawn before, the murderer possessed martial arts.
Qin Ruo was filled with righteous indignation: "The murderer is too cruel and tyrannical, he has no conscience and is insane."
Gu Huai suddenly said: "Li Chunqiu is a member of the Ministry of Rites, Wai Lang, how about his reputation, you can go to the Ministry of Rites and ask."
Shen Zhiyan nodded, "His Royal Highness, I will go to Zhu's house later."
Murong Ci looked at the sky, he should go to Zhu's house in time to return to the palace to attend the palace banquet.
The ancestors of the Zhu family were officials, and they could be regarded as a scholarly family, but in the past few decades, the descendants have been incompetent, and they have not even been able to win a single person. Therefore, the family fortune has fallen. Mrs. Zhu and Mrs. Li were married by their parents when they were born. Mrs. Li saw that the Zhu family was getting dilapidated, and all the descendants were useless. They didn't want to make progress and wanted to regret the marriage. , insisted that his son marry Zhu's daughter.
Therefore, Mrs. Li is not satisfied with Zhu Se, her daughter-in-law. In the past twenty years, she has never given her a good face, and has embarrassed and picked on her every now and then. However, Mrs. Li is very fond of her son's concubine, Mrs. Qian. Although Mrs. Qian came from a humble and poor background, she has a good appearance and temperament, a gentle and generous temperament, quick hands and feet, and a sweet mouth. The youngest son is clever and quick-witted, and is very much loved by the old lady.
Therefore, the relationship between the Li family and the Zhu family is not good, and there are not many contacts.
these are him
We visited the neighbors of the Li family in the morning and got the general situation.
The Zhu family's house is in the innermost alley, the gate is small, and the layout of the house is very simple, but there are dilapidated, mottled and disrepaired corners everywhere, and the vermilion paint has peeled off a lot.
The butler welcomed them into the hall politely, ordered the servants to serve tea, and then said to inform the master and madam.
Murong Ci and Shen Zhiyan sat down to drink tea and looked around the hall. From the sandalwood tables and chairs on display, it can be seen that the Zhu family has a good family background, and the generations of ancestors are indeed an extraordinary family.
After waiting for a while, Mr. Zhu and Mrs. Zhu stepped into the hall, bowed and saluted, "The peasants and women pay their respects to the two adults."
"It's my fault to interrupt you." Shen Zhiyan stood up and said politely.
"It's okay, it's okay." Master Zhu said with a smile, "Please sit down, my lord, I have kept you waiting for a long time. Come and serve some good tea."
Murong Ci looked at the head of the Zhu family and the mistress. Master Zhu was in his forties, thin, with a yellowish complexion and a sleepy look, perhaps because of excessive drinking. Mrs. Zhu is quite blessed, with a pear-shaped figure, rolling eyeballs, and extremely shrewd features.
She also looked at Murong Ci, as if she wanted to see something from her dress.
The servant brought good tea, Murong Ci sniffed it and thought to himself, this tea is only a little bit better than the tea just now, it seems that the Zhu family has really fallen.
Shen Zhiyan put down the teacup, and asked gently: "Master Zhu, did you know that there was a massacre in the Li family?"
Master Zhu yawned, then lowered his face, and his tone became serious, "I heard that. The fact that the Li family was exterminated has been widely known. Poor girl Caomin, she only lived twenty years after she married her. I don’t know what evil the Li family has done to cause the whole family to be slaughtered, it’s true that the world is impermanent.”
Mrs. Zhu raised her sharp voice, which was extremely ear-piercing, "Isn't it? How could such a good family be killed by people? The two adults should investigate carefully, and arrest the murderer who has no conscience and give him the death penalty. To avenge the sister-in-law and the Li family." She took out her silk handkerchief and frowned seriously, as if she was wiping away her tears, but she didn't shed tears at all, "It's so pitiful that the Li family was wiped out. The murderer didn't even spare the children. The family is in a state of ruin, it’s too miserable.”
Murong Ci didn't think she was really sad, because her voice was very bright and there was no trace of grief.
Shen Zhiyan said: "This official and Dali Temple will do their best to investigate this case, you two can rest assured."
Master Zhu sighed heavily again: "My lords, you can ask whatever you want."
"Both of you know, does the Li family have any grudges or enemies?" Shen Zhiyan stared at him sharply.
"Li Chunqiu is a member of the Ministry of Rituals. He can't help himself in the officialdom. How can he not make grudges with others?" Mrs. Zhu rolled her eyelids, but shut her mouth when she saw the sharp look from her husband, and said in embarrassment, "My lords Please have some tea."
"Women know what is right and wrong in the officialdom, are you talking nonsense?" Master Zhu glared at her displeasedly, and then said with a smile, "Please forgive me, my wife is stupid and likes to gossip, which made my two adults laugh. "
"It's okay, just chat casually." Murong Ci smiled, "Do you two know which colleagues Mr. Li has had grudges against and has a rift?"
"Your Excellency, I don't know that although the Zhu family and the Li family are related by marriage, they don't have much contact with each other. The old lady of the Li family doesn't like Cao Min's sister to have many contacts with her natal family, so the two families only walk around during the festivals and give each other gifts. A gift." He said sadly, "However, the Zhu family and the Li family are in-laws, and now that the Li family has been wiped out, we feel sad and heartbroken."
Murong Ci and Shen Zhiyan looked at each other, his sadness was obviously just faking.
Could it be that the massacre of the Li family was related to the Zhu family
Mrs. Zhu tentatively asked: "There is no one in the Li family. What about the Li family's hundreds of acres of land and family property? Are they distributed to the Li family's relatives and friends?"
Master Zhu glared at her again, "What did you say?"
Murong Ci was speechless, this woman really got into the eyes of the coin.
"Mrs. Zhu doesn't know that, according to the law, the family property will be confiscated for people like the Li family who have been wiped out," Shen Zhiyan explained.
"I see." Mrs. Zhu smiled brightly.
"Master Zhu might as well think about it carefully, is there any grudge between the Li family and neighbors or relatives and friends in the neighborhood?" Murong Ci insisted.
"If you talk about grievances, there really is. Three months ago, the eldest son of Caomin's sister was in his weakest year. He held a banquet in a restaurant for his brothers and friends." Master Zhu said, "Caomin's nephew drank too much in the restaurant. When they got into a fight with a dude, both of them had bruises and swollen faces, and neither of them got a deal. The elders of both sides felt that their son was not wrong, so they refused to give in to each other, and even made troubles in Jingzhao Mansion. Later, the two families became enemies. "
"Which family is it from?" she asked.
"The eldest son of the wealthy He family in the city."
"But the wealthy He family in the east of the city manages jade, silk and inns." Shen Zhiyan asked happily, "Which restaurant did you fight?"
"It was the He family who fought in Deyue Tower." Master Zhu replied.
"Apart from the eldest son of the He family, does the Li family have any other enemies?" Murong Ci asked again.