Because of the homicide case, the stone mill looked more messy and dreary than the previous few days. There were burnt paper money ashes at the dilapidated doorway. It seemed that the people around had burned paper here.
Qin Wan walked in carefully with Bai Ying and two attendants, only to see that the grass on the ground had been trampled flat.
Qin Wan knew that the place where the murder happened was not in the main hall, so he walked back along the deserted path. Soon, Qin Wan saw a row of three low houses. is open.
Qin Wan looked around, then walked towards the room in the middle.
As soon as I entered the room, I saw bloodstains on the ground that no one had cleaned up. Looking at the extent of the bloodstains, one could imagine how much blood the deceased had shed at that time. The room was very messy. The dead man's stone grinding disc was also put aside, and the bottom of the graphite disc was also stained with blood, which had now turned into a dirty dark black.
Qin Wan frowned slightly, and raised his eyes to look at the beam facing the blood on the ground. Zhan Yang said that the graphite plate was hung on the beam at that time, and after they came in, the stone mill had been smashed down. Qin Wan carefully Looking at the beams, but did not find any suspicious traces, and the murderer did not cut the rope with a flying knife and hidden weapon like that day, so how did the murderer escape
Apart from the main entrance, this house only has two high windows, and the windows are very narrow, not big enough for a person to climb out. The walls on both sides go straight up to connect with the beams. Qin Wan took two steps back, and he could probably see The gap between the wall and the beams, the house was very simple when it was not dilapidated.
Qin Wan looked at the house, and just when he felt that he didn't see anything, he must have seen the bluestone slabs on the ground. The house has been in disrepair for a long time, and the slates on the ground also had some thoughts. Earlier in the main hall, the slates on the ground were hard A pit was smashed out, and it was the same here, but the strange thing was that the entire pit that was smashed out was uneven, one side was high and the other was low.
Qin Wan couldn't help but think of the corpse she saw that day. When she saw it, the corpse had passed the night and was bloody and bloody. Now that she thought about it, the corpse seemed to have been smashed extremely heavily in the belly, and although it was half The face was smashed, but there were a lot of bruises where it wasn't smashed, what's going on? !
The graphite disc fell obliquely? !
Thinking this way, Qin Wan turned around and walked out, "Go and have a look at the back."
This place is really too remote, Bai Ying was a hundred worried, and hurriedly followed Qin Wan. When they arrived at the back of the house, they saw an empty and barren field of weeds. The backyard seemed to be used for work. , Now it was empty, Qin Wan walked to the high window of this house, and saw that the window was closed tightly, covered with cobwebs, obviously it hadn't been opened recently.
Qin Wan felt that something was wrong and frowned even tighter.
Bai Ying said, "Miss, what's wrong? Is something wrong?"
Qin Wan picked up a stone on the ground, and as soon as he let go, the stone fell straight to the ground, "Look at this stone, when it falls, the force should be about the same. It doesn't make sense. When you saw it just now, The floor was smashed into a pit with one high and one low."
Bai Ying said, "Could it be that the side of the stone mill was used when it happened to be smashed down?"
It is indeed possible if the side is used, but Qin Wan said, "However, the blood on the stone millstone is on the entire lower end of the stone millstone, which shows that the murderer tied the stone millstone very carefully. He was afraid to use the side rolling surface of the stone millstone. You can't kill people, so use the safest lower end, let's go and see... "
Qin Wan returned to the front room again. This room was very narrow, and even though it was daytime, it was also very dark. Shen Qingxi stepped across the blood-stained place and looked at the entire wall on the right side of the room. This time, the murderer did not grind the stone. Hanging in the middle, but leaning to the right side of the house, Qin Wan looked at the wall and found nothing unusual for a while, then she looked at the top of the wall, where it meets the beams, such a simple house, the beams The above are all empty, so the top of the three rooms are connected. Qin Wan looked at it for a while, then suddenly came out and walked towards the room on the right.
The houses on the left and right have been inspected by the officials. Now when I come in, I can still see a lot of dust on the dusty floor in the house. However, the house on the right is full of waste wood, covered with dust and cobwebs. Cloth, at first glance, it feels extremely noisy and chaotic, because the chaos is extremely chaotic, and there is nothing to be seen at a glance.
But Qin Wan's eyes fell on the top of the wall in the middle. When Qin Wan looked at it just now, the wall on the left in the middle room was covered with cobwebs between the wall and the roof, but the wall on the right was not there. A spider web, although it was only a small detail, Qin Wan still felt a little strange, she pointed to the beam, "Go up and have a look."
The two attendants who followed immediately stepped on the waste wood, one of them climbed up, and the other helped him. Soon, that person climbed to the top of the pile of waste wood. This attendant was a tall man. , Standing on it, you can just see if there is any abnormality in the beam. Looking at it this way, the attendant immediately said, "Princess, there is something!"
Qin Wan's eyes lit up, "What?!"
The attendant touched the beam twice, and quickly frowned and said, "Princess, it seems...it's wax..."
wax? ! How could there be wax on such a high beam? !
Qin Wan frowned and thought for a moment, but he didn't know what he thought of, and soon his eyes lit up.
…
…
As soon as Qin Shuang opened his eyes, he saw Xue Qingshan's face close in front of him. Before he came, he remembered being shy. Qin Shuang turned his head and saw the bright sky outside. Qin Shuang was startled, and sat up abruptly. She He got up too fast, and suddenly woke up Xue Qingshan who was beside him. Xue Qingshan opened his eyes and looked at Qin Shuang. Seeing her panicked, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Qin Shuang blushed, and said as if she was about to cry, "It's already bright outside, and I'm going to offer tea to my parents."
Xue Qingshan burst out laughing immediately. He stretched out his long arms and pulled Qin Shuang back, "I told you earlier, I will serve tea when I have lunch today. I was too tired yesterday, so you should sleep a little longer."
Qin Shuang blinked his eyes, and Xue Qingshan had already grabbed him into his arms. Xue Qingshan was naked from the upper body, and Qin Shuang felt his heart beat faster as soon as he stuck it on. This is the first time for her, and she also has many hidden worries about this marriage, so yesterday's marriage can be said to be very uneasy, but she did not expect that Xue Qingshan looked like a big and three rough on the surface, but in fact he was very Gentle and meticulous, yesterday not only didn't let people make a fuss in the wedding room, but also came back drunk and undrunk, helped her remove the hairpin at night, and watched her eat before removing it, after removing it, even more Tenderness is like water...
Qin Shuang's cheeks were flushed, looking at Xue Qingshan's closed eyes, she felt satisfied, and she was extremely worried at first, but now it seems that this day will definitely be able to live, and live well!
Probably because she stared at Xue Qingshan for too long, Xue Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes, seeing her staring at him intently, Xue Qingshan couldn't help but smile, "What are you looking at me for?"
Qin Shuang lowered her eyes in embarrassment, but Xue Qingshan hugged her a little tighter.
He closed his eyes again and said, "What are you thinking? Tell me?"
Qin Shuang was still not used to it, after all, she was still very unfamiliar with him.
She hesitated, Xue Qingshan said, "Your sister was the one who decided on this marriage at first, but I have never met her. After thinking about that incident, I thought that there is still a young lady in the Hou's mansion, you know what I am thinking, getting married to the Hou's mansion will help me a lot."
This is something that anyone who understands can see, and Qin Shuang also understands it, but Xue Qingshan didn't expect Xue Qingshan to say it himself.
"The Xue family is not a high-ranking family. As a person, I am only rough-handed and rough-handed. I am not as noble and meticulous as other young princes. But I am also very sincere in asking you to marry me, because I was not the one who decided on you in the first place. , you may have a lump in your heart, but Shuang'er, I don't care who I decided at the beginning, I just care who I give the dowry to, and who I marry back with eight sedan chairs, I will see you at the Hou Mansion that day , I saw you staring at me in a daze. At that time, I thought that you are the kind of girl I like in my heart. You will definitely be a good wife when you marry back... "
Xue Qingshan laughed while talking, and Qin Shuang became even more shy when he heard it. She was stunned that day, and she didn't expect him to go to the Hou's Mansion.
"Since you and I are husband and wife, we should naturally be of one heart and one mind in the future. In the past, the mother was in charge of the house, and in the future, you will be in charge of the house. My parents are old and don't have so many demands on you. If you don't If you can, come and ask me, even if there is something wrong, I will protect you. From now on, you will be the mistress of the Xue family, and I will do my best to make you rich and worry-free in the future. My Xue family has a low family background and a small place, and I am not half-hearted. From now on, you will be the only one in the Xue family's backyard, and I will never let other Yingyingyanyan bother you."
Qin Shuang's heart felt hot when she heard that, she was in Xue Qingshan's arms, she didn't know whether Xue Qingshan was smart or not, but his physique was extremely strong, she felt his strong heartbeat, listening to these words sincerely But she made a solid promise, and she was moved again. These words solved most of her doubts, and he seemed to be able to see through what she was thinking at a glance.
In the past, she was a concubine, and she had to rely on pleasing Qin Xiang and Lin to live comfortably. Later, when she came to the capital, although Qin Wan was protecting her, she was different from her husband. Every word Xue Qingshan said fell on her heart. When Xue Qingshan said that she would be the only one in the backyard of the Xue Mansion in the future, Qin Shuang couldn't help but her eyes turned red.
Qin Shuang pursed her lips, summoned up her courage and hugged Xue Qingshan, "I, I know, from now on, you just go outside to make contributions, and I will serve my parents well, and I won't let you have Worry about the future, I don't have much talent to learn, but I want to live our lives well, and there are many things I don't know, so you must worry about me."
Xue Qingshan laughed loudly, and hugged Qin Shuang tightly, "I'm a very rough person, I'm afraid I want you to take care of me." As soon as he finished speaking, his hands and feet became dishonest, Qin Shuang groaned, and half pushed and half agreed. Xue Qingshan made a fuss, and when the sun rose, the two of them got up, and after finishing cleaning up, they had some snacks, Xue Qingshan brought Qin Shuang to Xue's mansion.
Although the Xue Mansion is not as noble and grand as the Hou Mansion, it is also very neat and elegant. As Qin Shuang walked, he talked about where to plant flowers and where to add a few more bonsai. No matter what he said, Xue Qingshan nodded and agreed. .
After all, Qin Shuang can be regarded as a lady of every family. The Lin family didn't raise her well, but Qin Shuang was fascinated by the wealth and honor of the Qin family. I don't understand, Xue Qingshan's father is a general, Xue Qingshan himself is also a Lianjiazi, and his mother is not a very elegant person, so Qin Wan can speak well even if he is only half a fool, and She is not as arrogant and arrogant as Qin Xiang.
Xue Qingshan is masculine and straight, Qin Shuang is delicate and lively, they just became husband and wife, but they are very harmonious and beautiful.
At noon, Xue Qingshan took Qin Shuang to visit the two elders of the Xue family. No matter what Qin Shuang was, she was also the cousin of the Hou Mansion. The generous gift counted the etiquette. In the afternoon, Mrs. Xue brought all the servants in the house to meet Qin Shuang. In this way, Qin Shuang, the newly appointed Mistress of the Xue family, officially became the matriarch of the Xue family!
…
…
When Qin Wan came back from the south of the city, he went to the magistrate's yamen immediately.
She had just left the magistrate's yamen in the morning, and now she came back, Zheng Baishi and Zhan Yang were not there.
Qin Wan didn't look for Zheng Baishi and Zhan Yang, she went straight to Zhang Daoshi, talked with Zhang Daoshi about kung fu in the classroom, and then went out to Anyang Hou Mansion to find Yue Ning.
Seeing Yue Ning, Qin Wan dragged Yue Ning to talk privately in the warehouse not far from the stables without saying a word, and then asked someone to bring a rope and several sacks of horse fodder into it. After a long time, Yue Ning asked someone to take the candle, and then asked someone to hang the sack high. Qin Wan drove the person out, and messed with Yue Ning for a long time. Words came out from the warehouse, and after a while, the two walked out of the house solemnly.
Yue Ning ordered the people to clean up the warehouse, while she and Qin Wan went back to the small study.
Qin Wan didn't let Bai Ying take care of her, and went into the small study with Yue Ning and muttered for a while. When the sun was setting to the west, Yue Ning came out with a very strange expression. Qin Wan took Yue Ning's arm and said, "You You can regret it, if you don’t regret it now, then you can’t regret it later.”
Yue Ning seemed to have made up her mind and said, "I won't!"
Yue Ning raised her jaw, beckoned to the attendants outside, and ordered, "Go and call Mr. Wei Qizhi from the Wei Mansion over. If he can't come today, then come tomorrow."
The attendant took the order and left, Qin Wan said, "I really hope that this time, he can help me buy two good paintings, one for the Taichang Princess and one for the Empress Dowager..."
Yue Ning shook her head and laughed, and took Qin Wan to see Princess Taichang. Not long after, the attendant came back and reported that Wei Qizhi was indeed not in the Wei residence, but he left a message that he might come to the door the next day.
There was no other way, Qin Wan couldn't wait for Wei Qizhi today, so he had to wait until the next day.
Qin Wan went back to Hou's Mansion first, and went to Anyang Hou's Mansion early in the morning to wait. The second day was the Dragon Boat Festival. Qin Wan brought gifts to celebrate the holiday with Princess Taichang. Princess Taichang was also very happy. Just after that, Wei Qizhi really came to the door, and I don't know how much money he made as an imperial merchant. This time, Wei Qi came to the door with many gifts, and each of them just happened to be liked by Yue Ning. Seeing this, Qin Wan Can't help but look at Wei Qizhi for a few moments.
However, the last time Wei Qizhi sent Cheng Yingjian, Yue Ning said that the two sides had already settled the dispute, and now Wei Qizhi gave another gift, but Yue Ning did not accept it at all. Unexpectedly, Wei Qizhi said, "Today is the holiday, I am the Marquis." Mansion, if you don’t bring some presents, you really dare not come to the door, this is courtesy, if the princess feels sorry, is there any military book that you can’t read anymore, Lord Hou, you can give me two copies.”
Yue Ning felt that Wei Qizhi's words were somewhat reasonable, not to mention that they wanted Wei Qizhi's help this time, so they couldn't speak too harshly, so she had no choice but to agree.
Wei Qizhi didn't know why Yue Ning left the message. After Qin Wan explained his intention, Wei Qizhi said with a ticket, "What's the problem? The first time Princess Yongning went to the art gallery, I took him with me." Yes, as far as I know, Master Ning still has two treasures in his hands. As for the others, I can ask Miss Jiu again... "
Qin Wan said casually, "The Empress Dowager's birthday is after the Qiuxi Festival, so I want to buy Xu Daozi's "Longevity Pine in Zhongnan Mountain" for her. For Princess Taichang, I have no idea at the moment. What do Nings have?"
Wei Qizhi really understood Wei Qizhi's words very well, and he opened his mouth and said, "There are really defensive ones, and there are also former court defenses. You can help Nine Girls to ask other questions, there will be many choices at that time, as for the Longevity Pine, I remember that it is in the hands of everyone in Ning."
Qin Wan quickly nodded, "Then I will leave this matter to you."
The two of them were talking here, and Yue Ning went to tell Princess Taichang about Wei Qizhi's arrival, and went to get the military book Wei Qizhi wanted by the way. As soon as Yue Ning left, Qin Wan looked at Wei Qizhi and said, "Mr. Wei She seems to know what Yue Ning likes very well... "
Wei Qizhi smiled frankly, "What does Miss Nine want to say?"
Qin Wan squinted at Wei Qizhi for a moment, then lowered her voice a little.
When Yue Ning came in again, she saw that Wei Qizhi and Qin Guan had just finished talking. Wei Qizhi's face was a little strange, and Yue Ning just pretended not to see it and sat down. Wei Qizhi then started talking about calligraphy and painting.
After talking for a while, Princess Taichang summoned Wei Qi to go before, and Qin and Wan accompanied him. Princess Taichang left Wei Qizhi to eat this time. Leaving from the Anyang Marquis Mansion, he went straight to the Yanmo Painting Gallery. One of the first times Wei Qi entered the painting gallery, he wanted to find Ning Buyi. The young man who came to greet the guests just said, "Everyone Ning is resting in the backyard", and Wei Qi made it easy. Regardless, he rushed into the backyard.
Wei Qizhi and Ning Buyi did have some kind of friendship, but Wei Qizhi's behavior made the boy anxious for a while. Wei Qizhi knew where Ning Buyi lived in the backyard, so he went directly to Ning Buyi's own yard.
As soon as he entered the yard, Wei Qizhi smelled a smell of medicine, "What's the matter? Are you all sick?"
The servant looked bitter, "Master Ning was invited to paint at Duke Zhongguo's mansion last night, so Mr. Feng deliberately made it difficult for Mr. Ning to paint by the lake, but let Mr. Ning stand by the lake all night, no, later It’s not good to come back in the middle of the night.”
Although it is already early summer, the night is still cool, making people stand by the lake for most of the night, isn't this torture? ! Although Feng Zhang was taught a lesson by Yue Ning last time, he obviously didn't swallow his breath.
Wei Qizhi frowned when he heard this, "In that case, then I'd better not bother him."
The servant breathed a sigh of relief, Wei Qizhi was about to turn around and leave, but the door opened with a "squeak", Ning Buyi stood at the door wearing a robe, and smiled helplessly, "Everyone is here, come in. "
Wei Qizhi smiled, "I'm planning to leave now!"
Ning Buyi's complexion was a little pale, his eyes were even darker, and his lips were a little purple. He looked like a seriously ill person. Wei Qizhi was originally joking, but he was a little anxious when he looked like this. "How do I look at it, you are a bit seriously ill, how can Feng Zhang bully people like this?"
Ning Buyi smiled wryly, "The Duke Zhong's mansion is here to invite you, I dare not refuse."
Wei Qizhi frowned slightly, and also disliked the name of the Duke of Zhongguo, "Hey, I heard from Princess Yongci that I met Feng Zhang playing a scoundrel at your place last time?!"
Ning Buyi made a wry smile, "Yes, thanks to the Princess and the others for helping me."
He said again, "Are you familiar with Princess Yongci?"
Wei Qizhi nodded, "I knew them when I was in Jinzhou, both Princess Yongci and Princess Yongning. Speaking of which, I brought Princess Yongning to buy paintings from you last time, and later I bought them. Is that picture of Cangsong right?"
Ning Buyi heard from the little servant, but later Yue Ning did not bring Wei Qizhi to buy the painting, but Wei Qizhi still knew about it, which is enough to show that Wei Qizhi and Yue Ning had a lot of interactions in private, "It's really that picture. .”
The corners of Wei Qizhi's lips raised slightly, "I saw it at the Hou's mansion, and when I asked later, she really came to buy it from you. Really, she didn't ask me to come with her, but naturally you can't go wrong buying things from you. .”
Wei Qizhi looked at Ning Buyi's expression worriedly, "Are you sure you're alright? I came here to buy paintings from you again, this time it was bought by the chief of Yongci County, and the gifts for the Queen Mother and Princess Taichang must be genuine ones." .”
Ning Buyi coughed lightly, "Wait for me to change my clothes and accompany you to see the paintings. If you want something I don't have here, I can ask other people for you..."
Speaking of Ning Buyi, he went into the inner room to change clothes. Wei Qizhi walked around his outside room, glanced around, and suddenly saw a seal on the table by the window. The seal was newly engraved. Ning Buyi's name is taboo.
Wei Qizhi looked at it, and soon Ning Buyi walked out of the house, and the two went to the warehouse where Ning Buyi kept his paintings together.
…
…
When night fell, Zhan Yang led the yamen's servants and the soldiers of the Nine City Patrol Battalion to rush to the three places where murders might happen. No matter how cunning the murderer is, as long as the government has enough troops, the murderer can There is no way to commit murder, but his dojo can only be sacrificed in these specific places.
Previously, Zhan Yang wanted to catch the murderer, but he was afraid that too many troops would make the people in the capital panic even more. However, after a few consecutive times, Zhan Yang found that too few people could not stop the murderer. The murderer must have started a long time ago. It was planned, and every murder place has been deduced long ago. The murderer in these places is more familiar than them. If dozens of people are temporarily arranged to guard, there is no way to catch the murderer's flaws. So this time, Zhan Yang found Here comes the Patrol Battalion.
No matter where it is, the government officials and the people from the patrol battalion are enough to block the murderer's footsteps. Even so, it also scares the murderer away and eliminates the possibility of catching the murderer, but the murderer is just to set up the dojo. The time and place are very tightly controlled, and Zhan Yang only needs to prevent the murderer from killing any more, and then slowly investigate the case.
Five people died, and every time a person died, Zhan Yang would lead someone to check the information of the deceased again, but the murderer would not give him so much time, so Zhan Yang became more and more anxious, and the useful clues he found Also less and less.
Now, this is the only way to stop the murderer.
The patrol battalion dispatched 300 troops, and 100 people were placed in each place. Not only did the places where crimes might occur were completely surrounded, but the surrounding streets and alleys were also sent to patrol. This move naturally aroused fear among many people. However, the serial murder case has already caused waves in the capital, and now, the government has no choice but to directly confront the murderer.
The night was getting darker and darker. Although they had taken sufficient precautions, Zhan Yang and Qin Ye stayed in the shadow like ink, but they still didn't know if they could stop the murderer's footsteps tonight...