Xiaobao (a special episode of "Zhang Gong")

Chapter 3

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About half an hour later, several people arrived at the flower market.

This flower market is not far from Liuhou Mansion, and its name is Huashikou. In the previous dynasty, there used to be a princess mansion here. The princess liked flowers, and the garden in the mansion planted rare things from all over the world. After the fall of the previous dynasty, the mansion was dilapidated, and the people in the mansion dug up the flowers and plants in the garden to exchange for money. Although it was a troubled time, some people still bought them at a high price, which attracted some speculative flower vendors to come and sell ordinary flowers and trees as the ones in the princess' mansion. Over time, several alleys nearby have gradually become a small market selling flowers and bonsai. Some insect, fish, and bird stalls also opened up, and gradually there were also those selling toys and miscellaneous items. Now it has become a big flower market, with three vertical, three horizontal and six alleys, all kinds of flowers, birds, fish and insects.

Wang Yan and the others got off their horses in front of the archway with the three big characters "Huashikou" written on it, and slowly looked around in the flower market, attracting many idlers to gather around and follow them. It didn't take long for someone to recognize Wang Yan.

"It's Mr. Wang, come to investigate the loss of the parrot."

"Old Xu went to the Ministry of Criminal Justice to report the case?"

"I don't know, but the criminal department will take care of the cases that the Jingzhao government can't handle now."

The attendants were busy driving away the miscellaneous people, Wang Yan was used to this situation long ago, Yu Yun and the other three didn't care, and still moved forward slowly. Wen Yizhi took a careful look while walking: "The vendors in this market are actually all suspects. Maybe the thief is among the pedestrians coming and going."

Xue Mulin said: "It's unlikely among pedestrians. We're taking him. Why don't we hide from the limelight for a few days? If it's a merchant, it's about the same. If you don't come at this time, you will feel guilty."

Wen Yizhi is serious: "Stealing is also a way of making a living. A diligent thief comes out to steal every day. There is also a kind of stealing. After stealing, he writes a note and draws a picture to leave his name, and specifically tells the government what it is. He did it. What he enjoys is this kind of happiness when he stands in front of the official, and the official does not know it is his happiness."

Wang Yan turned sideways with a half-smile, "Do you see any suspicious characters?"

Yu Yun smiled and said, "No. I will definitely help you take a closer look."

The few people chatted and laughed all the way, and finally saw the plaque of Xu's fish and insects, and the door of the shop was closed tightly.

Passers-by who were driven all the way and still followed unyieldingly booed.

"Master Wang, this shop has not been open for a few days. The boss is not here!"

"The little one knows where Lao Xu's family lives, so he can take the eldest son there!"

Yu Yun said, "Look at the fiery hearts of the people surrounding us, Ah Yan!"

Xue Mulin sighed: "I even want to go to the Ministry of Criminal Justice."

Wang Yan raised his eyebrows: "Come on, I won't miss your two pairs of chopsticks."

Wen Yizhi immediately said: "Can I add another pair?"

Wang Yan smiled: "Okay." He walked to Xu's shop and looked at the door. Another crowd of onlookers yelled: "Young Master Wang, the people in Jingzhao Mansion said that it was the thief who inserted the incense through the crack of the door and pried open the door!"

Wang Yan signaled the boy to throw some reward money to that person, and the rest of the people waited, and the followers tried their best to stop them. This room, Yu Yun, Xue Mulin and Wen Yizhi pretended to check the door with Wang Yan, Xue Mulin got up and squatted down to look at the crack of the door: "It seems that there is no sign of prying."

Wen Yizhi gestured: "The tools used by thieves are very delicate. The knife is as thin as a cicada's wing. If it is inserted into the crack of the door like this, and then the bolt is opened like this, there will be no trace."

Xue Mulin patted him on the shoulder: "Good expert, you can go and steal."

Wen Yizhi sneered: "Success, let's go to your Treasure Building tonight."

Wang Yan didn't intervene in their teasing, turned around and walked to the opposite shop.

Yu Yun shook his fan and nodded: "Well, if you have a neighboring shop, you must be familiar with the details of this shop. The shops are similar in shape, so it's easy to compare. Ah Yan has a way of doing things!"

The shop owner on the opposite side came out to greet him, and a man dressed as a scholar standing in the shop said humanely: "Dare to ask why you all gather here, but is it the official business of the yamen? Do you have any official documents?"

Wang Yan's servant sized up the man: "Our eldest son is a doctor of the Ministry of Punishment, come here..."

Wang Yan raised his hand to stop the boy's conversation: "I am enjoying the flower market in my spare time today, and I want to have a chat with this boss."

The shop owner hurriedly said: "Don't dare, dare not, the younger one's surname is Lu, Xing Wu, and the adults call the younger one Lu Wu. If you don't mind the smell, please sit down in the shop and have tea."

The business of this shop is a bit mixed. There are chipmunks, live rabbits, fish tanks, couples of golden pheasants, and hedgehogs in cages on the stalls in front of the door. The taste is quite strong. The three of Yu Yun covered their mouths and noses, and Wang Yan said: "Just stay here first. There are customers in the shop? You come back after greeting."

Lu Wu turned to look at the shop, the scholar said, "The shopkeeper please help yourself", and walked out of the shop.

Wang Yan then asked Lu Wu, "When do you open and close the shop every day?"

Lu Wudao: "Responding to my lord's words, this flower market opens every day at Mao. The flower farmers in the outskirts of the city come to sell their stalls early in the morning, and usually go back after noon. Those who have shops like villains come later than them, and they only open at Chen. One day, the shop only closes at the time of You. It closes earlier in winter. Mr. and Mrs. Xu are old and have a lot of things at home, so they open the door a little later than the villain."

Wang Yan asked again: "Is there a clerk in your shop? Is there anyone watching the shop at night?"

Lu Wudao: "How can a small business afford to hire people? They are all stuffs with a few tens of pennies. The thieves in the capital have high eyesight and don't look down on them. Move them into the house at night, lock the living things in cages, and put water on them." For Japanese food, just lock the door. The Xu family is the same as my family, because the old couple spent the night in the shop because they received the goods that night, who would have thought that the parrot was stolen that night."

Wang Yan asked again: "Are you alone in the shop?"

Lu Wudao: "My youngest is in the shop." Shouting "Ah Xiao" in the direction of the shop, a young man stretched out his head, and Lu Wu stomped his feet, "If you have no eyesight, come and kowtow to the adults! "

Wang Yan raised his hand: "No need."

The young man flinched back, and Lu Wu laughed again: "The little man's shop and Mr. Xu's shop are corner shops, and both sides have front doors. It takes two people to see it. It's a pity that Mr. Xu's son can't help the business. The daughter-in-law is a young lady, and it is not easy to show her face. It is his old couple who do business every day. Fortunately, the villain is a bit unlucky. The lady gave birth to three boys, all of whom are old enough to help. She is just naughty and can't stay in the shop , They disappeared as soon as they turned their heads. The boss and the second child slipped away as soon as they had lunch. The youngest is more honest. Sometimes I also ask them to carry things for Xu Lao."

Wang Yan nodded, and told the shopkeeper that he wanted to see the inside of the shop. Lu Wu repeatedly asked respectfully, and the three of Yu Yun hesitated for a moment, covered their mouths and noses tighter, and entered the shop together with Wang Yan.

The shop was very narrow, and Lu Wu's son stepped out, so they could barely stand in the room. There was a small door on the back wall, hung with a cloth curtain, and inside was a narrow room separated by a stove. Tea table, and a small couch.

Lu Wu didn't wait for a few people to inquire, then he compared the inside of the shop and said: "Mr. The floor is made at the entrance. The parrot hangs on the rail of the curtain."

Wen Yizhi said behind the sweat towel: "There is no other entrance here. No matter which door on either side the thief comes in from, if he wants to steal the parrot, he has to step over the old man."

Xue Mulin groaned: "It is said that the thief used smoke, so the two of them didn't notice it at all?"

Lu Wuyi sighed: "Young Master is right. The people of Jingzhao Mansion found the residual smoke and ash in the crack of the door. It wasn't until the two old people woke up the next morning that they found that the parrot was gone."

Wen Yizhi smacked his tongue: "What a smoke fan. The group of delivery people who had contact with them that night were the most suspicious."

Lv Wu cupped his hands: "Sir, you are really wise! The police officers of Jingzhao Mansion are also suspicious. They are investigating the group of deliverers, but they have not found any evidence yet. Another thing is also very strange. After Xu Weng and Bai Po woke up, the door The bolts are still good."

Wang Yan turned around and looked at the door: "Close the door and I'll take a look."

Lu Wu immediately obeyed the order and closed the door leaf, then pressed the latch.

There are actually two bolts on the door, both of which are very strong. Lu Wu didn't wait for Wang Yan to ask, he said by himself: "Mr. Xu's door is also the same as the villain's here. Because we have small things in our shop, the door gap is extremely narrow."

Yu Yun said: "Interesting. As Yizhi said, it might be possible to use a knife to open the latch, but how do you put the latch back?"

Xue Mulin continued: "Besides, why did the thief put the latch back?"

Wen Yizhi stared straight in his eyes and said, "Could it be that the thief has been hiding in the house all this time. The misty smoke inserted into the crack of the door is just his way of concealing..."

Lu Wu shivered, and involuntarily glanced at his beam and under the table.

Wang Yan said in a deep voice: "There is another possibility that the thief didn't come in through the door at all." After saying that, he walked out of the door and jumped onto the roof of Xu's fish and insect shop.

The surrounding audience applauded loudly, praising Mr. Wang for his handsome figure. Xue Mulin sighed: "No one can steal Ah Yan's limelight, we don't have the ability to jump up, let's set him off below."

Lv Wu said timidly: "The little one just had time to report in the future. The roof has been checked, and the thief probably didn't enter from there."

It turns out that the roof of this flower market is different from other places. At the beginning, the house in this area was next to the Princess Mansion, so there was a fear of fire. The roof was not made of watchboards, but watchbricks. The bricks are covered with a special linoleum cloth, which is waterproof and non-flammable. The beams, purlins, and rafters were all painted with moth-proof and fire-resistant paint. When it was renovated and rebuilt several years ago, the top wood and watch bricks were intact, and only the wood was repainted and continued to be used. Fearing that it would be stolen, the shopkeepers pooled their money to add a layer of net mats made of rattan that could not be cut with a kitchen knife on top of the bricks. The wires were used as hooks, which were fastened to the trusses, covered with linoleum cloth, and finally tiles were laid.

"People from Jingzhao Mansion have inspected carefully the day before yesterday. The linoleum nets are all in good condition and no one has touched them."

Yu Yun said lightly: "They can't see it, maybe Wang Yan can't see it."

Lu Wu hurriedly apologized.

The scholar who was in Lu's shop just now popped up again: "Why do you misappropriate your private property for no reason?"

Everyone only looked at Wang Yanjiewa on the roof, and no one paid attention to him.

Wang Yan stroked a certain place where the tiles were lifted, got up and jumped back to the ground, whispered a few words to the servant, glanced again, went straight to the scholar, cupped his hands and said, "But Mr. Feng who is new to Jingzhao Mansion? "

The scholar squinted his eyes, and raised his sleeves in return: "My surname is Feng, and my name is Tai. I don't think Wang Langzhong has already checked Feng."

The crowd was excited and noisy. All the attendants drove the idlers away a little more. Wang Yan grinned: "You told me yourself. The words you warned us just now clearly show that you are from Jingzhao Mansion. I can recognize anyone in Jingzhao Mansion who can speak like this in front of me, but I don't know You. In addition, you have a southern rhyme in your clothes and accent, and you can tell by your standing and gait that you have been an official for two years. It must be Mr. Feng who I went to visit in Jingzhao Mansion today but had no chance to meet."

Feng Tai said coldly: "Thanks to Wang Langzhong for knowing Feng. At this moment, you have already committed several crimes such as disturbing the people, stealing, exceeding authority, and intentional damage. If you have a public office and know the law, the crime will be added. If you don’t leave, Feng can only ask everyone to go to the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion first.”

Wang Yan smiled: "Hold on, I want to discuss something with Tongpan. I already know how the thief stole the bird. Can Tongpan tell me what the Jingzhao Mansion is investigating? The clues made you come here today?"

Feng Tai was expressionless: "I'm sorry, I don't have any official business to discuss with Mr. Wang. Please leave Mrs. Wang and your accomplices quickly."

Wang Yan raised his eyebrows: "There's no rush, it's important to get down to business first." Flying up to the roof again. Several entourages made Zhang Zhang, and two young servants carefully climbed up the ladder carrying an iron cylinder with wooden sticks on both ends. Feng Tai followed immediately to the room.

Wen Yizhi Yueyue also climbed up the ladder, while Xue Mulin and Yu Yun stayed below.

Wang Yan ordered the boys to remove all the tiles, Wen Yizhi reached out to touch the cylinder, Wang Yan immediately said: "It's hot, don't touch it!"

Wen Yizhi withdrew his hand, Feng Tai changed color: "There are coals in it? What is Mr. Wang going to do?"

The boys lifted the cylinder to the exposed linoleum cloth, rolled it for a while, then lifted it away, rubbed the felt cloth, and there was a crack in the felt cloth. Wang Yan wrapped his hands with a cloth, pinched the crack and lifted it, and a square piece of linoleum was lifted off, revealing the rattan net underneath.

Wen Yizhi let out an "ah", and leaned forward again. Wang Yan said: "There is glue on the side of the linoleum, don't stick your hands to it." Then he ordered the servants to cut off a little more linoleum cloth, and continued to press the rattan net with the cylinder. Grab it again, and a square rattan net is easily separated.

Wang Yan removed the two viewing bricks, revealing the place where Xu Weng hung the parrot under the gap between the inch-wide purlins.

Wen Yizhi clapped his hands: "So that's it, the thief hooked the parrot from here!"

Wang Yan said: "The method is very simple, it's just that the people who came to check before failed to check the roof carefully."

Wen Yizhi stroked his chin: "But, after the thief stole the parrot, why did he spend time and trouble glueing it up again? The longer the delay, the easier it is to be discovered."

Wang Yan glanced at Feng Tai: "What does Master Feng think?"

Feng Tai remained expressionless and said, "Forgive Feng for not being able to discuss Jingzhao Mansion's official affairs with Mr. Wang. Mr. Wang damaged other people's private property. Please take the murderer who killed Jingzhao Mansion's messenger to Jingzhao Mansion."

Wang Yan said solemnly: "Whether my snow sesame candy has eaten pigeons from Jingzhao Mansion, I will give you an explanation. One matter is another matter. Look at the roof, the linoleum and rattan nets are neatly broken, and there are arcs at the edges. Cut them open It is an extremely sharp machete. The glue used to glue the felt and net back together is also unusual. It should be a kind of glue from the Western Regions. It can be used to repair broken bows. King Huai got it from the frontier, and the military often used it, so I recognized it. The knife and glue are all mustache. The thief who stole the parrot is most likely a barbarian."

Wen Yizhi's eyes widened. Wang Yan went on to say: "If it's a thief, you should investigate, or you have to inform Honglu Temple and the Ministry of Rites, and hand in the documents layer by layer according to the steps. When the truth is found out, the thief has already disappeared. Master Feng, you should consider contacting him." I cooperate?"

Feng Tai still said solemnly: "Feng and Mr. Wang have no business to discuss, let alone any so-called cooperation."

Wang Yan raised his lips, said nothing, and floated back to the ground.

Immediately, several attendants rushed over, Wang Yan took a piece of paper from one of them, glanced at it twice, handed it to Feng Tai who was slowly going down the ladder, and turned around to join Yu, Wen and Xue to lead the group. Leave with entourage.

"Xu Weng, the owner of this house, has given permission from his fingerprints, Master Feng read it carefully."