Everything is silent, and there is a clear and brilliant faction. The lotus pond in the garden, sparkling in the light of the long moon. There is a wing pavilion in the middle of the lotus pond. At the railing of the pavilion stood a man. He glanced down at the dead man on the bamboo chair and a faint smile appeared on his face. The handle of the dagger stood on the chest of the dead man, and a trace of red blood slowly flowed down his gray robe. On the round table was a tin jug with two porcelain glasses on the side. The man took up a porcelain cup, drank all the wine left in the cup, and said to the dead body proudly, "Go to the Western Heavens with peace of mind!" There will be no more human troubles. ”
It's long past midnight, and who will come to this country garden? The house opposite the lotus pond was quiet, dark, without a trace of suspicious sound and shadow. The man looked at his hands, saw that there was not a trace of blood left, and turned out of the pavilion. Just before leaving, I overheard a noise behind me, I was surprised, and I turned around to look closely, it turned out to be a big frog jumping up the bluestone steps from the pool, and was staring at him with a pair of big eyes.
He sighed and sneered, "It's you little demon!" Why should I go to the government to sue me for not being able to kill people? He said and flew up with a kick and kicked at the frog's stomach. The frog blinked, twitched its hind legs a few times, and then lay on its back and did not move.
The man suddenly remembered something, turned back to the round table, picked up a porcelain cup in front of the deceased, looked at it for half a moment, and then carefully slipped it into his sleeve. He walked down the bluestone steps and couldn't help but look again at the dead frog lying on his back.
"See your ancestors!" He flew up again, and the dead frog "pounced" and fell into the lotus pond. Suddenly, the frog 'croaked' and sounded. The man cursed again, and hurriedly stepped over a crooked board bridge and out of the garden door.
Dawn breaks in the East. Di Gong, Ma Rong and Yuan Kai rode along the lake toward the city. The morning sun shone on their hunting outfits, and the morning wind blew a ripple of the lake. It's midsummer, and it's a good time to hit the wild. Today, however, they are obscure, and when they toss and turn, they have found nothing.
Di Gong is now the county magistrate of this Hanwon County. Ma Rong was his personal assistant. Yuan Kai was the richest man in Hanwon County, and he opened a medicine shop in the east gate of the county; he had the most means of fighting wild squirrels, so Di Gong often asked him to go hunting in the lakeside swamps.
The three of them let loose and drove together, and soon entered the west gate of the county town, which was built on the hillside. They dismounted in front of the Confucius Temple and walked up the stone steps carved out of the mountain. The county ya is built at the highest point of the stone level, which is very majestic; standing at the entrance of the county gate, you can overlook the whole city and the large lakes outside the city.
As soon as Di Gong was about to enter the Eight Character Gate, the inspector ran to report angrily: "Lord, the poet Meng Lan has been killed!" His attendant had just come here to report the murder, saying that the body had been found in a pavilion in his garden. ”
"Poet Meng Lan?" Di Gong frowned. "I've been coming to Hanwon for a year and I've never heard of that name."
Yuan Kai interjected, "Old Master Di, this Meng Lan lives in a quiet farm outside the East Gate. He has a quiet disposition, does not want to travel, and does not want to go to the city, because the city is noisy and chaotic, so the people of this county do not know much about him. But his poetic title had already shaken the Kyoshi, and he was a figure like a Qingliu celebrity. ”
Di Gong said, "We will go to the scene of the crime immediately." Did Hong Liang, Tao Gan, and Qiao Tai return to Ya? ”
The inspector replied, "No, they are still visiting the West Boundary Pai Village." Lord, Hong sent a report early in the morning that they had not yet found a clue to the strongmen who had robbed the library. ”
Di Gongtie's face sank, and he slowly covered his long and dark beard under his chin and said to himself, "That gang of strongmen stole twelve ingots of gold from Yaku, and a wave of unevenness and another wave, there was another murder case here." He raised his voice, "Ma Rong, do you know the way to Meng Lan Tianzhuang?" ”
Ma Rong shook his head.
Yuan Kai said, "In the farm where I know Mr. Meng, there is a shortcut out of the East Gate." If the old man does not avoid suspicion, I will take you there. ”
Yuan Kai led the way in front, and Di Gong, Ma Rong, and the inspector rode closely behind, and rushed out of the east gate along the Liuyin Official Road on the lakeshore, and gradually heard the sound of a silk bamboo sandalwood in the depths of the willow shade -- it turned out that there was a "Yangliu Dock" in the eastern suburbs of Hubin Quyu, which was the Wind and Moon Yuanxue in Hanwon County, and opened several brothels in the Song Lou, which was a place where a group of floating prodigal children in the city were haunted.
Di Gongce ma asked Yuan Kai forward, "Does Yuan Know Meng Lan?" ”
"Lord, in fact, I am not very familiar with Meng Lan, and I have only met a few times." He pretended to be high-minded and not near the ordinary, but he was still humble and generous to people, and he had a kind heart. He only moved to 'Yangliuwu' two years ago and lived in seclusion in the village. The farmstead is quiet and elegant, sparse and spacious with three or four houses, but there is a beautiful garden with a lotus pond in the garden. ”
"How many people are in his family?" Di Gong asked.
"Not much, sir. Mr. Meng was a widower when he moved here. Both of his sons have grown up and live in Kyoshi. Last year, Mr. Meng redeemed a prostitute in 'Yang Liuwu', which was considered to be a continuation of the string. The woman had no ink on her chest, and she was not good at singing and dancing, but she was just a little handsome, with fine skin and white flesh. After Mr. Meng married her, he also lacked an inner pocket, and his food and clothing depended on others for his livelihood. Although Meng Lan was much older than the woman, the two were kind and respectful, and they were very happy. ”
Di Gong said, "All poets must marry a person who knows a voice as a wife, so that they can sing and be easy-going, otherwise, elegant and vulgar, long and boring, will not be happy in the end." ”
"Lord, although Lady Namong does not understand literature and ink, her heart is virtuous." Gentle and quiet, Mr. Meng served Mr. Meng very thoughtfully. ”
The willow shade official road became narrower and narrower, and the four of them forked into a path, and in the dense forest, they could faintly see a swampy land, and the water vapor was dark green and shallow, which had a different scenery.
Di Gong and the four men dismounted in front of the bamboo gate. Di Gong pushed open the bamboo gate and suddenly saw a large and quiet garden, and a crooked banqiao leading to a small pavilion in the middle of the lotus pond. By the lotus pond, the herbs are green, the wildflowers are contained, the water birds are chirping, and the butterflies are circling. On the lotus pond, there is a new piece of lotus, and the fragrance is gushing. The breeze blows, the lotus leaves flutter, and the waves shake, just like in the painting.
Yuan Kai said, "Mr. Meng spends his days in this garden chanting poems and drinking tea and raising evening scenes. ”
Di Gong nodded, stepped on the rickety banqiao, and walked to the small pavilion. On the hexagonal cornices on the pavilion, a brass bell hangs from each. The red paint of the pavilion pillars has been mottled and peeled off, and the green tiles on the top of the pavilion are also jagged. Opposite the lotus pond, a few houses were sparsely arranged, most of which were obscured by a towering oak tree. In the thick shade of the pavilion, I only saw the mist and morning fog, and I didn't hear the sound of chickens and dogs.
There were four people standing in the small pavilion, and it seemed crowded. Di Gong looked at the dead body leaning on the bamboo chair for half a moment, then touched the shoulders of the dead body and pulled the arm of the dead body.
"The body just stiffened. The weather was so sweltering and so humid that it was not easy to determine the time of the murder of the deceased, roughly after midnight. ”
Di Gong said, pulling out the dagger that pierced into the left chest of the deceased, and repeatedly examined it. The dagger was glittering and sharp.
Ma Rong said, "Lord, this kind of dagger can be bought everywhere in the city, and it is not uncommon." ”
Di Gong was silent and handed the dagger to Ma Rong. Ma Rong wrapped it in a piece of oil paper and incorporated it into the sleeve. Di Gong saw that Meng Lan's slender yellow face had gone out of shape, his mouth was crooked, a pair of cloudy wuzhu were peaceful and calm, and the snow-white goatee was not messy. - Obviously, there was no panic or fear before dying.
Di Gong picked up the tin wine jug on the round table and shook it a few times, leaving only a little wine in it. He looked at the porcelain cup on the side of the wine jug for a while, nodded, and put it into the sleeve.
He ordered the inspector: "You go find a pair of door panels and try to carry the body back to the court." Then he turned his face and told Yuan Kai: "Yuan Kai waited in this pavilion for a while, and the subordinate officer went to the pool to see it." He motioned to Ma Rong and went with him.
Di Gong and Ma Rong stepped on the "creaking" and swaying bridge to the lotus pond and turned around the water embankment to the Meng family's house at the end of the garden.
Ma Rong knocked on the door, and the door opened, and out came a good-looking waiter. The waiter heard that it was the county order to visit the front and rushed into the inner room to report. Di Gong saw that the four walls of the outhouse were quiet, the breeze was blowing, and several pieces of furniture were very worn, and he couldn't help but say to Ma Rong: "The murderer obviously did not commit the crime for theft." ”
Ma Rong whispered, "Lord, the housewife is here." --Yo, the motive for the crime is: an old and aging husband, a young and beautiful wife, so and so, so and so, always do not fall outside this set, hee-hee. ”
Di Gong looked up, and saw a young and beautiful woman, Lou Tingting, gently moving the lotus step out of the inner room. The woman's snow skin and flowers, dark clouds are not neat, a pair of large eyes under the phoenix eyebrows, deep and transparent, a few teardrops flashing on the cheeks, the lips are bright, the teeth are fresh, the fox eyebrows are trembling, and the willow waist is swaying - although the makeup is wrapped, it always does not hide its feminine state.
The woman stepped forward to say a deep blessing to Di Gong and Ma Rong, and then she withdrew her hand and stood aside, waiting for Di Gong to ask.
Di Gong said gently, "Lady Meng, the subordinate officials are deeply disturbed. How dare we delay human lives? Mrs. WanWang helped the government to solve the case and obtain the real culprit, which was a revenge for Mr. Meng. ”
Madame Meng nodded slightly, not daring to look at Di Gong head-on.
Di Gong asked, "When was madame last night to see Mr. Meng?" ”
Mrs. Meng replied in a low voice, "Mr. Meng had dinner with the little woman in this room last night, and Mr. Rice Boy read a book under the lamp for a while, and said that the moon in the garden was empty and very quiet, so he went to the small pavilion of the lotus pond to drink and admire the moon." ”
"Mr. Meng often goes to that small pavilion to drink?"
"Yes. In such a hot and humid weather, he would go there for three days and two ends to drink and cool off, chanting poems and enjoying himself. ”
"Can he meet guests in the kiosk?"
"No, sir is reclusive and rarely sees guests. Even if there are visitors, most of them are in the daytime, just sipping a few sips of tea in this room, saying a few words, and then sending guests off. He never went to the pavilion to meet guests. Sir loves to be quiet, always feels that the world is cloudy, afraid of defiling him. ”
Her eyes were slightly red, tears flashed in her eyes, her lips trembled, she sobbed and choked and continued, "I burned a pot of hot wine with him and sent it to the pavilion." He told me to go back to my room and go to sleep, saying that he wanted to sit in the small pavilion for a while. I came to sleep peacefully in my room, who knows... Who knew that early this morning, the waiter came to my room to report that he had been killed by someone... It's in that pavilion. "Say tears like rain.
Di Gong asked, "Does the waiter in the house also sleep here at night?" ”
Mrs. Meng replied busily, "No, no, the waiter lives with his father." His father was a florist in 'Willow Wood' and was a florist from a large family. He just came here during the day to help, and at night he went home to sleep. ”
"What unusual noise can Madame hear in the middle of the night?"
Madame Meng frowned, pondered a little, and replied, "In the middle of the night, I was awakened once by the sound of frogs in the lotus pond. Those pesky frogs never bark during the day, even if they are alarmed by the lotus seeds in the water. But in the middle of the night, I was most afraid of alarm, and when there was a slight noise, I cried out for a long time. I suspected that the gentleman had alarmed them when he came back from the pavilion. ”
Di Gong frequently nodded, and then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Meng's face was very calm when he was killed, and it seems that he was killed by the gangsters when he was not vigilant." The murderer must have been someone he knew well, so they drank together in the small pavilion, but only to hide from the lady. I saw that the wine jug on the table was almost drunk, but there was only one porcelain cup on the table, and I wanted to ask the lady, how many porcelain cups were there in the house? Are they all here today? ”
Mrs. Meng replied, "My family has a total of seven porcelain cups. The six green porcelains were one set, and the one that Mr. Li usually used was one white porcelain, which was slightly larger than the green porcelain. ”
Di Gong frowned. In the pavilion, he only saw a green porcelain cup on the table, and there was no white porcelain cup.
"Did Mr. Meng have an enemy before he died?"
"No, no. Mr. has no quarrel with the world, blindly gives in when things happen, and never takes advantage of others. The little woman always doesn't understand..."
"Then Madame, have you ever offended anyone yourself?"
Madame Meng's cheeks were slightly flushed, and she bit her lip and said, "Don't hide from the old master, the little woman has only been pulling water and fire for more than a year, but I don't know who she offended when she was in 'Yang Liu Wu'." then...... At that time, there were many entangled people, and who took care of many? But in the end, I will not be able to have such evil thoughts, and even poison my hands..."
Di Gong saw the situation, slightly clear and big-ended, inconvenient to ask the details, sent to Ma Rong to get up and bid farewell.
On the way back to the lotus pond pavilion, Ma Rong muttered, "Lord, why don't you ask in detail?" When she was listed in 'YangLiuwu', there were always a few people who were jealous of the wind, and Meng Lan ransomed her, and then formed a grudge..."
Di Gong smiled, "The details of this aspect are still waiting for you to visit, don't you have some contact with the apple blossom in 'Yang Liu Wu'?" ”
"Lord, it's not an apple blossom, it's a peach blossom." Ma Rong pouted.
"Yes, Peach Blossom. ——At this moment, you will go to 'Yangliuwu' for a walk, first talk to Bi Taohua and ask you clearly who Mrs. Meng was in frequent contact with there at that time. ”
Ma Rong agreed, so he bid farewell to Di Gong, took the mount outside the bamboo gate, and sped away to the "Yangliu Dock".
Di Gong came to the small pavilion alone and saw Yuan Kai talking to a well-dressed stranger.
Yuan Kai saw Di Gong return and busily introduced: "Old Master Di, this is the Wen Treasurer of the Tea Village, the daimyo Wen Jingfang. ”
Wen Jingfang hurriedly stepped forward to pray, saying "collision".
Di Gong asked lightly, "Why did Treasurer Wen come here early in the morning?" ”
Wen Jingfang looked uneasy and swallowed: "Xiaomin just listened to Mr. Meng's bad news, and came to ask Mrs. Meng... I feel that it is inappropriate, and I am afraid of provoking right and wrong. ”
Di Gong said, "So, Treasurer Wen and Mr. Meng and his wife are very familiar?" ”
Yuan Kai said busily, "We were about to tell Old Master Di something." When Mrs. Meng was listed in 'Yangliuwu', she had a relationship with us. Her name was Jasmine at the time, and she was very popular. Of course, later Mr. Meng ransomed her with a lot of money and moved out of the valley, but the old friendship was still there. We are also very happy to see her have a happy life after marriage. ”
Di Gong asked again, "I don't know if you two came here last night?" ”
Wen Jingfang timidly replied, "We both went to 'Yang Liu Wu' last night to fight and turn around, and we made trouble until the fourth change, and we will return home after dawn, where will we come here?" ”
Yuan Kai said, "After I went home, I packed up my hunting clothes a little and came to the county court to wait for the old master and Ma Rong to go to the lake to hunt hares." ”
Di Gong smiled, "The subordinate officer just asks at random, don't mind." Wen Jingfang felt relaxed, and did not dare to go to see Lady Meng without permission, so he stepped out of the garden with Di Gong and Yuan Kai. He saw the lotus leaves on the lotus pond turning in the wind and the golden waves swaying, and he couldn't help but sigh: "The scenery of this lotus pond is so charming, Mr. Meng is really -"
Yuan Kai responded: "Although the scenery on the pool is beautiful, it is not quiet. Frogs in the water sometimes desperately call. ”
Out of the bamboo gate, the three of them were in debt to say goodbye.
Di Gong got on his horse and returned to the county.
Di Gong returned to Yamen, first went to The Inner Ya to issue a hand, and ordered a group of servants to be sent to "Yang Liuwu" and handed over to Ma Rong, asking Ma Rong to find out the details of Yuan Kai and Tea Zhuang Wen Jingfang in "Yang Liu Wu" last night, and to verify whether the waiter in Meng Zhao really slept in his home last night.
Di Gong hurriedly swallowed a few pieces of fragrant cake, drank a cup of tea, and went to the outer hall to listen to the results of the autopsy. He presented the detailed autopsy to Di Gong for his eyes. ——Meng Lan stabbed the heart to death with a dagger. Before he died, his body was very tough. There is no sign of resistance at the time of death. The body has been temporarily put in the coffin, parked in the side room of the outer hall, waiting for the public case to be completed, and then closed the coffin and recommended, and chose the place to be buried.
It was already noon when Ma Rong returned to Yali. Di Gong saw that he was beaming with joy and vigor, and asked busily: "You have been grinding all morning in the Bi Peach Blossom, and I think you must have polished a lot of true feelings." ”
Ma Rong said solemnly, "I am on business, how dare I blindly fall in love with her?" Just because I want to put words out of the woman's mouth, I don't want to do it just in time. Therefore, I first told Bi Taohua some old feelings, released her doubts, and slowly turned the conversation to Mrs. Meng, as if I did not have the intention to ask instead of specifically visiting. Later, Ya Li Fan Gong rushed to send the old master's warrant, so he went around in some circles, and a lot of water mill kung fu finally grinded out a lot of internal details.
"It turned out that Mrs. Meng's maiden name was Shi Xiaolan, and her stage name was 'Jasmine' when she was listed in 'Yangliuwu'. She turned out to be a person from the north, two years ago her hometown was in a drought, starved to death a lot of people, she was tricked and sold to 'Yangliuwu', just in the same courtyard as the peach blossom, so the sisters were very familiar and intimate. Jasmine is more pleasing than the other flowers in the courtyard, first, she is naturally beautiful, second, she is elegant, and third, she is gentle. ——When she was most popular, there were many young children chasing and charming, and Yuan Kai and that Wen Jingfang were also among them. Yuan Kai also tried to pay for Jasmine, but somehow she did not agree. Wen Jingfang also touched this thought, and was also rejected by her. However, listening to Bi Taohua, Jasmine later regretted it a little, especially after she married the boring and pedantic master Meng Lan. At the same time, Wen Jingfang has always missed Jasmine and has not forgotten it. He often told the other sisters that it was a pity that Jasmine had married the dry old man, and that a flower had been planted on the cow dung heap.
"Lord, I also heard that Jasmine has a brother named Shi Xiaoming, who is an unsuccessful offspring, eating, drinking, gambling, and gambling, all of whom are addicted, and often begs for silver from her sister. Jasmine's meager savings made him eat out. But the jasmine hurt his heart, never rebuked him head-on, taught him, and let him squander. Later, that Shi Xiaoming somehow disappeared, and Jasmine was anxious to ask for news. A few days ago, he appeared again, went to her sister to ask for money, and entangled with Meng Lan, Jasmine was very sad and could not be persuaded. In the end, Shi Xiaoming and Meng Lan had a quarrel, and when he left angrily, he threatened that he could borrow a large amount of money from Yuan Treasurer. I haven't seen him since. ”
Di Gong asked, "Did you ask about the boy at the Meng Mansion?" But he went out last night? ”
"The waiter didn't go out last night. Lord, I asked his father and the neighbors about this. The waiter went home directly after eating dinner at the Meng Mansion, and when he got home, he lay down on the broken bed and slept until dawn today. Yes, the old man also asked about Yuan Kai and Wen Jingfang's last night, and I also inquired clearly. Last night, yuan kai was accompanied by peony flowers, and the two mixed until after midnight, before Yuan Kai left 'Yangliuwu'. Accompanying Wen Jingfang was Azalea, who said that Wen Jingfang was very drunk last night and had changed three times when she left 'Willow Dock'. - Oh, both of them walked home, refusing to hire a car, saying that the moon was clear, the night breeze was cool, just to sober up, and they could also enjoy the lakeside scenery.
"Lord, that's all I've heard, and in my opinion, That Shi Xiaoming is a very suspicious figure." He hated Meng Lan for marrying his sister, for giving up his money, and for being miserable, and reprimanding him for not doing his job, and now that Shi Xiaoming didn't know where he was, was it not the person he killed? ”
Di Gong said, "Ma Rong, you are hungry and tired, so go to the back hall for lunch and have a good rest." Nothing to do in the afternoon, I'll come back to you in the evening. Yes, you can ask the rafters to write a sea fishing document and arrest Shi Xiaoming. ”
Di Gong hurriedly ate lunch, picked out a cool tong shade, and sat down on a bamboo chair, waiting to carefully sort out the clues of Meng Lan's murder case, and sent an official document on duty. It turned out that Hong had joined the army and they had already detected the situation of the strongmen who had robbed yaku. The official document said that a total of six people were involved in the robbery. After a group of them chewed up a meal at a restaurant in the village of Xijiepai, they handed over the stolen gold to a teenager there. After the young man took the burden of the bag of gold, he left the west boundary card village and entered the dense forest of the neighboring county. On the second day, a few woodcutters found the body of the young man in a ditch in the dense forest, which was already cracked and his flesh and blood blurred. After a hasty autopsy, it was found that the teenager had sweat medicine in his mouth, so Hong Joinjun concluded that the case of robbing Yaku was carefully planned in advance. The gang of strongmen who started the operation was only hired by people with heavy money, the teenager was handed in the middle, and the culprit finally came out to clean up the endgame. - Kill the boy and swallow the twelve ingots of gold alone. Because the teenager died in the dense forest of a neighboring county, Hong Joinjun implored Di Gong to go to the dense forest outside the village of Xijiepai to investigate in the official document, and shenwen the county order of the neighboring county to coordinate the search for the culprit in this case.
Di Gong closed the official document and closed his eyes in contemplation. Although he should immediately rush to the West Boundary Pai Village to personally settle the case, at present, Meng Lan's murder case has not yet been settled. Although Yuan Kai and Wen Jingfang are suspected, what about Shi Xiaoming? What does his strange deeds mean? Could it really be Meng Lan that Shi Xiaoming killed? He only felt a faint headache.
The cool breeze is pleasant, and the cicadas are chanting. Di Gong gradually became distracted, his eyelids were heavy, and he did not sleep.
Di Gong woke up, the sun was already tilted to the west, and Ma Rong stood patiently by his bamboo chair. Di Gong was annoyed and said that it was wrong.
Ma Rongyu said that the sea fishing documents wanted by Shi Xiaoming had been posted everywhere, and soldiers had been sent to guard the four gates of the county town.
Di Gong nodded, handed The official document sent by Hong Xianjun to Ma Rong, and said, "You should first read this official document carefully, and tomorrow morning we will go to the West Boundary Pai Village to investigate the scene." Go a hundred and twenty miles. You need to be a good attendant of the carriage and horses, waiting for the dispatch. The state government sent people to urge the letter, and the matter seemed to be undistasable. ”
After Ma Rong left, Di Gong brewed a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, while painstakingly thinking about the ins and outs of Meng Lan's case. Suddenly, he stared at the porcelain cup in his hand and suddenly remembered the lost white porcelain cup in the lotus pond pavilion. Mrs. Meng said that Meng Lan had always used the white porcelain cup herself, and why did she not find out when she went to the small pavilion in the morning. And the green porcelain cup of the guest, of course the murderer, was placed on the round table.
Di Gong put down the tea cup, stole a glance around the courtyard from the square of the window, and there was no one walking around, so he hurriedly changed into his official clothes, quickly walked through the garden, opened the corner door of the east corner, and quietly left the county court.
Di Gong hired a large car and went straight to the "Yangliu Dock" outside the East Gate. "WillowWood" is full of red and green lights, shadows, strings, laughter, and noise. Di Gongcao made a cursory circle, watched the sedan leave, and then picked up his robe and ran to the Meng Mansion.
The bamboo gate of the Meng mansion was hidden and not locked. Di Gong flashed in sideways and quietly touched the water embankment of the lotus pond towards Madame Meng's residence. At this time, the crescent moon is like a hook, the night breeze is faint, and the lotus pond is very quiet. Di Gong leaned over and picked up a stone and threw it at the dense lotus leaf in the pool. With a "thud" sound, the stone fell into the pool, and suddenly there was a sound of frogs, and then it croaked, breaking the tranquility of this summer night. Di Gong nodded and smiled slightly. At the head of the door of Lady Meng's house, Di Gong listened carefully for half a moment, and there was no sound, so he went up and knocked on the door.
A light flashed in the wooden window, and someone hurriedly pulled the latch and went forward to open the door.
"Come in! fast! fast! ”
When Madame Meng opened the door to see Di Gong, she was shocked and almost cried out in fright.
Di Gong said coldly, "Who is Lady Meng waiting for?" ”
Mrs. Meng bowed her head and did not answer.
Di Gong flashed into the door, bolted the door, and asked, "Speak quickly!" Who are you waiting for? ”
Lady Meng Replied, "The little woman heard the frogs making a loud noise, and her heart was terrified, and she suddenly remembered that the door was unlocked, and she was getting up to go out to see..."
Di Gong said loudly, "I'm getting up—I don't know where Madam Meng sleeps in the right place?" ”
Madame Meng did not say a word, and led Di Gong to a small bedroom with a candle.
In the bedroom was a simple wooden bed with a thin straw mat. Di Gong stepped forward and touched the straw mat with his hand, and sure enough, there was still warmth. Then he asked, "How did Madame know that someone would come knocking on the door this night and promise so quickly, was it because it had already been agreed upon?" Madame Meng did not say a word, and looked at Di Gong with infinite shame.
"That's how I went to yamen to hear the trial." ------------ You don't call out the adulterer's name! ”
Lady Meng had to follow Di Gong out of the house, around the embankment to the bamboo gate, just when the inspector led a team of inspectors to come, Di Gong ordered the inspector to escort Lady Meng back to the county jail, and then ordered two patrols to be left in the shade of the trees inside the bamboo gate, if anyone broke in, no matter who it was, they were all arrested and taken back to the yamen for supervision.
Di Gong returned to The Inner Palace and told Ma Rong the details of the trip. Ma Rong listened and said, "In this way, this case is indeed not unexpected by me." Now all he needs to do is capture the adulterer, and he doesn't have to tell the details of killing Meng Lan. As for asking Jasmine to give the adulterer's name, it was no effort. ”
Di Gong shook his head, "However, there are two points that I can't guess. If Mrs. Meng has a warm affair with people, how will they meet? Meng Lan was desperate to travel, staying at home, staying by her side day and night, and she had to get out of her way to meet with the adulterer? Moreover, Meng Lan had guests coming, and they were all in daylight, and at that time, Mrs. Meng meng could not act arbitrarily. Again, Mrs. Meng, how did she wait for the adulterer to settle in that small simple bedroom? I saw that the old wooden bed had room for only one person to sleep. --Ma Rong, these two points show that Lady Meng is not waiting for an adulterer, but may be her brother Shi Xiaoming. ——So I suddenly wondered if Meng Lan's case would be related to the yaku gold theft case..."
Ma Rong shook his head, "I don't think this case is necessarily related to the theft of gold, but I think we should find the adulterer among Jasmine's old acquaintances." ”
Di Gong groaned for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Ma Rong, I have a method at this moment, you might as well try, you immediately go to the Golden Carp Hotel behind the fresh fish market, and order the beggars, idlers, and scoundrels under the treasurer to call a few to the yamen to obey." The treasurer was the head of the beggars in Hanwon City. You don't need to keep it a secret, but it's better if you can tell it all over the city. Tell everyone clearly: I summoned beggars and scoundrels just to find out from their mouths the clues of Meng Lan's murder. ”
Di Gong saw that Ma Rong was stunned, and laughed: "If this plan is successful, killing two birds with one stone, it is uncertain that Meng Lan's murder case and the robbery of Yaku will be solved in one fell swoop." ”
Ma Rong led four ragged beggars to the Inner Courtyard to send a messenger to Di, but saw several plates of fresh fruits, pastries, and a fine "poinsettia" wine on the Inner Courtyard table.
When the four beggars saw the arrangement on the table, they said that they were lucky, and one by one they were forced to swallow and give birth, and their eyes wanted to set fire, and they listened to Ma Rong's instructions and sat down on a chair.
Di Gong whispered to Ma Rong, "You quickly dispatch four capable servants to serve in the two rooms inside the gate, and when I released the four beggars here, the four street servants secretly stared at one and followed." As soon as someone in the market talked to a beggar, no matter who it was, he was immediately taken and came to see me. ”
Although Ma Rong felt ignorant, he immediately agreed and retired to dispatch himself.
Di Gong smiled and groaned and warmly entertained the four beggars, booed and asked for warmth, asked this and that, and asked them to eat and drink at will, without restraint. Although the four beggars did not understand Di Gong's intentions, they saw that Di Gong's words were gentle, his smile was lovely, and his heart was also steady, and even if he cared about the shallowness and depth of the twists, they swallowed it. In a few moments, the wind swept away the clouds, and swallowed the fruit dishes on the table and the fragrant wine in the gourd.
Di Gong asked them another innocuous word, and seeing that there was already an hour, he stood up and sent the guests. When the four beggars were suspicious of the ghost and were at a loss, they heard Di Gong say that they were sending guests, as if they had received a pardon, and they were overjoyed, and one by one they were busy bowing to Di Gong and bowing their heads, holding their heads and rats. Di Gong nodded frequently and brushed his beard. Take a cup of tea and sip it.
About a cup of tea, Ma Rong escorted one of the beggars named One-Eyed Dragon and turned back to the inner court.
When the one-eyed dragon saw Di Gong, he knelt down in a panic and shouted, "The old man is high up, and the little one is wronged." The man stuffed the silver in my hand, not me stealing him, and before I could figure out what was going on, I was caught by this man. ”
Di Zheng said, "Whether he gave the silver or stole it from you, this official will cut off the silver from you." Don't be alarmed if you accept it. This officer only asks you what the man said to you. ”
The one-eyed dragon blinked his red one-eyed eyes and replied, "I folded the right head of the gate and was just about to turn to the street, he came to me, stuffed the silver or two in the palm of my hand, and said: 'You come with me, and you are about to tell me what the old man of the official government county asked you, and said that I will reward you with one or two pieces of silver.' The little man's words are absolutely true, not half a sentence, I hope the old man will see clearly. ”
Di Gong and Yan said, "You can go." But can you not steal or steal, be innocent, and have your own favors, but can you hear it? ”
The one-eyed dragon bowed its head and fell to the ground, and Shane left.
Di Gong shouted, "Bring the prisoner in!" ”
Ma Rong responded by taking Yuan Kai into the inner court.
Yuan Kai shouted, "Wronged, wronged, Brother Ma Rong will let me go!" ”
Di Gong coldly asked, "Yuan Treasurer is not related to him, but why is it that he stuffed one or two pieces of silver and that one-eyed dragon?" Say quickly, what did you ask him? ”
"Old Master Di, I just want to assist the government as soon as possible..."
Di Gong shouted, "Shut up! Quickly how to kill Meng Lan, kill Shi Xiaoming, and steal all the crimes of Yaku gold! ”
Yuan Kai's face turned pale and he sweated like a bean, but he cross-examined: "What is the basis for Old Master Di's words?" But why is it that the plain and thick slander of the small people? ”
Di Gong sneered, "Wouldn't this hall be plain and harsh on you?" Mrs. Meng said that the frogs in the lotus pond in her garden never barked during the day, but at night they were very alert and called at every turn. I heard you say that the lotus pond is not quiet, and the frogs in the pool sometimes desperately call. Then I learned that you must have been to the lotus pond at night. After you came out of the peony flower in the middle of the night last night, you touched the lotus pond of the Meng House and turned Meng Lan over with the medicine of Meng Khan, and poisoned it, and afterwards you secretly hid the white porcelain cup. The calm look on Meng Lan's face when he died was proof of this. From this, I deduced that you used the Monghan medicine to turn over Shi Xiaoming, who was instructed by you to connect with the six strongmen, and then viciously killed him, stole the twelve ingots of gold, all of which did not leave a trace, you opened a large raw medicine shop, quite fine medicine, and you can also mix the strong Menghan medicine. Another point, because you have been tossing and turning all night, so this morning when you hit the wild, the arrows were false and you found nothing. In the past, you could kill four or five animals every time you were alone. This is also caused by the fact that you kill people at night and are frightened. ”
Yuan Kaiwen heard this and realized that he would inevitably die, but calmly asked, "I just don't know how the old master would suspect that it was Meng Lan who I killed?" ”
Di Gong said, "Lady Meng's mood of waiting for her brother is very urgent, which shows that she has suspected that Shi Xiaoming has committed some terrible crime outside, and when the gold ingot of the Yaku was stolen, she knew in her heart that Shi Xiaoming must have participated in it." Because Shi Xiaoming threatened after arguing with Meng Lan that day, he would soon get a huge amount of silver money from you. Shi Xiaoming's relationship with you Mrs. Meng already knows a little bit. Meng Lan is careful and a straight person, he smells this matter, is deeply worried, and sees that Shi Xiaoming does not know where to go, so he specially made an exception to invite you to meet at his lotus pond pavilion at night, while inquiring about the truth, while pleading with you not to harm Shi Xiaoming. You were afraid and worried about the incident, so you poured the strong Meng Sweat Medicine into Meng Lan's white porcelain cup. After Meng Lan fell numb, you killed him, afraid that the government would detect the medicine, and hid the white porcelain cup. Meng Lan never met at night, and he already knew everything, so last night's exception was not known, and even concealed Mrs. Meng. You can see that the Skynet has been restored without leaking, but your crime has been broken by the frog in the lotus pond. Yuan Treasurer, the evidence is like a mountain, what else do you have to say now? ”
Yuan Kai cried out, "I kicked a dead frog into the lotus pond last night, which alarmed the frogs in the pool, so when I gossiped, I revealed the real thing, but I never expected that it was the frog in the pool that made me exposed, and I even laughed at the fact that the little demon would not go to the government to sue me for murder." Now that I think about it, it is really natural and scary. ”