www.soverse.com, the fastest update of the latest chapters of Wu Zuo Jiao Niang!
Chapter 1 An Inch of Gold 01
This is Bo Ruoyou’s first time entering the Anqing Hou Mansion.
The snow has just begun to fall, the sky is as clear as blue, the continuous pavilions and pavilions are colorful, and the nobles are majestic. In the distance, the snow is heavy on the pines and cypresses, and the jade branches are hanging. Nearby, under the white wall, two bushes of wintersweet bloom in the cold, with a delicate fragrance. Attack people.
While looking around at the spacious and graceful mansion, Bao Ruoyou slowly followed behind He Cheng, the prefect of Qingzhou.
Today, the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, the weather is particularly cold. Ke He Cheng held a handkerchief in his hand and wiped the sweat on his forehead while walking, “I called you here because I am celebrating the New Year, because there is really no other way. This case is difficult. It’s so tight, in the entire Qingzhou Prefecture, I can’t think of anyone else who can help except you.”
Two days ago, the state government’s police officers arrived in Qingshan County. That night, Bo Ruoyou got on the carriage to Qingzhou City and drove day and night for two days, arriving at the Hou Mansion just a moment ago.
Needless to say, He Cheng encountered another troublesome case.
He Cheng was five feet tall and put on weight in his middle age. Today he was wearing a fur-collared fur coat, and he was looking more round when he walked. One morning, he was found dead in the Buddhist hall. Everyone was frozen when he was found. Now almost half a month has passed, and the cause of death still cannot be found. Not only that, something strange happened in the house…”
Bao Ruoyou didn’t expect that it was the old lady of the Hou Mansion who died.
Qingzhou is an important town in the south of the Yangtze River during the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although it is hundreds of miles away from Kyoto, it is home to many aristocratic families. The Zheng family of the Marquis of Anqing is one of the aristocratic families in Qingzhou. From the time she set out to the time she entered the city, she had never heard of the old lady. His death shows that the Hou Mansion kept the matter secret very strictly.
Seeing that He Cheng did not continue, Bo Ruoyou asked, “Something strange happened?”
Bao Ruoyou spoke with a soft and clear voice. He Cheng looked back and saw her bright eyes like stars, beautiful eyebrows like daisy. She was wearing a green Hunan skirt and a moon-white bamboo branch pattern cloak. Her whole person was pure and elegant. , calm and calm, with the character of cultivating bamboo.
He Cheng looked away and sighed, “Let’s do the autopsy first. The old lady’s death was very strange. She had no old diseases, and there were no external injuries after death. It was not poisoning. You know, it can’t be found out. There are no other clues about the cause of death, and the case is impossible to start with. I have been really overwhelmed these days.”
Bo Ruoyou felt that He Cheng had not finished what he said. Seeing that he was sweating profusely, he comforted him: “When a mortal dies, there must be a cause of death. Don’t worry, sir, the daughter of the people will do her best.”
He Cheng smiled bitterly, “I believe in you, but I have to be quick.”
At this point, He Cheng’s voice became even heavier, “You are one of our own, so I won’t hide it from you. You should know that the Anqing Marquis Mansion has a distinguished status, and the old lady was originally from the Xinyang Marquis Mansion, and she has passed away even further back. The cousin of Empress Dowager Xiaoyi, so the death of the old lady is of great importance. After the incident, the capital received news that the Xinyang Marquis Mansion has sent people to Qingzhou, and I am afraid that it will arrive tonight.”
He Cheng took a breath, “The information about this case is strictly sealed. According to the wishes of the Marquis, it is best to find out the murderer silently. Now I will take you to examine the old lady’s body first. You’d better wait until dusk.” The test results were obtained before. No, we cannot wait until dusk. It is best to test the cause of death within an hour——”
Bao Ruoyou finally understood why He Cheng was so panicked.
Although she is not from Qingzhou, she grew up in Qingshan County under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou. Later, by chance, she became the Qingshan County government official. Normally, she would only be invited to solve long-standing unsolved cases or tragic cases with many casualties. Come.
Seeing that He Cheng was impatient, Bo Ruoyou also cheered up. The two of them turned around two flower gardens. The further they walked in, the more remote the location became. Just when Bo Ruoyou was about to ask how many places there were for the morgue. In the distance, a secluded courtyard came into view.
The small courtyard has white walls and gray tiles. The snow outside the wall has not yet melted, and two clumps of purple bamboo are as green as black. He Cheng said: “This is the place where the old lady rested.”
He Cheng led Bao Ruoyou into the courtyard gate. As soon as he entered, Bao Ruoyou frowned.
There are onyx spiritual flags hanging in the courtyard, but strangely, there are also two wooden gourds painted with cinnabar hanging under the eaves of the corridor. Outside the main door, there is a simple copper tripod with Buddhist incense inserted inside. Above the main entrance, two bright yellow talisman papers are firmly attached.
There were only two government officials guarding the courtyard. When they saw He Cheng coming with a girl, they didn’t say anything strange. They even held their hands to Bo Ruoyou and said, “Miss Bo.”
Bo Ruoyou has come to the Yamen of Prefecture many times to conduct autopsies, and has become familiar with these Yamen officials for a long time.
Bao Ruoyou nodded, and He Cheng asked, “Is there anyone coming today?”
The cadres all shook their heads, and He Cheng seemed relieved. He led Bo Ruoyou towards the main room. When he reached the door, he stopped, his chubby body bulged, and he took a deep breath.
Bo Ruoyou: “…”
It has been many days since the crime occurred, how could He Cheng still be afraid of the old man’s corpse?
As soon as this thought settled on the door, He Cheng pushed it open, and Bo Ruoyou naturally looked inside the door.
The next moment, her expression froze slightly.
She knew He Chenghe had taken a deep breath.
The main hall was square and dark, with the coffin bed for the corpse placed in the center. The old lady of the Hou Mansion was lying quietly in a black funeral dress with a blessing and longevity pattern, vaguely wearing a five-collar and three-waisted outfit. Although the weather was cold, she could The old lady has been dead for nearly half a month. At this moment, the head and face exposed from the collar of the mourning clothes and the hands exposed from the cuffs are all bruised and swollen, covered with scars, and have long lost their human shape.
That was not what made Bo Ruoyou look different.
The house was originally spacious, and the coffin bed inside seemed a little empty. However, at this moment, in addition to the corpse on the coffin bed, there were more than a dozen red and green paper-made boys and girls parked on the left and right sides of the coffin bed.
These paper children are half human height. The boys are wearing red brocade clothes and the girls are wearing dark green skirts and robes. They surround the coffin bed like real children. If they are all alive, it is the joy of family relationships with grandchildren. , but unfortunately, the old man is dead and the grandson is fake.
This situation is so horrifying to anyone who sees it.
Bao Ruoyou gathered his cloak: “Sir, this…”
He Cheng also seemed helpless, “It’s a long story, don’t be afraid, it’s all fake. Let’s do an autopsy first.”
Bo Ruoyou felt that if it were all true, it would be equally terrifying.
Stepping into the door, Bo Ruoyou breathed. He first smelled the faint smell of blood, and then took a closer look. In the dim light, the coffin bed was actually covered with charms, and the bodies of those boys and girls were covered with charms. Weird runes were drawn with blood-red cinnabar. Bo Ruoyou frowned, “Sir, do people in the house feel that the old lady’s death during the New Year is unlucky?”
The **** smell she smelled was dog’s blood. Coupled with the gourd and copper tripod in the yard, the cinnabar symbols and paper-tied children in the house, it was no longer as simple as the dead warding off evil spirits. Suppress the evil spirits.
He Changcheng sighed, “If it were just like this, it would be simple. You can do the autopsy first. Xiaobo, I really rely on you this time. If people from the capital come, I still won’t find anything. It’s really unjustifiable.”
The equipment is all ready, and Bo Ruoyou can do the autopsy at any time. However, looking at these boys and girls, Bo Ruoyou is a little embarrassed, “Sir, can these things be removed?”
He Cheng had a wry smile on his face, and was obviously a little frightened by the paper boy, but he said: “You can’t move this -“
Bao Ruoyou sighed helplessly, “Then please bring me two more lamps.”
The lamps were quickly lit, and when the lights shone, the boys and girls made of paper became somewhat frighteningly beautiful.
Making paper tying is also called catching the Yinmen, which is the most yin-y. Paper figures also have a rule of not finishing the eyes. At this moment, Bao Ruoyou was stared at by more than a dozen pairs of black eyes. Although he felt a little creepy in his heart, his face But she was still calm and composed. She first lit atractylodes and other substances in the house to remove filth and deodorize, and then took styrax pills in her mouth, and then walked to the coffin bed to observe the body.
The moment his eyes fell on the corpse, Bo Ruoyou’s whole body changed.
The gentleness faded away, and solemnity and concentration emerged from her eyes. The grace and kindness around her body seemed to be instantly covered with a layer of frost that kept strangers away, but He Chengdu held his breath and did not dare to disturb her.
Seeing Bo Ruoyou like this, He Cheng couldn’t help but think of the first time he called her for an autopsy.
It was a cold winter two years ago, and a tragedy occurred in Qingzhou City. After several days of autopsy, the governor of the state government office could not find the cause of death. After repeated visits to the government office, it was difficult to find any clues. When he was frowning, he heard that There was a powerful female widower in Qingshan County who could make the dead speak, so she summoned her half-heartedly.
After waiting for five days, he saw the legendary widow, who turned out to be a beautiful little girl. He Cheng was furious and felt that he had been deceived by rumors. The clinker was Bo Ruoyou’s inspection of dozens of rotting corpses at night. He quickly discovered the murderer’s method of killing, and even estimated the murderer’s appearance. Later, the case was solved three days later. When the performance was evaluated at the end of the year, it was a highlight in his merit book!
Bo Ruoyou was only sixteen years old at that time, but he was as calm and steady as he is today.
Bo Ruoyou’s eyes were deep and deep, scanning over the corpse with every detail. The shroud was buttoned tightly, and the rotting corpse water around the neck had soaked the collar. Although the head and face did not look like a humanoid, there were no traces of trauma. After pondering, she leaned forward and took off the shroud.
The decomposition of the body exceeded Bo Ruoyou’s expectation because incense candles had been lit in the room.
The hotter the room gets, the faster the body decomposes. Not only is the head, face, lips and nose covered with water and dirt, but the chest and abdomen are covered with green mold marks and tiny maggots. The rest of the body is green and swollen that is visible to the naked eye. Through the light, you can still see the branch-like purple blood veins protruding under the skin.
Despite this, it can still be seen that the body of the corpse is intact, there are no bruises on the neck, and there are no suspicious marks on the chest, abdomen, legs, back, etc. The hands and feet only have ordinary signs of rot and green stains. The body spots have settled and spread after the person died for a long time. , and just looking at these, no abnormality was found. After checking the surface of the corpse, Bo Ruoyou carefully pressed the five internal organs, and finally checked the top of the skull, which had begun to rot and lose hair.
After two hours of burning incense, Bo Ruoyou straightened up and said solemnly: “There is indeed no sign of poisoning, no trauma, and there is no death caused by anything inserted into the crown of the hair or other places.”
When Bo Ruoyou said one more word, the frustration on He Cheng’s face deepened. When Bo Ruoyou finished speaking, He Cheng was about to cry, “Does this mean… you can’t find out the cause of death?”
“The absence of these causes of death does not mean that there is no cause of death.” After a slight pause, Bo Ruoyou said calmly: “The daughter of the people suspects that the old lady died suddenly due to a hidden disease. To confirm, an autopsy is required. ”
He Cheng was shocked, “The old lady had always been in good health during her lifetime. Besides, the old lady had a noble status, how could she let her body be dissected?”
The funeral customs in Dazhou are not civilized. Even after death, the body, hair and skin should not be damaged. Bao Ruoyou has been doing autopsy for so long, and she has encountered such a situation, so she is not surprised.
Bo Ruoyou said calmly: “Many hidden diseases do not show any abnormality on weekdays, but they can cause sudden death. If you want to make a conclusion, you can only do an autopsy. The old lady is old and her body organs are damaged. Hidden disease is very possible, but what kind of hidden disease it is, it is difficult to tell just by looking at the corpse. Once you know what kind of hidden disease it is, and then ask about the circumstances of the old lady’s death on the day, you can deduce the circumstances of the old lady’s death. It doesn’t matter whether others are involved or not.”
Not everyone knows how to perform an autopsy. In the entire Qingzhou City, only Bo Ruoyou dared to cut open a corpse to examine its organs and bones, no matter how long it had been dead. He Cheng knew that Bo Ruoyou’s words were reasonable, but he also had difficulties, “I don’t have the say whether the corpse can be autopsied. Now it’s up to several masters in the Hou Mansion to make the decision. If we want to do the autopsy, they have to agree.”
Seeing Bao Ruoyou’s eyes full of confusion, He Cheng knew that she did not understand the Anqing Hou Mansion, so he said: “After the old lady married the old Marquis, she had five sons. The eldest son inherited the position of Marquis after the death of the old Marquis. However, He died of illness three years ago. Since he had no children, the title of marquis was never renewed. Later, the old lady became the head of the house, and the other four gentlemen also lived in the house. After the old lady passed away a few days ago, , now it’s the Third Master and the Fifth Master who are in charge, and they most likely won’t agree.”
Bo Ruoyou asked subconsciously: “Where are the second master and the fourth master?”
When Bao Ruoyou asked, He Cheng’s eyes suddenly looked strange. He glanced at the old lady’s body and subconsciously took half a step back towards the door, as if he was afraid that the old lady’s body would suddenly stand up.
“Fourth Master is traveling abroad and is now on his way back.”
After talking about the fourth master, He Ben should have continued to talk about the second master, but his words stopped and he took half a step back towards the door, “I just said that after the old lady died, something strange happened in the house—— ”
Bao Ruoyou didn’t know why He Cheng brought up the old words again, but she also wanted to know what happened at home, so she looked at He Cheng quietly.
He Cheng’s lips tightened, and there was a bit of panic in his eyes, “The old lady was found on the morning of the first day of the new year. After an autopsy, it was concluded that the old lady should have passed away between midnight and nine o’clock the night before. At that time, the house The third master and others said that the death of the old lady was closely related to the second master. Because last year, the second master and the old lady had a very bad relationship between mother and son because of the matter of renewing their title. And on New Year’s Eve On the night of , they even had a big fight.”
Bao Ruoyou said subconsciously: “Then now… the second master is in custody?”
He Cheng’s eyes condensed, “No, he is dead.”
“Not only did he die, but he was pushed down by the old lady from the third floor of the Yaoyue Pavilion in the mansion in full view of everyone.”
Bo Ruoyou frowned for a moment, “But the old lady has already…”
“That day was the seventh day of the first lunar month, the seventh day of the old lady’s first lunar month.” He Cheng couldn’t help but look at the old lady’s body, “So, people in the mansion said that it was the old lady’s ghost who came here for revenge. Kill the second master.”
Bao Ruoyou was facing the old lady’s body with her back at the moment. After He Cheng said these words, even though she had always been calm, she felt a chill running down her spine. She also instantly understood why there were so many paper children. The masters who were doing this There is a saying that after the death of an old person, the soul is restless and evil spirits arise, so offering a young ghost child to appease or suppress it may be possible.
Bo Ruoyou composed himself, “So there are actually two deceased persons in this case. Do you believe that ghosts kill people?”
He Cheng smiled bitterly, “If I believe it, I have excuses in so many previous cases. Why would I call you here when I encounter difficulties?”
Bo Ruoyou said in a deep voice: “I don’t know if ghosts can kill people, but it’s very easy for people to pretend to be gods and ghosts to harm people. Sir, do you want to examine the second master’s body as well?”
He Cheng sighed, “It needs to be tested, but it’s a little difficult at the moment. After the death of the second master, Mr. Zheng still insisted that the second master committed the murder. Now he has buried the body of the second master elsewhere. As long as the government finds out There is evidence that the second master harmed the old lady. Therefore, the government has not yet inspected the second master’s body.”
There are many aristocratic families in Qingzhou City, especially the Anqing Marquis Mansion. Although He Cheng is the prefect of a state, he comes from a poor family and has no background. Therefore, as a prefect, he has to be very cautious, so that in this case, he is completely Being restrained.
The sweat on He Cheng’s forehead showed that he was extremely anxious, but looking at the sun that was already setting outside, he knew that he could no longer hesitate. People from the capital would arrive after dark, and the situation would only increase. Trouble, “That’s all, I’m going to discuss it with the third master now. If I can get it right, I can rest assured that you will conduct an autopsy——”
He Cheng is sometimes too cautious and timid, but he is rarely negligent or rude when it comes to official duties. He can be regarded as a good official who asks for orders for the people, so Bo Ruoyou said: “Okay, the citizen girl is waiting here. ”
He Cheng nodded and pointed to the wing next to him, “Go and stay there to keep it warm.”
After saying that, He Cheng turned around and went out, gave instructions to the Yamen, and left the yard with one of them.
As soon as He Cheng left, the official was outside the house again. In an instant, only Bo Ruoyou was left in the house. But she understood the purpose of setting up the mourning hall in this way, and she lost the creepy feeling she had when she first arrived.
She turned and looked at the old lady’s body.
She has never seen a ghost, nor does she believe in the theory that ghosts kill people. She only thinks about who could be in this Yangyang Hou Mansion, pretending to be an old lady to harm the second master, and then disappear without anyone noticing. Let everyone think that it is ghosts who are harming people…
As for the old lady whose cause of death is hard to find, did she die of a hidden illness or was she harmed by someone else?
It took longer for He Cheng to leave than Bao Ruoyou expected. She waited until the sun set in the west, and then saw that the sun set in the west was covered by a few clouds. The cold wind blew in the yard, and it seemed that it was coming again. Falling snow.
After waiting for too long, the weather was about to change again, and Bo Ruoyou became a little anxious. She couldn’t help but walk in the courtyard.
The layers of plain snow in the courtyard, like white silk on the ground, contrasting with the spiritual flags on the beams, made the small courtyard look even more desolate for no reason. Seeing that He Cheng still hadn’t appeared, her heart sank to the bottom of her heart.
The reason why He Cheng delayed for so long must be because he could not convince the two masters.
In addition to autopsy, is there any other way?
While she was deep in thought, footsteps finally sounded outside the hospital.
There are many footsteps and there are many people coming!
With a look on his face, Bo Ruoyou hurriedly walked towards the entrance of the courtyard to greet him, but as soon as he reached the entrance of the courtyard, Bo Ruoyou’s footsteps stopped.
There were indeed many people coming. Before she could see He Cheng, she ran into a pair of cold pool-like phoenix eyes. The owner of the phoenix eyes was tall and tall, with handsome features and a black robe. The whole body was filled with the intimidating aura of an unruly nobleman. The cold wind stirred up the snow particles on the ground and flew up, also raising the golden dragon pattern on the hem of his robe.
Bo Ruoyou’s heart skipped a beat, they were from the royal family!
When Bao Ruoyou was stunned, the pair of phoenix eyes opposite her had already darkened the moment they saw her, and then, a frightening voice sounded gloomily, “How could there be a woman? ”
The voice was obviously displeased. He Cheng hurriedly stepped forward from behind, his voice almost frightened, “Master Marquis, calm down… Calm down, this is the work invited by the lower official.” He said and looked at Bo. Ruoyou’s eyes were warning, “What are you doing standing still? This is Marquis Wu Zhao, why don’t you pay your respects to the Marquis?”
The change happened too suddenly. Fortunately, Bo Ruoyou had always been calm. She came back to her senses in an instant, lowered her eyes and knelt down.
The moment she knelt down, her expression became solemn.
It’s actually Marquis Wu Zhao!
She grew up in Qingshan County, and even though she was a powerful person in Qingzhou City, she knew very little about it, but the word “Wu Zhaohou” was very familiar to her. He was like the sun and moon in the sky, shining in the great Zhou Dynasty. On every inch of territory.
Wu Zhaohou Huo Weilou, his mother was the eldest princess of the dynasty, and his father was the hereditary Duke of Ding. He was granted the title of Marquis for his military exploits at the age of 18. Later, he was in charge of the embroidered clothes envoy of Emperor Qin and all the officials, and he also took charge of the photography of Ti. Criminal Division.
He is inferior to ten thousand people. Not only the common people are afraid of him, but also in the officialdom, everyone is as afraid of him as Yama. It is said that only one year after the last year, he was dismissed because of the incompetence of officials from all parties. Nearly a hundred people were investigated…
Bao Ruoyou was shocked in her heart. At this moment, she heard Huo Weilou ask in a deep voice: “Is your Qingzhou government official’s widow a young girl?”