Pei Zhenghao untied the copper ring on the white pigeon's feet and immediately went to see King Yu.

"Things are getting more and more complicated. King Ling has arrived in Pingzhou, and found out that Lü Yanhui is greedy for ink and stone, and now continues to investigate the Chinese New Year's Eve bloodbath, and Pingzhou is currently temporarily taken over by King Ling. After listening to Pei Zhenghao's narration, King Yu threw the note into the incense burner.

"We all know that King Ling investigated the case and found out the head of the prince, but why did he suddenly go to Pingzhou from the Ping'an Army, and by the way, find out that Lu Yan would be corrupt? Feel like there's some kind of connection between these two things? ”

You are right, Xuan Shaoning also expressed the same meaning in the letter. He originally went to Pingzhou to explore the way for the expansion of the Xuanjia Army, but then he accidentally killed Zhang Shisan, which would be temporarily put on hold, but with the presence of King Ling, he was afraid that it would be more difficult to further complete the task. King Yu said lightly.

"Does Your Highness mean to let him come back first?"

"Zhenghao, you still don't know him very well, if he wants to quit, I'm afraid he will already be standing in front of us at this time."

"Oh? Not being afraid of difficulties is a rare character, but can his ability match? ”

"Can you, let's wait and see." King Yu took a pen and wrote a letter, and then passed it through the carrier pigeon in the same way.

When the white carrier pigeon arrived at the Yuwang Mansion, the black carrier pigeon also arrived at Lengyuezhai.

"Speaking of which, I really haven't been here for a long time, I wonder if my sisters miss me?"

"As an official of the imperial court, be careful of being used by people with intentions when you speak like this!"

"Haha, if it were another place, I would definitely not open my mouth honestly, but this is Leng Yuezhai, I am most relieved!"

"Don't worry, I'm not at ease, it's still the old position."

"You're not at ease? What are we doing here? ”

Xiao Moyan sat down with a big grin as always, and immediately stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth, "Could it be that you haven't seen me for many days and missed me?" ”

Qi Wantong poured the tea and put a note on the table, "It was Shaoning who wrote to me to find you two, read it for yourself." ”

Before Xiao Moyan could swallow the pastry, the note had already been unfolded by Mu Qingyuan.

"It turned out that King Ling went to Pingzhou, and Shaoning is now also involved in the Chinese New Year's Eve bloody case."

"Show me!" Xiao Moyan snatched the note in Mu Qingyuan's hand and said after reading it: "I have also heard about this case, why Shaoning was involved in it His letter did not go into detail, but the meaning of wanting to know some inside information is obvious." ”

"Shaoning is really looking for the right person, I am at the scene of the bloody case, this case is very strange, I have already gone to the court to allow me to delay my appointment."

"What? Are you on-site? ”

"Isn't that weird? My father is Shaoqing of Dali Temple, so naturally he can't hide this from me, and it's not just me, Yan Keran was also there that day. ”

"Wow, you two are the first to get the moon near the water!"

Qi Wantong burned the letter while interrupting Xiao Moyan, "I asked you two to come here to discuss business, Mo Yan, if you are so shocked again, I will pack you a pastry and go back to taste it slowly!" ”

"Don't, don't, I'm human too. Okay, what do you think we can do to help Shaoning? ”

"Let's talk about Ke Ran's discovery that day." Mu Qingyuan recounted in detail the suspicious points found at the scene that day, "Wantong, I can trust you, it's you, don't shout everywhere!" ”

"I love to talk, but I can tell which is more important! After so many years of being our classmates, you still can't trust me? ”

"Honestly, it does..... I can't believe it."

"You!"

"Alright! Qingyuan, do you have your own doubts? Qi Wantong was really in no mood to listen to the two bickering at this time.

"After I went back, I thought about it for several days, and I thought...... This is not a homicide......"

In the three days after Lu Yan was arrested, Xuan Shaoning has been reminiscing about a more detailed past that Ji Wenhan told him that night:

Dong Biben is an ordinary blacksmith in Pingzhou, owns a simple blacksmith shop, lives a poor life, but his wife is a famous beauty in ten miles and eight towns, and her husband and wife live a comfortable life. One day after the two got married for half a year, Dong Bi went out to buy iron materials, and his wife was the only one in the blacksmith shop, and it happened that Zhang 13 came to the market that day, and he took a fancy to his wife's beauty at a glance, so he was greedy, and unexpectedly his wife was loyal and strong, and swore to die, and finally died in a scuffle with Zhang 13. After Dong Bi, who returned to the blacksmith's shop, saw the tragic situation and learned the truth, he sneaked into Zhang Shisan's mansion that night and wanted to die with him, but unfortunately he was injured and was about to die on the spot, but he encountered someone who rescued him, and that person was Li Sheng, who was a soldier in Zhang Shisan's mansion and had never been accustomed to Zhang Shisan's unscrupulousness. The two had no way to stay in Pingzhou anymore, and together they escaped from Pingzhou overnight and later joined the Xuanjia Army.

At the same time, Xuan Shaoning also received a flying pigeon biography from King Yu and Qi Wantong, King Yu's letter is very simple, the main meaning is that Xuan Shaoning does not have to be too restrained when he continues to do things, and Qi Wantong's letter shocked him even more after letting Xuan Shaoning understand the basic situation of the bloody case:

"What? How can it be? ”

"Don't worry, you two, listen to me explain slowly. First of all, the innkeeper reflected that the two of them stayed at the inn two days before Chinese New Year's Eve, and the New Year was the lightest time for the inn's business, and when they stayed at the hotel, the small inn was going to close down, which means that an inn only has two guests and two middle-aged guests with large luggage, which naturally makes the owner and his wife pay attention to it. Then, the store also said that the two of them almost never went out of the store, only went to the backyard, and the daily meals were delivered to the room by the store. ”

"It is indeed strange to say this, that there must be unspeakable purposes for acting differently from mortals."

"That day, Ke Ran and I saw a mark with a somewhat familiar shape next to the well in the backyard, and after I went back, I kept thinking about where I saw it, why it was a little familiar, but it turned out that after I went to the street yesterday, I had a flash of inspiration and thought of it!"

"Don't sell it, hurry up!"

"It's a common lattice for ironwork in blacksmithing!"

"Could it be that this is the slot they carry with their strange, long-grown luggage?"

"Quite possibly!"

"Who goes out with something so big and heavy? Aren't they soldiers, how can they have anything to do with iron? ”

"And I said that I found water stains on the placket of the chest of the intact corpse, and I couldn't help but have it on the chest, and there was also a wound on the back, and on the side of the corpse there was a water stain that was not easy to find, extending from the chest to the back."

"Wait!" Xiao Moyan and Qi Wantong glanced at each other, and all the above information began to slowly thread into a line in their minds, "You said before that they weren't killed, so it's ......"

"Suicide!" The three of them spoke in unison.

"So you think they used the slot they carried with them and the snow in the capital for a few days to create a weapon with water, and then killed themselves!"

"Yes!"

"While it makes sense to infer suicide from the signs you mentioned, why did they commit suicide and pretend to be the scene of the murder? And why is it that one person was dismembered, but the other was largely intact? It's a bit of an unbelievable thing! ”

Fantastic! Xuan Shaoning's first reaction after receiving Qi Wantong's flying pigeon biography was the same, but combined with the past that Ji Wenhan told him, it seemed that the rationality of this inference had taken a step further.

"I heard that Wen Han told you everything about the past." Xuan Shaoning could hear that the voice came from Xu Chengxian.

"I'm afraid that the quarrying brothers here know a little bit about this past, right?"

"This incident was quite troublesome back then, and for this reason, Zhang Shisan also killed more than a dozen people to vent his anger." Xu Chengxian stood on Xuan Shaoning's side, saw a twitch at the corner of his mouth, paused and continued: "Although Wen Han is young, it is also wise for him to hide this matter for the time being, and now that you already know, it seems appropriate for you to report it to King Ling." ”

"I should ask Han is younger brother, even if I am willing to tell King Ling, how do you know that Lord Teng will not have added this matter? After all, you also said that the incident was a big incident back then, and Lord Teng, as a parent official, must have known about it. ”

"He won't say it."

Xuan Shaoning turned around and looked into Xu Chengxian's eyes, "Are you so sure?" ”

"I have been in Pingzhou with him for so many years, and I can guess most of his personality. Don't ask me what kind of person he is just yet, the key for us now is to help King Ling find useful clues to the case as soon as possible, after all, you are not here to waste time. ”

The man with the scar in front of him made Xuan Shaoning's heart throb a little, if Ji Wenhan was a clear and calm lake, then Xu Chengxian was like a mist steaming from the lake. "I've been thinking about this for the past few days, both of them used to be my Xuanjia soldiers, and now that they have been killed, I also have the responsibility to help them find out the murderer; King Ling can leave Pingzhou one day earlier, and I can complete the recruitment as soon as possible. ”

"Oh? There is such a story! King Ling put down the booklet in his hand, and Xuan Shaoning vaguely saw at that moment that it was the stone ledger that was found, and at the same time sighed in his heart that Xu Chengxian was not bad.

"Yes, this matter can be said to have been heard by the people of Pingzhou, but everyone has gradually forgotten it after many years, and the reason why I mentioned it again is that I think this matter may be helpful in solving the Chinese New Year's Eve bloody case."

"More than 10 years ago, Xuan Xiaowei thinks it can be helpful for recent cases? This king would like to hear about it! ”

"Dare to ask King Ling, have you ever been to the scene of the Chinese New Year's Eve bloody crime?"

"That's not true, this king has already learned the basic situation from Jing Zhaoyin and Dali Temple, and if there is progress in the investigation, they will definitely let this king know as soon as possible." As the person in charge of the investigation, he has never been to the scene at all, even if it is put on the prince, he has somewhat said that he can't go, Xuan Shaoning asked this question, which made King Ling feel a little unhappy.

"The last general has not been to the scene, the day before yesterday I talked to Lord Teng about this bloody case, I heard that the scene was very bloody, and a corpse was dismembered, and anyone who saw it would have palpitations. When ordinary people see such a scene, they will wonder who is so ruthless, so the government will also file a case to investigate and try their best to arrest the murderer. But what if we split the road from the beginning? ”

"A fork in the road?" King Ling was stunned by Xuan Shaoning's point of view: "Speak directly!" ”

"What if...... Isn't this a murder? ”

As if a gust of wind suddenly blew away the mist on the lake, a clear scenery immediately appeared in front of him, and a flash of inspiration flashed in King Ling's mind, "What do you mean...... They weren't killed at all, they were ...... Suicide? If so, for what? Why is it so bloody? ”

"The last general should not have interfered in the investigation of the case, but yesterday I asked Han about the past when Dong Bi used to be a blacksmith, and then I heard Lord Teng talk about the case, it was also a whim, so I thought about whether there was such a possibility, and I hope that King Ling will understand."

"Captain Xuan's words are serious, you have pointed out a strange way to solve the case for this king! Captain Xuan, your trip is to recruit troops for the Xuanjia Army, it seems that my fourth brother values you very much! King Ling's words turned, and he was in the middle of Xuan Shaoning's arms.

"Yes, the emperor allowed Xuanjia to expand the army, so the last general volunteered, but now there is no progress, it is really ashamed!"

"I have a lot of good boys, I don't know why Captain Xuan chose Pingzhou?"

"Don't dare to deceive Your Highness, I once heard that there was an iron army in Pingzhou, named Yicong, which was a soldier under General Pei Ye Pei, so ......"

"So you want to come to Pingzhou to recruit such an iron army again?" The sarcasm in King Ling's smile at the moment was clearly seen by Xuan Shaoning, "Captain Xuan, this king admires you for having such courage, even so, this king naturally wants to support it vigorously, this king is here to investigate the case this time, from today on, Captain Xuan can recruit soldiers in Pingzhou, as long as the quarry can ensure normal mining, you can discuss with Lord Teng." ”

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Many days have passed since the New Year's Festival, and the weather is still cold, but the sun is shining and it makes people's hearts warm. It has been nearly ten months since he came to Pingzhou, and Xuan Shaoning, who was originally worried, was in a mood like the weather at the moment, and the wind was clear. Came to the market early in the morning, Xu Chengxian had already sent people in advance in Wolong Town and even the surrounding areas to spread the announcement of the recruitment of the Xuanjia Army in accordance with Xuan Shaoning's instructions in advance, to Xuan Shaoning's surprise, there were so many people who appeared at the recruitment site this day! The small market was already crowded, and it was full of lean men as far as the eye could see.

"Captain Xuan is here!"

In the shouts of everyone, Xuan Shaoning walked on the high platform and looked at everyone at the scene with burning eyes, "Xuan Shaoning has thanked all the fathers and villagers here for their loyalty and patriotism, you can support the Xuanjia Army like this, I am really moved, but the recruitment conditions of my Xuanjia Army will not change: the only son in the family will not be recruited; Those under the age of 16 or over the age of 40 are not recruited; Those with disabilities are not recruited. In addition, the quarry should not be abandoned, even if there are a few brothers in the family, only half of them can be recruited, but do you hear clearly? ”

"Clear!"

"A manly man should go into battle to kill the enemy, no matter how much it is better than quarrying!"

"We have been oppressed for too long, and we are about to be released!"

"We are willing to follow Captain Xuan!"

The crowd is surging, even if Xuan Shaoning, Xu Chengxian, Ji Wenhan and a few men who have arranged things keep registering, it is still too late. The hot scene made the winter leave early.

For ten days, Xuan Shaoning was very busy, and after several persuasions, he finally guaranteed the minimum number of people in the quarry. On this day, the carrier pigeon carrying Xuan Shaoning's letter flew away from Pingzhou in the direction of the capital.

"Your Highness, there is a letter from Pingzhou!"

King Yu took the copper pipe sent by Pei Zhenghao, opened it and browsed it, with a smile on his face, "Look at it, this kid has a surprise for us!" ”

"Oh? There were 20,000 of them! It was really unexpected, I was worried about it before. ”

"Isn't it? Originally, I was worried that he would kill the court official, but I didn't expect that King Ling's investigation of the case would make such an unexpected change in the situation. ”

"King Ling has already returned to Beijing five days ago, and Lu Yanhui has also been escorted to Beijing, but I just got the news that King Ling entered the palace today to meet him."

"We can't control what the King of Ling wants, what news does Mobei have?"

"Spring will begin in two months, and our army is already preparing to prevent the Hu people from plundering southward."

"That's good, I want to try to return to Mobei as soon as possible!"

"Your Highness, the capital is the center of power, there is a Xuanjia in Mobei, there will be no accidents, Your Highness should still ......"

"The struggle for imperial power is not what I want, and my military career is my destination." King Yu no longer listened to Pei Zhenghao's persuasion, and turned his eyes to the north.