But just when they thought they had achieved their goal, something terrible happened again. In the penal colony, the body of another exiled servant was found. Again, most of the head was gnawed off. The death was miserable. Again, no one saw or heard the unusual noise, and the place where he died was right next to his residence.

Whether it's a human or a ghost, or a mountain demon, this thing comes and goes without a trace, and it's really impossible to prevent it. So, a climate of terror quickly spread throughout the penal colony, and some people began to flee. More people asked to invite Taoist monks to chant scriptures and catch ghosts, otherwise no one would survive, and people were panicked for a while.

Although the exiled felons who escaped were all caught, there were still people who wanted to escape, after all, staying could mean death, and after escaping, there might be a way to live.

It was in this situation that the local officials could only rush to the capital like a distress letter.

After Huang Ding, the secretary of Dali Temple, saw it, he knew that the situation was serious, but he didn't dare to report this matter directly to the emperor, so he thought of Lu Jinping. I want Lu Jinping to go to the bottom first to see if he can solve this case.

Because in Huang Ding's opinion, the so-called ghosts and monsters are not enough to believe, and the beasts seem unlikely now, because the army has strengthened its vigilance, and it has gone into the mountains to search for the old hunters but has not caught the man-eating monsters. The old hunter also ruled out the possibility that the beast had hurt people, so that the most likely thing was only the murder that occurred inside. And solving murder cases Lu Jinping is the best at.

After reading the letter, Lu Jinping thought for a while and said, "Since the adults trust me, I immediately set off to Bazhou to investigate and deal with this matter, I hope it is still too late." ”

What Lu Jinping said was exactly what Huang Ding was worried about. Although the letter was sent in an expedited manner, it took several days to get here from Bazhou. And these few days plus a few days when Lu Jinping rushed there. I don't know what will happen.

Although the penal colony mobilized a lot of troops to strengthen its vigilance and defense, because Bazhou was not a border, there were not many troops, and the troops transferred were not enough to resist the collective rebellion of thousands of exiled prisoners.

Lu Jinping stood up and said to Huang Ding, "Does Lord Huang have anything else to explain?" ”

Huang Ding also stood up. With a solemn look on his face, he lowered his voice and said, "There is another piece of news that the person who sent the letter told me privately. It is not written in the letter to tell you that you have a good preparation in your heart. ”

Seeing his solemn expression, Lu Jinping couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart, nodded, and said, "Lord Huang, please speak." ”

"According to unverified information, in the Bavarian area. Someone is secretly in contact with someone who is preparing to rebel. But so far, there is no conclusive information, so local officials suspect that the three bizarre killings may have been deliberately carried out by a mob of people plotting rebellion in order to spark riots in thousands of people. In the event of a riot in the penal colony, they were able to take advantage of the opportunity to revolt. Therefore, you have to be extremely careful. ”

"This time, I will not only investigate these three murders, but also pay attention to whether there are signs of rebellion in the local area as described by officials. But. There is also a possibility that some magistrates wanted to attract the attention of the imperial court. It is also the case that sensational rumors are often fabricated and reported. So you need to go and check it out in detail. ”

Lu Jinping nodded slowly. Indeed, the situation that Huang Huangding said just now is possible, and if it is really a premeditated rebellion, I am afraid that it will be a little tricky. Fortunately, he has a plum blossom guard in his hand that can be mobilized, but the plum blossom guard is all female generals. It is not suitable to be used as a means to suppress the rebellion of the rebellious people, not to mention that if all the thousands of people in the entire Meihua internal guard are transferred to Bazhou, the movement is too big, and it is likely to startle the snake.

It's better to go directly with the elite of the plum blossom internal guard. Anyway, his main responsibility is not to go to the suppression, but to listen to accurate information, as long as he obtains accurate information. Immediately mobilize troops to deal with it.

After thinking about it, Lu Jinping arched his hand and said: "Don't worry, my lord, I will definitely investigate in detail and find out." ”

Huang Ding thought for a while and added: "So far, this case is just an ordinary homicide. Therefore, you don't have to report to the prince for the time being. The crown prince is now helping the emperor to take care of state affairs, and he is very busy every day, and this matter is only groundless so far, and there is no real evidence, so it is better not to worry him for now. ”

Lu Jinping nodded and agreed, "Then how should I tell him?" ”

"I've already thought about this, I will inform you in the next official document, and you will personally lead a team to Bazhou to record prisoners. At the same time, send two Dali Temple Cheng and bring a number of catchers to accompany you. The official letter to the local government only said that you were going to record prisoners. After arriving, I sent another secret letter to the Bazhou Assassin to tell him about the matter, instructing him to take care of everything. ”

Recording prisoners has been a common system since ancient times, that is, higher-level judicial organs send officials to all parts of the country or in some places to review cases and redress unjust prisoners. So it's normal for Lu Jinping to go down in this name.

Lu Jinping said goodbye and left Dali Temple, returned to Jingzhao Mansion, and immediately reported to Li Longji, he did not tell the truth, because this matter has indeed not been verified, so there is no need to worry him.

Li Longji did not doubt it, but said that he had stayed in the capital for a long time, and it was good to go down for a walk. In particular, the people in Bazhou live a difficult life, coupled with the difficulty of Shu Road and the steep terrain, so I took this opportunity to explore the local people's situation. If you find something, report it to him immediately.

Lu Jinping felt that Li Longji really knew the situation in Datang well. Although there is no news, it has been predicted that this possibility is possible. I couldn't help but feel admiration in my heart, and I agreed at the moment and said goodbye.

Lu Jinping returned home, called Xiaoxiao, and told him about it. Xiaoxiao immediately carefully selected ten plum blossom guards with strong martial arts as personal guards, and set off for Bazhou with Lu Jinping.

Then, Lu Jinping went to the palace to bid farewell to his mother Shangguan Wan'er.

Since Li Longji launched the Tanglong coup, Shangguan Wan'er has been deprived of all power, but it has been much better than the historical Xiangxiao Jade Burning ending. She also fully knew that Li Longji was wary of her, and now that she had found her son, she had fulfilled her wish, so she simply took advantage of this to retreat bravely, withdraw from the whirlpool of power struggle, and live in seclusion in the inner courtyard of the palace.

Hearing that Lu Jinping was going to Bazhou to record prisoners, Shangguan Wan'er couldn't help frowning and said, "Shudi is not easy to go. On the way from Chang'an to Bazhou, I climbed over the mountains of Jiange, which was very steep. You have to be very careful. ”

Lu Jinping nodded and said, "Don't worry, I'm not so squeamish, don't I just climb the mountain and cross the mountains?" It's hard for me. What's more, there are elite guards of the plum blossom internal guard, plus the escort of Miss Xiaoxiao, it should be fine. ”

Shangguan Wan'er shook her head and said: "You don't know martial arts, although there are plum blossom internal guards, but these people's martial arts can only be regarded as first-class, and when they meet real masters, they are still powerless." So, you take Ningyan with you, there are two guards guarding Ningyan and Xiaoxiao, and your mother can rest assured. ”

Lu Jinping shook his head and said: "My guards are enough, not to mention the catch of Dali Temple, stay by your side, otherwise I won't worry." ”

"What's not to worry about? I live alone in the courtyard of the palace, and who is against me? ”

Lu Jinping still shook his head and said: "No, people don't hurt the tiger, and the tiger harms people's hearts." For those who have ill intentions, it is rare to have an accurate insight into what is in their minds. When you really know that they are going to work against you, it is too late, so you must leave a strong guard by your side, so that I can go with confidence. ”

Shangguan Wan'er also stopped arguing with her, and said: "Okay, then you should be careful on the road, and come back early after finishing the matter, I am afraid that it will be winter when I come back, so I still have to bring more clothes." ”

Lu Jinping hurriedly agreed, and chatted for a while before saying goodbye and leaving.

The next day.

The two Dali Temple Cheng Zhang Lin and Wu Jie rushed to wait outside Lu Jinping's palace with more than 20 arresters from Dali Temple and the scribe of the torture room. They also rode horses.

Lu Jinping also sent someone to inform Xiong Zhutou, who was transferred from Tongzhou and was now the head catcher of Jingzhao Mansion, and asked him to follow him. Xiong Zhutou also brought a few close to his body and abdomen, and followed Lu Jinping to Bazhou.

Everything was ready to go, and Lu Jinping took Ye Qingqing to set off for Bazhou under the escort of Xiaoxiao and ten plum blossom guards.

In order to make it easier to walk along the way, these ten plum blossom guards, including Xiaoxiao, all dressed as men, and they all rode horses, which was convenient for walking on mountain roads.

Lu Jinping's equestrian skills are already quite skilled, and there are Xiaoxiao guards next to him, not to mention it.

They went all the way west to Bazhou, passing through the mountains, entering the Shu Road from Chang'an, and passing through the mountains of the Sword Pavilion where Li Bai wrote the eternal swan song Shu Road at that time, and it was difficult to go to the blue sky.

From the capital Chang'an to the west, until the Huangniling front, the road is still flat, and there are no difficulties or accidents, smoothly to the Huangniling.

At this point, Lu Jinping's heart began to hang, because Huangniling was the first difficulty in Shu Road. There are dozens of miles of winding mountain roads here, and the mountains are steep. Although there is a post road, the road is extremely narrow, and you can barely pass a horse-drawn carriage. And on one side is a steep cliff, and once the carriage falls, there will inevitably be no bones left.

And when they got here, it started to rain.

In this way, the mountain road up the mountain is more muddy, and if you slip on the muddy mountain road, it is also very dangerous, so everyone dismounts and leads the horse up. Lu Jinping was guarded in the middle, with Dali Temple and Jingzhao Mansion in front and behind, and Lu Jinping's plum blossom guard was closely guarded.

Xiaoxiao is even more inseparable from Lu Jinping, and Ye Qingqing is mainly responsible for carrying the forensic investigation box, which is a treasure and cannot fall down the cliff. Ye Qingqing was also relieved, because she knew that her martial arts were far from Xiaoxiao's, so she mainly took care of Lu Jinping's treasure box. (To be continued.) )