Then, Leng Yi came to the scholar's house. Here, it has almost become a hell on earth, not only has the entire family been searched upside down, but all the family members, including the scholar's wife, have all been tortured by Yin Hu to extract confessions, and life is worse than death. However, Yin Vulture still found nothing.

After Leng Yi asked, he learned that the scholar's wife had been forced to confess to death, and he didn't say the result they hoped for. Leng Yi asked the scholar's wife to be brought to their bedroom, and he and Cheng Luojie were interrogated together.

The woman could barely get up, and her whole body was wounded. Slumped on the ground and moaned.

Leng Yi said: "Your husband has already confessed, that box of jewelry was actually entrusted by your childhood sweetheart's lover to bring it to you for safekeeping, right?" ”

The woman sighed and looked at Leng Yi.

Cheng Luojie was also surprised, she didn't know that there was this hidden secret.

Leng Yi said: "This official interrogated you this time, not to ask where you have hidden other treasures, because this official knows that few people can withstand the torture of the six gates of the capital, and you can't do it, but he still hasn't said an answer that satisfies them, which can only explain one thing, that is, you really don't know." So, I asked in vain. I'm arraigning you today because I want to know about you and your childhood sweetheart. Let's start with what you know. ”

The woman's face, which was already pale, was flushed, and she lowered her head. Said slowly: "His name is Ke Qiang......"

"What did you say?" Cheng Luojie asked in surprise, "His name is Ke Qiang?" ”

"Yes." The woman didn't know why Cheng Luojie reacted so much, and looked at him suspiciously.

Leng Yi also looked at her.

Cheng Luojie leaned into Leng Yi's ear and said in an almost inaudible voice: "Among the people who stole the treasures of the palace is a guard, whose name is also Ke Qiang!" ”

Leng Yi's heart was shocked, but his face did not change in the slightest. He looked at the woman and said, "Go on." ”

The woman said: "He was a neighbor with me when we were in my hometown of Hejian Province. We played together as kids. When I was bullied, he would go and beat him. He was there for me and took care of me. Once, for me, he got into a fight with a group of people and was beaten to the point that his head was bleeding. I cried and bandaged his wounds, saying that when I was older, I would marry him as a wife. However, when we were both older, my father did not agree to his family's proposal, but told me about the current family business. Before I got married, I made him a pair of insoles and gave them to him as a thought. Since then, I have been married to Bazhou, and I have not heard from him again. A few days ago, he suddenly asked a fellow to send me the pair of insoles, and a letter, saying that I should do him a favor and keep the box of things for the sake of the love of the year. I remembered that I was sorry for him, but I said that I would be his wife, but I married someone else. I felt guilty, so I agreed. I didn't expect to cause such a big disaster......"

Leng Yi said: "In addition to giving this box of treasures, did that fellow give you anything else?" ”

"There was only this box of things, and that pair of insoles and a letter. There really isn't anything else. ”

Leng Yi thought for a while and said, "What about the insoles and letters?" ”

"The letter has been taken away from your people. They looked at the insoles and then gave them back to me and put them in my jewelry box. So saying, the woman pointed to a brocade box on the table.

Leng Yi walked over and opened it, and all the jewelry inside had been taken away, and only a pair of insoles were lying pitifully inside.

Leng Yi looked over and over again, and sure enough, there was nothing special. I checked it and said, "I'll take this insole first, and I'll return it to you after I'm sure there's no problem." ”

The woman shook her head and laughed miserably: "No need, sir, keep it, it's this insole, which has caused my family to die, and I don't want to see it again......"

Leng Yi took the insoles into his arms and asked Soap Li to take the woman away.

Cheng Luojie said to Leng Yi: "Unexpectedly, it was Ke Qiang who asked Dong Ze to put Dongzang Province in his childhood sweetheart's lover." ”

Leng Yi said: "Who is Dong Ze?" ”

"It's the eunuch who was killed by the river, and he and Ke Qiang were both the ones who escaped by stealing the treasures of the palace. - It's really weird. Why didn't Ke Qiang send things to his childhood sweetheart himself? ”

"He is afraid of revealing his whereabouts, so he will change to a stranger, which is not very noticeable."

Leng Yi nodded slowly and said, "Didn't you say that Dong Ze and Ke Qiang both absconded with treasures?" Now, Dong Ze's Eastern Tibet Province is here with Ke Qiang's first love, you say, Ke Qiang's things, will they hide in Dong Ze's people and where? ”

Cheng Luojie's eyes lit up: "That's right! The last time the case was exchanged for murder, it was almost not detected, some people exchanged killings, and some people exchanged hidden treasures! It's entirely possible, so it's hard to find out where something is hidden, so it's not easy to get exposed. Cheng Luojie said happily here, and felt that something was wrong, and frowned: "All the people in Dong Ze and Ke Qiang's hometown, the imperial court has conducted an investigation and determined that they have not gone back, and their relatives and friends have not seen him. ”

Leng Yi shook his head and said, "How could he go back to his hometown by himself, even if he was a big fool, he would immediately think of going to his hometown to search." ”

Cheng Luojie nodded and said, "You mean, where might Ke Qiang be hiding in Dong Ze's other people?" For example, there is also a first love or something? Right? ”

Leng Yi smiled: "Yes, it is impossible for him to hide in Dong Ze's hometown, because it must be a place where the imperial court is strictly guarded." According to the logic of exchanging hidden things, he may be hiding from Dong Ze's other friends, this person should be Dong Ze's close friend or someone else, but there must be very few people who know. ”

Cheng Luojie said happily: "What you said is too important, I will immediately report to Queen Kaibao to investigate whether there is such a person, if you can find Ke Qiang according to this clue, then Brother Yi, you will have made a great contribution!" ”

"It's just a guess on my part, and there's no evidence for it."

"I think this idea is very novel, how can the people of the court not find Ke Qiang's whereabouts, maybe, they can find him according to your clues!"

"I hope so!"

Cheng Luojie said: "Although we have found these treasures, none of the three most critical treasures have been found. What can I do? ”

Leng Yi said: "I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, take my time." It's better to let Yin Vultures stop pending, it's useless, and it's just making people suffer. ”

When Leng Yi left the scholar's house, the sun was shining in the sky. It's just that in the sky, there is a faint sound of thunder. couldn't help frowning slightly, got into the sedan chair, and returned to the yamen.

Although he found some hidden secrets of this case, he still didn't find what he wanted to find the most, and Leng Yi couldn't help but be a little frustrated. I didn't want to work, so I sat for a while, and when it was time to get off work, I returned home.

After dinner, Leng Yi took out the pair of insoles and looked at them over and over again.

Zhuo Qiaoniang sat on the side. The maid grass spike stood behind her.

Zhuo Qiaoniang looked at the insole and said, "Oh, this insole is beautiful, who made it?" ”

"It's the evidence of the case, and I took it back to study."

"Let me see."

Zhuo Qiaoniang took it, pinched it with her hand, looked at it over and over for a while, handed it to the grass ear behind her and said, "Your needlework is better than mine, look at it." ”

Cao Sui smiled, took it, looked at it for a while, pointed to the stitches on the edge of the insole, and said, "The needle on the top edge of this insole has been re-sewn!" ”

Leng Yi was overjoyed, took it over and looked at it carefully, but he couldn't see the flaws, and said, "How do you know?" ”

Cao Sui said: "The master is a person who does big things, and he doesn't need to do needlework, so he naturally can't see it." ”

Zhuo Qiaoniang said: "I'll take a look." She took the insole and looked at it carefully. Puzzled, he said, "It's no different." ”

Caosui said: "The difference is on the line, although the line used is the same, and the joints on both sides are also very well connected, and it can't be seen from the outside, but the wax on the line on the side is much better than the wax of other lines, so the line is smoother and has no burrs." ”

"Really?"

Zhuo Qiaoniang leaned under the lamp again to take a closer look, nodded hesitantly, and said, "Hearing you say this, it seems that it is really a little different." ”

Leng Yi was very happy, and said to Cao Sui: "You go on and see, there is something wrong!" ”

"Hmm!" Cao Sui pinched the insoles with his hands again and felt them carefully. She walked over to the table, took an awl from the sewing basket, inserted the underside of a thread into a thumb-sized pattern on the front of the insole, and picked it with a sharp click. It's short, and both ends are cut off.

Leng Yi sighed. looked at Zhuo Qiaoniang, and then looked at the grass spike.

The spikes of grass then picked a few around the pattern, and they were all like that.

"The thumb-sized pattern is empty underneath, and the needles and threads on both sides are re-pasted with paste. So it came out as soon as it was picked. ”

Leng Yi was overjoyed and said, "So, there is a sandwich in the insole?" ”

"It should be."

"Can you turn it on?"

"I'll try."

The grass spike carefully cut the joint with small scissors with a sharp tip, and picked out the thread little by little with an awl. Then, with a small knife, she cut the paste inside little by little.

Suddenly, the bottom of her hand felt a slight emptiness, and the tip of the knife pierced into the air!

The grass spike was more careful, expanding the empty space a little bit, and the insole became an open-mouthed crocodile.

She squeezed open the opening, stretched out two slender fingers, and gently pinched something out of it and placed it on the table in front of Leng Yi.

This is a small neatly folded white silk, as thin as a cicada's wings. Leng Yi carefully unfolded it, and on it was a small painting with a boulder and an ancient pine next to it. Next to the pine tree, a circle is drawn, and a line of small characters below it: "Ten steps west of the third ancient pine on the east side of the lotus stone in Lotus Ridge, Bazhou." ”

Is this a treasure map? Could it be that those three royal treasures are hidden?

Leng Yi was ecstatic in his heart, picked up the insole of the map, turned around and left, and when he arrived at the door, he stood again, turned back to Cao Sui and said, "Thank you!" "And then it was gone.

(To be continued)