Outside the window, the leaves rustle and a breeze blows, blowing the paper on the table through the half-open window. Neither of them spoke again, and when they looked at each other again, Xu Chu got up and saluted and thanked each other and then stepped back, while Xiao Qinglang looked light-hearted, and no one could see the right hand he was holding under the desk.

It wasn't until the slender figure completely disappeared that he looked at the drawing paper in front of him with an indifferent expression, as if he was troubled by something, as if he was simply thinking about the mystery of the case.

Before the lanterns were lit, the temporary prefect of Yunzhou sent by Beijing also arrived, and when he entered the yamen, he first called the same Zhicui Husheng to come to meet the king of Jing'an. The person who came was an old man who was assessed by the ministry and had an excellent official reputation, known as the two-sleeved breeze, so Xiao Qinglang was also quite respectful, and after some entrustment, he asked people to retire first to familiarize themselves with the official affairs of the yamen, while he continued to study the case.

The case of the Furong Inn was very important, and he had no intention of letting local officials interfere from the beginning.

I have to say that King Jing'an's movements were extremely fast, and as soon as the evening arrived, the guards had already reported back the daily life of the six butchers who Xiao Qinglang and Xu Chu had singled out as suspects.

At this time, Xiao Mingzhu ran back from nowhere, with a lot of shyness and dazedness on her face, and when she saw Xu Chu and her third uncle, her face was flushed again, and she was very good-looking.

She looked at her third uncle and Sister Xu's eyebrows, as if she knew it very well, she couldn't help but stomp her feet and snort, randomly found a place to sit down and poured a sip of cold tea in a hurry.

Xiao Qinglang smiled at Xu Chu, shook his head helplessly, and then began to look through the files of several people. In fact, if they have enough time, they should go and investigate in person, otherwise they are afraid that many subtle clues will be lost based on some literal information.

It's a pity that in addition to tracking down the murderer of the Furong Inn tragedy, they have more important things to do. In Jinzhou City, if those officials are really replaced, there will be huge hidden dangers in the local salt, grain, piracy, river defense, sea frontier, river engineering, water conservancy, cleaning up the military register, and soothing the people.

Xiao Qinglang, in particular, is well versed in the way of court officials. Jinzhou seems to be just a state city, but it is the place where the Holy Ancestor unveiled the rod, the imperial court has been extremely important since the Holy Ancestor, and the tax was reduced and reduced for a time, and there was a royal courtyard for the emperors of the past dynasties to worship the sky.

It can be said that Jinzhou is by no means a simple word rich that can be summed up. Whether it is gold or silver mines, or even sea income, they are all comparable to the wealth of the other eighteen states of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

If he had this kind of money, he wantonly sold illicit salt and set up copper mines, gold and silver mines, and the huge amount of money he received could not think of any other use except for the purchase of weapons and the private construction of the army. But when it comes to such a situation, I am afraid that it is no different from rebellion.

If someone makes the idea of this place and takes Jinzhou into his pocket, the consequences are absolutely unimaginable.

Xiao Mingzhu finally eased the heat on his face, and saw the third uncle and Sister Xu digging through a stack of files. She hurried up and whispered, "Sister Xu, let me help you see?" ”

With permission, she no longer thought about the scenes that made her face red-faced, as well as the love words of peacocks, but followed the study. It's just that no matter how she looked, she didn't see any clues, so she said a little dejectedly: "Sister Xu, this is the daily life of a few butchers, and there is nothing suspicious about it." ”

Xiao Qinglang glanced at Xu Chu, wanting to see how she analyzed. In fact, he had already made up his mind that since he wanted to enable her, he would not hesitate to give her enough opportunities.

"That murderer is a man who will be avenged, and the butcher is vicious and full of brute strength, and there are places where the butcher is used for autopsy, so his reputation in the market is not good." Xu Chu pointed to the file in his hand and continued, "Therefore, butchers often quarrel with people, but most of them will seek harm and avoid profit, and only play tricks with some ordinary people who have no backing, but they have a different attitude towards their own customers or people who have money dealings. And the murderer's temperament and the benefits he has obtained are destined to make him never be ridiculed and fooled by anyone, so even if he is a patron, he will not sell face. ”

"What we're looking for now is the one among these six people who has had executioner experience or has seen Ling Chi's capital punishment, and who has a criminal record or the one who has made a big fuss."

"He can slash his beloved, which shows that he is vicious and advocates violence and blood. When he was young, he often lived in a violent environment, which caused his personality to be distorted. ”

Xu Chu did not carefully dwell on the intimate relationship between the murderer and the deceased, because the information he had at this time was not enough to be used as evidence in court, and even if he was entangled in it, it would only delay the investigation time.

In this case, it is better to speculate directly from the temperament of the murderer, and after screening, the murderer can be circled.

In fact, up to now, a guess has faintly emerged in Xu Chu's heart, maybe the people behind the scenes are not just about Jinzhou at all. You must know that since those bandits from 20 years ago were involved, it means that the people behind the scenes had already plotted when the first emperor was still alive.

Compared with the speculation of Shunzi's temperament, she recalled the life of the so-called bandit leader Jiang Dakui, but felt that Jiang Dakui might just be a puppet.

As for Sun's behavior, I am afraid that he is just a pawn for them to follow Jinzhou and act in Yunzhou City.

However, this speculation was hindered by Xiao Mingzhu's inability to announce it. It's not that I'm worried that Xiao Mingzhu will leak out, but I'm afraid that she will be threatened because of this.

You know, since those people dare to kidnap girls so unscrupulously, and treat people like pigs and dogs to slaughter at will, you can know how cruel the heart is. Since they dare to do things that go against the way of heaven, they will never care about Xiao Mingzhu's noble identity and status.

"Hey, there is a butcher named Xu Jie here, his father killed his mother by mistake when he was eight years old, and then followed the village butcher as an apprentice, and after completing his studies, he stabbed the butcher for some reason." After listening to Xu Chu's words, Xiao Mingzhu became excited after a while, and said continuously, "Sister Xu, you see, then he followed the executioner of the cell to do chores, and it happened that there was also a Ling Chi punishment in Yunzhou City. ”

"Then continue to check here, these are some records left by several major pharmacies and medical centers in Yunzhou City ten years ago. It's just that because there is too much time apart, there are many pharmacies that have changed the owner or shopkeeper during the period. And some small hospitals haven't found records for so long......," Xiao Qinglang said, clicking on a few stacks of books that had been sorted out.

In fact, Xu Chu didn't have much hope for the idea of finding the murderer's traces according to the records of the medical hall, but if he could find it, it could be regarded as a supporting evidence.

"Having a disembowelment and then being beaten up, even if you don't encounter a blood collapse, you must not be optimistic. However, the murderer and others artificially hide their identities, and they will not easily let people realize the sins they have committed, so they will definitely not bring the injured to seek medical treatment. And such an injury, even if it is just an oral description, ordinary doctors will never dare to risk blindly prescribing diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, they can only find a large number of hemostatic medicinal materials everywhere, and if such a quantity is recorded in the existing books, it will inevitably be extremely conspicuous. ”

After saying that, the three of them took out a stack of account books again and looked at them carefully.

Most of the booklets record various recipes, as well as the situation of entering and exiting medicinal materials in pharmacies and clinics, and the prescriptions are not much different, which is really boring and tasteless. But right now, even Xiao Mingzhu, who has the most lively temperament, didn't twitter anymore, but watched carefully, and only occasionally encountered some records of a large number of medicines without a prescription, and then raised his head to disturb Xu Chu for a few words.

After all, the murder has been going on for a long time, and it is extremely difficult to delineate the scope of the murderer by inference, not to mention that it is simply impossible to identify the murderer in the vast book file.

It's just that Xiao Qinglang didn't rebuke her intentions, but lightly provided the convenience she needed on one side. In the end, Xu Chu is worth his painstaking efforts, and he will see if he does it.

As for Xiao Mingzhu's mind, it is even simpler, her own sister Xu has solved several cases that even the third uncle has a headache, and when she didn't leave the capital before, she heard her uncle and the queen mention the strange story of the female servant in Cangyan County as a detective. At that time, she felt that the eldest uncle was exaggerating, probably to coax the eldest aunt to be happy.

But she didn't want to wait for the real coming to Yunzhou City, she saw with her own eyes that Sister Xu only relied on a few corpses that were indistinguishable, and she actually deduced so many things that she couldn't beat in her opinion, and now she was looking for the murderer with a bunch of files and county records. Although she hadn't heard of this method, since Sister Xu said it, it would definitely be possible.

Inexplicably, Xu Chu made a trip to Yunzhou and got a fan girl.

Compared to the few butchers' files that had been screened out, the records collected from the infirmary's pharmacy on their desks were simply cumbersome and detailed, and the stacks of people who looked at them were dizzy.

The room was silent, only the sound of flipping through the papers, until the sky was dark and a bright palace lamp was put in his hand, Xu Chu came back to his senses.

"What did you find?" Xiao Qinglang didn't show any tiredness on his face, let alone show the obvious discouragement and irritability like Xiao Mingzhu, but just asked calmly.

It was still a warm weather, but it was a little cool because of the night. Xu Chu rubbed his temples that were a little painful, and said with a sigh: "I only found one or two suspicious places, and I still need the prince to send someone to ask tomorrow." ”

Seeing this, Xiao Qinglang didn't urge, nodded and said, "The investigation of cases is often like this, and you can't rush it for a while." It's getting late today, so rest for the time being, and we'll talk about it tomorrow. ”

Seeing Xiao Qinglang speak, Xu Chu didn't hold on anymore, and got up and saluted and retreated. It wasn't until she returned to her room that she hurriedly added a few snacks from the kitchen before she thought about the case again.

Probably running around for days and being physically and mentally tired, but after a while, she fell asleep again on the head of the bed in a daze. And this time, she didn't sleep all night, and it wasn't until early the next morning that she went to Yishantang with Xiao Mingzhu, who came to look for her.

In the early morning, I was refreshed, and there were a few lively noises outside through the walls. Xu Chu could even imagine the lively scene when the wine shop and tea shop outside were gradually opening at this time, and the busy work of the vendors greeting snacks.

In her memory, she actually doesn't have the concept of motherhood, as if her father has always taken care of her food, clothing, housing and transportation since she was sensible. Whether it's just when you can go, or when you're a little older.

At that time, she was still young, but because she was the daughter of a wrestler, she was regarded as an ominous person by the villagers, so every time her father went out for an autopsy, he would carry her on her back with a frame. Whether it is in the deep mountains and old forests, or in the hustle and bustle of the market, my father will often spend a few copper plates to buy her a few pieces of sugar melon.

Sometimes the autopsy takes too long, and after a meal, my father will ruthlessly buy a bowl of meat wontons for her to eat.

This habit continued until she was six years old, when she began to be able to go to the pot and learn to cook by herself. But even if she no longer has to be carried around by her father, her father will often buy some snacks that girls like to go home after getting the copper coins issued by the yamen......

Thinking about it, she unconsciously became gentle in her heart, and there was a slight smile on her face. That was probably the happiest and most worry-free time for her, even if she had been a human for a lifetime, but she couldn't resist her desire for father's love.

"Sister Xu, what do you think?" Xiao Mingzhu saw that Xu Chu was a little relaxed when he didn't belong, and hurriedly asked.

Xu Chu glanced at her, saw her eyes bright, and couldn't help but like it more and more.

"It's just that I hear the faint sound of the hawkers outside, and I miss it a little." Xu Chu smiled and said, "When the case is over, if you have the opportunity, I will take you to eat the snacks in Yunzhou City." ”

"Huh? Snacks in the market? ”

"That's right, a little wonton made with bone broth that has been boiling all day. There is also a grilled gluten that has been brushed with chili peppers and has a salty flavor in the mouth. Coupled with golden mixed with eggs, it is a fragrant oil cake when you bite into it. If you feel that the weather is cold, you can also drink a small bowl of rich and delicious mutton soup......"

The so-called people take food as the sky, and in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which is peaceful and peaceful, it really has some meaning. Between the markets, the bustling crowd is indispensable to shouting and drinking the fragrant food stalls.

Xiao Mingzhu rarely eats those things in the market, and now that he heard what Xu Chu said, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, but he really felt that the gluttonous insects were hooked.

"Sister Xu, is there anything else?"

As soon as the words fell, I saw a standing figure waiting a few steps away, and when I saw them talking and laughing, I couldn't help but say: "Naturally, there are iron pot cakes, and spicy noodles ......."

At this time, Xiao Qinglang was still plump and handsome, but the brocade robe seemed to be the same as yesterday, and the arms and necks were slightly wrinkled, but he was a little less handsome.

"I've seen the prince!" Xu Chu paused and bowed.

"No need to be polite," Xiao Qinglang handed over the file in his hand and an account book, "Ten years ago, in Layue, Changchun Hall sold a large number of hemostatic medicinal materials, as well as a large number of tonic medicines used by pregnant women!" ”

Xu Chu took the book, and saw the record of the special logo that the guy who grabbed the medicine at the beginning kept his eyes on, after all, Xu Jie was quite famous as the executioner's apprentice in Yunzhou City.

And the other file says that Xu Jie had a living outside later, and after many years, he only went back for a while, as if someone had seen a beautiful woman go in and out of the village with him.

At this time, a flash of inspiration flashed in her mind, if the two of them entered and left the village together, it must be looking for someone's family. After all, he has been away from the village for many years, and his home has long been uninhabited, and it has been in disrepair for a long time, so where can he go back to the village?

If she guessed correctly, the woman was the beautiful female shopkeeper. Can it be inferred from this that the two of them left their children in the village?

"Lord Wang, Shunzi has only escaped for two days, and he will definitely not dare to leave the official road, and he will not dare to show up in front of people during the day, so as of today, he only has two nights to hurry." Xu Chu nodded a few words from Xujia Village, and continued, "I also bothered that the prince immediately sent someone to hide in disguise and secretly hide near the village, and when Shunzi or Xu Jie returned to the village and left, he was arrested and brought to justice." ”

The so-called cunning rabbit three caves, Shunzi escaped from the hands of Xiao Qinglang, the king of Jing'an, in Yunzhou City, and then was taken to the stronghold of the Furong Inn, afraid that the Xujia Village, where his son was hidden, was his last retreat.

Based on Junko's remaining feelings for the female shopkeeper and his physical condition, whether he plans to go to the next place or wants to break the net, he will definitely go back to the village to see his son first, and then talk about his wish.

"Hey, Sister Xu, shouldn't it be the most convenient for him to go back to the village to catch people?" Xiao Mingzhu asked in a strange voice.

Xu Chu shook his head and said to her: "The young son is innocent, I guess the reason why the female shopkeeper led us there may not be because he missed the young son and wanted to escape from the inhuman place." ”

Now that I think about it, when the female shopkeeper mentioned the child and the mother, her expression was extremely gentle. It's a pity that once you enter the den of thieves, it will be difficult to escape for life.

She imagined that in order for the child to live a stable life in the village, the two of them should not tell the child about his life experience.

"He is already in trouble, so there is no need to harm the children and cause a commotion in the village."

Her father's life and death are unknown, and she has only experienced the pain of parting with her relatives in a panic. Now, according to Junko's temperament, if he intercepts him before he enters the village, I am afraid that he will rush to the village desperately. But if it is done in the village, it will definitely alarm the people of the village, and then let the young son be innocently implicated.

Although she is not kind-hearted, she also has her own bottom line. Treating Shunzi, she can be ruthless or even murderous, but in the face of a child who was raised by simple people, she was a little unbearable.

Xiao Qinglang looked at Xu Chu intently, and saw that she had lowered her head to study her dossier again.

As soon as he asked Wei Guang to go down, he saw Rui Niang coming in a hurry, "Lord Wang, the three girls in the side courtyard have woken up, and now the doctor is checking the pulse." ”

"Are you awake? Is it a big deal? ”

Xiao Mingzhu didn't wait for Xu Chu to say anything to Xiao Qinglang, so he hurriedly put down the file in his hand and jumped up, couldn't help but look at his third uncle proudly, and showed off: "Sister Xu is really powerful, even the dead can be saved." ”

She hadn't heard that Sister Xu had restored the appearance of the skull with only the skull left, otherwise she was afraid that the tail would be lifted to the sky.

Xu Chu saw Xiao Mingzhu's small face, but Xiao Qinglang didn't care about her at all, but only cared about signing the word Jing'an in the case file on the desk, and couldn't help but smile. The little worry that had just risen in my heart seemed to have dissipated a lot.

After the group arrived at the side courtyard, they saw two frail women dodging in fear, running barefoot, laughing and crying and trembling, their cloaks were disheveled, and they looked extremely miserable and very terrifying.

"How?" Xiao Qinglang stood in front of the door and asked the state doctor.