Xiao Qinglang nodded, beckoned her to the side of the case, pointed to the file file on the case, and said: "This is sent by the household department and the yamen, this king has seen it a little, it is complete." ”

At this time, Wei Guang outside the door brought a maidservant girl to deliver ginger soup to ward off the cold. The visitor respectfully put down the soup, and then bent down and retreated, without words or invitations. However, looking at Xiao Qinglang's demeanor, it seems that it has long been normal.

"The pioneer drove away the cold, and the case was not bad for a moment." After speaking, he took the lead in checking the file on the case. He didn't know why Xu Chu was most interested in Wu Song's corpse, and even took a lot of trouble to conduct an autopsy, but this did not prevent him from being as suspicious as Xu Chu after seeing the autopsy list.

Lord Sun was already in a cold sweat right now, he didn't dare to read the file at the same table with King Jing'an, and he didn't know how to talk to Xu Chu, so he couldn't advance or retreat for a while. Fortunately, after Xu Chu put down the soup bowl, he naturally handed over the big file, and then said: "Lord Sun can check the places that several people have been to over the years, even if they are staggered, you must write them down." ”

Since several people are involved in the rumor of the Five Elements Evil Ghost Murder Case, it must be related, at least the so-called evil ghost Seeking Murder, will definitely not find a target to commit the crime without a purpose.

At the very least, they will arrest the "evil spirits" before they commit the next crime.

The people's files are simple and clear, and Zhang Da and others are not eye-catching, so there are only a few sentences on the file. And the documents sent by the household department are just a record of his various whereabouts after leaving Yunzhou over the years.

"Although these people are from different origins now, except for Liu Chan, the rest of them are from Liulin Village, Changping County?" Xu Chu put the files of several people together, reached out and took out a new piece of paper, and slowly wrote down the doubts he had obtained. "According to records, the ancestors of several people did not have too much ancestral property. And now, except for Liu Chan, a craftsman, the rest of the people have made a fortune, which can be regarded as extremely rich. ”

If it weren't for today's follow-up and careful checking, I'm afraid they would have let go of this connection.

When Xiao Qinglang and Master Sun heard this, they both stopped their movements and looked at Xu Chu's fingertips. In just a few breaths, she had already listed the relationship between the Zhang family, the Liu family, the Li family, and the Wu family on paper.

"Except for the Wu family, the rest of these families are all ordinary people, and they were even white before they started their careers."

It seems that there are a few people who have nothing to do with each other, and there has never been any connection in the documents for decades. But the ancestral hometowns are all in the same village, and almost all of them have made a fortune in the past few years, either opening a restaurant or a tea merchant, or becoming a pawnshop shopkeeper.

"And Wu Song's father, who had worked as a miscellaneous servant in the local county government, resigned from his position as a government official due to illness twenty years ago, and moved his family to Yunzhou City, and the next year he turned platinum into business."

Xiao Qinglang's eyebrows were slightly furrowed, thoughtful.

"Since the murderer has released the saying that the five elements are asking for his life, he should not have killed two people in a row on the wood, let alone two murders related to this case in the east of the city. So I guess that Liu Chan and Li Jin must have one person, which is something that the murderer did not expect. Xu Chu bit his lip, "When I conducted an autopsy before, I compared the murder weapon with the first autopsy list, and I always felt extremely weird. The wounds on the deceased's body did not look like they had been pierced through the chest with a stick, but rather like an accident caused by an accident. ”

Seeing her say this, Xiao Qinglang raised his eyebrows, and then chuckled: "I have checked at the scene, Liu Chan died at night, and that day was the autumn rain that had been hazy all day, and the ground was inevitably a little slippery. And the pebbles where children were playing were indeed found at the scene, and there were traces of friction on them. ”

Xu Chu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Qinglang say this, that's right. Sure enough, as she guessed, as long as Liu Chan was an accident, the order of the murderer's murder would be right.

"Wood in the East, Fire in the South, Gold in the West, Water in the North, Earth in the Middle. According to the arrangement of the five elements, Zhang Da died in Jin, located at the west city gate. Liu Chan died in an accident and was located at the East City Gate. Li Jin appeared to have died in the water, but in fact, he was tortured in the face and died at the east gate of the city. Wu Song died in the fire and was located at the South City Gate. ”

As he spoke, Xu Chu crossed Liu Chan's name on the paper with a pen, and said with a solemn expression, "If Li Jin is the second target of the murderer...... In this way, the cause of death of his death by his face is also met. ”

Veneer death, as the name suggests, presses the person on top of the bench and sticks the face with wet paper. Wooden bench, dead wood.

Several people looked through it many times, but they didn't find any clues.

After Xu Chu came out with Master Sun, he saw Lord Sun trembling and raising his hand to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead. Seeing Xu Chu looking over, he sneered and said, "The prince is so majestic, it makes this official frightened." After that, he bowed to Xu Chu again, and said sincerely, "Please also ask the girl to help solve this case, otherwise the official and the people of the city will never have peace." ”

"Don't worry, my lord, the people will do their best."

As the two spoke, they had already stepped out of Xiao Qinglang's residence. And at the archway, a man with the clothes of the servants eagerly stepped forward, and when he saw Lord Sun, he hurriedly said: "My lord, Miss Hui from Chunfanglou has come again, I have to make trouble to see my lord, otherwise she will beat the drum of grievances......"

"Oh, my aunt, what kind of mess is this!" Master Sun sighed again and again, thinking that there was a celebrity in front of the prince beside him, and hurriedly explained, "That Hui Niang is Li Jincai's concubine who has not been in the door for two months, and she is a woman from Chunxiang Building." Xia Guan used to entertain a few times, and there were unsightly women who let Chunxianglou perform singing and dancing...... Xia Guan has no selfish intentions, let alone any involvement with that Hui Niang, and asks Miss Xu to gently expose this matter when she investigates the case later......"

Xu Chu raised his eyebrows, and when he saw that his eyes were empty, he knew that his words were not true. However, if this kind of thing has nothing to do with the case, she will not touch her hands, lest she can't catch the fox and cause a commotion.

Because he didn't find much useful information from the file, Xu Chu didn't continue to delay in the file, but went directly to visit the Zhang's family, the Liu family, the Li family, and the Wu family. Because several families of victims were placed here, and there was an order from King Jing'an, it was convenient for Xu Chu to interrogate.

There are people in the family, and they are all the pillars of the accident, no matter which family is naturally miserable.

Xu Chu went to Zhang's house first in the order in which the case occurred. In the end, the owner of the restaurant, the Zhang family also has a small property, although its house is not magnificent, but it is also a bit rich. The yard is a three-door yard, and it is still spacious, according to the current market price, I am afraid it is worth a few hundred taels. However, now, the house is deserted, and under the sun, there is also a gloomy feeling. At a glance, I saw that the hands of the promenade were all charms with yellow paper and red letters, densely connected, and the wind blew through and made a rustling sound.

"How can the house be so quiet? But what's the inconvenience? Xu Chu looked sideways at Zhang Shi, who was coming to her, that is, the eldest son of the Zhang family.

"It's not inconvenient, it's just that my father had an accident, and my mother's health is not as good as before, so I still need to recuperate." Zhang Shi smiled bitterly, and said hoarsely, "What's more, it's rumored outside now that my father was killed by evil ghosts...... The people in the house were panicked, so I asked my mother for a lot of charms to ward off evil spirits, whether it was useful or not, there was no way to do it. In the past few days, many people in the house have taken leave and left......"

Xu Chu didn't ask too many questions when she heard this, in fact, she also thought that this case was rumored in the market. The most convincing thing is the saying that the wicked sacrifice the evil ghosts, so Zhang Da must have some evil deeds that are difficult for the gods and ghosts to forgive.

Naturally, outsiders, whether to avoid suspicion or fear of being involved, will stay away from the land of right and wrong. And those who are not the descendants of the death contract, for the sake of fame, I am afraid that they will also find their next home early.

"There's a reluctant request below, and I ask the girl to agree."

"Young Master Zhang, please speak."

"My mother is in poor health, so I only said that the girl is a ghost hunting female master from out of town, and she came with cultivation. Otherwise, I am afraid that my mother will be frightened and refuse the girl's questioning. ”

These words were reasonable, so Xu Chu nodded without thinking too much.

When Xu Chu saw Zhang Da's daughter-in-law, she was crying, and now her whole person was confused, and her eyes were red and swollen. didn't wait for Xu Chu to ask a few words, but saw that she was already paralyzed and couldn't talk. If it weren't for Zhang Da's son Zhang Shi to support him, I'm afraid he would have been unable to sit still.

"Madame's Day, I took the liberty to come today to ask a few questions." Xu Chu looked at Zhang Da's daughter-in-law and son gently.

"Girl, please ask, as long as I can catch the evil ghost and avenge my master, I will not hide it."

Regardless of whether it was sincere or not, in short, Xu Chu nodded and expressed his gratitude, and then asked: "I want to ask what Zhang Da was going to do that day, and why did he go to the West City Gate alone?" ”

"My father is the owner of Zhang Kee Restaurant, and he should have gone to the restaurant to check the accounts that day according to his usual habits, as for why he suddenly went to the west of the city, we really don't know."

"I didn't say much about the specific master, but the night before, the old man came back drunk and said that he would be developed soon." Zhang's daughter-in-law sobbed and recalled carefully, choked up, "I thought that the master had met a nobleman, but who knew that he would be killed by a ghost the next day." ”

"Then apart from this, is there anything unusual about Master Zhang recently?"

"Anomaly?" Zhang's daughter-in-law frowned and glanced at her son, hesitated for a moment but shook her head to indicate that she didn't know.

Xu Chu nodded, indicating that he understood. The next was nothing more than comforting words, and it wasn't until he saw Zhang Da's daughter-in-law looking tired that Xu Chu got up and left.

Next, Xu Chu went to Liu Chan's house, because Liu Chan was just a craftsman, so his family was also poor. The low, simple courtyard, in the place where the people gathered on the edge of the city, was a large field outside. Xu Chu once asked, except for Liu Chan who earned a few copper plates by handicraft, the rest of the Liu family relied on Liu Laohan to make coolies or twine ropes, so that the family could survive. As for the fields rented by the family, Liu Laohan took care of them alone, and Liu Chan never went to the field once.

When he entered the door, Liu Laohan was alone at home in the courtyard, he raised his eyes and looked at Xu Chu and sat on the stone pier with his back bent, and said casually: "There is no bench to sit on at home, you can find a clean place to sit." ”

It can be seen that Liu Laohan is a screwed person, and he will not look at the glossy clothes of people. Fortunately, Xu Chu didn't think about any good treatment, so he just stood in the courtyard and looked around.

The house is simple, and although it is painted with a layer of plaster, you can still see that it is not bricks but yellow mud inside. She looked around and looked at the scene, this day was not much stronger than the four walls of the family.

"Why hasn't Liu Chan married a wife in his thirties?"

"His kind of virtue, there is a poor jingle in the family, who will marry him!" Liu Laohan spat at the palm of his hand, bent over and got busy, but his mouth was quite annoyed, "If he had half of the sincerity of others, the old Liu family would not be poked in the backbone for half a lifetime." ”

"Don't ask, those officials have been here three or four times, and I still say the same thing, if you die, you will die, and you will die cleanly. What evil is that evil spirit, and if you kill a wicked person, you will be done evil to the people. Liu Laohan cursed a few words in a low voice, and then waved his hand to show that he didn't know anything.

No matter how affectionate Xu Chu was, he didn't say anything useful again.

Xu Chu frowned and asked, "Who has he ever had a grudge with?" ”

"Then I don't know, there are many people who have enemies with him, and even one person can drown people with a mouthful of foam. Besides, he usually likes to drink, and he can get drunk for three or five days without coming back, and maybe he may be drunk to death. The old man took a sip in the palm of his hand, and then began to pinch the thumb-thick hemp rope, perhaps he was old, and he couldn't tie the hemp rope on his hand for a long time. Your government is willing to accept his corpse, and he is not a lonely ghost, so if you don't need it in the future, you will be merciful and directly wrap a mat and throw people into a mass grave, which will save him from bringing infamy back. ”

In late September, the sky had already begun to get cold, and Liu Laohan was still sweating profusely because of his strength. Seeing that the old god Xu Chu was sitting on the stone in the courtyard, he didn't pay attention to it or urge it, just busy himself.

At this time, I saw a delicate girl outside the door carrying a basket to enter the yard, but before the smile on her lips bloomed, she paused and didn't know whether to improve or retreat.

Because of the case for King Jing'an, the recent clothing and food consumption have been purchased by King Jing'an. The autopsy in the ice cellar made the clothes she was wearing a little damp, so before going out, King Jing'an specially ordered someone to prepare new clothes for her to replace.

At present, Xu Chuqing's white Luo skirt has a faint silver dark pattern blooming at the bottom of the skirt, like a silver moon, which is very low-key and luxurious. So even though she was smiling and sitting there without a shelf, it was hard to feel that she had anything to do with this dilapidated courtyard.

"Uncle Liu, my father asked me to bring you something to eat." The girl glanced at Xu Chu timidly, and said in her heart that this girl is so beautiful, she is so cleanly dressed, but she doesn't know why she came to Uncle Liu.

When Liu Laohan saw the visitor, he was stunned at first, and then beckoned and said, "Qing'er, this is Miss Xu who came to ask about that bastard boy, don't be afraid." ”

Xu Chu saw that the person who came had a nervous face, and couldn't help but say gently: "You are from the family next door?" ”

"Well, I'm from the back street, and my father has a good relationship with Uncle Liu, so let me deliver some food." Qing'er shrunk her neck and pursed her lips to look at Xu Chu secretly. Seeing Xu Chu smiling at the corner of his mouth, like a fairy in a painting, he couldn't help but look a little stunned.

Xu Chu was also good-tempered, and beckoned her to come in with a smile, but before she could get closer, Xu Chu found that her walking posture was a little weird. It seems to be ...... Sequelae of injuries......

After Xu Chu left Liu's house, he asked Wei Guang to come over and asked him to go to the backstreet to find someone to question. As for the results...... In fact, Xu Chu basically had a judgment in her heart, but she really didn't want to believe why a father could design to kill his own son.

"You say Liu Chan, that's a scoundrel, and he earns a copper plate with the skill of a clay kneader." The owner of the tea shop who was accosted by Xu Chu politely poured a cup of hot tea for Xu Chu, and said with a disdainful expression on his face, "Looking at other people's dog-like looks, it's actually the most important thing, and I was almost killed when I peeked at a woman taking a bath earlier...... In addition, Liu Chan is a drunkard, didn't Old Man Liu have to look for him all over the world for three or five days earlier? Most of the night, they carry a broken lantern to look around, if they can find it outside, it's fine, if it's in the wine field, maybe the old man Liu's father will have to squat outside and wait. ”

"Why wait outside? When the father found his son, didn't he hurry up and persuade him to go home? ”

"What do you persuade, how dare he persuade him, then Liu Chan made a mess, but the six relatives didn't admit it, and it wasn't once or twice that he had a fist and foot with Liu Laohan."

"It's just that I pity Old Man Liu, and when you are old, you can fix such an injustice."

"It's not like to say, the night before Liu Chan's accident, Liu Laohan went to look for a long time, and when he came back, he was wet and miserable."

"Therefore, people still can't do evil, the wicked have their own harvest, isn't Liu Chan fulfilled."

Before the tea guests could say a word, the storyteller who had just finished finishing the book on the side also spoke: "Tut, just before that, he also harmed several foreign daughters who were lonely, and a few people who fled all threw themselves into the river. ”

"Hey, how can he still get away with it? Could it be that no one has sued? Xu Chu asked suspiciously.

"As soon as I saw that the girl was a foreigner, Liu Chan was a fleeing victim, who was unfamiliar with the place, and before she could tell the yamen, she might be beaten half to death by Liu Chan. Moreover, those who fled for their lives had several identity documents in place, and I am afraid that they had not yet punished the wicked, and they were convicted of being displaced in advance. The storyteller shook his head, seeing that Xu Chu was listening seriously, he unconsciously lowered his voice and continued, "The girl of the Lu family in the back street is Qing'er, you know, she was so clever and a girl, but she was almost ruined by him before she changed her temperament and was afraid of everyone?" ”