In the palace, the atmosphere was solemn and depressing.

No one expected that the originally lively farewell banquet would become like this at this moment.

Everyone was confined to the courtyard, unable to communicate at will, only looking at each other, and then looking at the room in front of the right with an anxious and depressed expression.

I saw that the door of the room was closed, and under the light of the dancing candles, several figures were reflected on the window paper.

They knew that at this time, Lin Feng and Xiao Yu were questioning the three people who had met Wang Qinyuan alone, and perhaps clues and evidence would appear.

in the room.

A table is placed in the center, with people sitting on either side of the table.

Lin Feng and Xiao Yu sat on one side, and Cao Wenqing, the first friend of Wang Qinyuan to see alone, sat opposite.

A candle was lit on the table.

The dim candlelight danced, alternating light and dark on the faces of the three people.

Xiao Yu had the four treasures of pen, ink, paper, inkstone and study in front of him, and he held a brush to record Cao Wenqing's confession.

Lin Feng was sitting precariously, looking at Cao Wenqing with dark eyes, Cao Wenqing was in his forties, with a square face and not thick eyebrows, and his expression was very sad and heavy at this time.

"Cao Langzhong, when did you meet Wang Sizheng?" Lin Feng asked.

Cao Wenqing sighed and said: "When the official arrived at the palace, Wang Hao informed the official and asked the official to go to the study to see Wang Sizheng at four o'clock, and it was about to be four o'clock at that time, so the official didn't go to the hall to greet other colleagues, so he hurriedly went to the study. ”

Lin Feng said: "In other words, you are the Wang Sizheng who you saw at four o'clock?" ”

Cao Wenqing nodded.

"What was the situation of Wang Sizheng at that time?"

Cao Wenqing said: "Wang Sizheng is very normal, when he sees this official, he has a smile on his face, and he speaks softly and gently, which is no different from usual. ”

"What is the matter with Wang Si Zheng seeing Cao Langzhong alone?" Lin Feng asked again.

Cao Wenqing sighed and said: "Don't hide from Lin Sizheng, Wang Sizheng is actually half of my teacher, when I first became an official, Wang Sizheng was my superior, he took very good care of me, told me the things that officialdom needs to pay attention to, sheltered me from the wind and rain, and helped me get through the initial most ignorant period." ”

"So I have always had great respect for Wang Sizheng, even if Wang Sizheng came to Dali Temple later, and I went to the Ministry of Industry, I will also come to visit Wang Sizheng every New Year's Day."

"Wang Sizheng treats me as half a student, and now he is about to leave Chang'an, and he is a little reluctant and uneasy about me, so he specially called me to come and give me advice to let me be a good official, and don't make mistakes in the last few years and fall short."

Xiao Yu listened to Cao Wenqing's words, and couldn't help but nod with a sigh in his heart, with his understanding of Wang Qinyuan, this is indeed what Wang Qinyuan will do.

Wang Qinyuan has been an official all his life, he is very cautious, not to be an enemy of others, and he is very careful and meticulous in official affairs, so he hopes that after returning to his hometown, he will not be poked in the back, and after he dies, he can be remembered as a good official, not a dog official and mediocre official who is covered with dirt and scolded by future generations.

Wang Qinyuan will mention Cao Wenqing's orders, saying this, it is enough to see that he attaches great importance to Cao Wenqing.

The candle flame danced in Lin Feng's eyes, and he stared at Cao Wenqing without blinking, taking in every change in Cao Wenqing's expression when he spoke, and every detail change in his eyes, so as to judge whether Cao Wenqing had concealed these words.

"Have you had any tea?"

Lin Feng recalled the two broken teacups at the scene of the crime and asked.

Cao Wenqing nodded: "The teacher poured me a cup of tea, but I didn't have time to drink it, so I left." ”

"In such a hurry?" Lin Feng asked.

Cao Wenqing said: "The teacher talked to me for less than a quarter of an hour, and after he finished telling me, he asked me to leave, he said that there were guests coming later, and he had to go out to receive guests after the time, so he didn't have so much time, so I left quickly." ”

Lin Feng and Xiao Yu glanced at each other, and at present, they didn't find any obvious problems in Cao Wenqing's words.

Lin Feng thought for a moment and said, "When you left, did your teacher insert the study door into the latch?" ”

Cao Wenqing shook his head: "There shouldn't be, the door was closed when I left, and the teacher didn't lock the door at that time...... But after I left, I didn't know. ”

Lin Feng asked, "What about when you go?" Is the door locked from the inside? ”

Cao Wenqing said: "The door I knocked on was the door opened by the teacher from the inside, and I don't know if it was locked." ”

Lin Feng's fingertips lightly swiped across the table, he pondered for a moment, and said, "Then when you left, did you meet other people?" ”

Cao Wenqing shook his head: "No, I didn't see other colleagues until I arrived in the hall." ”

Lin Feng nodded slightly, he looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Gong Xiao, do you have anything else to ask?" ”

Xiao Yu thought about it, Lin Feng asked carefully enough, and said: "Not for the time being, Cao Langzhong will go to rest first, if there is still a need, the official will call Cao Langzhong again." ”

Cao Wenqing immediately got up and arched his hand: "Wang Si is being killed, and the official is also very sad and angry in his heart, and I hope that Xiao Si Qinglin Temple is finding the murderer as soon as possible and avenging Wang Sizheng!" ”

Xiao Yu nodded and said, "That's nature." ”

Cao Wenqing didn't delay any longer and turned to leave, but as soon as he took two steps, Lin Feng suddenly said, "Cao Langzhong, can you let this official take a look at the soles of your two shoes?" ”

Cao Wenqing was stunned and raised two feet respectively.

After Lin Feng saw it, his eyes flashed slightly, he glanced at Cao Wenqing deeply, nodded quietly, and said, "Thank you Cao Langzhong, Cao Langzhong go and rest." ”

Cao Wenqing then left.

After Cao Wenqing left, Xiao Yu couldn't wait to look at Lin Feng and said, "Zide, there are blood stains on the soles of his shoes, could it be him?" ”

Lin Feng frowned slightly, and shook his head: "Don't be in a hurry to make a judgment first, although there are blood stains on the soles of his shoes, his confession is normal, there are no obvious logical loopholes, don't jump to conclusions for the time being, look at the two people in the back." ”

Xiao Yu looked at Lin Feng and saw that Lin Feng could still remain calm even at this time, he couldn't help but be relieved: "Yes, you are much better than the official imagined, the official was almost worried just now that you would lose your former calm and be disturbed by anger and emotions." ”

Lin Feng knew Xiao Yu's worries, and he said softly: "Don't worry, Gong Xiao, I know very well what kind of state I should be in when the case is decided. ”

Xiao Yu knew Lin Feng's ability, he didn't delay any longer, and said loudly directly: "Please Captain Guoyi." ”

Not long after, a burly man in armor walked in, he was also in his forties, there was sadness, anger and murder between his eyebrows, and as he approached, a bloodthirsty sense of oppression struck slightly.

Lin Feng's eyes moved slightly, realizing that this was a fierce general who had harvested a lot of lives on the battlefield.

"Xiao Siqing, Lin Sizheng." He arched his hand.

Xiao Yu nodded: "Qi Duwei, please take a seat, we will ask some questions to Qi Duwei next, and I hope that Qi Duwei will answer truthfully." ”

Qi Chengqiang Ma Jindao sat down, his back was straight like a spear, and his voice was loud: "It should be like this!" Wang Si is treating Ben Jiang is not thin, but also Ben Jiang's benefactor, Ben Jiang is now eager to quickly find out the murderer, and then personally unload it into eight pieces, revenge for Wang Si Zheng! ”

When Lin Feng heard this, he said curiously: "Qi Duwei said that Wang Si is your benefactor, I don't know what's going on?" ”

Qi Chengqiang looked at Lin Feng and didn't hide it: "It's not a secret, before entering Dali Temple, Wang Si was serving in the Imperial History Tower, he had supervised with the army, and in the barracks, the general was not restrained, causing his soldiers to rob some of the people's food, and after Wang Sizheng knew, he strictly ordered the general to severely punish these soldiers." ”

Although the general punished them in time, the news still reached His Majesty's ears, and His Majesty was very angry because of this, and wanted to strip the general's clothes and severely punish the general...... Or Wang Sizheng personally wrote a book, explaining the reason, so that His Majesty knew that Ben Jiang was busy with the war at that time, and he really had no time to be distracted, and these soldiers did these things secretly, Ben Jiang didn't know at all. And after the incident, Ben Jiang also dealt with it in a timely manner. ”

"It is precisely because of Wang Sizheng's letter that His Majesty's anger was eliminated, and the general was able to continue to serve in the army, so the general has always regarded Wang Si as a benefactor and will always be respected."

Qi Chengqiang, as a military general, has the usual straightforward characteristics of a military general, and he has one thing to say, without twisting, even when he talks about his problems at the time, he does not hide it.

After Lin Feng heard this, he nodded slightly: "I see, Qi Duwei respects Wang Sizheng because of this, and it really should." ”

Qi Chengqiang nodded and said: "Ben will have a clear distinction between grievances and grievances, whether it is a favor or a favor, as long as Ben will not die, he will always remember it." ”

Lin Feng said: "Let's talk about tonight, when did Qi Duwei see Wang Sizheng?" What was the state of Wangji at that time? ”

Qi Chengqiang shook his head, to the surprise of Lin Feng and Xiao Yu, and said, "I haven't seen Wang Sizheng before." ”

"Didn't see that?" Xiao Yu was stunned and couldn't help but say, "Why didn't you see it?" ”

Lin Feng also narrowed his eyes, his eyes fixed on Qi Chengqiang.

Qi Chengqiang said: "The general came a little late today, and after being told by Wang Hao that Wang Si was going to see the general in the study, the general hurriedly went to the study. ”

"At that time, it was already past the time when the temple was asking me to go, but when I got to the study, I knocked on the door, but there was no sound in the study."

"I called Wang Sizheng a few more times, but there was still no response."

"Because it was already late at that time, Ben Jiang thought, could it be that Wang Si Zheng saw that Ben Jiang did not go on time, and knew that Ben Jiang was delayed due to something, so he left ahead of schedule and did not stay in the study to wait for Ben General, so after knocking on the door and not responding, Ben Jiang also left and went to the hall."

Xiao Yu listened to Qi Chengqiang's words, her brows couldn't help frowning, and her eyes flashed with essence.

He couldn't help but look at Lin Feng, but saw Lin Feng's hands crossed, his two thumbs constantly surrounding, Lin Feng's eyes showed a look of thought, obviously thinking about something.

Seeing this, he didn't bother Lin Feng.

After a while, Lin Feng spoke again: "In other words, Qi Duwei didn't see Wang Sizheng from beginning to end?" ”

Qi Chengqiang nodded: "That's right." ”

"Then when he knocked on the door, did Captain Qi notice anything unusual in the study?"

Qi Chengqiang frowned and shook his head: "No, it's quiet in the study, and there is no sound at all, otherwise Ben Jiang wouldn't think that Wang Sizheng has left." ”

"Was there a candle burning in the study at the time?" Lin Feng asked again.

Qi Chengqiang nodded without hesitation: "With the candle flame lit, Ben Jiang also took a special look at the window paper, and there was no shadow on the window paper, and it was also because of this that Ben General was sure that Wang Si was leaving." ”

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, and he nodded slightly: "This official understands, thank you for your cooperation, Captain Qi can go and rest, and if there is a need later, we will invite Captain Qi again." ”

When Qi Chengqiang heard this, he said directly: "There is no problem, as long as it can help you find the real culprit, it will be done." ”

As he spoke, he turned and was about to leave.

Lin Feng stopped Qi Chengqiang again at this time and said, "Captain Qi, can this official take a look at your two soles?" ”

Qi Chengqiang was very refreshing: "Of course." ”

As he spoke, he lifted his feet.

After looking at Qi Chengqiang's soles, Xiao Yu's pupils shrank slightly, and his face suddenly changed slightly, and Lin Feng also narrowed his eyes, and said with his chin bowed: "Captain Qi can go and rest." ”

With Qi Chengqiang's departure, Xiao Yu looked at Lin Feng with a solemn face and said, "Zide, have you seen the soles of his shoes!?" ”

Lin Feng understood what Xiao Yu meant, and he nodded: "Xia Guan saw it, there were also traces of blood on the soles and toes of his shoes. ”

"Why is there blood on the soles of his shoes, could it be him?"

Xiao Yu's eyes widened, her face was full of confusion, why did one or two of them have blood stains?

Lin Feng shook his head, his eyes flashed slightly, and he said in a deep voice: "Interesting, if there is blood on the soles of the third person's shoes, it will be even more interesting." ”

He looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Gong Xiao, let's see the third person." ”

Xiao Yu nodded immediately, he didn't hesitate, and directly asked people to bring the last person in.

Soon, the Imperial Servant of the Imperial Historical Observatory arrived.

When investigating the arson case in Yushitai before, Lin Feng had a relationship with Zeng He, although they had not communicated, but they were not completely strangers to Qi Chengqiang and Cao Wenqing.

Zeng He's age is younger, thirty-five or sixteen years old, he is slightly fat, with good facial features, he belongs to the kind of person who looks very pleasing to the eye, and the more he looks at it, the more durable it becomes.

At this time, Zeng He's expression was full of sadness, his eyes were slightly red, and he could see that he had just shed tears.

"Xia Guan has seen Xiao Siqing, Lin Sizheng."

The Imperial Servant is a sixth-grade official, and his grade is lower than Lin Feng's, but in the imperial court, even Xiao Yu, who is of a higher grade than Lin Feng, does not want to mess with these six-grade Imperial Servants.

Xiao Yu nodded and said gently: "Zeng Yushi, please sit down, and then Lin Si will ask Zeng Yushi some questions, and I hope Zeng Yushi can answer truthfully." ”

Hearing Xiao Yu's words, Zeng He did not hesitate, he said with a straight face: "As an imperial history, this official never lies, and Lin Sizheng is asking." ”

Zeng He really has a bit of Wei Zheng's bearing.

Lin Feng spoke directly: "What is the relationship between Zeng Yushi and Wang Sizheng?" ”

Zeng He did not hide it: "Xia Guan is in contact with Wang Si Zheng because of official business, Wang Si Zheng is gentle, pure personality, serious work, very appetizing for Xia Guan, so in addition to official business, we also have more contact in private, and after a long time, we have become friends who have forgotten the New Year." ”

Wang Qinyuan is in his fifties, and Zeng He is in his thirties, but they can be regarded as year-old friends.

Lin Feng nodded slightly, Zeng He was different from Cao Wenqing and Qi Chengqiang, and his gratitude to Wang Qin was far from the kind of benefactor, but the friendship between friends.

He said: "Let's talk about tonight, has Zeng Yushi ever seen Wang Sizheng?" ”

Zeng He shook his head without any surprise and said, "No." ”

"Why not?" Lin Feng asked with an unchanged expression.

Zeng He said: "After receiving Wang Hao's notice, Xiaguan went to the study, but at the door, Xiaguan knocked on the door for a long time, and no one came to open the door. ”

"Xia Guan thought it was strange, so he looked into the room, but the candles in the room were bright, and there was no figure, so Xia Guan felt that Wang Sizheng might have left because of something, and he was not in the study."

Zeng He's confession was similar to Qi Chengqiang's, Lin Feng thought for a while, and said, "Then Zeng Yushi left?" ”

Zeng He nodded: "That's right, Xiaguan thought that Wang Sizheng might have something important to deal with, so Xiaguan left temporarily, and after waiting for more than a quarter of an hour, he felt that Wang Sizheng might go back to wait for Xiaguan, so Xiaguan went to the study again." ”

"The result?" Lin Feng asked.

Zeng He sighed and continued to shake his head: "The result is still the same as before, and there is no response when I knock on the door, and Xia Guan felt a little strange at that time." ”

"With Wang Sizheng's character, if he delays for a short time, it is understandable, but if he delays more than a quarter of an hour, and makes the official wait outside without any news, it is very inconsistent with Wang Sizheng's character."

"So the lower officials felt that things were a little unreasonable, so they went to the subordinates of the palace and asked them if they knew the whereabouts of Wang Sizheng."

Lin Feng said: "What do you say? ”

"The subordinates don't know where the Wang Temple is, in order to prepare for tonight's farewell banquet, the subordinates are very busy, they have been going back and forth between the back kitchen and the main hall, no one has seen the Wang Sizheng, but seeing that the official is looking for the Wang Sizheng, they will also separate people to look for it in the palace."

"But in the end, it was still not found, and it was ...... then"

Zeng He looked at Lin Feng and said, "They suddenly found that there was thick smoke, and the place where the smoke appeared was the study, and then Lin Sizheng also knew about the rest of the matter." ”

Lin Feng pondered and analyzed Zeng He's words in his mind.

Zeng He and Qi Chengqiang didn't see Wang Qinyuan, they both knocked on the door and didn't respond.

It's just that their personalities, as well as their understanding of Wang Qinyuan, decide that what they do is different.

Because Qi Chengqiang came late, he felt that Wang Qinyuan saw that he had not gone and left early, so he didn't think much about it.

And Zeng He, who is friends with Wang Qinyuan, knows more about Wang Qinyuan than Qi Chengqiang, so he went to look for Wang Qinyuan twice, but he didn't find it, and he didn't get any news from Wang Qinyuan that people passed on to him, and he noticed the abnormality.

But by then, it was obviously too late.

However, although the two did different things, their confessions were basically the same and could be compared with each other.

Lin Feng thought for a moment and continued to ask, "When you went to the study twice, did you find anything abnormal?" ”

"Nope."

"Was the door to the study locked at the time?"

"Xia Guan just knocked on the door and didn't try to push the door impolitely, so I didn't know if it was locked at the time, but after the fire broke out, the door was knocked open."

Zeng He's answer was very rigorous, without speculation, which was very in line with the character of Yushi.

Lin Feng and Xiao Yu glanced at each other, Lin Feng bowed slightly, and said, "Zeng Yushi, can you let us see the soles of your shoes?" ”

"Of course!"

Zeng He didn't hesitate, and raised his two feet one after another, the soles of his feet facing Lin Feng and Xiao Yu.

When Xiao Yu saw it, her pupils twitched violently, and she almost lost her coolness.

Because the soles of Zeng He's shoes were also stained with blood!

The soles of these three people are stained with blood!

Lin Feng's eyes also flickered, he took a deep look at Zeng He, and said: "Thank you Zeng Yushi for your cooperation, Zeng Yushi will go and rest first, if there is anything, we will call Zeng Yushi again." ”

Zeng He nodded, turned around and left sadly.

The confessions of the three people have been questioned, Xiao Yu put down the brush in his hand, looked at the content of the record sprinkled on the paper, but his brows did not stretch.

He frowned and said: "There is nothing wrong with the confessions of the three people, they have no suspicion with the deceased, and there is no motive to kill." ”

"On the contrary, their relationship with the deceased seems to be completely out of step with the murder."

"What's even stranger is ......"

He looked at Lin Feng again and said, "The soles of the three of them are stained with blood. ”

Lin Feng listened to Xiao Yu's words, leaned back, his eyes closed, and his brain was running at a high speed, to analyze the testimony of several people, the changes in their expressions, and the situation of the soles of their shoes and the bloodstains at the scene.

Seeing this, Xiao Yu hurriedly silenced herself, not to interfere with Lin Feng's thinking about the case.

Outside the window, the night wind is howling, blowing the window paper and whirring.

Not long after, Lin Feng opened his eyes, and Xiao Yu hurriedly asked, "How?" ”

Lin Feng shook his head: "There is one more thing to be determined now. ”

"What?"

Lin Feng looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Gong Xiao, let our people from Dali Temple go and ask the next person, ask the others, after Cao Wenqing went to see Wang Sizheng, until the fire was discovered, during this period of time...... Except for Cao Wenqing and the others, have there been other people who have been to the study, or walked the way through the study. ”

Xiao Yu's eyes flashed slightly: "Do you suspect that there are other people?" ”

Lin Feng said: "Their confessions and motives can't be directly judged, so there may not be a fourth person, after all, Qi Chengqiang and Zeng He didn't see Wang Sizheng, and they left after that, if there is a fourth person who is the murderer, they won't find out." ”

When Xiao Yu heard this, he immediately got up: "This official will let people investigate." ”

With that, Xiao Yu left in a hurry.

Lin Feng still didn't move, he tapped lightly on the table, listening to the rhythmic thump sound, his brain analyzed the existing clues again and again, and then began to arrange and combine, countless possibilities appeared.

If the fourth person exists, what is the possibility?

What would be the possibility if the fourth person did not exist?

Many ideas kept emerging, but they were forced to interrupt because there was no evidence.

Lin Feng couldn't let himself be preconceived, lest he go astray directly like Lu Chenhe, and get farther and farther away from the truth, then it would be troublesome.

Without thinking about it anymore, Lin Feng got up directly and came to the study again.

Stand in the doorway and look at the bloodstains in front of the door.

I saw the blood marks in the study, starting from the corpse and reaching the door, and even walked a few steps out along the door before finally disappearing.

Lin Feng squatted down, looked at the blood stains outside the door, looked at the very obvious bloody footprints, and squinted his eyes.

After a moment of silence, he stood up and walked behind the door to see what was going on.

I saw that the latch that locked the door had broken from the middle, which was undoubtedly knocked open by Zhao Shifu when he hit the door.

He picked up the broken latch, examined it carefully, and found that on one side of the latch, there were many sharp cuts, and his fingers had cut through them, and it was very rough.

Xiao Yu walked over at this time, and saw the latch in Lin Feng's hand, after he looked at it, he made a judgment: "These openings should be drawn with a sharp weapon like a dagger, are they ......?"

He looked at Lin Feng and speculated, "The murderer was outside the door, using a dagger to scratch the latch little by little, so that the latch locked the door?" ”

Lin Feng nodded slightly and said, "It's the same technique that Zhao Minglu used when he sneaked into Zhou Wan'er's room at that time. ”

"And even a scholar like Zhao Minglu can do it, let alone others."

Xiao Yu said: "I didn't expect the murderer to use such a simple method, this is not afraid of being cracked by us at all!" ”

Lin Feng put down the latch and said slowly: "Although the method is simple, it is effective enough, enough that no one can enter this study, so that the time for Wang Sizheng's death to be discovered will continue to be delayed, and no one knows the correct time of Wang Sizheng's death...... And the simpler the method, the more people can do it, and it is difficult for us to narrow down the scope of the murderer according to this method. ”

"Many times, in fact, resourceful murder calculations are often easier to find clues and easier to crack than sudden murder in passion."

"The more calculations you make, the more complex the methods, the more traces and clues you leave behind, and the more you kill people suddenly, and then walk away without any superfluous cover-up, this kind of case is actually more difficult to detect."

Xiao Yu was experienced, and as soon as she heard Lin Feng's words, she couldn't help but nod and said, "That's true." ”

He looked at Lin Feng with a sad expression, and said, "Judging from the situation of the latch, this murderer is the kind of person who pursues simplicity and effectiveness, it seems that it will not be too easy to find out the truth." ”

But who knows, Lin Feng said: "Xia Guan thinks it's just the opposite. ”

"What?" Xiao Yu was stunned.

He couldn't help but look at Lin Feng suspiciously: "Didn't you say that the simpler the murderer's method, the more difficult it is to detect?" ”

Lin Feng squinted his eyes and said, "Judging from the method of creating the secret room, the murderer is indeed a person who pursues simplicity and effectiveness. ”

But that doesn't mean that he really doesn't have any calculations, on the contrary...... In this case, the murderer did a carefully calculated thing in order to increase the suspicion of other people, but as everyone knows, it is precisely because of this carefully calculated thing that it gave us a breakthrough! ”

When Xiao Yu heard this, he was stunned at first, and then his eyes widened violently, his eyes suddenly burned at Lin Feng, and he hurriedly asked, "Zide, what did you find?" ”

Lin Feng raised his toes, tapped the ground, and said, "It!" ”

"It?"

Xiao Yu subconsciously looked down, only to see that under Lin Feng's feet, it was the very dazzling bloody footprints!

(End of chapter)