Chapter 66 Statement and Truth

During this Lantern Festival, everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture, from the Jingzhao Yin to the yamen runners and constables, had an extremely difficult time.

On the 14th and 15th nights, there were two consecutive nights of mass homicides, accompanied by fires.

On the night of the 14th, a house in Anlefang in the south of the city was burned down, with 14 bodies inside. After the autopsy, the coroner confirmed that the victims all had fatal wounds caused by swords and knives, which meant that they had all died before the fire.

After investigation and interviews, the identities of these people were confirmed: they were the beef dealer in West Market, the leader of the Fire Bull Gang, Huo Mang, and a group of scoundrels under him.

He had committed many evil things in the past, and he might have been killed because of a struggle for interests or because of revenge.

Such a major case, still under the feet of the emperor, could not be concealed from the emperor. This also caused Jiujiang Prince Murong Bi, who was the Jingzhao Yin, to be reprimanded by the eunuchs sent by the emperor.

The saint hasn't been back to Chang'an to celebrate the New Year for several years. As soon as he came back, something like this happened. Isn't that throwing sand in the saint's eyes?
Jingzhao Yin Murong Bi was reprimanded, not to mention the Shao Yin, Zanzhi, Fa Cao, Xing Cao, and county magistrates under him, each one suppressing the next.

In the end, the pressure was put on the detectives who were handling the case, and they were all scolded.

Who would have thought that the case in Anlefang under the jurisdiction of Chang'an County had not yet been resolved, and then another arson and murder case occurred in Changxingfang.

Early in the morning of the 16th, two military officers from the Law and Criminal Division of Jingzhao Prefecture, the county magistrate, county magistrate, and county lieutenant of Wannian County where Changxingfang is located, and even the county magistrate and county lieutenant of Chang'an County arrived.

After some investigation, the coroner came to several superiors and said: "Reporting to the two county lords and the two soldiers, there is no fire ash in the mouths and noses of these people, and they all have knife and arrow wounds on their bodies. Just like the situation yesterday, they all died before the fire, not in the smoke or fire. However, the faces of these people are destroyed and their identities cannot be distinguished."

Wei Huang, the military assistant of Jingzhao Prefecture Law Department, said: "These two incidents may be related. This was originally the residence of the minor official Yoshira. Now Yoshira and his wife are missing, but there are eight more bodies in the yard. These bodies are all strong men, and each of them has thick calluses on their palms. I guess their identities are not simple. The person who can kill all these people here must be a tyrannical person. In addition, the case of the Fire Bull Gang on the fourteenth night is no trivial matter."

Wannian County Magistrate Li Zhu, Chang'an County Magistrate Zhang Fenghe, County Magistrate Du Yi and others also nodded in agreement.

Originally, Changxingfang was in Wannian County, and the magistrate of Chang'an County was not supposed to come. However, because the incident happened in Anlefang yesterday, which was in Chang'an County, the incident happened in Wannian County the next day.

So when Zhang Fenghe heard about it, he brought the county lieutenant Su Ping to check out the situation. He was not there to watch the fun, but to inform Wannian County and see if there was any connection between the cases.

After all, although Chang'an City is divided into two counties and separated by Suzaku Avenue, they are the same city and are located under the feet of the emperor. Now that something has happened in both cities, they must share the blame.

The county magistrate and the legal officers discussed the matter together, while Chang'an County Lieutenant Su Ping and Wannian County Lieutenant Qi Wenyan analyzed the specific details.

Both of them were county lieutenants, equivalent to the leaders of the public security department in later generations. Any murder case was the one they were responsible for.

After looking at the wounds on the body, the place where the arrow was shot, the traces of fighting left by weapons at the scene, and the location of the body, the two came to the same conclusion.

"Looking at the direction of the arrows, there should be three people shooting arrows, one on the eaves, two on the courtyard wall. Those who fought in close combat at the door were all good fighters, and they all used broadswords. One of them used a blunt weapon like a wooden stick. Several bodies had broken bones. Judging from the calluses on the hands of the eight dead, they were good fighters. But judging from the traces at the scene, the killers were probably warriors picked out of a hundred. The weapons of the eight people killed did not have any blood on them. Judging from the fight and the wounds on the bodies, the number of people in the killing group was about five or six, excluding the archers, and the number of the attackers was no more than eight. So, what happened in Anlefang yesterday?"

"There were no signs of fighting among the fourteen members of the Anlefang Fire Bull Gang. They were all killed by someone who was drunk."

After Su Ping and Qi Wenyan exchanged information, they became even more confused.

At this time, Qi Wenyan asked He Feng, the head of the Wannian County Police, "Old He, what do you think?"

He Feng worked his way up from a constable to a captain in Wannian County. Over the decades, he became very skilled in hunting down thieves, solving cases and collecting bribes.

The ruffians in Wannian County had to take a detour when they saw him, and he was called "He Yanluo".

After hearing Qi Wenyan's question, he immediately shook his head and said, "Qi County Lieutenant, what you said just now is very complete. There are no other clues now. It would be best to find the couple of minor officials. Only they know what happened. In addition, I have just asked the neighbors. People in the nearby yards have gone out to see the lights, but I still got some news. It seems that more than a dozen people came to Yoshira's house on the night of the 14th. Yoshira even called for help. One family heard it, but they didn't dare to rescue him because they saw so many people. It seems that some bad guys wanted to rape Yoshira's wife, Mrs. Du, but they were stopped. It is said that there are many unidentified people. In my opinion, it is better to visit the merchants who sold goods in Changxingfang and Anrenfang on the 14th to see if there are any clues."

Qi Wenyan nodded: "Then this matter will be handed over to you, Old He. It is said that Jingzhao Yin Murong Fujun was summoned to the palace by the saint early this morning. We have to try to solve the case as soon as possible, otherwise if Murong Fujun suppresses us, none of us will end up well." He Feng nodded when he heard it, then turned around and prepared to take people out to visit, but turned back after just two steps.

"Lieutenant Qi, why not have someone compare the weapons of these dead people with the wounds on the bodies of the Fire Bull Gang members."

"You mean?"

"I'm not sure, but the result will be known naturally after the competition. Besides, most of their weapons have seen blood, so there will be some bloody smell."

"Okay, go and visit first, I'll have someone check and compare right away."

As soon as He Feng left, Jingzhao Yin Murong Bi, along with Jingzhao Prefecture Shaoyin Zheng Shi and Zanzhi Pei Guangting, rushed to the crime scene in Changxingfang.

The military officers, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant, and the constables all saluted and greeted him cautiously.

"May Lord Murong be well and healthy during the Lantern Festival."

"What's the use of talking about health? Wen Yan, can we check the situation here?"

Qi Wenyan was the eldest of the family, so people who knew him well called him Qi Da, and only elders or superiors would call him by his name. He was also a promising young man, and Murong Bi knew him well, and considered him a capable official. Catching criminals and thieves was the job of a county lieutenant, so he directly pointed out him to answer.

"My Lord, we have confirmed that there are eight dead, all of them are adult men, and judging by their bodies and hands, they have practiced martial arts for many years."

Qi Wenyan explained the current situation one by one, and also stated He Feng's speculation.

Murong Bi nodded after hearing this: "Okay, then I'll leave this matter to you, Qi Wenyan, to investigate. You must get to the bottom of this matter. Do you understand? I will write you an official document later, and you can use the clerks, runners, and constables in Jingzhao Prefecture at your disposal."

Qi Wenyan felt very distressed. Why did he still have to bear all the responsibilities?

But a higher-ranking official can crush a person to death, and this is not just one level higher.

The county lieutenant was of the ninth rank, having just left the clerkship and entered the officialdom, while the Jingzhao Yin was of the third rank, and in the past there were people who were promoted directly from this position to the prime minister. It can be said that there is a world of difference between them.

No matter how outrageous Murong Bi's order was, he had to follow it, especially since it was within his jurisdiction and his authority.

There is no room for shirking responsibility or excuses.

"I will follow the orders of the Lord."

"Remember, the Saint asked me to find out the truth within three days. After three days, I will personally meet the Saint and give him an account."

Qi Wenyan heard Murong Bi's emphasis on the word "instructions" and immediately understood the implication.

That is, within three days, no matter whether the case is solved or not, an explanation must be given so that Murong Bi can give an account in front of the Saint.

As for the truth, it doesn't necessarily have to come out.

　Today's chapter, something delayed it

　　
　
(End of this chapter)