It’s over.
Li Ang raised his head and silently looked up at the clear sky.
Now that the evidence in this case is conclusive, there is no possibility of overturning the case. Even Prince Changxiang cannot get his son out.
During this time, he thought of countless ways to find evidence, and finally the only effective method was to make iodine and use iodine vapor to extract fingerprints.
To make iodine, you need to first fry the dried kelp roots and seaweed in a large iron pan until they become black charcoal.
Add water and boil three times, stirring continuously.
After filtration, increase the temperature and concentrate, add sulfuric acid to lower the pH value, add manganese powder, and heat to sublime the iodine vapor, and finally condense it with a spherical condenser tube.
After this complete set of processes, additional materials such as activated carbon, pure inorganic salt, iodine, potassium iodide, etc. can be obtained.
Among them, activated carbon is an excellent physical and chemical adsorbent that can purify water sources.
Potassium iodide can treat chronic pharyngitis, oral ulcers, gingivitis, periodontitis, and prevent and treat goiter caused by iodine deficiency.
But...
Li Ang listened to the sad cries of old man Nie and Nie Yu hugging Nie Shilei's body in Dali Temple, and slowly let out a breath.
Regardless of whether Li Shenbin was motivated by sex or went crazy drunk, on the night of the Dragon Boat Festival, his crime had already caused the death of two innocent people and the breakdown of two families.
He and the servants who helped him cover up his crimes will pay the price.
————
Price.
Everything has a price.
In the Prince's Mansion of Changxiang County, Li Chenghe, who was so thin that he was almost unrecognizable, was sitting on a chair in the pavilion, staring blankly.
As a result of the three-party trial, Li Shenbin was pronounced guilty.
Considering that his crimes were egregious, including intentional murder, frame-up, and obstruction of justice, he should be executed for several crimes.
I don't know if it was an illusion, but Li Chenghe was sitting in the pavilion and could vaguely hear children's songs coming from the street, singing about Mr. Li Xiaolang who was not afraid of powerful people and solved cases like a god.
Maybe thousands of years later, I will be arranged as a character in a drama, acting as the clown in the "Li Xiaolangjun" play, right?
Prince Chang Xiang stood up slowly and shouted hoarsely, "Here comes someone."
After a long time, no one responded.
Only then did Prince Changxiang remember that he had asked his servants to go away and not to disturb them.
What's more, there are actually not many servants left in the family - the servants either have the courage to resign, or they are taken away by Dali Temple for interrogation.
The county prince's palace is dead and deserted, just like the scene when his father died mysteriously decades ago.
Li Chenghe coughed hard for a while, held his sick body, and walked alone through the silent corridor and came to the bathtub.
A few years ago, his health was not very good. He heard that taking a bath could strengthen his body, so he installed an open-air bath in the mansion, with the walls covered with high-quality ceramic tiles, specially used to entertain guests.
But now, because no one is using it or taking care of it, the bathtub is full of dead branches and leaves, and the water is half dry.
Li Chenghe shook his head silently, picked up the pole from the edge of the bath, struggled to pick away the dead branches and leaves, then opened the water valve leading to Longshou Canal and filled the pool with water.
The water flowed very slowly. Li Chenghe sat on the steps at the bottom of the bathtub, letting the cold water soak his feet and rise little by little.
Calf, knee, abdomen, chest.
The water was so cold that Li Chenghe gradually felt no pain in his body, and scenes flashed before his eyes.
He succeeded in his ambition at a young age, and his best cousin became the prince and even the Emperor of Yu, and he also became the county prince from the title of Duke. The only thing that was difficult to deal with was the misfortune of his family.
All the children born died in infancy, leaving only an only son.
He took care of and doted on his son and wanted to give him the best. To this end, he did not hesitate to show up in person, run a business, deal with merchants, and was teased and ridiculed by other clan members secretly.
He firmly believes that as long as the family exists, everything will turn around.
As long as the family exists...
The cold water hit my face, and my vision gradually turned dark.
————
It's still Dongshi, under the locust trees.
Dali Temple jailer Zou Han and Wannian County police officer Wu Shiqi were sitting at the food stall, eating cold noodles made from locust leaves.
They had just helped Old Man Nie's family bury Nie Shilei. Since the case was clear, Meng Chengye and Jin Wusuan had promised not to embarrass Old Man Nie's family again.
Zou Han raised his head, looked at the locust tree spreading green shade above his head, and asked casually: "Tell me, how old is this locust tree?"
Wu Qiqi said casually: "It took three to four hundred years for it to happen, right? Didn't it say that when Bodhidharma of Zen Buddhism came to the Central Plains to teach Zen, he attained enlightenment under the locust tree near Dongshi.
There are rumors that the wishes made under this locust tree can come true if you are pious enough."
"Tsk, you believe this too. It's just an excuse for those stores that sell cold locust leaves and wishing cards to raise prices."
Zou Han shook his head and poured some vinegar into the noodles.
Tap tap tap.
The sound of footsteps came closer and closer, and a little beggar hurried over and whispered a few words into Wu Shiqi's ear.
Wu Shiqi's expression suddenly changed, "Is Prince Changxiang dead?"
"Well, he's dead. He fell into the bathtub and drowned."
The little beggar wiped the runny nose, spread his palm towards Wu Shiqi and said, "Money."
"Give."
Wu Shiqi took out two coins worth 5 cents from his arms, threw them to the little beggar, and watched the beggar's bouncing back disappear at the street corner.
He was squeezed out by other officers in Wannian County Government, so he had to develop his own intelligence network in order to investigate the case. These beggars in Chang'an City were his best eyes and ears.
"Prince Changxiang is dead..."
Wu Qiqi frowned and said: "Suicide out of fear of crime? You shouldn't. He is about to die of illness. Even Dali Temple is too lazy to investigate his cover-up crimes and take him to prison.
Could it be that he was buried with his son?
That’s not right. His son will have to wait at least until the autumn before he is beheaded. If he seeks death now, there will be no one to bury his son by then."
"Perhaps I feel that life is hopeless and death is an option."
Zou Han said nonchalantly: "He only has such a son. If his son dies, he will be extinct, and no matter how much family property he has, it will be in vain.
Even an individual can't accept it, let alone a powerful member of the clan.
Haha, this is considered deserved. God knows what other outrageous things his son did before this case..."
Suddenly, Wu Shiqi's face changed wildly, he stood up, and almost knocked over the locust leaf cold noodles on the table, "Wait, what did you say?"
Zou Han was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously put down his chopsticks, "Huh? God knows what other outrageous things his son did before this case..."
"No, let's go to the previous sentence."
"If his son dies, does he have no heirs?"
Zou Han watched Wu Qiqi's face turn from white to green, feeling uneasy for no reason in his heart, "What's wrong with you?"
""Yu Lv Shu Yi", eight discussions..."
Wu Qiqi's eyes were blank and he said hoarsely: "According to the law of Yu, the eight categories of people who commit crimes can have their criminal liability reduced.
If the crime is below banishment, the crime will be reduced by one level. If it is a capital crime, it can be exempted.
After the death of Prince Changxiang, his title from the first-grade Commandery Prince will be automatically transferred to..."
"...On the body of Li Shenbin, the son of the county prince."
Zou Han said with a livid face.
————
"Is this His Majesty's will?"
"Yes."
In Dali Temple, Dali Temple Qing Yun Hanchi clenched his fists and looked at the yellow-robed eunuch from the palace in front of him - Yang Enchao, the young eunuch of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
"Prince Changxiang once saved His Majesty and has the merit of being a savior.
In order to save his only son, he was willing to commit suicide, thus losing another of His Majesty's old friends."
Yang Enchao lowered his eyes and conveyed the news, "For the sake of Prince Changxiang, at Dali Temple, Li Chenghe's death sentence should be changed."
"...change it to what?"
"Exiled four thousand miles, never to return."
"...Okay."
————
"I want to see His Majesty!"
Snap!
A loud slap sounded in the secret room of Liuguang Bank.
Jin Wusuan withdrew his aching palm with an expressionless face, and looked at Meng Chengye in front of him, whose eyes and one cheek were red, "What are you doing to see His Majesty? Huh? To redress grievances? To complain?
Do you have a pass? Are you qualified to enter Chengtianmen?
Do you think that since you, as the representative of Liuguang Bank, met His Majesty from a distance in the square in front of the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace on the Lantern Festival, he would remember who you are?"
Meng Chengye lowered his head, covering his red cheek with his palm, and his teeth were rubbing together, making constant sounds.
"Prince Changxiang, a prince from the first rank, committed suicide."
Jin Wusuan emphasized his tone and said to his friend: "Li Shenbin was sentenced to four thousand miles of exile, and he must be on an island somewhere in the Shiwan Barren Mountains or the Endless Sea.
In such a harsh place, even if he practiced martial arts, he would not survive for a few years.
He will still die."
"How many more years?"
Meng Chengye still lowered his head and asked: "Isn't it common enough these days that imperial orders are changed overnight?
The prince gets married, gives birth to a grandson, establishes a queen, wins the war, changes the reign name, expands the territory, encounters natural disasters...
Any reason is enough to issue an amnesty order.
Dalang, do you want me to sit in Chang'an and wait for Li Shenbin to come back?"
"..."
Jin Wusuan was silent for a while, and said quietly: "In the whole world, is it the king's land? On the shore of the land, is it the king's ministers.
The entire Yu State belongs to his Li family."
This chapter has been completed!