Princess Xiyun sat sideways, looked at Lin Xiaodong, and asked softly: "How are you now?
Is your heart open?"
"Um.
I slept more soundly than ever before.”
"That's good."
After a moment of silence with her head lowered, Princess Xiyun turned her head and said seriously: "You have solved a few cases well in the Supervision Department. Once you have achieved meritorious service, I will beg my father for mercy, so you don't have to run errands anymore."
Lin Xiaodong smiled: "The king is unique in employing people. I practice the five arts and have some skills that I can use to benefit the people."
Princess Xiyun nodded slightly with relief: "Okay, it's getting late by then, so I'll leave."
Early the next morning, Lin Xiaodong packed his bags and went to the Supervisory Yuan.
In the lobby, Li Zhengcheng and Zhu Bowen were there, as well as someone whom Lin Xiaodong had not expected.
Xu Siyi is also here.
Lin Xiaodong was stunned for a moment, raised his hands and said, "How come Miss Xu is here?"
Seeing Lin Xiaodong, Xu Siyi lost the joy of the past, and said with a serious face and a business-like attitude: "The princess asked me to help handle the case."
Raising his head slightly, Lin Xiaodong thought to himself: "Princess, is this compensation for taking advantage of Xu Siyi before?"
Thinking of this, Lin Xiaodong couldn't help but smile bitterly, and said to himself: "You used her, and I also used her. Why is she willing to talk to me now?
You are so kind, but it makes Xu Siyi feel uncomfortable all over."
Nodding to Xu Siyi, Lin Xiaodong didn't say much.
Zhu Bowen pointed to another middle-aged man beside him and said to Lin Xiaodong: "This is Lin Duhu's colleague, the official envoy Zheng Wenshan, Mr. Zheng. This Song'an City case will be decided by you and me, Mr. Zheng."
Go and investigate with Miss Xu."
"I've met Mr. Zheng!"
Lin Xiaodong saluted.
Zheng Wenshan returned the favor: "Lin Duhu is very skilled in mathematics, and I need to rely on him more in this unsolved case."
After a few more pleasantries, Zhu Bowen led the team and set off for Song'an City.
Along the way, Xu Siyi sat silently without saying a word. Lin Xiaodong and Zhu Bowen chatted. Zheng Wenshan intentionally talked to Xu Siyi. Xu Siyi was not very interested and kept saying one sentence after another.
Two days later, we arrived at Song'an City. It was getting late. The city lord Lu Jingqi arranged for everyone to stay in the guest house. Early the next morning, he went to the meeting hall, sat down with the guests of honor, introduced each other, and began to analyze the case.
Lu Jingqi said: "In the past six months, five people have gone missing in Song'an City, all of whom are middle-aged men between the ages of eighteen and thirty."
"They live in various places in the city, and the places where they disappeared are also different, but they have one thing in common. They all disappeared at night, alone, without any witnesses, and the people in the city did not find anything unusual."
After frowning and thinking for a while, Zhu Bowen asked: "Master Lu, where did these people disappear?"
Lu Jingqi smiled contemptuously: "If a young man doesn't come home at night, where else can he go?
Of course, I go to wine shops and showrooms to have fun."
"In other words, the murderer's target is young men who don't go home in the middle of the night, and most of the crime places are restaurants and brothels."
Zheng Wenshan analyzed.
Lu Jingqi nodded: "Yes, but we have thoroughly searched all the restaurants and smokehouses in the city and found no suspicious persons."
Crossing his legs, Zheng Wenshan said easily: "Killing only young men who don't come home at midnight sounds like a personal grudge that develops into hatred against a specific group."
"I would venture to guess that the murderer should be a woman. Her relationship failed and the man was not devoted to his feelings, so she carried out extreme revenge."
Zhu Bowen agreed with Zheng Wenshan's view and nodded: "This is the most likely speculation, but five people have already disappeared. If it is a personal grudge to impulsively kill people, it would be too impulsive."
"So in addition to love killing, I think there is another possibility, which is hatred towards men who visit such sensual places."
Zheng Wenshan clapped his hands: "Sisters in the showroom!"
"Yes, it is also a possibility that fireworks women hate men who come to have fun."
Zhu Bowen looked at Lu Jingqi.
Shaking her head, Lu Jingqi frowned and said, "But we have already asked all the women in the beautiful buildings in the city."
Zhu Bowen nodded, turned to look at Lin Xiaodong, and asked: "Lin Duhu, what do you think?"
"Whether it was a disappearance or a murder, five strong men, if the murderer was a woman, never missed a beat?
Can’t you hear any sound from the surrounding residents?”
Lin Xiaodong spread his hands and asked everyone.
These words awakened everyone present. Zhu Bowen nodded vigorously and said in appreciation: "Lin Duhu's analysis is right. It is not easy for a weak woman to kill a person, a strong man, and to do it silently without being discovered by anyone.
What's more, five people are already missing."
"Whether it's catching people alive or transporting corpses, no one will notice, and even the sound will not be heard. This is not something that a woman who hates men can do."
Xu Siyi, who had been silent all the time, suddenly said: "What if the murderer is a sorcerer?
Some spells can put a person into a small magic weapon and take him away silently."
After hearing this, Zheng Wenshan shook his head disdainfully: "Miss Xu, how many alchemists can there be in a city?
We will start our investigation from the most likely conjecture."
Lowering his head and blinking, Zhu Bowen raised his head and asked Lin Xiaodong: "Lin Duhu, what did you say?"
Lin Xiaodong glanced at Xu Siyi and said: "What Miss Xu said is not impossible. The strong Yuanyang of a mature man is the material for practicing some evil arts."
"Material?
Use living people as materials?"
Zheng Wenshan was so frightened that he stood up.
Glancing at Zheng Wenshan, Zhu Bowen turned to ask Lu Jingqi: "Have there been any practitioners in the city recently?"
Lu Jingqi shook his head: "I have never thought about it in this direction and have not investigated it. I will arrange for someone to investigate it."
Zhu Bowen waved his hand: "Don't worry, let's start with the most likely speculation for now, and ask Mr. Lu to lead the way, let us go to the crime scene."
Lu Jingqi took a group of people to Luchang Restaurant on Tonglian Street, and stood outside the door and said: "The first missing person is called Du Weizhao, 28 years old, a local. The last place he went to before disappearing was this restaurant.
I drank with my friends until midnight and disappeared on the way home."
Looking up at the plaque on the restaurant, Zheng Wenshan said: "There are people coming and going in the restaurant. There are many men who don't go home in the middle of the night. Why is he the only one missing?"
Zhu Bowen said seriously: "If we assume that the murderer is a woman, then the first missing person is most likely to have a personal grudge."
"Master Lu, our troops are divided into three groups. Lin Duhu and I will go to Du Weizhao's house to have a look. Master Lu, you will take people to investigate the women who have been in contact with him. Xiao Zheng and Miss Xu will go to the restaurant to interview the boss and guests."
The three groups split up and Lu Jingqi arranged carriages and horses to send Lin Xiaodong and Zhu Bowen to Du Weizhao's house.
Du Weizhao's home is a large mansion in the city. Du Weizhao's father, Du Jianming, is a salt merchant and has considerable wealth.
"Is there anyone?
Mr. Simon from the Supervision Department is here to meet you!"
Standing outside the gate, Zhu Bowen knocked on the door and shouted.