Chapter 337: The murder case reappears, testing fate
The twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month is Xiaonian, also known as Jie Nian Festival, Kitchen God Festival, and Kitchen Festival.
The continuous snowfall has covered the eaves of every house in Qingshui City with a layer of white frost. The air is dry and biting, and every breath feels like an ice knife has been swallowed in the throat.
"Hi~ This damn weather is so cold."
Wu Asi, who got up early, kept rubbing his hands and breathing heavily. He walked out of his hut and walked through the dirty alleyway full of sewage. The smell of urine hit his nostrils.
"Chiji..."
Two fat, gray-haired rats were alerted by Wu Asi. They looked around for a while and then quickly got into the drainage channel on the side.
"Hey, this beast... runs pretty fast." Wu Asi didn't take it seriously and was about to move on when he suddenly saw something wrong with the garbage pile in front of him.
Look carefully.
Only then did Wu Asi realize that there were splatters of blood all around, and there were a few bloody footprints nearby, and in the garbage pile in front of him that was being rummaged by rats... there seemed to be a human arm.
He couldn't believe his eyes. He walked forward quickly in a few steps, randomly found a tattered wooden stick, and poked it around among a pile of charcoal ash, rotten vegetables, rags and garbage.
"This..."
The soft touch from the rotten wooden stick made Wu Asi know what he might have discovered.
He bravely moved forward and used a wooden stick to tease her hard.
Plop!
A half-recognizable body fell in front of him, with blue-black skin mixed with blood, and empty eyes like two black whirlpools.
"Ah!
”
Wu Asi was so frightened that he screamed and used his hands and feet to crawl over the garbage pile and ran towards the county government office.
——
Qingshui County Government, Supervisory Office.
Tie Tang came here for a tour today and was looking through some eucalyptus files that were more than three years old.
Since taking office as county governor, he has not made any big moves.
In addition to collecting military symbols and unifying military power, the new county governor also has one most critical step.
That is to reconcile the ledger!
The account book includes all the income and expenditure of the entire Qingshui County, the current inventory, how much silver is left, and the most important arsenal equipment verification, etc.
However, because the previous county governor was Li Qingwan, Tie Tang was very confident about her character, so he just sent some people to count as usual, and Fang Lexian gave the final approval.
The military talisman in his hand has not been distributed yet, and except for the ten Tie family disciples who have been placed in the army, there is no extra action.
If there is a problem, even if there is no problem, the officials will not deal with it, because Tie Tang has to wait for the formation to be laid before he can cure Qingshui step by step.
Therefore, he was relatively free during this period, just visiting various departments.
When I arrived at the county government office today, I planned to look at the past files and prepare for the arrest of the Si family and others.
The magistrate of Qingshui City was very aggrieved, but the police officer of Qingshui City was not aggrieved.
Because the chief county police officer He Changsheng and others above them have to review the official documents of the inspection company of the entire Qingshui County on a daily basis, so they cannot take care of them.
The police officers of Qingshui City are actually responsible for the affairs of the entire Qingshui City and do not interfere with other cities. Their power has not been affected and they will basically not be suppressed by the above.
Tie Tang has served as the chief catcher and knows that the security of a city is very stable. This position has a great influence.
The so-called generals are in a roost, and the soldiers are in a roost.
The ability of a city's chief arrest officer can roughly reflect the stability of the city's public security.
The chief arrester of Qingshui City is named Li Qingze, and the county arrester is named Li Qingyuan, both of whom are members of the Li family.
This Li family is Li Qingwan, Li Yao’s Li family.
Another county jailer went to prison because he committed a crime six months ago. He Changsheng has never filled this position, so it has been idle until now.
Li Qingze and Li Qingyuan are brothers. Tie Tang has not seen each other these days, but has never heard them express any opinions.
Since they belong to the Li family, it is not up to them to choose which team to join. It is up to the head of the Li family and Li Qingwan to decide.
Secondly, the official ranks of the chief catcher and the county catcher are really not on the stage in Qingshui City. Their influence is very small, and no one cares about it.
Tie Tang came to visit today, and the two brothers were waiting with the heads of each hall in one place, waiting for orders.
Compared with other officials, the Li brothers were not too afraid of Tie Tang's arrival. After all, they were considered a faction and their own people.
While flipping through the files, Tie Tang asked: "How has the public security in Qingshui City been in recent years?"
Li Qingze knew that Tie Tang also had a background as a chief catcher, so to conceal the truth in this regard would be to make himself uncomfortable.
So he said it truthfully without even thinking: "This year, there have been a lot of riots due to the Outer Territory Incident, and many cases have not been solved yet.
Moreover, aristocratic families run rampant in the city, and many people do not dare to report to the government despite being oppressed. Even if we find clues and come to see them, they are unwilling to tell the truth.
Overall...there is still a lot of room for improvement."
"Oh? You are honest. Doesn't this mean you are admitting your inaction?"
"I don't do it unless I am a lower-ranking official, but I have to do it as a last resort."
Tie Tang nodded and did not ask any more questions.
He had read the files of the Li brothers before coming here, and also verified their personalities with Li Yao.
These two people are a generation older than Li Yao, and they are not direct descendants of Li Qingwan. They are regarded as side branches, but they are honest and kind people.
In addition, with the support of the Li family, it was Li Qingwan who held the position of county governor for more than 20 years, and they are not afraid of coercion and inducement from others.
Overall, he is fair in dealing with things, has no major stains, and has a good reputation.
While Tie Tang was still reading the files, commotion of footsteps was heard outside the Inspector's Hall, and two detectives in blue and two detectives in green rushed in.
"Why are you so nervous?" the master of the Supervisory Hall scolded in a low voice, these are his men.
When the policeman saw that all the heads of the gangs had arrived, he also saw the chief policeman and the county policeman were present. There was also a young man in the middle, who knew that something big was going on here.
He coyly walked towards the head of the Supervisory Hall, wanting to ask him to come out for a chat.
"Sir, the chief arrester will come back as soon as your subordinates go down."
Tie Tang didn't even raise his eyelids: "I have also been a chief arrester, so it's okay to talk about it. Is this a life-threatening incident?"
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"Why don't you tell the governor what's going on?"
The two detectives nodded and bowed: "Yes, yes, sir, a body was found in the west of the outer city. He must have died last night. Some people came to report it in the morning."
"Who is the deceased? What kind of cultivation level?"
"This... the brothers from Sou Jian Tang are still inspecting the site, and Wu Zuo is also still inspecting. The specific situation is not yet known."
Tie Tang then put down the file in his hand and looked at the Li brothers: "How old is this kind of thing...?"
Li Qingze pondered for a moment and said: "The west side of the outer city... is more chaotic, and there are daily gang fights for territory.
Like this case... it's probably the same, and someone will come forward to take the blame soon.
Don't worry, sir, if there are no accidents, this eucalyptus can be broken in half a day."
"Qingshui is a county town, and there are many witch and Taoist priests. How dare some people dare to use gang banners? If you didn't tell me, I would have thought it was Yuncheng."
Li Qingze smiled bitterly and said: "The outer city is full of poor people, and there are also some idle scoundrels who stay around.
Occasionally, these people climbed onto the trains of some children from aristocratic families, and began to act arrogantly. Moreover, they had a clear regional awareness and did not dare to take a step beyond the inner city.
In fact, we have eradicated it several times, but we only cut down a batch and then grew another crop, unable to completely eradicate it.
The most important thing is that some unhappy family members are causing trouble."
Tie Tang waved his hand: "Send someone to deal with it immediately and clarify the cause of the incident. If there is anything wrong, let me know immediately.
I just took office not long ago... and someone has killed me. Are you trying to intimidate me?"
All the detectives felt sweat dripping from their foreheads when they heard this. Li Qingze also knew the seriousness of the matter and gave his brother a wink.
Li Qingyuan immediately came out, resigned to Tie Tang, and left with the two masters of Supervisory Hall and Search Hall.
The three of them ordered dozens of constables and servants, and hurried to the place where the city grew west.
The place has been surrounded, the garbage pile has been cleared, there is work on the ground, and the police are still inspecting.
Li Qingyuan turned over and dismounted, with a solemn look on his face: "What's the situation now?"
Wu Zuo stood up first: "The deceased had practiced fists and feet, and his bones were as hard as stone. He should have achieved the level of minor to dacheng in the bone forging realm.
The time of death was between Chou hour and Yin hour last night. The specific time needs to be taken back for examination."
"How did you die?"
"He was probably walking on the road when he was suddenly attacked. The murderer first broke his right leg with a heavy blunt instrument, and then attacked his spine and back of the head.
However, a martial artist in the Bone Forging Realm has strong bones and tough muscles. Even if the murderer attacks him by surprise, he cannot be killed on the spot.
The fatal wound was in his heart, which was pierced and minced directly. The murder weapon may have been a cylindrical object.
This shows that there may have been a second person at the scene who took action, and his strength was higher than that of the deceased and the first person who made the sneak attack."
Wu Zuo had already conducted a very careful investigation. Li Qingyuan nodded with satisfaction and asked the policeman who was searching the Jian Tang here.
"Is this the land of eucalyptus?"
"Sir, based on the blood splatters and footprints all around, it should be the place where the incident occurred. However, the people who reported the incident messed up the footprints, so it's impossible to tell how many people were present at the time."
"Let me see!"
Li Qingyuan stepped forward, and with a movement of witchcraft power, he turned the deceased's body over.
The deceased's face had been scratched messily, and his eyes had been gouged out, which made the other detectives secretly smack their tongues.
Judging from the remaining face, the deceased should be a man in his thirties.
"Arrested by Li County, this should be a member of the Jiulong Gang." The leader of the Search Hall stepped forward and flipped over the sleeve of the deceased, revealing his complete forearm, which indeed had nine intertwined dragon-shaped tattoos.
Li Qingyuan was furious: "Don't these guys know what time it is? They dare to do anything. They are really lawless.
Find them all immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The detectives under his command led their agents in separate directions, poured into the complicated alleyways, and knocked on the doors one after another.
Half an hour later.
In a teahouse in the west of the city, Li Qingyuan saw four gang leaders with sinewy muscles and sinister faces.
"Master Li, what kind of wind is this blowing? How did it bring you here?"
"Master Li, I have been keeping to myself lately and don't dare to act rashly."
......
The four of them sat down separately. Outside the police officers, there were hundreds of fierce-looking men, all subordinates of their respective gangs.
Li Qingyuan personally took the teapot and teacup and poured a cup of tea for each of the four people.
"Four of you, please have tea!"
When the four leading leaders saw this, they put away their smiling faces and remained silent.
"Nothing's wrong. A corpse was just found in Erdao Alley. You all are well-informed and should already know about it."
"Ahem, Mr. Li, I didn't do it."
"Not me either."
"Er Mazi, whatever you are looking at is not me."
The last gang leader with a pockmarked face is the leader of the Kowloon Gang.
He was grieved and looked painful: "Sir, it is my brother who died. Please find out the truth as soon as possible and redress my brother's injustice."
After listening, Li Qingyuan picked up the teapot again, stood up, gave the four teacups that they had not taken a sip from, and continued to pour tea.
Tick tock, tick tock.
The overflowing hot tea flowed along the table and onto the robes of the four people, but no one dared to get up.
"Four of you, please have tea!"
Er Mazi stopped crying, and the other three people all had trembling hands.
"Sir, I swear, it's really not me. Give me half an hour, and I'll go check right away to see if there are any underlings who did this without opening their eyes."
The other three gang leaders continued to act as guarantees, but Er Mazi was the only one who stood there blankly, lost in thought.
Li Qingyuan raised a finger: "One stick of incense, I'll give you one stick of incense and ask for it right away."
"Yes, yes, yes, please wait a moment, sir!"
.......
After the three people left, Li Qingyuan looked at Er Mazi.
"What do you want to say?"
Er Mazi shook his head repeatedly, but the sad expression on his face, like a resentful woman, gave Li Qingyuan a headache.
"If you fart, let it go. If you keep hesitating, I'll cut out your tongue."
"The villain dare not say it."
"Which company is it related to?"
"Sir, please spare the younger one. It really can't be done... You can help me arrest him and take the blame."
Li Qingyuan laughed.
"Let me tell you this, this matter has alarmed the county governor. Let alone arresting you to take the blame, even if I were to take the blame, I wouldn't be able to withstand it.
If you tell the truth, you might be able to save your life.
Otherwise...it will be useless even if the King of Heaven comes."
Plop!
Er Mazi was so frightened that he fell to the ground. He didn't know how a small fate could involve the new county magistrate.
"Sir, I say, I say, I really don't know who did this, but I can guess who it is related to."
"Tell me about it."
"Xiongzi, that's the one who died. He is really capable of dealing with others, and he is really good at troubles. Sir, you should know that most of us are forced to unite together, and not all of us are real villains."
"Tell the important point!"
Li Qingyuan scolded him harshly, but did not refute.
Some of these people from all walks of life do have no choice but to do anything bad. They have a sense of reckless chivalry.
Of course, most of them are still scoundrels and lazy people.
Er Mazi gave a thumbs up: "Xiong Zi is a man of justice, and he has done well under my hands in the past.
During the recent period, he mainly helped me to clear up the soldiers guarding the city, and also served some troops entering the city.
This thing is not difficult to do, and it is not the first time he has done it.
But for some reason, he came to me yesterday and told me that he might die and asked me to help him escape."
"Then why don't you help?"
"He didn't explain the reason, and he looked doubtful, so I didn't take it seriously, gave him some money and sent him on his way.
Who knew he died this morning and died so miserably."
Li Qingyuan thought for a moment and then asked: "When did he find you yesterday? Which military unit did he serve recently?"
Er Mazi raised his head and thought for a while, then clapped his fingers and said, "It was very late, and you didn't find me until midnight.
On the other side of the city guarding the city are Lao You and the guards from Lu Feng Camp, and those inside the city are the soldiers from Long Wu Camp.
I heard that Longwu Camp won the first place in the martial arts performance and took several days off. We also relied on Lao You's relationship to serve those warriors in the army."
"Where do you usually take them?"
"We usually eat well, drink well, and play well, but we can't escape from those places. Sir, you should also know.
However, the soldiers in Longwu Camp are extraordinary, and I spent a lot of money to establish connections with them.
Xiongzi took them to Fenghuaxueyue Pavilion in the inner city. Staying there for one day cost me an unknown amount of money."
Li Qingyuan became more and more annoyed as he listened, and slammed the table: "How dare you enter the inner city?"
"Sir, I'm just going to have fun..." Er Mazi was so aggrieved that he almost cried.
"Any more?"
"No, no, that's all I know."
"Go to the county government office and stay with me, and tell me what comes to mind."
"Master Li, can you not go?"
"What do you think?"
Li Qingyuan ignored them and ordered his men to continue waiting for the other three gang leaders. He took the two gang leaders and started to rush to the inner city.
"Why does this matter involve the military..."
The leader of the Soujian Hall said: "When I was arrested in Li County, the soldiers in the army were wearing military sticks, which indeed matched the shape of the man's heart and soul being pierced.
You said here..."
Li Qingyuan was puzzled: "Why would the soldiers of Longwuying kill a gangster when they were enjoying themselves so well?"
"The battalion commander of Longwu Camp..."
When the head of the Supervisory Hall said this, Li Qingyuan immediately came to his senses.
He has also heard about some of the previous grievances between Rong Gaojun and Tie Tang. This is not a secret.
"After Lieutenant Qi handed over the military talisman, Rong Gaojun did not dare to resist. Without the military talisman in his hand, it was impossible for him to act so unscrupulously."
"Arrested in Li County, should we inform Mr. Tie first? He just gave the order. If there is anything wrong, we must inform him immediately."
"Yes, since this involves the military, to be honest, we don't have the authority to handle it. The left and right sides have to be handed over to the Supervisory County Mansion. It is better to report it directly to Master Tie."
Li Qingyuan paused and pondered, then waved his hand.
"Take people to watch the Fenghuaxueyue Pavilion from a distance. Don't scare the snake first, and don't let people escape."
"Hangzhu He asked the brothers of Meihua Hall to keep an eye on the Longwuying soldiers to see where they are now and what they are doing. I will report to you, sir."
Inside the Inspector's Hall.
Tie Tang was still checking past files and would ask a few questions from time to time.
After reading one of the volumes, Tie Tang suddenly asked: "The case of me being hunted can be regarded as a mystery. Where is the file?"
Li Qingze was sweating profusely. He waved his hand to wipe away the sweat and said quickly: "Sir, you were still the chief arrester that day and were under Yuncheng. The corresponding files are in the county government office, not in Qingshui County government office."
"Haha~ I'm just asking casually, don't be nervous."
Tie Tang picked up the tea cup and was about to take a sip, but put it down, got up and walked out of the Inspector's Hall.
"Brother, why are you here?"
The person standing outside the door was Fang Lexian. He pointed to the top of his head and then to the outside.
"Coming?"
"Coming."
"Brother, please take me to meet him."
Fang Lexian shook his head repeatedly: "He said that he is in the city, and he wants to see his fate with you, so that you can find him within an hour.
Whether you find it or not, he will fulfill his promise."
Tie Tang scratched his head and complained softly.
"Senior...do you really have to deal with these nonsense?"