He didn't sleep all night, but Chen Qun was extremely excited.
First there was a fierce assassination, and then there was a bizarre murder. What happened last night contained almost all the bizarre variables. So after he returned to the county government, he didn't even eat before asking Yue Guan again. Because Yue Guan is a chrysanthemum.
The head of the nunnery is also the last person to see Xuelian. Every word she says is very crucial and may even affect the development of the case in the future.
However, Yue Guan's answer was not much different from that at Juhua Temple.
Chen Qun inquired for a long time, but could not get a clue.
"Magistrate Chen, you have already answered everything you know. I wonder if the magistrate still has any questions?"
Chen Qun thought for a while and really didn't know what else to ask.
"In that case, please ask Master Yue'an to return." He smiled and said to Yue Guan: "But after Master Yue'an returns, if he thinks of anything, he can always tell the county. By the way, a murder has just occurred in Juhua An, and it is only
If the nunnery owner is left alone, I'm afraid he will be in danger. It's better to do this. I will order someone to go there. Firstly, I can protect the nunnery owner, and secondly, if something happens to the nunnery owner, I can send someone to report it at any time."
Yue Guan said respectfully: "Then the county magistrate will have to worry about it."
After sending Yue Guan away, Chen Qun sat alone in the flower hall, waiting for Cao Peng to return.
The excitement gradually passed, and fatigue came in waves.
But Cao Peng didn't come back for a long time. Chen Qun returned to the bedroom, leaned on the bed and read for a while, and soon fell asleep...
In his sleep, he dreamed of the singing and dancing of Yue Guan, which was so graceful and moving!
"Master, Master, wake up."
When Chen Qun was sleeping soundly, he suddenly felt someone pushing and calling in his ear.
He opened his eyes and saw the old butler Chen Chen shouting from the side. He couldn't help but feel a little unhappy. Chen Qun turned over and sat up, rubbing his cheeks, "What time is it now? How long have I been asleep?"
"Young Master has only slept for half an hour, just past midnight."
Chen Qun stretched out and asked, "Cao Beibei is back?"
"Zifang came back just now, but Cao Beibu didn't come back with him.
Zifang said that Cao Beibei’s family came from Xudu, so Cao Beibei went to Dongshiliting to greet him, and he would not return until after Shenshi.”
"Is your family coming?"
Chen Qun stood up and a maid brought him a wet wipe.
He put the wet wipe on his face and wiped it hard, feeling suddenly refreshed.
"Tell me what's going on."
"Sir, someone just came to report that a body was found in the woods south of the city."
Chen Qun was facing the bronze mirror, combing his short beard under his chin. After hearing Chen Shen's words, his hand shook involuntarily and he broke off two strands of his beard.
"What did you say?"
"A body was found in the woods south of the city."
"Have you informed Lieutenant Nanfang?"
"It was the Nanfang Wei Mansion that reported... Nanfang Wei has brought people over to investigate and sent someone to report to the Young Master."
Chen Qun couldn't help but pat his forehead lightly, and immediately asked someone to change into his official uniform. He ordered Chen Ju to lead the way and hurried out of the county government gate.
Luoyang is divided into four divisions, each of which maintains its own responsibilities.
The incident occurred in the south of the city, so it was naturally under the jurisdiction of Nanfang Wei, so Chen Qun did not let anyone notify Cao Peng.
I walked in a hurry and walked south out of the city gate. Outside a small forest, I saw a group of slaves surrounding the forest.
All around were neighbors watching the fun and whispering to each other.
The southern captain of Luoyang was named Meng Tan.
Cao Peng knew this person when he first came to Luoyang.
However, at that time, Cao Peng was eager to become a disciple in Lu Hun, so he did not meet this man. After he became the Northern Lieutenant, he met Meng Tan once, but did not have a close relationship. Meng Tan was about 30 years old and a native of Luoyang.
In the second year of Jian'an, he was appointed as Nanfang Lieutenant, almost at the same time as Zhu Zan. In terms of qualifications, he was older than Cao Peng; in terms of age, he was older than Cao Peng, so he would not take the initiative to contact Cao Peng.
But Meng Tan was extremely respectful to Chen Qun.
"Meng Nannan, what's going on?"
Chen Qun got off his horse and talked to Meng Tan while walking.
"At almost noon, the head of Nanxiang and several villagers passed by and rested in the forest. Unexpectedly, they found a dead body in the forest, so they immediately sent someone to report it. After the official got the news, he led his people over.
, cordon off the woods, and then notify the county magistrate.”
"Has the deceased ever been identified?"
"It has been found out that he is a citizen of Xianguan, his name is Chizhong, and he is from Jingzhao."
Chen Qun suddenly stopped and looked at Meng Tan in shock, "Chi Zhong?"
"Exactly."
"Is that Jingzhao Chi Boyu?"
Meng Tan was startled and blurted out: "The county magistrate also knows this person?"
Chen Qun couldn't help but smile bitterly and let Meng Tan lead the way. After a while, he came to the depths of the woods. The sunlight poured into the woods through the gaps between the branches, and there were spots of light. A dead body was covered with mud and water, facing up to the sky.
lying on the ground...
Chen Qun closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked over.
He squatted down in front of the dead body, stretched out his hand, and wiped away the mud on his face, revealing an extremely delicate face.
It is indeed Chi Zhong!
"Can it be found out, how to cause death?"
Meng Tan quickly replied: "Wu Zuo hasn't arrived yet, so I don't know yet.
The lower official was afraid of damaging the corpse, so he did not dare to act rashly... However, this Chi Zhong is a famous swordsman in Luoyang, and his skills are extremely high."
"I know!"
Chen Qun frowned and his face darkened.
This Meng Tan is almost twice as old as Cao Peng, but he is not as careful in his work as Cao Peng.
If Cao Peng were here, he would definitely tell him clearly the cause of Chizhong's death, and he might even be able to tell the time of Chizhong's death.
And now, we still have to wait for the work to arrive...
Chen Qun pondered for a moment and suddenly said: "Meng Tan, ask your people to withdraw from the forest immediately."
"ah?"
"I will order someone to invite Cao Beibu to come. He is quite talented in this area, so he will investigate the cause of death."
"But, this is against the rules."
"Chizhong was drinking with me last night, and I suffered consecutive assassinations and murders last night. I suspect that Chizhong's death is related to the case last night. Cao Beibu has always been responsible for this matter, and now I have decided
, do you have any opinion on unifying the two cases?"
"This... I don't dare to do this."
Meng Tan felt aggrieved, but had to obey the order.
Not to mention that Chen Qun was his superior officer, even if Chen Qun was not Luoyang's order, Chen Qun's background alone was enough to make Meng Tan bow his head.
I hate Cao Youxue!
Meng Tan couldn't help but feel resentful.
I originally thought that after Zhu Zan was killed, I could take over the Northern Command.
Nominally, the Southern Lieutenants are equal to the Northern Lieutenants. But in fact, the Northern Lieutenants are the first of the four divisions of Luoyang, and the status of the Southern Lieutenants is still below that of the Northern Lieutenants.
Unexpectedly, Cao Peng came out midway, which made Meng Tan feel very uncomfortable.
Now, a case that obviously happened under his own rule was assigned to the Northern Lieutenant Supervisor. To Meng Tan, this was tantamount to a slap in the face. Thinking back to the fact that Cao Peng had snatched his position before, Meng Tan felt like
It was even more unpleasant. He did not dare to disobey Chen Qun, but he could hate Cao Peng. After taking the people with him, he exited the forest and waited quietly outside the forest, with anger burning in his heart.
Chen Qun ordered people to find Cao Peng.
He squatted next to the corpse and observed it carefully.
After staying with Cao Peng for a long time, Chen Qun also heard Cao Peng say some key points in solving the case.
Now, since Cao Peng is not here, it is up to him to judge... Chi Zhong was killed on the spot by a sword piercing his chest.
However, due to being soaked in mud and water, Chen Qun could not see clearly the condition of the wound.
Chizhong is a swordsman, and a famous swordsman!
Now he...
Chen Qun stood up and fell into deep thought beside the corpse.
After a while, he suddenly issued an order: "Tell Meng Nannan and order him to take people immediately to the city to arrest Zhu Dao and bring him to justice."
Arrest and wish?
Meng Tan felt a little strange, but he still obeyed the order and left in a hurry.
As soon as he stepped forward, he saw a group of cavalry coming from the end of the road at a lightning speed.
This iron cavalry is all wearing black armor and black clothes.
Cao Peng took the lead and arrived at the forest first. Marquis Chen Ju was outside the forest. When he saw Cao Peng coming, he immediately went to greet him.
Looking back furtively, Chen Ju couldn't help but be secretly surprised. The cavalry behind Cao Peng consisted of about thirty riders. One of the generals was eight feet tall, with broad arms and round waist, and was extremely majestic. When he jumped off the horse,
There is a faint ringing of copper bells, if it is there or not.
"Xingba, you take people to guard outside, I'll go in and watch."
The big man stepped in and took the order. Thirty flying beasts dismounted and quickly blocked the entrance to the forest and forced the people who were watching the excitement to retreat ten steps.
All actions are completed in an instant and appear orderly.
Chen Ju secretly sighed: How could such a warrior serve under Cao Beibei?
Cao Peng walked into the forest and frowned when he saw the footprints everywhere.
"Afu, have the family arrangements been made?"
When Chen Qun saw Cao Peng arriving, he asked.
Cao Peng nodded, "If my mother and Yueying hadn't accompanied them, I wouldn't have gone to greet them. I received the notice that I had ordered Xiahou He Haozhao to lead his troops into the city first, so I hurried here. Why, I heard that Chi Boyu
Dead? Have you ever found out the cause of Chi Boyu’s death?”
"He was pierced through the heart with a sword and died on the spot."
Cao Peng stopped asking, walked to the body, squatted down, opened Chi Zhong's eyelids to check, and then turned Chi Zhong's body over... After a while, he uncovered Chi Zhong's bloody clothes and ordered someone to hold a torch.
, took a closer look at the wound on his chest.
"Two-finger rapier."
"ah?"
"The murderer used a thin sword about two fingers wide, with a blade that seemed to have a serrated shape on one end.
Brother, please immediately send someone to find out who in Luoyang City uses such a sharp sword... Also, the murderer and Chi Zhong should know each other and are familiar with each other. The murderer has good swordsmanship and can draw the sword very quickly. Look at the sword hole.
At the entrance, the murderer should be a left-hander."
Chen Qun said: "I have ordered Meng Tan to go and capture Zhu Dao."
"Seizure Zhudao?"
"I think the person most likely to kill Chi Zhong is Zhu Dao."
"Why?"
"Didn't you say that he and Chi Zhong have always had conflicts and have fought swords several times? In addition, he and Chi Zhong know each other, and they had a conflict last night. Zhu Dao is good at swordsmanship, and like Chi Zhong, he is famous in Luoyang
swordsman. So I speculate that the murderer is Zhu Dao."
It sounds very reasonable.
But after Cao Peng thought for a moment, he shook his head and expressed his objection.
"Brother, come here and look into Chizhong's eyes."
"What's wrong?"
"Generally speaking, after a person dies, his or her eyes will leave some messages. Some may be shock, some fear, some hatred, or... But Chizhong's expression is very calm, not even the slightest bit angry. You also said it just now, wish.
I had conflicts with Chi Zhong and had sword fights several times. Let me ask you, if it were you, would you be on guard against someone who had just had a conflict with you and ruined your good deeds?"
Chen Qun thought for a while, "Logically speaking, there must be precautions."
"But look at Chi Zhong, there are no scars on Chi Zhong's body except for the sword that pierced his heart.
In other words, the murderer struck suddenly when they were face to face, and Chi Zhong was completely unprepared, so he was killed by a sword through his heart."
Cao Peng paused for a moment, then continued: "Furthermore, Chi Zhong's expression was very calm, and there was even a look of relief...Who on earth made it possible for him to face death so calmly? And who made it possible for him to face death so calmly?
Didn't he take any precautions at all?
Yesterday, I saw Zhu Dao and Chi Zhong fighting swords.
Zhu Dao's swordsmanship is very fierce, using a three-finger broad sword instead of a two-finger thin sword."
As he said that, Cao Peng stood opposite Chen Qun with a smile on his face.
He suddenly made a move and put his finger on Chen Qun's chest, "Brother, this man's swordsmanship is definitely much better than Chi Boyu's."
His fingers touched Chen Qun's chest, which startled Chen Qun and turned a little pale.
"Afu, can you please stop being so surprised? You scared me to death!"
"You see, we are so familiar. You were also frightened by what I said just now. But Chi Zhong surprisingly didn't show any fear at all. This calm expression itself represents an answer. Therefore, I don't think Zhu Dao is the murderer.
, he doesn’t have the ability.”
"Who could that be?"
Cao Peng rubbed his nose and shook his head.
"This question really stumps me.
In this way, let us sort things out. Judging from the wounds on Chizhong's body, the time of his death should be last night. Such a thin sword hole, but the blood drained... It cannot be done in a short time.
.The wound is a little white, which is the result of being soaked in muddy water after the blood has dried. From last night to today, it rained three times. And after noon, the water has disappeared... So I judge that he was injured yesterday
At night, after leaving Juhua Temple, he was shot through the heart by an arrow and died.
At the end of the banquet last night, he peeped at Yue Guan changing clothes, but Zhu Dao caught him, and then the two sides had a dispute and left early.
He stepped forward and the banquet ended.
I pretended to be drunk at the time, so I didn’t pay attention...but brother, have you ever noticed who left the fastest after the banquet? In other words, who left first?"
"This..." Chen Qun thought for a while, "It seems they left together."
"Okay, let's assume that.
After Chizhong left, he walked home. There was a man who left with everyone and chased him alone. After he caught up with Chizhong, he took Chizhong to the forest to take shelter from the rain. Then he suddenly took action and killed Chizhong...
…Well, that should be it.”
Chen Qun kept silent, with a look of deep thought on his face.
Cao Peng waved to the servants to come and collect the bodies, and then he and Chen Qun walked out of the woods simultaneously.
At this moment, a slave came galloping from the direction of Luoyang. After dismounting in front of the forest, the slave hurriedly walked to Chen Ju and whispered a few words.
Chen Ju frowned and quickly ran to Chen Qun.
After whispering a few words, Chen Qun turned to look at Cao Peng, with an extremely strange expression on his face.
"What's wrong?"
"Afu, you seem to have guessed wrong."
"oh?"
"I just ordered Meng Nannan to go back to the city to arrest Zhu Dao, but when Meng Nannan arrived at Zhu Dao's home, he found that Zhu Dao had disappeared."