"County magistrate, I found a sword behind the couch."
Meng Tan quickly walked over, took the sword from a guard, glanced at it, and looked at Cao Peng with extremely complex eyes.
"County magistrate, this should be the sword that killed Chi Zhong."
Chen Qun didn't care to appease the angry Xuan Shuo and hurriedly stepped forward.
The long sword in Meng Tan's hand is about three and a half feet long, about 80 centimeters. The sword body is streamlined and has a sharp edge. It is two fingers wide and has a serrated side to increase the cutting power. This sword, like Cao Peng
The description of the sword that killed Chi Zhong basically matches.
Chen Qun said to Xuan Shuo: "I never thought that Mo Yan was still a swordsman!
No wonder we can't find the person, it turned out to be him. Layman Xuanshuo, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid even you can't escape from this matter. Before we find out the truth, please feel aggrieved. Someone, send Master Xuanshuo to you.
Hui County Yamen, lock him up first, don't be rude."
Xuan Shuo was stunned and couldn't speak for a long time.
Cao Peng was on the side and did not offer any explanation. He just squatted next to the corpse and observed it carefully.
Yuan Xuanshuo, as if lost in despair, was escorted out of the Zen room by two guards.
Chen Qun came over and patted Cao Peng on the shoulder, "Let's go... When we get back, I will immediately issue a sea arrest document to apprehend Biqiu Pass."
Cao Peng raised his head and said softly: "Mo Yan is not the murderer of Chi Zhong."
"oh?"
Meng Tan couldn't bear it and said: "Cao Beibei, the shape of the weapon that killed Chi Zhong is what you said. Now the murder weapon is found here, isn't it Mo Yan, could it be Yue Guan? I remember, when Chi Zhong was killed,
Yue Guan has always been here and has not left."
"It's not Yue Guan."
Cao Peng pointed to the corpse and said to Meng Tan: "As for why I said he was not, Meng Nannan will know it after seeing it."
Meng Tan snorted coldly and walked to the body.
"Look at his left arm..."
"Looks like you're injured?"
"With a broken left arm, how could he kill Chi Zhong?" Cao Peng coughed, as if he couldn't stand the smell in the room, turned and walked to the door, "The night before, when this man came to assassinate Magistrate Chen, I used
He was injured by an iron meteor. His left arm was severely injured and he could not use the sword at all. Moreover, although the skin on his hands was rough, it was definitely not caused by sword practice. Generally speaking, swordsmen have calluses on their fingers. If Meng Nannan didn't believe it,
You can find some swordsmen to take a look... Mo Yan's hands are clearly the result of long-term hard work."
Meng Tan was silent!
After a while, he asked: "Then why was the murder weapon found?"
"It's just a graft." Cao Peng smiled slightly, "I guess someone hopes to use this method to disturb our sight and cover up the real culprit."
"Youxue, do you have any clues?" Chen Qun suddenly asked.
"Zhang Liang!" Cao Peng closed his eyes and replied in a deep voice after a moment: "I was just skeptical before, but now it seems that I can't wait any longer. Three lives in two days, plus our people, is enough
Four lives... The opponent is already anxious. It seems that they are preparing to evacuate, so they are impatient to erase all traces. But the more this happens, the more it shows that we are close to the truth."
"What truth?"
Cao Peng didn't answer and slowly walked down the porch.
Across the courtyard, a cool breeze blows.
The sun shines through the shadows of the swaying trees and reflects in the small courtyard, with spots of light flickering and extinguishing.
Chen Qun said: "Meng Nannan, immediately mobilize troops and horses to arrest Zhang Yuanan."
"ah?"
Meng Tan hesitated and said softly: "County magistrate, this Liang is a son of a powerful local in Luoyang. If we arrest him without any evidence, I am afraid that it will arouse the opposition of the powerful people in Luoyang... Most of those people have some strength. If there is trouble,
If it is about to rise, it is likely to cause turmoil."
Chen Qun's eyes flashed, "Take it first and then talk about it."
Now that he has spoken, he has obviously made up his mind.
Although Meng Tan was a little hesitant, he still accepted the order and led the people back to Luoyang.
At this time, Cao Peng had already walked out of the courtyard. He walked along the wall, looking relaxed and at ease.
Chen Qun came under the arch and Cao Peng returned just in time.
"Afu, are you sure?"
"I dare not say anything if I am not sure, but if Zhang Yuanan is the real murderer, he must not be at home at this moment."
"Same as Zhu Dao?"
Cao Peng nodded and shook his head, "Zhu Dao's escape may be just a coincidence and has nothing to do with the murder. But if Zhang Yuanan is the real murderer, based on the development of today's situation, it is certain that the other party is also a little anxious, so he will ignore it.
All killings...
So I estimate that Zhang Yuanan is also ready to evacuate and must be with his accomplices at this moment."
Chen Qun couldn't help but said: "Then what is the purpose of these people?
Also, you just said that it was me who was assassinated by Mo Yan? Since I came to Luoyang, I rarely show my face, so who is so bold as to want to assassinate me?"
"Since they can kill Fourth Brother Zhu, why can't they kill you?"
"you……"
Cao Peng smiled, pulled Chen Qun, and walked onto the waterside pavilion.
"Brother, do you still remember that after the singing and dancing in this waterside pavilion that night, you had a word with Yue Guan."
"Have it?"
Chen Qun was confused at the time and couldn't remember clearly what he said.
Cao Peng said: "You praised Yue Guan at that time, saying that her singing and dancing had the charm of the Han Palace..."
The singing and dancing of Master Yue'an seems to have a royal atmosphere, which is very good!
The scene that night suddenly appeared in Chen Qun's mind. In an instant, every word he said that night seemed to echo in his ears.
"I did say that."
"That's why you were assassinated."
"ah?"
Cao Peng leaned on the railing of the waterside pavilion with his hands, his expression seemed to have returned to that night.
"Cao Beibu, I know who killed Zhu Beibu. Please try to stay in the nunnery tonight..."
Xuelian's soft voice echoed in his ears. After a moment, Cao Peng turned to Chen Qun and said: "Brother, you know that there are all kinds of strange people and strange things in this world. I once heard that some people can guess the words through the movements of their lips.
content, this is called lip reading.”
"never heard of that."
"I believe that there was someone who knew this unique skill that night."
"who?"
"Yueguan."
Chen Qun shivered and suddenly felt a chill rising from his body. Subconsciously, he grabbed his collar and looked around the waterside pavilion. The scenes of that night seemed to appear in his mind. When Xuelian and Cao Peng were whispering,
Yue Guan's smart eyes followed the dance and stared at the snow lotus...
"What you mean is that Yue Guan discovered Xuelian's secret message, so..."
Chen Qun was not a fool and quickly guessed the meaning of Cao Peng's words.
Cao Peng nodded, closed his eyes, and Yue Guan's eyes, as gentle as autumn water, flashed with a cruel look.
"Why was Chizhong killed?" He whispered: "Brother, do you still remember the conflict that night?"
"Remember!"
"Chizhong did intend to spy on Yue Guan changing clothes, but he didn't expect that what he spied on... was not a lively erotic palace, but a murder case.
Yue Guan found out that Xue Lian was trying to tell the truth, so he had murderous intentions.
She excused herself to change clothes and asked Xuelian to fetch water at the well. Then she suddenly came up behind Xuelian and hit Xuelian hard on the back of the head with the copper pot she used to throw the pot that night... Xuelian was caught off guard and fell into the well.
, it can be said that God is unaware and ghost is unaware.
If Chi Zhong hadn't discovered it, no one would have discovered Xuelian's disappearance.
According to Yue Guan's idea, the well, together with Yishui and Xuelian, would rush into the Yishui River after falling into the well. Even if the body was discovered by then, he could ignore it. However, that night, there were continuous
After two heavy rains, the Yishui River surged, so Xuelian's body was not washed away and remained in the well. This was also a flaw that Yue Guan accidentally exposed..."
Chen Qun took a deep breath, "What then?"
"Originally, Yue Guan didn't notice what she did, but Chi Zhong saw it.
Unexpectedly, the appearance of Zhu Dao also exposed Chi Zhong to Yue Guan's sight. Zhu Dao and Chi Zhong had always been at odds. When he saw Chi Zhong appear from the corner, he mocked Chi Zhong. At this moment, Chi Zhong was in a state of confusion.
He did not expect that the woman he was attracted to was actually a murderous woman. Coupled with Zhu Dao's verbal stimulation, Chi Zhong went crazy and started a fight with Zhu Dao.
He went crazy..."
In retrospect, Chi Zhong was indeed crazy that night, so much so that Zhu Dao was beaten so hard by him that he kept retreating and was in a state of embarrassment.
Cao Peng continued: "At this time, Yue Guan appeared.
At that time, we all thought that Yue Guan kept her head down because she felt humiliated. Little did we know that it was because of fear! When she heard Zhu Dao say that Chi Zhong was spying on her, she immediately realized that she had killed
Chi Zhong saw Xuelian's process clearly. She also knew that Chi Zhong liked her, but she was more worried that Chi Zhong would report her, so she rushed over and stopped Chi Zhong...
Do you still remember what she said at that time: Boyu, do you want me to die?
At first glance, it sounds like he is embarrassed and angry, but in reality he is begging Chi Zhong for mercy...
Chi Zhong was a passionate person. Faced with Yue Guan's plea, he did not say anything on the spot, but left without looking back.
But his soft-heartedness doomed his end. He liked Yue Guan, but Yue Guan didn't like him... At that time, there were Yue Guan's accomplices at the banquet. He got Yue Guan's hint, so he
After leaving Juhua Temple and breaking up with everyone, Chizhong chased after him. Chizhong did not expect that the friend with whom he usually had a good relationship would chase after him with murderous intent...
The two took shelter from the rain in the forest, and Chizhong revealed the truth.
Unexpectedly, his good friend suddenly took action. Chizhong also did not expect that his friend's swordsmanship was so good that he had no defense at all and pierced the heart with a sword..."
Cao Peng fell into a state of madness.
He imitated Chi Zhong's voice and said, "Did Guan Guan ask you to kill me?"
Then he imitated another person's voice and said: "Boyu, I'm sorry... I blame you for being so meddlesome and seeing things you shouldn't have seen."
Chen Qun couldn't help but feel terrified and looked at Cao Peng in horror.
Cao Peng let out a long breath, turned around and smiled at Chen Qun: "So, this sentimental guy was relieved... His death was not because Yue Guan didn't like him, but just because he was troublesome! So, he fell calmly in the mud.
, without any struggle. I think he must have felt relieved at that time..."
Chen Qun was silent!
There is a suffocating and dull atmosphere in the waterside pavilion.
After a while, he showed a hard smile and said, "Then Mo Yan, why did you want to kill me?"
"I found a box in Xuelian's house.
The little girl seemed to be wary, so she left some clues. However, her move did not hide it from Yue Guan's eyes.
After the banquet was over, Yue Guan walked into her room, found the box from under the pagoda, and took away the clue that the snow lotus was placed in it. In order to create the illusion that the snow lotus had returned to her room, she placed it in the incense burner again.
Burning a note of incense... However, Yue Guan still underestimated Xuelian. That little girl was very clever! The clues she left in the wooden box were all false. Because she knew that she might be killed by Yue Guan at any time...
...So, her real clue is the piece of fiery red satin in the box."
"Red satin?"
"Yes, it's a very clever method. Yue Guan would never have thought of it. Xue Lian used this method to tell me Yue Guan's origin..."
Chen Qun rubbed his cheek gently and seemed to be deep in thought.
After a while, he raised his head and said, "In the past, Emperor Gaozu killed the snake and revolted, saying that he was the son of the Red Emperor. Since then, our Han Dynasty has flourished with virtue... The red silk and satin represents the Han royal family. Yue Guan is from the palace! So!
When I said that her singing and dancing had the charm of the Han Palace, Yue Guan thought I had seen through her origins. So, she immediately contacted Mo Yan... I still don't know how she contacted Mo Yan, but that night, Mo Yan was ordered to come and assassinate me.
.It’s just that Mo Yan didn’t expect that you would be in my room, so he shot the arrow but you dodged it.
And at that time, you also thought that the arrow was aimed at you...
But in fact, the person Mo Yan wants to kill is me?"
"Brother, what you said is absolutely true!"
Cao Peng smiled while stroking his palms, "A simple wooden box, a piece of valuable red silk...Xuelian used this method to tell the origin of Yueguan."
"Then why did she kill Mo Yan again?"
Cao Peng raised his head, "I don't know!
Maybe it was to frame someone up, maybe it was to kill people to silence them, or maybe it was Mr. Mo Yan who wanted to kill, so Yue Guan seduced him, making Mo Yan a romantic ghost under the pomegranate skirt. Maybe the answer can only be found by finding Yue Guan.
Only then can we know.”
"Yueguan, where is it?"
Cao Peng shook his head again, "How did I know?"
He slowly walked out of the waterside pavilion, "But if I were Yue Guan, I would definitely find a way to return to the palace."
"Then I will immediately report to Yin of Henan and ask Duke Cheng to block the pass."
"In addition, in the next two days, it is very likely that a caravan will leave Luoyang. At that time, we will request the county government to close the door, and Brother can let it go."
"you mean……"
"Actually, they are more nervous than us."
Cao Peng smiled and said no more.
Chen Qun also understood what he was thinking, and a coldness appeared on his face.
Meng Tan stopped Chen Qun's carriage and horses outside Luoyang City.
He looked ashamed, "County magistrate, Zhang Yuanan ran away."
"oh?"
"According to his family, Zhang Yuanan left home last night and never came back. No one knows where he went."
Chen Qun turned his head and looked at Cao Peng in shock.
Cao Peng showed an expression of 'as expected' and smiled at Hehe.
"Let's go back home!"
Without saying anything, Chen Qun immediately led the people and rushed back to the county government office.
After everyone dismounted at the county government office, a retainer came over and reported: "Sir, Mr. Su from Beishi City said that he was invited by you and has been waiting for a long time."
"Mr. Su from Bei City?"
Chen Qun was startled at first, but then realized that Mr. Su should be Su Wei, the boss of the Hejian Su family in Luoyang.
"Ah Fu, layman Xuan Shuo..."
"Let's lock him up first." Cao Peng smiled, "Let him out now, maybe there will be some trouble.
Let him stay in jail first and find someone to protect him. After the matter is over, the eldest brother might as well try to clear his name. Hasn't he been asking for the seal and ribbon of Qing Baima Temple? The right to do it is to compensate him. By the way, if
Brother, if you are interested, you might as well send someone to search Dao Zhu's home, maybe there will be unexpected gains."
Chen Qun was stunned and puzzled, but Cao Peng refused to explain.
"Let's talk about this later when we have a chance."
"Then I'll go back to the Northern Wei Mansion first. I have a lot of things to do there."
"In this case, I won't give it away."
After Cao Peng said goodbye to Chen Qun, he led his people back to the Wei Mansion.
In fact, what's wrong with him?
But in his mind, there is still a puzzle that cannot be solved...
When he returned to the Wei Mansion, he immediately found Kan Ze.
"Brother, do you know anything about Dong Zhuo?"
Kan Ze frowned and said, "I don't know much about it, but I know a little bit about it."
"I have something to do, and I want to trouble my brother." Cao Peng said, whispering in Kan Ze's ear for a while. Kan Ze was still a little confused at first. But gradually, his face became serious. He was calm.
He nodded repeatedly, showing that he understood what Cao Peng meant.
"Don't worry, sir, I will definitely investigate this matter as soon as possible."
"That's it, thank you, brother."
Sitting in the flower hall, Cao Peng felt tired, so he half leaned on the couch and closed his eyes to fall asleep.
After arriving in Luoyang, my thoughts about all the accidents that happened were endless. Many of the answers he and Chen Qun gave today were based on speculation, and to be honest, there was not much evidence. Fortunately,
In this era, evidence is not always the criterion.
He has already touched the truth of the matter. If he wants to confirm it, all he has to do is wait!
Yes, wait patiently...
Familiar and unfamiliar faces flashed through my mind.
Unknowingly, Cao Peng fell into sleep.
Half asleep and half awake, he felt someone pushing him. So he opened his eyes and saw Xia Houlan and Buluan standing aside...
Turning over and sitting up, Cao Peng gently rubbed his eyes.
"What time is it?"
"Go back to me, sir, it's almost time!"
Only then did Cao Peng notice that silver candles had been lit in the flower hall.
it's getting dark.
"I actually slept all afternoon?"
"Well... the old lady and Miss Huang came to visit twice, but they saw that the young master was sleeping soundly, so no one was allowed to disturb the young master."
Cao Peng patted his forehead and sat up straight.
"Is there a problem?"
Xia Houlan took a step forward and said softly: "Sir, Miao Xu sent a letter during the Youshi period, saying that it is a matter of great importance. Please make your decision."
As he spoke, he handed a bamboo tube pressed with fire paint to Cao Peng.
Cao Peng frowned, opened the seal of the bamboo tube, and poured out a roll of white silk the size of his thumb.
"Come here with the lamp."
Buluan hurriedly came over holding a silver candle.
Cao Peng opened the white silk under the candlelight and looked at it carefully. A look of surprise appeared on his face, and after a moment he burst into laughter.
"I knew that Lao Shi was not a person who was afraid of getting into trouble!"
He stood up and walked away.
"Sir, it's almost dinner, where are you going?"
"Hehe, I have something important to discuss with County Magistrate Chen. Xiaoluan told A Niang and Yueying that I will be back late tonight and there is no need to wait for me."