The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

In the Chongzheng Hall, facing Zhao Zhen, Yan Shu, Du Yan, Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fu Bi Ouyang Xiu and others, Su Jin's conclusion was like a heavy bomb, which knocked the monarch and his officials into a daze.

"Your Majesty, my lords, according to my investigation, there are two evidences for this conclusion. The first is the wound on the neck of the deceased. There was a thin wound on the neck of the five deceased, which was swollen and bruised. It's fatal, but it's not suicide."

Du Yan said coldly: "How can you tell? Since there are signs of constriction on the neck and it is a fatal wound, how can you conclude that they committed homicide instead of suicide?"

Su Jindao: "Don't worry about Du Shumi, I have my reasons, the reason is the weirdness of this scar, a thin scar that goes deep into the texture, it is indeed fatal, but apart from this scar, there are A faint bloodstain was wider than the fatal wound. I compared it, and the faint bloodstain on the outer circle was caused by the white silk on the corpse. As we all know, Bai Ling died by hanging herself, leaving a wide and colorful scar. Very light, the person who hangs himself chooses white silk to himself. Curse each other  long  tower shovel 樯  蛘 萆   sigh Nai plunder ignorant  war xi  long  street Zhihuang  tear Yan squid heart Yele 呔 generation jun  even emperor cowardly lawsuit throw sleep 樯蛘虫萆 Account Wave Le Rolling  Xi Garden Curse Tired Yi Bi Fei Shao Zao Shuo  Buck Raised Toad!

Everyone suddenly realized that what Su Jin said was right. The scars of Bai Ling's suicide were not very obvious. The soft and loose Bai Ling would only leave a wide mark on the neck instead of a thin bloodstain. attention to detail. [

"Furthermore, the white silks used by the five deceased to hang themselves were all made of the same material, and they were five strips torn from a single white silk. The material is the first-grade white silk produced by Hongyun Cloth in the capital. Only wealthy people in the capital will buy this kind of white silk. Most of it is used for funerals, and the sales volume is not large; The staff of Hongyun Cloth Village identified it, and they unanimously proved that they had never seen these five people, so it can be seen that this white silk was not bought by five people."

Du Yan said: "Maybe they sent someone to buy it instead of going there by themselves."

Su Jin smiled and said: "It's also possible, but the shopkeeper confirmed that within a month before the incident, this kind of white silk hadn't sold a foot in Hongyun Cloth. Could it be that these people made an appointment to buy the same kind of silk before coming to the capital?" Is it possible to plant white silk as a spare, to commit suicide? Obviously not possible."

"In addition, if they sent someone to buy it, then who sent it? It must be their entourage, but none of their entourage remembered helping their master to buy this thing; and they confessed that on the day of Laba, After receiving the letters, the deceased said they were going to Xingguo Temple to pay respects to the Buddha and offer incense, not allowing their followers to follow them, and then they did not return all night; who sent the letters to them? This is the crux of the case.”

Du Yan stopped talking, and the sinister look in his eyes disappeared; Zhao Zhen and the others nodded repeatedly, but at the same time they were secretly startled. It seems that this incident must have been instigated by someone behind the scenes, and they did not hesitate to kill five people in a row to create chaos. The viciousness of people's hearts and the unscrupulousness of their actions are really frightening.

"If it is said that the murderer who murdered these five people behind the scenes made mistakes in the past if he didn't search carefully, he would still get away with it, then the low-level mistakes he made later will really show his flaws, leaving aside the scars, leaving aside Bai Ling's origin Regardless, Liumei Village is nearly sixty years old, but the place where he hanged himself was on a big jujube tree at the junction of Nanmen Street and Baoci Temple. Only the tall ones have branches, and the lower branches are cut off to prevent pedestrians and horses from blocking the road; the white-haired Liumei Village hangs himself on a branch three feet high. How did he do it? of?"

Zhao Zhen and the others suddenly realized, and they all showed relief. Su Jin smiled and continued: "The bark of the jujube tree is smooth and the stem is slippery. You can say that it is an old man, and it will take a lot of trouble for even a mature person to climb up. He hanged himself with a white damask around his neck, which was absolutely impossible for him. According to eyewitnesses at the scene, when he saw the dead in the morning, there were no high stools and escalators on the ground to help him, so the matter became even more obvious. Transport the corpse of Liumei Village here, and then hang it on a jujube tree, pretending to hang himself; the people behind the scenes think they are smart, but in fact, they can't be more stupid."

Du Yan's expression was normal, he laughed dryly a few times, but his back was sweating coldly, he didn't say a word about the people behind the scenes afterwards, he didn't say a word until everyone told them to leave, and then he hurried to Shengyunzhai near Zhuquemen.

……

"Idiot, idiot." Xia Song cursed, not knowing whether to scold herself or Du Yan standing in front of her.

"Su Jin, Su Jin, it's you, you little bastard, who keep on being a bad old man again and again."

"Brother Xia, stop scolding. This is not about Su Jin. The flaw is too obvious, and your subordinates are too sloppy. Isn't that clear enough to make them suspicious?" Du Yan stomped.

Xia Song said: "Don't worry, I still have a backup. Even if they know that there is someone behind the scenes, there is no evidence to find the old man. Even if the emperor understands, the people will not understand the inside story. The news in the city continues to spread. Let the people Let's all talk about it, so that the whole atmosphere will be beneficial to us, and I have already thought about the third step, this time I will give them a fatal blow."

Du Yan said, "What are you going to do in the third step?"

Xia Song sneered and said: "If we can't do it head-on, we will take a detour. Recently, many people have jumped out when Fan Zhongyan and others gained power, so we will start with them."

Du Yan said: "Brother Xia, speak clearly, it makes me confused, and I can't exert my strength."

Xia Song said: "Naturally, Privy Du must know all about this matter. You need to mediate with all your strength in the court, but I need to tell you that this time, if we can't bring down Fan Zhongyan and the others, we will be finished. If If they succeed this time, Fan Zhongyan, Han Qi, Fubi and others will be able to recover forever."

Du Yan gritted his teeth and said: "Although I am a privy envoy, I have been suspended for a long time, and I have already retreated. Naturally, I will give it my all. Brother Xia can rest assured."

Xia Song said: "That's the best. The third strategy is not only to overthrow Fan Zhongyan and others, but I also want old Yan Shu to give up his position. When the time comes, you will be the prime minister and I will be the privy envoy. When the two of us feel proud Here we go.”[

Du Yanxi said: "What kind of trick is so effective?"

Xia Song smiled and said, "Isn't it true that Shi Jie has been more active recently?"

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Du Yan spat and said, "That old man hugged Fan Xiwen's thigh and flattered fiercely. After the four admonishers dismissed the prime minister, deputy prime minister, and brother Xia, he wrote a poem called "Qingli Shengde Poem" to flatter him. What are you talking about, "Insects sting, monsters hide and disappear. At the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, heaven and earth are Jiaji." What are you talking about? Go for treachery, like Jest.' Doesn't this mean that you, Brother Xia, are monsters, insects, and villains? There are also a lot of flattery about Fan Zhongyan, Fu Bi, Han Qi and others by name, which is disgusting. pole."

Xia Song sneered and said: "The old man took him for surgery. Didn't he like to write and write with Fu Bi and others to flatter each other? The old man let him speak out."

Du Yan whispered: "What does Brother Xia mean?"

Xia Song probed to look outside the study, gently took out a piece of letter paper from the hidden compartment of the book case, handed it to Du Yan, and said, "Look whose writing it is."

Du Yan took a closer look and was startled and said, "Why, you and Shi Jie have secret correspondence?"

Xia Song chuckled and said, "How could I have any relationship with him? Do you think this word is his?"

Du Yan looked at it carefully and said: "It is indeed his handwriting. He has always boasted that his handwriting has the ability of Xizhi to move clouds and flowing water. Look at his "Zhi" character. The dots are like a crown, the tail is like a snake, the head is wide and the body is thick, and the ink is thick. Pen, this is his handwriting. Where did you get his letters?"

Xia Song smiled and said, "You read the content before we talk."

Du Yan frowned and read the contents of the letter carefully again, trembling with fright, he turned pale and said, "This... is this going to...?"

Xia Song glanced at Du Yan with disdain and said, "What, are you afraid?"

Du Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "No, no, I'm not afraid. Can people believe this?"

Xia Song sneered and said: "You have been an official for so many years, why can't you even figure out the holy will? As the emperor, this is the most taboo thing. I would rather believe it than believe it. Once this letter Exposure will definitely arouse the emperor's suspicion, and then there will be a good show."

Du Yan whispered: "Is this letter really written by Shi Jie?"

Xia Song said: "This is written by a maid of mine who likes to copy. It's almost unreal. That maid has already been dealt with by me. God knows about this matter. The only thing left to do is to buy Tongshi The letter delivery boy of the mediator, let him take this letter to inform you, and then you submit this letter to the emperor, and then wait for the good news."

Du Yan murmured: "It's too risky, too risky, if it is found out that the letter is a forgery, you and I will have to ransack our family and exterminate our family."

Xia Song stared and shouted: "How long do you think your good life will last? In a few months, the four admonishers will pull you down from the position of privy envoy, and then you and I will be thoroughly investigated. to the place of death's burial."

Du Yan's face turned blue and white alternately, and his muscles were tangled. After a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and said, "It's done, the fish is dead and the net is broken, that's all."

Xia Song laughed loudly, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, with me here, everything will go well; before that, there are still things to deal with, let the emperor put another big stone in his heart before we talk about it."

Du Yan said: "What's the matter?"

"Liang Jian, the admonisher from Yushitai, came to our residence for a small gathering yesterday, and he proposed to impeach a person." [

"Who?"

"Teng Zijing, the magistrate of Jingzhou, is a Jinshi of the same discipline as Fan Zhongyan, and the two have a close relationship. This person abused public funds in Jingzhou, and the evidence is convincing; if this person is successfully impeached, it will be equivalent to telling the emperor that Fan Zhongyan and others are not as they said. The words stand upright, their relatives and friends did not obey the laws and regulations as stated in the New Deal, in order to insinuate that Fan Zhongyan covered up and tolerated the unfairness of his friends. miraculous."

"Gao Ming, really smart! Tomorrow morning, I will ask Liang Jian to play the impeachment of Teng Zijing, and the show is about to begin." Du Yan smiled openly, and the fat on his face rippled.