Detective: Open your eyes, I am handcuffed in the interrogation room.

Chapter 487 Entering the Ancestral Hall, Chen Yi is Confused
The village chief's house is not much different from other houses. It is neither bigger nor more luxurious. The main frame is made of wood, and the exterior walls are made of uneven stone mixed with jadeite stones of varying sizes.

If there is a unique difference, it is that the quality of the raw stone is higher than that of other houses. Chen Yi even saw crystal clear slabs inlaid in it.

If we deduct the money and sell it, it will cost at least several thousand or tens of thousands.

After all, he is the village chief and he always has to show his status in some aspects. It seems that jade has a certain symbolic meaning in the village, just like gold in the outside world, it is a symbol of the rich.

It’s a pity that it cannot be converted into cash, and the villagers have no intention of doing so, as it has nothing to do with their lives.

It was almost time for dinner, and the village chief called his two sons and daughters-in-law to come home to help. Smoke rose from the kitchen, and the dining table was set outside the door.

There is a large open space outside the door, and some villagers spontaneously brought food from their homes to entertain the guests.

The villagers are quite hospitable. I was probably busy selecting goods at the entrance of the village before and didn’t have time to take care of them.

Although the village chief was not that enthusiastic, he was definitely not as exaggerated as Yushu said. The previous judgment should be correct. He resisted the police entering the village because of himself.

Since he is resisting, it is natural to think of it as a crime. There is a little secret about Yushu.

As for whether the village chief knew...

Chen Yi judged that it was very likely that he knew about it. Could it be that a third case was to be uncovered in Yuluo Village?
If it really exists, as a criminal policeman in Dongzhou, he actually doesn't want to get involved, and if he has to get involved, he has to leave it to the Ruicheng police.

That is a matter for later. For now, he should clarify the doubts in his mind. Unless it is a major criminal case, he will not make any big moves in the village.

Just call Liang Qidong and the local criminal police will know how to handle the matter best.

Seeing that more and more villagers were gathering, the village chief, after seeking Chen Yi's opinion, simply asked everyone to move tables over so that the whole village could eat together and have a lively time.

Chen Yi and the other two were somewhat flattered. The whole village accompanied them for dinner, which was the treatment they received as they returned home in glory.

It was hard to refuse the kindness of the local people, so Chen Yi expressed his gratitude and took the wine from the village chief and filled it up.

The wine was yellowish in color, and seemed to be medicinal wine. He tasted it and found that the medicinal taste was indeed very strong. After he drank it, his stomach felt hot, but there was no spicy feeling in his throat.

This should be the characteristic of Yuluo Village. Food is scarce, so they can only brew medicinal wine.

Great tonic...

When Chen Yi asked why the village was called Yuzhai, the village chief’s answer was simple: because it rains!
reasonable.

The subtropical region has a rainy climate, but I didn’t expect the origin of the village name to be so direct. The person who named it was very willful and didn’t think much about it.

During the period, a male villager came over to toast him. Chen Yi politely stood up and drank with him, feeling the pure simplicity of the villagers.

Looking at the lively village banquet, at this moment he really didn't want to be involved in the case, as there would definitely be a conflict between the two sides.

As a police officer, there is nothing we can do about it.

"Village chief, could you please help me ask if anyone has seen these four people?" After three rounds of drinks, Chen Yi took out his cell phone and pulled up photos of the victims.

The village chief took it curiously, looked at it, and said, "I haven't seen it before. I'll go ask for you."

After saying that, he stood up and handed the phone to other villagers, asking them to pass it around and tell everyone if they had seen it.

Each villager shook his head quickly and then passed it to the next one.

When the last villager got the phone, he still shook his head, stood up and walked over to return the phone to Chen Yi, saying: "No outsiders have come here in these years, and we haven't been out, so we don't know anyone outside."

In fact, you don’t even need to look at the photos to know that they have definitely never seen it. They are more curious and just take a symbolic look.

"Thank you." Chen Yi put away his phone.

The villagers left.

The village chief did not ask who these four people were. He had no interest in the so-called murder case. After getting drunk, he began to talk to Chen Yi about the development of Yuzhai, mostly bragging, which made Chen Yi experience firsthand what a frog in a well meant.

If you don't go out and see, you really don't know how fast the outside world is developing. People in each place have different ways of living, which are shaped by the environment.

As long as they are happy, satisfied and the villagers don't seem to be worried, that's enough.

"Village Chief, have you seen this picture?"

At the end of the dinner, Chen Yi took out his mobile phone again, pulled out a photo and showed it to the village chief.

He asked He Shixin to draw the photo, which completely restored the crime scene, including candles, symbols and cone-shaped murder weapons. The only thing missing was the body.

Others would just think of it as a weird ritual and would never think of it as a murder scene.

"What is that?" The village chief took the phone and looked at it carefully. Chen Yi observed his expression and saw no doubts, only confusion and bewilderment. He quickly returned the phone and said, "It looks like a sacrifice. I've never seen that before."

Chen Yi asked, "Don't you feel any familiarity at all? Even a little bit of familiarity is fine."

The village chief shook his head: "I've never seen it before. The painting is very strange, and there are candles and awls. I don't know what they are for."

"Ok."

Chen Yi put away his cell phone.

No one has seen the deceased and is not familiar with the crime scene. It is unlikely that this case is related to Yulu Village, provided that no one is lying.

Afterwards, Chen Yi asked about the people who had left Yuluo Village in recent years. The village chief said there were only two, a brother and sister.

This brother and sister had a very hard life. Their parents died early, and later the sister fell seriously ill and there was no cure in the village, so the brother took his sister out of the village to seek medical treatment.

It has been five or six years and he hasn't come back yet. I don't know if he has been cured.

"What's your name?" Chen Yi asked.

The village chief said: "The younger brother's name is Shilin, and the older sister's name is Yueqing."

Chen Yi: "Surname Shi?"

The village chief smiled and said, "No, surname. There are quite a lot of people with the same surname in our village."

"Suo (fourth tone)?" Chen Yi racked his brains but couldn't figure out which word the fourth tone suo was, "Which suo?"

He wondered if the village chief had an accent.

"Hmm..." The village chief thought for a while and didn't know how to describe it, so he simply dipped his fingers in wine and wrote it on the table.

I didn't realize the village chief was so educated and could write.

Chen Yi looked carefully and again suspected that the village chief might have made a mistake.

What is this?

.

I have never seen it before.

"Excuse me, please wait a moment."

Chen Yi was a little embarrassed and took out his mobile phone to type. Although there was no signal, the input method was still normal.

After searching for a while, I finally found the word, which was quite rare.

This is a remote mountain village in Yunzhou. It's not surprising that the surnames are rare. It's a great experience.

The village chief said, "If you have time, can you help find out more about them? After all, they are children from the village, and everyone wants to know how they are doing."

Chen Yi nodded: "Okay, don't worry, I'll remember it. If I can find them, I'll convey your meaning."

The village chief was grateful and picked up his glass to toast Chen Yi again.

Chen Yi accepted all the drinks and made the people in the village chief's family drink so much that they would probably have a hard time waking up tonight.

They sleep soundly, which makes it easier for them to get things done.

I want to go and see the ancestral hall. Most of my motivation is out of curiosity, and a small part of my motivation is because of the case. Maybe there will be some clues there?

Chen Yi was not clear about the consequences of sneaking into the ancestral hall, but as long as he was not discovered, there would be no consequences. It was a very simple truth.

It was late at night, and the villagers dispersed. The village chief was drunk and went back to his room. Chen Yi and the other two also went to bed and prepared to go to sleep. Chen Yi kept his eyes open and waited for more than half an hour before getting out of bed and leaving the village chief's house without even disturbing He Xin and Qin Fei.

A soft gauze curtain covered the entire village. There was no light at all. Fortunately, the moonlight poured down, casting a faint silver glow on the village and illuminating the way forward for Chen Yi.

The village was not big and Chen Yi had a good memory, so the way to the ancestral hall was very easy to find. He just quickened his pace and arrived in a few minutes.

The old man who had been at the door of the ancestral hall during the day was no longer there. After looking around to make sure there was no one there, he took two steps back and climbed in using his hands and feet.

What comes into view is a small courtyard, not very large, with the main hall just in front.

When he arrived at the door, he found it was not locked. A breeze blew, making Chen Yi feel a little cool.

He gently pushed open the door.

squeak!
A harsh sound came from the shabby door, which seemed very abrupt in the quiet night. Chen Yi paused for a moment and slowed down the speed of opening the door.

There shouldn't be anyone guarding the temple nearby, right? Not really.

When the door was halfway open, Chen Yi stopped moving and the noise quieted down, leaving just enough space for one person to enter and exit.

It was dark inside, so he took out his cell phone, turned on the flashlight, and then moved sideways to get in.

It is really not something that a timid person would dare to go to a strange ancestral temple alone in the middle of the night.

What is an ancestral hall? There must be tablets of spirits inside. Even a materialist would be worried, unless he or she has never been instilled with traditional Chinese culture since childhood.

After entering the ancestral hall, Chen Yi did not look around at the first sight. Instead, he looked at the ground along the light of the flashlight. There were crystal clear jade slabs arranged there, which looked magnificent and beautiful.

Lighting is the main way to identify the quality of jadeite. At this moment, under the light, Chen Yi immediately judged that these slabs were of great value.

"So the treasures are all in the ancestral hall. Could that Yushu have pried them open?"

Chen Yi squatted down and observed carefully. A piece of plate would cost at least tens of thousands of yuan. Occasionally, you could see ones that cost over six figures. Anyone who came would be tempted. It all depends on whether you have the courage.

If the villagers found out, I don’t know if I would be beaten to death. I deserved it for prying into other people’s ancestral hall.

After a while, Chen Yi stood up and shone the flashlight in front of him. Rows of memorial tablets came into view. An inexplicable feeling of coldness came over him, as if he was being watched by countless indescribable people.

There are not many spirit tablets, so certainly not everyone can enter the ancestral hall. It is estimated that only ancestors or people of status are qualified.

The spirit tablets are placed in a circle with a shrine in the center.

Chen Yi was surprised.

Shrine?

Is this an ancestral temple or a temple? Why is there a shrine?

He took two steps forward, wanting to see who was enshrined in the shrine. At this moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed.

Inside the shrine was a brown box, inside the box was a red silk cloth, and on top of the silk cloth... lay a completely emerald green bracelet!
Chen Yi was astonished, and walked quickly forward to observe it closely under the light. The bracelet was very transparent without any cracks or cotton wool. It was a perfect high-ice quality bracelet, and the color was also bright green.

Imperial green.

High ice, almost glass type.

It is exactly the same as the photo Jiang Mingfu provided to the police.

Chen Yi's face was filled with doubt. Exactly the same doesn't mean they are the same, but... it can't be such a coincidence, right? How many high-ice imperial green bracelets are there in the country? How could he have come across two when he came to Yunzhou this time?

One of them is still in the deep mountains and forests, placed in the ancestral hall by the villagers for worship?
"Could it really be Jiang Yanyan who lost this?"

The idea came to Chen Yi, who himself felt it was a bit absurd. How could the bracelet lost in Mingcheng end up in Yuluo Village in Ruicheng? It didn't make sense. Could it be that the villagers stole it?
Do they have this ability?
The thief's skills are extremely high, it's not an exaggeration to call him a master thief, but it doesn't seem reasonable.

Doing magic?
Chen Yi was a little confused. He was originally investigating the murder of four men in Ruicheng, but how did he get such an unexpected result?

After a long silence, he turned and walked out.

As time passed, the night gradually faded away. Because of the mountains surrounding the village, the sky could not be seen rising. Sounds could be heard from some villagers' homes, and a new day had begun.

The older people get up, the earlier they get up. Fuqin is one of them. He opened the door and walked out of his house before having breakfast, strolled slowly in the village with his hands behind his back, and came to the ancestral hall as usual.

Before he got close, Fuqin was suddenly stunned. He saw a young man sitting at the door of the ancestral hall, the cigarette between his fingers was still burning, and there were cigarette butts all over the ground under his feet.

It’s so early, and he’s smoked so many cigarettes. I’m afraid he’s been sitting here since the early morning.
Seeing Fuqin, Chen Yi put out his cigarette and stood up. He had not slept all night and was waiting for this person.

"How long have you been sitting here?"

Fuqin walked over.

Chen Yi smiled: "I came here in the early morning."

Hearing this, Fuqin glanced at the ancestral hall next to him and asked, "Did you go in?"

Chen Yi did not hide it and nodded, "Go in."

Fuqin: "Waiting for me?"

Chen Yi: "Yeah."

Fu Qin turned around and waved: "Come to my house to chat, have some breakfast, and drink some wine."

Chen Yi followed Fu Qin's footsteps. When he heard "breakfast", he wanted to thank him, but when he heard "drinking", he quickly refused: "I can't drink anymore. I was drunk last night."

The aftereffect of that medicinal wine was quite strong. It did not affect the brain, but other parts of the body. It was really unbearable.

Fang Shuyu is in the town, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

Fu Qin smiled and said, "Then don't drink, just eat breakfast."

His home was very close to the ancestral hall, and it was only a few steps away.

After entering the house, Fuqin prepared some simple food himself, and the two of them sat in the yard and ate.

"What are you here to investigate?" Fuqin asked first.

Chen Yi was eating: "Murder case."

"Murder?" Fuqin was surprised. "Is it so serious? Is it related to that kid Yushu?"

Chen Yi smiled and shook his head: "No, no, he is just a guide, leading us into the village."

Fuqin uttered an "oh", and fell silent, not knowing whether he was relieved or disappointed.

Chen Yi asked: "Old sir, I saw the jade bracelet in the shrine in the ancestral hall. Is that what you are offering?"

Fuqin nodded calmly: "Yes, it has been enshrined for many years. It has been placed there since I was a child."

Chen Yi: “Why?”

Fuqin was surprised: "Why?"

Chen Yi: "Why do you want to offer a... bracelet?"

Fuqin smiled and explained: "That is our ancestor's bracelet. Without the ancestor, there would be no Yu Village. Also, jade is of great significance to our village. The village has gradually developed thanks to jade. It is a belief."

Faith? Chen Yi thinks the word totem might be more appropriate.

"Do you know the value of that bracelet?" Chen Yi said.

Fuqin: "Anyway, it's very expensive. I don't know how much it's worth."

In Chen Yi's mind, the two bracelets kept overlapping and intersecting. He still suspected that they might be the same one, or at least he couldn't be sure that they were not the same one.

Assuming that the bracelet in the ancestral hall of Yuluo Village belongs to the Jiang family, what about the original one? The bracelet originally placed in the ancestral hall cannot disappear out of thin air.

Lenovo Yushu might have made a mistake... He wouldn't have ever thought of stealing the ancestral hall bracelet, right?

It is not impossible that they can do this even if they are eating tribute.

(End of this chapter)