In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 802 The Eight Hundredth: A White-Haired Man Sends Off a Black-Haired Man
When someone died at the post station, the clerk immediately reported it to the authorities, and the news spread like wildfire to the county seat.

Before long, several officials dressed in their uniforms strolled lazily to the post station.

The leading official was short and stout, with a round belly that looked like a large ball, and an arrogant expression on his face, as if he were superior to everyone else.

He glanced sideways, casually surveying everything in the room, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"What's going on? A case this early in the morning? This is outrageous!"

The short, stout clerk shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice sharp and piercing.

A guard rushed forward, his face full of anxiety, and said:

"Someone has been murdered! Our young master and a servant have been killed!"

The short, stout clerk seemed not to hear him, slowly walked to a chair to the side, sat down, crossed his legs, shook his toes, and said impatiently:
"So what if someone dies? What's the panic?"

First, tell me, who was the deceased?

The guard took a deep breath, a hint of anger flashing across his face, and slapped him across the face, shouting:

"Damn it, you're so ungrateful!"

Listen, our young master is the son of Commander Yu!

"what!"

The short, stout clerk, who was covering his face, was about to erupt in anger...
Upon hearing this, his expression changed drastically, as if he had been struck by lightning.
He jumped up from the chair.
Then my legs went weak and I almost knelt on the ground.

The officials beside him were also ashen-faced, their eyes filled with terror.

"Sir, please...please say it again!" the short, stout clerk said, his voice trembling.

The guard frowned and slapped him again:

"Ask your mother! Notify the capital!"

The short, stout clerk realized what was happening and completely panicked, large beads of sweat rolling down his forehead.

He didn't even bother wiping it off and quickly said:
"Quickly, quickly, go and report to the capital!"
Tell them that the governor's son was murdered at the post station, and order them to send someone over immediately!

A clerk suddenly realized what was happening and scrambled out of the room.

The short, stout clerk stood rooted to the spot, his legs trembling uncontrollably, inwardly groaning:

"What should we do? An important person has been murdered."
"I'm just a lowly clerk; I can't possibly bear this responsibility!"

Before long, the officials from the capital arrived at the post station at breakneck speed.

Leading the group was Feng Kezhao, the Prefectural Magistrate of Yingtian Prefecture. He was tall, had a dignified face, and his eyes revealed a solemnity.

Closely following behind him was Yu Tongyuan!

Yu Tongyuan was dressed in a black brocade robe embroidered with exquisite patterns, which shimmered and shimmered with gold threads as he walked.

At this moment, his face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water, and his eyes were full of anger.

He strode into the room and immediately saw Yu Qilun reclining on the bed.
With just one glance, he was struck dumb, frozen in place.
After a long while, he finally let out a heart-wrenching scream:

"Who! Who is it?!"

Yu Tongyuan staggered to the bedside and knelt down with a thud.
He gripped Yu Qilun's already cold hands tightly, his pupils trembling violently:

"Who did this?!"

Feng Kezhao looked at the grief-stricken Yu Tongyuan, his own expression grave, and thought to himself, "This is bad."
He stepped forward and gently comforted her:
"Governor Yu, please accept my condolences and take heed of this difficult time."

Please do not disturb the young master's body.

A coroner examining the body might uncover some clues.

Yu Tongyuan slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with hatred, and he gritted his teeth as he said:
"Lord Feng, you must find the murderer, no matter the cost!"

Feng Kezhao nodded and said solemnly:
"Rest assured, Governor, the capital city government will begin investigating the case immediately."

However, I would like to ask the Governor to inform the Ministry of Justice of this matter.
Although the coroners in the capital were highly skilled, they were still not as good as those in the Ministry of Justice.

"understood."

Yu Tongyuan waved his hand, and two personal guards immediately ran out.

The coroner came in to examine the body. Yu Tongyuan looked at the manager of the post station and the shopkeeper of Dongyuan Trading Company, his forehead veins throbbing.

But he managed to suppress his anger:

"Everyone who stayed at the post station yesterday must not leave; inform them."
A reward of one thousand taels of silver will be given to anyone who provides clues!

"Yes Yes Yes"

The innkeeper hurriedly ran out.

Before long, he led a caravan worker in.

"There's news."

The waiter spoke tremulously:
"Sir, I was on night watch last night and I heard some noises coming from the stables. It sounded like someone was climbing over the wall."

Feng Kezhao's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked:

"Oh? Can you see who it is?"

The waiter shook his head and said:
"I didn't have time to go and see, but I heard the sound and thought it was a bit strange."

Feng Kezhao pondered for a moment, then said:

"Someone, go and check the stables carefully!"

Several constables obeyed the order and left. A short while later, they returned to report:
"Sir, we found some footprints on the roof of the stable. They were very messy, and it looks like there were at least a dozen people."

Feng Kezhao looked thoughtful and said:
"More than a dozen people? It seems the murderer escaped by climbing over the wall of the stable."
Go check the personnel of each merchant team, carefully verify the rosters, and see if anyone is missing.

The constables once again obeyed their orders and began to investigate the various merchant groups within the post station.

After a thorough questioning and inventory, a constable rushed over and said:

"Sir, we've found out! More than a dozen people are missing from the Baijing Trading Company!"

Feng Kezhao frowned and said:

"Baijing Trading Company? Send people to track them down immediately!"

Bring the people from Baijing Trading Company here again; I will question them personally!

Before long, the manager of Baijing Trading Company was brought before Feng Kezhao.

The manager was a thin, middle-aged man with a hint of panic on his face.

He knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly, and said:

"My lord, I'm innocent!"
Our company's people are all honest businesspeople; how could we do such a thing!

Feng Kezhao looked at him coldly and said:

"I ask you, your business lost more than a dozen people last night. Where did they go?"

The steward quickly said:

"Sir, I don't know where they went. They were just temporary recruits."

Yu Tongyuan's eyes turned cold, and he said:

"Temporary recruitment? That's absurd!"
"Guards, use torture until he tells the truth!"

Several soldiers pounced on him like wolves and tigers, pinning the manager to the ground.

The steward turned pale with fright and hurriedly shouted:
"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me!"
"I don't know, I really don't know."

Amidst cries of agony, the steward was taken away by soldiers.

Looking at the steward's flustered expression, Feng Kezhao felt that the steward did not seem to be lying.

If a dozen or so people suddenly left, and they were acquaintances,
Wouldn't that completely betray the remaining people?

He turned to look at Yu Tongyuan and said:
"Governor Yu, although we have discovered that more than a dozen people from Baijing Trading Company are missing, we cannot yet confirm that they are the murderers."

"I will continue to investigate and will certainly give the Governor a satisfactory answer!"

Yu Tongyuan's eyes were filled with grief and anger, his voice icy:

"Are the other merchants short of people?"

"Reporting to the Governor, Your Excellency, all those registered are present and gathered in the courtyard," the post station manager replied.

Yu Tongyuan's voice was solemn as he looked at him and gave a cold snort:
"Lists can be forged, and people can be hidden. It's common to find caravans with twenty people on paper but thirty in reality."
How do you know that other businesses haven't lost any people?

Upon hearing this, Feng Kezhao's expression turned strange, and he glanced at Yu Tongyuan with some surprise.

This Governor Yu is very knowledgeable about business matters.

Before the post station manager could speak, Feng Kezhao explained:

"Governor Yu, it's common practice for caravans to give one or two people a ride along the way."

If it weren't for the Baijing Trading Company, we would have thoroughly investigated all the people in this courtyard.
Now that we have clear leads, other people are no longer so important.

Moreover, trade is of paramount importance in the capital region.
It's not worthwhile to detain them here for no reason and waste manpower and resources searching for them.

Why don't we register the entire caravan together, and then do our utmost to track down the dozen or so people from the Baijing Trading Company who have fled?

This can be considered as calming the storm and preventing the situation from becoming chaotic.
"Governor Yu, what do you think of my method?"

Yu Tongyuan's face was extremely gloomy.

He stepped out of the house and looked through the fence at the numerous caravans in the deathly silent courtyard, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid.

"Lord Feng, you must know what has happened in the capital recently."
At this time, the murder of my son makes it hard for me not to have many thoughts.

As for my many adversaries, I'm sure Lord Feng knows who they are; they're all shrewd and calculating.

Would someone committing such a heinous act leave such an obvious trace? A dozen or so people came with the caravan, then fled in the night.

Does Lord Feng think those people are all fools?

Feng Kezhao's face stiffened; this was also the point he had the strongest suspicion about.
It's too obvious, the technique is too crude.
He even doubted that the case was so simple.

Taking a deep breath, Feng Kezhao pretended not to hear Yu Tongyuan's hidden meaning and said in a deep voice:

“Governor Yu, now that we have a lead, we should investigate it first.”

Yu Tongyuan glanced at him, but didn't make things too difficult for him, and said in a deep voice:
"My men will go after the dozen or so who escaped. Your men will thoroughly search the caravan in this courtyard. Only after the search is complete can you let them go!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Kezhao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Governor Yu, as you said, as for your son's body, we can examine it together with the Ministry of Justice personnel when they arrive. What do you think?"

Yu Tongyuan seemed unwilling to speak further, and gently waved his hand.

She sat down somewhat forlornly, her eyes vacant.
He was searching for people he had offended during this period, and then he discovered there were too many.
At this moment, the sky outside the post station gradually darkened, with thick clouds gathering, as if a storm was about to break.

Inside the inn, everyone's mood was as heavy and oppressive as the gloomy sky.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves thundered outside the post station.

One hundred soldiers dressed in naval uniforms galloped in on horseback, led by a stern-faced centurion.

He reined in his horse, dismounted, and strode quickly to Yu Tongyuan, clasping his hands in greeting:

"My lord, I have been ordered to come here, and I will do my utmost to track down the murderer!"

Yu Tongyuan slightly raised his head, waved his hand, and the soldiers beside him handed over the inspection documents.

A ruthless glint flashed in Yu Tongyuan's eyes:
"We must find them."
"I want to see him alive or dead!"

The centurion responded, stood up, and waved his hand.

One hundred naval soldiers were divided into several teams and galloped off in different directions, their horses kicking up clouds of dust.

At the same time, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the post station.

A horse-drawn carriage sped up and stopped at the entrance of the post station.

The car door opened, and Ling Han, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, stepped out slowly.

He was dressed in a scarlet official robe, his face was serious, and his eyes revealed a hint of anger!
Behind him followed several officials from the Ministry of Justice, as well as coroners dressed in plain clothes, carrying various autopsy tools.

Ling Han strode into the post station and went straight to Yu Qilun's room.

Feng Kezhao hurriedly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:
"My lord, you've finally arrived."

Ling Han nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Yu Qilun's corpse. He frowned and asked softly:

"How's it going?"

Feng Kezhao gave a detailed account of the situation he had gathered.

After listening, Ling Han pondered for a moment and then said:

"Let's perform an autopsy first and see if we can find any more clues."

Several coroners stepped forward and began to carefully examine the body.

They first examined Yu Qilun's leg injuries, and one of the older coroners said softly:
"Sir, these legs were injured by being struck repeatedly with heavy objects."

Judging from the wounds, the murder weapon was likely a short, smooth-surfaced stick padded with soft material, containing a piece of refined iron.

Ling Han nodded, then looked at the other wounds on Yu Qilun's body. The coroner continued:

"Aside from that, there were no other obvious external injuries on his body, however..."

He paused, pointed to Yu Qilun's somewhat blackened wounds and bruised face, and said softly:

"The deceased not only had both legs broken, but was also poisoned. The poison was applied to the broken wounds, where the color was much darker than on the cheeks and palms."

Ling Han's gaze sharpened, and he asked:

Can you identify what kind of poison it is?

The coroner shook his head: "It cannot be determined at the moment. Further examination is needed, and the body must be taken back to the yamen."

At this moment, another coroner, having finished examining Yang Bo's body, came over to report:

"Sir, the old man was killed with a dagger."

Judging from the shape and depth of the wounds, the perpetrator was skilled, and the initial stab was to the chest.
There were six wounds in total, each one hitting a vital spot, which was enough to cause death.

As for the knife wound on the neck, it's speculated that it was either a finishing blow or meant to silence the victim.
Moreover, something is quite strange.

"what's up?"

"Poison was also found in the old man's wound, but it had not spread significantly."

this means.
Before the poison was administered, the old man was already dead or dying, and his blood did not carry the poison throughout his body.

Furthermore, the internal flesh of the old man's neck wound showed signs of secondary cutting.

This means that two knives were used twice on the same wound.

Based on the circumstances of poison use
The idiot speculates that the two men may have acted separately; one killed the young man, then came to check on the old man's condition, and as a precaution, finished him off with a poisoned dagger.

Ling Han frowned and asked:
"You mean the murderer who killed Yu Qilun used a poisoned dagger?"
"And the person who killed the follower used a non-poisoned dagger?"

"Yes, sir, that is the proper way."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ling Han and Feng Kezhao exchanged a glance, both realizing the seriousness of the situation.

If that's the case, then the person who came is here to take Yu Qilun's life.

The killer was ruthless, the murder weapon was poisoned, and the target was clear; it was clearly a revenge killing.

Ling Han took a deep breath and paced around the room in thought.

After a moment, he stopped and said to Feng Kezhao:

"Lord Feng, judging from the autopsy results, this case is not simple."

The murderer not only broke Young Master Yu's legs with a short stick, but also poisoned him and killed his old servant. His methods were cruel and his motives clear.

Based on the scene, it is inferred that at least five people were inside the house at the time.

If the dozen or so people who escaped were all the murderers, then it indicates that this was a well-trained, clearly organized murder case, or even a revenge killing.

Feng Kezhao understood Ling Han's meaning, and his expression became extremely solemn:

"Your Excellency, you mean..."

He moved closer and lowered his voice:

"Did Governor Yu offend someone?"

Ling Han remained calm and did not answer.

He not only knew that Yu Tongyuan had offended someone, but he also knew who Yu Tongyuan had offended.

Ironically, all these people have the ability to do this.

"The capital city government will continue its on-site investigation, and the Ministry of Justice will send personnel to assist."

"Yes." Feng Kezhao cupped his hands in greeting.

After completing these steps, Ling Han took the coroner's autopsy report, left the house, and went to Yu Tongyuan's side, saying in a deep voice:

"Governor Yu, these are the autopsy results for Yu Qilun and his entourage."
This included speculations from the Ministry of Justice and the capital city government regarding the case.

For a more detailed examination, the bodies of the young nobleman and his entourage must be transported back to the capital.

Yu Tongyuan took the document, glanced at it casually, and then ignored it. He tried to calm himself and said in a deep voice:
"Lord Ling, was Lu Yunyi behind the scenes in the Liu Zixian incident a few days ago?"

Ling Han's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and calmly replied:
"No, it was Liu Sili who ran around doing all the work."

"Thank you."

Yu Tongyuan's voice was calm, but his eyes contained a strong killing intent.

He abruptly flicked his sleeve and said coldly:
"Take the body and return to the manor!"

As Ling Han watched Yu Tongyuan and his group leave, the wrinkles on his face deepened, and he looked extremely tired.

A wave of unrest, a wave of up again.

At this moment, Feng Kezhao from the capital came up and said softly:

"My lord, the body is missing. Will the capital authorities still investigate?"

"No need to investigate anymore. Just check the people below and then let them go. This matter has nothing to do with you."

Feng Kezhao was taken aback, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes, and he quickly bowed:

"Thank you, Lord Ling. I will make the arrangements immediately."

"Yes, send a copy of the completed list to the Ministry of Justice."

"Yes!"

Feng Kezhao hurriedly walked away, while Ling Han stood behind the fence, watching the sky grow increasingly gloomy and the wind howl.

Before long, large raindrops began to fall, hitting the roof of the post station with a pattering sound.

The atmosphere inside the post station became increasingly oppressive.

Everyone present knew that behind this matter,

There must be a bigger scheme or conspiracy hidden behind it, which is not something people like them can participate in.

(End of this chapter)