Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 28 Weird Scene
"Blood Totem... the symbol of Fu Nanshe, the leader of the Li people's uprising army..."

After leaving Yinglue Society, Haiyue hurried towards the posthouse.

From Yao Ge'er, he learned the true meaning of "blood totem" and further realized the seriousness of the problem.

The Inspector General was originally a minister of low rank but with great power, and he was well-known to the emperor. If Wu Lin were to suffer any harm at the hands of the Li people, there would probably be a great chaos on Hainan Island, and the people living here would bear the brunt of it, and no one would be able to escape.

"Stop! Eh? Thirteenth Master?"

When they arrived at the gate of the posthouse, they saw two constables guarding outside. One of them was Lin Xiaoliu, an acquaintance who had received favors from the mynah bird and had tipped off the police before.

Hai Yue took out something and handed it over: "Constable Lin, this is a document from the government office. Please take a look."

"Oh my, what are you talking about? Would Master Thirteen lie to me?"

Even so, Lin Xiaoliu still took it, looked at it carefully, and then turned around and called out, "Wang Yicheng! Wang Yicheng!"

"Here we go!"

Not long after, a figure rushed out of the inn. He was short and looked rather wretched. With sweat on his forehead, he nodded and bowed, saying, "Which official has arrived?"

Lin Xiaoliu introduced: "This is Hai Shisanlang, the detective who previously solved the Annan Mission case. Wang Yicheng has heard of him, right?"

"Ah! I've heard of it! Of course I've heard of it! I'm Wang Yuhui, and I'm honored to meet Mr. Hai!"

The postmaster was responsible for managing the daily affairs of the post station, ensuring the smooth delivery of official documents, reception of officials and other tasks. In all dynasties, he was the lowest-level official who had not yet entered the mainstream. He was at the same level as the teachers and instructors of the county school and had no rank, but there was nothing wrong with calling himself this official.

It’s just that this person’s appearance is a bit disappointing.

However, this honored man could still occupy the post of postmaster, who was responsible for welcoming and seeing off guests. He must be quite capable. Hai Yue greeted him with a serious face: "I am here to ask about the disappearance of Inspector Wu. I am sorry to bother you, Postmaster Wang."

"Ouch! The thief Li is so arrogant and has caused us so much trouble!"

Wang Yuhui slapped his thigh, furious at the murderer, but then smiled broadly, "It's said outside that Mr. Hai is a detective. It's great that you're here! We must arrest all those thieves and throw them into jail. Let's see if they dare to act so presumptuously again! Please! Please come in!"

"please!"

The three of them entered the inn together and saw a spacious hallway with neatly arranged tables and chairs. Facing them was a staircase leading to the second floor.

Given his status as an inspector, it was natural for him to stay in the best guest room on the second floor. Haiyue went upstairs under the guidance of Wang Yuhui and saw that the room was bright and clean, divided into two rooms, the inner and outer rooms.

The outer room can accommodate two or three personal servants. The inner room is paved with blue bricks, and the tables and chairs are all made of black ebony. The walls are whitewashed and there are more than a dozen paintings hanging on the wall, which seem to be calligraphy works left by civil servants and are quite elegant.

But at this moment, the west wall seemed out of place.

Several paintings were torn to the ground, leaving a huge mark of two snakes entwined in the middle of the wall.

"Is this the 'Blood Totem'?"

"It's the Li people's evil totem. It looks scary!"

"what?"

Judging from the texture, it is almost the same as the one painted by Shao Jing, a pattern of two snakes entwined. However, compared with the depiction on paper, the effect on the wall is undoubtedly more impactful. However, when Haiyue took a closer look, her brows furrowed again.

Although he was not a great calligrapher, in order to prepare for the exam, he also practiced a beautiful Taige style. He understood that when writing with a pen, it was most important to do it in one go and hesitancy was the worst thing to do.

However, the "blood totem" on the wall now has stiff strokes, and the handwriting is even a bit messy at the end. It is obvious that it was hastily drawn, revealing a sense of urgency.

Hai Yue examined it for a moment and asked, "Is this mark exactly the same as the one that appeared at the government office gate that morning?"

"same!"

Lin Xiaoliu also came up and said in a hoarse voice, "I saw it that day. It was terrifying! They say it was painted with blood dripping from a corpse. It had a pungent smell, and I can still smell it to this day!"

Wang Yuhui also showed fear and gnashed his teeth: "The Li people are extremely vicious and cruel. The court should have sent a large number of troops to suppress them long ago!"

Hai Yue remained noncommittal and then asked the key question: "Last time, it was a corpse, and we were able to use the corpse's blood to leave a totem. What about this time?"

Lin Xiaoliu replied: "This time, we're not using human blood, we're using chicken blood."

Haiyue raised her eyebrows: "Chicken blood? How do you judge it?"

Later generations’ tests made it easy to distinguish between human blood and chicken blood, but the ancient methods were relatively crude and relied purely on experience.

For example, human blood tastes relatively salty and fishy, ​​and animal blood has its own characteristics. Sheep blood usually has a strong smell, pig blood is smelly, and chicken blood has a special fishy smell. Butchers or chefs who deal with these all year round can distinguish them.

As expected, Lin Xiaoliu looked at Wang Yuhui, and Wang Yuhui explained, "The cook, Lao Fu, came up and smelled it and said it was chicken blood. We went to the kitchen and found that half a basin of chicken blood was indeed missing."

"So, when the thieves abducted Inspector Wu, they also went to the kitchen to get a basin of chicken blood, brought it upstairs, and left a 'blood totem' on the wall?"

Haiyue walked back to the outer room and looked at a bed against the wall. "Was anyone sleeping here the night Inspector Wu disappeared?"

Lin Xiaoliu said, "Inspector Wu's servant, Sun Bin, slept here that night, while his aide, Min Ziyong, and the strongman Xiang Ang slept next door."

"That's strange..."

Haiyue looked puzzled.

Before he arrived at the scene, he had already made a preliminary outline of the murderer's characteristics.

A member of the Li ethnic group, a descendant or descendant of the rebel leader Fu Nanshe, and a relative or close friend of Na Ying, the stand-in for the Annan prince, he is well-informed, possesses numerous informants, and is ruthless, ruthless, and incredibly bold. Only someone possessing these traits could have intercepted the fleeing Zheng Wu and his three companions, killing them and dumping their bodies at the government office. He also left behind a "blood totem" as a warning, abducted Wu Lin, the newly arrived Hainan inspector, and, a second time, threatened them with a "blood totem" and a bloody handprint, forcing the government to execute the remaining Annan prisoners held in the cells.

Such behavior is not only revenge for Na Ying, but also reveals hatred and provocation towards the court.

"Would such a person go to the far end and go to the kitchen to get chicken blood instead of human blood? If Wu Lin's life is spared, it is because he is of noble status and can be used to threaten the government. The servants outside can also be knocked unconscious and bled out. Even the violent ones can use their own blood to smear on the wall. That is called evil spirit!"

"Now that I've used chicken blood, I'm drawing the blood totem impatiently, like a frightened little thief..."

"A cowardly copycat? How could someone who dares to kidnap a provincial inspector be cowardly?"

Hai Yue found it very strange. After pondering for a moment, she looked at Lin Xiaoliu and said, "Since the incident happened last night, the scene has been taken over by the government. No one is allowed to approach?"

Lin Xiaoliu patted his chest and said, "The fast class was all here before. Many people gathered around to watch the fun, but we didn't let any of them get close."

Haiyue continued to ask, "Are you the only ones left in the inn now?"

Wang Yuhui said bitterly, "The cook and the servants were frightened, so they were all sent back. I have no choice but to stay here to guard them."

"The Li people are so arrogant, no wonder Wang Yicheng is so arrogant."

Lin Xiaoliu consoled him and pointed to the back door: "Everyone has gone out to look for the Li bandits. Four constables are left at the posthouse, and there are two brothers guarding the back door."

Hai Yue looked outside. It was already dark, so she said, "Wang Yicheng, go home. You're not helping matters here. The fewer people coming and going, the better."

Wang Yuhui obviously didn't understand this and said worriedly, "Then the government office..."

Hai Yue said: "Shao Tuiguan gave me the documents, I can still do this."

Wang Yuhui bowed as if he had been pardoned. "Thank you very much, thank you very much. I hope that Master Hai will capture the Li thief as soon as possible and restore peace to Qiongshan!"

After the postmaster left, Haiyue and Lin Xiaoliu went downstairs and asked again, "Aren't you planning to leave tonight?"

Lin Xiaoliu sighed, "Tailor Shao ordered us to take turns on duty. The blood totem painted on the wall is evidence of the crime. If someone from the Censorate comes tomorrow, we can explain it."

"I have an idea……"

Haiyue said something in a low voice.

After hearing this, Lin Xiaoliu was a little confused: "Why do you do this?"

Hai Yue didn't explain, but instead asked, "Constable Lin, you and I are both from Qiongshan. Our fathers both experienced the Fu Nan Snake Rebellion that swept Hainan. You don't want the Li Rebellion to happen again, do you?"

Lin Xiaoliu was startled and nodded rapidly: "Of course! Of course!"

"Then listen to me and give it a try!"

"Okay... okay!"

The local quick-action detectives actually didn't care about solving cases and making meritorious contributions. No matter how great their achievements were, they could not become officials in the Ming Dynasty and could not change their social status. What they pursued was local stability.

Only when the local area is stable can the actual power of the government be in the hands of these petty officials who have been passed down from generation to generation. Once a riot or even a rebellion occurs, the first people the rebels kill are often corrupt officials.

Therefore, Lin Xiaoliu was more worried about the Li people's rebellion than Haiyue. It was a matter of life and death, so he was immediately persuaded.

Besides this, when Haiyue said goodbye, she also said, "I was lucky enough to win the first place in this county exam. I was just about to go celebrate. This case is important. After the case is over, I would like to ask Constable Lin to do me the honor of chatting with me."

"Oh! Congratulations, Master Thirteen! Congratulations!"

Lin Xiaoliu was moved. The top candidate in the case could directly obtain the title of scholar. Compared with the high-ranking Jinshi, the petty officials in the local government office cared more about such a scholar. "Please rest assured, Master Thirteen, I will do it!"

Haiyue waited with a smile and strode away.

Lin Xiaoliu returned to the gate of the inn, thought for a moment, and then looked at the other constable guarding the gate: "Da Zhuang! Go and kill Sihu Shanlan!"

"Four pots? Liuzi, when did your alcohol tolerance become so good?"

"Hey! You're such a blockhead! Send two pots to Old Lu and Uncle Chen at the back door too. They're the elders of the fast-track team. They're tired from guarding here. You should show them some respect!"

"Sixth brother is so generous! I'll go right away!"

As night fell, Haikoupu became more and more lively, especially the gambling houses and brothels not far away, which were deafeningly noisy.

The drunk constable Da Zhuang and Lin Xiao Liu leaned against each other, loudly teasing each other about which girl was the hottest, and similar noises were heard at the back door.

They didn't notice that a tall and thin merchant carrying a load would pass by the door of the inn every once in a while.

When the merchant passed by for the third time, he smelled of alcohol. He observed for a moment and made sure that the four constables on guard were drinking and laughing, then he quietly climbed into the yard.

The candlelight in the room on the second floor flickered for a moment and then quickly went out.

The figure turned over, picked up the load, and left in a hurry.

"As expected, the details of the case are of most concern to the investigators and the wronged individuals..."

The detectives were chatting and laughing, knowing nothing about it, while Haiyue walked out from the shadows across the street and followed silently.

(End of this chapter)