"Master Pang is truly a kind-hearted living Bodhisattva."
Sun Tianxiu's second uncle stood carefully in the main room and complimented Pang Yu respectfully.
"Master, I am indeed kind-hearted."
Pang Yu turned to the little Sun Tianxiu next to her and smiled, "Tian Xiu seems to have grown taller."
Sun Tianxiu's face turned red, and she put down the backpack behind her and whispered, "The radish I brought for my uncle. The old man said that it is good to eat radish in winter."
Pang Yu quickly stood up and took it with both hands. The basket on his back was full of radishes. The weight was very heavy, and it was difficult for the little girl to carry it so far.
The second uncle next to him was carrying a larger basket, but it was empty. He probably carried radishes and had already sold them.
Sun Tianxiu knelt down and kowtowed to Pang Yu and Pang Yu's parents, "Kowtow to the old man and wish my mother-in-law and grandfather a long life."
The parents smiled brightly when they heard this, and quickly asked Sun Tianxiu to get up. Pang Yu's mother pulled Sun Tianxiu and stroked her hair lovingly. Sun Tianxiu was a little malnourished and her hair was yellow.
She secretly looked at the furnishings in the main house. The house where Tang Weimin sent Pang Yu was originally an outhouse. Although it was not a luxury house, it still had a petty bourgeois atmosphere. In Sun Tianxiu's eyes, everything looked rich and noble. Sun Tian Xiuer
Uncle then said to Pang Yu, "Relying on the reputation of the Pang Guan family, the local chief and the head of the village are now taking care of the Sun family. This time the autumn tax is reduced by more than half to their family, and only five acres of land are lost."
Pang Yu touched his chin, "This is not called care. The Sun family's land is not on the fish scale map. What reason does Li Ke have to accept five acres of land?"
"I beg Pang Guan's family not to embarrass Li Ce. The villagers have begged them a lot. Li Ce is the head of a big family in the village. Usually this big family doesn't bully the Sun family. He also said that the oxen and plows will be given to Sun for free during the spring plowing next year.
Household expenses are considered a favor."
Pang Yu was silent for a moment and then smiled and said, "Then I'll follow what you said. If there's anything too much, just come to me again."
The second uncle also knelt down and kowtowed to Pang Yu and said, "The Sun family owes Pang Guan's family a debt. When the two younger generations grow up, they will repay the debt to Pang Guan's family in old age."
"If you have this heart, it will be done."
Pang Yu looked at Sun Tianxiu, "It's rare for Tian Xiu to go to the city, so don't go back today. There are lanterns everywhere in the city at night. Let's ask you, Sister Zhou, to play with the lanterns."
Sun Tianxiu's face was filled with joy, and then he shook his head and said, "No, my two younger brothers are still at home and there is no one to cook."
"Your second uncle will go back first. I will send someone to take you off tomorrow and let you ride a big horse."
Before Sun Tianxiu agreed, the second uncle hurriedly said, "Tian Xiu, please accept the favor given by the Pang Guan family. I will take care of the two of you at home."
Pang Yu stood up and said with a smile, "Okay, let's have dinner first and then go out to see the lights."
... On the Doujia Bridge there was thunderous cheers, and a pile of old brooms was igniting a raging fire. The onlookers were in high spirits. From time to time, late children braved the heat to pile their own old brooms in.
Sun Tianxiu shielded himself from the heat wave with his hands, carefully placed an old broom against the fire, and then jumped out and ran out. After stopping, he looked at the bonfire excitedly, his little face shining brightly in the light of the fire.
Pang Ding followed Pang Yu with two lanterns. He pointed to the south and said, "Master, the Baishun Hall is more prosperous."
Pang Yu took a look and saw that there was a bigger fire burning on the street to the south. It was Baishuntang's work. Although he was far away, Pang Yu could hear Jiang Shuqiong's loud voice.
Pang Yu smiled at Sun Tianxiu and said, "Your elder sister Zhou is at the fire in front." Sun Tianxiu called out and ran forward. It seemed that only at this moment she was a little girl, instead of having to bear the burden of two younger brothers.
Parents of life.
Pang Yu followed behind and walked slowly. Every house on the street hung up red lanterns. Children on the street each held a lantern, singing, dancing and walking along the street. Some held brooms and chased each other and played. Danmen took the opportunity to sell small items.
Objects are festive and festive.
When we walked to the front of Baishun Hall, the fire was burning in the street, and some gamblers were still throwing things into it.
Sun Tianxiu stood timidly outside. Pang Yu glanced around and saw the pace of several third teams nearby, but did not see the shadow of Zhou Yueru. Sun Tianxiu kept staring at the street, and when he looked over, he saw Zhou Yueru.
Jiang Shuqiong huddled in the corner.
Pang Yu quietly walked nearby, only to hear Jiang Shuqiong viciously say to Zhou Yueru, "Then you can't move back home. If Pang Dong's family says to burn things, then you must burn them."
Zhou Yueru didn't notice Pang Yu. She was squeezed into the corner by Jiang Shuqiong, looking very cramped. She hurriedly defended, "The chair only needs to be repaired and you can sit on it. The left and right sides are burnt. I can take it back and use it, so why not."
"
"Bah, Baishuntang is a prosperous place after burning it. You take Baishuntang's things privately, which is of great benefit to the employer. It is clearly poaching the employer. Today, I am here, and you can't even think of a chair leg.
Take it away.”
After Jiang Shuqiong said this, she pushed her hard. Zhou Yueru shrank back and said quickly, "It's okay if you don't take it."
"It won't work if you don't take it. I want to report it to shopkeeper Liu and let him comment. When Mingming came, the shopkeeper said that no objects in the hall can be taken privately, but there is no distinction between good and bad objects.
Everyone can do it, but you, Zhou Yueru, always make trouble, make the smallest noise in morning classes, and get three taels of silver monthly, I insist on..." Pang Yu coughed from behind, Jiang Shuqiong looked back and recognized
It was Pang Yu. His face was full of anger and he suddenly smiled brightly. He left Zhou Yueru behind and came closer.
"I've met Pang Dong's family. Oh, it's such a big festival. How nice it is for me to stay at home and spend time with my parents. It would be great to have helpers like us in the hall. We must help take care of my family. I just got one..." Pang Yu smiled.
He interrupted and said, "Monitor Jiang is self-reliant and diligent in his duties. Every servant in Baishun Hall should take you as a role model. Later at the dinner party, Mr. Pang will praise Monitor Jiang in front of everyone."
"I don't think my boss said that, it's all right, right? I just got one..." Pang Yu raised his chin, looked over Jiang Shuqiong's head, and said to Zhou Yueru in the corner, "Sun Tianxiu is here today, Yueru, after you leave.
, come and watch the lights with us."
Jiang Shuqiong was shocked. After Pang Yu finished speaking, he asked Jiang Shuqiong, "What did Leader Jiang just say he got?"
"What, get it, get it..." Jiang Shuqiong suddenly clapped her hands, "I got a white pigeon ticket. Today the shopkeeper gave a white pigeon ticket to each of our helpers, saying that the prize draw will be held during the dinner in the evening."
Pang Yu snorted, looked back at the bonfire and said, "Chief Jiang is in charge very well. If you can't take things in the hall, you can't take them. You can still do it in the future. I value your talents very much."
After saying this, the expression on Jiang Shuqiong's face was both happy and puzzled. Pang Yu didn't explain, and walked back to Sun Tianxiu, taking Sun Tianxiu to throw away the old things.
After Jiang Shuqiong was stunned for a moment, she quickly turned back to Zhou Yueru. Zhou Yueru was so frightened that he took a step back and quickly left the corner to avoid being squeezed in by the fat woman again.
Jiang Shuqiong took Zhou Yueru's hands and said passionately, "Oh my, sister of the Zhou family, look at me, I have a sharp mouth and a soft heart. I don't speak well, but I don't have anything in my heart. How about an old chair?"
It's not useful even after repairing it. It's better for the Zhou family to give it up. We sisters have been working together for a long time, and we, as sisters, haven't taken good care of her. So, let's buy a new one for her and send it home tomorrow."
The fat woman looked sincere and held Zhou Yueru's hands tightly, like sisters reunited after being separated for many years.
Zhou Yueru said in panic, "Ah, no need for this."
"Sister, please don't reject me. If you shirk it, you are still angry with me. That's settled."
Jiang Shuqiong let go of Zhou Yueru's hands, and diligently patted the ashes on Zhou Yueru's pants, "Girl, go in and have a rest. Just have a sister outside. Hurry up and tell her where your home is..." Pang Yu saw two women at the door from a distance.
I just went out, but I didn't realize that Baishuntang closed late today, and there was a dinner party later, so I went to call Zhou Yueru out alone, which was a bit inconvenient for Liu Ruogu to manage.
At this time, a group of people carrying lantern riddles came over and offered three pennies for each riddle. There were many gamblers in front of Baishun Hall. These people were serious gamblers, so a large number of people immediately gathered around and began to guess the riddles.
Pang Yu and Sun Tianxiu also came over, ready to find two lantern riddles to guess to see if they could reach the level of difficulty in Ruan Dacheng's "Spring Lantern Riddles".
Before they could squeeze in, Jiang Fan's figure appeared beside him. Pang Yu knew something was up, so he immediately stopped and asked, "Captain Jiang, is something up?"
Jiang Fan whispered, "Squad leader, there is a life case."
"oh?"
Pang Yu pulled Jiang Fan to a place with few people and asked, "Who is dead?"
"He's a beggar."
"beggar?
Are you sure it was a murder and not someone who died of cold or starvation?"
"It's definitely a murder. There are stab wounds all over the body."
Pang Yu knew that this festival was ruined. As long as there was a murder case, no matter who was killed, the quick team must find the culprit. Otherwise, it would be difficult to track down the culprits in the future. He rubbed his face and nodded, "Take me with you."
Go and have a look.”
... Outside the Baiyi Nunnery in Xiangyang Gate, a group of government officials in green formed a semicircle. More than a dozen torches flashed in the cold night, illuminating the surrounding area brightly. Some nearby people were looking around.
When the men in black holding torches saw Pang Yu, they all bowed to him and said hello.
The people here are all fast workers. Because there is no curfew during the Lantern Festival and there are many people on the street, Pang Yu requires all fast workers not to rest. So as soon as the murder was discovered, more than ten people were mobilized to rush there. This was not the case in the past.
The class is incredibly efficient.
The composition of Kuaishou now is very different from before. Pang Yu eliminated many incompetent people and established a promotion and promotion system for helpers and Kuaishou. The treatment levels within Kuaishou are also very different, and there is also a semi-annual elimination system for the bottom.
Force these fast players to continuously improve their efficiency.
As the leader of this fast shift, Pang Yu's main responsibility is to patrol and arrest criminals. During the civil unrest, he was dispatched many times to arrest thieves. However, after the civil unrest, no murders occurred in the county. Only one case occurred in Kongcheng Town.
The common people caught the murderer themselves and sent him to the county government. Today was Pang Yu's first time at the scene of the murder.
The crime scene was in a secluded alleyway to the left of the gate of Baiyi'an. A long trail of blood on the ground extended all the way to the street and into the gallery. In a pile of hay behind the gallery, a thin body lay face up.
On the ground, the tattered cotton clothes on his body were dyed red, a large amount of blood soaked around his body, and the air was filled with the stench of animal feces.
Pang Yu glanced briefly and then said, "Whose gallery belongs to this room?"
Ruan Jin replied respectfully from the side, "It is the gallery of Baiyi Nunnery for pilgrims to rest. Behind the gallery is the horse stable for feeding the horses of pilgrims who drive far away. There are usually no livestock at night, so in winter
, some beggars sleep in horse stalls at night and bury themselves in haystacks to keep warm.”
"That means there will be many beggars living here. Are there any witnesses?"
"Today is the Lantern Festival. Many temples and nunneries inside and outside the city are giving porridge. The beggars went everywhere to beg for food after hearing the news. After the people discovered the blood, their subordinates came immediately from the Xiangyang Gate Tower. At that time, the body was covered in weeds.
I asked around and no one witnessed how the murder happened."
"Where's Wu Zuo?"
"We have sent people to call, but no one was found. It is said that they went out to look at the lights."
Pang Yu thought for a moment, then raised his feet and entered the horse stall.
Jiang Fan and a few other quickies followed him in and brought the torch light closer so that Pang Yu could see clearly.
Pang Yu squinted her eyes and recalled it in her mind. After discovering her limited knowledge of solving crimes, she began to look around and finally landed on the left corner.
There were some slight blood stains on the hay in the corner and on the wall. A porcelain bowl with several broken holes was upside down on the ground. There were some cloth strips scattered around, as well as a black cloth shoe.
Pang Yu reached out and asked the others to stop outside the horse stall, moved his steps carefully, and casually asked Ruan Jin, "The second team is in charge of Xiangyang Gate. What does Captain Ruan think of this murder?"
Ruan Jin licked his tongue and said, "Beggars have always fought, usually over accommodation and food. It's not like there have been no fatalities, but they were always injured by mistake. But look at this beggar who was stabbed thirteen times in the body and twice in the neck.
The eleven stab wounds to the chest and abdomen were all aimed at the vital points.
No matter how you look at it, there is deep hatred and hatred, and the intention is to take people's lives when they start fighting. It is definitely not an ordinary revenge fight.
Judging from the blood, he must have been dead for no more than an hour."
Pang Yu approached the body and pulled open the beggar's tattered cotton coat. The chest and abdomen were covered in red, and three knife wounds could be seen underneath.
Since the last time Yunji Temple beheaded someone, Pang Yu has become almost immune to things like flesh and blood from these wounds.
Using his hand to measure the width of the knife edge, Pang Yu frowned and said, "The weapon's penetration is not shallow, and the wound is long and slender. It can be seen that the blade is very thin, and it should be much sharper than the common knives used to kill cattle and pigs."
Ruan Jin immediately said, "The supervisor is right. It must be a short knife with a grid so that it can be used with force. It is long and sharp, which means it is often polished. It may be a murder weapon specially used for killing people."
Pang Yu pointed to the corner of the wall, "There are few blood stains here, but they are spray-like. There are them on the surrounding weeds and walls. They should be the earliest blood stains. The cloth strips were wrapped by beggars to keep out the cold. They fell on the horse stalls when they struggled.
In the middle, the beggar's bowl is also left here, indicating that it should be the first scene.
This beggar must have been resting in a haystack. He was suddenly attacked and seriously injured, then fled to the street, and was dragged back here by the murderer to hide."
"This cloth shoe is of high quality. This beggar cannot afford it. It should belong to the murderer."
Jiang Fan frowned and said, "It means that the murderer may not be a beggar, or he may be a beggar fighting each other for revenge. The beggar has nothing to offer, and it cannot be a robbery or murder.
But what kind of enemies could this dead beggar have?
It seems a bit bizarre to come here to commit murder even though the Lantern Festival is not over."
Ruan Jin also scolded, "You damn thing, don't even think about my late-night snack tonight. When I get my hands on him, I will kill him if I have to do it."
A quickie outside shouted, "The host of Baiyi'an is here."
Pang Yu took a few steps outside and saw an elderly nun standing outside tremblingly.
"Master, don't be afraid, there are government officials guarding here all night today."
Pang Yu comforted her and then asked, "Excuse me, did any of the masters in the temple hear any unusual noises tonight?"
The teacher's face was full of panic, "I heard it, someone was screaming, and it was so loud."
"Master, do you remember what it was called?"
"I just yelled... and also said something. I was hiding in the corner because I was so scared that I didn't hear clearly."
Pang Yu asked a few more questions, but the master was in a daze and couldn't tell her any other news. Pang Yu could only comfort her and let her go back to the temple.
"Everyone has to work harder tonight. We should fight each other as beggars first, but we can't seal the city tonight. Jiang Fan, please send two teams of four horses each to quickly lock the north and south official roads. If you see beggars leaving the city, arrest them first, and follow the other steps.
Please quickly check the beggars in your respective areas and ask if there is anyone named Liu who is acting suspiciously, and in short, catch the murderer as soon as possible."
After Pang Yu made arrangements, Jiang Fan immediately took orders to leave the city, and Kuaishou went to find He Xianya and asked him to check the Nancheng area.
"Your grandma's murderer can't even be guessed through lantern riddles."
After Pang Yu cursed, he said to Ruan Jin, "I have to go and report to the hall. You should send people to block this section of the street, not allowing people to approach, cover the body, and don't touch anything else on the scene.
Today is the Lantern Festival, and this murder case is a bit bizarre. Please keep your mouth shut and don't cause panic in the city."
"My subordinate understands."
Pang Yu turned to Pang Ding again, "Go to the Zhuangban barracks and transfer the fifth squadron to guard the county government. Split the first squadron and the third squadron and send a small squad to each city gate to pay attention to the beggars coming in and out."
After Pang Ding took the order, Pang Yu watched the scene for a while, then headed west back to South Street, preparing to report back to the county government.
The streets were full of people, and various lanterns came and went, illuminating the streets like daylight. The bonfire in front of Baishun Hall was extinguished, and a few helpers were extinguishing the embers. The crowd gathered north to other fires.
Sun Tianxiu was still waiting in front of the door, standing with a few Kuaishou who were maintaining order. He was looking around, and when he saw Pang Yu, he came over excitedly.
Pang Yu relaxed his expression, went over and asked with a smile, "Is it fun to watch the lights in the city?"
"Just now, Sister Zhou said that the lanterns in Fengyang Mansion are the liveliest and much prettier than Tongcheng. Tongcheng is pretty enough, but I don't know what the situation is like in Fengyang."
Pang Yu patted her head, "Fengyang Mansion is only five hundred miles away. I will take you to see it later."
Sun Tianxiu nodded vigorously and showed a sweet smile... On the Lantern Festival in the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, Fengyang Mansion in Nanzhili was the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang, Taizu of the Ming Dynasty.
Fengyang Fucheng, which has no city walls, screamed loudly. Countless figures were chasing and killing people in the firelight. The streets and alleys were full of fallen lanterns, reflecting the piles of corpses everywhere around them.
The imperial mausoleum in the north of Fucheng lit up the sky, and the sky was dyed golden.
Tens of thousands of pines and cypresses were ignited, making a continuous and dense beeping sound. In the thick black smoke, countless burning ashes swirled and danced, rising into the sky with the heat wave.