Jin Shan admires Magistrate Li's simplicity. It's a pity that good people don't live long!
He observed Magistrate Li's house and looked carefully. There was nothing unusual. Seeing the impasse in solving the case, this was a huge test for him, a test he had never encountered before.
What a difficult case!
After much deliberation, there is nothing I can do to solve the problem. Why not go for a walk? Maybe some inspiration will come to you and you will find an opportunity to solve the case and solve it easily!
Jin Shan went out and closed the door ajar. When he got outside, there were almost no pedestrians on the street. It was a deep night and a few lights were flickering. A dog barked in the distant alley. After barking twice, it became quiet again. The night watch lanterns accompanied
The sound of banging wooden clappers came from far to near, then from near to far, and gradually disappeared into the night.
There were several restaurants and teahouses where the sound of singing and the aroma of wine and meat wafted out, and people were having fun here. Some were happy and some were sad. Jin Shan saw that Laohekou County was on the bank of the Han River, with business travelers traveling from south to north, and boats from the south and horses from the north.
, are all gathered here. Unlike Dengcheng, Dengcheng is a certain distance from the water, which limits the waterway, thus affecting economic development. It is a bit inconvenient, but it is not bad.
Every place is different, and here is a different scenery.
He walked around the street and found nothing.
When they arrived at the house where Magistrate Li lived, Jin Shan sent away his entourage and asked them to rest until further notice.
Jin Shan pushed open the ajar door, creaked, and entered the house.
It was already dark, but the candlelight in the room seemed very bright. After waiting for a while, Jin Shan got used to it and saw clearly that a man was sitting at the table slowly sipping tea. This position was where Magistrate Li often sat during his lifetime.
location.
When Jin Shan saw this, he was startled and immediately calmed down. No wonder they said that Magistrate Li's soul was still there and had not dispersed. This statement was not groundless.
Jin Shan was still not afraid. He looked at the man drinking tea, who looked like County Magistrate Li Wang, but he didn't dare to confirm. He had met him once or twice in the court before, so he didn't have a deep impression.
This man looks almost like Magistrate Li. He is about forty years old, has a gray beard, and his hair is shiny with silver threads mixed in. There is a birthmark on the right cheek, which is about the size of a copper coin. This appearance is an obvious sign. Because.
I heard that Magistrate Li had a birthmark on his face, but I didn't know it until I saw it. I was shocked when I saw it.
"This is...?"
The man didn't answer, stood up, and was about to leave.
Jin Shan took a step back and said quickly: "Sir, are you Li Sheng, the doctor in the Ministry of Personnel?"
The man stopped, stared at Jin Shan for a long time, and asked: "How can you see it? Why do you say I am a doctor in the Ministry of official affairs?"
"First, I never believe in ghosts and gods. There are no ghosts in the world. Ghosts are in people's hearts. There are no ghosts to scare people, only people. Some people don't look like humans, but they are ghosts. Some ghosts don't look like ghosts, but they are people, and people are ghosts.
There is no essential difference between them. Some people say they are afraid of ghosts, but in their hearts they long to become ghosts." Jin Shan said.
"What about the second one?" Li Sheng asked.
"Second, who is most like Magistrate Li? So many people think that Magistrate Li's soul is still in the room and everyone is afraid. Only his brother is the most like him. So, I guess you are Magistrate Li's younger brother Li Sheng.
"
"Yes, that makes sense, but what about the third one?"
"Third, when people leave, who is most concerned about the progress of this case? Who is willing to find the poisoner at all costs? Apart from his relatives, there is no other person. After thinking about it, County Magistrate Li has no relatives. Only
Li Sheng, that is, Li Sheng, a doctor in the official department, meets the conditions. Based on the above three points, I am convinced that you must be Li Sheng, a doctor in the official department." Jin Shan said.
The man was silent, thoughtful, and then nodded.
This person is indeed Li Sheng!
Li Sheng said: "It seems that you are a local official sent by the imperial court. Sure enough, the superiors read it correctly and think you are qualified for this position. Then, a few days ago, it was me pretending to be my brother and moving around in the house. People saw that,
Some scary information was spread, and it spread like wildfire, letting many people know that this place is very strange. Originally, this was done to scare away those timid officials. I didn’t expect to meet you. You are not afraid of anything. It seems,
You completely trust your heart and allow yourself to see clearly in a harsh environment. These are your skills. It seems that you have unusual courage and judgment. I didn't scare you away! Then there is no need to scare you! Yes.
I know that my brother died unjustly, and the case is very strange. I have also heard a lot of bad rumors, but it doesn’t matter. I just want to help my only brother find the murderer, bring the murderer to justice, and punish him. Who is my brother?
How was he killed? This has always been a mystery in my mind. If I can find the answer, I can let my brother close his eyes and leave peacefully."
After Li Sheng finished speaking, he fell silent again, but his eyes looked at Jin Shan much softer.
Jin Shan knew that he was sad for the loss of his brother. It was easy to understand that it would take a long time to recover from the death of his only relative and that he would need to slowly come out of the shadow of sadness. At this time, what is more important is how to stay strong.
Heart.
No one is made of steel. The softness of the heart is the same for almost everyone. There are good and evil hearts, softness and hardness. Some people have bad consciences and do very bad things. Some people have good consciences.
If you save, you can do good deeds.
The two of them were sitting around talking. Suddenly, a gust of wind suddenly blew in, making the windows and doors creak. Jin Shan and Li Sheng stood up at the same time and wanted to close the windows. It was obvious that what had just happened was
If the window is not closed properly, it will be blown by the wind, and it looks like it will blow open or blow the window sash down.
Because the windows were also in disrepair, the varnish was mottled, and some insect holes were clearly visible.
Before closing the window, you have to push it open. When the window opens, you can see the backyard. There is nothing unusual in the backyard. Everything is as usual. The backyard is separated from the outside world by a fence. Outside the fence is a very deep river. In the river ditch
There is deep water and wide water. If you want to get there, you have to climb a high wall. It is said that a county magistrate in Laohekou County was greedy and prepared a large amount of gold and silver for himself. He was afraid that thieves would steal it.
A long ditch was dug, water was immediately filled, and high walls were built. The doors and windows were strong, and the purlins and beams were selected well. The purlins were densely packed and very strong. It would be very difficult for a thief to get in through the roof.
The walls are very thick, soundproof, earthquake-proof, fireproof, and waterproof. It is very solid in every aspect. Unfortunately, it is still difficult to escape the sky net. After being found out, the person was killed, the money was confiscated, and nothing was obtained. It also affected future generations to become officials.
After closing the window, the two returned to their original positions and sat down, continuing to discuss the case and find the flaw, which is the key point of the case. If the key is found, the case will be solved easily. If not, the only choice is to try your luck and see.
Can Magistrate Li entrust a dream to Li Sheng, or give Jin Shan some inspiration and some visions, so that he can see clearly what is most important, focus on the big ones, let go of the small ones, and finally get a complete solution.
The two of them drank tea by candlelight and continued to discuss the case.
Li Sheng picked up the tea bowl and was about to drink tea when Jin Shan stretched out his hand to stop it and said: "Mr. Li, wait a minute, wait a minute, there is something wrong with the tea, it is poisonous, it is poisonous! Don't drink it!"
When Li Sheng heard this, he immediately put the tea bowl back on the table and took a closer look. Sure enough, there was a layer of turbid stuff floating on the surface of the tea bowl!
"That's unreasonable! It's not just that you killed my brother, it's not over yet! Now he's poisoning me! If you know he's poisoning, you will definitely cut him into pieces if you catch him!" Li Sheng said angrily!
.
While he was losing his temper, he suddenly whispered: "Shhh - someone is coming! It must be in the house."
"Li Zhonglang, it's not the people, it's the wind! The wind comes in, but the people don't. If people come into the house, people can resist and drive them out. But if the wind comes in, they can't be driven out. There is nothing people can do about the wind." Jin
Shan said.
As he spoke, he looked carefully at the floating objects on the tea bowl, then looked at the beams, and said, "It's not poison, it's the dust on the beams. It fell into the tea bowl. Don't worry."
"Oh, that's it! It seems that if you are bitten by a snake one year, you will be afraid of the well rope for ten years. This place is so weird. Drinking tea will kill you, which has caused a huge psychological shadow. Every time I drink tea, I think of my brother.
How can we get over this hurdle of death? If you often encounter such false alarms, it will make people nervous." Li Sheng said.
Jin Shan was a little confused when he saw Li Sheng like this.
Li Sheng was suspicious. This made Jin Shan feel that this house was even more strange. Look at the purlins and beams, how could dust fall off? Of course it has something to do with the wind.
In addition to the wind, what else? It means that the purlin has been moved recently. If it is not moved, the dust will not fall. If the purlin or beam is not moved, the dust will not be loosened. If it encounters the wind, it will not float away.
Otherwise, it will definitely float away.
Thinking of this, Jin Shan said nothing and looked carefully at the beams and purlins on the roof.
He couldn't see clearly, so he stood on the table and continued to look carefully. It could be seen that there was new paint on the beams, which looked very bright. Logically speaking, newly painted beams and purlins would not be stained with dust.
, because before painting, the beams and purlins need to be cleaned. Painting will not be applied until the cleaning is completed.
Then, there must be something wrong with the beams and purlins.
Jin Shan couldn't see clearly, so he went to find a ladder, climbed up the ladder, and looked carefully at the beams and purlins. Li Sheng thought that Jin Shan had found clues to solve the case, and was very excited. He did whatever Jin Shan said.
Jin Shan went up to the roof beams and looked carefully and found that everything was smooth and there was no dust at all.
After looking at the rows of purlins, I found a small hole in one of the purlins. The hole was not obvious and could easily be ignored.
He touched the hole with his hand, and something sticky immediately stuck to his hand. He carefully identified it and put it under his nose to smell it. It was odorless. According to common sense, this melted sticky stuff was wax.
What's going on?
How come there is wax when the purlins are painted? If there is wax, there is no need to paint.
There must be something fishy and problematic here, and here lies the key to this case!
"The secret of this case has been found! This is the one who killed your brother!" Jin Shan said.
"What's going on?"
"The reason is very simple. The murderer has figured out your brother's life pattern. He knows that he is meticulous in doing things, very regular and self-disciplined. He knows his eating habits, how to walk and how to sit. He has already planned it, and then takes advantage of him.
Did someone install a mechanism in the room unprepared?" Jin Shan said.
"What agency?"
"That's the nest I just discovered. That's the hole. That small hole is obviously not infested by insects, but a small hole dug out by someone. After digging out the small hole, put arsenic inside, and then use wax
Seal the arsenic in the hole. When County Magistrate Li is drinking tea, the heat rises, just facing the small hole. When the wax melts, the arsenic falls into the kettle. When Magistrate Li uses the kettle to make tea,
, then the water is poisonous, and it has nothing to do with the tea leaves or the tea bowl. It is not the latter that is poisonous, but the former. The former is the water in the kettle, which contains arsenic and is poisonous. If the water is poisonous, the tea will be poisonous. Wait until your brother drinks it.
If you drink tea, you will be poisoned and die." Jin Shan analyzed.
"That's it! It seems that Mr. Jin is still great and has rich experience in handling cases! Really! The court is not wrong! Dali Temple is not wrong! In this way, the murderer will be brought to justice after the case is solved, which will also make my brother's spirit in heaven happy.
It’s really the medicine that cures the disease and the cure! It’s amazing!” Li Sheng said, giving a thumbs up to Jin Shan.
There was nothing to say that night, so Li Sheng returned to Guanyi to live. Jin Shan thought for a while about what he should do the next day. He thought about it for a while and then rested.
At dawn, Jin Shanjin sent people to arrest the painter.
If you want to know the painter's last name, just ask Xiang Zhentang.
Xiang Zhentang said: "This is not a difficult task. The job was arranged by the lower official at that time. It was not the lower official who repeatedly begged and said that it was okay not to build a new house. However, the wood, purlins and beams were all peeled off, and some were peeled off.
The places were infested with insects and some were rotten, so they had to be painted to protect them. The house would be safe and look cleaner. Magistrate Li liked cleanliness, and this impressed him, so he agreed to hire a painter.
The painter came to paint the beams and purlins. This painter was hired by a lower official. He is an honest man and has a unique skill that everyone is satisfied with."
"Then do you know where he lives? Can he be caught? He is suspected of committing a major crime!" Jin Shan asked.
When Xiang Zhentang heard this, his face was as white as paper and he was panicked! This guy who was helping with painting had a problem, and the wages were not settled yet! This young man was so honest, how could he be the murderer? However, he didn't confirm it.
He is the murderer!
"Okay! Your Excellency, I know where I live. I will arrest him later and await trial." Xiang Zhentang said, then bowed his head and went out. Jin Shan arranged for someone to catch the painter.
The painter was caught quickly, and he didn't think of running away. He seemed to be very honest! If he was a little more cunning, he would have greased his feet and escaped long ago. Unexpectedly, he still insisted on waiting at home to be caught.
.He doesn’t know what’s wrong with this kind of mentality. He may have resigned himself to his habits and is unwilling to change.
When the painter saw Jin Shan, his legs went weak and he knelt down. Jin Shan asked, "Do you know why I arrested you?"
"I know, it's because of the case where Magistrate Li was poisoned."
"May I have your name?"
"People call me Shunliu. I have no parents, no brothers or sisters, and my surname is not Zhao. I am just the youngest. My parents were loyal and honest people, but it is a pity that they both passed away." The painter said with an expressionless face.