The snow has stopped and the earth is silvery white.
In Shen's residence, mourning flags were erected, a mourning shed was erected, and the entire residence was draped in mourning and mourning.
Now that the deceased has been laid to rest, a formal funeral can be held only after Shen Gong's three sons return home.
Since Cai Kun, the leader of the Imperial Household, and Chen Taiji, the censor of the Ministry of Punishment, were busy with official duties, they could not wait for the funeral to begin, so they came to the Shen Mansion in advance to express their condolences.
After expressing condolences, as an adopted son, Xu Zun returned the gift according to etiquette and took the two adults to the front hall to entertain them.
"Xu County Lieutenant," unexpectedly, when passing through the garden, Cai Kun saw no one around him and suddenly stopped and talked to Xu Zun, "Cai is also responsible for Mr. Shen's matter. When he got there, The thief was fooled. He rashly searched Shen's house and showed disrespect to Mr. Shen.
"Secondly, that day in the courtroom, if I hadn't insisted on keeping him alive, Mr. Shen might not have been affected. I, Mr. Cai, really felt guilty.
"I also hope that County Lieutenant Xu can understand Cai's difficulties and his responsibilities. He has no choice but to do so!"
"Master Cai's words are serious," Xu Zun clasped his fists quickly, "The accident happened so suddenly, and this kind of result is something no one wants to see.
"If we really talk about it, Xu Zuncai should be responsible!"
"Oh?" Cai Kun was curious, "Why did you say that?"
"To be honest, sir," Xu Zun explained, "there is a reason why I became suspicious of Qiu Yongnian just by saying, 'I am the number one scholar'.
"After all, we have been working together for nearly a year, how could we not be aware of it at all?
"This Qiu Yongnian is actually quite different from the Qiu Yongnian in my impression.
"I have read almost all of Qiu Yongnian's poems and admired his literary talents, but during the time we worked together, I never saw him mocking the wind and chanting the moon, reciting or writing poems.
"In addition," Xu Zun continued, "I have noticed something strange about Qiu Yongnian's palms before. His palms were dark and his fingers were blue, as if he had some kind of frostbite.
"Now that I think about it, it must be a thick callus caused by practicing martial arts!"
"Oh..." Cai Kun and Chen Taiji nodded, thoughtfully.
"Therefore," Xu Zun blamed himself, "when I realized that You Dalang, Chief Liu and Xiao Qi all died in his own hands, I didn't pay attention to it and warned him early. That's why Such a big change happened.
"It's me, I'm so ashamed of my adoptive father..."
Speaking of this, Xu Zun felt sad again.
"My condolences, Lieutenant Xu County," Chen Taiji advised, "Unforeseen circumstances may arise, so don't be too sad!
"Having said that, none of us are to blame for Mr. Shen's accident. If we are to blame, we must blame that group of hateful thieves. Only by rooting out this group of evil forces can we avenge Mr. Shen!"
"What Mr. Chen said is absolutely true," Xu Zun clasped his fists again and said, "I hope you two adults can find out the truth and give my foster father justice!"
"This is natural, but..." Cai Kun looked at Xu Zun with admiring eyes and said, "Xu County Lieutenant is young and promising, and he knows everything. He can turn defeat into victory and turn the tide in such a difficult environment. It is really eye-opening for Cai.
"Let's see. After Cai returns to the capital, he will recommend it to the Queen Mother. If he can serve the Queen Mother in the future, wouldn't it be better if you and I work together to track down the culprit of the Iron Coffin case and avenge Mr. Shen?"
"Master Cai is flattering me," Xu Zun said modestly, "Ji Ying is really ashamed and unworthy. Ji Ying is young and superficial, sir, you should give me some more time to practice!"
Xu Zun thought in his heart that Daxuan's court was full of powerful forces and complex relationships, as evidenced by the iron coffin case. He could not easily get involved in that vortex.
"Hey, this is wrong." Who knows, Cai Kun recognized Xu Zun and continued to talk, "What can you gain in a small town and a small county? If you can follow the Queen Mother, your glory will be just around the corner. Xu Siqing and Shen Gongquan know who
, I will definitely be proud of you!"
Well...
Xu Zun didn't expect Cai Kun to be so persistent. If he continues to push the blame now, he obviously doesn't know how to praise him.
So, he had no choice but to clasp his fists and say: "Since Mr. Cai thinks highly of Jiying, Jiying will be the first to thank you!"
Xu Zun was flattering, but he thought in his heart, if you didn't handle things well this time, you might not be favored by the Queen Mother when you go back. What if you recommend me?
However... the Internal Security Bureau is indeed a relatively powerful department. If you can really get in, it may not necessarily be a bad thing.
So, let’s take a look at the good fortune!
"Okay, okay, okay!" Cai Kun said three good words in a row, first looked at Chen Taiji, and then said to Xu Zun, "Since Jiying is no longer an outsider, let's talk about the case!
"Ji Ying, after these two days of interrogation, it turns out that Master Yao Jin does know more than others, but only a little more."
"Oh?" Xu Zun immediately became energetic after hearing the details of the case.
"He confirmed several things," Cai Kun said, "For example, the fake Wang Shuncai and the fake Qiu Yongnian often met quietly, which can confirm that Wang Shuncai may indeed be the fake Qiu Yongnian's online.
"In addition, these gangsters are all refugees hired from all over the country. The thieves either have control over them or hold their families hostage, and then promise them large sums of money to do as they are told."
"Oh? All over the country?" Xu Zun immediately understood the key point, "So, this is not an ordinary criminal organization?"
"Yes," Cai Kun said, "Their methods are very professional. There is a single line of communication between superiors and subordinates. There is always only one person who hires these minions, and that is the fake Qiu Yongnian!"
"Then..." Xu Zun asked, "Does Yao Jin know the name of the fake Qiu Yongnian?"
Cai Kun shook his head, expressing his helplessness.
"We interrogated everyone," Chen Taiji echoed. "No one among them participated in the kidnapping and imprisonment of the real Qiu Yongnian, and no one knows who kidnapped the real Qiu Yongnian's old mother, eldest brother, and family."
"Oh, this group of people is really vicious," Xu Zun sighed, "Since the real Qiu Yongnian is no longer of use, then his family must have been brutally murdered long ago, right?"
"They did a good job of keeping secrets," Cai Kun said. "Until the end, no one knew the identity of the Taoist priest, let alone that Magistrate Qiu was fake!"
"Then..." Xu Zun asked again, "Where are You Dalang and his wife?"
"According to what Yao Jin said, You Dalang seems to be at a higher level," Chen Taiji replied, "but because the contact is a single line, the specific situation is still not clear."
"Now," Cai Kun said seriously, "there is a time point that is crucial, and this is also the issue I care about the most."
"What's the problem?" Xu Zun asked.
"If the real Qiu Yongnian had been replaced by the fake one as early as the Hanlin period, then there must be a traitor in the court!" Cai Kun said, "Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Qiu Yongnian came to Xinye County to take office?"
indeed……
Xu Zun nodded, he had thought of this before.
"In that case, the iron coffin case will be even more serious!" Cai Kun said with a solemn expression, "This means that the enemy has infiltrated into us!"
"This problem," Chen Taiji thought for a while and said, "has it been solved?
"Since Qiu Yongnian's family was framed a year ago, that time happened to be when Qiu Yongnian took office in Xinye County.
"Doesn't this already indicate that people changed after the Hanlin Academy?"
"This is not necessarily true!" Xu Zun immediately expressed a negative opinion, "According to Liu Dong's investigation, Qiu Yongnian has never returned home since he came to Beijing to take the exam, and he only wrote letters home.
"So, if the Hanlin Academy has been replaced, it is not impossible to just wait until Xinye County takes office and then kidnap Qiu Yongnian's relatives away."
"Oh..." Chen Taiji looked serious, "If you say so, this case really needs to be investigated carefully!"
"Yes, after we return," Cai Kun said, "we will immediately ask people from the Hanlin Academy to identify it. I believe there will be an answer by then!"
After speaking, the three of them looked at each other speechlessly, and the conversation came to a standstill.
"Um……"
Just when Cai Kun wanted to finish his words, Xu Zun suddenly spoke again:
"Two adults, let me tell you something," Xu Zun said. "After the iron coffin case was reported, Luo County Prime Minister returned to the county government office, and we people gathered together to discuss the case.
"During the discussion, Magistrate Qiu suddenly said something like this.
"He said: 'Don't forget that there is a partition in the iron coffin, and even the partition is made of iron, so it is not unreasonable to put a big snake or python in it, right?'
"It is this sentence that further confirmed my suspicion of him!"
"Oh?" Cai Kun and Chen Taiji were confused.
"Because," Xu Zun answered, "At that time, except for Luo Xian Cheng, no one else knew that the first iron coffin also had partitions inside.
"But Qiu Yongnian said this with great certainty, which is obviously unreasonable!"
"Oh..." Cai Kun nodded and praised, "Lieutenant Xu really has a sharp eye and observes every detail!"
"Master Cai, I am not here to ask for praise!" Xu Zun looked directly at Cai Kun and Chen Taiji and said solemnly, "Two adults, can you tell me now about the first iron coffin?"
