Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Chen Shao and Gu Feiyan did not refuse.

Although they were dressed warmly and had heaters with them, they had only eaten dry food along the way. Without oil or hot soup to warm themselves, no matter how thick the clothes or how hot the heaters were, they were of little use.

Chen Shao was the sixth son of the Duke of Chen's mansion, and his "battle record" in Hongyuan County was well known in Jiannan Road. Gu Feiyan was the sixth daughter of the General of the Auxiliary State, and she had led troops to the battlefield, and her battle records were countless. The officials of Jingchuan County and Xitang County could not afford to offend either of them, so they welcomed them both to the seats of honor.

Chen Shao was rude, and Gu Feiyan was even more rude.

After washing her hands with warm water brought by the maid and drinking a cup of hot tea, Gu Feiyan took over and said, "Let's eat first. If you have anything to say, wait until you are full!"

She said it bluntly, and the officials, both big and small, did not dare to refute and kept complimenting her, "This is as it should be. Everyone, don't be polite. Sit down and eat."

After everyone sat down one after another, Magistrate Jin of Xitang County quickly glanced at Chen Shao and asked Jingchuan County Governor Zhou Lao in a low voice: "Sir Zhou, do you think we should arrange two more banquets for the people who went to Hongyuan County to invite Sir Chen back?"

Zhou Lao quickly glanced at Chen Shao and raised his voice slightly, saying, "Needless to say, let's get someone to arrange it! It's getting late today, wait until they finish eating, and arrange for them to stay in the inn, and go back tomorrow morning."

Magistrate Jin said yes, and turned around to arrange for Jin Zhiyuan, saying, "Go, and quickly follow Lord Zhou's instructions."

Jin Zhiyuan stood up, bowed to Chen Shao and Gu Feiyan, then bowed to Zhou Lao before leaving.

"This is my son Zhiyuan. He failed to pass the imperial examination last year, so he follows me around and does odd jobs." Seeing Chen Shao's eyes fall on Jin Zhiyuan, Magistrate Jin quickly stood up and introduced him.

On the way to Xitang County, Gu Feiyan had asked Chen Shao about the case, and Chen Shao had explained it to her in detail. Originally, Gu Feiyan's attention was on the food in front of her, but when she heard the word Zhiyuan, she couldn't help but look up.

He has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, a stable lower body, big and steady steps, and his footsteps are light and silent.

He is a practitioner.

After glancing at the plump and white Magistrate Jin, Gu Feiyan withdrew her gaze, whispered a few reminders to Chen Shao, and then continued eating.

Chen Shao had already noticed that Jin Zhiyuan was going to compete in martial arts, but he did not make it public.

After eating and drinking, the food was cleared away one by one and new tea was served.

Chen Shao took a sip to rinse the grease out of his mouth, and after drinking two more sips, he looked at Magistrate Jin, skipped the small talk, and went straight to the point: "Have you written up the case files?"

Magistrate Jin quickly stood up and replied, "I have written it."

Turning back, he urged Jin Zhiyuan: "Go and get the case file!"

The case file was brought over, and Chen Shao took out the body list inside, and while looking at it, he said, "Are those bodies still there?"

Magistrate Jin said, "They are still there. The murderer has not been brought to justice. I dare not dispose of the bodies without authorization. In addition, the weather has been dry and cold recently, so they are still well kept in the mortuary."

Chen Shao ordered: "Then please trouble Master Jin to arrange for someone to take Uncle Xu over to have a look."

Xu Guang stood up and bowed to County Magistrate Jin. County Magistrate Jin did not dare to accept the bow, so he dodged sideways and returned the bow before ordering Jin Zhiyuan to take him to the morgue.

Chen Shao took a look but did not stop it.

The body form was recorded in great detail, including the size and distribution of wounds, cause of death, clothing, position, and shape of death. However, apart from the fact that the murderer and the victim should have known each other, there were no other clues from this information.

Putting down the corpse form, Chen Shao picked up the case file again.

The investigation process was also recorded in great detail. They not only checked all the families with the surname Quan in Jingchuan County and several counties under its jurisdiction, but also checked all people whose names contained the character Quan or who were engaged in the profession of killing fish. Although nothing was found, it was clear that both the prefectural government of Jingchuan County and Xitang County where the crime occurred were seriously and diligently tracking down the murderer.

After handing the case file to Gu Feiyan who had just finished reading the body form, Chen Shao raised his eyes and asked Magistrate Jin: "Is the crime scene still there?"

Zhou Lao answered quickly, "It's still there. This case is too horrific. As soon as I learned about it, I ordered them to protect the scene. No one is allowed to destroy it without my order."

After saying "thank you for your hard work", Chen Shao stood up and said, "Lead the way, let's go to Sun's house first."

"It's getting so late, and you've been traveling for so many days. Shouldn't you take a rest for a night and talk about it tomorrow?" Magistrate Jin asked with a slight bow, then looked at Zhou Lao for his confirmation.

Zhou Lao agreed, "Yes, the case has been over for a month or two, so it won't matter if we delay for another day or two. The weather is so cold, and you have traveled such a long distance in recent days, so it is more important to have a good rest for a night."

Chen Shao was too lazy to talk nonsense: "Lead the way!"

"This..." County Magistrate Jin looked at Zhou Lao.

Zhou Lao said respectfully, "Your Excellency, despite your fatigue from traveling, is always concerned about the people. You are truly a role model for me! Lord Jin, you don't need to persuade me anymore. Please lead the way for me."

Magistrate Jin responded with a “yes” and took two steps back, saying, “Sir, please.”

The Sun family is a wealthy family in Xitang County. Their residence is two streets away from the county government office, about half an incense stick's distance away.

Sun Wangchun's wife had already ordered people to open the gate when they arrived at Xitang County. She received the news of their arrival from the servants and waited outside the gate with people.

Seeing the carriage approaching, Madam Sun knelt down in the middle of the road and burst into tears without saying a word.

When Chan Yi hurried over to help her up, Sun Wangchun, who had come back with her, also hurried over and whispered to her, "My Lord, you have just come to Xitang County and you have just finished your meal. You should behave yourself and don't make trouble."

Madam Sun swallowed her grievances and said with tears: "I know."

"I'm glad to know." Sun Wangchun whispered, "My Lord, you came here to see the pavilions where Yi'er was killed. If you have nothing to do, go back and rest."

Madam Sun said unwillingly, "You just came back, go and rest, I will take the adults there."

"I'm not tired!" Sun Wangchun simply rejected her and turned around and said, "The garden where Yi'er got into trouble is at the other end of the house. I'll take you there."

Chen Shao said "hmm", and when he passed by Madam Sun, he paused and said, "I came here tonight just to take a look. If you are worried, you can come with me."

After he finished speaking, he left without waiting for her to reply.

Mrs. Sun thanked him repeatedly before quickly following.

Following Sun Wangchun into the Sun family’s gate, we walked through the garden and the corridors for a long time before we arrived at the back garden where Sun Shouyi had the accident.

There was a yamen runner guarding the gate to the back garden. When he saw Zhou Lao and County Magistrate Jin, he tactfully stepped aside.

"It's here." After entering the back garden and walking around several flower paths, Sun Wangchun stopped and pointed at the pavilion overlooking the lake in front with red eyes.

Chen Shao also looked over.

The pavilion was very large, at least 10 square meters, and was a very common double-eaved octagonal pavilion. It was built very luxuriously, with pillars that could be hugged by a single person. Under the dim moonlight, even from a distance of 10 feet, one could clearly see the gorgeous patterns carved on them.

Half of the pavilion was suspended above the lake, while the other half stood on the ground. On the beam facing west, the rope that had hung Sun Shouyi's limbs upside down was still there.

After telling Zhou Lao, County Magistrate Jin, Sun Wangchun and others not to follow him, Chen Shao slowly walked towards the pavilion while observing the surrounding environment.