Tang riddles

"Brother Bozhao, where did you start with this?" Liu Zhi asked suspiciously.

Shen Sui made a calm and calm gesture, and when everyone was seated, she stood among the seats and began to state her findings after the first investigation.

"I just investigated this ship and found three doubts. I will explain them one by one now, and finally explain my opinion, and I ask you to refer to it for me."

The crowd nodded.

"First of all, the first suspicious point is the colorful rope on the mast. The rope is brand new, and it looks like it was just changed in the past few days. I asked Mr. Zhang and the soldiers in charge of guarding the ship, and I learned that Mr. Zhang When they boarded the boat, the sail ropes on the boat were this kind of twisted rope, five colors, blue, red, yellow, white, and black. During the time when the boat was moored in Zigui Port, the soldiers of the government guarded it day and night. The guard did not see anyone from the Zhou family changing the colored rope. That is to say, the colored rope should have been replaced shortly before Zhang Gong and Zhu Dadu boarded the ship. According to Zhou Dalang himself, this A guest official suggested to him that it would be better to replace it with colorful ropes. But as far as I know, Zhou’s boat was entrusted by the Metropolitan Governor’s Mansion to go up the river to Yizhou to pick up the Metropolitan Governor Zhu Yuanmao. From Jiangling. Zhou’s ship was entrusted on the third day of the first lunar month. At that time, their ship was docked in Zigui Port, and at that time, their sail ropes were still old and thick hemp ropes, which had not been replaced. The boatmen all have memories. From the third day of the first lunar month to the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, they were only given ten days. They were very nervous. situation.

So, where did this so-called guest officer come from?Did they pick up other guests along the way?Where did the colored rope come from?Why they still have time to play these tricks in such a tight time is very suspicious. "

"Could it be that...the original thick hemp rope was used for other purposes?" Pei Yaoqing asked.

"Very likely." Liu Zhi nodded.

"Wait a minute, that colorful rope seems to be a custom in Fengjie during the Dragon Boat Festival. All boatmen have to wrap colorful ropes, colored strips and other decorations on their boats, race dragon boats on the river, and throw rice into the river. Pay homage to Doctor Qu." Fengjie County Magistrate Sun Fei said suddenly.

"Why didn't you say it earlier?" Jingnan Jiedu Mansion Sima Jiangteng complained.

"I...I only remembered this after hearing Brother Bo Zhao keep emphasizing the colorful rope..." Sun Fei smiled wryly.

"Is there any particularity about the colorful rope?" Shi Haoye, the chief governor of Jingzhou, asked.

"It is said that it is to drive away evil spirits and avoid plagues. In addition, there is a custom of river burial in Kuizhou, and this kind of colorful rope will be tied on the boat where the corpse is delivered." Sun Fei said.

Hearing this, the officials present couldn't help but get goosebumps all over their bodies.Especially Zhang said that he just felt as if he had passed through the gate of ghosts and got on a ghost ship.

"Is Zhou Dalang's family really from Kuizhou?" Shen Sui confirmed again.

"Yes, he is from Fengjie, Kuizhou." Sun Fei said firmly.

"Brother Bozhao, Mr. Zhang, let's talk after we get off the boat. This boat always makes me feel creepy." Li Zhongyuan's expression was not very good.

Hearing what he said, the rest of the people also had strange expressions on their faces.

Shen Sui was considerate and said:

"I have no opinion, seniors, please go ahead."

Zhang said he felt uncomfortable, and nodded in agreement.So all the officials went out of the living room and got off the boat together.Zhou Dalang and Wang Fubing who were waiting outside saw all the officials coming out so quickly. When they were in doubt, they saw Guizhou Governor Shi Qingxiyuan with a serious face and said to the Wang Fubing:

"Wang Wuchang, I and other officials are going to investigate in other places, you lead people to continue guarding this ship carefully, so that no mistakes are made, understand?" After finishing speaking, Zhou Dalang hurried off without even looking at him. boat, to chase the people ahead.

Wuchang Wang was at a loss, while Zhou Dalang beside him hung his head, as if he had fallen asleep.

Everyone discussed to go back to the official ship first. If it is not possible tonight, they will stay on the ship first and return tomorrow.After the agreement, on the way back to the official ship, Shen Sui continued to talk about her speculation.

"The second suspicious point is the sampan hanging on the starboard side of Zhou's boat. The holes in the bottom of the sampan are not very natural, and I can see traces of man-made holes. In addition, above the bow and stern, there are There are rope wear marks. Of course, the sampan was tied end to end by ropes and hung over the side of the ship. However, the wear marks are somewhat unusual. On top of the old marks, there are a few more The new and deeper wear marks are obviously left recently. In addition, the wet water marks on the bottom of the sampan are also very suspicious, which should prove that this sampan was launched into the water more than 20 days ago. The sampan The dryness inside the board is very high, which means that there is no trace of water ingress. Even if it is a little wet, it is only caused by the continuous drizzle these days, not caused by large-scale water ingress. But Zhou Dalang said that the sampan was in a certain time A hole was found on the way into the water. If this is the case, there must be a large area of ​​water seepage inside, but I can't see it. This shows that his words are not credible.

Then, it is not known why this sampan was launched at the time of the incident, and why it was deliberately pierced to create the illusion of repair.But this is enough to show that the Zhou family used the sampan to do something at that time, and then they wanted to cover up their tracks. "

Shen Sui's narration has opened up the minds of all the officials, and now no one does not think that Zhou Dalang's family is extremely suspicious.Sun Fei, magistrate of Fengjie County, was filled with righteous indignation, and angrily reprimanded:

"These gangsters are so cunning, they deceived the imperial court and the government, and dared to assassinate a local second-rank official. It's an unforgivable crime!"

"Hey, magistrate Sun calm down. These are just my indirect guesses, not evidence that can be directly convicted. Don't be impulsive now, let the government soldiers guard the boat, and don't let the Zhou family leave the boat." Shen Sui persuaded said.

"I understand, I have already ordered Corporal Wang."

Shen Sui nodded.At this time they had arrived on the deck of the official ship, and everyone gathered together, Shen Sui continued: "The last third point of doubt is the weird attitude of the Zhou family members. First, go down to the dormitory of the lowest cabin , only a few men from the Zhou family were inside, Zhou Da, Wednesday, Zhou Da's son Zhou Mao, Zhou Jin, and Zhou Zhong's son Zhou Zhong. Except for Zhou Da, the rest of the men were all taciturn, with very dull faces and cloudy eyes. It looks half-dead. And Zhou Da, with a simple and honest appearance, is actually very clever and cunning, very cunning. The women of Zhou's family are all in the kitchen, afraid to speak, and they depend on Zhou Dalang's wink when they speak. I am extremely suspicious now that Zhou Dalang is controlling The whole family committed this crime. A few men worked hard for him, Governor Zhu had already encountered an accident, and these men may not have recovered from the shock of personally murdering the second-rank official of the imperial court."

"Pa", Zhang Yue slapped his palm on the railing of the boat, furious.What happened this time made him extremely frightened and angry. It is really frightening that there are such troublesome people in this world!

"In short, I will continue to look for clues. The main direction now is to find the whereabouts of Chief Governor Zhu. A lot of evidence is on Chief Governor Zhu. Once he is found, this case will not be far from being solved. In addition, I want to remind everyone One point, it is very likely that Governor Zhu did not fall into the river, and the salvage work can be suspended, we should visit the nearby villages along the banks of the river to inquire more, maybe there will be new clues."

"Brother Bozhao mean... the Commander Zhu was sent ashore?" Liu Zhi asked.

"Yes, and it is very likely that something unexpected has happened." Shen Sui said.

"This...how did this come about, Mr. Zhang, after Chief Governor Zhu disappeared, didn't you stop at the pier all the way? There are towering cliffs on both sides of the river. How did Chief Governor Zhu be sent ashore? of?"

Shen Sui smiled and said:

"Inspector Liu, you have to believe in the wisdom accumulated by the common people. I saw pulleys and hanging baskets in the kitchen of Zhou's boat, which are used to serve food. So, what do you think of the combination of sampans and pulleys? Yes Isn't it possible to send a big living person to the cliff?"

Liu Zhi stared dumbfounded at the silver-faced gentleman in front of him, speechless.

"There are also hanging coffins. The hanging coffins that Liu Yuanwailang dislikes may become a stepping tool for them to use." When Shen Sui said this, he gave Liu Yucheng a mocking look, making Liu Yucheng blush .

In order to divert his attention, Liu Yucheng asked, "Did they hide the body of Governor Zhu in the hanging coffin?"

Shen Sui shook his head: "Shen doesn't think so. The piety of the Bo people and their belief in their ancestors are beyond our imagination. I don't think they would hide their corpses in hanging coffins and open them. I have repeatedly confirmed whether the Zhou family is a native of Kuizhou, just to confirm this. The corpse, it is very likely that it was taken to a certain place for sacrifice. The matter of Zhu Dadu is related to his cousin A whole family was wiped out, and they couldn't get rid of the relationship."

Pei Yaoqing took Shen Sui's hand and said excitedly:

"Brother Bo Zhao, brother Bo Zhao, why are you so smart!"

All the officials became excited after being enlightened by Shen Sui. Liu Zhi led the magistrates to arrange for the subsequent investigations. Pei Yaoqing and Liu Yucheng also impatiently followed to direct them. They had to do it for themselves To get some credit, Shen Sui can't do everything.

Zhang said that he was a little tired, Shen Sui helped him into the cabin, and returned to the door, Zhang said waved his hands and said:

"I'm old and useless."

"Mr. Zhang, what are you talking about? You are at the peak of your beauty."

"Hehehe, Bo Zhao, don't say such words against your will. Today you really opened my eyes. I have been an official for many years, and I have never seen someone as sensitive and wise as you. You see, the case that has trapped me for more than half a month, you have seen all kinds of flaws since you came here."

Shen Sui's face under the mask was a little flushed, and he said modestly:

"Mr. Zhang has really upset me. Right now, it's just guesswork, not real evidence. Sui may be wrong."

"Even if it's wrong, it's still the same. You and I want to go together." Zhang said with a smile.

However, just as he stepped into the room, Shen Sui was about to leave.Zhang said abruptly:

"But Bo Zhao, I still have one thing I don't know. Suppose Zhou Dalang's family sent Yuan Mao's body to the cliff. Then, they must stop the boat, put down the sampan, and send the man to the edge of the cliff. There must be someone on the cliff. Otherwise, there is no way to transport a large living person up a cliff tens of meters high. Am I right?"

Shen Sui turned around, nodded, and frowned under the mask.

"This process, I guess, will not be short. It can't be completed without an hour or two, right?"

"One or two hours is a conservative estimate. I guess maybe three hours is not an exaggeration. Moreover, it is unknown who is on the cliff to meet them, or whether they climbed up the cliff by themselves. If it is the latter, The time is longer. I can't be sure about this time until the body is found."

"No matter how you say it, this time will not be short. But Bo Zhao, don't forget, I woke up once in the middle. It was dawn at that time, and the boat had passed Fengjie, in the middle of Wu Gorge. I fell asleep for another hour We were woken up when we arrived, and we were already approaching Zigui Port. Bozhao, the time in between is wrong. If the boat was really delayed for an hour or two in a certain section of the river, we would not have arrived in Zigui so soon. Hong Kong."

Shen Sui stood on the spot, stunned, and for the first time, confusion arose in his clear eyes.

No... there must be something wrong...

Shen Sui returned to her room in a daze, what Zhang said was like an echo, echoing in her mind non-stop.

the time is wrong...

It can't be that fast...

What went wrong?

"Master...Master!" Bluebird's voice came from far to near.

"Ah?" Shen Sui suddenly realized and looked at the blue robin.

"Master, are you okay?"

"It's okay, what's wrong?"

"You don't even need lunch, Erlang has prepared dinner for you, you can use some."

"Oh, good." Shen Sui woke up, sat opposite Shen Jin, picked up the wooden chopsticks, and began to eat absent-mindedly.

【Sister, today I went to find Sister Lotus Maid for you. ] Shen Jin looked at his sister sitting opposite and said.

"Oh? What did she say?" Hearing the maidservant's name, Shen Sui finally cheered up.

【She doesn't look like she's blaming you.But Sister, I suspect that Sister Lianbi may already know that we are the leaders of Qianyu Sect.Look at this tea bag and this note. 】Shen Jin handed the bag of Yuhua tea and the note with "Taicheng guest" to Shen Sui to see, and Shen Sui frowned even tighter.

"Be careful first. If you can fool it, then fool it. If Maid Lian doesn't ask, we won't say anything. If she asks, she can make up a reason to deceive her and delay it. Hutuo has already gone to investigate There is a question about Qianhe, I believe there will be an answer soon. There is also the matter of the kit, and the news should come." Shen Sui said.

【Okay, I will listen to your sister. 】 Shen Jin nodded.

That night, a group of people stayed on the official ship.After dinner, Shen Sui washed up early and lay down on the couch.But she couldn't sleep for a long time, and all kinds of people and things were spinning in her mind, which made her a little dizzy.

Dazed until midnight, the door was suddenly knocked violently, Shen Sui woke up with a start, jumped off the bed, came to the door, and asked in a low voice:

"Who?"

"It's me, Yuan Chizuru!"

"What's wrong?" Shen Sui felt bad, and immediately opened the door.

Outside the door, the blind girl blindfolded with black cloth showed panic for the first time: "Shen Dalang, it's bad, my third mother is gone!"

The author has something to say: there are omissions in the first two chapters, and I forgot about Shen Sui wearing a mask. Regarding this point, I have made a small amount of supplementary revisions in chapters 48 and 49, which will not affect the plot. If you look at it, you can look back.

Sanniang, Sanniang, something happened after all.