Tang riddles

"Oh, brother Bo Zhao, you're back!" Murong Fu, who was pacing anxiously at the entrance of the abbot's main hall, saw a group of people coming back, and immediately walked forward and said.

Shen Sui stepped forward to salute and apologized: "I went to the inner court to check the clues, and I was negligent for a moment and didn't ask the Fujun for instructions. It's really wrong. I also ask the Fujun to forgive me."

Murong Fu was very upset at first, but when Shen Suiyi said the word "clue", his eyes lit up immediately, and he asked:

"Don't blame yourself, Brother Bo Zhao has discovered the key?"

"Whether it is unknown is the key, but Bo Zhao has some doubts in his mind, and he has to go around the abbot's room to confirm."

Murong Fu heard that she was not clear, and was about to ask again, but accidentally saw Zhang Ruohan standing behind the crowd, his eyes widened immediately, quite surprised.At the same time, Qin Zhen, Master Miaoyin, Cheng Xu, Liu Yucheng and others also noticed this peerless beauty.I just felt that my eyes brightened, it seemed that the sky was a little bit brighter, and the air was much fresher.Especially Cheng Xu, a young man who is full of vigor, can't keep his eyes away when he sees such beauties.

Seeing that everyone noticed her, Zhang Ruohan stepped forward to salute her, and said generously:

"Ruohan has met Qin Shibo, Murong Shishu, Master Miaoyin, and Liu Canjun." She didn't know Cheng Xu, and she just bowed slightly without addressing her.

Master Miaoyin first returned the salute and sang the Buddha's name: "Amitabha, you have disturbed Layman Xinlian."

Zhang Ruohan shook his head with a smile, the smile was so faint that it almost didn't exist.

"San Niang, I haven't seen you for a long time, are you still in good health? How is the old lady at home?" Qin Zhen then asked with a smile. He didn't show any surprise at Zhang Ruohan's appearance, as if he knew it already.

"Thank you Qin Shibo for your concern. Sanniang is all well, and grandmother is also in good health." Zhang Ruohan replied calmly, with an inexplicably more intimate tone.

The corners of Murong Fu's eyes trembled, then he smiled and said:

"I don't know why Mrs. Zhang San is here?"

"Ruohan entered the monastery half a year ago to pray for his father who is far away. This time, Ruohan and his servants were unfortunately involved in the mercy case. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help. If there is any inconvenience, I hope Murong will help you." Uncle Shi Haihan." Zhang Ruohan explained simply.At first glance, what she said seemed very polite, but in fact it was very tough.

Murong Fu's eyes flickered, Liu Yucheng at the side saw this, and hurried forward to make a rescue:

"Your Majesty, Shen Yihui, Mrs. Zhang San, please come in, it's getting late, and there are still many places to investigate."

Murong Fu glanced at Liu Yucheng approvingly and gratefully, nodded and said, "Okay."

After some twists and turns, a group of people finally entered the abbot's room to check.Because there is an extra beautiful woman in white clothes, Cheng Xu, Du Yan, Wei Han, Murong Fu, Qin Zhen, Liu Yucheng and other men are all a little absent-minded, with different thoughts rolling in their hearts, and their eyes drift to Zhang Ruohan from time to time .Zhang Ruohan turned a blind eye to it, calm and composed, just like the snow-white haliflower blooming in the mud, clear and clear, as cold as frost.

But her attention was always on Shen Sui, only this man, after the initial exchange of glances, never looked at her for a second time.

At this moment, Shen Sui was preparing to investigate the site.She took out a pair of gloves made of white folded cloth from her sleeve pocket and put them on, followed the senior officers and elders, and stepped into the room with one step.The interior still maintains the appearance at the time of the crime, most of the items are placed neatly and neatly, only the meditation room in the east hall where the deceased died is a bit messy.

The structure of the abbot's room is actually very simple. In the center of the front hall is a portrait of Avalokitesvara painted by Wu Daozi himself, and the back hall is the abbot's bedroom.There are two side halls in the east and west. The east side hall is the Zen room and study room for the abbot's self-study; the west side hall is the dining hall, where the abbot usually eats. Usually the abbot will entertain close guests here.

After Shen Sui stepped into the front hall, his gaze swept around, and then he suddenly turned around to look at the threshold of the main hall.She turned around abruptly, and Zhang Ruohan, the Layman Xinlian who was following her and was about to step into the front hall, almost collided with her.Zhang Ruohan took a step back in a panic, her center of gravity was unstable and she almost fell on her back, but was quickly supported by the maid behind her, Wu Ya.Zhang Ruohan's clear eyes looked at Shen Sui with a little surprise, but Shen Sui's reaction was a bit slow. Seeing that Zhang Ruohan was frightened by him, he quickly wanted to step forward to help him, but his outstretched hand stopped abruptly, and he withdrew it instead. For bowing, bowing and apologizing:

"Sui is sorry."

"It's okay." Zhang Ruohan stabilized his mind, and his complexion returned to normal.

Shen Sui turned to let Zhang Ruohan and Wu Ya come in first, but Zhang Ruohan did not refuse.The two passed by, and the atmosphere between them was a bit weird.The maid Wu Ya followed behind her, her eyes wandered between her wife and Shen Sui, she felt that since she saw this Deng Tuzi surnamed Shen, she no longer had the calm composure she used to have when Mount Tai collapsed in front of her, and she behaved very abnormally.

After Zhang Ruohan came in, Shen Sui came to the threshold, raised the hem of his robe and squatted down to observe the threshold carefully.A layer of dried brown-yellow dust accumulated on the threshold and the nearby green brick floor.She wiped a layer of soil on her right hand and rubbed it with her fingertips.Then she raised her eyes and looked at the courtyard outside the door, thoughtfully.Then she got up, turned around and went straight to the meditation room on the east side.

Zhang Ruohan didn't say a word, and kept his eyes on Shen Sui.She seemed to have no interest in the crime scene, but only paid attention to Shen Sui.This time, Murong Fu, Qin Zhen and others were actually like Shen Sui, and it was the first time they came to the scene of the crime, but Shen Sui's behavior was so eye-catching that when she was investigating the scene, everyone was shocked. They all stood aside and watched her move.Zhang Ruohan's sight became less conspicuous.

Shen Sui opened the sliding door of the meditation room, stood at the door of the meditation room, did not go in immediately, first looked around the situation in the meditation room.The floor of the room is covered with rush mats, which must be removed to enter.Originally, there should be a screen at the position of the sliding door, but it has been removed, so the scene in the room is clear at a glance.

Taking the position of the door as the center line, the meditation room can be divided into north and south.A case is placed in the center of the south side, and a low-leg Zen chair is placed behind the case.There are yellow pear wood bookshelves against the walls on the east and west sides, and the bookshelves are full of books.The window is sandwiched between the bookshelves, facing south to the front yard.The desk is facing east, and next to the right hand side of the desk, there is an extinguished brazier with a small amount of coke in it.At this moment, the book case was skewed, the Zen chair was overturned, and many books fell from the bookshelf to the west and scattered all over the floor, and the Four Treasures of the Study on the case were also overturned on the mat.From this point of view, the abbot should have died in this position.Only the brazier was placed squarely, which seemed a little unnatural.

On the north side of the door, against the west wall, there is a confession case. On the case, there is a statue of Sakyamuni carved in nanmu, but it has been lying on the case.The bronze incense burner with three legs and two ears placed in front of the Buddha statue has also been overturned, and the incense ash inside has been scattered on the table. On the table, there are also other things such as fish drums, incense sticks, incense sticks, and fire sickles, all of which have been dumped. on the ground.Before the confession, facing the west, there is a worship futon, where the abbot meditates and cleans up on weekdays.There is also a window on the north-facing wall, but the casement is closed tightly, and rough paper for windshield is still pasted in the gap, which does not look like it has been opened.

On the wall opposite the door, there are many calligraphy and paintings of famous artists, some of which are very rare and precious. It can be seen that the deceased Abbot Miaopu was a person who loved calligraphy and painting very much, and he had a large collection of calligraphy and painting.These calligraphy and paintings have not been damaged or moved in any way.

Shen Sui took off his boots and went to the banquet, saying:

"Everyone stay at the door." Then she turned and entered the house.

Her first target was the well-placed brazier, which was very suspicious when everything around her was overturned.

She approached the brazier, looked around first, and found that there was a thin layer of ashes remaining on the rush feast near the brazier.However, only a small amount of charcoal was placed in the brazier, and it was no longer lumpy, and most of it had been burnt into powder.It was almost noon, the cloud parted a little, and there was a sliver of sunlight coming in from the window, sprinkled on the brazier, and you could see the dark charcoal chips reflecting a strange golden light.She pinched a handful of charcoal and put it in the palm of her hand, spread it with her fingers, and after careful identification, she could see that it was mixed with an unknown golden powder.She put it under her nose and sniffed again. Amidst the burnt smell of charcoal dust, there was a faint fragrance that could not be concealed.

What's this?Shen Sui's eyes sank.

"Master Yuan Hui, I want to ask for advice. Are you taking care of the charcoal fire in the meditation room?" Shen Sui suddenly got up, turned to the door and asked.

Because of Shen Sui's phrase "stay at the door", all the people gathered around the door, stretching their necks to watch her survey the house.Hearing her question about this, the others all looked at Yuan Hui, and for a moment they didn't know why they asked this question, only Zhang Ruohan had thoughtful eyes.

Yuan Hui replied, "It is indeed the young monk who is taking care of it."

"When was the last time you added charcoal to the brazier?" Shen Sui asked again.

"It should be the evening before the accident."

"The charcoal you added at that time was only as much as in the brazier?" Shen Sui picked up the brazier, walked to the door, and handed it to Yuan Hui.

"No, the charcoal in the brazier has decreased a lot, this... I don't know why." Yuan Hui replied with a look of surprise on his face.

"Haven't you noticed this?"

"When the abbot's deceased was found, the little monk was so shocked that he didn't pay attention to it at all, and hurried out to call for people. Afterwards, the Jingzhao Mansion sealed off the abbot's courtyard, and the little monk never entered the Zen room. It was only today that he was reminded by Lord Shen that he found out about it. .” Yuan Hui explained.

Shen Sui nodded, looked at Murong Fu again, and said:

"May I ask Fu Jun, who was the arresting officer who was in charge of the on-site investigation at that time?" The arresting officer is a common name for the military officer in charge of criminal and prison arrests in the Fubing.

Murong Fu looked at Du Yan with reproach in his eyes.Du Yan was on duty on the day of the incident. After receiving the report, he was the first to lead troops to the scene, and he was also the first official to contact the scene.However, in Du Yan's case report to the upper echelons of Jingzhao Mansion, the incident about the brazier that Shen Sui mentioned was never mentioned at all.Including the fact that Mrs. Zhang San lived in seclusion in the Ci'en Temple for Qing Dynasty, she didn't mention a word.Now Shen Sui, an outsider, has repeatedly brought out these surprising discoveries, which can be said to slap Murong Fu in the face repeatedly, which makes Murong Fu very dissatisfied.

Du Yan's face turned pale, and he secretly groaned in his heart.He had handled cases before, why had he searched the scene so carefully?When he was first transferred to the criminal arrest regiment of the Jingzhao Mansion, the seniors who brought him had never taught him this way.In the past, when handling cases, Shangguan said that he could arrest whoever was arrested, and that he could use his strength. How had he ever used his brain?Chang'an City is the capital of the empire, and it has been prosperous for so many years, with long-term peace and stability.At the feet of the emperor, who dares to break the law?Even if there were, they were all small cases in the alleys. The facts of the cases were not complicated, and the direction was very clear. He had never encountered such a complicated and major case like the Ci'en case, which was rare in more than ten years.How could he discover these details as a rough old man in the army?No matter what, this mistake has already been made, he hastily stepped forward to bow to Murong Fu and salute:

"The lower official is negligent, please punish him."

"Forget it, let's listen to what Shen Yihui has to say." Murong Fu said with a serious face.

"Has Captain Du ever noticed something strange in the brazier?" Shen Sui asked.

"When I arrived at the scene of the crime, this brazier was placed there, and we never touched it. I don't know why there is so little charcoal in it." Du Yan replied.

Shen Sui nodded, indicating that he understood.Then she walked back and put the brazier back where it was.Then she went to the window and looked carefully at the frame and latch.While checking, continue to ask:

"I would like to ask Master Yuan Hui again, has salt been sprinkled in the temple to melt the snow?"

"Exactly." Yuan Hui replied.

"But the place to sprinkle salt is limited, isn't it?" Shen Sui asked again.

Before Yuan Hui could answer, Master Miaoyin explained:

"The price of salt has remained high in recent years. Even if it is coarse salt, the temple cannot afford to buy too much. Therefore, only some key courtyards and roads that must be passed have been sprinkled with salt and melted snow. There is no way. Big, the Water and Land Ceremony is approaching, if the snow in the temple is too deep, it will really hinder access."

Indeed, everyone knows that salt is precious, and ordinary people are reluctant to use a little salt.Only the wealthy royal nobles have the financial resources to spread salt and melt snow.The implication of Miaoyin's words is that if it is not for the water and land ceremony to be held in the near future, the temple will not spread salt to melt snow.

"Has salt been sprinkled in the abbot's courtyard?" Shen Sui asked.

"Scattered." Miao Yin replied.

"Did you tell me before the incident?" Shen Sui asked again.

This time, Yuan Hui replied: "I sprinkled it in the morning the day before the incident, and then it snowed during the day, and it stopped in the evening, and a thick layer was accumulated on the ground, so I sprinkled it again in the evening." The mind is very clear, and the answers are orderly.

"Master Yuan Hui, where do you usually live?"

"The little monk lives in the east wing of the abbot's courtyard."

"Did you hear anything on the night of the incident?"

"No, because the little monk didn't sleep in the abbot's courtyard that night. Because the little monk had to copy Buddhist scriptures with a few brothers and sisters that night, he added charcoal for the abbot in the evening, sprinkled salt in the courtyard, swept the snow, and left. All night long In the Jingjing Pavilion, when I came back early in the morning to help the abbot get up, I found out that something happened to the abbot."

"Why copy Buddhist scriptures all night?" Shen Sui was puzzled.

"..." Yuan Hui stopped answering, and looked at Miao Yin with shrinking eyes.Miao Yin sighed and said:

"Originally, for the Water and Land Dharma Conference, we were busy for two months and selected several newly-translated scriptures to transcribe, which were prepared to be presented to the visitors who participated in the Dharma Conference. But just two days before the incident, the batch of transcribed The good scriptures were missing. In desperation, monks had to be assigned to take turns to remedy them every day and night, hoping to catch up with the Dharma meeting. The person who took care of these scriptures was Yuan Hui, who had the greatest responsibility, so he almost every day To transcribe scriptures."

Books stolen?Another new clue, Shen Sui mused to himself and stopped asking questions for a while.

Then, she checked the bookshelf, the book case and other places carefully, and it seemed that she did not find any new clues.So she stepped to the north side of the meditation room, and looked at the overturned wooden Buddha statue on the confession case, she frowned.

The author has something to say: 1. [Banquet]

In ancient times, especially before the Tang Dynasty, people lived indoors on the ground.All the furniture is short, and people sit on the ground, so the seats are also low.Banquet and banquet are separated. Yan refers to the whole straw mat laid on the ground indoors, which is equivalent to the "tatami" in Japan today.Xi refers to the square cushion that everyone puts under their body when they sit, also known as "worship". Sometimes there is another layer on the "mat", usually a round cushion, called "futon" or "pudun".Originally a Buddhist seat, it was later introduced to ordinary people for use.

2. Shen Sui wore gloves when investigating the case, not because of fingerprints, but because he was afraid of coming into contact with toxic substances.This is the experience she has summed up from so many years of investigation experience, and it is not advanced.

3. Zen chair.There are high-legged and short-legged seats in Buddhism, and the sitting surface is so large that you can sit cross-legged on it.This kind of chair gradually developed into the most popular seat.

4. Fish drum: that is wooden fish.Cited out: metal percussion instruments, divided into sizes.Fire Scythe: A tool for lighting fire, which looks like a sickle.

5. Sprinkle salt to melt snow.In ancient times, people basically would not do this kind of thing, unless the snow caused disasters.Modern roads basically use deicing agents.