Murder

At this time, Zhang Songbai and Ban Mu were waiting for Liu Dali by the side of the road on Jiutou Mountain.

When Liu Dali came back, he was covered in moonlight and had a moderate bloody smell.All three of them are familiar with this smell, and they often smell it in the brick kiln.Ban Mu looked at Liu Dali and felt a little nervous.

"Dali, where are your younger brothers and sisters?" Zhang Songbai asked with a smile, holding out a stick for picking his teeth.

Liu Dali gave him a blank look, and walked past the two of them without saying a word.Not far ahead is a small stream. The stream was originally clear, but now it is extremely muddy due to the influence of the brick kiln on the mountain.It was impossible to jump down to take a bath. Liu Dali took off his shoes, removed his socks, and carefully rinsed his shoes and socks in the dirty water.After washing, he took off his coat and rummaged for a long time. Under the bright moonlight, he finally saw a pool of blood on the corner of the coat.After rubbing the bloodstain for a long time, the trace still couldn't be removed, so he simply tore off the corner of the fabric, crumpled it up, wrapped it with a stone and threw it into the stream.

Zhang Songbai and Ban Mu watched his movements right behind him, but neither of them made a sound.Ban Mu's heart was pounding, and he turned to look at Zhang Songbai.Zhang Songbai was the oldest of the four of them, about thirty years old, more courageous than the others.Zhang Songbai realized his gaze, sneered, and said in a low voice: "Killer. Hehehe..."

Ban Mu didn't dare to move, and swallowed hard.

He, Zhang Songbai, and Liu Dali and Liu Xiaodao are all fellow villagers. The four of them have been working in brick kilns for several months, while the other one, which earns a lot of money, only recently started.

At first, when a worker was transporting bricks down the mountain, the brick truck overturned suddenly, and he was crushed to death by more than ten layers of bricks. In the end, his wife got 50 taels of silver and left crying. 50 taels is their salary for working in this brick kiln for five years.Not too much, but definitely not too little.Zhang Songbai found the three of them and told them a way to get money easily.

A dead worker is 50 taels, and once a brick kiln collapses, at least ten people die inside.Ten is 500 taels, too easy, really too easy.Liu Dali and the two brothers agreed without any hesitation, but Ban Mu hesitated for a long time, and was finally dragged away by Zhang Songbai.

They usually look for suitable young people at the docks.Pengyang is a big port, and countless young people from surrounding towns come here every day to find work.Zhang Songbai's eyes were very poisonous. He told the other three people that he specially selected the kind of solitary, immature, unspoken and sociable teenagers, and coaxed them to come to Jiutou Mountain.

These enthusiastic "big brothers" brought the teenagers to the brick kiln, arranged for them to rest, and helped them register their names and household registrations.It's just that the name is fake, and the household registration is also fake.Zhang Songbai and others didn't even know the names of these young people and where they came from.They only need to repeatedly emphasize that they are from the same hometown as the teenager in the registration book of household registration and first and last name, and the teenager has no father or mother and can work alone.Then Liu Dali, who was in charge of dealing with the registration person, would secretly hide dozens of pennies in his sleeve, hand it to the person, and call out "Master" one by one.

Their request is also very simple: the teenagers leave their hometowns and seek refuge with their relatives, hoping to arrange them in the same class so that they can take care of each other.

The management of brick kilns is actually not particularly strict.There are people coming and going here, some people leave today and some people come tomorrow, I really can't control it, just write a name.As for the arrangement of shifts, it is more casual. As long as there are many people who can produce bricks on time and work, no one will control who is scheduled with whom.

After the names are written and the shifts are completed, the teenagers follow the "big brothers" to work and start working.

Zhang Songbai is responsible for the management of these young people. He is thoughtful and only calls these young people by nicknames. Moreover, the young people are very tired from working in the brick kiln at the beginning, and they have very little contact with others. People, they hardly ever come into contact with anyone else.

From deceiving people to the brick kiln to creating a landslide, it took no more than five days.

The shift of the brick kiln is every five days and there will be a night watch.Zhang Songbai and others often do it when they are on duty at night.

Both brothers Liu Dali and Liu Xiaodao are good at making explosives. They would plant explosives outside the brick kiln, and then ask the teenagers to enter the brick kiln to check the placement of the bricks.After the explosives exploded, the two quickly cleaned up the remaining traces, rubbed a few scars on their faces and bodies, and then threw themselves on the collapsed brick kiln and howled endlessly.

Those who cried on the brick kiln with the two were naturally Zhang Songbai and Ban Mu.Ban Mu had a knife in his hand, and Zhang Songbai also had a knife in his hand. They cried out for the young man who was still alive in the cracks of the bricks, and quickly and accurately made up the knife.

This is the third time.Originally, everything should be the same as the previous two times—three or four teenagers from the "countrymen" died in the landslide brick kiln. In order to settle the matter, the brick kiln will give these four "countrymen" a sum of compensation for their lives. 50 taels, so that they could take the boy's body back to his hometown for burial.

But no one expected that Liu Xiaodao, who was in charge of putting the explosives, missed this time, and the fuse burned too fast.

When the brick kiln collapsed, his feet were pinned down, and he only called out "Brother" before he fell silent, and the dust piled up, obscuring the sight of the three people outside.

The money was obtained, but Liu Xiaodao's daughter-in-law also found Pengyang.

"Brother Dali really did something?" Ban Mu's voice was trembling, "Then...that's his sister-in-law."

"Didn't you hear what that woman was yelling that day?" Zhang Songbai sneered, "She said we didn't share the spoils equally, and she wanted at least 200 taels, otherwise she would go to the government to expose our affairs."

Ban Mu remembered: "She, she won't really report to the police, right?"

"Dali is to kill the weeds and roots before she goes to report to the officials." Zhang Songbai said in a low voice, "Let's leave after finishing this vote and change places."

"How do you know she didn't report to the police?" Ban Mu was still worried.

"Reporting to the police is useless, there is no evidence, and no one can be found." Zhang Songbai laughed, "The three of us have left the brick kiln today to transport the corpses 'back home'. You have left the boundary of Pengyang, what are you afraid of?"

Ban Mu nodded.He actually had a question in his heart, but he didn't dare to ask.He wanted to know that the brick kiln collapsed three times and nearly ten people died, and it was the four of them who received the compensation and "returned home" with their corpses every time. Is there no doubt?That seemingly very shrewd man just took office, he seems to be different from the previous muddleheaded officials, doesn't he have any doubts?

But Ban Mu didn't dare to ask, fearing that he would know something wrong again.They said they were transporting the corpse "back home", but in fact, it was the same as the previous few times, they just threw the corpse away when they arrived at a place where no bird shit, and burned three sticks of incense hastily.It's just that this time there is still Liu Xiaodao's corpse, so he can't help being more concerned than before.

While thinking about it, Liu Dali had already walked up.

"Let's go, let's continue transporting the corpse 'back home'." Zhang Songbai said lazily.

A carriage was parked in the bushes, and several corpses were lying on it.He and Ban Mu got up and walked into the bushes, but were pulled back by Liu Dali.

Liu Dali stretched out his hand to Zhang Songbai: "Where's the money?"

Zhang Songbai was taken aback: "Isn't it already given to you?"

Five people died this time, and they got 250 taels. Excluding the 50 taels for Liu Xiaodao's wife, the rest took out 20 taels to buy a carriage, and the remaining three shared it equally.The money had already been obtained, but Liu Dali grabbed Zhang Songbai's collar tightly.

"200 taels, I want at least 100 taels, right?" He said in a hoarse voice, "my younger brother is dead, can't the older brother get an extra share?"

Zhang Songbai pursed his lips and did not speak. After a while, he spoke with a trembling voice, with a little flattery: "Dali, what you said makes sense, yes, it should be like this, brother is not sensible."

Liu Dali let go, only to see Zhang Songbai beckoning Ban Mu to go aside, and the two began to pool money.

Zhang Songbai turned his back to Liu Dali, and took out the silver taels from his pocket. Ban Mu was about to take out his own and put them together with him, but Zhang Songbai put all the heavy silver taels in his hands.

Ban Mu: "?"

Zhang Songbai's eyes were cold, the corners of his mouth moved, and he asked an almost silent question.

But Ban Mu heard clearly.

"Where's your knife?" Zhang Songbai was asking him.

Ban Mu opened his eyes wide.Behind Zhang Songbai is Jiutou Mountain, and the top of the mountain is covered with a blood-like bright red light, which is a lamp and a fire.

"The lights return to the village every year." A fat man with a round face laughed, "What's the next sentence?"

The scribes sitting next to him all showed embarrassment, but no one answered.Every year, the lights return to the village, and the faint blood invades the clouds. This is a poem written by the old King Lu before his death. It is always inappropriate to mention it here and now.Seeing that no one responded, the fat man felt embarrassed, drank the wine in his glass, and continued: "Look, here you can see the fire of the Jiutou Mountain brick kiln. ah."

This man is a well-known wealthy gentry in Pengyang, with a pitiful heart, he loves drinking and composing poems with literati.Sima Liangren was originally listening to the commotion, but when he saw that he wanted to compose a poem by himself, he was afraid that it would be his turn, so he immediately got up and left.A few scribes tugged at the corners of his clothes: "Mr. Sima, stay awhile..."

Sima Liangren didn't bother to give this man face, so he pulled it away mercilessly: "Don't stay."

There were no special guests at Princess Lu's birthday banquet, they were all acquaintances in Pengyang City.On the contrary, Wang Hao's elder brother, a certain general guarding the border, also came all the way from the capital.But this general is famous for his uprightness, he is bold and straightforward, and he has made many enemies in the court. No matter how you look at it, he will not be someone that King Lu will win over.

The banquet was also more relaxed, and the banquet started according to the procedure, but soon the guests and the host dispersed, drinking and chatting in small groups in the large courtyard of Lu Wang Mansion.At this time, Sima Liang missed Fu Guqing especially. In the past, when Fu Guqing came to dinner with him, he could join the men, and Fu Guqing would lean next to the princess. In short, the information from that party would not be left behind.

King Lu was chatting happily with the few people brought by the general, and they were all talking about the old things they used to play and fool around in the capital.It was inconvenient for Sima Liang to get close, so he had to walk around the corridor, pretending to admire the flowers.

Under the corridor is a quiet lake, with a beautiful water pavilion at the end.There are many people sitting around the waterside pavilion, but there is no noise, only the sound of the piano curling up.

Bamboo curtains hang on all sides of the water pavilion, and it is Shuanghua who plays the piano inside.

As the most famous Qingguan in Qinshuangyuan, Shuanghua is very familiar with the people sitting in the water pavilion.They are all her guests, and now in Prince Lu's mansion, they still give her enough praise and face.At the beginning of the private banquet, Shuanghua played the qin, and when the hosts had their own activities, she came here with the qin in her arms.Just like every time in the past, she only focused on playing the piano, while others only focused on listening, and rarely communicated with each other, but everyone seemed to be connected with her.

After the song was over, Shuanghua looked up and saw Sima Liang who was walking in through the bamboo curtain.

Many of the people sitting around were frequent visitors of Jinyan Pond, so they naturally knew that Sima Feng was a frequent visitor of Shuanghua. When they saw Sima Liangren, they had a narrow smile on their faces.

"Miss Shuanghua's piano skills are really unique in Pengyang." Sima Liangren stroked his carefully trimmed mustache and said pretendingly, "No wonder my son can't sit still if he doesn't listen to it for a day. It would be better to live in your Qinshuang courtyard."

He took the initiative to say this, and it really caused a burst of laughter around him.

Shuanghua blinked and smiled, "Young Master Sima is smart, wise, and suave. He often spends time thinking about Shuanghua's new songs. Shuanghua is very grateful."

The boys and men around each suppressed their laughter, but the smile still remained on their faces, and they couldn't let it go.

One said that your excellent piano skills attracted my son to hang around, and the other said that your son took the initiative to contribute to my new song.The two sides actually had some tit-for-tat meanings.

Sima Liangren coughed lightly, still stroking his beard with his fingers: "My son can also play the piano? Could it be that Miss Shuanghua taught him? Instead of being your top card in the Golden Smoke Pond, he even became a piano teacher Is your sir coming?"

These words were a bit harsh, but Shuanghua still had a smile on his face: "Master Sima was joking. With an identity like Shuanghua, how dare he call himself 'Mr.' with a shy face? He just knows how to teach a few piano skills, so he can only fool him if he doesn't understand the piano." Reasonable people."

Sima Liangren raised his beard: "Who do you say doesn't understand the theory of the piano?! Didn't you scold everyone in the pavilion?"

As soon as the words were finished, someone took the initiative to stand up for Shuanghua: "We don't need Miss Shuanghua to teach the piano."

Sima Liang got angry and walked away.Shuanghua lowered her head and smiled, and dialed out a few lively syllables on the strings with her slender fingers.

People in the water pavilion come and go, and there is always no shortage.Shuanghua was tired from playing, and when she was about to take a break, she suddenly heard a commotion at the other end of the yard. It was King Lu who was arguing with a gifted scholar.The literati around her immediately dispersed and rushed to the other side, and the waterside pavilion immediately seemed too quiet.

Shuanghua poured herself a cup of tea, and only took two sips when she heard someone lift up the bamboo curtain and walk in.

The person who came was a middle-aged scholar with a refined temperament, with a calm and gentle expression, and smiled at Shuanghua.

"Miss is humble." The middle-aged scholar sat down cross-legged in front of her, "Miss' piano skills are enough to call herself 'Mr.' in front of anyone in Pengyang City."

Shuanghua had never seen this person before. Thinking of Sima Feng and Ah Si's instructions, she felt a little more vigilant, but there was still a calm smile on her face: "Mr. is overrated. Excuse me, sir..."

She tilted her head slightly, deliberately showing the curious attitude of some children.

The middle-aged scribe seemed to be in a good mood, smiled and cupped his hands at her: "It's also a coincidence, I'm in charge of teaching the prince to read and write, the girl can really call me 'Mr.'."