Chapter 720: The Case of the Corpse on the Wupeng Boat (Part 2)
Qingxu Temple welcomes guests.
Ouch~
Zhang Cheng just pulled the reins, and Chen Jingde behind him hurriedly rolled off the saddle, rushed forward a few steps, lifted the carriage curtain with his whip, and said with an apologetic smile: "Sir, we have arrived."
It is absolutely wishful thinking to expect people like this to be able to stand on their own; but when it comes to flattery and fawning, most capable officials can never dream of doing so.
Sun Shaozong nodded calmly, jumped off the carriage and walked towards the tavern on the side of the road.
"Sir, Lord Sun!"
The shopkeeper, who was being repeatedly interrogated by the yamen runners, saw that it was Sun Shaozong who had arrived. He immediately showed his joy and ran to the door to greet him. However, before he could step over the threshold, he was stopped by two yamen runners guarding the door with swords drawn.
The shopkeeper was so frightened that he took a half step back, not daring to move forward again. He just bowed with a bitter face and said, "My Lord, please understand. I just opened the door to do business. How could I care what the diners do? Besides, these two monks are strangers, not familiar customers of the shop..."
While he was still complaining, Sun Shaozong had already approached him, waved away the guards at the gate, and said with a warm smile: "Don't worry, shopkeeper, it's just a routine inquiry. It's not too early or too late, and it won't ruin your business."
As he said this, he took a step forward and was about to cross the threshold.
The shopkeeper quickly stepped aside and echoed with a smile on his face: "I feel much more at ease with your words - everyone in this city knows that you love the people like your own children and are the most compassionate to poor people like us."
The owner who could own a tavern near Qingxu Temple, where every inch of land is valuable, could not be considered a poor person in any way.
However, Sun Shaozong was too lazy to expose him, and asked the bailiff in charge of the interrogation for the transcript, but found that there was no text on it, only a picture of two bald men carrying bundles and wearing cowhide boots.
Tsk~
I've met someone who is just filling in the gaps again.
According to official regulations, yamen runners were responsible for reading official documents, checking letters, etc., so being able to read and write was a basic requirement.
But these days, how many people who can read and write are willing to do such menial work?
Therefore, among the lower-level yamen runners, there were actually not many who could read and write.
The officer in charge of recording the confession knew that his work might not be worthy of the Shaoqing, so he hurried forward to report: "Sir, after the interrogation, I found two suspicious points: First, when the two monks were eating here, they were carrying a bag, but when the bodies were found, the bag was nowhere to be found."
"Secondly, the two monks were wearing cowhide boots with raised soles. These boots are made of buffalo leather, which is very difficult to take off and even more difficult to destroy. If there wasn't something strange on them, the murderer wouldn't have deliberately disposed of them."
Although his cultural literacy is a little lacking, this bailiff was selected to interrogate such an important case, which shows that he must have some skills.
Sun Shaozong nodded slightly and asked, "How far have you chased him now?"
This was a bit confusing, but the officer immediately replied, "We have already chased him to Hualou Street, about two miles away from here, and about three miles away from the Dragon King Temple."
After Sun Shaozong heard this, he threw the booklet back to him and said casually, "Draw all the routes before and after for me."
The yamen runner was about to accept the order when he heard Sun Shaozong ask again: "What's your name?"
A hint of joy flashed across the face of the yamen runner, but he quickly withdrew and bowed, replying, "My humble name is Huang Bin."
"Remember to read some books and learn some words in the future."
Sun Shaozong said this and ignored Huang Bin. He went to sit down at the square table in the middle, called the still nervous shopkeeper, and ordered two plates of pickled side dishes.
Upon hearing that Lord Sun was going to dine in his own restaurant, the owner felt a lot more relaxed. He urged the waiter repeatedly, brought out two plates of signature dishes, and personally delivered them to Sun Shaozong.
"Sir, this spicy and sour bamboo shoot is what you originally..."
“Ugh~!”
Just when he was about to play the emotional card, Chen Jingde next to him suddenly changed his expression. He first had a surge in his throat and retched a few times, then he covered his mouth and ran out.
Not long after, the sound of vomiting was heard outside the door.
What's going on?
The shopkeeper opened his mouth in confusion, wanting to find out what was going on, but he didn't dare to speak rashly. He could only force a smile in embarrassment.
Sun Shaozong naturally knew that Chen Jingde was thinking of the residue in the corpse's stomach, but he said nonsense without blinking: "He probably had a stomach upset this morning and caught a cold on the way - let's not talk about him, tell me about the two monks."
The shopkeeper didn't know the truth and naturally believed it. So under Sun Shaozong's guidance, he racked his brains to recall the details of yesterday.
However, the two monks didn't stay for long in total, and didn't say a word during the meal. The shopkeeper recalled again and again, but all he found were trivial matters. Apart from the two points found by the yamen runners before, they were basically not clues.
While Sun Shaozong was interrogating them, more people came to report that the two monks' journey that day had been extended to more than three miles away.
Therefore, when they heard a burst of shouting and horse neighing outside, everyone in the store thought it was another report from the police and did not take it seriously.
Unexpectedly, the person who came in was not a policeman, but an official in a blue robe.
After the official entered the room, he laughed and said, "Shaoqing is really here. I have been looking for him for a long time!"
"Huh?"
Sun Shaozong looked in the direction of the voice and was also slightly surprised. He quickly stood up to greet him and asked in surprise, "Why is Magistrate Su here? Is he here to talk to me about something?"
It turned out that the person who came in was Su Xingfang, who had once served as a county magistrate in Daxing County and was later promoted to magistrate of Wanping County.
When Sun Shaozong was an official in Shuntian Prefecture, although he was not on good terms with Wang Qian, the magistrate of Daxing, he was quite compatible with Su Xingfang.
"It is true that noble people tend to forget things."
Su Xingfang laughed and joked, then said solemnly: "This humble official is here to report to the Shaoqing Lord - yesterday you sent someone to inform the county to check whether there are any missing monks in various places. This humble official did not dare to neglect it and ordered people to check day and night. Indeed, several monks whose whereabouts are unknown were found, so I came here to report."
So that's why.
At first, Sun Shaozong did want the local government to help investigate, but he was rejected by Shuntian Prefecture. Later, he found out that the two monks were actually Taoists in disguise, so he put the matter behind him.
But I never thought that Su Xingfang would go to so much trouble.
Sun Shaozong's heart warmed, and he saluted and said, "Thank you for your help, Magistrate Su. However, we have just found some clues, so there is no need to continue searching for the missing monk for the time being."
"Is this true?"
Su Xingfang looked bitter, but then he cheered up again: "I can't let my trip be in vain. It just so happens that this area is also under the jurisdiction of Daxing County. What instructions does the lord have..."
"Master Shaoqing!"
As he was talking, another constable came running in from outside, shouting excitedly, "We found that the traces of the two monks were suddenly cut off near Anrenfang! We continued to search forward until we reached the Dragon King Temple, but no one saw them again!"
Anrenfang?
There seem to be many alleys there, which is a good place to start.
Sun Shaozong immediately waved his hand and said, "If Magistrate Su is interested, how about we go to Anrenfang together?"
"So I wish for it, but I dare not ask for it!"
