Volume 1 Zhangqiao Iron Coffin Chapter 57: Scalp Numbness (Part 1)
Two days later.
The snow has stopped and the ground is silvery white.
Inside the Shen residence, funeral banners were raised and a mourning tent was set up. Everyone in the residence was in mourning and there was a chorus of grief.
Now that the deceased has been buried, the formal funeral can be held as soon as Mr. Shen's three sons return home.
As Cai Kun, the head of the Imperial Guards, and Chen Taiji, the chief censor of the Ministry of Justice, were busy with official duties, they could not wait for the funeral to begin and came to the Shen residence to pay their respects in advance.
After the condolences, as an adopted son, Xu Zun returned the gift according to etiquette and took the two adults to the front hall to entertain them.
"Xu County Lieutenant," who knew that when passing through the garden, Cai Kun saw that there was no one around, so he suddenly stopped and talked to Xu Zun, "I am also responsible for Mr. Shen's matter. First, I was fooled by the thief and rashly searched the Shen Mansion, which was disrespectful to Mr. Shen.
“Secondly, if I hadn’t insisted on leaving him alive that day in court, perhaps Lord Shen wouldn’t have been harmed. I, Cai, feel really guilty.
"I also hope that County Lieutenant Xu can understand Cai's difficulties. It is my duty and I have no choice but to do so!"
"Master Cai, you are too kind ," Xu Zun quickly clasped his fists, "The accident happened so suddenly, and this kind of result is something no one wants to see.
"If you really want to talk about it, Xu Zun should be responsible!"
"Oh?" Cai Kun was curious, "Why do you say that?"
"To be honest with you, sir," Xu Zun explained, "I had my reasons for suspecting Qiu Yongnian just because he said 'I am the top scholar'."
“After all, we have been working together for nearly a year, how could we not notice anything?
"This Qiu Yongnian is actually quite different from the Qiu Yongnian I remember.
"I have read almost all of Qiu Yongnian's poems and I admire his literary talent, but during the time we worked together, I never saw him eulogize the wind and sing the moon, recite or compose poems.
"In addition," Xu Zun continued, "I have already noticed something wrong with Qiu Yongnian's palms. His palms are dark and his fingers are blue, as if he has some kind of frostbite.
"Now that I think about it, it must be the thick calluses from practicing martial arts!"
"Oh..." Cai Kun and Chen Taiji nodded, seemingly thinking about something.
"Therefore," Xu Zun blamed himself, "when I realized that You Dalang, Liu Zhubu and Xiao Qi had all died at his hands, I didn't pay attention to it and warned them earlier, which led to such a big change.
"It's me. I feel so ashamed of my foster father..."
Having said this, Xu Zun felt sad again.
"Xu County Lieutenant, please accept my condolences," Chen Taiji advised, "Unexpected events may occur in the world, don't be too sad!
"Having said that, Lord Shen's accident is not the fault of any of us. If we have to blame someone, we should blame that group of hateful thieves. Only by uprooting this group of evil forces and eradicating them completely can we avenge Lord Shen!"
"Master Chen is absolutely right," Xu Zun said, cupping his fists again, "I hope you two masters can find out the truth and give justice to my adoptive father!"
"Of course, but..." Cai Kun looked at Xu Zun with admiration and said, "Xu County Lieutenant is young and promising, and he is very perceptive. He was able to turn defeat into victory and save the day in such a difficult environment. This really opened my eyes.
"How about this, Cai will recommend me to the Queen Mother after I return to the capital. If I can serve the Queen Mother one day, wouldn't it be better for you and I to track down the culprit of the iron coffin case and avenge Lord Shen?"
"Master Cai is too kind," Xu Zun said modestly, "Ji Ying really doesn't deserve it. Ji Ying is young and superficial, so Master, please give me some more time to gain experience!"
Xu Zun muttered to himself that the court of Daxuan was full of powerful forces and complicated relationships, which could be seen from the iron coffin case alone. He must not be easily involved in that vortex.
"Alas, that's wrong," Cai Kun, however, was sure of Xu Zun and continued to lobby, "What can you gain from this small town? If you can follow the Queen Mother, you will be able to bring honor to your family in no time. If Xu Siqing and Shen Gong knew about this, they would surely be proud of you!"
Well...
Xu Zun didn't expect Cai Kun to be so persistent. If he continued to refuse at this moment, it would be obviously a lack of appreciation.
So, he had no choice but to clasp his fists and say, "Since Lord Cai thinks highly of Jiying, then Jiying will be the first to thank him!"
Xu Zun flattered her but thought in his heart, you didn't do a good job this time, and you don't know what the Queen Mother will do to you when you return. Why are you recommending me?
However... the Internal Guard Bureau is indeed a powerful department, and if you can really get in, it may not necessarily be a bad thing.
So, let’s just leave it to fate!
"Good, good, good!" Cai Kun said three good words in a row, first looked at Chen Taiji, and then said to Xu Zun, "Since Jiying is no longer an outsider, let's talk about the case!
"Ji Ying, through these two days of interrogation, that Master Yao Jin does know more than others, but only slightly more."
"Oh?" Upon hearing the case, Xu Zun immediately became alert.
"He confirmed several things," Cai Kun said, "For example, the coroner Wang Shuncai and the fake Qiu Yongnian often met secretly, which can confirm that Wang Shuncai may indeed be the fake Qiu Yongnian's superior.
"In addition, these lackeys are hired refugees from various places. The thieves either have leverage over them or hold their families hostage, and then promise them a large sum of money to make them do their orders."
"Oh? All over the country?" Xu Zun immediately understood the key point, "So, this is not an ordinary criminal organization?"
"Yes," Cai Kunyan said, "Their methods are very professional, with a single line of communication between superiors and subordinates. There is only one person who hired these minions, and that is the fake Qiu Yongnian!"
"Then..." Xu Zun asked, "Does Yao Jin know the name of the fake Qiu Yongnian?"
Cai Kun shook his head, expressing helplessness.
"We interrogated everyone," Chen Taiji echoed, "and no one among them participated in the kidnapping and imprisonment of the real Qiu Yongnian, and no one knows who deceived the real Qiu Yongnian's mother and eldest brother's family."
"Alas, this group of people is really vicious," Xu Zun sighed, "Since the real Qiu Yongnian is no longer useful, then his family must have been killed a long time ago, right?"
"They did a really good job of keeping it secret," Cai Kun said. "Until the end, no one knew the Taoist's identity, let alone that this County Magistrate Qiu was a fake!"
"Then..." Xu Zun asked again, "What about You Dalang and his wife?"
"According to Yao Jin, You Dalang's rank seems to be higher," Chen Taiji replied, "but because it is a single line of communication, the specific situation is still unclear."
"Now ," Cai Kun said seriously, "there is a crucial time point, which is also the issue I care about the most."
"What's the problem?" Xu Zun asked.
"If the real Qiu Yongnian was replaced by the fake one as early as when he was a Hanlin, then there must be a traitor in the court!" Cai Kunyan said, "Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Qiu Yongnian was arranged to take office in Xinye County?"
indeed……
Xu Zun nodded. He had thought of this before.
"In that case, the Iron Coffin Case will be even more serious!" Cai Kun's expression was solemn, "This means that the enemy has infiltrated us!"
"Is this problem," Chen Taiji thought for a moment and said, "solved?
“Since Qiu Yongnian’s family was deceived and taken away a year ago, that was exactly when Qiu Yongnian came to Xinye County to take office.
"Doesn't this already prove that the person was replaced after the Hanlin Academy?"
"That's not necessarily true!" Xu Zun immediately raised a negative opinion, "According to Liu Dong's investigation, Qiu Yongnian has never returned home since he went to Beijing to take the exam. He only wrote letters to his family.
"So, if the Hanlin Academy had been replaced, it is not impossible that they just waited until Xinye County took office to trick Qiu Yongnian's relatives away."
"Oh..." Chen Taiji's face was heavy. "If that's the case, we really need to investigate this case thoroughly!"
"Yes, after we get back," Cai Kun said, "we will immediately ask the people from the Hanlin Academy to carefully identify it. I believe we will have the answer by then!"
After saying that, the three of them looked at each other in silence, and the conversation came to a standstill.
"Um……"
Just when Cai Kun was about to finish his speech, Xu Zun suddenly spoke again:
"My Lords, let me tell you something," Xu Zun said, "After the iron coffin case happened, County Magistrate Luo returned to the county government office, and we gathered together to discuss the case.
"During the discussion, County Magistrate Qiu suddenly said something like this.
"He said, 'Don't forget that there is a partition in the iron coffin. Even the partition is made of iron, so it's not unreasonable to put a big snake or python in it, right?'"
"It was this sentence that further confirmed my suspicion of him!"
"Oh?" Cai Kun and Chen Taiji were puzzled.
"Because," Xu Zun gave the answer, "at that time, except for County Magistrate Luo, no one else knew that there was a partition inside the first iron coffin.
"But Qiu Yongnian said this with such certainty, which is obviously unreasonable!"
"Oh..." Cai Kun nodded and praised, "County Lieutenant Xu is indeed a man of sharp eyes and keen observation!"
"Master Cai, I am not here to seek praise!" Xu Zun looked directly at Cai Kun and Chen Taiji and said solemnly, "My two masters, can you tell me about the first iron coffin now?"
