Fu Shifeng

Chapter 106
In the Jiedu Mansion, Jiang Fu walked through the veranda with a gloomy face. The left arm wounded by the thief was wrapped in a cloth and hung on his chest in a leather pocket. The good wound medicine gave off a pungent smell, which made Jiang Fu itchy All night, he dared not touch the wound.

When I came to the side hall, I saw an old man with gray beard and hair sitting on the couch drinking by himself, his eyes were hazy with drunkenness, and he was lamenting from time to time.

"Duke Yang." Jiang Fu stepped forward and called softly, the old man in front of him was Shuofang Jiedu envoy Yang Taichu.

Yang Taichu was born in the Yang family of Hongnong, and he was granted the title of county magistrate. He also contributed in the palace change that overthrew the heroine Emperor Zhao.He is not famous for his martial arts, but when it comes to governing border towns, he advocates gentleness and appeasement, and he is recognized as a loyal elder by everyone.

"It's Jiang Fu." Yang Taichu tried to cheer up and asked, "How is your injury?"

"Thanks to Duke Yang, the bone was not injured, and it won't take long to heal." Jiang Fu lowered his head and replied, "I failed to take down the two murderers yesterday. It was the villain's incompetence, which disappointed Duke Yang."

Yang Taichu and Mrs. Liu had a very close personal relationship, usually Mrs. Liu took the initiative to bring food and drink to Jiedu Mansion for the night, Jiang Fu, as a slave of the Yang family, naturally knew the inside story.Sometimes Yang Taichu would also travel in micro-clothes, going to Liu's house for a private meeting with Mrs. Liu, and Jiang Fu would serve as the accompanying guard.

Since Mrs. Liu did not visit the house for many days after the New Year, Yang Taichu was worried that she might catch the cold, so he planned to visit Liu's house in person.There was no response after knocking on the door for a while, and then Jiang Fu climbed over the wall to check inside.

Unexpectedly, there was a sudden change, Mrs. Liu's whole family was murdered, Yang Taichu was shocked, and once hugged Mrs. Liu's body and cried bitterly, losing his composure.When all the officials of the Jiedu Mansion heard the news and arrived, Yang Taichu was furious and ordered that the murderer must be arrested.

Master Jiedushi had an affair with a widow. This kind of thing was at best a topic of conversation after dinner, but the murder case should not be underestimated.

Although there are occasional thieves and strongmen in the Shuofang states, Lingwu City is the town of Jiezhen after all, and it is tightly guarded. Anyone who commits crimes here will definitely be searched and hunted by the government.

Lying on the couch drunk, Yang Taichu sighed: "I am not disappointed, but sad."

Seeing this situation, Jiang Fu could only comfort him and said, "If Mrs. Liu can know that the lord is deeply affectionate, she will be able to smile even when she is under the Nine Springs."

"Hey...how are the preparations for Liu's ceremony?" Yang Taichu asked again.

"Guanzhu Pang of Xuanwu Temple has not been in the city for the past few days. I heard that he has gone to Baiyanchi." Jiang Fu replied, "I also found the abbot of the Great Buddha Temple to chant scriptures for Mrs. Liu."

"White Salt Pond?" Yang Taichu braced himself, a little weak, and Jiang Fu stepped forward to help him up: "It's about the monster in Yan Pond again? As I said earlier, it was all merchants who raised the price of salt for the sake of hoarding." , It’s just a wild rumor.”

Jiang Fu didn't refute, he was just a slave of the Yang family, whether there were monsters or not, it was not his turn to say more.

"Go and urge that Inspector Wei." Yang Taichu rubbed his forehead, "These guys are a bunch of lazy donkeys, they won't move without whipping."

"Mr. Yang, wait until the murderer is found... the villain hopes to participate in the roundup." Jiang Fu summoned up his courage.

"Yes." Yang Taichu readily agreed, and then showed a stern look: "Remember, you must capture this beast alive, and you must use all the torture on him to vent the hatred in my heart!"

……

Wei Ying, who had changed into soap clothes, came to the front yard of the inspector's office, and saw his family uncle reprimanding his subordinates:
"I've already said that Lingwu City can only enter and cannot exit these days. Anyone who dares to break through the barrier can shoot them with arrows! You three guys actually released a group of businessmen out of the city for a few bucks. If they are the murderers, you will all become accomplices, ten heads are not enough to cut off!"

The three subordinates were so scolded that they couldn't lift their heads, and the uncle of the inspector's family wanted to speak, but when he looked up, he saw Jiang Fu riding a horse with an injured arm.

"Jiang Dalang is here, could it be that Duke Yang has some orders?" Inspector Wei hurriedly stepped forward to show his goodwill, even if he had an official status, he could see the personal guards of the Jiedushi, so he still had to treat him respectfully.

Jiang Fu snorted coldly: "You don't even know how to describe the murderer, even if you send people to seal the city and patrol the streets, it's just a waste of effort!"

Inspector Wei smiled helplessly: "Actually, some passers-by saw the murderer yesterday, but they only took a quick glance and couldn't describe his appearance. The wanted notice doesn't know what to do."

"That murderer was able to kill the whole family of the Liu family without a sound. It shows that his martial arts are superb. How can ordinary passers-by see the face of the murderer?" Jiang Fu got off his horse and said, "I had a short fight with that man yesterday. I will definitely be able to recognize them when they meet, and this is why Duke Yang sent me here!"

Inspector Wei's face turned bitter, there are many envoys under Jiedu, each with their own special duties, such matters as hunting down murderers and thieves in the territory have always been in charge of the inspector's yamen, and Yang Jieshuai sent his servants to supervise, so it was inevitable that he would ignore it. It is obvious that "with its faintness, it makes people visible".

But what can Inspector Wei say?He had no choice but to bow his hands again and again: "Then I will thank Jiang Dalang for help."

"Stop talking nonsense." Jiang Fuyi pointed angrily: "Although the murderer concealed his face, his figure was hard to change. One of them was nearly eight feet long, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Some physical features are enough for identification!"

In the weights and measures used in Daxia, the ruler is divided into big and small, and the body length is measured with a small ruler.A man who is seven feet tall can be regarded as a handsome man, and a man who is eight feet tall is even more burly and conspicuous, and he can be seen at a glance when standing in the crowd.The facial features, beard and hair can be slightly modified to change the appearance, but the body shape is hard to change. The murderer can't possibly shorten his legs and feet, right?

Inspector Wei was overjoyed when he heard the words, and immediately said: "I will immediately gather everyone, write a notice according to the physical characteristics, and search for the murderer!"

"What about after you find it?" Jiang Fu glanced aside, the servants in soap clothes were all listless: "With such goods, you want to catch the murderer?"

When Shuofang Jiedushi was first established, he was mainly responsible for leading troops to defend against the enemy, and was not involved in the civil affairs of prefectures and counties.However, as the supply of food and salaries by the imperial court became increasingly poor, they successively allowed to take control of Zhidu, Yingtian and the governor of the prefecture where he was in charge.

The original local government offices of prefectures and counties were either controlled by Jiedu envoys, or they were simply changed to inspectors and push officials.Therefore, the servants in the inspector's yamen are not strong soldiers in the army, so it is inevitable that Jiang Fu despises them.

Inspector Wei hurriedly explained: "Yesterday, Duke Yang dispatched [-] soldiers to his subordinates to seal off the city and patrol the streets. If they know where the murderer is, they can go to encircle and suppress them at any time."

"That thief has superb martial arts skills, and I have suffered a disadvantage in his hands." Jiang Fu gestured to the injured arm: "You ask the sergeant to prepare a crossbow, and when you see the thief, first shoot the arrow to suppress it. If the thief flees, you must have the spirit Riding to chase."

"Jiang Dalang, don't worry, everything is well prepared." Inspector Wei has worked in the position of inspector for many years. Although he hasn't been promoted for a long time, he has long been handy in dealing with such high-spirited robbers and heroes. He asked the servants around him to teach.

"There is one more thing." Jiang Fu said: "Yang Gong said that the thief must be captured alive."

"Live, capture alive?" Inspector Wei was stunned for a moment, and questioned indiscriminately: "Why did Yang Gong have such an order?"

Jiang Fu frowned slightly: "Is this something you should ask? Why don't you quickly mobilize people and announce the murderer's description?"

"Obey." Inspector Wei had no choice but to obediently agree, secretly cursing Jiang Dalang for bullying others and treating himself like a domestic slave.

"uncle."

After listening to the conversation between the two, Wei Ying couldn't help feeling overwhelmed. Seeing Jiang Fu walking away, he hurried to the clan uncle and said in a low voice, "Why don't you go to the south of the city and call back the manpower?"

"Did you hear the physical characteristics of the murderer just now?" The inspector's uncle asked, seeing Wei Ying nodded slightly, so he took out a token and handed it to him: "Then there is no need to call another person back, you go to the south of the city to replace him." I'll just pass on the word. There are quite a few caravan travelers stopping in that area, and if they don't keep them together, the murderer is hiding in there."

"That nephew... let's go now." Wei Ying crossed his hands and saluted, and then ran out of the inspector's office like the wind.

……

"so boring."

Cheng Sanwu twisted and twisted on the couch, hiding in the inn room all day, not allowed to go out, even the three meals were brought by the inn boy, the level of tediousness was comparable to being in prison.

Zhang Fan was also in the room, and he said without raising his head while facing several files and documents: "Who told you and I to be smashed in the Liu residence? Even if we barely covered our faces at that time, but It’s hard to guarantee that they won’t be recognized. Don’t worry, Hu Yi and 23 are both good spies, and they know what to do.”

Cheng Sanwu sat up and saw Zhang Fan's serious face: "You look at these files all day long, what do you see?"

"Although Mrs. Liu is concerned about the monsters in Yanchi, the focus of her investigation is more on the contacts between Jiedu envoy Yang Taichu and various tribes of Tul Uyghur." Zhang Fan tapped his pen with his finger: "Almost every month, tribes go south. If there are dozens of downfalls, or seven or eight downfalls, the Jiedu Mansion will be responsible for sending people to settle them down."

"What... is there something wrong?" Cheng Sanwu was puzzled.

"The tribes who came to seek refuge may not have a good livelihood, and there are few accompanying livestock, and they don't know how men farm and women weave." Zhang Fan picked up a file and read it: "September Bingxu, Junji Prefecture Hunbujiao 78 of the troops went south, and 60 of those who chose good horses and archers joined the cross-Sai army, and 20 women were not servants."

Cheng Sanwu was a little surprised: "Are the secret agents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs going to investigate so thoroughly?"

"Not necessarily." Hearing this, Zhang Fan seemed to have been reminded, and murmured: "Yes, Mrs. Liu was able to record such a specific arrangement in detail. This news is too well-informed."

"Maybe the Ministry of Internal Affairs has placed manpower in the Jiedu Mansion?" Cheng Sanwu asked.

"I hope so. This way, we may be able to avoid the extermination of the family, and it will be convenient for us to clear up the suspicion." Zhang Fan put down his pen and pondered: "If so, we can save a lot of trouble by revealing our identity to the envoy Yang Jiedu. After all, Mrs. Liu's death is also a loss to our Ministry of Internal Affairs."

"Are you going?" Cheng Sanwu asked with narrowed eyes.

"It's not clear who killed Mrs. Liu at the moment." Zhang Fan looked at the file on the desktop: "Mrs. Liu has almost figured out every move of Shuofang Jiedushi, and I'm afraid that it is because she probed too deeply that it will lead to disaster. .”

Cheng Sanwu was a little surprised: "No way? The Jiedu envoy dared to kill the spy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"

"Since they are secret agents, once their identities are exposed, they cannot obtain secrets." Zhang Fan explained: "In the past, there were not no secret agents who were killed, especially when some major cases were involved.

"Hearing what you said, Shuofang Jiedushi is the most suspicious?" Cheng Sanwu shook his head and said, "Then what is the origin of the guy who broke into Liu's house before?"

Zhang Fan said: "I also want to ask you if you can see the origin of this person's martial arts."

"I didn't see it." Cheng Sanwu had just finished speaking when he heard someone knocking on the door urgently.

Zhang Fan went to open the door, and saw Wei Ying in soap clothes, with anxious face, thin sweat on his forehead, panting, presumably he came all the way here.

Seeing his appearance, Cheng Sanwu got up and said with a smile, "Yo, the brothers of the Wei family have found a decent way in the yamen? In the future we will do business, maybe we need your help to take care of it!"

Wei Ying stared straight at Cheng Sanwu, slowly sizing up the burly figure, seeing the fine iron arm armor on his wrist, felt great fear in his heart, and couldn't help but take a half step back.

"I don't know what the brothers of the Wei family are doing?" Zhang Fan secretly gathered his strength, seeing Wei Ying's expression, he already guessed something in his heart, and secretly thought that something was wrong.

"I, I..." Wei Ying couldn't believe that the benefactor who rescued his husband and wife was actually a vicious person who slaughtered other people.But thinking that in order to get rid of the Deng family's chasing soldiers, it was Cheng Sanwu who proposed to kill all the chasing soldiers, and the method was extremely cruel.

Cheng Sanwu simply stretched out his hand to bring Wei Ying into the house, and Zhang Fan took advantage of the opportunity to close the door, which made Wei Ying even more uneasy.

"Could it be that the government asked you to arrest us?" Cheng Sanwu cut to the chase.

Wei Ying shuddered, suppressing the fear in his heart, and asked in a low voice: "Could it be that the massacre of Liu Zhai in the west of the city was really the work of your benefactor?"

"We didn't do it." Zhang Fan answered first: "We are also old acquaintances of the Liu family. It happened that she was killed all over the house. Before we could investigate in detail, we were suddenly attacked and had no choice but to flee."

Wei Ying nodded in a daze: "So it's just a misunderstanding? That's good, that's good..."

"What's so good?" Cheng Sanwu laughed: "It must be that the government has already got the clues, and Brother Wei, you are worried that I am the murderer, so you came here to ask for proof, right?"

Seeing that Cheng Sanwu's eyes were fierce, Wei Ying's heart beat violently, but he still held on to his nerves, looked up at each other, and said sincerely: "I believe that your benefactor is innocent, but I'm afraid you can't do it with just a villain's mouth." Defend for Engong. Now Yang Jieshuai has issued a death order to my uncle of the inspector family, demanding that the murderer be arrested within ten days. Even if Engong is innocent, once caught, I am afraid that he will be tortured... Please also Engong, leave Lingwu City as soon as possible!"

"Oh? It seems that you are quite loyal and didn't take the opportunity to betray us." Cheng Sanwu raised his hand and patted Wei Ying's shoulders, and said boldly: "Okay, okay, it's not in vain that I fought with those Deng family chasing soldiers earlier. , Just because you came to tip off the news, it should be regarded as repayment!"

(End of this chapter)