Section 4

One morning two days later, A Gui was practicing the knife in the garden. A fine steel machete was used by him. Every move had the sound of breaking the wind. Zhang Ruomiao was holding a roll in his right hand. Shu walked slowly, his eyes could not help being attracted by his swordsmanship, and he stood under the corridor and watched carefully.

" Okay! " After a set of swordsmanship dances, Zhang Ruomi cheered Agui.

" Cheng Rang, Rang Rang! " Agui grinned with white teeth and narrowed his smiling eyes. It was not easy to get Ziyi to say a good word to him on weekdays.

" Seeing that you are sweating, quickly wipe it off. " Zhang Ruomiao threw him a towel, but he sat on the porch and continued to read.

At this moment, the county official Fang Ping led a young man who looked like a scholar to come in from the outside, saying that the palindrome from the prefect had arrived, and sent the young man to work with Zhang Ruomiao to investigate the bones of unknown origin. Kuei holding the knife up there under the vines, the young man looked askance, to see him a rough clothes to wash white, as well as under the cuff and elbow patches, shabby air blowing, so contemptuous " Well ," a cry , walked behind Zhang Ruomiao and stopped talking.

"The youngest is the work of the Yunchuan government office, and his name is Qin Liang. " The young man, who was white and clean, looked very good at talking. He didn't take it to heart when he saw Agui's expression on him, and returned to Zhang Ruomiao honestly. .

" Qin Liang, isn't it? The prefect can send you here because of your ability in the field of inquiries. This morning, you were exhausted, so ask the clerk Fang to take you down to rest for a while, and in the afternoon, talk to this Agui. Big brother, go to the scene to see. " As soon as Zhang Ruomiao's voice fell, Agui rushed out from behind him, and because of the crowd, he stared and didn't speak, and his eyes rolled around.

" What's the matter, Agui, aren't you feeling well? " Zhang Ruomiao held back a smile, who told Agui to look down on Qin Liang, just to clean up the bad temper of his playboy.

" I'm fine! " Knowing that Zhang Ruomiao was deliberately embarrassing him, Agui turned away, but Fang Ping couldn't stop him.

After making such a fuss, Zhang Ruomiao noticed that Qin Liang didn't even raise his eyes, and his face was light and cloudy as if he didn't see it at all. Zhang Ruomiao couldn't help but become curious about this man, so when he went to the excavation site in the afternoon, he followed him, wanting to see how capable this brother Qin really was.

Unexpectedly, Qin Liang, who couldn't make a fart with three sticks, had his eyes light up when he saw the white bones in the pit, turned around the pit three times, raised his head and said, "The protection of the scene is really good! "

Agui rolled his eyes: " Nonsense, didn't you see that we sent six people to guard it? "

Zhang Ruomiao tugged at his sleeve and told him to speak well. " Qin Liang, when did you see this bone? " Zhang Ruomiao asked kindly, but saw that Qin Liang rolled up his sleeves and was about to go down into the pit.

" Sir, if you want to know when he died, I need to dig up a corpse and take it back to examine it carefully. " After speaking, he jumped into the pit and took out a pair of stitched gloves and a white cloth roll from his arms. Starting to pick and choose among the piles of corpses, Zhang Ruomiao and Agui both raised their eyebrows in surprise, and stood curiously outside the pit to watch.

Looking at Qin Liang, who was working very hard in the pit, Agui tilted his head and bit his ears with Zhang Ruomiao: "I heard that all of them are weird people, it seems true today, you can see that he saw the dead man's bones more than he saw his relatives. Dad is still happy. "

Zhang Ruomiao secretly gave Agui an elbow: " I think this Qin Liang is very good. He is a talent. Can't you be nice to others? "

Agui pouted and said nothing.

This Qin Liang is indeed a talented person. He went back with a bag of corpses and did not go out for three days. He ate and slept with the bones of these dead people. Every time Fang Ping returned to Zhang Ruomiao, he said the same sentence: " Qin Zuozuo is looking at the bones. . "

Finally, in the early morning of the fourth day, Qin Liang held a skull that he did not know how to clean, and ran excitedly to report to Zhang Ruomiao, who was drinking tea in the study. Shocked.

" You, take this thing away! "

" Young Master Agui, don't be afraid, people die like lights go out, there's nothing to worry about. " Qin Liang approached a few steps and tried to comfort Agui, who was forced to go backwards and almost bumped into Zhang Ruomiao, who had just entered the door. .

" What are you two doing this morning? "

" Sir! I know the cause of death of these corpses! " Qin Liang shouted excitedly, holding the small skull, his eyes glowed with never-before-seen brilliance, Zhang Ruomiao was also infected by such emotions, and hurried forward Take a few steps to listen to his insights.

" I found that these skeletons are all children under five years old, and they were poisoned and then cut their throats to death. The method is extremely cruel. " Qin Liang took Zhang Ruomiao to his small room and took a good look. He vacated half of the bed to put the bones, which looked very scary.

" Lord, look at the bones of this skeleton's throat, there are obvious knife wounds on the bones, and the bones near the abdomen are black, which cannot be removed by wiping with white vinegar and spirits. It is known that it was caused before death. Check it out. " Zhang Ruomiao looked at the position Qin Liang pointed to him, and as he said, he couldn't help but be amazed. listen.

" Then Qin Liang, how long have these bones been buried in that pit? "

" Based on the condition of the bones' decay, I can only infer that these bones were buried for about 20 years. The exact time cannot be determined. " Having said this, Qin Liang bowed his head angrily, and the brilliance in his eyes disappeared. , rubbing the little skull with both hands unconsciously.

Zhang Ruomiao looked at his suddenly lowered look, and patted his shoulder comfortingly: " It's okay, you're already very good, you've helped us a lot! I'll go to the county magistrate to pick up two coins and go shopping. Take it easy, don't be too tense. "

Leaving the field of autopsy that he was familiar with, Qin Liang became the dull scholar again. He didn't feel happy when he heard the reward, but saw Yin Zi's eyes light up. After thanking him as usual, he turned around and hugged the pile of bones. , It really fulfilled what A Gui said, he is a weirdo.

Coming out of Qin Liang's room, Zhang Ruomiao noticed that A Gui was just walking with her head covered, and she looked thoughtful, which was very different from her usual dashing and straightforward appearance, so she couldn't help but feel a little strange.

" Hey, what are you thinking? " He nudged Agui with his elbow. The other party rarely jumped, but just gently flicked Zhang Ruomiao's hand away.

" Ziyi, don't make trouble. " These words could come out of Agui's mouth. Zhang Ruomiao's eyes were about to fall out of surprise. He circled around Agui twice and tried him with the back of his hand. temperature on the forehead. As a result, as soon as his hand was put on A Gui's skin, he grabbed his wrist and passed through the wrist where the two met. Zhang Ruomiao saw A Gui's cynical phoenix eyes, which were showing at this moment. unprecedented seriousness. After so many years of friendship, Zhang Ruomiao knows that Agui has never been a real playboy. His integrity and compassion are buried deep, and will only be revealed when needed, such as now.

" Are you feeling sorry for those children? " Zhang Ruomiao patted Agui's shoulder lightly.

" I just remembered something. " Agui raised his head and smiled at Zhang Ruomiao, " Let's go to the study and talk. "

" I was in the military camp for two years. At first, I didn't go to the battlefield. First, there is no war now. Second, because of my status, the camp officers didn't care about me. Until one time, I caught up with the camp Xiao. The whole camp It all exploded. Everyone ignored the usual brotherhood and fought each other with jealousy. The general who was on duty that day sent someone to look after me and told me not to go out in the tent. " Agui frowned slightly, turning his hand unconsciously. Holding the handle of the fan, Zhang Ruomiao handed over a cup of fragrant tea, and he put down the fan and picked up the bowl. " After Ying Xiao was pressed down in the middle of the night, I went out to have a look, Ziyi, have you ever seen a soldier who was cut in the neck? I started training with them seriously. Occasionally, some bandits needed to be eliminated, so I volunteered to kill the enemy. I would not be afraid if I saw many dead people, but the first time I saw the dead man with dried blood, I still can't forget it. "

Agui's words made Zhang Ruomiao's whole body fall into an ice cellar. He suddenly had a terrifying thought in his heart, about the deep stab wounds on the necks of the young corpses in the pit. If it's just murder, why are these children stabbed in the neck after taking the poison? Thinking of this, Zhang Ruomiao suddenly stood up and asked Fang Ping to call Qin Liang over. He had something to ask.

As expected, Qin Liang didn't go out for a walk, but went to the scene where the bones were found. He picked up a few neck bones that also had stab wounds. He was studying when he heard someone rushing to call him back to the government office. One trip, so Zhang Ruomiao saw a bag of bones with yellow sand.

" Sir, I re-examined the bones in the pit and found that they all had a deep knife wound on their necks. " Agui and Zhang Ruomiao, wearing gloves, fiddled with the bones that Qin Liang brought back, and found these wounds The positions are almost the same, both on the left side of the neck bone.

A Gui gestured with two fingers on the wound, shook his head and said, "The technique is neat and the strength is great. It should be done by the same person. "

Zhang Ruomiao gasped, the bad guess in his heart was slowly taking shape, his uncontrollable hands trembled, and he slowly stroked those slender bones. Do this to so many children. Agui looked worriedly at Zhang Ruomiao who was in deep thought, and couldn't help holding his trembling fingertips.

" Ziyi ..."

" Agui, you said that soldiers with stab wounds in their necks will bleed all their blood, right? " Agui's palms could not restrain Zhang Ruomiao's trembling, and his face gradually turned pale. stand up.

" That's right, that's what I said. " Agui simply stretched her arms around Zhang Ruomiao's shoulders, frowning tightly.

" Do you understand what I mean? " Zhang Ruomiao raised his eyes, his dark eyes covered with a dense mist.

Agui stared at Zhang Ruomiao's eyes earnestly. A thought that was like a spark that flashed by in the dark night suddenly jumped into his mind. Agui widened his eyes in disbelief, and then in Zhang Ruo There was despair in Miao's eyes.

" Yes, I see. "

The atmosphere in the study suddenly turned sad and sad, Qin Liang stared blankly at the eyes of the two adults in front of him, showing inseparable sadness. He scratched his head, but couldn't think of anything, and hurriedly lowered his head to check the bag of bones again.

" Qin Liang, have you ever seen a slaughtered animal? " Agui raised his hand to stop Qin Liang's hand from turning the bones.

" Master Hui, I have seen it. "

" Butchers usually put a knife in the neck first, don't they? "

Qin Liang blinked and nodded blankly, he didn't understand why Young Master Agui suddenly mentioned this.

" Then what is the purpose of this step of the butcher? "

" Bloodletting ... ah, yes! " Qin Liang patted his forehead, but he didn't expect this. He understands, he understands everything, these children were simply slashed at the neck with a knife and bled to death, so the stab wounds are in the same location, and the poison in the abdomen is just used to control their activities , so that the bloodletting can be carried out better.

" There are so many , so many children. " Zhang Ruomi's low voice pounded the imprisoned air in the room. He pushed aside Agui's arm and walked slowly to the desk. His pale fingertips touched the dark ink. Blocks, mechanically ground up.

" Ziyi, what are you doing? "

" I'm going to make a case ... I want to make a case! If our guess is correct, this is a tragedy that has never been heard in this dynasty! " Zhang Ruomiao turned back and roared at Agui, his red eyes hanging Tears, like a helpless child.

" Don't get so excited, it's just speculation, maybe, maybe there's another explanation. "

Just when A Gui was trying to appease Zhang Ruo Miao, Fang Ping suddenly ran in from outside, and beads of perspiration dripped down his cheeks: " It's not good, my lord! The White Bone Pit was destroyed by a group of refugees! "

Section 5

This remark was like a thunderclap, and the three people in the room were speechless for a while. Zhang Ruomiao came back to his senses after a while. He raised his foot and was about to run out, but Agui came over and blocked his way.

" Ziyi. " Agui looked at him and hesitated, the tears that originally hung in Zhang Ruomi's eyes were now cool, like a crystal. Only then did Zhang Ruomiao realize his gaffe. He wiped his red eyes with his sleeve, then took the cold tea on the table and poured it in. Agui squeezed his shoulder and sighed. Only then did he turn his head and let Fang Ping go to pass on to the head yamen.

A group of people rushed to the White Bone Pit, which was surrounded by a group of refugees. The pit was filled with soil. Some people kept stomping and stomping on it, looking quite crazy. The bones that were originally at the bottom of the pit were dug out, and they were set on a fire not far away on an open space. When the branches were caught and burned, Zhang Ruomiao twitched his nose twice, and the air was full of fire. The smell of pine oil, it seems that these people are prepared.

" Stop the people first, damn it, the official's case scene dares to riot, are you trying to rebel? " Aguiren called out before dismounting, and swung the whip in the air in his hand. Hua, the two " pop " sounds made these people calm down for the time being.

Turning to look, Liang Dasheng and several yamen who had been guarding at the scene had wounds on their faces and were sitting on the side with their heads down.

" Sir, we are not rebelling, these bones are evil and must be destroyed. " Several old men in the crowd fell to the ground and kowtowed to A Gui, pointing in the direction of the fire and talking to A Gui, " The adults are all Beijingers. From here, the capital is at the foot of the emperor, so naturally there is no such evil spirits. Several adults are young, so it is inevitable that they do not understand this. These bones are very ominous when they see the sun, and they must be burned and the bones must be crushed. Only by raising ashes can we keep our Fengming County safe! "

Zhang Ruomiao listened to this from a distance and dismounted. On the contrary, Qin Liang just rolled off his horse in a hurry and rushed to the side of the fire to grab the bones. But the bones were originally children's. Compared with adults, the texture was crisp and tender, and after being buried in the sand for a long time, it was very easy to break when the water was lost. After such a burn, the bones were shattered and snatched out. A few of the pieces are out of shape. Qin Liang rushed into the fire as if he was crazy, but was pulled back by Agui, and several yamen went up to put out the fire. Qin Liang didn't care about the danger of the fire and rushed over. Picking up the bones that are still useful.

Seeing this chaotic scene, Agui was so angry that he yelled and cursed for a while. The Beijing film was also mixed with Manchu language. The yamen who were present understood with one ear and confused with one another, and stood there with their hands and necks bowed, not daring to move.

"What are you doing, you don't even catch those refugees! I want to see where the thieves come from, and dare to break ground on Tai Sui! " The yamen finally understood this sentence, and they hurriedly carried the chains to go. take people.

Since Zhang Ruomiao came to the scene, his heart has been half cold, but the more chaotic the scene, the more his emotions gradually calmed down. First, he went to Liang Dasheng to inquire in detail about the situation at the time of the incident.

According to Liang Dasheng, there was nothing to do today. He got up early as usual to walk around Baigukeng, and then explained a few words to a few new shift yamen. Just as they were talking, there was a strong smell of pine oil wafting from somewhere. Liang Dasheng felt a little weird, so he brought three yamen to look for the past along the smell. As a result, in the middle of a crop field in the distance, a pine oil bonfire was found burning there for no reason, and no one was guarding it.

" Tiaohu Lishan ! " Zhang Ruomiao tapped Liang Dasheng's shoulder with a fan and blurted out.

" Oops! You're right, sir, we just found the bonfire when we heard someone shouting from the White Bone Pit, so we ran back quickly. As a result, the pit was already half destroyed, and the few brothers who remained were beaten at all. But there are so many refugees, look at our injury ..." Liang Dasheng's expression looked quite regretful, Zhang Ruomi comforted a few words, and told them to go to the county government to find a doctor for treatment. And after thinking for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and walked behind A Gui to carefully observe the refugees who had been circled.

These people are of the same caliber. They all say that they are villagers from nearby villages. I heard that white bones were dug up here to protect Feng Shui. They gathered here spontaneously. As for why the Bone Pit was destroyed and burned the skeletons, it was a collective study by everyone, and it was a local custom for many years. As long as this kind of thing happened, it was done like this. Some people also swore to hear their grandmother say that there was a drought in Fengming County in a certain year, which caused the local drought for three consecutive years, and finally the rain was caused by the burning of the drought.

It's okay to confuse others with these nonsense, but Zhang Ruomiao didn't believe it. As soon as he arrived at Ren Fengming, he read the county annals in the government office as a story. On the other hand, although these villagers spoke vulgarly and rudely, they spoke eloquently about the ominous white bones, and they also cited the ancient clan system, folk customs and other reasons, as if they had memorized the rhetoric in advance.

They were clamoring around Zhang Ruomiao and the others, insisting on filling up these pits of bones, and asking the county magistrate to find someone to do the work. Agui got a headache from them. For these ignorant people, the reasoning doesn't make sense, and the law doesn't blame the public, so we can't arrest all these people. Moreover, these nearby villages all share the same surname, and they are very close to each other. If you ask one, a dozen people will come up to help, and if you touch one, a few people will fall to the ground together, crying and kowtow, begging Lord Qingtian to spare their lives. , it's really hard to do.

At this time, the head of the yamen class passed a message that the local security guards came to check the roster. Now he has no idea, scratching his head and staring at Zhang Ruomiao.

" Did you say something? " He stabbed Zhang Ruomiao on the waist with his fingers and whispered in the ear.

Zhang Ruomiao's face still couldn't tell the slightest emotion, but since the villagers were noisy just now, his eyes have been rolling on a few of them. Different from the other villagers, their clothes were patched in a few pieces, but they were worn and not old. They had deliberately rubbed some dirt on their bodies and faces to look dirty, but upon closer inspection, their faces were rosy and shiny, their nails were clean and slender, and their bodies were plump, not at all. The appearance of ordinary villagers.

" You, you, and you, take these people back and leave the rest. " Agui didn't wait for Zhang Ruomiao to speak before giving the order. Zhang Ruomiao nodded and turned around without saying a word. vehicle. When he first came here, A Gui disliked him for his slow riding, so he simply pulled the car and came here. Now Zhang Ruomiao was full of thoughts, climbed into the car and sat on the quilt in the car, leaning on the pillow to think.

Agui didn't bother him either. He mounted his horse and directed the yamen to press people to the county government office. Qin Liang cherished the few bones he snatched from his chest and stretched his face like a concubine. Followed by, a look of aggrieved. Agui turned his head a few times and couldn't stand it anymore. He pulled the reins and turned the horse's head to the back of the team. He jumped off the horse and patted Qin Liang's shoulder with a whip.

" As for no? " Agui said.

Qin Liang pursed his lips tightly, looked up at Agui, and Agui always felt that his eyes seemed to contain extreme grievance, as if he was holding the bones of his relatives in his arms.

" It's really not normal. " A Gui shivered and murmured in his stomach. He wanted to make fun of him, but he was afraid that this little Zuzuo would get into trouble with himself, and everyone would not look good at that time. So he hurriedly turned on his horse and pushed the horse forward with his legs together.

This place may be really unlucky. Not to mention the strange case here, Zhang Ruomiao also became strange. This time, another abnormal act happened. Agui shook his head and felt agitated. The amulet that my mother gave me, and then spit it into the ground.

" My lord, my yang energy is very strong, and ghosts are not invading! "