Touring the Ming Dynasty

Duan Fei asked: "Old man, when did you find the body?"

The old man recalled: "I went out at the end of Yinshi, and it was about the beginning of Maoshi when I arrived on the boat, and it was about that time when the net was collected and the body was found."

Duan Fei nodded, and asked again: "Where is your net set up? On the shore or in the middle of the river? When the body was found, was the body floating on the water, sinking at the bottom, or floating in the water?"

The old man turned around and pointed to the back and replied: "The little man's boat has been parked there all night, and we put the fish baskets one by one in the water with ropes to catch fish, because there are barbs on the mouth, the bigger ones are more expensive. The fish couldn't get out after entering the basket. The corpse was not floating on the water at that time. When I took the rope, I felt heavy in my hands. I thought I had gained a lot today, but when I dragged it halfway, I suddenly saw the corpse with a leg. Stuck in a fish basket and hanging in the water, I was so scared that I loosened my hand and yelled, the people on the nearby boat rushed to help, and then dragged the body ashore, please look, my lord, the fish basket is still stuck in the body On the legs."

The old man’s boat was parked not far from the shore, still some distance away from the center of the river. Duan Fei asked a few more questions, but he couldn’t find any valuable clues, so he let the old man go. From time to time, the yamen servants can summon them.

At this time Yang Sen also rushed over, his footsteps were much faster than Shi Bin's and the others, and he didn't feel out of breath when he ran to the shore, he asked Duan Fei, and squatted down next to the corpse to examine it carefully.

With his hands behind his back, Duan Fei turned his back to the rising sun and looked upstream...

Su Rong also came to the corpse. This was the first time she had been to the murder scene. Duan Fei was worried that she would not be able to bear it at first, but she was not afraid at all.

I saw Yang Sen skillfully observe the face of the deceased, opened the eyelids of the deceased, observed the mouth, nose, behind the ears, the neck, etc., and checked the body of the corpse. At this time, Su Rong turned her head away and only listened to Yang Sen after a while. Reported to Duan Fei: "My lord, the deceased's complexion was blue and purple, and his eyes were spotting. He died of suffocation, but there was no water in his abdomen, so he obviously did not drown. There was a strangle mark under his throat, and the strangulation passed under his ear." , the deceased did not hang himself, according to my preliminary judgment, he should have been strangled to death with a thin rope from behind."

Duan Fei asked: "When did the deceased die, and when was the body thrown into the water? Is there any identifying information on the body?"

Yang Sen stuck out his tongue secretly, looked at the corpse again, and said: "The deceased was about thirty to forty years old. Judging from his complexion, he should be a person who was often exposed to the sun. His skin was slightly white and swollen, and his skin was blistered. From the changes in his eyes, it can be seen that he has been dead for about two hours."

"Constantly exposed to the sun? Are there any clues on his body?" Duan Fei continued to ask: "For example, what's special about his hands and feet? Can you tell what he usually does?"

Yang Sen went to look at the corpse again, and then replied: "The corpse is barefoot, and there are thick calluses on his hands and feet. Judging from the shape of the calluses on his hands... he should be... he should be a man who often takes a hoe. farmer……?"

Hearing Yang Sen's uncertain voice, Duan Fei couldn't help frowning, and walked up to have a look. At this moment, Su Rong continued: "The clothes worn by the deceased are not what ordinary farmers can afford. Calluses, but there is no new injury on the feet. They should be doing well recently, at least they are not wearing straw sandals. My lord, I suspect that this person was originally a farmer, but recently there are signs of changing his career. His life has improved. He just came back from the field, and his clothes don't look like they were made locally."

It was not the first time that Su Rong gave Duan Fei a new look. When he saw Su Rong looking at him with a proud face, he smiled slightly, ignored her, patted Yang Sen on the shoulder, and said, "You It's a good job for me to handle the case before taking a break when I first arrived, but my master is a freak like me, so don't bother with her."

Yang Sen said in a low voice with shame on his face: "Yes, I know, Brother Fei, I will be more careful and work harder in the future."

Duan Fei turned his head and said to Shanggao County Magistrate, "Master Su, please find someone who is familiar with the nature of the Shu River."

Soon such a person was found, and Duan Fei asked him: "With the current of the Shu River, where to throw the body, can the body float here after two hours?"

The man turned his head and thought for a while, then said: "The upper reaches of the Shujiang River change a lot, so it's difficult to estimate the exact place, but... in two hours, the corpse either came down the sloping river, or It probably floated down from the confluence of the Shujiang River and the Yanxi River."

Duan Fei turned back to Shanggao County Magistrate and said, "Lord Su, please send someone to investigate along the river, and look along the south bank to see if there are any missing people in the surrounding villages, or those who left a few days ago and returned home in good clothes?"

The county magistrate of Shanggao then dispatched the officials to investigate along the river. Duan Fei ordered the body to be sent back to the county government. Peng Xing, the magistrate of Ruizhou Prefecture, asked curiously, "Why do you only ask the officials to investigate the south of the river bank?"

Duan Fei threw a piece of wood he picked up by the river into the river, and said: "Master Peng must have never played by the river when he was a child. I used to like throwing branches and bamboo into the river and watching them float downstream. Under normal circumstances, things thrown into the river will flow down the river, and will never float sideways to the other side of the river. Therefore, unless the murderer spends a lot of time crossing the Shu River to throw the body on the other side, we don't need to waste our time. Go to the other side of the river to inquire."

Peng Xing suddenly said: "So that's the case, Mr. Duan is very observant, and I admire you!"

Duan Fei smiled slightly. Officials these days only know how to read the Four Books and Five Classics, and they all look like nerds. There are too few officials like Wang Shouren who are diligent in thinking. It is normal for Peng Xing to not even know this kind of common sense.

While waiting for the yamen servants to reply, everyone returned to the county yamen, and the magistrate Su continued to deal with government affairs. Duan Fei greeted Peng Xing and drank a pot of tea made by Su Rong himself. When it was delivered, he walked away sensibly.

Duan Fei ordered a banquet at the best restaurant in Shanggao County, and asked them to send it to the back office. At this time, the banquet was set up and everyone was seated one by one. Duan Fei first introduced Su Rong, who was dressed in women's clothes, and said, "Hong Bang, Jiang Jun, how about you?" I've never met Miss Su Rongsu, so I'll introduce you to her today. Outside, she pretends to be a scholar, and she's my teacher. Inside, she's my servant girl. Today we celebrate our brothers' reunion, and she volunteers to serve on the sidelines. You're welcome."

Su Rong kicked him, and said coquettishly: "Is there anyone who introduces someone like this? Hello everyone, my name is Su Rong. Because Lord Duan saved me, I am grateful to him for a while as a maid, and I may give up at any time." Do it, everyone can call me by my name or Miss Su, you are welcome."

Hong Bang praised: "You are Master Su, no wonder you look so familiar, Miss Su is really powerful, this kid Yang Sen boasted how powerful he is all the way, but the cowhide was punctured as soon as he came, Miss Su is still higher One deal."

Su Rong said with a smile: "Where, I just took advantage of it. This is the first time Yang Sen inspected the corpse alone. I couldn't help being a little excited. Some omissions are inevitable. Besides, I can only see the summary, and I can't see the deceased. How did he die?"

Yang Sen's complexion improved a little bit, he was a young man, and the matter was over, and under the praise of Duan Fei and others, he soon became happy again.