Detective Di Renjie's legend of Wu Dynasty

Chapter 166 Cruel Ritual
At dusk, the main hall of Di Mansion.

Wang Mang and Di Renjie are immersed in the old history books, reading carefully.

Suddenly, Wang Mang's eyes were attracted by a line of annotations on the book: "The Xiaoguo army is attached to the right guard, and is the leader of the superior relative Xunwei. In the third year of the emperor's reign, the emperor gathered the Xiaowei and Guoyi army, and for Xiaoguowei, choose a strong man in the army to serve as the guard, and stab the left arm with a blood eagle..."

Wang Mang raised his head and said softly: "Blood Eagle, Blood Eagle, Blood Eagle..."

Di Renjie turned his head: "Jing Yang, what did you find?"

Wang Mang handed the book to Di Renjie and said, "My lord, look!"

Di Renjie took it and read it.

I saw that the note read: "...in the sixth year of the emperor's reign, the general Yuan Zhou rebelled and was held by the emperor. He chopped off his head and left arm to sacrifice the big banner. Xiaoguowei then ordered this..."

Di Renjie's heart suddenly brightened, he raised his head, and said in a loud voice: "Chop off his head, cut off his left arm, as a sacrifice to the big scorpion"!
Wang Mang smiled and said, "Finally found it!"

The door opened with a "squeak", Li Yuanfang walked in, and then closed the door with his hand back: "My lord, Jing Yang, did you find anything?"

Di Renjie nodded: "In this "Records of the Founding Emperor", Jing Yang found the 'Blood-Dripping Eagle'!"

Li Yuanfang was surprised: "Really?"

Di Renjie nodded: "It is recorded in the book that the former Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty established the Emperor for three years. Yang Jian merged the original Xiaowei Army and the Guoyi Army to form the Xiaoguo Guard. He selected strong men from the army to serve as soldiers, and tattooed a sword on his left arm. The blood eagle as a symbol..."

Li Yuanfang was stunned: "Blood Eagle?"

Wang Mang reminded, "It's the Bloody Eagle!"

Li Yuanfang suddenly realized: "Ah, I understand. This is why there is an eagle pattern on the cornerstone of the main hall of Xilin General Temple. This bloody eagle is the symbol of Xiaoguowei!"

Di Renjie nodded.

Li Yuanfang said: "After the ghost killed someone, the bloody eagle painted at the scene of the crime is to tell people that it is the leader of Xiaoguowei——Yuwen Chengdu!"

Di Renjie sighed softly: "It is also said in this book that in the sixth year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign, General Xiaoguowei Yuan Zhou rebelled and was captured by Emperor Yang Jian of the Sui Dynasty. Yang Jian cut off his head and left arm to pay homage to Xiao Guowei Banner. Since then, Xiao Guowei has used it as a ritual, and whenever they encounter a betrayer, they will cut off their head and left arm as a punishment!"

Li Yuanfang cried out in surprise: "Beheading someone's head and left arm is the ceremony of Xiaoguowei?"

Di Renjie nodded: "It seems that the ghosts of Yuwen Chengdu followed the cruel ritual of the Xiaoguo Army. After killing those who betrayed him, they beheaded their heads and left arms and offered blood to eat."

Li Yuanfang swallowed and did not speak.

Wang Mang said: "My lord, since the blood-dropped eagle has been investigated, it's time for us to investigate Jiang Xiaolang!"

Di Renjie nodded.

At night, a carriage came galloping and stopped in front of the History Museum.

Di Renjie, Wang Mang, and Li Yuanfang got out of the car and walked quickly into the history museum. An official welcomed Di Renjie and the three into the main hall.

The official knelt down on his knees and kowtowed his head: "Zhu Xi, the humble official of the Lintai Writing Bureau, kowtows to the old man."

Di Renjie quickly helped him up: "Please get up, please get up."

Zhu Xi said: "In the evening, I received a notification from the young supervisor that the old man will come to the history museum to look up the old files. I wonder which library the old man wants to see?"

Di Renjie said: "The file of Youwei from the early years of Wude to the tenth year of Zhenguan."

Zhu Xi replied, "My lord, please follow me."

After speaking, he walked to the front and led the way.

The thick door opened with a "squeak", and dozens of antique racks stood in the huge old archives, piled up with yellowed archives and books.

Zhu Xi looked for the label with a wind lantern, and finally led the two of them to a grid where the old files of Youwei from the early years of Wude to the tenth year of Zhenguan were stored.

There are old files of various specifications piled up on the long desk.

Di Renjie, Wang Mang, and Li Yuanfang read slowly.

Suddenly, Li Yuanfang stopped: "My lord, Jing Yang, here is Jiang Xiaolang's name."

Di Renjie raised his head: "Read."

Wang Mang also pricked up his ears.

Li Yuanfang said: "It is recorded here that Jiang Xiaolang joined the right guard in the sixth year of Gaozu Wude. At that time, the official worshiped as a guerrilla general."

Wang Mang asked, "What else?"

Li Yuanfang said: "Two years later, he accumulated meritorious service to General Hanyang. At the beginning of Emperor Taizong's Zhenguan period, Jiang Xiaolang suddenly disappeared."

Di Renjie was taken aback: "Suddenly disappeared! Didn't the book record the reason for his disappearance?"

Li Yuanfang said: "There should be."

As he said that, he turned a page and suddenly exclaimed: "My lord, come and see!"

Di Renjie walked over quickly.

Li Yuanfang handed the book to him, only to find that there were two pages missing in the book.

Di Renjie gasped, and looked carefully. The paper stubble was jagged, and it looked like it had been torn off by someone.

He rubbed his hands and said, "It's not long since I just tore it off."

He pondered for a while, and then said: "According to Uncle Pang Jiu of Enji Zhuang, Jiang Xiaolang was disarmed and returned to the farm in the early years of Zhenguan, and led the old troops to build Jiangjiazhuang. According to records in the files, Jiang Lang suddenly disappeared in the early years of Zhenguan. It is confirmed that Jiang Lang did not disarm and return to the fields, but because of an ulterior motive, he escaped from the right guard and took a group of old troops with him."

Di Renjie looked at the missing pages in his hand: "The two missing pages must be the reason for his escape. It seems that this is the key to this case!"

Li Yuanfang felt frustrated and said: "Our opponent is very cunning, he took one step ahead of us and destroyed the evidence."

Di Renjie sneered: "Yuan Fang, you are wrong. He just sent an opposite message, which will ruin their plan!"

Li Yuanfang was at a loss.

Di Renjie smiled lightly: "If I hadn't seen these two missing pages, I would never have thought of it!"

Li Yuanfang asked: "My lord, you are humble and dull, and don't understand what your lord means."

Di Renjie said: "By tomorrow, everything will be clear!"

Li Yuanfang looked at Wang Mang: "Jing Yang?"

Wang Mang smiled wryly and shook his head: "You know the habits of adults, and you won't say anything until the last moment."

At the same time, Zeng Tai checked the old files in the Yongchang County Government.

The old documents on the public case piled up like a mountain, and Zeng Tai sat behind the case and looked through them carefully.

A booklet was spread out on the ground, and more than a dozen scribes knelt on their knees, searching continuously.

Suddenly a clerk called out: "Master, here is Jiang Xiaolang's name!"

The clerk strode over with the book, Zeng Tai quickly took it, read it carefully, and raised his head suddenly: "Prepare the sedan chair!"

Di Renjie, Wang Mang and Li Yuanfang returned to the mansion. Zeng Tai had been waiting there for a long time, wandering around the house anxiously.

Di Renjie opened the door and walked in. Wang Mang and Li Yuanfang followed Di Renjie. Zeng Tai immediately came up to meet him: "Master, you are back! I found some suspicious things from the old files of Henan County over the years!"

Di Renjie raised his eyebrows: "Oh?"

Zeng Tai said: "The first point is that in the eighth year of Zhenguan, a group of right guard officers came to Henan County and asked the local officials to help them track down Jiang Xiaolang's whereabouts. At that time, the county magistrate Gao Rujin received them. The second point, Four months after the massacre in the Jiang Family Courtyard, another group of right guard officers came to Henan County to find out the whereabouts of the previous group of officers and Jiang Xiaolang. The students thought that there seemed to be something wrong with it.”

As he said that, he picked up the old file on the desk and handed it over. Di Renjie took it, read it quickly, and smiled: "Everything is clear! It seems that the bloody case that happened in Jiangjiazhuang 60 years ago will soon be revealed." The case can be closed!"

Wang Mang took a look and thought about it.

Li Yuanfang and Zeng Tai were stunned.

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(End of this chapter)