In Kaifeng Mansion, Gongsun hugged his chubby son and just fell asleep, he heard a soft knock on the door.

Gongsun stuffed Xiao Sizi into the quilt, got up carefully, put on his robe and went out to see.

When he saw Wang Chao Ma Han standing at the door, Ma Han whispered to Gongsun, "Sir, a life lawsuit has been filed. Lord Zhan said he wanted you to go for a autopsy, and he also said you know the dead."

"What!" Gongsun was shocked and hurried in to put on his clothes, picked up the small medicine box, and followed Wang Chao Ma Han out.

He sat in the carriage and went to the foot of the mountain, and saw the imperial army surrounding the entire mountain. Ouyang Shaozheng was sitting on a stone tablet on the hillside while yawning.

Gongsun walked up to him and said, "What happened?"

"It's all evil." Ouyang shook his head with his chin, "Zhan Zhaohe Bai Yutang is in the house."

Gongsun frowned and saw the commander Cao Lan standing at the gap in the exterior wall of the Jin family's old house, waving to him.

Gongsun hurried up the mountain. Wang Chaoma Han helped him over the wall and saw that there were many lanterns lit in the house. Zhang Long and Zhao Hu were checking outside the four yamen runners. Seeing Gongsun coming, he took him through the front hall and turned the screen.

At this time, two high angrily storm lights were picked in front of the screen, which made most of the yard bright as daylight.

Even so, the corpse hanging high behind the stone screen was still extremely terrifying.

Gongsun frowned at a glance, "Who did this do this?"

Similarly, due to the distorted face of the corpse, Gongsun could not tell who he knew for a while. It was obvious that he was not a very familiar person. He asked Zhan Zhao who was standing beside him, "Who is this?"

Zhan Zhao handed a fan to Gongsun.

Gongsun opened it and was stunned.

On the fan, there is a poem written in a handsome and elegant handwriting and a clear signature - Gongsun Ce.

Gongsun recognized this fan, and the fan was written by himself.

There are not many people in Kaifeng Prefecture who ask for the character "Gongsun", not because Gongsun's handwriting is not good. On the contrary, Gongsun's handwriting is so good, but... Mr. Gongsun is a doctor and has to write many prescriptions every day, so it is too easy to ask him to have a word. Just ask him for a doctor. Every medicine shop collects a dozen, and anyone who comes to ask for it will give him one.

This fan was written by Gongsun for an old man. The old man was a medicinal farmer. Gongsun often bought medicine from him and was very honest. One day, he suddenly came over and took a white fan and asked Gongsun to help him write a poem. It would be best if he could make another payment.

Gongsun was a little puzzled. The old man didn't look like a fan, but Gongsun didn't ask too much and wrote it for the old man.

The old man thanked him for a long time and left. A few days later, Tianzun suddenly came to ask Gongsun if he had brought the fan to Xie Yiting, the director of the Freehand Painting Museum, and he was bragging to people everywhere that he had a friendship with you.

Gongsun was stunned for a moment, a little confused.

Xie Yiting is a businessman in Kaifeng City. He specializes in opening a painting gallery and likes to make friends with literati and is elegant.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang also knew this person. Zhan Zhao knew him because he was a well-known merchant on the ground in Kaifeng, so he would naturally get along. Bai Yutang knew him because Tianzun liked to visit the art gallery and bought whatever he liked. He was sent to the Bai Mansion and paid the bills. Originally, it was enough for a guy to do such things, but every time he delivered the painting to the Bai Mansion, Xie Yiting came in person. So Bai Yutang met him twice and saw the fan written by Gongsun in his hand. Bai Yutang really thought he was Gongsun’s friend at first, but although he thought this person was a bit of a profiteer, he was still very polite to him.

Later, Gongsun asked the old medicine farmer and said that the old man's eldest son owed Xie Yiting the money he had owed Xie Yiting. Xie Yiting said that it would be fine if he had no money to pay it back. If Mr. Gongsun could help write a fan and pay it, the debt would be cancelled!

Gongsun did not pursue the matter after he found out. Most people in Kaifeng Prefecture knew about this. Fortunately, Xie Yiting was also a sensible person. He held the fan that Gongsun personally carried and did not cheat him. He just wanted to brag and improve his grades. He had a topic or something when discussing business with others.

Xie Yiting is a man who is neither good nor bad. He is just a versatile businessman. He is dressed in a pretty and elegant manner on weekdays. Why is he so miserable in his death? Why did he run to the haunted house in the middle of the night?

Gongsun walked over and looked at the lantern pole on Xie Yiting's neck against his neck, surprised, "This murderer should have a strong internal strength, a strong martial arts skill, right?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both nodded. The lantern pole was ordinary wood. It was impossible to hang the ordinary wood and insert it into the stone wall without any internal strength.

Gongsun shook his head, "Who did Xie Yiting offend? He also inserted two paper flowers around his neck. What does this mean?"

Bai Yutang asked, “Is it a certain custom?”

Gongsun touched his chin and thought, "I have never heard of this kind of custom."

Zhan Zhao frowned.

At this time, Cao Lan came in and told Zhan Zhao that he had sent people from the Imperial City Army to search nearby. No one was on the way in the middle of the night, so no one should have seen what happened. Almost everyone in the neighborhood had slept, and they didn't hear any movement, and they didn't know if the lights had been on in the house.

Zhan Zhao nodded, which was expected.

Gongsun asked someone to take Xie Yiting's body down, and after a brief inspection, he told Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, "There are no other injuries. This pole died after piercing the throat. I will take it back to check if there are any other clues."

Zhan Zhao asked Zhang Long and Zhao Hu to carry the body and go back first with Gongsun.

At this time, Wang Chao Ma Han came over, "Mr. Zhan, there are many houses behind, most of which are sealed with doors and windows."

Zhan Zhao looked at the sky. It was almost dawn. The murderer took action cleanly and did not leave any clues. As for the large scale of the Jin family's old house, it would be a big project to investigate. The murderer insisted that Xie Yiting dies in this haunted house, which should have his purpose... It seems that he is going to investigate the old case of the Jin family.

Zhan Zhao asked Wang Chao Ma Han to go back and report the details to Lord Bao. He went down the mountain with Bai Yutang and wanted to go to Xie Yiting's house to ask.

At the foot of the mountain, Ouyang Shaozheng was holding his arms and talking to a chubby soldier.

Zhan Zhaohe Bai Yutang walked over.

When Ouyang saw the two, he pointed at the soldier and said, "He lives next to Xie Yiting's house."

Zhan Zhao raised his eyebrows - such a coincidence.

The little soldier's surname is Wang, and everyone in the barracks called him Wang Xiaopang.

Zhan Zhao asked him, "Are you familiar with Xie Yiting?"

Wang Xiaopang shook his head, "I'm not familiar with him, but I'm familiar with his maids."

Zhan Zhao looked at the sky, and Bai Yutang nodded. Knowing the maids usually means knowing others’ roots…

"Then do you know any clues that have something to do with Xie Yiting's murder?" Zhan Zhao asked.

Wang Xiaopang nodded, "First of all, Xie Yiting probably didn't come by himself."

"Oh?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Why do you infer this way?"

"Shopkeeper Xie is the most timid! His family always worships God on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month. There are many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the family, and there are also no women in his family that are allowed to apply powder on their faces!"

Zhan Zhao was curious, "Why aren't you allowed to apply powder?"

"It was said that he saw a pale face in the middle of the night and was scary!" Wang Xiaopang narrowed his eyes, "The maids in his family said that he was most afraid of ghosts! That day, the maids were playing with the dice fairy at night, but unexpectedly, they were caught by Manager Xie, and he got angry and almost drove them away."

Zhan Zhao touched his chin, and it seemed that he was really afraid of ghosts.

"What else?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Have he made a grudge with someone recently?"

"Well... I haven't heard of this before, but his family got into a thief a few days ago!" Wang Xiaopang said.

"What was stolen?" Zhan Zhao asked, "Pictures and paintings or money?"

"I don't know this." Wang Xiaopang continued, "It was about half a month ago. That day, I was eating wontons made by my mother in the yard with my father. I heard that something was wrong in the Xie Mansion next door, and it seemed that something happened. I went to the door and saw his family going in and out, but it was closed soon after. The next day, I asked his maid and heard that Xie Yiting came back from the painting hall last night. Not long after entering the study, he suddenly shouted and ran out, saying that he had entered the study just now. The housekeeper said that no one had entered, so he asked him what he had lost and whether he wanted to report to the official. But Xie's shopkeeper didn't ask him to report to the official, so he asked them to find him, and asked if anyone had entered his study, but in the end he didn't say what he had lost."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both frowned - they didn't say anything, and they didn't report to the official?

Ouyang Shaozheng smiled, "Don't be something shameful."

"Xie Yiting sells calligraphy and paintings, maybe like a demolished antique, secretly helps people sell stolen goods. Most of these dirty things are hiding at home... Unexpectedly, they will be stolen. This way, they will not be able to make a name for themselves, nor can they report to the officials." Bai Yutang said.

Zhan Zhao nodded, "So, is it black who eats black?"

"Is there any?" Ouyang patted the soldier's head, "You are so familiar with the other maid. You must have something else, think about it!"

"Well..." Wang Xiaopang poked his head and thought for a while, then clapped his hands, "Ah! By the way, his maid mentioned it and said that thanking the shopkeeper, he had scolded someone at home!"

Zhan Zhao was curious, "Who did he scold?"

"The Dean of the Imperial College, Master Lin Xiao!" said Wang Xiaopang.

Zhan Zhao frowned.

Bai Yutang was not understanding, "Why did he scold Lin Xiao?"

"Well... it seems that he wrote to Master Lin to recommend the son of a big buyer to study in the Imperial Academy. Who knew that the old man said that he had to pass the exam to enter the Imperial Academy. If he passed the exam, he could enter it casually, and no one's son would have no idea of ​​entering the exam."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang wanted to laugh after hearing this. It was indeed Mr. Lin Xiao's temper.

"The girl from his family said that the shopkeeper Xie was so angry that day that he scolded Master Lin so fiercely." Wang Xiaopang was quite gossipy. He probably asked the maids about Xie Yiting and learned it for Zhan Zhao and the others, "He said that Master Lin was Mu Yu's head! He was pedantic! He has been doing this for many years! He also said that the most annoying thing was that he was an immortal."

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both frowned. They both respected this somewhat "pedantic" old master and even called him "I'm immortal..."

"Listen to the tone." Ouyang was curious, "Does Xie Yiting and Lin Xiao have a relationship? I feel that I have known each other for a long time."

"Probably not..." Wang Xiaopang blinked, "How can I brag about the shopkeeper Xie! He can blow the fan written by Mr. Gongsun so that everyone knows that he has a friendship with Mr. Gongsun. Master Lin Xiao is too college director. If he has a friendship, how can he not blow the whole world know?"

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang looked at each other - indeed, it was a bit suspicious.

After asking Wang Xiaopang about the words, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang simply borrowed him from Ouyang Shaozheng and took him to the Xie Mansion together. Zhan Zhao arranged a task for him. When he went to the Xie family with Bai Yutang to investigate, Wang Xiaopang took the opportunity to find a familiar maid and asked if there were any clues. Some of the maids who were afraid of causing trouble should not tell the officials, but they might not hide it from the neighbor next door.

...

When Zhan Zhaohe Baiyutang arrived at Xie's mansion, several yamen runners were already at the door. Sure enough, the Xie's mansion had already received news that according to the rules, they were going to send someone to Kaifeng Mansion to recognize the body. Xie Yiting had a lot of wives and concubines, and five or six wives, all of them were crying like they were crying. When Zhan Zhaohe Baiyutang looked at him, he was really like what Wang Xiaopang said, without any powder, and they all faced the sky.

When I walked into Xie’s mansion, there were indeed Buddha statues everywhere, and it was obvious that the house burned incense all year round, so the smell was almost as good as the temple.

Bai Yutang felt a headache when he heard a large group of women crying. After thinking about it, he asked the butler on the side, "Does your shopkeeper collect calligraphy and paintings at home?"

The housekeeper nodded, "The valuable calligraphy and painting masters are not placed in the gallery, they are all in the warehouse at home."

So, the fifth master went to read calligraphy and painting, and left Zhan Zhao to ask the butler and others.

...

The warehouse in Xie Mansion is not too big. After all, the Freehand Painting Museum is just an ordinary painting museum, and the rare treasures that Xie Yiting has are also limited.

Bai Yutang walked into the warehouse and looked at the paintings hanging on the wall. In addition to calligraphy and painting, there were also several jade carvings in the warehouse.

Bai Yutang asked the servant who helped open the door, "Does your master sell other than calligraphy and painting?"

"I won't sell anything else." The servant shook his head, "But the master will help his friend sell something. These jade carvings are all placed here by his friend."
To be continued...