Chapter 327 – Identity of the corpse

“Stinking man, this child of your family, is he brain sick?”

Su Su trotted into the study before that feeling of a manacle disappeared, it was so strange that she was stared at by a five or six year old childish boy who was uncomfortable.

“You’re the one who’s sick, your whole family is sick. Oh, forget your family is long gone.”

Xu Qi’an disliked him mercilessly, he had already forgotten his aunt’s teasing remark back then, thinking that Su Su was burying Little Dou Ding.

“Zee …….”

Xu Qi’an closed the door of the study and wanted to pour a cup of tea for Li Miaozhen, but considering that the next step might be an autopsy, it was not the right time for tea, so he did not offer tea to his guest.

Li Miaozhen also no nonsense, took out the ground book fragments, gently shake, a black shadow fell, “snapped” fell on the floor of the study.

Xu Qi’an, who had five keen senses, smelled a strong odor of blood.

He stared at the headless body for a moment and asked, “Where is his soul?”

Just a headless body alone doesn’t mean anything, and since Li Miaozhen said it was a big deal, she must have summoned the soul using Taoist means.

Li Miaozhen slapped the incense bag, a wisp of green smoke curled up, and in midair transformed into a middle-aged man with a dull gaze and a blurred face, murmuring, “Blood slaughter 3,000 miles, blood slaughter 3,000 miles, please ask the imperial court to send troops to crusade against ……….”

The Heavenly Sect Holy Maiden’s face was heavy, “His soul is damaged, and if he wants to know what follows, the only way to know is to nourish his soul, and based on how crippled it is, it will take at least two months.”

Xu Qi’an glanced at her and let out a “heh”, “In two months, the yellow flowers will be cold.”

Li Miaozhen glared, “Then you say what to do.”

She really didn’t know what to do, how could she find out the truth when there was only one clue, with no beginning and no end?

Su Su’s black and white beautiful eyes, gazing in style, she knew that with Xu Qi’an’s ability to solve cases, she would definitely not be as confused as her master.

At this, Suu was expectant and curious to know what angle he would dissect.

Xu Qi’an pondered a little, leaned down to remove the clothes from the corpse, and after some scrutiny, said, “Unsurprisingly, he should be a northerner.”

Li Miaozhen’s eyes instantly lit up and pursued, “What about the basis?”

She watched the shameless Three examine the body in its entirety, but didn’t come to the same conclusion he did.

“One side of the soil raises one side of the people, from the appearance and skin can tell where the deceased is from. Without a head, the ghost’s face is too blurred ……… so to determine where this headless body is from, it has to be verified from the body details.”

Xu Qi’an lifted the corpse’s right hand and said, “Look, this person has a thick layer of calluses on his index finger in addition to the calluses on his palm, which would not be produced by using a sword or a saber.”

Su Su and Li Miaozhen fixed their eyes on it.

The stunning female ghost blinked her beautiful eyes and said in a delicate voice, “What weapon is that making, don’t be so secretive.”

Li Miaozhen, on the other hand, revealed a dazed look, “It’s a bow.”

Worthy of being a female general who stayed in the barracks, she reacted quickly ……… Xu Qi An nodded: “That s right, this person is good at shooting.”

Su Su tilted her head and retorted, “How does that alone indicate that he’s a northerner, I feel like you’re making it up. There are plenty of people who are good at shooting, can’t they be from the army?”

Li Miaozhen nodded in agreement.

“Yes, Miss Susu has a point. For example, there’s an adept shooter right next to you who isn’t from the army either.”

Xu Qi’an squeezed his eyebrows for a moment, his hands moving without stopping, separating the headless corpse’s legs, and said:

“Look carefully, there are no calluses at the root of his thighs, if he is a military man who has been riding horses for a long time, there would definitely be calluses at his thighs. Not being from the army and being good at shooting, this fits the characteristics of people from the north. Jianghu people from all over Da Feng are not good at making bows.”

The northerners excelled in bow and arrow, and even ordinary adult men were capable of opening their bows. According to Xu Qi’an’s understanding, the standard equipment for Jianghu people in several northern states who went out was a sword and a bow.

Sometimes it was even possible to go without a sword, using daggers and short blades instead, but not without a bow.

At that moment, Suzu came up with another counterargument and said, “Or, what about the bowmen.”

Xu Qi’an snorted, ”Who would send a bow soldier to deliver a message? If I’m not wrong, this person is most likely a northern jianghu person. As for what exactly he wanted to convey, by whom he was commissioned, and by whom he was poisoned, I have no idea.”

Li Miaozhen wordlessly exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and said in relief, “Then his affairs will be left to you, as the silver gong of the night watchman, it is only right that you should handle these matters.”

Su Su followed suit and sighed in relief, thinking that although this stinky man was horny and annoying, his skills were really not bad.

A well-reasoned analysis, she was still convinced.

Himself and his master were so confused that they had no idea how to proceed down the line, but after handing it over to this man, there was an immediate clue.

Even though Su Su often complained about Li Miaozhen’s meddling, and even though she liked to suck men’s essence, she knew she was a kind female ghost.

If the matter of the headless body could not be handled properly, both she and Li Miaozhen would be psychologically burdened.

Therefore, this emphasizes how good Xu Qi’an is at bringing so much security.

………..

After arranging guest rooms for Li Miaozhen and Su Su, and ordering the cook to prepare some snacks, Xu Qi’an returned to his study, put the corpse into the Earth Book fragment, begged for the remnant of his soul, and rode the filly, heading to the court.

“I remember Duke Wei said that there were frequent battles in the north, and when the Dabong lost one battle after another, the civil officials submitted a petition to impeach the King of Zhenbei, only to have Emperor Yuan Jing forcibly fling the pot at Wei Yuan, removing his hat as the Left Capital Royal Historian.

“Blood slaughtering 3,000 miles ah, can’t imagine, this kind of big event …….. Why haven’t I heard of it before? It’s a big deal, we should report it to Wei Gong in time.”

The little mare galloped wildly to the government office, Xu Qi’an handed the reins of his horse to the mandarin on duty at the entrance and hurriedly rushed to the Haoqi Building.

“Xu Yinluo, Duke Wei has just ordered the preparation of a carriage to enter the palace.” The guard downstairs replied.

I’m going to the palace. Going to the palace is also a waste of time with Emperor Yuan Jing and the civil officials. …….. Xu Qi’an’s stern face, “Don’t talk too much nonsense, go in and pass the message.”

“Yes …….” The guards had the sense to run into the building.

After receiving the guard’s definitive reply, Xu Qi’an pressed his sword with one hand and ascended the steps, seeing Wei Yuan sitting behind the table, his eyes containing the vicissitudes of life washed out by the years, looking at him gently and calmly.

He was still dressed in green, but it was embroidered with elaborate cloud patterns, and on his chest was a green dragon.

This was the court dress Wei Yuan wore when he went to court, or to the palace to face the saint.

“You only have one tea time, there’s something to say quickly.” Wei Yuan spoke to his beloved, his tone not very polite.

“Since Lord Wei is in such a hurry, I’ll make it short.” Xu Qi’an’s heart wasn’t good, so he directly pulled out the jade fragment and gave it a gentle shake.

Snapped …… the headless body crashed in the clean and tidy tea room now, polluting the clean floor.

Wei Yuan was somewhat startled, the corners of his eyes twitching slightly as he said in a deep voice, “What’s going on.”

“Li Miaozhen arrived in the capital today, and is currently lodging in my residence.” Xu Qi’an said.

“Uh-huh!”

Wei Yuan nodded, not caring about this, staring at the headless corpse and said faintly, “But what does it have to do with this corpse?”

Xu Qi’an grinned, ”It matters a lot, this corpse was found by her eighty miles away from the capital, decapitated with a single, clean cut.

“Li Miaozhen, this person, and nosy, so he summoned the residual soul of the deceased and asked for clarification. Who knows …….”

He deliberately paused, wanting to sell a secret, but saw Wei Yuan s face was not very good, and his heart snapped, fearing that his next next month s salary would be deducted because he went out and stepped on his left foot first, he immediately said:

“The spirit said something, well, Wei Gong, you can see for yourself.”

He took down the scented capsule given by Li Miaochen, unraveled the red rope, and a stream of green smoke curled up and floated out, transforming in mid-air into a blurred-faced, dull-eyed han, who muttered and repeated:

“Blood Slaughter 3,000 miles, Blood Slaughter 3,000 miles, please ask the court to send troops to crush ……..”

Wei Yuan’s pupils abruptly contracted as he stared at the remnant soul, his gaze incomparably sharp.

He was silent for a few seconds and said, “What’s your clue.”

It wasn’t a question, it was an affirmation. It seemed certain that Xu Qi’an must have discovered something.

As expected, the little silver gong he appreciated never let him down, Xu Qi’an reported, “I initially concluded that he was a northerner who was killed on his way to the capital to report a message.”

Gave a detailed account of his speculations.

“There has been no war in Dafeng lately, except in the north, and I’m afraid that the situation in the north is worse than we thought, Lord Wei. But the court has not received the corresponding pond report?”

“No.”

Wei Yuan shook his head and frowned slightly, “You suspect that King Zhenbei lied about the military?”

Xu Qi’an glanced at Wei Yuan, “This is not something to be surprised about, what I’m surprised about is that if the King of Zhenbei lied about the military situation, why didn’t the Yamen receive the information?”

The shadowy spies of the night watchman were all over the nine states, how could there be no news at all about such a great event as the blood slaughter of 3,000 miles?

“At the beginning of the year, I deployed most of my darkies to the northeast, leaving very few in the north, and the news is inevitably blocked.” Wei Yuan helplessly said.

The darkies have all been deployed to the northeast? What does Duke Wei want to do, fight the Witch God Cult?……… Xu Qi’an suddenly realized, no longer pursuing the question, “Then what does Duke Wei think, how to deal with this matter?”

Wei Yuan glanced at the water drain placed in the corner of the room and said, “I’ll go into the palace to face the saint, the body and soul will be taken away by me, you don’t have to pay attention to this matter.”

Waiting for Xu Qi’an to nod, he added, ”Since Li Miaozhen has already come to the capital, then the celestial appointment will soon be over, and the security in the capital will be much better.

“This time I do not know how many spies to spy on the intelligence mixed in, but fortunately there are supervisors to keep an eye on, can not afford to make any waves.

“You tell Li Miaozhen to pay more attention, don’t go out of the city at will during extraordinary times, don’t cause trouble, and guard against any danger that may come your way.”

“Possible danger?” Xu Qi’an asked rhetorically.

Wei Yuan once again looked at the water leak and said in a very fast speech, ”I will only tell you the dangers that she may encounter: one, the danger comes from the imperial court. Two, the danger comes from spies from other countries. For reasons you can think of yourself, I have to go into the palace.”

He snatched the scented pouch from Xu Qi’an’s hand with a split hand and left the tea room with quick steps, ordering the mandarin as he went, “Bring the body and enter the palace with me.”

…………

The Imperial Study.

In addition to Emperor Yuan Jing, the Chief Minister Wang Zhenwen, the Minister of the Household, and other third-ranking officials, dukes and nobles, and all the ministers, a total of sixteen people gathered.

The pale Chu Xianglong stood between the group of ministers, slightly bowed his head, silent.

He had taken the medicinal pills given by the warlocks of the Sithian Supervisor and was soon able to get out of bed and walk, but the internal injuries of having all his meridians broken could not be recovered in the short term. However, as long as he didn’t use his luck to use martial arts and recuperated, he would be able to recover in a month or so.

Emperor Yuan Jing frowned, “Wei Yuan hasn’t come yet, there’s no need to wait!”

And then, he swept over the dukes and said, “The King of Zhenbei has asked the court for 300,000 taels of military pay and 250,000 stones of grain and fodder. What is the intention of all the honorable ministers?”

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue was the first to jump out and object, saying, “In the 36th year of Yuanjing, there was a great flood in Jiangzhou; a great drought in Jingzhou; the state was plagued by locusts, and the imperial court allocated grain to provide relief several times.

“There is not much left in the two Dafeng granaries in Yuzhou and Zhangzhou, and they can’t get it together.”

Emperor Yuan Jing mused, “What about deployment from the states.”

The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue replied, “Even if there is a canal transportation, collecting grain and grass from the states is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and when it is transported to the border of Chuzhou, I’m afraid that no more than half of it will be left, so this is not a good strategy.”

As he was talking, the eunuch came to a stop at the entrance of the Imperial Study.

Emperor Yuan Jing raised his hand, interrupting the words of the Minister of Households, and looked at the eunuch at the door, “What is it.”

“Lord Wei is here.” The eunuch said.

Emperor Yuan Jing’s joy and anger were not visible, “Let him come in.”

The eunuch retreated, and a dozen seconds later, Wei Yuan stepped into the imperial study, standing as usual in the position that belonged to him without making a single sound.

Emperor Yuan Jing was displeased and said, “This is not good, that is not good, the ministers will only refute me?”

The left imperial historian Yuan Xiong’s heart moved, seizing the opportunity, he stepped out and said, “I have a plan.”

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded, “Aiqing Yuan, please speak.”

Yuan Xiong said, “The court can temporarily add a corvée called grain transportation. Order the people to be responsible for escorting grain and grass.”

Emperor Yuan Jing’s eyes brightened slightly, this was indeed a second strategy.

The so-called corvée is a labor activity in which the imperial court conscripts all classes of people to perform without compensation. If the people are made responsible for escorting grain and grass and the officials and soldiers supervise it, then the imperial court only needs to bear the food and expenses of the officials and soldiers, while the people take care of their own rations.

In this way, not only can we ensure that the grain is not depleted when it is transported to the border, but we can also save a large sum of money on the cost of transporting the grain.

“This is a good idea!” Emperor Yuan Jing laughed.

Yuan Xiong sighed with relief, as long as His Majesty adopts his plan and the dragon’s heart is pleased, then the aftermath in the imperial examination fraud case will be minimized.

After the Palace Examination, once Xu New Year achieved good results, it can be imagined that the inevitable backlash of Zhao Tingfang, a university scholar in the East Cabinet, and Wei Yuan’s fall from grace will be ushered in.

He is not yet secure in his position as the left imperial governor, he may have to be jerked down, he has to save himself.

Chief Minister Wang stepped out and made a bow, “This plan is a scourge to the country and a disaster to the people, Yuan Xiong should be put to death!

“Your Majesty, it is spring plowing time, when the people are busy with their farming, so we must not add more labor. From ancient times, food is the most important thing for the people, and nothing should be done to disturb the people during the spring plowing.

“In addition, last year there were successive natural disasters, and the people did not have much food left over, so this plan is like pouring oil on the fire and driving people to their deaths.”

Left Capital Royal Historian Yuan Xiong’s eyebrows jumped and he was about to retort, when he heard Chu Xianglong sneer, ”Chief Minister Wang loves the people like a son, the last general admires that. Only, could it be that the people all over Chuzhou are not the subjects of the Great Feng.

“Is Chief Wang oblivious to their lives and deaths.”

Chief Minister Wang said lightly, “The court has 86,000 troops in the northern part of the country, and each family is given six mu of upper fields, with as many as 5,000 hectares of military fields. Every year ……..”

“The border for a long time without war, Chuzhou all over the years the wind and rain, even if there is no grain levy, according to Chuzhou’s grain reserves, can also hold out for a few months. How is it that all of a sudden there is a shortage of money and food.

“I’m afraid that all those military fields have been appropriated by certain people.”

Chuzhou was the northernmost state of the Dafeng, adjacent to the territory of the northern barbarians.

Chu Xianglong relied on the Prince backing, no fear, cold humming: “Readers in addition to moving lips, ever fought a war, led a soldier? You and others in the capital to enjoy, but do not know the border generals and soldiers have how bitter.

“Your Majesty, the barbarians are coming in strong this time, as early as the end of last year there have been several great battles. Your Majesty is brave and invincible and has won many battles, if it’s because of the shortage of food and grass, the logistics can’t be replenished and the battle is delayed, the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded, “I naturally know of King Huai’s valor. And how is the war in the north today?”

Chu Xianglong cupped his fists and said: ”Your Highness is as brave as a god with his troops, after those barbarians have suffered a few defeats, they don’t dare to confront our army head on.

“We can only rely on the quickness of the cavalry to plunder everywhere, and our army is exhausted despite our superiority. I ask Your Majesty to release the army’s pay and provisions, and also to let the generals know that the court has not forgotten their merits.”

Chief Minister Wang frowned.

Since the impeachment at the end of last year accusing King Zhenbei of not defending the city, the pond reports sent from the north did say that King Zhenbei had repeatedly won battles and that the barbarians’ invasion of the border had been curbed.

Duke Cao immediately said, ”The King of Zhenbei has labored so hard that we cannot afford to hold him back. Your Majesty, transporting grain is the best of both worlds. Furthermore, if the military pay is not paid out, I am afraid that it will cause a mutiny in the army, and we will lose a lot of money for a small cause.

“Even if there is something wrong, it should be settled in the fall. One should not withhold food and pay from the army in this matter.”

Several Lords have expressed their approval.

In matters of battlefield, they are connoisseurs and have more say than the civil officials.

Chief Counselor Wang said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, this matter has to be considered in the long run.”

Emperor Yuan Jing ignored him and said, “What do you all think?”

Seeing this, the princes loosened their tongues and returned, “I shall fully support the King of Zhenbei.”

His Majesty’s inclination was clear, and it was useless for them to say more.

A few backbones of the Wang Party quietly winked at Chief Minister Wang, telling him to be careful with his words, how much His Majesty trusted the King of Zhenbei, it was obvious to all in the court.

Otherwise, the Zhenbei King would not have been given the Zhen Guo Sword back then.

Emperor Yuan Jing looked at Wei Yuan, “Wei Aiqing, you are a great expert in military law, what is your opinion?”

Chief Minister Wang immediately looked at Wei Yuan.

……….

PS: Looked up the info and updated late.