Da Tang: Father, can I resign?

Chapter 418: loose on the outside and tight on the inside, loose on the outside and tight on the inside...

Li Ming subconsciously looked around.

There is no one left or right.

Naturally, no official dared to be a light bulb and rashly approach these two evil spirits.

"Let's take a step to talk."

The two of them led the way.

The corridors were filled with officials who were taking a walk and getting some fresh air after eating chicken breast.

When you see the big boss coming, you have to bow and kowtow, trying to make your presence felt in front of your leader.

But when I looked again, the big boss had a bad look on his face, and there was a little villain named Di Renjie following him.

He immediately stepped aside wisely.

This presence is not worth showing off!
Li Ming carried Di Renjie up the stairs and came to his study.

"Don't let anyone in."

He simply instructed the guard at the door and pushed the door open.

Changsun Wuji was not at home, and Fang Xuanling was staying at home. There were only the two of them in the room.

Li Ming's expression immediately fell, and he asked seriously:

"Di Renjie, you said the murderer was from Baekje...

"Is it that the suspect happens to be a Baekje person, or is it... a conspiracy on the part of the Baekje Kingdom?"

Baekje was a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty located at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula.

It was once a vassal of Goguryeo, but after Goguryeo was destroyed, it defected to Ming. It had a love-hate relationship with its neighbor Silla, and even asked Ming for help.

If the mastermind behind this is someone from Baekje, or even their king...

One is a lone wolf crime, the other is the will of the state, the nature of the two are completely different.

"It's hard to say, this is just a preliminary judgment." Di Renjie said cautiously:

"But based on the existing evidence, the latter is more likely."

Li Ming took a deep breath and said slowly:

"I hope so."

If a lone wolf criminal could infiltrate the heavily guarded core of the empire, it would be a truly horrific story for the Ming Dynasty.

The impact on the Ming Dynasty officialdom was no less than the Red Square incident in 1980.

Therefore, this is more likely to be an organized and premeditated political assassination.

There is one or several powerful political forces behind this.

but……

"You can't investigate a case based on subjective assumptions. How did you investigate? What evidence do you have?"

Di Renjie showed a tired smile:

“I asked them one by one.”

"Ask?" Li Ming raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"It's roughly like this..."

Di Renjie then narrated his ideas and process of investigating the case one by one.

In fact, His Majesty Li Ming had already done a good job of reasoning for them at that time -

That is, the perpetrator could get close to the center, but only a little bit, and there was a high probability that he was not from the Ming Dynasty, or at least not from Tangzhou, nor did he belong to any of the three groups: imperial chefs, palace maids, and guards, etc.

This is a good start. All we have to do next is follow this line of thought.

This step doesn’t require a genius idea.

What is needed is rigorous logic and patient investigation.

And this is exactly what Di Renjie is good at.

“Handling a case is like writing a story, with time, place, and process.

"First, we need to determine the exact time when the criminal set the fire."

Di Renjie talked freely.

"Based on interviews with the personnel at the scene, we can confirm that the fire was first discovered by the guards at 5:30 pm and was completely extinguished in less than a quarter of an hour."

"It was put out so quickly?" Li Ming raised his eyebrows.

This was an unexpected surprise, which showed that the soldiers under his command were still very strong.

We shouldn't completely deny their combat effectiveness just because they failed to defend against a shameless sneak attack.

However, this also brings up the next question:

"The fire was put out quickly, which means the fire was not big. It was not long from the time the prisoner lit the fire to the time he discovered the fire.

"Even though coal has a higher ignition point than wood or charcoal, it will still burn if it is burned for a long time and will be difficult to extinguish."

Li Ming said, puzzled:

"But why couldn't the arsonist be caught on the spot?"

Your Majesty's intuition is still very sharp... Di Renjie sighed inwardly and replied:

"Because the time when the fire started and the time when the suspect set the fire were not the same time."

Li Ming was stunned for a moment:
"Oh?"

"It's just a simple little mechanism." Di Renjie explained:
"We found an overturned iron plate, burnt hemp ropes and a pool of wax oil at the scene. The iron plate was covered with oil stains.

"It is speculated that a simple time-delay device was made by tying a hemp rope to an iron plate filled with oil and burning the rope with a candle.

"When the candlelight burns the hemp rope, the iron plate will fall over and the oil will be ignited, and then a fire will start."

Li Ming scratched his head:

"In this case, it will be difficult to determine the time of the crime..."

"No. Based on the evidence at the scene, we can still reconstruct the scene and roughly estimate the time when the arson actually took place."

Di Renjie continued:
“Fortunately, the fire was put out quickly, so the traces of the fire were preserved relatively intact.

"Based on the marks on the broken hemp rope, we can measure that the rope is about five inches thick. Based on the amount of remaining wax, we can infer that the candle is about a foot long and is made of paraffin produced near Tangshan Port.

“This kind of candle is sold in the market.

"So, we bought a batch of identical candles, tied an iron plate filled with tung oil with hemp ropes of the same thickness."

Li Ming guessed the other party's idea:

"You want to do an experiment?"

Di Renjie nodded:

“Yes, more than once.

“We used the same configuration as the arsonists, in the same humid typhoon weather, and burned the hemp rope that tied the oil pan a hundred times.

"Count all the times when the burnout occurred one hundred times and calculate the arithmetic average..."

Ahhh, my head hurts so much, master, please stop reading... Li Ming, a liberal arts student, got a splitting headache when he heard the word "arithmetic".

"What's the conclusion?"

Li Ming couldn't stand the evil sound anymore and couldn't help interrupting.

"The conclusion is that it takes about quarter of an hour from setting up the mechanism to burning the rope and causing an observable fire," said Di Renjie.

Li Ming nodded slightly:

"Two quarters of an hour, that is, a quarter past five...

"What happened then?"

In Li Ming's memory, nothing seemed to have happened.

That evening, ministers from the Ming and Tang sides were having a cordial, friendly and in-depth exchange. Nothing special happened in the banquet hall and Li Ming did not pay attention to the time.

Even if you pay attention, it's useless because there is no big clock hanging on the wall.

The only thing that can be confirmed is that no minister left early at that time.

He dared to go out to urinate when the emperor was hosting his first dinner party. People with this kind of EQ will basically say goodbye to the political stage.

"At that time, it was just time for the singers and dancers who were performing to entertain the banquet to leave the stage," said Di Renjie.

"Oh." Li Ming nodded, "And then?"

“Then, the location.”

Di Renjie continued his analysis in a clear and logical manner.

"The location of the fire is relatively easy to determine. It is where the guards first discovered the fire, and it is also where the small mechanism was discovered.

"In the corner of the woodshed, on the corridor leading to the back door of the kitchen."

In order to avoid chaos and opportunities for bad guys to take advantage of the situation, the woodshed was closed during the banquet, and the coal used for cooking was already prepared in the kitchen so that the chefs could use it at any time.

Anyway, coal has a high calorific value and can be easily burned out, so there is no need to go in and out of the woodshed to get it.

Li Ming nodded:
"Just as I expected, that person did not have the authority to enter and exit the woodshed, so he must be an outsider.

"Then, it's time to describe the crime."

Then, it can’t be said in a few words.

"I roughly reconstructed the situation at the scene by asking the people who were present at the time."

Di Renjie picked up a pen and paper and started drawing.

With just a few strokes, a sketch that included the food bureau, firewood room and the central corridor appeared on the paper.

"According to inquiries, around the time when the actors left the stage after their performance, the palace maids were serving dishes. At this critical juncture, there was some confusion in the kitchen."

As he spoke, Di Renjie pointed at a few more points on the structural sketch.

"This is the exact position where each palace servant stood at that time. This is the layout I restored on the spot after cross-confirmation from multiple parties.

"These dots represent guards, who stay in place all the time. These dots represent palace maids, who move back and forth between the hall and the kitchen. All the imperial kitchen staff stay by the stove. Although they move around, they strictly abide by the rules and never leave the kitchen..."

As Di Renjie was talking, he drew arrows on the sketch and marked timestamps next to them, representing the movement patterns of each person at different points in time.

When recounting the case, he held his head high and chest puffed out, full of energy, none of his usual humble and timid appearance.

Li Ming listened quietly, his face was calm, but he was surprised in his heart——

Although Di Renjie spoke lightly, he seemed to casually point a few points on the sketch.

He has restored every moment and every specific location of every person before the incident!
How much work this would take, just thinking about it makes my scalp tingle...

"So, based on everyone's cross-testimony—"

Di Renjie turned the sketch to Li Ming and drew a circle at the location representing the "woodshed".

The entire map has been densely drawn by the famous detective, filled with dots, movement lines and time stamps.

However, the area around the woodshed was clean and there was no trace of anything.

“This basically proves the correctness of your majesty’s reasoning.

“When the arson occurred, none of the guards, palace maids, and royal kitchen staff had the opportunity to approach the woodshed.

"Someone else set the fire."

Ah this...Li Ming's mouth twitched.

After going through so much trouble, I guess it's to prove or disprove my reasoning?

"Yeah, that's right. There's nothing wrong with doing this, it's more rigorous." Li Ming patted his younger brother's shoulder encouragingly.

Even the wisest can make mistakes. Li Ming's reasoning is nothing but a blind guess without any basis.

If this is treated as a golden rule that cannot be changed, or even as a guideline for handling cases, and ultimately delays the trial of the case, then it will be a lifetime.

Even though Di Renjie always calls the Emperor "Your Majesty Mingge", when it comes to doing real work, he will not take the Emperor's farts as the legal standard.

Seeking truth from facts is the quality that Li Ming admires most in Di Renjie.

"So, who is this 'someone else' you are talking about?"

Back to the topic, Li Ming asked:

"At that time, if the person who approached the woodshed was not a palace guard or a minister, then who could it be?"

Li Ming asked:
"How did you find out that the man was related to Baekje?"

Di Renjie took out a thick stack of documents.

"Your Majesty's reasoning is completely correct. There was no traitor among the servants in the government office. The ministers were all gathered in the banquet hall at the time, and no suspicious things were found for the time being.

"However, according to the office's entry and exit records, these people were not the only ones in the State Council Office that night."

Li Mingchao glanced at the document and found that it was a list of names.

A roster recording the entry and exit of personnel in various areas of the State Council Yamen.

Li Ming's idea of ​​governing the country and managing officials is "loose on the outside, tight on the inside" - on the surface, he is relaxed and easy-going, without any imperial airs.

In fact, military politics, spy politics, and authoritarian politics all exist, but they are all in the dark and not easy to be detected at the first time.

And this characteristic is naturally reflected in the guard system of the State Council Office.

In name, there is only one gatekeeper at the access control station, who registers outsiders entering and leaving the yamen.

But in fact, the areas where outsiders can move are restricted, and there are secret guards in each block. Anyone who crosses the restricted area will be stopped immediately.

This is especially true for the Shangshi Bureau where the imperial chefs work.

Not only are outsiders absolutely prohibited from approaching, but even for non-outsiders, when they pass through different areas such as the "kitchen", "corridor", and "woodroom", there are special sentries secretly observing and recording.

Together with the Ming Sentinels, they wove a non-intrusive yet impenetrable protective network for the core of the empire.

And now, this network has provided important clues for the investigation of the case.

"According to records, in addition to palace maids and ministers, there were other people who were allowed to approach - or, in other words, were allowed to pass by the Shangshi Bureau and the surrounding corridors."

Di Renjie said.

Li Ming raised his eyebrows: "Who?"

"Other personnel." Di Renjie said.

"For example, the actors who left the stage at that time were the ones who were allowed to temporarily pass through the corridor of the Shangshi Bureau."

Li Ming: "Are they actors? No, they have nothing to do with Baekje..."

Di Renjie: “…Your Majesty, I am just using them as an example.

"In addition to the actors, there was another person who passed through that corridor during that time period."

"Who?"

"The kitchen helper who killed the chicken!"

"chicken?"

Li Ming's tongue tip was immediately filled with the unique coarse fiber texture of boiled chicken breast.

A kitchen helper who specializes in killing Baekje's black-bone chickens? ?

"On the day of the grand banquet, the Baekje black-bone chickens are always killed first. When preparing a banquet for Your Majesty and the ministers, no matter what the final taste is, the raw materials must be the freshest."

Di Renjie quietly criticized Ming's fat-reducing and muscle-building meal and continued to reason:

“But if we kill a chicken in the kitchen of Shangshiju, it will cause chaos and seriously affect the chef’s cooking.

“So usually the kitchen helper will process the raw meat in the courtyard and immediately serve it to the chef.

"And according to the internal regulations of the Shangshi Bureau..."

Di Renjie pulled out a second thick booklet from his bosom—on it was clearly written “Regulations on Logistics Management of the State Council Yamen”—and began flipping through it.

“According to the rules and regulations, after the kitchen helper has processed the chicken in the presence of no less than two guards, the kitchen helper himself will deliver the meat to the back kitchen via a specific route, accompanied by the guards.

"This move is to plug the loophole that any party could add poison to the chicken. Having the kitchen helpers deliver the chicken and the guards escort it is also to let the people from the two departments supervise each other and eliminate the risk of a single department being infiltrated."

Di Renjie said:

“Moreover, the route for delivering meat happened to pass through the corridor leading to the back door of the Shangshi Bureau from the woodshed.

"In the confusion, he had plenty of time to slip into the shadows of the woodshed and set up the little mechanism for making the fire.

"more importantly."

Di Renjie swallowed and continued.

"According to records, no one other than the Baekje kitchen helper approached the woodshed during that time period."

(End of this chapter)