A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 319 Two Birds with One Stone

Song Xuan looked up at Ban Feng's head, which was exposed after he removed the tile.

The murderer used a rope to drop down from the gap between the tiles, demonstrating extreme agility and suggesting that he was not overly obese.

If he has committed these crimes over the years, he must be quite old, at least close to forty.

After all, murders in bathrooms have been occurring since the reign of Emperor Zhenzong.

The problem is that Song Xuan cannot make a judgment immediately.

Is this the same perpetrator, or is it a copycat crime?

Song Xuan stood below, deep in thought.

The bathhouse owner stood to one side, feeling a chill run down his spine.

As someone who runs a bathhouse, he naturally knew about these kinds of cases.

But this place is for high-ranking officials and nobles.

How could the murderer be so blinded by greed as to insist on working at his own bathhouse?
"My lord."

Coroner Yin Ze gave a report at the scene:

"The victim was bled out before his heart was removed."

"Judging from the knife wound, the murder weapon was specially made. Based on previous case files, it seems to be a weapon used by pirates from Lingnan. No other new clues have been found."

After finishing his speech, coroner Yin Ze stood aside, waiting for Song Xuan to make a decision.

The water in the bath had long since turned light red, but fortunately there was enough water in the pool to dilute the concentration of the blood.

Was the killer's method professional?

"Uh, extremely professional."

Song Xuan nodded: "Such a professional murder, the method is extraordinary."

"Butchers, soldiers, and killers who aren't registered in the household register."

Coroner Yin Ze nodded repeatedly.

What the master said makes sense; I hadn't even thought of that.

After all, judging from the method used, it's clear that the perpetrator is a repeat offender.

Besides, he couldn't be bothered to think about it since the case hadn't been solved after so many years.

This perpetrator has been committing crimes all along, but the timing is unpredictable, and his motives are unknown.

Song Xuan then asked, "Is it live bloodletting?"

"This scoundrel hasn't made a judgment yet."

"Row."

Ban Feng also came down from the roof and reported the situation:

"My lord, according to the shopkeeper, the deceased Li Yuan arrived close to four in the morning. He smelled strongly of alcohol and had ordered a body scrub service. After the scrub, he fell asleep on the bamboo chair."

"Ah."

Song Xuan nodded, then spoke:
"Send someone to ask the watchman in charge of this area if he has noticed this place."

"Here."

At dawn, the watchman is to strike the gong.

"Shopkeeper, besides us, has anyone else come into this room?"

"Gone."

The shopkeeper quickly spoke up:

"So that you may know, sir, that Li Yuan is a newly appointed scholar, and that I wish to curry favor with him and serve him personally."

"This morning, I was so frightened when I saw it that I immediately sent someone to report to the authorities. I didn't dare to go in at all."

"Okay, go and get some more wood ash."

"immediately."

The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief; he had thought Song Xuan would interrogate him thoroughly.

After all, Master Song had little experience in solving cases.

"County Commandant Ban, go and ask the bathhouse attendants about the details, paying special attention to the time."

"Yes."

When the shopkeeper arrived, Song Xuan took the winnowing basket.

He personally sprinkled the solution little by little around the body to check for any footprints.

In any case, the murderer would never commit the crime barefoot.

Coroner Yin Ze was quite surprised to see Song Xuan's behavior.

The top scholar in front of me doesn't look like a normal county magistrate.

What kind of normal county magistrate would do this kind of investigation and autopsy?
With a wave of his hand, he simply handed over the instructions.

If the case is successfully solved, it's thanks to the county magistrate; if it's not solved, then the county lieutenant will have to be put under pressure.

It's because you guys are incompetent.

Yin Ze has served in Kaifeng County for many years. After all, being a coroner (forensic doctor) is a technical job, and few people are willing to learn it.

They all consider it unlucky.

Although he was only a mediocre worker, he had been in the county government for almost twenty years.

But I have never seen a county magistrate personally come up with a solution to a case; it was always left to the county constable.

Many scholars who passed the imperial examinations were unwilling to see corpses, fearing that they would have nightmares and that this would interfere with their romantic pursuits.

It's unusual for Song Xuan to come here.

Not to mention he even personally investigated the case.

An ordinary person would be shocked to see such a pool of blood, along with a corpse whose heart had been removed.

Few people can resist the urge to stay away from it.

Seeing Song Xuan's actions, coroner Yin Ze secretly pondered that it was no wonder that the top scholar Song was willing to marry into a military family; it turned out that he was truly not afraid of the dead.

You have guts!
County Lieutenant Ban Feng didn't think Song Xuan would be afraid; he just thought Song Xuan was capable.

He immediately suggested that I go up there and take a look.

Otherwise, he would have spent several days just thinking about opening a skylight.

"The footprints on the two forefoot are still considered footprints."

Song Xuan put the winnowing basket aside and asked the coroner Yin Ze to make a rubbing of the half-shoe print.

It was found under the skylight.

The murderer was lowered down by a rope and stepped heavily onto the spot to leave his mark.

The coroner, Yin Ze, quickly instructed the shopkeeper to prepare paper and ink.

He saw Song Xuan squatting next to the corpse, examining the wounds.

"Yin Ze, let me teach you a little-known fact: when a person bleeds a living body, the wound will contract; when a person bleeds a dead body, the skin and flesh will turn white."

Upon hearing Song Xuan's words, coroner Yin Ze quickly said that he would remember them.

He genuinely felt that Song Xuan shouldn't know such obscure facts.

Could it be that he killed someone?

County Commandant Ban Feng was overjoyed.

As expected of my superior, who was able to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations, he is indeed well-read; he even knows this.

"My lord, please understand: when a living person is struck by a blade, the wound is like boiling water poured on snow, causing the skin and flesh to shrink rapidly;"

"When a dead person is slashed, the wound is like cutting rotten wood; the knife leaves no trace."

“Just now I observed that the edges of the deceased’s wound were rolled inward and not smooth enough, and there was blood splattering, which clearly indicates that the heart was taken while the person was still alive!”

With Ban Feng's immediate explanation, coroner Yin Ze felt somewhat ashamed.

As soon as he heard that a murder had occurred in the bathroom, he knew there was no hope for the outcome.

I was doing things the usual way, but I ended up with a boss who was too "responsible".

"That's right, I watched carefully when they slaughtered the pigs during the Chinese New Year."

Song Xuan picked up the coroner's tools, pried open the wound, and looked inside. The heart was indeed gone.

This was indeed the first time he had ever seen such a brutal case.

Tokyo is indeed too complicated.

"Yes, yes, live pigs taste better when the blood is drained completely."

Ban Feng didn't step forward, he just kept agreeing.

"My lord, the bathhouse attendant has been brought and is outside the door."

But Zhang, the head constable, lowered his voice and said:

“I noticed bloodstains on the hem of his clothes just now. Should we interrogate him?”

"Hmm, you guys go and investigate. I reckon it's unlikely to be him."

"Yes."

Song Xuan put down the tweezers and slowly withdrew from the pile of ashes.

He looked at Yin Ze and smiled:

"have you eaten?"

"No, I haven't eaten yet."

Coroner Yin Ze didn't know how to answer.

His perverse pleasure was asking the constables who came to help him eat, even in front of a corpse.

Today, I actually learned a lesson from Master Song.

"Alright, this is none of your business. Go and have some breakfast with your equipment."

"Yes."

Yin Ze went to tidy up his belongings, and after a while, he bowed again and said:

"In reply to your question, sir, I did not investigate properly just now. The main reason is that this kind of case has remained unsolved for more than ten years, all of which have been in vain. So I..."

"It's alright. Everyone wants to slack off sometimes. I wish there were no cases in Kaifeng County every day so I could just sit in the main hall and drink tea."

Hearing Song Xuan's words, Yin Ze felt much more at ease.

Song Xuan then patted Yin Ze on the shoulder:

"I'll allocate some money for you later. You can also mentor your apprentices, learn more about coroner's skills, and improve together. It will come in handy in the future."

"Yes, thank you, sir."

Yin Ze quickly expressed his gratitude, as he hadn't expected to receive such an unexpected reward.

As expected, Master Song was very generous.

“My lord, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, and the body of this scholar Li is likely to decompose.”

"Take him back to the county government office first, and notify his family to come and claim his body."

"Here."

Song Xuan followed Yin Ze out of the room and looked at the dark mass of people outside.

The people of Tokyo have always loved watching a spectacle.

"That bathroom murderer is back to wreak havoc."

"Yes, it's either digging out their hearts or tearing out their lungs."

"terrible."

"I heard that the one who died was a scholar who had passed the imperial examination."

"Pity!"

"Yes!"

"Luckily we went to the hot spring bathhouse; it's crowded and cheap there."

"Yes, yes, we can't come here again."

Regardless of the price, commerce was highly developed in the Song Dynasty, and businesses in the same industry had already formed a street-like structure.

Ma Xing Street was full of bathhouses, catering to people of all social classes in the Song Dynasty.

Song Xuan sized up the onlookers who were being held back by the constables.

The murderer liked to return to the crime scene; he had heard about it from science.

The perpetrator gained a perverse sense of satisfaction from observing the police investigation, public panic, and the discussions surrounding the events, thus gaining control over the situation.

Another is returning to the scene like an artist creating a work of art, reliving one's masterpiece, and deriving pleasure from recalling the details of the killing.

More cautious criminals will return to the scene to check if any evidence has been left behind, or observe the direction of the police investigation and adjust their self-protection strategy accordingly.

Song Xuan observed the group of people and suddenly spoke up:
"I am Song Xuan, the magistrate of Kaifeng County. According to the coroner, the murderer was left-handed."

"If any of you provide reliable clues, once confirmed, the Kaifeng County government will reward you with ten strings of cash. First come, first served."

Coroner Yin Ze was taken aback for a moment, then shut his mouth and said nothing.

He knew then that the money the official had promised was not easy to obtain.

He genuinely didn't know that the murderer was left-handed.

Although Yin Ze didn't understand why Song Xuan said that, he chose to keep quiet and cooperate with Song Xuan.

The onlookers started discussing again, focusing on the left-handedness and the ten-stringed coin.

One hundred strings of cash is too high. If one could earn ten strings of cash by providing useful information, then people would be willing to give it a try.

"Master Song, is it true?"

"I keep my word."

"But even the Kaifeng Prefecture couldn't find the murderer."

Song Xuan said with a serious expression, "Such a heinous murderer, if he killed a newly appointed scholar today, will he not kill ordinary people tomorrow?"

“I thought it was a new murder case, but the coroner told me that this person commits such murders from time to time.”

"Since he is a repeat offender and committed the crime during my term of office, I must do everything in my power to arrest him and bring him to justice."

"If any of you have any clues, please come to the Kaifeng County Government Office to collect your reward. If not, you may leave now."

As Song Xuan spoke, he also scanned the onlookers to see if anyone was paying special attention to him.

But to Song Xuan's disappointment, the other party was an experienced player with excellent mental fortitude; how could he be so easily tricked?

"My lord, shall I take my leave now?"

Yin Ze quickly left, fearing that some trouble might be thrown at him again.

"My lord, the bathhouse attendant said he left at five quarters past 1 AM."

Is it that accurate?

Song Xuan's question startled Ban Feng, who then received an explanation from the shopkeeper:
"So that you may know, sir, that my shop has a water clock, mainly to prevent the water in the pool from getting cold, so that we can boil water when needed. Also, they will register the customers after they finish serving them and arrange a time to meet them."

Song Xuan was quite surprised.

This is because this thing is mostly a standard that needs to be unified for the royal palace's daily routine, court meetings, and officials' get off work hours.

Therefore, whether in the palace or the county government office, there was always the incessant dripping sound of water from the water clock room.

Time, in turn, signifies power and rules.

Of course, this kind of thing isn't without its downsides.

In winter, the water freezes easily, making the timekeeping inaccurate; in summer, the high evaporation of water vapor also makes the timekeeping inaccurate.

"Take me to see it."

Song Xuan walked into a room and looked at the water clock, which was like a staircase from top to bottom.

The weather isn't too hot yet, so the timing should be accurate.

Song Xuan climbed the ladder to the roof of the house and sat there, looking around.

Ban Feng also served it with great care:

"My lord, you must be careful."

"Ah."

Song Xuan responded and stood up again, looking at the route the murderer took to enter and the traces of his retreat.

"His shoes were wet, and when he stepped on the roof ridge, he left a complete shoe print."

"Xu Xianchun, go down and get some more wood ash, and make a rubbing."

"Yes."

Wang Bao held the ladder from below; even an ordinary person wouldn't feel comfortable holding onto Song Xuan.

Song Xuan pointed to the courtyard wall: "What area is that over there?"

Ban Feng gazed into the distance for a while before finally speaking:
"So that you may know, sir, that is Panlou Street, which provides accommodation for merchants who sell birds of prey such as eagles and falcons. The rest are shops selling pearls, silks, spices, and medicinal herbs."

"This is Jieshen Lane, the trading center for gold, silver and silk in Tokyo. The buildings in this area are magnificent and the shops are spacious. I heard that the transaction amount is often tens of millions, which is astonishing."

“That place was originally the ordination platform of Xiangguo Temple, and also the residence of Lord Xinling of Wei.”

Song Xuan nodded. It seemed that Daxiangguo Temple also provided a bathing area.

"Are these birds of prey sold by Panlou from the Liao Dynasty?"

"That's what they say, just to sell at a high price, but only they know the truth."

"By the way, sir, they open their market at dawn every day. By this time, all kinds of wild game, as well as crabs, clams, and the like, have closed up shop. It should be various artisans coming to market to buy and sell odds and ends of raw materials."

"After lunch, various desserts will be available."

Song Xuan nodded. In short, from dawn until night, various markets were open, and the staff would change shifts at specific times.

"Inside there is also the largest entertainment district in the entire capital, the Sang Family Entertainment District."

"I have heard of Sangjia Wazi."

Ban Feng excitedly explained to Song Xuan that Sangjia Wazi was originally the residence of Sang Weihan, an important official of the Later Jin Dynasty during the Five Dynasties period.

Sang Weihan served as prime minister twice, wielding immense power and accepting numerous bribes.

When the Khitan destroyed the Later Jin dynasty, Sang Weihan was strangled to death in his residence.

As dynasties changed and the world changed, his residence was transformed into a theater in Bianjing (Kaifeng) during the Northern Song Dynasty, capable of accommodating thousands of people to watch at the same time.

"The most famous one in the Wazi is Zhang Qisheng. His illusion magic is the most thrilling and exciting. He can chop off a child's head and then reattach it, and he can also grow watermelons and the like."

Ban Feng became more and more excited as he spoke, completely forgetting that they had come out to investigate a murder case.

Song Xuan would occasionally respond, watching Xu Xianchun make the rubbings.

"Twelfth Brother, the rubbing is done."

Xu Xianchun carefully arranged them and waited for them to dry.

"Make several copies to avoid damage."

"Yes."

Song Xuan sat on the roof, looking down at the bathhouse through the open hole.

In cases like this, it's difficult to attribute it to revenge killings or murders for money; it can only be described as indiscriminate killing.

Especially the method of "extracting the heart from the living".

Could it be that they're going to learn the Eight Trigrams and "alchemy" like foreigners?
As a result, the alchemy furnace was placed incorrectly!
Since it was taken away with a heart, it must be placed in a small box, it can't be carried in a bag, can it?

This makes it easier for bloodstains to show.

When Song Xuan was standing below, he didn't see any traces of blood dripping down.

There were no traces of blood on the roof ridge either.

Wooden box?

"My lord, there is something I do not understand."

"speak."

Song Xuan sat on the roof ridge, looking at the buildings in the distance. The murderer must be operating in that area.

After killing people, do they go back and sell all sorts of wild game?
Anyway, many people don't know what a human heart looks like.

Even if you say it's a pig's heart, plenty of people will believe it.

"Isn't it a bit too perverse?"

Song Xuan's words left Ban Feng somewhat bewildered.

"My lord, what you just said is true?"

Song Xuan's gaze was somewhat vacant: "What's the use of this heart that was dug out?"

"I don't know."

Song Xuan held up his finger:
"Is it for sacrificial purposes, medicine making, or is it for your own taste and enjoyment, or is it a perverse pleasure to feed it to others?"

"I can't think of any other uses for the heart."

Ban Feng had never thought about this question in depth, but upon hearing the last two, he still subconsciously gagged.

He had only ever heard of eating human hearts in the entertainment district.

In particular, in Journey to the West, the White Deer Spirit, the father-in-law of the Kingdom of Biqu, planned to use the hearts and livers of more than a thousand children as a medicinal ingredient to prolong their lives.

But that's just a story; who would take it seriously?
Now reality has arrived, and Ban Feng feels he doesn't want to drink mutton soup for a while.

"Alright, let's take a look around Panlou Street. We might have lunchtime before we know it."

"Yes."

Song Xuan took the shoe print that Xu Xianchun handed him and examined it carefully.

"Xu Xianchun, take the rubbings along with Li Yuan's body back to the county government office. I'll take some men for a stroll around the streets."

"Here."

Song Xuan climbed down the ladder and had Yu Gao lead people to take statements, interview the surrounding people, ask if they had found anyone suspicious, and also publicize the reward money issued by the Kaifeng County Government.

Then he led Wang Baobanfeng and several yamen runners to the extremely bustling Panlou Street.

Despite being named after Panlou, it is not one of the seventy-two official stores.

With yamen runners clearing the way, those in front naturally knew to give way.

As Ban Feng said, the place is bustling and extremely difficult to move around in.

There are valuable items such as clothing, calligraphy and paintings, rare objects, rhinoceros horns, and jade, as well as other daily necessities.

And some inexpensive textiles.

Women's headdresses, crowns, combs, collar ornaments, etc., worn by noblemen.

During the Song Dynasty, people often ate gourd soup, a thick soup made by stewing gourd and mutton.

Because of the fierce competition, a child sat in front of each shop, constantly chanting, "Raise bones, raise bones..."
Customers are lured in by being served stewed bones that have been cooked until tender and the meat has fallen off the bone when they order gourd soup.

Inside the Eagle Shop, Zhe Jixuan raised his fist, as big as a sandbag.

Wang Yufeng, however, said nonchalantly, "Come on, come on, shoot this way!"

"If you don't hit me today, you're a son of a bitch."

Zhe Jixuan's fist was gripped by his cousin Yang Wenguang behind him:

"Cousin, please don't do it, please don't do it."

While his own cousin might not know who this person was, Yang Wenguang certainly did.

The arrogant and domineering young man in front of me is the brother-in-law of Liu Congde, the most powerful relative of the imperial family in the Song Dynasty.

Who would dare to mess with him?

Li Junyou sat to the side, completely unconcerned about the dispute.

What makes a son of a military family from out of town, who happens to be an unknown minor official, so arrogant?
"Young Master Wang, don't push your luck too far," Yang Wenguang said, barely suppressing his temper.

"How could I have gone too far!"

Wang Yufeng didn't care who this person was at all; he arrogantly said:

"I've taken a liking to this eagle, why should I sell it to you?"

"I'll start by looking at the ones with negotiable prices."

"After all this talk, have you paid yet?"

Hearing Wang Yufeng's words, Zhe Jixuan glared angrily:

"I'm trying to scrape together some money."

"If you don't have the money to buy, don't block other people's business."

Wang Yufeng refused to back down.

The onlookers also advised Zhe Jixuan not to take it too seriously.

They exchange money for goods; if you don't have money, what are you going to buy?

"The shop owner has already agreed to sell it to me, how can I go back on my word?"

Even though Zhe Jixuan said such things, people around him still advised him not to get into a conflict with Prefect Liu's brother-in-law.

Otherwise, you'll be in deep trouble.

Haven't you heard the saying, "A wise man submits to circumstances"?

Li Junyou chuckled and said that he was definitely on Wang Yufeng's side.

“Sir, please wait a few days. I will find another eagle of comparable quality and sell it to you.”

Zhe Jixuan slammed his fist on the counter in anger: "You've gone too far!"

The items on the counter were all shaken up.

Seeing his strength and courage, Wang Yufeng took two steps back.
"You stinking out-of-towner, coming all the way to the capital to beg for food, don't push your luck!"

"you."

Zhe Jixuan never expected that no one dared to speak to him like that within his "fiefdom," but when he arrived in Tokyo, he suffered no shortage of insults.

He was momentarily stunned, then his temper flared up: "I'll beat you to death."

"My lord."

Li Junyou quickly stood up and bowed to Song Xuan.

He tried his best to keep their relationship a secret from outsiders.

"The esteemed official has arrived."

Wang Yufeng followed Li Junyou's example and immediately bowed.

Yang Wenguang, pulling the furious Zhe Jixuan along, watched as Song Xuan walked into the store.

Everyone bowed in greeting.

Many say it's because the brother-in-law of the most powerful maternal relative in the Song Dynasty was surprisingly tactful enough to bow to Song Xuan.

The arrogant and domineering Wang Yufeng from just now was gone; he now looked like a little lamb, with a fawning smile on his face.

Everyone can see it.

Song Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, dismissing the two dejected men from formalities, and walked up to Zhe Jixuan:
"Under the emperor's very nose, in broad daylight, who do you want to kill?"

Hearing Song Xuan's questioning, Zhe Jixuan was speechless.

He owes Song Xuan a favor.

“Scholar Song, it was he who humiliated me several times. I was angry in a moment and never intended to kill him.”

"With your skills, you could kill him in three punches, do you believe me?"

Zhe Jixuan was confused by Song Xuan's words.

Is he praising himself?

"I...I haven't tried it, I don't know."

As Song Xuan listened to Zhe Jixuan's words, he became increasingly doubtful whether Zhe Jixuan, who was so easily angered and thoughtless, could actually do a good job of smuggling deep into Western Xia.

Li Yuanhao was not an emperor who could be easily fooled.

Wang Yufeng genuinely felt that Song Xuan's immediate targeting of this person was a sign of protecting him, which made him even more smug.

"Yang Wenguang, tell me what exactly happened."

"Yes."

Ban Feng quickly moved a chair over and invited Song Xuan to sit down.

Yang Wenguang honestly told the shopkeeper that his cousin had come to buy an eagle, and the shopkeeper said that as long as they could raise the money, they would keep it.

Just as they were raising the money, Wang Yufeng threw the money at them, saying he liked it and wanted to buy it.

The dispute began.

A minor conflict almost escalated into a major one.

Song Xuan glanced at Wang Yufeng, who was smiling obsequiously to the side, and then at Li Junyou:

"Didn't you know you should have stopped them!"

"My lord, it was me." Li Junyou hadn't expected to be questioned about this matter.

"I didn't realize Zhe Jixuan wasn't very bright. He's a military officer. If he gets carried away and kills Wang Yufeng with three punches, is that the result you want?"

"No, it's me."

Li Junyou quickly began to defend himself:
“My lord, when someone opens a shop to do business, they naturally sell to whoever has cash on hand. Who knows if they’ll be unreasonable?”

Song Xuan pointed at Wang Yufeng and said:

"He's being unreasonable because he's not very bright. Don't you know that a wise person avoids dangerous situations?"

"Do you really think that just because you have your brother-in-law protecting you, everyone will give you face?"

"If you run into a hothead, you won't even know how you died."

Wang Yufeng lowered his head, realizing that he had indeed acted inconsiderately after Song Xuan's words.

Anyway, in the whole of Tokyo, you're the only one who doesn't give my brother-in-law any face.

Even if he's unhappy about it, he has to put up with it on the surface.

Most of the time, people only hold themselves accountable to the source of power.

His power comes from the authorization of his superiors, and the only person he needs to please and be responsible to is his superiors.

Only in times of chaos is power truly exercised from the bottom up.

After reprimanding Li Junyou and Wang Yufeng, Song Xuan glanced at Zhe Jixuan:
"Don't you know to bring enough money when you go out?"

"I."

"Yang Wenguang, he doesn't have the brains, and neither do you?"

Yang Wenguang also felt somewhat aggrieved, and he kept holding onto his cousin.

However, my cousin's bravery was no less than mine, not to mention that he was depressed after being dismissed from his post and would easily get angry.

Everyone present was reprimanded by Song Xuan, and no one dared to say a word.

Song Xuan walked to the counter, looked at the shop owner, and said:
"You've sold the eagle to both sides, agreeing to both his demands."

"If you pull out another eagle, I will pardon you."

"If you can't produce it, I'll have to investigate your tax arrears on the spot."

The shopkeeper, not daring to offend Song Xuan, quickly spoke up:

"I'll go to the backyard and find one right away."

Ban Feng signaled to the constables to clear out all irrelevant personnel and prevent them from crowding in.

What if someone tries to steal my wallet or commit assassination?
Even if you just want to watch the excitement, go outside to see it.

After resolving the dispute, Song Xuan looked at Zhe Jixuan, who was still angry, and asked, "Why haven't you gone home yet?"

Zhe Jixuan cupped his hands slightly and said:

"So that Scholar Song would know, I wrote to my father, and my father asked me to buy an eagle and keep it by my side, so that it might come in handy in the future."

Song Xuan nodded: "Why do you want to buy an eagle?"

"I am interested in hunting."

Wang Yufeng didn't participate in the imperial examinations; he was just waiting for a hereditary official position: "I've already bought the hunting dogs, and I'll also have an eagle perched on my shoulder. How imposing!"

Song Xuan glanced at the eagle, then sized up Wang Yufeng:

"I'm afraid you won't be able to support the eagle's upright posture, and it will fall down. Then it will scold you."

"Hahaha."

Zhe Jixuan immediately burst into hearty laughter.

Wang Yufeng was convinced by Song Xuan's lectures, but he remained a spoiled brat when it came to others.

"Why are you laughing?"

Zhe Jixuan patted his broad shoulders with a smug expression.

"I'm energetic."

"Shut up, all you have in your head is muscle, not brain."

Hearing Song Xuan's sarcasm, Zhe Jixuan couldn't tell at first.

Is he praising himself or criticizing himself?

Yang Wenguang looked at Song Xuan with suspicion, because his own mother had said the same thing to him.

My cousin might not have grasped some things yet.

Li Junyou tried hard to suppress his laughter, afraid that he would burst out laughing.

In any case, Song Xuan attacked from both sides, sparing no one.

The onlookers outside were also whispering among themselves.

Wang Yufeng's performance confirms once again that Liu Congde has truly "gone soft" in front of Song Xuan.

The rumors are true.

Otherwise, Wang Yufeng wouldn't have transformed from a raging tiger into a docile kitten in front of Song Xuan.

Song Xuan looked at the falcon, which was actually a gyrfalcon.

They don't look like adults yet; perhaps they need to be fed for a while before a good bond can be formed.

"My lord, here is a baby eagle that is just a month old, named Da Hu."

The shopkeeper, accompanied by an experienced hawk feeder, came out from the backyard carrying a large cage.

Song Xuan looked the fledgling over and said, "I don't think it can fly yet."

"In reply to your question, sir, it takes two months to fly thirty feet before one can follow the big bird and learn to hunt."

"But those are kept on cliffs or tall trees, which pose a risk of falling, and can force them to practice flying."

"If they are raised artificially, the time will probably be longer."

"Moreover, this is an eagle that has been successfully bred in recent years, making it extremely precious."

Listening to the shopkeeper's words, Song Xuan nodded and looked at the eagle in the cage:

What do you usually feed them?

"Of course, it's some fresh meat."

Song Xuan pointed at the person carrying the birdcage: "He can't speak, is he mute?"

"In reply to your question, sir, he simply prefers to talk to eagles rather than people."

Listening to the shopkeeper's explanation, Song Xuan had a vague impression of the person who raised the eagles.

I recognized this person among the crowd of onlookers in the bathroom.

"He's quite an oddball."

Song Xuan stopped asking questions and sat back down in his chair.
"Wang Dalang, buying a baby eagle for a month now won't do you any good."

"Why don't you let this experienced eagle breeder raise it first, and then you can buy it when the time is right?"

"Besides, you've already wasted an eagle in your hands, so you might as well hand it over to someone more capable."

"I'll do whatever you say, my lord!"

Wang Yufeng naturally had no objection to this matter.

It's just for fun anyway.

Moreover, hunting is not a common activity in Tokyo.

The emperors of the Liao Dynasty devoted themselves to hunting throughout the four seasons.

However, due to the limitations imposed by the environment in the Central Plains, hunting in the Northern Song Dynasty was mostly used to demonstrate military power and for diplomatic occasions, and hunting activities were arranged to showcase national prestige.

There were two places where hunting was possible. One was Qionglin Garden, where deer, rabbits, and ducks were kept for the emperor and nobles to hunt.

There is another place in Yujin Garden in the south of the city, which has an archery hall and a training ground for animals. Emperors Taizu and Taizong once practiced archery here.

Song Xuan glanced at Zhe Jixun: "Gather the money and buy this eagle on the counter. Don't say I didn't protect you."

"Thank you, Scholar Song."

Zhe Jixuan beamed with joy, feeling that Song Xuan was looking out for him.

He eventually bought the finished eagle himself.

"Such a big mess happened today, almost resulting in a death. Give him a discount so you can do business and make amends."

"Yes."

After the transaction was completed, Song Xuan wasn't in a hurry:
"It's lunchtime, let's all go have lunch together."

Li Junyou and others were eager to go, and Yang Wenguang also wanted to go, but he hesitated for a moment because he was afraid that his cousin would say something thoughtless again.

Zhe Jixuan immediately agreed: "Okay, okay, I was just thinking of going to the Zhongshan Hotel. Shan Xiongxin's tomb is there, and I'd like to take a look."

Song Xuan raised an eyebrow. It was possible that Shan Xiongxin died in Luoyang, while his hometown was in Shandong, and that Xu Shiji had taken him back to his hometown for burial.

He felt it was unlikely that he would be buried in Kaifeng County.

Zhe Jixuan also heard people say that the jujube tree in front of Shan Xiongxin's tomb was a jujube tree that sprouted from his jujube spear.

Upon hearing this, Song Xuan felt even more convinced that Zhe Jixuan had been fooled.

Li Junyou and Wang Yufeng chuckled to themselves, wondering what kind of brain he had that made him believe such a thing.

They're so easily fooled.

In particular, can this weapon produce jujube trees?
This isn't just a simple attempt to fool idiots!

Wang Yufeng sighed: "Brother, I almost got beaten up by that idiot today. It's really embarrassing if word gets out."

Li Junyou suppressed a laugh, then patted Wang Yufeng on the shoulder with great sympathy:

"It's alright, with the high-ranking official here, a fight hasn't broken out, has it?"

"Next time, let's test whether our opponent has a brain before doing these things again."

"clear."

Song Xuan listened casually to Zhe Jixuan recounting the stories he had heard from others. He then turned to Ban Feng and said:

“Find a smart person to investigate that eagle breeder. I think something’s off about him.”

"it is good."

Ban Feng didn't press for details about what was wrong; he just wanted to get it done.

As the group walked to the shop, Song Xuan immediately asked the shopkeeper to prepare two tables.

They ate at one table, and the yamen runners ate at the other.

Li Junyou simply took the menu and let Song Xuan order.

After Song Xuan pointed to a restaurant, he asked Li Junyou to make the arrangements.

After ordering the food, Li Junyou started pouring the wine:

"We've become friends through this misunderstanding. May I ask how this hero is addressed?"

"My name is Zhe Jixuan, and this is my cousin Yang Wenguang."

"Oh, I've heard so much about you," Li Junyou replied politely.

Zhe Jixuan pressed on, asking, "Have you heard of my name?"

"I've heard of them; they're from a family of border generals."

Li Junyou had never heard of his name, but he certainly knew him by the two surnames together.

Zhe Jixuan chuckled a few times.

Yang Wenguang sighed inwardly. He was actually a little worried about whether his cousin could do a good job as a spy.

Because he is too easily fooled.

He's easily flattered and fawned over by others.

Song Xuan, holding the teacup, declined, saying, "I won't drink while I'm on duty. You guys drink yours. We still have to investigate a case later."

"What case?" Li Junyou immediately perked up.

He can help; he's an expert at gathering information.

"The case of extracting the heart from the living."

"Huh?" Li Junyou didn't understand.

Song Xuan then gave everyone a brief explanation of the case.

"I have heard about it."

Li Junyou hadn't heard much about this kind of thing either.

He wasn't interested in anything about dead people.

Zhe Jixuan, however, was hearing about this for the first time, and a look of confusion appeared on his face:

Why should we live to obtain the heart?

"do not know."

Song Xuan put down his teacup:
"The previous county magistrates and prefects failed to catch the murderer, so we naturally don't know why."

"I had hoped that things would remain calm and that I could focus on dealing with the Yellow River project and the verdict in the Dragon Boat Festival murder case. I never expected such a murder to happen so suddenly."

“My lord, I remember now. This Li Yuan seems to have married a high-ranking official in the capital. He is returning from his hometown to visit his family after the wedding before taking up his post.”

Wang Yufeng provided Song Xuan with the following clues:
"I can't remember who boasted that their brother-in-law was a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and that he had this name and did quite well on the exam."

He didn't want to talk about this kind of topic at the dinner table.

They would discuss whether to jump ship or stay on the ship after his father returned from his post.

"it is good."

Song Xuan responded.

He was planning to take stock of Li Yuan's network of connections in Tokyo.

Was the killer's choice of target random or meticulously planned?

Random killing is really difficult to handle.

Yang Wenguang raised his teacup and said cautiously:
"My lord, I have a private matter to ask you."

"explain."

"Have you talked to Zhang Tanhua recently? How many people has he visited?"

Listening to Yang Wenguang's question:

"You mean Zhang Fangping?"

"Correct."

Song Xuan shook his head: "Zhang Dalang is very busy right now. He is often helped back by others and goes straight to sleep at night."

"Your Yang family also invited him?"

"That's true, so I want to find out more information indirectly so I can prepare in advance."

Yang Wenguang readily admitted that it was such an excellent opportunity.

How could he let it go?

Even hitting three consecutive numbers is not as good as hitting three consecutive tails.

However, those who ranked third in the imperial examination were from one of the most powerful groups in the entire Song Dynasty.

Zhang Fangping's approach was particularly targeted at families of military officers.

Which family would appear overly indifferent?

Everyone was hoping Zhang Fangping would make the decision immediately and stop looking at other options.

Li Junyou looked at Yang Wenguang and thought, "You have quite the big ideas."

Do you really want Zhang Fangping, the third-ranked scholar, to become your Yang family's son-in-law?
Don't even think about it.

Tokyo is the territory of the Imperial Guards. When did it become your family's place to snatch people here?

However, Li Junyou wouldn't easily utter such hurtful words.

Especially since Song Xuan organized this gathering, it means that Song Xuan is not taken seriously either.

Li Junyou didn't want to offend anyone, and although Song Xuan was broad-minded enough, there was no need for it.

"By the way, Scholar Song, are there many murders in the capital city of Tokyo?"

Zhe Jixuan said slowly, "I see all kinds of dead people every day."

"There should be quite a lot."

Song Xuan said with a rather helpless expression:

“I only take charge of cases if someone reports them. Otherwise, I have no idea how many people die on the street. Like the person who was killed today, I have absolutely no clue about him.”

(End of this chapter)