Because it was raining and the body was only discovered two days later, the footprints on the ground had long since disappeared. The only things that could be found were the sword and saber marks that couldn't be erased.
Ye Jingtang carefully examined the scene for a long time, and then leaped over the courtyard wall.
Dongfang Liren and the official officers all looked over in confusion.
Shua—
The sound of a saber being drawn came from outside the wall, and then a figure soared into the air.
Ye Jingtang's robe fluttered. Holding the saber in one hand, he pounced like a hawk on a rabbit, stabbing straight at the flowers in the courtyard with the saber.
Whoosh—
The blade accurately stabbed at the broken branches and leaves in the flower bed. Then the blade lifted up and suddenly stopped, and his right elbow struck the air beside him.
Bang~
His robe trembled!
Then the saber stabbed out again, grazing past the eaves and corridor pillars, perfectly matching the marks on the pillars.
The "imaginary enemy" being attacked seemed to realize that it couldn't defeat Ye Jingtang and tried to escape outside the courtyard wall.
Ye Jingtang immediately leaped into the air, swept the saber horizontally. The tip of the saber swept across the courtyard wall, forcing the "enemy" to the ground. Then he raised his left hand and slapped to the side, pointing at the window of the main house...
At first, Dongfang Liren and many official officers were a bit confused, but they quickly understood that this was a recreation of the fight between the murderer and the victim. Their eyes gradually turned into looks of surprise and suspicion.
Since there was no real opponent, many movements simply couldn't be made by one person. After Ye Jingtang slapped out with his palm, he stopped his movement, put the saber back into its sheath with his backhand, and thought for a moment:
"Hmm... The deceased used a short stick such as a walking stick or a wooden stick. The murderer's weapon is most likely a straight saber with a reverse edge on the blade tip. The tip of the saber is no different from that of a sword, but the latter part has a blade back.
"The blade back can't sever an arm, so the first strike didn't choose to slash upwards like a sword. Instead, the murderer used an elbow strike to repel the enemy. Judging from the height of the marks on the pillar, if the murderer has a normal body proportion, his height is probably about the same as the tip of my nose.
"After the murderer intercepted the attack in the air, he landed and moved sideways to avoid the counter-thrust. But he didn't get injured in the chest. So the murderer is either a man or a woman with a flat chest..."
"..."
Many official officers present were stunned and whispered:
"He's amazing..."
"Except for the difference between the sword and the saber, the other inferences are exactly the same as those of the adults..."
"He didn't even look at the body. How did he judge that the murderer used an elbow strike and a palm strike?"
"It should be inferred from the angle of force, the moving distance of the deceased, and the degree of damage to the building. This young master has probably been in a lot of fights..."
"Oh..."
...
Yuwen Chengde hesitated, as if he wanted to refute a few words, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn't find a reason.
Dongfang Liren looked at Ye Jingtang talking with confidence and the looks of admiration in the eyes of many constables. A glimmer of light appeared in her eyes, just like the last time she saw Ye Jingtang defeat Blood Bodhi with two saber strikes.
And this time, Ye Jingtang didn't let her down again. After finishing his analysis, he looked at everyone:
"I can confirm that the murderer used a saber, and his martial arts skills are definitely higher than you think. If he really wanted to kill, the deceased wouldn't have had a chance to fight back. Since there are marks left, I guess the murderer wanted to ask for some information and had to keep the deceased alive first."
As Ye Jingtang spoke, he walked into the room and squatted down beside the body covered with a white cloth. He lifted the cloth and saw the white-haired deceased. There was a dark bruise under the armpit, a palm print on the chest, and all the finger bones were broken, obviously indicating that the deceased had been tortured.
"It seems my guess is right."
Ye Jingtang turned to look outside the door:
"Does anyone have any objections?"
"..."
Facing this kind of clairvoyant-like insight, the official officers and coroners present had no objections. Instead, they all showed looks of amazement:
"Young master has sharp eyes."
"If it weren't for His Highness Jingwang being here, I would have thought that the young master was the one who killed the person himself..."
...
In the face of everyone's praise, Dongfang Liren felt a sense of pride. She turned her head and asked:
"What was the murderer searching for?"
"Zhao De used to serve in the Tiannan Army. He was in charge of building a lot of city defenses. Later, he was promoted to the Ministry of Works and participated in the renovation of the Imperial City."
Yuwen Chengde squatted down opposite the body and motioned to the dark palm print on the deceased's chest:
"The palm strike that sent Zhao De into the room seems to be the 'Roaming Palm', a unique skill of Zhang Henggu from Nanshan Tiegua. The murderer is most likely a member of the Pingtian Sect, searching for a way to break into Yanzhou City or assassinate someone in the palace..."
Dongfang Liren frowned, came to the body, and looked down at it:
"It does seem to be the Roaming Palm. This is no small matter. Issue an order to search from house to house..."
"Wait a moment!"
Before Dongfang Liren could finish her words, more than ten official officers saw Young Master Ye, the "Divine Judge with an Iron Mouth", raise his hand again:
"There's something wrong with this palm technique too."
"..."
Both inside and outside the room fell silent, waiting for Ye Jingtang to express his opinion.
Although they had just confirmed that Ye Jingtang was an insightful expert, there was still a hint of doubt in everyone's eyes.
Zhang Henggu from Nanshan Tiegua was originally a Taoist boy in the Qin Tianjian of the Great Yan Dynasty and later became a founding elder of the Pingtian Sect. Before the leader of the Pingtian Sect emerged, he had been walking in the martial arts world, recruiting soldiers and buying horses, and had dealt with the government for decades. The Six Gates could probably dig out several large boxes of relevant records about the Roaming Palm from the case archives, so it was impossible to misidentify it.
No matter how Dongfang Liren looked at it, she thought it was the Roaming Palm, but she didn't dare to refute such an outstanding person. She just asked softly:
"Where did you see the problem this time?"
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes — from my identity as a half-undercover of the Pingtian Sect...
Ye Jingtang had an ambiguous relationship with the wife of the leader of the Pingtian Sect. If the Pingtian Sect wanted to find a way into the palace or get the city defense map, no matter how one thought about it, they should have used the beauty trap to extract information from his mouth.
Coming to the capital to kill a minor official and force him to ask questions, and being easily discovered by the government about their identity and purpose, wasn't this seeking trouble the hard way and being extremely foolish? Uncle Song wouldn't do such a clumsy thing.
Ye Jingtang guessed that someone was doing bad things in the capital and deliberately framed the rebels of the Pingtian Sect, hiding the motive and making the government misjudge.
But this line of speculation couldn't be explained. Facing everyone's gaze like they were looking at a master, Ye Jingtang could only look profound and examine the palm print on the chest:
"The Roaming Palm emphasizes the soft power of using four ounces to defeat a thousand catties. Although there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this palm strike, I feel it's very strange."
Dongfang Liren blinked her eyes:
"Based on the feeling of the palm strike?"
"Your Highness is indeed intelligent." Ye Jingtang nodded with satisfaction.
Praised by Ye Jingtang, Dongfang Liren slightly curved the corners of her mouth. Then, realizing she wasn't being serious, she resumed her dignified and noble appearance.
Ye Jingtang continued: "Moreover, the thief pretended to be a swordsman to hide his true identity. He wouldn't use such a signature unique palm technique to expose his origin. This palm technique is most likely forged, intended to frame others and divert attention."
Everyone present was half-believing and half-doubting about these words.
Yuwen Chengde thought for a moment, took a step forward, and said:
"Young master has sharp eyes, and your statement is also reasonable and well-founded. But I really can't agree. I have been an official in the yamen for twenty years and have seen the marks of the Roaming Palm. I confirm that this is the unique Roaming Palm of the Pingtian Sect. You said it's forged. Can you point out where the problem lies?"
Ye Jingtang shook his head: "I'm not good at palm techniques. I can't tell where the problem is for now. I need to go back and study it further."
Dongfang Liren believed Ye Jingtang's judgment more, but there was conclusive evidence in front of her. After a moment of hesitation, she had to speak:
"Meng Jiao."
Whoosh~~
A gust of cold wind blew into the room, and an old woman with white hair landed in the room silently.
The constables present, as if they had seen the King of Hell, quickly bowed and saluted.
The old woman with white hair hunched over and walked forward to examine the wound on the chest:
"Hmm... Based on my experience, this is indeed the Roaming Palm, in the same line as Zhang Henggu's. However, since Young Master Ye can see something strange, it shows that there might indeed be something fishy behind it, and we can't jump to conclusions."
The old woman with white hair had long seen that Ye Jingtang's talent and understanding were far beyond her own. So even though she was sure in her heart that it was Zhang Henggu's palm technique, she didn't dare to be too decisive in her words.
Seeing that the old woman with white hair, who was known as the "Listening One", said this, Ye Jingtang knew that this palm technique was most likely real. He had to go back and ask Lady Luo about the inside story. For now, he could only say:
"I might have misjudged. I'll go back and think about it carefully. When I have some ideas, I'll come back to conduct another autopsy and continue to discuss with you all."
Dongfang Liren nodded slightly: "You all continue to examine the scene. If you find any new clues, report to me and Young Master Ye immediately."
"Yes."
Yuwen Chengde cupped his hands and said: "May I ask the young master's honorable name? If I encounter any difficulties and come to ask for advice, I hope the young master can help me solve the problems."
"Ye Jingtang from the Black Yamen. I don't dare to say I can solve problems. I just happen to know a little bit about these things..."
...
——
A moment later, in the carriage.
The ticking raindrops fell outside the carriage.
Ye Jingtang rested his elbow on his knee and sat by the carriage window, with a cold expression and deep eyes, gently rubbing his fingers.
Dongfang Liren had been full of anger when she went out, but she became much more obedient when she came back.
At this moment, she sat upright with her hands folded on her legs, looking at Ye Jingtang's profile. She looked like a princess who didn't dare to disturb her husband when he was thinking about important matters. It wasn't until Ye Jingtang came back to his senses that she asked softly:
"Have you thought of anything?"
Ye Jingtang was indeed thinking about something, but it was about the wound on Second Master Cheng's forehead. Seeing Benben looking at him full of anticipation, he felt a bit embarrassed:
"I haven't thought of anything yet. I still need to think about it. As soon as I have some clues, I'll tell Your Highness immediately."
"Don't be in a hurry. Handling a case sometimes depends on a flash of inspiration. I really didn't expect that you have the potential to be a divine constable. Keep up the good work in the future. If you can solve this case, I'll give you the Minglong Spear."
Mentioning giving something, Ye Jingtang remembered that he had bought a hairpin today. Unfortunately, Chen Biao was holding it for him, and he didn't have it with him. He could only give it tomorrow.
Ye Jingtang turned to look at Dongfang Liren. Seeing that she was very happy, he thought for a moment and pushed his luck:
"I don't need the Minglong Spear. I prefer using a saber. If Your Highness really wants to reward me, can you give me that book..."
?
The warm smile on Dongfang Liren's face froze. She remembered things like "Jade Tree in the Back Courtyard" and other related matters, and a hint of murderous intent gradually appeared in her eyes...
Sensing that something was wrong, Ye Jingtang quickly raised his hand:
"Just kidding. I'm going back now. I'll come to the Black Yamen to pay my respects to Your Highness on time tomorrow. Farewell."
With that, he turned around and got out of the carriage.
Dongfang Liren clenched her hands under her sleeves. It wasn't until the sound of Ye Jingtang's footsteps disappeared that she let out a soft snort...