Anatomy of flowers

  "Report to the official." Nie Qiuyuan said.

  We did nothing further but stood quietly at the gate waiting for the arrival of the government officials.

  I feel a little excited, but also a bit depressed. Am I really cursed? In just a few short months, wherever I go, there's always a murder case?

  "Are you afraid?" Qiu suddenly asked.

  My heart skipped a beat again. I heard that someone had died, and instinctively I immediately became spirited, completely forgetting that I was a delicate beauty! This kind of performance of squeezing through the door gap, how can I face the concern of my male god?!

  "I... I..." I had a sudden burst of inspiration, "Firefly doesn't want to be a burden on his brother, no fear!"

  I put on a brave face.

  "His breath was stifled for a moment before he said: 'Alright then, if you're afraid, just say it out loud. Let Mei Lan accompany you back.'"

  I "firmly" shook my head.

  The county town was not big, and the officials arrived quickly. Someone had died in the shop, which was unlucky and a big deal, so the boss had been waiting at the door with an umbrella for some time.

  "Hu Bao Tou, thank you for your trouble! After I'm done with the busy work, I'll have wine and water ready to spend the night. I've just brought in some top-notch liquor..."

  "Alright!" Hu Bao Tou was a tall and sturdy man, "Cut the nonsense, where is he?"

  The shop owner was busy leading the officials to the scene. Hu Captor, accompanied by a group of captors, stood at the door of the house and found that we were still standing there, feeling very surprised.

  "Who are you? Don't stand here for no reason, or I'll report you for obstructing official business!"

  What a modern line!

  Nie Qiuyuan calmly took out the official document and seal: "I am Nie Qiuyuan, the newly appointed magistrate of Yiquan County, passing through Baodi, coincidentally encountered this matter, willing to lend a hand."

  Actually, this remark was quite polite. Hu caught a glimpse of the official document and seal, found it to be genuine, and looked very surprised.

  Yiquan County Magistrate is on an equal footing with Hu's superior, Fengxian County Magistrate, and must bow his head and obey when they meet.

  But this Ikawa county magistrate looks like he's only twenty years old? This is too young! Moreover, the group of people standing here are all handsome men and beautiful women!

  I think Hu Bao Tou must be thinking that in his heart! Because he looked at Nie Qiu Yuan's eyes with surprise, it made me feel very pleased and proud.

  Hú Bǔtóu fell silent for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed, saying: "Please, sir!"

  He kicked the door down with one swift motion of his foot.

  This is not because Lu Daquan is acting rashly, but the door is locked from the inside. If the kicking technique is high, it's the fastest and most convenient way.

  The room was dark and gloomy, with the peony lantern casting a faint, eerie glow that made the whole place seem strange and terrifying.

  The shop owner had called for someone to bring the lamp over early, but they didn't dare come near. We took the lamp and placed it in various positions on the scene, illuminating the inside of the house brightly.

  Lying on the ground was a young man in white clothes. He lay on his back, his hands tightly grasping his own throat, his eyes wide open, and he died with his eyes open.

  Taking a closer look, although this person's death is quite gruesome, their appearance is actually quite handsome. They must have been a talented and refined individual when they were alive!

  There were no wounds on his body. His hands were clasped around his own neck, but there were no marks or grooves on his neck, smooth and slippery, not like he was strangled to death.

  How did he die?

  Moreover, looking around, the door that Kong Dachun kicked down had been neatly picked up and was standing upright against the wall. It was clear that the door had been bolted from the inside, not only bolted but also locked with an iron lock, which still showed a locked shape now.

  And the windows were all tightly closed. The police were very conscious and immediately checked, not a single window was open.

  The room is not small, but the entire room forms a closed space. Except for a hole in the west wall near the top of the house for ventilation, there are no other openings. And the size of that hole is not even enough for a wild cat to pass through.

  Not only did I encounter a dead body, but also the most classic scene in detective dramas - this is indeed a locked room!

  If it was a murder case, then how did the murderer get out?

  So, we should follow the procedure for a locked room murder. First, we should consider whether it was a suicide or not!

  "All the doors and windows were locked from the inside. If it was a murder, the killer would not have been able to escape. But when we entered, there was no one else in the house. Everyone present now had also appeared outside earlier, so it's impossible for someone to have been hiding in the house beforehand. So, the deceased... probably took their own life!"

  Hucun in Fengxian is not a mediocre person, and he has aptly expressed the above words.

  The boss at the door nodded repeatedly with a big smile.

  Indeed, his analysis is very reasonable.

  However, Nie Qiuyuan walked to the desk and glanced around for a moment before saying: "From the state of the corpse, the time of death is within an hour. The inkstone on the case was newly ground, and he was copying the Diamond Sutra before his death."

  The Diamond Sutra was copied for four or five lines, but the last character was only written halfway.

  It should be interrupted by something.

  If it was suicide, how could it be so sudden? Copying scriptures and suddenly getting excited and committing suicide?

  And how did he die anyway?

  The shop owner standing at the door trembled with fear, wanting to speak but hesitating. I had a feeling that he especially hoped this person was suicidal, but after everyone heard Nie Qiuyuan's words, they didn't think it seemed like suicide anymore. The boss suddenly became tense at this moment.

  "Shopkeeper, is there anything you'd like to say?" Nie Qiuyuan asked with a gentle tone.

  "Ah... sir..." The shop owner's face turned somewhat pale, "I've said it, sir, please don't spread the word about this matter, otherwise, our small shop won't be able to do business anymore!"

  Nie Qiuyuan and Wu Baozhu nodded at the same time.

  "This must be a fierce ghost coming for our lives!" As the boss finished speaking, a loud clap of thunder boomed outside, sending shivers down my spine.

  "What's the meaning of this?"

  "Have you ever heard the legend of the peony lantern? Lately, there have been many rumors about it being haunted. At night, people often see ghosts carrying peony lanterns walking around, sometimes even floating in mid-air! And on rainy days, you can often hear a female ghost wailing..."

  I had an impulse and couldn't help but grab Autumn's sleeve. Autumn furrowed her brow, calmly brushing off my hand and shaking me off.

  This time, I was really scared, and it wasn't intentional that I went close to him. Is he... annoyed with me?

  I hastily calmed myself and continued to listen carefully to what the boss had to say.

  "This young master has been staying in the small shop for some time, and he's a bookworm. The female ghost of the peony lantern is particularly fond of scholars, it's common knowledge. This unclear and unjust death... Look, isn't there also a peony lantern inside the house!"

  Such a mysterious room, such an inexplicable death method, could it be that only a vengeful spirit seeking revenge can explain it?

  "Sir," Hu suddenly spoke up, "the situation in the room is like this. Why don't we bring the corpse back to the county yamen and have the coroner examine it before making a decision?"

  Nie Qiuyuan nodded slightly.

  Hú Bǔtóu said, "Your Honor is a man of integrity. When you passed through our county, you didn't even notify us. If Ge Dàren knew about it, he would definitely come to invite you personally. Why don't we not stay at the inn? Instead, let's go to the county government office and stay for a few days?"

  It must be referring to the County Magistrate of Fengxian.

  Now that things have come out, we are all considered informants and belong to the category of witnesses in this case. We can't just stand by and do nothing. Moving into the county yamen is probably the most convenient option.

  "In that case, I'd rather obey than show respect, so please lead the way, Captain Hu." Nie Qiuyuan said.