HLnovel Chapter 270 The Wronged Soul Reports the Crime
Chapter 270 The Wronged Soul Reports the Crime
Back to the live broadcast room.
When Lin Ke thinks of the Qing Dynasty, she can't help but think of Heshen and Ji Xiaolan. However, there is a rather mysterious case in Ji Xiaolan's "Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Observation".
Lin Ke's inner monologue: Hehe~ Scary action!
"Ahem, let's tell you a suspenseful story next. In the fifteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign, he discovered that the jade artifacts in his Yuanmingyuan's official treasury had been stolen!" (Notes from the Yuewei Thatched Cottage, Volume 2, Luan Yang Summer Records II)
On the other side, Emperor Qianlong's head was buzzing, and all he could hear were Lin Ke's last few words: "Stolen... stolen...!!"
The sluggish reaction ended, followed by a fit of rage: Who dared to steal his things?! I will exterminate his entire family! Oh no, ten generations!!!
He then stared intently at Lin Ke on the small screen, determined to get an answer!
"This case was initially thought to be a theft, which could be solved by checking the owners of the gardens in the lower gardens. However, it was unexpected that this matter would eventually turn into a murder case. It is said that some strange things happened at the time."
After Lin Ke finished speaking, she suddenly felt the atmosphere rise, so she went to draw the curtains, making the originally bright room much darker.
The people in Wanchao were very puzzled. What was Miss Lin doing?!
Until Lin Ke stealthily appeared on camera, her face glowing green, and she grinned sinisterly: Hehe~
The people in Wanchaozhong were genuinely frightened when they first saw this unusual light; some even fell off their chairs.
Lin Ke wasn't too scared. She turned on the desk lamp and smiled, "When telling a suspense story, you have to be this apt. Okay, let's continue."
An old farmer from the Ming Dynasty: Oh my god, I was so scared!
Liu Zhuzhu (beckoning Wei Qing to come to his side): It is indeed a bit scary, but I was not scared at all!
Emperor Qin Shi Huang (almost drew his sword): In that instant.
Cheng Yaojin of the Tang Dynasty: Yes, His Majesty almost threw away the small light screen!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Cough cough, why did you have to be so talkative!
........
"The Yuanmingyuan Garden was such a large garden, and there were many gardeners. When we were investigating a gardener named Changming, we were saying this when suddenly a teenage boy's voice came out from him."
"I can prove that he didn't steal this jade artifact, because he killed me, and I'm right here on his body!!!"
"Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. The people from the Imperial Household Department who came to question him did not dare to delay. If someone were killed, the matter would become a big deal. So the people from the Imperial Household Department tied him up and took him to the gate of the Ministry of Justice for interrogation."
"The Ministry of Justice did not treat this perfunctorily, and dispatched Ji Rongshu, then serving as the Director of the Jiangsu Division of the Ministry of Justice, from among the eighteen officials in charge of clean administration."
"He had one particularly famous son, Ji Xiaolan, known for his sharp wit and iron tongue, and another, Yu Wenyi, who was then serving as the Zhejiang Provincial Commissioner among the Eighteen Honest Officials."
"However, to our surprise, the soul inside Chang Ming was so cooperative. Before they could even ask any questions, it immediately revealed the truth, first giving its name and address."
According to him, his father was Li Xingwang, an ordinary family living near the Old Summer Palace in the city, who made a living by selling pastries on the street.
His name was Li Erge, and he was only fourteen years old. Because his family was poor, he also helped his father sell pastries.
"Because Changming, a gardener at the Yuanmingyuan, was acquainted with my father, he also called Changming 'Uncle Ming.'"
"It happened during last year's Lantern Festival. Because it was more lively than usual, Li Erge sold a little more pastries than usual."
"He was very happy about this, but just as he was about to return home, Chang Ming called him back."
Chang Ming asked him if he wanted to go to the Yuanmingyuan Garden, since it belonged to the emperor and was decorated with lanterns—things rarely seen in ordinary times.
"Li Erge wasn't very old either. Hearing what he said, he became curious and went along with him."
Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty: Don't say that my garden is no different from ordinary gardens!
"But when Li Erge arrived, he learned that the Yuanmingyuan was under expansion at the time, and there were only a few scattered lanterns, not as beautiful as he had imagined."
"Just as he was about to go back, Chang Ming, whom he regarded as an elder, actually developed lustful thoughts towards Li Erge, who was only a teenager. It was absolutely outrageous! Now it seems that boys also need to be careful to protect themselves when they are out in the world!"
Zhu Baba of the Ming Dynasty: I don't know if it's true or not! But this person is truly worse than an animal!! If we catch him, we'll skin him alive!
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Calling him a beast is too lenient!
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: How perverted!
"Li Erge pushed him away abruptly, indicating that he wasn't that kind of frivolous person, but he still wasn't as strong as a grown man like Chang Ming."
"In the midst of the fierce struggle, Chang Ming decided to go all the way and strangled Li Erge to death, then buried the body under a willow tree on the riverbank."
"Next, Ji Rongshu and Yu Wenyi asked him if anyone in his family had reported him to the authorities. Erge nodded, and then mentioned that he had been with Chang Ming for a while not long after his murder."
"But something on him, when it was four or five feet away, felt like some kind of raging fire burning him when touched, and gradually, as time passed..."
"These four or five feet were shortened to two or three feet until last night when they were able to possess his body, so that he could seek justice for the stolen jade artifacts."
"His parents, because their son hadn't come home, went to look for him that very night. Someone said he had gone with Chang Ming, so Erge's father, Li Xingwang, went to look for Chang Ming as well."
"Chang Ming definitely couldn't admit it. It's a joke; in this murder case, admitting it would mean certain death for him. So Chang Ming vehemently denied it."
"Li Xingwang, however, felt that Chang Ming was up to something, so the two argued. After returning home, he still felt something was amiss, so he immediately went to the city patrol office to report the case, which was then transferred to the Ministry of Justice."
"However, because Chang Ming was too shameless and refused to admit it, and because Li Erge's body was not found and there was no other evidence to prove it, the case was dropped."
"However, according to Li Erge, the description from the Ministry of Justice is exactly the same as what Ji Rongshu and Yu Wenyi know; this is exactly what the Guangxi Division of the Ministry of Justice looks like."
"So the two of them immediately went to the Guangxi Division of the Ministry of Justice to retrieve the case file, and sure enough, they found it there. The only record of Li Erge's whereabouts was listed as missing."
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: That's really risky!
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty: It almost turned out to be a miscarriage of justice!!!
A romantic and talented scholar from the Tang Dynasty: Is it really true that such a thing exists?!?
A spoiled young man from the Song Dynasty: I've heard of dreams that can reveal your true nature!? If that's true, then all these wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice wouldn't exist!
……
"The key evidence in this case is actually Li Erge's body, so Ji Rongshu and the others sent people to search under the willow tree based on what Li Erge said."
"As Li Erge said, the body was not decomposed, but it smelled bad. The coroner's examination confirmed that the person had been strangled, and the murder weapon was still on the body."
"Li Xingwang couldn't help but weep and wail when he saw his son like this. Later, Ji Rongshu went to call Chang Ming, but Chang Ming always denied it in every way when she called his name."
"But when Li Erge's name was called, Chang Ming would always contradict himself and deny what he had said before. So Ji Rongshu and the others told Chang Ming what Li Erge had said."
"Chang Ming also said that he had seen a ghost. In the end, he had no way to defend himself and confessed. Because it was too bizarre, Qianlong also found out about it and ultimately sentenced Chang Ming to be beheaded immediately."
"When the approval was issued, Li Erge was still attached to Chang Ming and dancing with joy, shouting as before: 'Sweet and fragrant osmanthus cake!'"
His father was taken aback upon hearing this, his eyes welling up with tears. He used to hear his son go out to sell things, so he asked cautiously, "Son! Come home with your father!"
"Li Erge's voice was somewhat confused, as if he knew he was about to leave. He said to his father, 'Father, I'm leaving.'"
"From then on, Li Erge's voice was never heard from Changming again. It seemed that he had been exonerated and reincarnated. This story was recorded in Ji Xiaolan's Notes from the Thatched Cottage of Close Observation."
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: His son passed away in the end! It's truly heartbreaking to hear and tearful to see!
A spoiled young man from the Tang Dynasty: But the authenticity of this story needs to be verified, right?
A bystander from the Ming Dynasty commented: But judging from the methods used in this case, it's probably not an isolated incident!
An official from the Qin Dynasty: I'm quite interested in these kinds of stories!
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