Chapter 75: The Poisonous Woman Feng Mei
Xiao Wen interrupted, "Then we must first determine where the ancient site is that we are investigating. The Confucius Temple is very likely, but other places cannot be ruled out."
Qi Zimo suggested: "Why don't we split up and have some people go to the Confucius Temple, and the other part go to other historical sites, so that we can collect more comprehensive information."
Xu Guokun made the decision and said, "Good idea. Let's divide the work like this. Jiang Zhiyu, Liu Mengmeng and I will go to the Confucius Temple, while Zou Ting, Hu Jiahong and Kang Yining will go to other places."
Zhang Anjie looked at Liao Zhen and Liao Zhen's best friend Liao Zhen and said with a smile: "How about you two go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony together? It is the place where the royal family worships heaven and earth, and it is of great significance."
Liao Zhen nodded excitedly: "Okay, let's get ready now."
Everyone split up and got busy.
In the Confucius Temple, Jiang Zhiyu and the other two carefully observed every building. Jiang Zhiyu suddenly found a stone tablet with the full text of "The Great Learning" engraved on it. He pointed at the stone tablet and said, "Look, this stone tablet is a treasure. It not only records the full text of "The Great Learning", but also has the annotations of Zhu Xi, a great Confucian scholar in the Song Dynasty. This is very helpful for us to understand Confucian culture."
Liu Mengmeng agreed: "Yes, we can make a copy of the inscription and take it back to the academy for careful study."
In the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Liao Zhen and his close friend Liao Zhen were carefully observing the pillars of the hall. Liao Zhen suddenly discovered that there was an unusually exquisite carving on the pillar. He said in surprise: "Look, the carving on this pillar has smooth lines, lifelike, and superb craftsmanship."
Liao Zhen's close friend Liao Zhen nodded: "Yes, this is a representative of Ming Dynasty sculpture art. We can record the carving style and characteristics here as part of the investigation report."
Zou Ting and others were also busy at other ancient sites in the Imperial College. They observed and recorded, striving to record every detail.
Back at Moyun Pavilion, everyone sat together and began to sort out the collected information. Zhang Anjie looked at everyone and smiled, "It seems that everyone has gained a lot. Now we have to start sorting out these materials and writing the investigation report."
Hu Jiahong asked in confusion: "How do we write an inspection report? What should we pay attention to?"
Xu Guokun answered: "The investigation report should first introduce the background and significance of the monument, then describe in detail the architectural style, sculpture art, historical stories, etc. of the monument, and finally evaluate the value and impact of the monument based on what we have learned."
Kang Yining added: "Yes, we also need to pay attention to the rigor and orderliness of the language. We cannot write the inspection report as a prose, but we need to make it academic."
In the following days, everyone began to write the investigation report. They attended classes in the academy during the day, and returned to Moyun Pavilion after dinner in the evening to discuss and revise the report.
During the days when they were preparing for the annual examination, the murder case of Feng Mei, the daughter-in-law of the Feng family in Qingtong Lane, who had "poisoned her husband" spread throughout Jindu and naturally reached the ears of the students of the Imperial College.
Jiang Zhiyu was sitting in the library of the Imperial College, holding a heavy sutra in her hands, her brows furrowed. Liu Mengmeng, Xiao Wen and others beside her were also immersed in the sea of books, preparing for the upcoming annual exams. However, the murder case of Feng Mei, the daughter-in-law of the Feng family in Qingtong Lane, who "poisoned her husband", broke the tranquility here like a gust of wind.
"Have you heard? The daughter-in-law of the Feng family in Qingtong Lane poisoned her husband and the news is now spreading all over Jindu." Zhang Anjie's voice broke the silence of the library.
"Really? This is a big case. How can we, the students of the Imperial College, not be concerned about it?" Xu Guokun put down the book in his hand and asked curiously.
"This matter has caused a lot of uproar. We don't know what the truth is, so we can't just follow the crowd," Kang Yining said calmly.
At this time, Hu Jiahong walked in, his face anxious: "I just came back from outside, and I heard that the Feng family is looking for evidence everywhere to prove Feng Mei's innocence. However, now public opinion is one-sided, and everyone thinks she is guilty."
Liu Mengmeng bit her lower lip and said, "I heard that her husband had a new lover outside, and Feng Mei was so angry that she murdered him."
Zhang Anjie walked in and said, "This matter is very serious. If it is true, Feng Mei will be severely punished."
Xiao Wen also joined the discussion: "However, I always feel that there must be something fishy about this matter. If Feng Mei really wanted to poison her husband, why would she choose such a conspicuous poison?"
Qi Zimo pushed open the window, looked into the distance, and said, "Yes, this poison is obvious, and people can tell at a glance that it is murder. If Feng Mei is smart, she should choose a more hidden poison."
Kang Yining touched his chin and said thoughtfully: "Perhaps, she just wanted to teach her husband a lesson, but she didn't expect that someone would die."
Hu Jiahong frowned and said, "If that's the case, why didn't she leave clues in the poison to let people know that this was a lesson?"
Xu Guokun walked in, heard their discussion, and interrupted, "Perhaps there is something hidden behind this that we don't know about."
Liao Zhen nodded in agreement: "Yes, we should go to Qingtong Lane to see if we can find any clues."
Everyone agreed and decided to use their free time to go to Qingtong Lane to investigate the matter.
When they arrived at Qingtong Lane, they found that the gate of Feng's house was closed, and many people gathered in front of the door, talking about it. Jiang Zhiyu and others were not convenient to go in directly, so they sat down in a teahouse at the entrance of the alley and listened to the people's discussions.
In the teahouse, an old man was telling the story of the Feng family: "The Feng family was originally a wealthy family in Jindu. Feng Mei's husband Feng Lang was a scholar. After they got married, they had a good relationship. Unexpectedly, Feng Lang had a new lover outside. Feng Mei couldn't stand it anymore, so she killed him."
"The Feng family is so unlucky that they married such a vicious woman." said a passerby.
"Yes, I heard that Feng Mei and her husband have always had a bad relationship. This time she must have poisoned the woman." Another passerby echoed.
Xu Guokun frowned and said, "This old man speaks so confidently, did he see it with his own eyes?" They arrived at Feng's house, and saw a lot of people gathered in front of the house, talking a lot.
Zhang Anjie sneered: "There are too many rumors in this world, and it is difficult to distinguish the truth from the false. We must find out the truth of the matter before we can make a judgment."
"I heard that Feng Mei is a famous socialite in Jindu. She is gentle and virtuous in her daily life. How could she do such a cruel thing?" Liu Mengmeng shook her head in confusion.
Xiao Wen pondered for a moment and said, "There must be something fishy behind this. Perhaps Feng Mei has something to hide. We can't jump to conclusions."
Qi Zimo slammed the table and stood up, saying, "This matter is of great importance. As students of the Imperial Academy, we have the responsibility to find out the truth and seek justice for the victim."
Zhang Anjie nodded in agreement: "Exactly, we should act immediately to collect clues and find the real culprit."
Therefore, the ten Huangban disciples decided to act separately, each using their own strengths to jointly uncover the truth of this murder case.