"He Sheng, what does the phrase 'twenty years in the imperial court' mean?" Liu Yuning asked me curiously.
He Xin, however, reacted and said, "Are you referring to the Song Dynasty poem, Zhu Youdun's 'Yuan Palace Poems'?"
"Exactly. Although this poem isn't very classic, lacking Su Shi's level of artistry, the meaning it conveys is quite profound!" I said.
"How is that possible? The murderer leaves a hint when they kill? What does this represent?" Captain Guo asked, bewildered.
Liu Yuning guessed, "Could it be that he's very interested in these poems?"
"No, I think the killer must be a scholar. He likes to use this cultural knowledge to flaunt his prowess, and he understands a series of chemical principles."
"Oh, he should be a man between 35 and 40 years old, highly educated, fond of researching history, knowledgeable about ancient culture, and proficient in chemistry. He wears heavy dark glasses all year round, giving him a refined appearance. He is currently a professor at an academy, quite well-known."
Liu Yuning, with her abilities, created a general profile of the killer.
I nodded, "Red lips and fading youth each wound the heart. From the plucked strings, clear words emerge, not sounds of joy, but of resentment."
Captain Guo didn't understand my meaning for a moment. He Xin explained, "These are the latter lines of 'Yuan Palace Poems'."
"Amazing, it seems everyone on your Punishing Sin team is an expert!"
"You flatter us. It's just a line of Song poetry. I'm more worried that the killer will kill again because, judging by the meaning of the poem, the killer has been hurt by a woman."
"Are you referring to the line 'Red lips and fading youth each wound the heart'?"
"Yes. Shall we go back for now, Captain Guo? Do you have a place for us to rest?"
"Of course. It's late today."
We had intended to leave Qinghe Garden, but as we were walking out, we saw several girls dressed in ancient costumes. He Xin tugged at my clothes, "Do you know which dynasty those girls' outfits are from?"
"The 'bihu', shaped like a narrow top and wide bottom. They wore 'lu' on their feet and a round hoop-shaped crown on their heads. Shang Dynasty noblewomen!"
"That's incredible. I bet you really do read books every day!"
"No, I just saw it recently. Look at the handsome guy over there, wearing a cloth shirt and a silk robe. These were favored outfits for Song Dynasty men, made from high-quality silk, satin, and gauze. The colors included white, blue, black, apricot yellow, and tea brown. The material for the tunics varied, including cloth, silk, gauze, brocade, spun silk, and leather. The colors for the tunics ranged from blue, red, jujube red, dark green, to goose yellow. The texture of the noblemen's trousers..."
"Stop. I'm not interested in your technical knowledge. Alright, let's find a hotel to rest!" Liu Yuning complained. We then left Qinghe Garden, and soon Captain Guo led us to an elegantly environment hotel near the police station. After arranging two rooms for us, he gave us a few instructions and then left.
He asked us to attend a meeting punctually tomorrow. Seeing that there was still time to rest, I immediately took a shower with Liu Yuning. He Xin had a room next to ours.
Before showering, I picked up a cigarette and was about to light it when Liu Yuning, sitting on my lap, playfully slapped my hand. "Can't you quit smoking?"
"Uh, it's a habit of many years, but I rarely smoke. I just have a few puffs when I'm troubled."
"Hmph, if you really want to be with me, you should quit this bad habit?"
"Huh? Then what's in it for me?"
"If you listen to me and quit, I'll do... with you." As she spoke, Liu Yuning blew a few breaths into my ear.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
My lust was instantly ignited. I threw the cigarette into the trash can immediately, discarding all the ones in my pockets.
After a night of passion, we were both invigorated the next day. Perhaps it was the nourishment of love; we actually kissed for nearly half an hour last night.
Uh...
My lips were chapped when I woke up in the morning.
As per Captain Guo's reminder yesterday, we arrived at the Gaogang City Police Bureau for the meeting.
He Xin had arrived early and texted us to hurry over. Seeing her standing alone outside the police station, I asked, "We can't hear your texts! Why didn't you call?"
"Uh, I was afraid of disturbing you. What happened to your mouths?"
I sheepishly covered my mouth and said it was nothing. I wondered if it was that serious. What would I do later?
He Xin chuckled mischievously, "I'm just teasing you. Have you had breakfast? If not, I have some here!"
She handed us several steamed buns and fried dough sticks from a bag, along with soy milk. Liu Yuning and I hastily ate them before entering the conference room.
It was already 9 AM. Captain Guo was waiting for us. As the three of us entered, many police officers looked at us with surprised eyes. Captain Guo didn't scold us for being late and immediately started the meeting.
"Yesterday, Group Leader He cooperated with us in examining the body and the scene. We discovered that the killer left an ancient poem after committing the murder. This poem contains a peculiar meaning, describing the environment of the scene."
Captain Guo analyzed the line "twenty years in the imperial court" in detail. When it was mentioned that I had figured it out, the other police officers cast looks of approval at me.
Some even whispered, "As expected, he's a descendant of He Jianquan. It seems we were right to find him this time."
"Right! I heard in the forensic department that Forensic Doctor Ling was speechless earlier."
"Did he 'retort'? It was the other person's superior skill."
"Right! That's what I meant!"
"Stop talking, look over there!"
A few police officers were whispering amongst themselves. Ling Xiaotao stared at the speaking officers with eyes that could dig graves.
They immediately shut up and made apologetic gestures. Ling Xiaotao feigned anger, her face stern and her fists clenched, making clicking sounds.
Seeing the situation becoming unfavorable, Captain Guo quickly mediated, "We're in a meeting, let's not discuss irrelevant matters."
"We discovered the body had been scalded and then later frozen. Based on our discussion last night, the killer should have a refrigerated place to hide the body!" I suddenly said.
Everyone's gaze immediately turned to me.
I ignored them and continued calmly, "He first selected his target, then took the body to a designated location, scalded and killed it, and then refrigerated it. After a certain period, he transported them separately to the crime scene, which could also be called the dumping ground. Clearly, Qinghe Garden was not the primary crime scene. Under those conditions, he couldn't have completed such a complex murder. Even if he avoided surveillance, it's still a public place, and he would easily leave traces of himself. And this is his murder process."