During the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, at the junction of Daba Mountain in the Qinling Mountains, there was Xiuyang Village. The small village was not big, with beautiful mountains and rivers. People lived a happy and harmonious pastoral life, which could be called paradise.
This morning, early in the morning, an earth-shattering cry came from Old Man Wu's house in the village. It turned out that Old Man Wu's son, Dazhu, was found dead on the king early in the morning. Yesterday was his wedding day, and many young and old men in the village went to drink wedding wine. Unexpectedly, a lively person died on the wedding night.
Did he die of a sudden illness, or was there another secret? There was a lot of discussion, but there was no consensus.
Very quickly, Liu Zhixian, the county government official, came with a servant. The dead groom looked serene, as if he were asleep or smiling, and there was an inexplicable strange air on his face, which made people feel cold. Liu Zhixian ordered him to inspect the corpse carefully. Who knew that after working for a long time, he shook his head and finally said to Liu Zhixian helplessly, "My lord, the deceased had neither obvious external or internal injuries, so it is difficult to find out the cause of death for a while.
Liu Zhixian leaned over to check, and it seemed to be a tooth mark, looming. If you don't look carefully, you really can't see it.
After pondering for a moment, Liu Zhixian gently twisted his beard and turned his face to look at the bride who had become a widow overnight. The bride looked eighteen or nineteen years old, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her expression was sad, but she was also dignified and delicate. She cried and said, "I woke up this morning and found that my husband had been sleeping with his head covered. After screaming for a long time, I didn't move at all, and I felt that something was wrong. I hurriedly called my in-laws, and then I found out that my husband was dead." Saying that, tears fell down.
The bride's face was calm, and the answers were fluent, and she couldn't see anything strange. Liu Zhixian had to wave his hand and ordered the yamen to take the corpse and go back to the house.
After investigation, the bride was decent and kind, and there was nothing wrong with her. The groom had always been honest and kind, and had no enemies. After ruling out the revenge murder of adultery, other inquiries came and went, but there was no progress, so the groom had to die of a sudden illness. After all, the newlyweds were overjoyed that day, and they were overworked and excited. They suddenly fell ill and died of treatment. It makes sense, and the case is closed.
One morning a few days later, Liu Zhi County just woke up, and his subordinates hurriedly reported that someone in Dahezhuang, where the county government is located, reported that his son was suddenly found dead this morning, but it was a pity that the son had just gotten married yesterday.
Oh? Liu Zhixian's heart moved, remembering that the death of the groom had happened a few days ago, and he immediately led the yamen to go there anxiously. The situation of this family was exactly the same as that of the Wu family, and there was a faint tooth mark on neck of the deceased.
Was it a coincidence or a man-made murder? The county yamen took great pains, but they couldn't figure out a clue or find a flaw in the case.
Suddenly one day, another villager reported that his son was found dead in bed the day after the wedding. It's the death of the groom again!
When Liu Zhixian heard this, his heart beat like a drum, his head was big, and he did not dare to neglect, so he quickly brought people to rush there. As expected, it was strikingly similar to the previous two cases. Without a doubt, all three were murders!
Unexpectedly, before the case was solved, three more reports of the groom's sudden death were received every now and then. Murders occurred one after another, and the groom seemed to die violently. The motive for the murder was unknown, and the modus operandi was strange. For a time, folk rumors spread, and it was said that the monster was reincarnated and the groom was destroyed, so scared that no one dared marry his son.
The case has been pending for a long time, and the people are in a state of panic. The boss was furious when he heard the news. Liu Zhixian couldn't solve the case and had no words to argue. Seeing that the future of the official hat was uncertain, he was overwhelmed.
Just as Liu Zhixian was at a loss, the yamen came to report that a thief who was custody in the prison wanted to see the lord. When Liu Zhixian heard this, he shouted impatiently at the yamen: "Master, I am so upset by the serial murder case, how can I have leisure to see a thief? No, no, see!" The yamen didn't dare to say much, and turned to leave. After a while, the yamen ran back excitedly and whispered a few words in Liu Zhixian's ear. Liu Zhixian's face suddenly showed surprise and he shouted, "Quick, bring the thief quickly."
Soon, the yamen brought the thief, who was a lean young man. When he saw Liu Zhixian, his eyes were dodging, and he was hesitant to say anything, as if there was something unspeakable.
Liu Zhixian gently said, "Don't be afraid. You said you knew about the murder case, but it doesn't matter."
The young man was silent for a while, and said hesitantly, "Master… I know I'm guilty. I tell the truth, can I atone for my sins and ask Master to forgive the villain?"
Liu Zhixian immediately comforted him and said, "If you can help Master solve this case, no matter what crime you commit, Master, I will definitely take responsibility for you!"
The young man was relieved…
A few days later, there was a family surnamed Wang in the county seat who suddenly had lights on, gongs and drums were noisy, bragging and beating, and the house was full of friends. It turned out to be a daughter-in-law. The commoners came to watch the fun, but they also shook their heads and sighed: Alas, what time is it now, this family still dares to marry openly, and they are not far from having a broken son and grandson.
The Wang family seemed to not believe in evil, turned a deaf ear, and continued to hold the wedding.
That night, just as all the congratulators had left, the newlyweds also blew out the candles to rest, and when everything was quiet, a black shadow rushed from the eastern suburbs and jumped over the wall like a ghost and fell into the courtyard. The black shadow shook his head and gave a "swoosh" laugh, blowing in the fragrance of ecstasy from outside the window. After he was sure that he was unconscious, he easily opened the door and flashed into the door, quietly standing in front of the bed of the newlyweds, a cruel and strange smile flashed on the corner of his mouth.
The black shadow took out something from his bosom and held it gently in his palm. The thing was fluffy, dark brown, and not big. Especially the mouth was very short, shaped like a cone, with long, sharp canine teeth and sharp like a blade. It was an ugly living "monster." The black shadow looked around the bride with a lustful smile in her eyes, and when he raised his hand, the monster had wings, and immediately flew silently. He was trained to go straight to the bed, quietly landed next to the groom's head, and stretched out his mouth to test it, and his long sharp teeth were aimed at the groom's neck, about to pierce. Suddenly, the groom's wrist on the bed shook, and a silk mesh object covered the monster. The groom turned over and sat up, and with lightning speed, he used a burning object to slap on the neck of the black shadow, then floated out of the bed, shouting: "Lord, grab it!"
The door opened wide, and the torches were suddenly raised all around, as bright as day. A large number of people rushed out of the darkness of the courtyard, and it was the people of Liu Zhi County. In the light, the shadow was actually an old man. Seeing that he was caught, his face was ashen, and he looked up at the sky and sighed, "Alas, God's will, God can't help me." Dejected, he didn't say a word.
It turned out that the thief who was caught came to a married person's house that day, trying to steal some valuables while the wind was high, the moon was high, and the night was quiet. Unexpectedly, he did not make a move, but he saw a shadow flash, and a person fell into the courtyard.
At first, the thief thought he was one of the same people, so he didn't dare disturb him. However, after seeing the shadow sneak into the groom's room, he broke the window paper and smoked the people inside with a drug, swaggered into the room, took out a "monster", stretched out his sharp mouth, pierced the groom's neck skin, and sucked hard. After the monster was full and drunk, it returned to the man's hands. The man carefully took it into his arms, took out a bag of ointment and squeezed it on the groom's wound, wiped it carefully for a while, and showed a vicious smile on his face. Then he walked away. The groom was still lying in bed, but when he woke up the next day, he was already dead.
The thief who had been following him could see it clearly, and he was so horrified that he almost got out of his body. Later, the thief was caught and imprisoned because of his mistake. At first, he didn't dare to say it, but when he saw that the "monster" was really rampant, he mustered up the courage to see the governor of the county. Liu Zhixian was shocked and invited an expert to secretly set up a fake marriage to deceive the "monster", so he was caught in one fell swoop.
Hearing that the case had been solved, the common people rushed to tell each other, praising Liu Zhixian for solving the case well and eliminating harm for the people, and it spread to the gods for a while. Liu Zhixian was not aware of it, and under his pride, he decided to go to trial.
The common people who came to hear the case had already surrounded the lobby. Everyone looked at it carefully. The old man was over 60, with a short robe in Tsing Yi and a hairpin.
The old man's arrogance and rudeness angered Liu Zhixian. He was shocked and shouted angrily, "Bold old man, did you do the six murders of the groom? Quickly admit it."
The old man looked up at Liu Zhi County, snorted his nose, but still remained silent.
Liu Zhixian asked several times, but the old man was still indifferent and silent. The people under the hall could not hold back, and the crowd was angry. They shouted in unison, "My lord, don't talk nonsense with him, and serve him with a big punishment.
When Liu Zhixian heard this, he was in the middle of it, and shouted angrily: "Punishment, punishment!"
The yamen had been furious for a long time. During these days, they had suffered a lot and suffered a lot of scolding for this case, but now they have found a place to vent their anger.
"Oh my God, he's a Taoist priest!" The people immediately exclaimed.
Liu Zhixian was even more surprised, and scolded sharply: "You are a Taoist monk? Since ancient times, you have been in the company of green mountains and green waters, accompanied by fragrant lamps and wooden fish, and lived a simple and secluded life. The high man takes it as his duty to eliminate demons and defend the Tao. The responsibility lies, and it is naturally incumbent on him. And what about you? Who is Daoist Zhang? Why do you want to kill?"
"Yes, yes, I'm a Taoist priest." The old man crawled to the table in Liu Zhi County, crying and whispering, "My lord, the poor way has something to say, can you find a place to say it?"
Liu Zhixian saw the old man's words flashing and had something to say, and heard him mention a Daoist Zhang, and knew that there must be an inside story. Rolling his eyes, he patted the tree and said, "Okay, let's hear this today. Retire."
In the study, the Taoist priest confessed that his surname was Li, and that he lived in the local Taoist temple, and told a shocking story inside.
It turned out that Emperor Yongzheng was very obsessed with elixirs today, thinking that eating elixirs would make him immortal. Once sick, because he ate elixirs offered by Taoists, he felt that they were effective, so he trusted Taoists more and respected Taoism. He began to gather many famous Taoists in Xiuqing Village in the southeast corner of the Yuanmingyuan, a good place with mountains and rivers where he could conduct secret activities. Among them, the most important Taoist priest was Zhang Taixu, who was the Taoist master Zhang that Daoist Li was referring to.
By chance, Daoist Li met Daoist Zhang, who was traveling the world in search of immortal elixir for the emperor. The big red person in front of the emperor was quite impressive, and Daoist Li was envious and tried his best to flatter him. To make Daoist Zhang happy, he offered an ancient recipe from an ancient book of secrets, which could be made into immortal elixir and offered to the emperor to gain merit. However, the medicine must be mixed with the blood of seven first-married bridegrooms and the blood of a rare monster. He had found the monster that ate human blood in the valley cave deep in the mountains, a rare animal called the "vampire bat". After special training, he became an accomplice in sucking the blood of the groom. Anyone who has been sucked blood will contract a mutated "rabies" and will die silently in their sleep overnight. The death is peaceful and strange, and the cause of death is not easy to find out.
When Daoist Zhang heard that, he praised him. For the sake of glory and wealth, a few cheap lives are nothing. The two hit it off immediately, and Daoist Li took the lead, so the death of the groom appeared in the small county one after another. Of course, Daoist Li also knew that the governor of the county would not give up and did everything possible to capture him. But the dispensing of medicine has reached the critical point, and the blood of the groom is urgently needed, and success or failure depends on it. So as soon as he heard that someone was getting married, he still took the risk, but in the end he was captured.
Li Daochang's understated confession made Liu Zhi County shudder with horror.
The case is so major and twists and turns, and there are many secrets. Liu Zhixian didn't dare to call the shots, so he immediately reported it to the prefect.
The prefect grinned and immediately presented the governor. How dare the governor make an assertion and order the pegasus to pass the letter to the capital.
Not long after, the secret decree of the imperial court came down. After reading it, Liu Zhixian frowned and his face was solemn.
Late that night, a fire broke out in the county yamen's cell, and the fire was very prosperous and strange.
The next day, the county government posted a notice stating that the Taoist priest had died unexpectedly in the sea of fire. Since this was the case, the death penalty was not investigated, and the case was completely closed. The onlookers gritted their teeth in hatred: Deserved! Retribution.
Later, it was said that a man who looked like Daoist Li had appeared in the capital.
Later, Liu Zhixian and other insiders were inexplicably dismissed and returned to their hometowns, each receiving a large pension payment as comfort.
One day in August of the 13th year of Yongzheng, the news of the emperor's death suddenly came. Liu Zhi County, who had been idle in his hometown for many years, heard it and sighed secretly: "Alas, there will be such a day."
The sudden death of Emperor Yongzheng, who was 58 years old and in his prime, left a mystery for future generations. Among the many controversies over the cause of death, the theory that Yongzheng died of poisoning from taking pills for many years should be the most reliable to judge from this case.