那具女尸的腳離地面約莫五尺，紅袍顯得異常寬大，昨夜一場春雨，晨風從后巷而來，拂著女尸的裙角，雨氣里夾雜著血腥氣。                                                                                                                                                                                                    人是被勒死的，哪來的血腥氣？                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青高坐在馬背上，離牌坊還有三丈遠便皺起了眉頭。                                                                                                                                                                                                    荷花巷的巷子口滿了看熱鬧的百姓，盛京府的衙差執長杖將牌坊四周隔出了一塊空地，盛京府尹鄭廣齊身穿官袍正在牌坊下負手溜達，“再派人去看看，英睿都督怎么還沒來？”                                                                                                                                                                                                    這話剛問，鄭廣齊便聽見一聲馬嘶，抬頭一瞧，見暮青已到了巷子口。                                                                                                                                                                                                    百姓回望，認出暮青的人紛紛低喚：“都督！”                                                                                                                                                                                                    一聽說戰馬上的少年便是那斷案如神、敢揍驍騎營的江北水師都督，圍觀的百姓們立馬呼啦一聲讓出條路來。暮青下馬，將戰馬留在了盛京府衙隔出來的圈子外，順手交給一個衙差牽著，那衙差牽了暮青和步惜歡的馬韁，卻發現還有一匹神駿的馬匹沒套馬韁，這馬跟昨日城中百姓議論的野馬王頗像，那衙差沒想到會有這眼福，只是馬沒套馬韁，不知如何看著，他正欲詢問，暮青道：“不必理會，它不會走丟，也沒人牽得走它。”                                                                                                                                                                                                    此話說罷，暮青和步惜歡已進了圈內。                                                                                                                                                                                                    “我的人呢？”暮青先問鄭廣齊此事，她的人有作案嫌疑，看起來待查無妨，可別動私刑。                                                                                                                                                                                                    “人都看管在客棧里。”鄭廣齊陪著笑臉，他今早聽說杏春園里死了個戲子，恰巧昨夜是江北水師都督府包的園子，頓覺頭大！怎么又有案子扯上了這位閻王爺？這位活閻王他可不敢惹，與她的人有關的案子，她自己查吧！他只派人將水師的人昨夜入住的客棧圍住，又派人通知了都督府，如今人可算是到了。                                                                                                                                                                                                    鄭廣齊邊說邊留意暮青的神色，見她沒有不快，只淡淡嗯了一聲，隨即便抬頭看向了牌坊底下吊著的女尸。                                                                                                                                                                                                    “何時發現的尸體？”                                                                                                                                                                                                    “卯時末。”                                                                                                                                                                                                    “何人發現的？”                                                                                                                                                                                                    “杏春園打雜的學徒。”                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青問一句，鄭廣齊答一句，圍觀的百姓嘖嘖稱奇。鄭大人平日里好大的官威，怎么今兒在英睿都督面前慫成這樣？                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青走到牌坊正下方，先低頭看了眼地上——荷花巷子里鋪著青石磚，一夜的春雨把青石上可能留下的痕跡沖刷殆盡。                                                                                                                                                                                                    她又仰頭看向紅衣女尸——牌坊高近三丈，尸體離地約莫一人高，腳上穿著鴛鴦紅鞋，繡鞋很新，鞋面鞋底都無泥漬。                                                                                                                                                                                                    初步判斷了現場后，暮青吩咐衙差搬兩把長梯來，人卻沒從牌坊底下離開。此刻，她站著的地方，血腥氣濃烈，而她正站在女尸裙下，一仰頭便將女尸的裙下風光盡覽眼底，只見女尸的長裙底下穿著條大紅綢褲，褲腳卻詭異地被兩根紅繩扎著，人站在底下，瞧不見褲腿里頭是何風光，只能瞧出那兩條被紅繩扎著的褲腳很詭異，詭異的……細！                                                                                                                                                                                                    “長梯搬來了沒？”暮青自牌坊底下走出，冷聲問。                                                                                                                                                                                                    說話時，兩個衙差扛著把長梯跑了進來，把長梯往牌坊樓上一搭，步惜歡過來扶著梯子，暮青敏捷地爬了上去，她沒急著看女尸，而是察看了下吊起尸體的白綾，白綾打著死結，繩結盡處有泥水漬，且左側白綾上有約莫一尺長的邊緣磨出了毛邊兒，牌坊門樓處的石料縫隙里有條刮下來的碎布。                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青將那條碎布捏出來收進袖甲里掖好，隨后對牌坊下的衙差道：“準備一條草席，再搬把長梯來，上來個人跟我一起把尸體放下去。”                                                                                                                                                                                                    一聽這吩咐，衙差們猶豫了。草席好備，長梯也好備，可誰愿意上去碰這厲鬼模樣的女尸？這才剛開春兒，沾上晦氣，豈不是要倒霉一年？                                                                                                                                                                                                    鄭廣齊不想惹暮青，他厲目看了捕頭一眼，那捕頭又厲目看了一個衙差一眼，那衙差是新來的，不敢有違，只好自認倒霉地攀著長梯上了另一側。                                                                                                                                                                                                    “你抱住女尸，我解繩結。”暮青吩咐道。                                                                                                                                                                                                    “抱、抱尸？”那捕快真不知自己倒了哪輩子的霉，他還沒娶妻，女子的身子都沒抱過，竟要先抱女尸？但鄭大人正盯著他，他不敢違背上峰之命，只好哆哆嗦嗦地抱住了女尸。                                                                                                                                                                                                    但剛抱上女尸的大腿，那捕快便像是見了鬼般驚叫一聲，松手時腳下一滑，一個趔趄便跌下了長梯！                                                                                                                                                                                                    巷子口圍觀的百姓紛紛驚呼，牌坊約莫三丈高，人要是跌下來，那腦袋還不得跟摔瓜似的，砰一聲，紅白一地？                                                                                                                                                                                                    說時遲那時快，百姓們驚呼之時，巷子口一聲戰馬長嘶，百姓們回頭之時，見一人自頭頂縱去，墨袍遮了晨陽，似大鷹逐日，烈風刮得百姓們紛紛抬袖捂住頭臉，待那烈風停歇，瓜破之音沒有傳來，百姓們放下袖子，見一人拎著衙差的衣領，晨風里傲立，剎那間如見戰神降臨。                                                                                                                                                                                                    元修放開衙差輕身一縱便躍上了長梯，巷子口有百姓叫好，元修在高處俯望下方，目光落在為暮青扶梯的月殺身上。                                                                                                                                                                                                    月殺明明可以出手救人，沒有出手只能說明此人不是他！                                                                                                                                                                                                    步惜歡望向元修，兩人的目光在空中相接，沒有言語，雨后的晨陽卻莫名刺眼了幾分。                                                                                                                                                                                                    兩人對視之時，暮青看了眼那捕快，見人沒事才松了口氣，一抬眼便看見季延和元鈺高坐馬上，兩人遙遙望向她，一個笑得沒心沒肺，一個滿眼好奇，都是來看熱鬧的！                                                                                                                                                                                                    “解吧。”這時，元修的聲音傳來，暮青看向他時，他已抱住了女尸的腿，只是眉頭緊鎖著，道，“這女尸不對勁，最好快些放下去看看。”                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青早看出尸體不對了，但死結不好解，她費了些時辰。白綾解開的一瞬，女尸往下一沉，元修拎著尸體就躍下了長梯，待暮青下來時，他已將女尸放到了牌坊下鋪好的草席上。                                                                                                                                                                                                    “此乃證物，拿好！不要掉了。”暮青將白綾一收，塞給一個衙差便打開了帶來的工具箱，從里面捧出外袍穿上。                                                                                                                                                                                                    外袍剛穿上，步惜歡和元修便同時伸過手來——驗尸的外袍是前身為衣袍，衣帶在后身，兩人都想為她系衣帶。                                                                                                                                                                                                    手還沒觸上，兩個男人的目光便觸上了，暮青只覺得自己的背都要燒著了，不由寒著臉看向兩人，人命關天，驗尸要緊，他們也不挑時候！                                                                                                                                                                                                    “不勞侯爺，這等小事讓末將的親衛來做便可。”暮青果斷把身子一轉，面朝元修背朝步惜歡，讓步惜歡為她系衣帶。此舉之意并不是為了讓元修難堪，而是周圍有盛京府衙的人和圍觀的百姓，步惜歡是她的親衛，服侍她理所當然，而元修身為鎮軍侯，論爵位論官品，不該是那個服侍她的人。                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青剛剛開始練兵，在水師練成之前，還不想惹人起疑。                                                                                                                                                                                                    步惜歡伸手幫暮青系好衣帶，垂眸時眸底隱有淡淡笑意。                                                                                                                                                                                                    元修定定凝著暮青，半晌，自嘲一笑，卻不甘退去，只立在原地，負手不動。                                                                                                                                                                                                    衣袍穿好后，暮青戴上口罩和手套便在草席旁蹲了下來。                                                                                                                                                                                                    四周一靜，百姓們知道，這是要驗尸了！                                                                                                                                                                                                    久聞英睿都督斷案如神，今兒總算能開開眼了！                                                                                                                                                                                                    自古百姓對命案都是既怕又好奇，那紅衣女尸直挺挺地躺在地上，活似僵尸一般，圍觀的百姓卻忘了避忌死人的晦氣，圍在巷子口，伸脖子踮腳，無人離去。只見暮青看了看女尸的脖子，道：“毫無疑問，人是被勒死的。死者頸部可見一道青紫色的縊溝，交匝于頸后，乃是死者被勒死時留下的。這道縊溝深且窄，壓痕呈旋轉形，縊溝周圍的皮膚有表皮磨損出血的情況——兇器是一根麻繩，而且是一根細麻繩。死者脖頸上還有一道淺而寬的縊溝，可見折疊、扭轉、寬窄不均的情況，此乃寬布條的典型勒痕，也就是那條白綾。但縊溝呈白色，說明兇手是用細麻繩將人勒死之后才用白綾將人懸來此處的。”                                                                                                                                                                                                    短短幾句話，死因、兇器都明了了！                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青接著翻了翻那女尸的眼皮子，遠處的人看不清楚，近處的衙差們卻瞧見那女尸的翻著眼白，伴著那一臉濃艷的戲妝，活似民間辦冥婚時娶的鬼新娘！                                                                                                                                                                                                    “角膜混濁程度極輕，人死尚不足六個時辰。”這是必然的，昨夜暮青帶人從杏春園里離開時便已是三更時分了，而此時是早晨，人必定是死在這段時間內的，這段時間只有四個時辰。                                                                                                                                                                                                    僅憑角膜混濁程度并不能精確推斷死亡時辰，因此暮青將女尸的衣帶一解，當眾寬衣！                                                                                                                                                                                                    圍觀的百姓兩眼發直，死的雖是戲子，身在賤籍無家無主之人，可到底是女子，按律看驗女尸該讓穩婆來，且在屋里驗，這大街上，白花花的身子……怕是有傷風化，不大妥當吧？                                                                                                                                                                                                    人人心里這樣想，但沒人阻止，且眼睜得老大，生怕看不見那嬌美的身子。                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青卻毫不猶豫地寬了女尸的外袍，因為按照她的職業經驗，她知道圍觀的人想看的絕對看不到。當她將女尸的衣帶一解，外袍一寬，只見女尸穿著的中衣也是大紅顏色的，只是兩只袖子的袖口不知為何用紅繩扎著，女尸看起來瘦得就像是死人墳前扎著的紙人，異常詭異。                                                                                                                                                                                                    果然跟褲腿的處理是一樣的！                                                                                                                                                                                                    暮青再不遲疑，將那兩袖上的紅繩一解，解了中衣帶子，將那中衣一寬——                                                                                                                                                                                                    四周頓靜，不知多久，周圍離得近的捕快們回身便吐，恨不能把昨夜吃的飯都嘔出來！                                                                                                                                                                                                    只見那女尸穿著肚兜，肚兜上繡著艷麗的五彩鴛鴦，肚兜卻貼著一副血淋淋的骨架子！                                                                                                                                                                                                    那女尸被人勒死之后，身上的肉被人給剃光了！                                                                                                                                                                                                    －－－－－－題外話－－－－－－                                                                                                                                                                                                    紅衣女尸：我的肉都被剔光了，把月票貼我身上，送我入殮吧……                                                                                                                                                                                                    鬼節將至，應不應景兒？