Chapter 93: Go or Stay
Unexpectedly, Zhao Yan did not answer, but said, "Let's wait for some time before this matter is resolved. I need to report this incident to the court. Once everyone knows what Miss Yu has done, it won't be too late to discuss it."
"Okay," Yan Quan said, "Then I'll take my leave."
After Yan Quan left, he couldn't figure out what Lord Zhao was worried about. According to his understanding, Lord Zhao definitely still had feelings for her, and recommending Miss Yu was the best choice both publicly and privately.
But he said he wanted to postpone it. Why? Was it that Miss Yu was going to go somewhere else, or that Lord Zhao was going to go somewhere else, and he was going to give this achievement to the next person to take over?
Yan Quan thought, Zhao Yan would only be here for three or four years at most, so whether he had any political achievements was actually irrelevant. So, since Miss Yu hadn't agreed to Lord Zhao's proposal of a reconciliation, was Lord Zhao feeling bad and unwilling to take care of her? ...
Unlike what Yan Quan thought, Zhao Yan didn't want to mention this matter at this time. He had indeed considered whether she should stay or leave.
But it’s not about leaving Quanzhou, but about whether Dengshitang will stay or go.
In Zhao Yan's eyes, she absolutely could not stay in the Lantern Master Hall anymore, so he would not recommend her for the position of chief lantern maker until she left. He wanted this position to belong to her completely, not just a shop.
He has been thinking about this question these days, wondering how he could get her to leave the Dengshi Hall.
On his way home from the government office that day, he accidentally glanced at a small teahouse on the road. Lord Yan said that the people had been recommending his products recently, hoping that the tribute envoys from Persia would like them and have more opportunities in the future.
He looked a few more times and caught a glimpse of a familiar person - Ji Guifen.
She was drinking tea with a businessman in his forties, who was also well-dressed and didn't look like a local.
Out of instinct, he asked Uncle Ji to stop the car.
Because the distance was a bit far, he couldn't hear the conversation inside, so he just asked Uncle Ji, "Do you know the man in the gray brocade robe?"
Uncle Ji looked over and said, "I didn't know him originally, but I happened to meet him yesterday. He's Zhou Xiang, the owner of Zhouji Lantern Shop in Fuzhou. He came here with his family two weeks ago, saying he wanted to open a new shop."
"It seems his wife went to the Lantern Master's Hall to buy a lantern. It was his youngest son who specifically asked for it."
Uncle Ji saw Zhao Yan staring at that place and continued to explain, "Originally, these two families were rivals, but for some reason, this doesn't seem to be the case."
Zhao Yan also agreed with what Uncle Ji said. The two of them exchanged some pleasantries while talking, and Ji Guifen even brought someone to accompany them for drinks, which meant that they must be cooperating on something or selling something.
After a while, Ji Guifen had someone pass a brocade box over, and Zhou Xiang accepted it without hesitation. Then they said goodbye. Zhao Yan watched for a moment, and only left after the two of them had walked away.
When he returned home, an accident happened suddenly. The yamen runner who came to report was out of breath, so Zhao Yan followed him to the scene again.
The deceased was named Yingtao, a concubine of the local He family. The cause of death was suspected to be strangulation, and the murderer, He Fugui, a servant in the He family, has been apprehended.
When Zhao Yan arrived, a coroner was already performing an autopsy. The result was the same as what the yamen runner had said, that he was indeed strangled to death, but the murder weapon could not be found.
The bailiff also reported that the murderer committed suicide by taking poison on the way to be arrested because he was afraid of going to jail.
This is an ordinary case, but it reveals various doubts.
Zhao Yan asked people to put the deceased woman in an ice coffin first. Fortunately, it was winter and there was no shortage of ice, otherwise it would have been more effort.
Afterwards, he summoned Yan Quan and He Wang, the chief clerk, and asked, "Did the He family tell us why He Fugui killed him?"
Yan Quan replied, "This Yingtao was originally the fiancée of Mr. He's son. In the early days of the He family, when they were not yet wealthy, they were just a small teahouse. At that time, the He family arranged a marriage with Xu Yingtao, and when Xu Yingtao turned fourteen, she was taken to the He family."
Zhao Yan felt strange and asked, "Since it's an engagement, why did you accept it?"
"Your Excellency may not know that the Xu family was extremely poor. The He family originally did not want to acknowledge the marriage, but they could not stand the gossip from the neighbors, so they took Xu Yingtao in and raised her for two years. Just when they were planning to marry them this year, they discovered that the girl was behaving improperly and had an affair with He Fugui."
"He Fugui was afraid that Xu Yingtao would bite him later, so he arranged to meet her. The two then clashed again, and he accidentally strangled her to death."
After hearing this, Zhao Yan looked at He Fugui's portrait and asked, "What does the He family's young master's son look like? If he's good-looking, why would Xu Yingtao give up her wealth and status to marry a thirty-something servant?"
Wang Zhubu also found it strange. "Not only that, when He Fugui heard someone was looking for him, he immediately drank poison and died. How could a servant be willing to buy such an expensive Crane's Beak Red?"
Zhao Yan said, "He Fugui might not be the murderer. His death was so sudden, there's only one possibility: someone ordered him to do it. That person must have paid him a lot of money. First, go find He Fugui's family and tell them you want to ask them about his life. As for what his family says, don't worry about it. The more leak-proof they are, the more likely they are being manipulated."
The coroner then said, "If we can find the murder weapon, we can determine the cause of death."
Zhao Yan asked, "Can't you tell from the wound?"
The coroner replied, "I can speculate a few ways, but I'd like to have someone confirm it. These scars look like the material used for special lamps."
They discussed for a while, from the Lantern Master Hall to the Gathering Lantern Hall, and finally, Yan Quan said, "Those guys may not recognize all the materials. If we want to find someone trustworthy, it can only be Miss Yu."
Wang Zhubu was surprised that Yan Quan said this so blatantly. He glanced at Zhao Yan and said, "Xu Yingtao is a woman. It would be more appropriate to find a female craftsman..."
Since we need a female craftsman, then it can only be Miss Yu...
Yan Quan and Wang Zhubu looked at each other, then quickly looked down at the ground, feeling a little guilty.
Zhao Yan, who was standing by, felt a pause in his heart when he heard her name.
At this time, the coroner said, "Female craftsmen are good, but after all, it's just a matter of watching... I wonder if that lady will be afraid..."
Yan Quan hadn't thought of this either. He was only interested in seeing how Lord Zhao and his ex-wife would get along. He hesitated and said, "Then... let's change it to..."
"Go call Miss Yu and tell her that you need her help with something related to a woman's injustice. She will come." Zhao Yan said calmly.
The coroner received the order and immediately sent someone to invite him.
Yan Quan was thinking that they were husband and wife before, and they even understood each other's personalities so well. It seemed that this gentleman really hadn't let go yet.
Zhao Yan waited for a while, then asked the coroner to take them in with him. He wanted to see it for himself.
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