Chapter 70 Zhongyuan
Qiu Heng was summoned to Qian Song Hall, where she faced two smiling faces.
"Did Grandpa and Grandma need something from me?"
Yongqingbo wore a smile on his face, but his eyes held a scrutinizing gaze.
Is this girl really that wicked, capable of bringing death to those who treat her badly?
No, no, no, it must be the old woman's wild imagination. There's no such thing as a rare occurrence in the world. She's just an ordinary little girl.
I almost got led astray by my wife.
Yongqing Bo regained his composure: "Heng'er, I called you here to tell you that Yuan Chenghai is dead."
Qiu Heng was startled, her eyes widening slightly: "Dead?"
He's finally dead.
Her skillful hands in blending perfumes and her tireless anticipation were not in vain.
"How did he die? I met Lord Yuan at the Yuan residence before; he looked very healthy."
Old lady: !
That guy surnamed Yuan was indeed a toad trying to eat swan meat; he deserved to die!
The Earl of Yongqing's expression turned serious: "I called you here to tell you that you should no longer associate with the people from the Yuan family, so as not to affect your and the Earl's family's reputation."
Qiu Heng wanted to laugh when she heard this.
Reputation is indeed a good thing; you can use it wherever you need it.
"Granddaughter knows. How did Yuan Chenghai die?"
The Earl of Yongqing looked displeased: "Why are you asking so many questions?"
I'm so annoyed to hear this. I've been questioned about it countless times all day.
Qiu Heng blinked: "Only Grandfather knows such amazing news. I'm so curious."
Upon hearing this, the Earl of Yongqing felt relieved.
That makes sense, he was a firsthand witness, he'll have a lot to talk about in the future.
The old lady also looked on intently, waiting for the Earl of Yongqing to answer her questions.
A strange urge to show off arose in Yongqingbo, and he lowered his voice and said, "I heard he died of poisoning."
"Poisoned?" The old lady gasped. "Who poisoned him?"
Yongqingbo glanced at the old lady: "Didn't I tell you I didn't know? Anyway, those who drank together have been cleared of suspicion for now. The focus now is on investigating the people at the restaurant."
The old lady said incredulously, "Fengweilou is a century-old brand, there shouldn't be any problems with it."
"That's hard to say. His Majesty is taking this case very seriously. The Imperial City Guard, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Judicial Review are all involved. If it really was someone from the restaurant who did it, they will definitely find out."
Many people shared the same thought as Yongqingbo, yet the people of Fengweilou were thoroughly investigated, and not a single suspect was found.
This led the investigation to focus on the Yuan residence.
For two consecutive days, people kept coming and going from the Yuan residence. After learning that Nie Siniang had been forcibly taken by Yuan Chenghai, the investigation focused on the Nie sisters.
After finally discovering the Nie sisters as suspects, the investigators were in high spirits. However, upon further investigation, they were dumbfounded: there wasn't even a single sharp object in Nie Si Niang's house.
Furthermore, it was confirmed by several maids that Yuan Chenghai never stayed overnight at Nie Siniang's place, and that Nie Siniang had nothing on her body when they were intimate.
As for Nie Sanniang, she went to the capital to look for her sister not long after. She was allowed to stay at Yuan Chenghai's residence, but she could not get close to Yuan Chenghai at all.
The officials looked at each other in bewilderment.
I've never seen anyone as suicidal as Yuan Chenghai, yet this very person died from poisoning.
Who poisoned it? Where did they put it? How did they put it?
When the Yuan residence was turned upside down, not a single poisonous medicinal herb could be found, and these questions became a mystery that puzzled everyone.
The investigation reached a stalemate, and the officials from various government offices involved in the investigation were severely reprimanded by Emperor Jingping.
Yuan Chenghai's death brought considerable trouble to the government offices involved in the investigation, and also forced Qiu Heng to confront an old question: July 15th was approaching, would Yuan Chenghai's death cause her intense burning pain on the full moon, just like Han Wu's death?
Qiu Heng didn't dare gamble that nothing would happen. This time, she needed to be prepared, instead of being caught off guard like last time.
While tidying up the teacups, Tao Da received a new message: go to Qinglian Lake to rent a small boat.
It was Liu Er who did this.
Liu Er has an unremarkable face, or rather, his greatest characteristic is that people can forget him as soon as they see him, making him the most suitable person to handle this matter.
Early on the morning of the Ghost Festival, Qiu Heng quietly climbed over the wall and rushed to Qinglian Lake.
Along the way, there was a constant stream of pedestrians, most of whom carried funerary objects and paper clothes to sweep the tombs outside the city. People were offering sacrifices at every intersection.
The bustling capital city seemed to become quiet on this day. It wasn't that fewer people were out and about, but rather that the atmosphere of the Ghost Festival made people unconsciously less talkative and laughing, and the air was filled with the faint smell of burning paper money.
Qinglian Lake was deserted, and the rented boat was moored by the reeds.
Qiu Heng boarded the small boat, rowed it to a more secluded spot, and lay down on the boat to wait quietly.
Spare clothes, dry towels, hair towels... everything is prepared, just waiting to soak in water when the burning pain subsides before going home.
And so they waited until almost dusk.
The sunset was magnificent, birds flew by, a familiar burning pain struck, and Qiu Heng jumped into the lake.
The lake water was getting a bit cool, and time seemed to drag on. Qiu Heng gazed at the sky, lost in thought.
Two of the five thieves have been eliminated; it's time to consider what to do next.
A young couple arrived at Qinglian Lake.
"Brother Feng, I'm a little scared to come out on days like this."
"What are you afraid of? It's more convenient to come here during the Ghost Festival. You won't have to worry about being seen." The man pulled the woman into the reeds.
"Brother Feng!" The woman suddenly stopped, her voice trembling.
"What's wrong?"
"Hey, Brother Feng, look in the lake, is it... am I seeing things? Why do I see a head on the surface of the lake?"
"Don't scare yourself—" the man said, turning his head to look, his eyes widening instantly, "My God, it really has a head!"
He grabbed the woman and ran, running aimlessly, knocking over a passing woman's basket.
The paper money in the bamboo basket was scattered and swirled in the wind.
The man screamed in fright and tried to run away, but the woman grabbed him: "You hit someone and you still want to run away!"
The man pointed at Qinglian Lake: "Yes, there's a water ghost! Auntie, run!"
The woman spat and instinctively looked in the direction he was pointing: "Don't think you can get away with that—ah—"
In the blink of an eye, the woman ran away, not even bothering to pick up her basket.
The man and woman locked eyes for a moment, then took off running.
Xue Han walked slowly, first seeing the middle-aged woman running wildly, then a young couple holding hands.
"Young man, don't go to the lake! There are water ghosts in the lake!" the man kindly warned, and quickly ran past Xue Han.
Xue Han paused for a moment, then quickened his pace.
Amidst the reeds, gulls and egrets took flight in fright. Qiu Heng, seeing the boy approaching quickly, silently sank into the lake.
Xue Han stopped by the lake, but seeing no water ghost the young man had mentioned, he simply sat on a rock by the lake and stared at the water in a daze.
As darkness fell, the afterglow seemed unwilling to give up, striving to burn even more vibrantly. The surface of Qinglian Lake reflected the sunset, beautiful and serene.
The boy's heart, however, was not at peace.
He learned of Qiu Liu's secret on May 15th, and he came here again on June 15th.
He always felt that she would still appear here.
The lake water was cool and refreshing, and the autumn hibiscus, unable to bear it any longer, emerged from the water.
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