Female General (Twenty)
Qian Li had previously said that Chu Mo had been an official, but she had no idea what specific position he held or how high his rank was.
However, he had the support of the Wang family at the beginning. With the power of the Wang family, it was no big deal for Chu Mo to have some prestige in the capital.
Fortunately, he had been an official for several years and had made many good friends in the capital, so he had some connections. Even if he had resigned for several years, he still had a way to enter the mansion.
It was just difficult for Xiao Lin. During the hot summer, he had to put on thick linen clothes, cover his hair completely, and lower his head from time to time to avoid other people's sight.
With Chu Mo's cover, and the dark night with dim candlelight, it was impossible to make out Xiao Lin's appearance without looking carefully.
The two of them took advantage of the situation and stepped into the Huang Mansion.
Xiao Lin had experienced this once before, but the current situation was completely different from the past.
Deep in the courtyard of this wealthy family, the open pavilion by the water, which was usually bustling with wine and food, was now plunged into an eerie silence.
The officials from the government office had already arrived, holding bright torches and lanterns.
The dazzling spots of light moved and patrolled silently on the paths in the garden like ghostly fireflies. Only the occasional rustling of iron chains and the slight rustling of swords scraping against grass leaves could be heard, making the night even colder.
Xiao Lin pressed Chu Mo's steps and moved tentatively.
She saw that the garden was brightly lit tonight, but it only illuminated the darkest caves in people's hearts.
She listened to the sound of the koi carp jumping in the water, which was like the sound of the King of Hell knocking on the door, hitting the solidified soul again and again.
The dew on the grapes on the table condensed the sweetness that had not yet been tasted, and the ice beads slid down, and the night froze in fear.
It turned out that the power and glory that was once in power was just a paper lantern, which was blown out by fate in an instant, leaving only messy spots of light on the ground and scattered on the bloody cheeks of all the survivors.
Xiao Lin couldn't help but swallow his saliva, adjusted his hair, and lowered his head a little.
As the two of them approached the lobby, they could hear the sounds of complicated arguments, which became increasingly intense.
"It must be her! She's the one who has conquered the Master!" Madam Wang, the wife of the first house, her hair slightly disheveled, a golden hairpin falling sideways, but she didn't care. She pointed at Madam Zhang, the wife of the second house, her voice so sharp it cut through the stagnant air, and she nearly tore the handkerchief in her hand to pieces. "The Master clearly only ate the bowl of iced cheese you brought him this afternoon!"
Zhang's face was as pale as paper. She leaned against the door frame, her body trembling slightly. Tears washed out ravines on her makeup. She could only mutter over and over: "It's not me... The master said it was very refreshing... How could it be... How could it be..."
The maid beside her was holding an empty glass bowl, which was shaking even more violently than her master. A small stain on the edge of the bowl reflected the light under the lamp.
"Refreshing?" In the shadows of the corner, Third Housewife Lin sneered, fanning herself impatiently with her round fan, but it failed to dispel the heat, only ruffling a few wisps of hair from her temples. "I'm afraid you're being too refreshing, and you're sending the master to the west! You're usually the best at currying favor, but who knows what you're up to!"
Xiao Lin couldn't help but stick behind Chu Mo and quietly moved closer with him.
"When is it your turn to speak, you little bitch!" Wang was so angry that she raised her hand and threw the teacup in her hand towards Lin.
Lin dodged swiftly, and the teacup hit the corridor column and shattered with a "bang", and porcelain pieces and tea splashed all over the floor, attracting the attention of several officials and scolding them.
She showed no sign of weakness and retorted, pointing out Wang's omissions in every word.
For a moment, the women's voices of weeping, defending, accusing, and cursing mixed together, making people feel upset and confused.
"Have you had enough of this?" a deep male voice shouted, breaking through the clamor and drawing special attention. "It's not like you didn't see your father die from a sword wound! Moreover, my third brother already found evidence and presented it to His Majesty. The imperial decree has arrived, and yet you're still framing your own family! With outsiders here, won't it make a fool of yourself?"
It was not until Huang Chun, the second son of the Huang family, spoke that the annoying quarrel finally died down, leaving only a few buzzing murmurs.
As the head of the family, Huang Zhizhi's death at the hands of his several wives was more devastating than the fall of the sky.
The eldest wife is easy to deal with, as she has the support of her legitimate son. On the other hand, the remaining two wives find it difficult to compete for the family property, and they have to be on guard against the eldest wife at all times, so as not to displease her and fall into the hands of human traffickers.
No wonder the Huang family fell into chaos after Huang Zhigang's death.
Fortunately, the women let out some rumors, and Xiao Lin pieced together the general cause of the incident.
After Huang Zhi returned home, he felt nothing unusual. He even ate a bowl of iced cheese sent by his second wife, Zhang.
From this point of view, the second wife is the most suspicious.
But at the same time, Huang Heng happened to pick up a token in the study room after Huang Zhi was killed. The word "Zhao Wu" was written in the center of the token, which meant that he was a good subordinate of Gou Su.
It must have been this sign that locked Gou Su in the palace and put him in prison.
This murder case seemed to be clear at a glance, but Xiao Lin was always worried.
She thought that the previous collaborating with the enemy was apparently done by Wang Pu, and the current case of murdering the Minister of War was also done by him.
Wasn't it just a coincidence? One thing after another, according to Gou Su, Wang Pu was by no means a cynical person and hadn't been in any trouble recently.
So why? Why do they keep taking risks?
Weird, too weird.
When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.
But... when Huang Zhi died in vain, Huang Heng was not in the mansion. If he really did not change his evil intentions and committed crimes again, they would have no choice but to frame him with empty words without any evidence.
It's not right, we need to sort it out quickly.
As they were arguing, Xiao Lin hid in Chu Mo's shadow. Her hair was already soaked and stuck to her cheeks.
This involuntary feeling made her loosen her headscarf. She looked around and calculated that everyone in the Huang family was expected to gather here. It was such a good opportunity, why not take the opportunity to sneak into Huang Zhi's study and find out what was going on?
So, seeing Chu Mo standing outside the door, his attention completely attracted by the Huang family, she suddenly had an idea and slipped out of the lobby under the moonlight and the noise.
Although most of the people were gathered in the lobby to discuss matters, after all, a murder had occurred, so it was inevitable that there would be sporadic soldiers on duty in the corridors. Fortunately, Xiao Lin was small in stature, and the moonlight was hazy tonight, so she was able to escape.
She didn't dare walk in the open, and could only walk close to the wall, tiptoeing from beginning to end, sneaking through the corridor as if walking on thin ice. The corner of her skirt was slightly lifted by the wind, and she hurriedly held it down with her hands.
At that time, she only felt that the sound of her heartbeat was louder than her footsteps, hitting her eardrums again and again, making her back cold.
After twisting and turning for a while, Xiao Lin finally saw the half-closed carved wooden door of the study. She dodged sideways into the bushes beside the corridor and immediately covered her mouth with her backhand.
As expected, there were heavy guards on both sides of the study door, and no outsiders were allowed to enter.
How can we search for clues if we can’t even get into the crime scene?
In a hurry, Xiao Lin raised his finger to the corner of his mouth again.
"No way!" She muttered to herself in a low voice, then picked up her skirt and carefully walked around to the backyard. "I finally got here, let's try through the window."
She walked diagonally around the corridor, avoiding the main entrance of the study. Then she curled up her body as much as she could, hiding in the broad shadows of the banana leaves, and moved step by step towards the west side of the study.
Soon, Xiao Lin suppressed his panic and stood still in the shadow of the back wall of the study.
Her back was pressed against the slightly cool blue bricks, but that little bit of coolness could not penetrate the burning heat beneath her skin.
The window lattice is right in front of me, and the ink paint looks even darker in the night.
Seeing this, Xiao Lin calmed himself down a little, raised his head, and scanned the window pane inch by inch.
She first pushed the window tentatively, but the motionless window frame indicated that not only the door, but even the ventilated windows were sealed.
And her idea of using this to climb into the room was simply wishful thinking.
Xiao Lin smacked his lips softly, his nails subconsciously scratching the wooden edge of the window sill.
The window paper was thin and brittle, clinging to the window pane, letting in the faint candlelight from the room, creating an extremely thin and uneasy golden border on the edge of the wooden strips.
Seeing that sneaking in was impossible, Xiao Lin couldn't help but concentrate and hold his breath, his eyes fixed on the window paper, hoping to see every detail of the furnishings in the house.
In the dim candlelight, her eyes narrowed even narrower than the gap between the window panes, and she peeked in cautiously.
As luck would have it, although my eyes failed to catch any clues, my fingertips did find an unexpected reward.
Her fingertips suddenly stopped at the lower left corner of the window sill - there were three unusually straight scratches, deep and fresh, obliquely cutting through the original direction of the wood grain, like a few abrupt scars.
This was truly remarkable! Even in the dim candlelight, the yellow and white scars were striking.
It's a clue! This is definitely an important clue! Xiao Lin's sixth sense told her.
Indeed, when I bent down and groped along the direction of the mark, my fingertips touched a patch of short grass.
The grass leaves were dense and messy, soaked with night dew, brushing against Xiao Lin's ankles wetly, bringing a slight coolness.
She was already wearing thick clothes, and sweat seeped out from her forehead, condensed into beads, and quietly rolled into her collar. She suddenly felt a chill on her neck and her back gradually became sticky.
Somehow, in the clear night, the rustling sound of the grass stems suddenly disappeared, leaving only the dull "thump thump" sound of her heart hitting her ribs in her chest.
Finally, the fingertips touched something deep in the grass.
After his five fingers reached into a pool of dew, he touched a piece of cold, hard, angular copper pipe!
Without saying a word, Xiao Lin quickly picked it up with his handkerchief, hurried to a spot of light in the corner of the window frame, and looked closely with a frown.
This brass tube is nothing else but a delicate and light sleeve arrow.
How could there be a hidden arrow?
What was the cause of Huang’s death?
Could it be that he died by chance from a hidden arrow? But hidden arrows are so delicate, how could they kill someone?
Otherwise, is there poison on the sleeve arrow?
Thinking of this, Xiao Lin felt a chill on his spine. He immediately moved the sleeve arrow away from his face, and cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck.
But on second thought, the fact that the sleeve arrow was poisonous was just her guess, and the real cause of Huang Zhi's death still had to be determined by the coroner's autopsy.
But putting aside the cause of death for now, according to Mr. Huang Er, Huang Heng found the token of Gou Su's subordinates in the room. Doesn't that mean that "he" sneaked into the study?
If that's the case, then how do we explain this hidden arrow? How could an ordinary person have a hidden arrow outside their study window?
The more Xiao Lin thought about it, the more his head ached. The clues were all mixed up like a tangled mess, and he couldn't make sense of them for a while.
She had no choice but to put her thoughts aside for the time being and keep this hard-earned evidence, waiting to discuss it with Chu Mo and Mu You later.
Afterwards, Xiao Lin bent his waist again, and followed the way he came, sneaking back into the shadow behind Chu Mo in fear.
As soon as she took the last step, Chu Mo's dark eyes immediately glanced at her. Xiao Lin subconsciously looked forward to it, but then looked away tacitly.
Needless to say, Chu Mo had probably anticipated her little plan long ago, so the two of them just exchanged glances and kept silent tacitly.
Seeing that they had an important clue, Xiao Lin grabbed Chu Mo's sleeve, trying to urge him to go back to Liuxiangju, but was interrupted by the urgent sound of the alarm coming from outside the door -
I heard a soldier rushing through the crowd, then slowing down his pace when he saw everyone, and finally clasping his hands, he said, "Sir, Master Huang has found the real culprit."
At this moment, Xiao Lin realized that the Minister of Justice Li Yun had already stood in the center of the hall.
With a fierce look on his face, he stepped forward and demanded, "Who is the real murderer?"
"Reporting to you, sir, according to Master Huang's identification, it is Wang Pu, a subordinate of General Zhaowu."
As soon as these words came out, Xiao Lin's face suddenly turned pale.
Li Yun continued to ask, "Wang Pu? Where is he now?"
"On a barren hill outside the city."
"Good!" Li Yun suddenly showed a look of joy, and immediately took a big step forward with his boots. "Did Mr. Huang and his men capture him? Quickly escort him to the Ministry of Justice. I will personally interrogate this beast!"
"Sir, there's no need to capture him." For some reason, the soldier's expression suddenly changed, his lips trembling slightly as he uttered a few cold words, "Wang Pu met with an accident before we could reach him. When we found him, all we found was tattered armor and clothes; his body had long been devoured by wolves."
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