Chapter 209 The Flower Thief
Yunli walked to the window and looked up at the sky outside. The round moon was hanging high in the sky, giving the courtyard a silver coating.
I wonder if this flower thief will come back tonight? With all the commotion outside today, this flower thief must have heard the news...
Time passed quickly and it was already the middle of the night. The yard was still quiet. The flower thief had not come yet. Yun Li lay on the bed with her clothes on, feeling a little sleepy and restless.
I couldn't help but yawn, and just when I was about to close my eyes and take a nap, a dark shadow came in from the window and walked into the room.
Yun Li thought it was a flower thief and immediately sat up from the bed. When she saw that it was Helian Chi, she collapsed on the bed again.
"Li'er, let me take you back to rest. I don't think the flower thief will come tonight. It will be dawn in three hours."
Yunli yawned and nodded "Okay"
Helian Chi hugged Yun Li's waist and returned to the inn with Qinggong. Yun Li lay on the bed, nestled in Helian Chi's arms, and fell asleep in a short while.
In the dark of Zhang's house, the yamen runners were extremely alert. As they watched the sky getting brighter, they all lost their minds. Not a single ghost was around. Everyone was extremely angry about the flower thief.
…
The next morning, Yun Li and He Lian Chi woke up. They didn't sleep much last night and were not in good spirits. They entered the space, washed up, and had breakfast.
"Achi, you said that this flower thief hasn't appeared for three days. Could he have gone somewhere else?"
"I don't think so. If he committed the crime somewhere else, the county magistrate would have gotten the news."
Yun Li held a large meat bun in her hand, took a big bite, and then muttered to herself: "So what do you think happened to him? Could it be that he picked too many flowers and his body is weak?"
Helian Chi listened to this, the corner of his mouth twitched unconsciously, and he shook his head helplessly.
"Tonight, we're going to the Zhang residence again! I just don't believe it! This flower-stealing thief hasn't shown up yet! I'm going to confront him and I'm going to catch him!"
After they finished breakfast, fed the child, and played with the child in the space for a while, they left the space and came to the county government office.
As soon as I entered the gate of the county government office, the county magistrate came out of the yard in a hurry.
"My dear, something bad has happened! That flower-stealing thief went to Cao's residence last night! The Cao's residence is across the street from the Zhang's residence!"
Helian Chi frowned, and Yun Li was stunned! It seems that they all underestimated the ability of this flower thief.
Helian Chi asked in a deep voice: "What exactly happened?"
The county magistrate said angrily, "Last night, that flower-stealing thief went to Cao's residence in the middle of the night and bullied the young lady there. Miss Cao, unable to bear the humiliation, hanged herself in her boudoir early in the morning. When Mrs. Cao discovered it this morning, it was already too late..."
Just now, someone from Cao's residence came to report to the authorities, and I was about to rush to Cao's residence to learn more about the situation."
Yun Li's face turned red with embarrassment upon hearing this, her anger reaching its peak. "Let's go to Cao's mansion with you and see if we can find any clues! This flower-stealing thief is so rampant, he must be brought to justice!"
This flower thief was so cunning that none of the yamen officers patrolling the streets last night noticed his mishap.
The group hurriedly left the county yamen and came to Cao's house, which was across the street.
Arriving at the gate of Cao's house, the whole house was already hung with white banners. From the courtyard came bursts of heart-wrenching cries, and the grief and anger were overwhelming.
When they walked into the yard, they saw Mrs. Cao sitting on the ground, crying, her clothes soaked with tears.
The yamen runners were carrying Miss Cao's body out of the house, placing it on the ground, and came to the county magistrate to report:
"Sir, the coroner examined Miss Cao's body and found that she still had the lingering effects of a drug. This is the same method used by the flower thief to rape women in the past."
Yun Li said: "Take us to Miss Cao's yard to take a look!"
The county magistrate nodded, and the group entered Miss Cao's room.
Yunli and Helianchi carefully checked every corner of the room, not missing any clues.
Finally, his eyes stopped at the footprints on the windowsill and some dried chrysanthemum petals that had fallen by the bed.
Yun Li bent down and picked up the chrysanthemum petals on the ground. This was a black chrysanthemum. Looking around, there was no black chrysanthemum in the vase in Miss Cao's room.
So he asked Miss Cao's father if there was any Mo Ju elsewhere in the Cao Mansion.
Soon a maid came to reply, saying that there was no Mo Ju in Cao's house.
He also carefully questioned Miss Cao's personal maid and asked about Miss Cao's daily preferences.
Excluding other possibilities, this black chrysanthemum is what the flower thief left behind. This black chrysanthemum is not common and ordinary families cannot afford it. The price of a pot of black chrysanthemum is a hundred times that of ordinary chrysanthemums. Moreover, because of its rare color, it is very difficult to cultivate. There are very few of them on the market.
"Li'er, come here." Helian Chi stood by the window, looking at the series of footprints. There was some dirt in the gap of the windowsill.
Yun Li looked at the soil, picked up some of it with her hands, and found that it was moist! There was also a fragrance of flowers and plants in it. Her nose was extremely sensitive and she would not be wrong. This soil was more like it came from a flower field in the mountains.
He turned and asked, "County Magistrate, do you know where the black chrysanthemum is in Qing'an County?"
The county magistrate thought for a moment: "Black chrysanthemum? Hundred Flower Valley! Hundred Flower Valley cultivates black chrysanthemum!"
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Helian Chi and Yun Li's eyes!
Hundred Flower Valley? Wasn't this the place Helian Chi said he'd take her to the day they first arrived in Qing'an County? Who would have thought it would be Hundred Flower Valley after all?
The two of them exchanged glances and understood each other's meaning. After Helian Chi finished explaining the situation here,
The two of them left Cao's residence and headed straight for Baihua Valley.
After leaving the city and passing through a forest, you will reach Baihua Valley. Baihua Valley is a hillside, not too big or too small, but it is extremely beautiful when the flowers are in full bloom.
There is also a slowly flowing stream at the foot of the hill, which forms a beautiful landscape with the Baihua Valley.
When they arrived at the Hundred Flowers Valley, they did see the rare black chrysanthemums, and there were ten pots of them. Yun Li checked the soil in the Hundred Flowers Valley and confirmed that it was no different from the soil on Miss Cao's windowsill.
After searching around, they found a villa on the hillside of Baihua Valley. They searched the entire villa but found no trace of the flower thief.
But based on many small details, the two were able to determine that the villa in Baihua Valley was the base of the flower thief.
The original owner of the villa may have been killed
The sun sets, and the Hundred Flowers Valley becomes particularly quiet and mysterious. The two return to the inn.
Helian Chi went to the county government office to discuss the matter with the county magistrate.
What they didn't know was that a man followed them from a distance in the dark and finally entered the inn where they were staying.
At this time, Yunli had just finished taking a shower in the space and slipped out of the space in her pajamas.
Lying in bed, my mind is full of things about the flower thief
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