Chapter 314: Attacking the Heart
The backyard is bright and spacious, with a pomegranate tree with lush branches and leaves stretching out freely, and small red flowers that are about to wither hanging on the branches.
Qi Shuo stood still in the courtyard. "We won't go in. I asked your daughter's five playmates yesterday, and I plan to ask again today."
"My Lord, do you mean that one of those girls is lying?"
"Don't think too much, sister-in-law. Let's find out everything first."
The woman's face changed and she shed tears silently.
Qi Shuo turned to Captain Liu and said, "Captain Liu, please bring those five girls here."
"Yes." Captain Liu thought Qi Shuo was too lazy to run around, and he didn't find it strange at all when he thought about the other party's identity.
As a member of the royal family, it is good enough that he does not ride a horse and show off all day long. How could he possibly run around in the scorching sun like these yamen runners?
After Captain Liu and his men left, Qi Shuo gave the woman a few instructions.
The woman's expression kept changing, and finally she nodded.
The yard became quiet for a moment. The wind blew through the pomegranate tree, blowing down a few withered flowers.
After a while, the woman asked, "Sir, can you find the murderer who killed Yan'er?"
Without waiting for Qi Shuo to answer, she rubbed her red and swollen eyes and said, "I heard that a headless female corpse was found in Tianyuan Temple last year, and the murderer has not been found until today..."
Qi Shuo glanced at Lin Hao.
Lin Hao comforted her gently, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. The murderer will be found sooner or later."
In fact, many murders will eventually go unresolved, but this is obviously a serial case. As long as the murderer does not stop killing, the possibility of being exposed will greatly increase.
Not long after, five girls came with the yamen runners.
They all looked to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, and were obviously very nervous when being taken out of their homes by the yamen runners. They felt especially nervous when they saw the haggard woman, and they didn't know where to put their hands and feet.
The woman rushed over and knelt in front of the girls. "Please, if anyone knows anything about Yan'er, please tell me. Yan'er hasn't even been found yet. She must have died with regrets..."
The little girls had never encountered such a scene before, and they all looked frightened and didn't know what to do.
Lin Hao came over, pulled the woman up and handed her to Baozhu's care. He glanced at the girls and said, "Don't be nervous. I will ask you some questions in the room. You can leave after you answer them."
The five little girls looked at each other, and the tension on their faces eased a little.
"Sister, please follow me first." Lin Hao pointed at someone at random and turned to walk into the house.
The chosen girl looked tense. She stood there for a long time before she lowered her head and slowly walked into the house.
The main room connects the east and west rooms. Lin Hao was waiting in the west room, which was Yan'er's room.
Because she had often come to play with Yan'er before, the girl who walked in was very familiar with this room. This made her feel relaxed but also nervous, and her mood was very conflicted.
"Please sit down." Lin Hao pointed to a stool not far away.
The girl hesitated for a moment and sat down carefully.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I hope you can answer them truthfully."
The girl nodded.
"Did you see Yan'er on the day she disappeared?"
"No!" the girl answered without hesitation.
"Don't be so hasty to answer." Lin Hao's expression was gentle, his tone calm. "Look, I haven't even asked your name. Once we get out of this, no matter which of the five of you provides clues, I won't reveal them to anyone. Think about Yan'er's mother who lost her daughter, and think about the friendship between you and Yan'er. I hope you will think it through before answering."
"Really?"
Lin Hao curved his lips: "Of course."
Analyzing the young monk's words, Yan'er and her companions had only exchanged a few words that day, and her companions didn't dare admit it, simply because they were afraid of getting the story out and being talked about. Fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls are not very sophisticated, so even if their concerns are eliminated, there's still a high chance that they'll ask the question.
As expected, the girl looked much more relaxed. She subconsciously glanced out the window and saw that it was tightly covered with curtains. She whispered, "I really didn't play with Yan'er on the day she disappeared, but I know Yan'er has been playing with Meihua a lot recently. Meihua is the one in the white dress in the yard..."
Lin Hao nodded and asked a few more questions, and the girl answered them all.
"Can I go out now?"
"Please sit for a while." Seeing the puzzled look in the girl's eyes, Lin Hao explained softly, "I'll give you both the same amount of time, so others won't be able to guess anything."
The girl showed gratitude when she heard it: "Thank you, sister——"
Perhaps she really felt safe. Her eyes reddened and tears fell: "Sister, you must find the murderer who killed Yan'er. Yan'er is so miserable..."
"I definitely will." Lin Hao patted her hands.
After sitting for a while, the girl went out and another girl came in.
Lin Hao said similar things, and the girl who came in let down her guard like the previous girl and talked a lot about Yan'er. Unfortunately, she also denied playing with Yan'er that day.
Until the fourth girl came in, Lin Hao brushed her white silk skirt inconspicuously and asked her to sit down in a gentle voice.
"I wasn't with Yan'er that day."
"But they all say that you are the one who plays with Yan'er the most recently."
"They're talking nonsense!"
The girl looked angry, but Lin Hao could see a hint of guilt in her, so he repeated his words and concluded, "Meihua, you're a smart person. You should have noticed that the three of them came in at about the same time. You'll do the same later. Outsiders won't know who went to Tianyuan Temple with Yan'er that day. What else are you worried about? You're only fifteen. Do you really want to live in guilt for the rest of your life?"
"I--" Meihua moved her lips.
These words hit her heart like a heavy hammer, shaking her determination to keep the secret.
"Meihua, if you tell us what you know, it will not only help Yan'er find the murderer as soon as possible, but also help you get out of the shadow as soon as possible. This is not only for Yan'er, but also for yourself."
There is a skill to speaking. Every word Lin Hao said made Meihua feel that the government had already recognized her, which was undoubtedly a huge pressure for a young girl with little experience.
"Don't you suspect that the person who went to Tianyuan Temple with Yan'er is the murderer?" Meihua asked without thinking.
Lin Hao knew in his heart that Meihua's mouth had been pried open.
"How could that be? A monk saw them arguing that day. It's normal for friends to have a quarrel, but why would they kill someone and chop off their head? The authorities have long concluded that the murderer must be someone who has suffered a misfortune and has a twisted mind."
"It really won't get out?"
"I promise."
"I, I said..." Meihua covered her face with her hands, and the pressure she had been under in the past few days turned into tears.
Lin Hao silently handed over a handkerchief.
Meihua didn't answer. She wiped her tears with her sleeve and said, "That day, Yan'er and I went to Tianyuan Temple to seek marriage. As a result, when we were talking to each other by the Fangsheng Lake, we found that our lovers were the same person..."
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