Sizhou Four
On the winding corridor, a cherry-pink skirt fluttered in the wind. A woman in gorgeous clothes had an anxious look on her face. She stopped abruptly in front of the elegant room with the door open, and she never dared to step into the room.
She stood there and took a deep breath before she said softly, "Brother, I heard from Brother Qi that you're going to live at the government inn?"
Upon hearing this, Su Zirui rolled up the file he was browsing and said without looking up, "A murder has occurred in Sizhou. I have taken full responsibility. Since the authorities have been alerted and I have official business to attend to, it would be more convenient for me to stay at the official post."
"Then, then I..." The woman's face turned pale and she stammered.
"It's rare for you to come visit, so just stay here with peace of mind. If you need anything, just send someone to the official post station to find Beili." Su Zirui walked out of the room and said to her with his head down.
"Brother, let me come with you to the official post station. My cousin probably won't..." Biting her red lips, the woman lowered her head, twisting the handkerchief between her fingers, and pleaded softly. She had finally had the chance to spend every day with him, how could she just give it up like that?
"Nonsense! You're here to visit your relatives, so why should you stay at the government inn?" Su Zirui frowned slightly, his face darkening as he saw her look like she'd done something wrong. His voice was soft but filled with rebuke. "Yurong, this is your family's home. The Bai family truly loves you. Since you're here, why don't you spend more time with them?"
Su Zirui didn't know this junior sister very well, but he had originally sent her here to visit her family. What would it mean if she went to the inn with him? Was the Bai family's hospitality poor, or was she and the Bai family at odds? Either way, Su Zirui disagreed.
"Yurong understands." Hearing the meaning of his words, Liu Yurong nodded, not daring to stop him, but her jade-like cheeks turned a little pale.
Beili waited by the corridor, listening to the conversation between the two without approaching. Seeing his master's cold expression, showing no mercy to women, Beili couldn't help but shake his head, "Sir, Miss Liu won't go to the official post with us?"
"She's here to visit relatives. How can she stay at the government inn? Besides, the government inn isn't an inn. How can we just stay there casually?" Su Zirui walked out without stopping. "We have important things to do. This is a good opportunity to show off our official status."
This case is full of suspicious points, which shows that there are some things in it that cannot be discovered. These are the real facts of the case. Su Zirui has a plan in mind. Continuing to stay in Bai Mansion will only drag irrelevant people into the game, which will not benefit him.
"Is there a case? I thought you were just escorting Miss Liu to visit relatives." Bei Li blinked. He really thought they were just here to have fun and rest. It was over. This was a bad feeling. "The Second Madam also asked you to take good care of Miss Liu."
He was puzzled by how his master, who had always shown little patience for anyone other than the prisoners, could be so obedient, especially since he was ostensibly at odds with the Su family's second wife. Sure enough, everything had its own hidden agenda; his master truly didn't do unnecessary things.
Su Zirui curled his lips and gave him a meaningful look, "Teacher entrusted me with her orphan before she died. I promised to take care of her, and I will definitely do it."
It sounded like a good match, but Beili knew his master's temperament well, and based on this matter and the tone, it was probably a dead end. Beili silently sympathized with the young lady from the Liu family, stopped dwelling on it, and talked about another matter.
"Speaking of which, the Sizhou detectives are quite efficient. They just gave me the portrait yesterday, but I didn't expect they'd catch me today."
"The person was caught?" Su Zirui rarely concealed his surprise. "Who caught him?"
"Li Xiaoman, the daughter of Constable Li, is also a constable. She arrested the man at noon and reported him to the government office. They haven't been questioned yet, but a search of his luggage revealed a hundred taels of silver." Bei Li recounted the story briefly. "This Li Xiaoman is quite capable. She knows a few people in Sizhou. She tracked down the man in no time."
Su Zirui looked up at the sky and turned around, "What a coincidence."
"Sir? Are you talking about the hundred taels of silver?" Beili hurriedly followed him, a little puzzled.
He also felt that Li Xiaoman was a little faster in finding people, but it was said that this famous female detective in Sizhou was a hard-working woman with a very high crime-solving rate, so it was not impossible.
Rushing to the prison gate, he spotted Li Xiaoman, a tall figure in a constable's uniform, hugging the woman in his arms and caressing her hair by her ear. The woman in his arms, dressed in a clean lake green blouse and emerald green pleated skirt, looked fresh and elegant. She wrapped her arms around Li Xiaoman's waist, almost nestling into her embrace.
Su Zirui raised an eyebrow, still a little uncomfortable with the scene of deep sisterly love before him.
The woman in green inadvertently tilted her head and saw the two of them. Her gentle and coquettish expression instantly brightened, and she smiled brightly and waved at them, "Master Su~ Beili~"
Her smile was as bright as the sun, and her dark eyes were curved into crescents, showing that she was in a very good mood.
"It seems that the Sizhou government office is quite efficient. They released you so quickly." Su Zirui strode over with a smile on his face.
Li Xiaoman folded his arms in greeting, subtly shielding Aruo behind him. Then, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him. "Thanks to your Excellency's portrait, I've found the suspect. After our interrogation, he admitted to accepting the banknotes to trick Zui Haitang backstage, but he insisted he didn't kill her. Zui Haitang went backstage when Aruo and the rest of the troupe were rehearsing. She's been with everyone since then, so we reported this to the prefect before deciding to release her."
"Master Su," Aruo seemed to be completely oblivious to Su Zirui's cold gaze. He briskly pulled Li Xiaoman behind him and excitedly approached him. "Did you draw that picture? Have you seen that person? The aura is really 70% similar."
"Aruo, our master's painting is famous in the capital, isn't it?" Beili couldn't help but say. After all, his master was one of the four famous sons in the capital, so his various skills were naturally perfect. Although his master only occasionally painted serious criminals, this was probably the lowest-level criminal he had ever painted.
"Sir Su is indeed almighty. That painting is simply divine and lifelike." Aruo was full of admiration and bowed like Li Xiaoman. "Thank you, sir, for clearing my suspicion. I will repay you in my next life for your great kindness."
That’s right, in the next life. Aruo readily accepted the favor.
"Okay, just behave yourself and stay out of trouble, and thank me." Su Zirui responded indifferently, too lazy to find any loopholes in her.
Aruo smiled good-naturedly and gave Li Xiaoman a soothing look. He was her boss now, so he could do whatever he pleased. After all, she was out.
"By the way, are you planning to go back to the troupe?" Beili asked Cai Xin who was standing aside.
"We just followed the troupe to earn some travel expenses. Aruo wrote a play for them, and we will leave after we finish the ending." Cai Xin and Aruo looked at each other and roughly told each other their plan.
"Leaving? Where are you planning to go? Why not stay for a few more days?" Li Xiaoman was a little surprised. She thought the two would stay for a while, after all, they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
"I was originally planning to leave after visiting you and Uncle Li. Aruo is going to Yangzhou." Cai Xin smiled and pointed at Aruo.
Su Zirui looked down at her thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "What are you doing in Yangzhou?"
"I want to eat Yangzhou fried rice." Aruo said as a matter of course.
His dark eyes were so deep that they contained no emotion at all, and Su Zirui glanced at her indifferently.
Aruo no longer felt uncomfortable with his gaze, and Caixin said unhappily, "Don't doubt it, Lord Su, this is the real reason this person went to Yangzhou. Almost four years ago, she suddenly wanted to eat Lanzhou ramen, so we went from Jinan to the northwest, and then from there to Lanzhou. It took us half a year to walk, and our skin was dried out by the wind. But the noodles in Lanzhou are pretty much the same as those in Shaanxi."
Aruo pulled her hand sheepishly, "Food is the most important thing for people. For delicious food, it's acceptable to walk a little. If you don't go, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
How much regret could you have over just one noodle? Cai Xin shook her head helplessly.
"Constable Li," a man dressed as a constable hurried out of the government office gate, "Sun Erma... is dead!"
"Dead?" Li Xiaoman was startled. He glanced at Aruo and bowed to Su Zirui and the others. "Sir, I will go check first."
Su Zirui gestured to let her go and turned his head to look at the other two girls.
Sun Erma seemed to be the one involved in Zui Haitang's death. Aruo began to have a bad feeling again. He and Caixin exchanged a glance and raised their hands together, "Sir, we are innocent."
"I'm afraid you can't leave." Su Zirui said thoughtfully without commenting on her words.
"Sir, we..." Cai Xin wanted to say something, but Aruo pulled her sleeve and stopped her.
"Since that person is dead, it means the real murderer has not been found yet. You are a suspect after all. Moreover, if the real murderer intends to use you as a scapegoat, it is possible."
Aruo and the other person looked at each other in bewilderment. Indeed, the arrest of that person only proved that Aruo was not the murderer, but it did not completely prove her innocence. Now that that person had suddenly died, the case had reached a blind spot again. Unless the real murderer was caught, she really couldn't completely clear herself of suspicion.
"Well, Lord Su, the benefit of the doubt goes to the defendant... Isn't there such a clause in the laws of Da Qi?" It seems not.
Aruo curled her lips and looked up into those emotionless eyes. "So what do you mean?"
"Since you have no urgent matters, I'll trouble you two to stay in the official inn for the time being. Once the matter is clarified, we will let you leave." Su Zirui thought for a moment and said directly.
"Then, shall we live there?" Cai Xin looked at Aruo, a little hesitant.
Aruo tilted his head and thought carefully, then asked seriously, "Well, does this official post station cost rent?"
"No need." Su Zirui replied seriously when she was serious.
"Okay, we'll pack up and go over there." Aruo nodded readily, thinking that she would not suffer any loss no matter how she thought about it. She thought to herself that she would talk to Zhang the actor later and she would write the ending for him directly at the official post station.
The melodious, gentle sound of the pipa, intertwined with the woman's soft whispers, evoked a subtle ambiguity in the night. The aroma of wine lingered, but it couldn't outweigh the scent of the woman in his arms. The man in brocade clothing embraced the delicate figure with one hand and pinched her cheek.
The woman, with a slender waist, called him "Master," and his legs almost softened as she enjoyed the circles her delicate fingers drew on his chest. The man in a tight suit pushed the door open, ignoring the ambiguity in the room and bowing respectfully, "Master Zhu, the man is dead."
Zhu Jiazhen, who was hugging someone, gestured with disappointment, asking the woman to leave. "Where's that girl named Qi?"
"Minister Su of the Ministry of Justice took the man to the official inn and lodged him there."
"Su Zirui?" Zhu Jiazhen's expression changed slightly. Seeing the man nod, he pinched the corner of his goatee and stroked it. "I didn't expect that girl to be on the same side as him."
"Sir, do you want to..." The man made a gesture of wiping his neck.
"The people in the Ministry of Justice have always been protective of their own people. Su Zirui has restrained himself a lot in recent years, but his reputation as the living Yama Luo is not in vain. If that girl is his, I'm afraid it would be difficult for you to do anything." Zhu Jiazhen thought of something and looked a little hesitant. "He's not in the capital. Could it be..."
"Sir, is the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice really that powerful? Or are you afraid that he is Old Master Su's son?"
"What's with the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice... The one you really shouldn't mess with is this guy..." Zhu Jiazhen paused, twirling his beard and pondering for a moment, "Let's forget about this."
"So, how did this end?"
"Hmph, how else can it end? Haven't I done enough? I just broke a Drunken Begonia..." Zhu Jiazhen spoke indignantly. Drunken Begonia had been his longtime lover, but his wife had discovered her and had to send her to the capital. Now, his wife had finally agreed to let him in, but she didn't expect him to be gone just like that. "That man won't give up, and Su Zirui is no pushover either. Let them fight it out. When the time comes... I can just watch from the sidelines."
"Your Excellency is wise." The man said convincedly, the dagger hanging on his waist moved slightly, and the ruby embedded in the middle of the dagger flashed a faint light.
Zhu Jiazhen smiled with his fox eyes, hiding countless calculations.
Above the pavilion, a black shadow leaped silently and merged into the night.
…………………… ……………… ………………
In the official post station, Beili crossed the medium-sized courtyard, walked to the door and knocked. After receiving permission, he pushed the door open and walked straight in. He saluted the man standing by the desk writing calligraphy, "Sir, I have checked. A group of people came from Sizhou a few days ago. They are indeed escorting goods. The items they are escorting are still unknown. It looks quite heavy and is under guard day and night."
Su Zirui nodded, writing non-stop. He finished the letter and put it in the envelope. Then, looking up, he saw Bei Li with a troubled expression. He raised his eyebrows and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Sir, what does this have to do with the two girls?" Beili really didn't understand why his master wanted to keep the two girls.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that this matter had nothing to do with them. Not to mention that they had some connections with the Ministry of Justice, even ordinary citizens could be acquitted at this time. But Su Zirui made up a random excuse to keep the person, and Beili couldn't help but wonder if his master had other plans.
"For this drought in the northwest, the government allocated 200,000 silver taels, but most of them were smuggled out after leaving Beijing. I once accidentally intercepted a carrier pigeon belonging to a relevant person, and learned that the silver taels might have been dispersed and transferred to the south of the Yangtze River. Our main purpose of going south this time is to investigate and retrieve this batch of silver. What the people in Sizhou transported is most likely a part of that batch of silver." Su Zirui put down his pen, his face a little heavy.
"But, this... has nothing to do with them, right?" Kitazato was confused.
"Have you found out the identities of these people?"
"It's the Jiangnan Canal Transport Gang, the White Flame Gang."
"The man who broke into the prison that night was an extremely skilled wielder of a scimitar. If he hadn't been concerned about her, he probably wouldn't have made such a mistake. Someone famous for his scimitar skills in the martial arts world happens to be the leader of the White Flame Gang, Qin Fenglin."
"Sir, do you suspect that Aruo is related to Qin Fenglin?" Beili still found it a little hard to believe. After all, Aruo was just a girl who made a living by selling breakfast in the capital. If it weren't for the lost baby case, they would have had no connection.
The Baiyan Gang was the largest shipping gang in Jiangnan. Not to mention their status in the underworld, even officials were frequent customers. No matter how you looked at it, this ordinary little girl had no connection to such a major gang.
Bei Li recalled their previous conversation about their hometown and asked doubtfully, "But she once said that her household registration is in Shu. Shu is too far from Jiangnan."
Without a serious suspicion, even the Ministry of Justice couldn't just casually check the household registration of an ordinary citizen because they didn't have the time. Besides, Shu wasn't that close to the capital, so if they did, they wouldn't get results quickly.
"Whether they are related or not, only she knows. Another point is that Zhu Jiazhen is famous for his smooth and worldly wisdom, and he has just been promoted. This time, instead of arresting the real murderer, he directly wants to convict a girl. Could it be that he is so angry that he has lost his temper for the beauty? It's a bit unusual." Su Zirui was more concerned about the latter. Zhu Jiazhen was promoted by his father. If he was so impulsive, his father would not let Zhu Jiazhen climb to the position of prefect.
"Qi Ruoyu and Ning Caixin passed by Sizhou three years ago. You go and check what happened. Also, have someone take the letter to my father. He will arrange the matters in the capital." Sometimes Su Zirui had to admit that it was indeed convenient to do things with someone in the court.
What he didn't say was that the intercepted carrier pigeon mentioned more than just the disaster silver... His eyes were cold and all his thoughts were hidden in them.
Bei Li's heart trembled, he took the letter solemnly, turned around and made arrangements without mentioning it.
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