There were accomplices
Zhu Qinghe followed Shen Wumei, expecting him to head straight to the branch, but instead he sent his men around asking about pharmacies near the branch, which she couldn't quite understand.
"What are you up to?" Zhu Qinghe asked him.
"You'll find out soon enough." Shen Wumei kept everyone in suspense, and Zhu Qinghe secretly rolled her eyes. Still being mysterious.
The constables who went to investigate the pharmacy returned quickly, bringing the latest news.
"Boss, Huichun Pharmacy said that a young lady came to them to get medicine half an hour ago. Here is the prescription."
Shen Wumei took the thin piece of paper, stared at it carefully for a few moments, and then said, "Bring Xiao Hei here and search carefully along the Huichun Pharmacy."
The constables obeyed and left, but Zhu Qinghe, still puzzled, asked, "Who is Xiao Hei?"
"A greyhound kept by the government office."
Zhu Qinghe understood, but generally speaking, shouldn't the dogs used for investigations be tall, mighty, and long-haired big dogs? Why would they use a greyhound?
"Insufficient funding." Shen Wumei simply explained.
Zhu Qinghe became increasingly puzzled. He noticed that while the people outside the government office treated him with respect, they weren't particularly friendly. However, his subordinates were very obedient to him. It gave the impression that he didn't actually belong to the government office.
"Never mind," Zhu Qinghe shook her head. She seemed to be paying too much attention to him. After all, he was a high-ranking official, far beyond the reach of a poor and ordinary fortune teller like herself. She should worry more about her own affairs.
Xiao Hei quickly brought over a sleek and shiny greyhound. Although it was rather thin, its eyes were alert and bright, indicating that it was well cared for. It was pure black, gleaming healthily in the sunlight. As soon as it saw Chen Wumei from afar, it excitedly tried to rush over, almost causing the constable holding the leash to stumble.
Shen Wumei stroked its head down to its neck, and Xiao Hei squinted its eyes in enjoyment. "It seems to have grown a bit more in the few days I've seen it."
The constable leading it sighed, "Boss, you have no idea how much it can eat now. The government office is almost bankrupt because of its eating."
Zhu Qinghe blinked and asked fearlessly, "Why does it seem like your government office is also very poor? Doesn't the higher-ups give you any money?"
The constable's expression fell, looking like he wanted to pour out his grievances, but Shen Wumei shut him down with a cold glare.
The constable shut his mouth. Zhu Qinghe was feeling a little regretful when she met a pair of sinister eyes: "What, you want to help us out?"
Zhu Qinghe gave a forced smile and waved her hand, saying, "I wouldn't dare. Pretend I didn't ask."
What a joke! She's poor enough on her own. As the saying goes, when you're poor, you should take care of yourself.
Besides, judging from his demeanor, he doesn't seem to be short of money; he might be some kind of rich kid or official's son.
Is it her place to pity or sympathize with him? That would be far too presumptuous of her.
Although Xiao Hei has a big appetite, it is also quite capable. Before long, it tracked down a farmhouse and barked at the gate.
Shen Wumei raised her hand and waved it. The constables kicked open the door and filed in. Shen Wumei said, "Let's go and see this 'resurrected' young master of the Xiao family."
After saying that, he walked straight inside. Zhu Qinghe followed him into the house.
Inside the room, Qingchen was staring at the constables who had entered with a hostile expression, while a man was sitting on the bed. There were too many people in the room, and Zhu Qinghe couldn't see what he looked like for a moment. She just felt that he was so calm in this situation, and his temperament was indeed different from ordinary people.
With the enemy at the gates and the situation dire, he remained calm and composed, like a chess player calmly twirling a game of chess, directing the attack with unwavering resolve, as if everything was within his expectations.
Zhu Qinghe's eyebrows suddenly twitched, a vague guess forming in her mind: could it be that he never intended to escape at all? Perhaps he even wished that the trap he had set would be broken as soon as possible, and that his name and identity would be revealed to the world. He was using the rest of his life to take revenge on the world, to vent his resentment and hatred on this world.
The person on the bed slowly got up, his black hair falling from his shoulders to his back. He had a slightly thin figure and a gentle and refined appearance. Although his face was covered with black ointment, it did not diminish his elegant temperament. He should have had the noble appearance of a scholar-official who was about to be appointed to a high position. The Xuan paper on his desk, with its overflowing talent and powerful strokes, proved this.
But now he is a blood-stained executioner who has cruelly taken three lives. Regardless of the reasons behind it, such contempt for the law will eventually be punished.
“Qingchen,” his voice was surprisingly gentle and calm, “move aside, or you’ll get hurt.”
Qingchen looked at him with a face full of sorrow and despair, shaking her head desperately: "Young Master, no—"
Xiao Yuanzhou had already looked away and stopped looking. He looked at Shen Wumei and Zhu Qinghe through the constables who were standing at attention in the room, and said calmly, "You have finally arrived."
"I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The interrogation process was simpler and easier than Shen Wumei had imagined. Xiao Yuanzhou wore a relaxed smile throughout, as if what awaited him was not the punishment of the law but the crown of a victor.
He confessed to the crime without reservation, and Madam Xiao died after she learned that she had poisoned her own son. Although he did not do it himself, he was complicit in the crime and his guilt is hard to clear.
Speaking of this, Xiao Yuanzhou seemed quite interested. He rested his chin on his hand and revealed a childlike, innocent smile, as if he had remembered something that made him very happy: "Speaking of which, this is the first time I've ever seen that woman make such an expression."
"So even that smug and arrogant woman can feel sadness, grief, anger, and hatred. That distorted face of hers is really quite a sight to behold."
Xiao Yuanzhou narrowed his eyes, as if he could see that woman's scarlet eyes filled with deep hatred again. She was being held by her father around the waist, but she still struggled to pounce on him, as if she wanted to tear him apart.
He kept cursing, "You sickly, wretched bastard, I'll haunt you even as a ghost! Give me back my You'er—I truly regret it, I regret not eliminating you completely back then, I should have killed you sooner—ah—!!!"
Xiao Yuanzhou laughed until tears streamed down his face, clapping his hands and laughing loudly: "That's right, why didn't you kill me sooner?" His eyes suddenly turned fierce, and he grabbed her hair hard with a deep sense of malice, his tone cold: "From the day you drugged my mother, you should have thought that you would end up like this."
“Speaking of bastards, your precious You’er should be the one. In fact, you should thank me, because I will soon be able to send you down to reunite with him. This way, you and your son will be reunited. Such a blessing is something that others can only envy.”
Ignoring her bloodshot eyes, Xiao Yuanzhou looked at Master Xiao, who had aged ten years overnight: "Time is running out, please hurry, Master Xiao."
Master Xiao closed his eyes bitterly and nodded slightly. Then Xiao Yuanzhou left without looking back, walking through the familiar covered corridor. When he was young, he was often forced to kneel here as punishment by that woman. Later, when Xiao Yuanyou was born, he was forced to lie on the ground as a "horse".
They passed by a narrow, gloomy woodshed, where the woman had locked him up without food when he disobeyed.
The vast Xiao mansion was filled with somber and heavy memories. He often thought of his mother, whom he had never met. He wondered if he would be a hundred times happier if his mother were still alive.
Maybe yes, because his mother would care about everything about him, fuss over him, and cook him delicious meals; maybe no, because his mother would hit and punish him when he misbehaved, and would disapprove of him when he wanted to do what he liked. At that time, he might think she was really annoying and that he would rather be free on his own.
But he would never know the final answer, because that woman had extinguished all possibilities. From then on, he could only live a lonely and miserable life in this world, with no idea where he came from and no way back.
The pale sunrise rose shakily, but the falling light was cold and blinding. He shielded his eyes with his hand, and the afterglow shone into his empty eyes, so much so that he could only see a red glow.
That was the color of blood.
The room fell silent for a moment, with only Qingchen's suppressed sobs audible.
Zhu Qinghe felt very conflicted; she never expected Xiao Yuanzhou to be in such a miserable state. Although this didn't negate the fact that he had killed someone, she still couldn't help but feel sorry for him.
Shen Wumei, however, seemed unaffected by the gloomy atmosphere and asked, "Since you admit that Madam Xiao died because of you, and that Xiao Yuanyou was poisoned by Madam Xiao because she mistook him for you."
"While the deaths of these two men are not directly related to you, they are indirectly related, so let's leave that aside for now."
"Now tell me how you killed the butler."
Xiao Yuanzhou's face showed a somewhat surprised expression: "The butler is dead?"
Zhu Qinghe was also taken aback and hurriedly asked, "You didn't know the butler was dead?"
Xiao Yuanzhou: "My only enemy is that woman. What does the butler have to do with me? Besides, he is just a lowly butler and that woman's lover. He is not worthy of my attention."
However—Xiao Yuanzhou seemed to recall something, and frowned slightly: "But one night when I went to my room to get something, I seemed to hear someone fall into the water, but I didn't pay attention to it."
"Falling into the water?" Shen and Zhu exchanged a glance. That made sense. It must have been the butler who fell into the water. Even if the butler accidentally fell in, he wouldn't die. So there must have been someone with him at the time, and it's very likely that person pushed him into the water.
Zhu Qinghe recalled the messy bloodstains she had seen by the pond earlier and had some ideas. She asked Shen Wumei, "Lord Shen, have the results of the steward's autopsy come out yet?"
"It's out." Shen Wumei nodded and took out a document from his pocket and handed it to her.
Zhu Qinghe was surprised that he showed it to her without hesitation. In fact, the case was somewhat related to her, but he trusted her so much.
She felt touched and happy, but then, remembering her business, she carefully read the report again.
The autopsy results showed that the butler's lungs were filled with water, indicating that he had drowned. His ten fingers had varying degrees of wear and tear, as if he had been desperately scratching at something.
There was a blow to the top of his head, but it was not serious enough to be fatal.
Zhu Qinghe stroked his non-existent beard, lost in thought. Sitting there like this wasn't going to work; he figured he'd have to go to the pond again and maybe he could find out what had really happened.
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