Chapter 122 Restaurant
Half an hour later, Su Yan and the others surrounded the thing she had just taken out of Chu Feng's esophagus in silence.
Shi Yangui looked at it for a long time before he said, "He swallowed a whole hawthorn before he died?"
The icing melted and only the hawthorns remained.
Su Yan said: "It's candied haws."
"Before he was killed? Was he eating candied haws?"
Su Yan confirmed: "He swallowed it before he died. He swallowed it without chewing it."
"Why?"
Su Yan said: "I'm afraid we have to go to the scene to check. Maybe he wants to tell us something?"
Yun Xing said: "He is married. You said that he missed his wife very much. Could the candied haws be related to his wife?"
"If he knew he was dying and thought of Qin Wanyue, he should have chewed it. But he swallowed it directly, so there are obvious marks left."
Shi Er said: "If that's the case, then it could indeed be a message left for you."
Yun Zhou didn't understand what was said, but he knew Shi Er was on Zhao Mingde's side. He snorted coldly, "Is Chief Steward Zhao trying to kill us with a candied haws?"
For a moment, the morgue was silent.
Shi Er said: "Chu Feng is General Shi's man, and Chief Manager Zhao will definitely keep an eye on him. If you go to check tomorrow, be careful."
Yun Xing and Su Yan sent him away.
Yun Zhou: “…”
As expected, traitors have no good end, and he is not welcome here anymore!
The next day, Su Yan and two others went out to the streets to look for clues.
Su Yan didn't want Yun Zhou to follow him. The three of them together would be too conspicuous, and it would also be inconvenient for Yun Zhou to pretend to be Shi Yangui.
However, Yun Zhou always felt that if he left Su Yan, Shi Yangui would attack him, so he forced himself to follow the two of them.
They went to the crime scene first. Chu Feng died at the back door of the restaurant. The bloodstains had been cleaned up, but there were still some signs of a fight.
Unfortunately, Chu Feng was only a scholar and not very skilled in martial arts. He died before the fight lasted long, leaving few traces.
Su Yan sighed and said, "Some of the footprints belong to the yamen runners. The traces at the scene are almost completely messed up. It is impossible to determine how many people attacked Chu Feng."
Yun Xing had brought the restaurant owner here, and Su Yan asked, "The case happened next to the restaurant. Do you know what happened?"
The shopkeeper was about 40 years old and had a beard. He spoke respectfully but kept his head down. "Sir, I am just doing business. I don't know anything about the murder. It's useless for you to ask me."
Yun Zhou scolded, "You still want to hide it?! Someone saw him wandering around the restaurant and even went into the restaurant. He was clearly harmed by the people in the restaurant!"
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "The government came this morning to question us and took away everyone in my shop. They have now released us."
The implication is that the restaurant has nothing to do with the murder.
Su Yan said: "The government's investigation is the government's business. Our investigation has nothing to do with the government."
The shopkeeper straightened his back and said, "You are not from the government? What qualifications do you have to ask questions?"
Yun Zhou said angrily: "You are still being arrogant?! Do you know who she is?!"
Su Yan's current reputation can at least be used to scare people.
The shopkeeper didn't look panicked. "Who are you?"
Yun Zhou signaled Su Yan to reveal his identity.
Su Yan looked at Yun Xing.
The next second, the sharp dagger was against the shopkeeper's neck.
Yun Xing said in a low and cold voice, "I have learned a lot of tricks in these years in Chuyun Tower. If the shopkeeper doesn't want to tell me, I will tell you for you."
The shopkeeper was horrified, his legs trembling, "Sir, spare my life..."
Su Yan said, "I don't think he's being honest. Yun Zhou, we'll watch him here. Go bring all his wives here. If he refuses to tell the truth, kill one every hour until they're all gone!"
The shopkeeper was so frightened that he could not speak.
Su Yan smiled at the shopkeeper and said, "Do you know what I am best at? Whipping corpses. The flesh of a dead person is the most beautiful. I cut the rotten flesh with a knife. Sometimes blood will seep out, but sometimes no blood will be seen. Then I pry open the skull and take out the brain... You haven't seen human internal organs yet, right? I will take them out and show you later."
Just a description, the shopkeeper was so frightened that he knelt down, "Sir, spare my life!"
Su Yan continued to threaten in his heart - "I'm not talking about you, but your...relatives."
"Ask me anything! Ask me anything! I'll tell you everything!"
The shopkeeper did see Chu Feng yesterday.
Chu Feng was dressed like a scholar and did not look wealthy, so the shopkeeper sent people to chase him away several times.
The shopkeeper then went to do his work, and when he saw Chu Feng again, he had become a corpse.
"He was always looking upstairs, which was the Yage. Someone once gave me a box of silver and told me to mind my mouth. I didn't know what it meant at the time, but later I found out that it was because someone was killed."
Su Yan asked: "Who gave you the silver?"
"I don't know about that. Those people are quite weird."
"What's strange about that?"
"They were all well-dressed, but they were very burly, with dark skin, and looked like they had never been to school..."
Yun Zhou drew his sword, "Are you kidding me? You know whether you have read a book or not?"
"I dare not!" The shopkeeper was stuck between sharp blades, unable to move, and cried out in pain, "How could I deceive you? They always do something rude, and they keep staring at me without saying a word."
Su Yan said: "Go on."
"Yes, yes, the voice of the one who gave me the silver was soft, but it was not pleasant to listen to, and there was a strange fragrance on his body."
"What's that strange smell?"
"It's just... you said it smells good, it is, but it doesn't smell good." The shopkeeper said, "It seems to be mixed with the stinky smell, it might as well be stinky directly!"
The shopkeeper was still complaining about the smell after he left.
Yun Xing said: "It is inconvenient for eunuchs to use the toilet, and the smell will be stronger. Some of them like to use sachets to cover it up."
"Why would a eunuch go to a restaurant? And he met a group of uneducated rough men... This eunuch must not be a young eunuch, at least Chu Feng knows him."
"Chu Feng has never been to the palace. The eunuchs he knows are only those who often run errands outside."
Su Yan said: "Then it is related to Zhao Mingde. It seems that Zhao Mingde is going to make some small moves."
Yun Zhou: "..., are you sure about this? What tricks could Zhao Mingde have? Could it be that he wants to build up his power and find a group of martial artists?"
Su Yan shook his head. "The shopkeeper's description seems strange. Would an ordinary martial artist emphasize that he has never been to school? For example, when I see you, I won't think about whether you have been to school or not."
"That's true, but you asked him several times just now, and he didn't say anything. Is he hiding something?"
"Not really," Yun Xing said, "He has already mentioned the most crucial point. The person who came to meet these people is a eunuch."
If the smell was not mentioned, Su Yan and the others would not associate it with eunuchs, and it would be impossible for them to know why Chu Feng came.
Su Yan said: "The kite and mask next to Chu Feng's body are new. He should have been to the street and bought some candied haws. Let's go and take a look."
The vendors carrying their loads on their shoulders are still on the streets.
At one end of the shoulder pole is a semicircular frame supported by bamboo strips, with several candied haws on the frame.
Su Yan walked over, and the vendor smiled and solicited customers, "Girl, please let your husband..."
The peddler was speechless for a moment when he looked at Yunzhou and Yunxing.
Su Yan smiled, "You won't say it anymore? Why can't they all be mine?"
Vendor: “…”
Yun Zhou: “…”
Su Yan said: "If a man leads two women, you won't find it strange. This is not fair."
Vendor: “…”
Su Yan smiled sinisterly. She approached the vendor and whispered, "So, I'm not very happy now. Why don't I let them teach you how to speak?"
Most of the people who set up stalls on this street are honest people. When they heard what Su Yan said, their legs were so scared that they went limp.
Seeing the vendor looking shocked and uneasy, Su Yan continued, "Or, answer me a few questions."
"Ask! Ask quickly!!"
Su Yan smiled with satisfaction.
Yun Zhou: “…”
Yun Zhou asked Yun Xing in a low voice, "Is she letting herself go too much?"
She was a cautious girl when I first met her.
Yun Xingdao: "She has always been like this, and there is nothing wrong with this."
Yun Zhou: "..., no wonder you two can get together."
Unlike him, who has been with Yunxing for many years but doesn’t even know how many people there are in the other person’s family.
He didn't even know that Yunxing's money could be stolen casually! !
The vendor selling candied haws was impressed by Chu Feng. "He was the only one who was alone and bought a lot of things, such as kites and masks, all with patterns that women like. He bought a string of candied haws from me, probably to give to the woman."
Su Yan asked: "He put the candied haws away and didn't eat them right away?"
"No, I even asked him if he was going to bring it to my wife, and he said yes. Since it's for someone else, he definitely won't eat it!"
When he returned to the mansion, Liang Yi had been waiting for a long time.
He complained, "After you moved here, you never came to see me. Alas, when you have new people, you forget the old ones. But you went to find Yunxing, so why did you bring him with you?!" Liang Yi pointed at Yunzhou indignantly.
Yun Zhou: “…”
Su Yan said helplessly: "At this time, don't worry about these things. It will waste time to look for you again. The clues are gone."
Liang Yi: "Then I'll stay here tonight!"
Shi Yangui walked in and asked, "Any progress on the Chu Feng case?"
"You came just in time," Liang Yi stopped messing around, "You entered the palace today?"
Shi Yangui nodded, "The funeral of Concubine Liang was simple. My mother wanted to find an excuse to go to the palace to take a look, but she was sent back. I didn't see the emperor either."
Su Yan said, "We heard from the vendor selling candied haws that Chu Feng had no intention of eating them. He put them away before leaving. Judging from the direction he was walking, he should have gone home, but he made a mistake and went to the restaurant. He swallowed the candied haws before he died."
"Must eat candied haws before dying? What kind of weird habit is this?"
"I was wondering..." Su Yan said, "Could it be possible that those guys who seemed to be uneducated mentioned by the restaurant owner were not from the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Liang Yi said: "If he is not from the Great Zhou, where else could he be from?"
Su Yan: "For example, the Hu people?"
Shi Yan Gui was shocked.
Yun Xing said, "The Hu people are nomadic people, their habits are different from ours, and their appearance is also different. The restaurant owner didn't know this and mistakenly thought they were not scholars, which makes sense. The owner also said that those people didn't speak, so they probably spoke a different language than us. Chu Feng followed the eunuch to the restaurant, but was discovered by the other party and killed him to silence him. In a hurry... maybe he swallowed the candied haws to refer to the word 'Hu'."
Apart from this, the dying Chu Feng had no better way to explain the matter.
Liang Yi asked in confusion: "Why would the eunuch want to meet with the Hu people? How could the Hu people appear in the capital?"
"We have to ask the imperial guards how the Hu people got in, but they won't answer us honestly."
Su Yan said: "If Zhao Mingde really colluded with the Hu people, wouldn't the border be in danger? Or is his purpose to cooperate with the Hu people and force Shi Yangui to leave the capital?"
Liang Yi's face turned pale, "He is betraying the Great Zhou."
"In order to preserve his own wealth and glory, he may not care about the lives of the people of the Great Zhou. But if Shi Yangui really leads his troops to attack, even if he fails, his power will be weakened. In the current situation, if Shi Yangui really dares to ignore the Hu people and transfer troops to the capital, the possibility of losing is extremely low."
"So he secretly colluded with the Hu people and sold out the interests of the Great Zhou?!" Liang Yi was furious, "He actually did this!"
Yun Xing said: "For the Hu people, harassing the people on the border can not only rob them of their property, but also get the benefits promised by Zhao Mingde. I'm afraid they will not refuse."
Su Yan looked at Shi Yangui, "If that's the case, they must have passed the news out of the capital. If you can't stop them, can you not go back?"
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