"Did you see the person's face clearly?" Lan Yamei couldn't help but step forward to inquire. There were even eyewitnesses! The county magistrate hadn't mentioned a single one. Magistrate Liu's investigation was far too incompetent!
Although the owner of the glutinous rice ball vendor was a new face, he was very talkative. He said, "I didn't see them. They were too fast. They just darted past me. I only smelled a strong smell of alcohol. It was definitely good wine, so fragrant! But you're all wrong. The couple wasn't hacked to pieces. They were lying on the road, clean and tidy."
Everyone knew about this case. There weren't many forms of entertainment back then, unlike modern people who can watch TV, go online, play games, and binge-watch dramas. So when someone started talking about the case, they immediately surrounded it with curious heads.
The man selling glutinous rice balls was beaming. "Thinking back on it now, I'm terrified. If we had been a little faster, maybe three of us would have died. After this incident, I realized that setting up a stall in the ghost market isn't a long-term solution; we have to move to the city. What makes those two different from us? What grudge could we have against them that we killed?"
"Yes! That's right, I also find it strange. The authorities said it wasn't robbery, all the money was on me, not a penny was missing."
A sudden realization dawned on the crowd: "It's not a robbery!"
"How could that be? Would anyone not want money? Wouldn't that be stupid?"
"Why would someone kill someone?" The crowd discussed animatedly.
"An affair?" a plump middle-aged woman in the crowd boldly guessed, her curious eyes waiting for praise.
The crowd was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter. An elderly man with a white beard retorted, "Which girl in the Flower Pavilion isn't prettier and younger than her? Having an affair with her? You really dare to talk nonsense."
Everyone burst into laughter again. In this day and age, you have to pay to buy legal things; there's no need to steal.
The plump woman, embarrassed, retorted, "Men are all the same," and squeezed out of the gossiping crowd, after which everyone dispersed. After the laughter and chatter, who wasn't filled with a deep sadness? They were all poor; whoever laughed was the one who suffered!
Although it was just gossip and nonsense, it inspired Lan Yamei to start with the motive for the murder.
Since it wasn't about robbery or sexual assault, it must have been a revenge killing! A crime of passion would have been impossible in ancient times! Don't ask why, it's unprecedented.
But Er Gou and his wife are kind people, and they are busy in the shop from morning to night, so they rarely come into contact with outsiders. So who would kill them?
Er Gou never cheated anyone when buying vegetables, except for the time he caused a scene at the shop when buying San Luzi's cow. But that's all in the past, and an insider testified that there was no undercutting. Besides, San Luzi didn't have the money to hire Wen Dechang to kill someone, so that's ruled out!
Based on his swordsmanship, it was confirmed that he was Wen Dechang.
But Wen Dechang is a man of the underworld, his whereabouts shrouded in secrecy. So the question is, where has he been all these years? And who is he working for now? Only by clarifying this line of thought can we find the real culprit behind it all.
Lan Yamei was in a heavy mood, while the other two were munching away.
Qiu Zeyu had just put down his bowl when he looked up and saw Lan Yamei lost in thought. He put down his chopsticks and said, "I know what you're thinking. Eat first. This isn't the place to talk. Anyway, we have to go into the city tonight to find him. I have some ideas."
Qiu Kongkong, who had been silent all along, suddenly said, "I think you must have offended someone. Think carefully about who could get Wen Dechang to come to your aid?" After saying this, Qiu Kongkong put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with his palm, and looked like he was full.
Since setting up a shop in Longyang Town, the person who has been most unhappy with me is Hua Yuhe, right? It's all because of Aunt Guan, and it's still the same old story.
Qiu Zeyu and Lan Yamei exchanged a glance, seemingly having the same thought. If it was Hua Yuhe, then what exactly was she trying to do? First she killed Wang Fengyang's family, then she killed Er Gou and his wife—what was the connection? They really couldn't understand these two seemingly unrelated families!
Was it all for money? Did he think killing his right-hand men would ruin the barbecue restaurant's business? But Hua Manlou makes a fortune every day, would he care about such a small amount of money?
Then it must be because of something! Did she do something to bother her that led to this underhanded scheme? With her thoughts clearer, a bold idea formed in Lan Yamei's mind: Could it be...?
Thinking of this, Lan Yamei couldn't help but shudder. If it was really as she thought, then this woman was playing a grand game! She quickly whispered to Qiu Zeyu, "We won't go back to the city tonight; going to the Murong residence is more important."
"Hmm?" Qiu Kongkong interrupted unexpectedly, with a sesame cake still in her mouth.
“Eat your food! Either come with us to the Murong Mansion, or you go into the city first and find the number one barbecue restaurant in the world; someone will take care of you,” Qiu Zeyu said.
"Alright, more people means more help. I'll go with you." Qiu Kongkong really wanted to help, in order to find Wen Dechang as soon as possible and meet the famous senior brother.
Without further ado, the three rode their horses to the Murong residence.
They were still far from the mansion, so they dismounted and walked early. Such grand residences usually had guards on night watch; riding on horseback would alert them. The three of them tiptoed to a side gate, then scaled the wall and jumped in.
At this time, most people in the Murong family were already asleep, with only a few dim night lamps carried by the guards on patrol.
Lan Yamei's lightness skill was sloppy; she could only get through the two-meter-high courtyard wall thanks to Qiu Zeyu's help. She secretly resolved to work on her lightness skill diligently so that she wouldn't be carried around like a chick anymore.
Qiu Kongkong was amazed to see her brother taking such good care of a woman! In her memory, her brother was not interested in women, but now he was serving this woman from the Ghost Market so attentively. She had really underestimated her.
Lan Yamei had been to the Murong residence before, so she easily found Pei Feiyan's courtyard by avoiding the guards. No one expected that even at this hour, there was still a lot of construction going on in this courtyard.
Several burly men were digging in the soil with shovels, panting heavily from exhaustion. The one supervising them was none other than the old woman who had made things difficult for them that day. There were no other people around, and Pei Feiyan was nowhere to be seen.
The three of them bypassed everyone's gaze and peeked from the rooftop.
The old woman's shrill voice urged, "Hurry up, don't even think about slacking off. We have to finish on time tonight, or you'll be in big trouble."
Several burly men, their faces etched with distress, dared not remain silent, weakly saying, "It'll definitely be fine, don't worry," while their hands moved with unwavering deliberation.
The old woman was sharp-tongued and kept chattering. She urged, "This job is extremely important. Don't blame me for being so eager. The work at the Murong residence is just different from other places. Hurry up and don't delay anything."
The burly men didn't dare to argue and listened obediently.
He mumbled a few more words before turning around and going back to his room.
Only then did the burly men dare to complain in hushed tones, "Tch, what's with the attitude, you old codger."
"Keep your voice down, don't cause trouble."
"That's so strange. Why bring back so much soil and then pour it into this hole bag by bag? What's the point?"
"What are we good for? It's none of your business if rich people play with mud. Get to work, didn't you hear me? If we don't finish before dawn, we'll skin us alive. What, you're tired of living?" the leader of the men said.
The group dared not speak again and quickly got to work.
The three people on the rooftop each had their own thoughts after hearing this.
"There's a hole underground?" Lan Yamei blurted out, a terrifying thought forming in her mind.
"Why are you digging a hole?" Qiu Zeyu asked casually, unable to guess Lan Yamei's plan.
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