Chapter 182: War

The death of Old Master Feng was like a bolt from the blue. At this moment, everyone upstairs seemed to have finally reacted. Baozhu knelt on the ground and cried silently. The housekeeper panicked and called out "Master". Feng Kun pushed the people in front of him aside and rushed to Old Master Feng's side in a hurry. He almost stumbled in the process. "Dad, what's wrong with you? You can't die!"

Feng Kun shook old lady Feng's body vigorously, wishing to wake her up. Feng Kun could no longer bear it and pushed Feng Kun away: "Stop it! Father was a man of foresight and foresight, how could he die like this? Call a doctor quickly, maybe he can still be saved!"

It didn't seem like Feng Kun used much strength, but he took two steps back and tripped over the crutches on the recliner, knocking over the small table next to him. The teapot on the table fell to the ground and broke, with tea dripping through the gap.

Feng Kun fell to the ground, pointed at Feng Lu and cursed: "Feng Lu, you are rebelling. When my father is gone, I am the heir of the Feng family. How dare you disrespect your elder brother?"

Feng Lu turned a deaf ear to Feng Kun's scolding. He knelt beside Old Man Feng, his fingers trembling all the time, and he seemed to have completely lost his mind: "Father, you can't die. What will we do if you die?"

Seeing that the murderer had not been caught yet, the Feng family was about to start a quarrel. Li Huazhang quietly called in soldiers, and after everything was under control, he took control of the situation with lightning speed: "That's enough. Murder cases should be handed over to the government, and those who are not involved should get out first. I will definitely find out the murderer, recover the Suihou Pearl, and give the Feng family an explanation."

Feng Kun and Feng Lu were of course unwilling to leave, and even Baozhu cried and wanted to stay, saying that old lady Feng had lived a glorious life and could not leave in poverty, and that she wanted to change old lady Feng's burial clothes. At this time, Li Huazhang's six months of rectification of Shangzhou's internal affairs and military affairs were useful. The entrance to Zhaixing Tower and the staircases of each floor were guarded by people from the governor's mansion. Since the Feng family would not listen to reason, Li Huazhang asked the soldiers to "invite" everyone down to mourn, and soon, the third floor was empty.

Li Huazhang ordered the soldiers to seal off the scene, and no one was allowed to enter the third floor unless he was with them. After taking control of the murder scene, Li Huazhang asked someone to take his token back to the government office and urgently invite a coroner to perform an autopsy.

The lights in the Zhaixing Tower were bright, like a torch burning in the wind in the dark winter night, foreshadowing that tonight would be uneasy. Feng Kun, Feng Lu, Baozhu, the housekeeper and others were forced to go downstairs. Ming Huashang took a look, whispered to Li Huazhang, and then went downstairs to rest, using the excuse that she was afraid to look at the corpse.

With such a big incident, everyone was in a state of anxiety and no one was in the mood to pay attention to etiquette, so Ming Huashang was able to move freely. She noticed Feng Kun followed Baozhu into the greenhouse, so Ming Huashang asked Jinbao and the guards to follow her closely and walked quickly towards the greenhouse.

A thick cotton curtain hung at the entrance of the flower room, blocking the heating inside, and also blocking the sound and sight. Ming Huashang approached gently and heard the people inside seemed to be arguing about something. The voices were muffled as if they were separated by a layer of gauze. The man's voice was anxious and angry: "You are just a maid. You can only be respectable if the master praises you. If the master doesn't praise you, you are just a slave. Now that my father is gone, I am the head of the Feng family. If you don't know what's good for you, be careful or I will sell you to a kiln!"

The woman cried in her voice, "Da Lang is so powerful, just sell me off. I am just a worthless person, if I die sooner, I can go to the underworld and reunite with my parents sooner."

Baozhu rushed out after she finished speaking, suddenly opened the door curtain, and bumped into Ming Huashang who was eavesdropping outside. Oh no, she happened to walk in here. Ming Huashang immediately adjusted her expression, and said in a harmless and bewildered manner, "You scared me, I thought there was no one inside. I came here to wait for His Highness, and Baozhu, you are here too, please talk to me."

Ming Huashang looked inside and covered her mouth in surprise and embarrassment. Her eyes kept moving between Baozhu and Feng Kun. "Mr. Feng, you are here too. If you have something to say, shall I go to another place?"

How could Baozhu let Princess Yong avoid her? She quickly adjusted her expression and restored the smartness of a maidservant, but she still looked reluctant: "What are you talking about, Princess? I just happened to meet Dalang here. It's nothing. It's cold outside. Princess, please come inside and sit down."

Feng Kun didn't expect to meet Princess Yong here, but luckily she didn't hear anything. He had just finished acting as a master in front of Baozhu, and suddenly saw Ming Huashang, and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. He bowed to Ming Huashang, and then, using the difference between men and women, he quickly tucked his tail in and left.

After Feng Kun left, Ming Huashang sat down in the greenhouse. Baozhu was very tactful in pouring tea for Ming Huashang and moving the charcoal basin. She didn't look like she had just experienced something unpleasant. Ming Huashang watched her movements and said, "I don't have an appetite now. Baozhu, stop busying yourself and sit down and talk to me."

Baozhu responded, brought a plate of cakes to Ming Huashang, and sat down opposite him, but she didn't sit down, just leaning against him. Ming Huashang asked, "What does Feng Dalang want to talk to you about? I seemed to hear a quarrel when I walked over just now. Are you okay?"

Baozhu shook her head, forced a smile, and said, "It's okay. Dalang was anxious because of what happened to the old lady, so he spoke to me in a higher voice. Actually, it's okay, Princess, don't worry."

"That's good." Ming Huashang nodded, as if she had just noticed the snacks that Baozhu brought over, and asked curiously, "Why are there fresh pastries here? Oh, they're still hot."

Baozhu said, "Princess, this is the snack I just took from the kitchen. It was almost midnight and I felt a little sleepy. Seeing that Erlang was working hard, I went to the kitchen to find some food and walk around to wake myself up. When I came back, I heard someone setting off fireworks. I followed the sound and ran over to see the prince, the princess, and Erlang. Later, the prince said that the Zhaixing Tower was dangerous, so I asked someone to put the cakes in the flower room and followed him to the Zhaixing Tower. Who would have thought..."

As Baozhu finished speaking, her eyes dropped and her voice became lower and lower. Ming Huashang sighed and said, "I'm sorry. No one could have expected this to happen. Now we can only catch the murderer of Master Feng as soon as possible to comfort Master Feng's spirit in heaven."

Baozhu lowered her eyes and said, "Yes, Suizhu has disappeared and the murderer is still at large. It's really painful to think about it. Justice is clear and retribution will come. I also hope that the murderer can be caught as soon as possible so that the people in heaven can rest assured."

Ming Huashang held Baozhu's hand and said, "Don't worry, my second... His Royal Highness Prince Yong is very good at solving cases. He is known as a detective in Chang'an and has solved many old and unjust cases. Now the soldiers have surrounded the Feng family. No matter who stole something or killed someone, they can't escape from this house. I believe he will find out the truth soon."

Baozhu pursed her lips, smiled slightly, and whispered, "Your Highness is wise."

Ming Huashang changed into a comfortable posture and asked casually: "Baozhu, what did you see when you ran upstairs?"

Baozhu sighed, "I saw that the old lady didn't move, and I felt something was wrong, so I rushed upstairs regardless of the prince's order. But there was only one light on the third floor, and the light was very dim. I saw the old lady lying on the recliner, so I hurried over to call her, not paying attention to anything else. I called the old lady two or three times, but she still didn't respond, so I felt disappointed. At this time, Erlang came up, and then the prince and the princess came."

"Was there anyone upstairs when you arrived?"

Baozhu shook her head: "I didn't see it."

"What does Mr. Feng have?"

"It was just like that at the scene. I was so anxious to call the old lady that I didn't move the objects around me."

Ming Huachang sighed in his heart. It was really a ghost. At 11:30 pm, everyone saw with their own eyes that Old Master Feng stood up, drank water, and sat on a recliner to rest. During this time, Zhaixing Tower was under strict surveillance. From the window, they could see that no one entered or left the third floor. But when they rushed upstairs at midnight, Old Master Feng died in front of everyone. The most ironic thing was that he still maintained the same posture as before, as if he was killed in his sleep.

Ming Huashang hesitated for a moment and asked, "Have you been in the greenhouse since you came out of the Zhaixing Tower?"

Baozhu nodded: "Yes. Although the old lady didn't allow anyone to follow, I was worried that the old lady would get up at night, so I didn't dare to go far and kept guarding downstairs."

"It's really hard work." Ming Huashang said seriously, "You are a girl, keeping watch with a group of men, it must be very tiring."

"It's okay." Baozhu said calmly, "I'm used to it."

Ming Huashang asked concernedly, "I heard that Feng Dalang wants to take you as his concubine, but you have to stay with them tonight. Are you okay?"

Baozhu shook her head, with an expression that was about to smile but not smile: "Thank you for your concern, Princess. I'm fine. Dalang said that just to praise me. He is the master, he has all kinds of women, why would he be obsessed with me? Besides, there are so many people here. Dalang has dignity and won't do anything to a maid. Just stay away and don't distract the master."

Baozhu said it lightly, but in just one sentence, there was so much grievance and compromise hidden. Ming Huashang did not continue the topic, but asked, "Just now, Feng Dalang and Feng Erlang almost quarreled. It didn't seem like a new conflict, especially Dalang, who was particularly emotional. What did they do tonight? Did they have a conflict?"

寶珠皺眉想了會，為難說：“奴婢沒見着。奴婢一直忙到亥時，後面才來花房。王爺、王妃走後，過了一盞茶二郎出去巡邏了，沒過一會，大郎說要更衣，也出去了。過了許久大郎才回來，當時他臉色不太好，奴婢以為大郎心情不好，沒敢上前讨嫌，又過了會二郎巡邏回來了。那時也快子時了，所有人都打起精神盯着摘星樓，奴婢見他們都很辛苦，就去廚房拿些熱食回來，誰想剛走進花園就聽到放煙花的聲音，奴婢趕緊跑過來，後面的事王妃都知道了。”

“封大郎中間出去了一趟，回來後臉色不好？”明華裳問，“為何？是不是在外面遇到了什麽？”

“奴婢不知。”寶珠搖頭，欲言又止道，“奴婢不好說主家的閑話，但大郎性子急，脾氣爆，平日裏十天有九天都拉着臉，就算沒人惹他，他也要找由頭發作的。”

明華裳嘆息道：“原來如此。今夜他在樓上，當着那麽多人的面和二郎起沖突，還把拐杖、茶壺撞翻了，真是……急性子呢。”

明華裳說得委婉，寶珠笑笑，露出一種不便多說的微妙神情。明華裳朝外看了眼，說：“殿下這麽久了還不下來，我得去看看。今天發生這麽多事，你想來也累了，快回去休息吧。兇手還沒抓到，你晚上小心，不要一個人行動。”

“謝王妃。”寶珠起身送明華裳出門，“王妃慢走。”

明華裳一邊和寶珠寒暄一邊往外走，她掀開門簾，看到外面站着許多侍衛，遠比她帶來的人手多。為首的人看到明華裳出來，行禮道：“參見王妃。”

明華裳忙問：“你們怎麽在這裏？他呢？”

侍衛一板一眼道：“雍王殿下讓屬下來這裏保護王妃。”

明華裳聽了又急又氣，道：“我帶着人呢，哪用你們來保護？別說了，快帶我去見他。”

明華裳被侍衛簇擁着走了，寶珠站在門口目送，等看不見那團影子了，她才放下厚厚的棉簾，轉身回房。

李華章還在三樓檢查現場。明華裳提着燈上樓，看到他半跪在地上，仔細查看灑落的茶水。炭火已經熄了，樓上沒有任何取暖之物，寒意如附骨之疽，封老太爺仰躺在躺椅上，緊閉雙眼，肢體卻帶着不自然的僵硬，仿佛随時都能站起來，看着瘆人至極。

明華裳放下燈，提着衣擺走到李華章身邊，嗔道：“這麽冷的夜，怎麽不讓人搬個炭盆上來？”

李華章知道是她，頭也不回說道：“我怕破壞現場，不讓他們點。這點冷遠不及長安，算不了什麽。”

明華裳見識過李華章忍耐的能力，他在長安時冬天就不點炭，美名其曰鍛煉意志力。明華裳知道憑他的性子，無論多苦多難受都會說沒事，她蹲在李華章身邊，包住他的手，用自己的體溫給他取暖：“怎麽就算不了什麽，你要是凍壞了，還不得我心疼？”

“我沒事……”

“行了。”明華裳不想聽，直接打斷他的話，說，“我在這裏陪你。我知道你怕破壞現場痕跡，我用自己的手給你取暖，總行了吧？”

李華章拿她沒辦法，只能随她。李華章一一檢查樓上的東西，明華裳緩慢踱步，仔細打量案發現場。

封老太爺不愧是享受慣了的人，哪怕只是臨時住一夜，三樓依然布置得十分精致。明華裳掃過四周的帷幔、古董，停在封老太爺屍體旁。

三樓這麽大，為什麽封老太爺要将躺椅放在這裏呢？可能是下人随意放的，但這裏透風又透光，以寶珠的細心程度，不會把寝具放在這裏，那就只能是封老太爺自己要求的。

明華裳試圖以封老太爺的角度，思索為什麽要選擇這個地方。為了就近看守随侯珠？有可能，這裏離藏寶的匣子只有兩步之遙，躺在躺椅上一轉頭就能看到鐵匣。但封老太爺要是不放心随侯珠，完全可以讓人将躺椅緊貼着鐵匣放置，中間何必空這麽大？

為了夜裏舒服？那就更不合理了，這裏空蕩蕩的一覽無餘，窗戶裏的風能直接吹到身上，實在和舒服沒有任何關系。明華裳思來想去，這個位置唯一不可替代的優勢，大概就是從這裏站起來，能清楚地被外面看到。

莫非，封老太爺是為了方便示警？

明華裳暫時想不出結果，就跑過去騷擾李華章：“怎麽樣，你看出什麽了？”

李華章正在用銀針檢查茶幾上的糕點水果。他直起身，看着指尖寒光凜凜的銀針，說：“封老太爺嘴唇紫黑，手足指甲俱青黯，應當是中毒。但我檢查了樓上所有食物，并沒有下毒，唯一漏過的……”

李華章和明華裳低頭，不約而同看向木板上碎裂的茶壺。明華裳問：“沒法驗了嗎？”

李華章搖頭：“裏面本來就只剩半壺，被封锟打碎後，茶水順着木板滲到下面去了，很難驗。”

明華裳沒有氣餒，輕輕握住他的手臂，幹勁十足道：“封锟應當不至于這麽蠢，親手送加了毒的茶水上來，再當衆打碎。可能是某種能延時發作的毒，我們去問話，一定能找出來的。”

李華章知道明華裳在安慰他，他将工具收好，摘下手套，修長的手掌用力反握住她：“好。”

李華章接觸到她的手指後才覺心驚，他習慣了寒冷，不覺得案發現場冷，但明華裳的手已是冰涼。要是只有他自己，李華章肯定死磕到底，驗不出毒就不離開。但她也在這裏，李華章最知道明華裳原本的生活多安逸，如今卻要跟着他摸黑受凍，他怕把她凍出好歹來，沒再強求結果，命人把守好現場後就趕緊回去了。

如今夜已深，他們勢必要在封府睡一晚上了，封家留給他們的小院竟還真派上了用場。回屋後，明華裳将丫鬟們都打發出去，自己準備入寝需要的東西。但有李華章在，基本沒有明華裳動手的地方，李華章将衣服換好，洗了手，換了手爐、湯婆子，甚至連被子都鋪好暖好，明華裳只需要鑽進去就行了。

李華章的動作行雲流水，有條不紊，明華裳在旁邊光看着卻插不進去手，眼看他連明日她要換的小衣都拿出來疊好，明華裳不好意思道：“我來吧。”

“沒事，我順手就做好了。”李華章一邊替她整理衣服，一邊說，“你出去問什麽了？”

兄長實在太能幹，比她細心、比她講究還比她動作快，明華裳嘗試了半天都毫無用武之地，索性躺平了，心安理得地接受現狀：“我去和寶珠聊了聊，她說，亥時後封铻、封锟都出去過，封锟先回來，封铻在快子時才回來。他回來沒多久，煙花就響了。”

李華章點頭：“看在現場的樣子，我就知道這兩人必有龌龊。封锟今夜還故意撞倒了茶，那茶是他全程經手吧？”

“沒錯。”明華裳說，“寶珠要回去捉鹦鹉，他非要幫寶珠送茶。說起來，我剛下去的時候，他和寶珠在争執，揚言要賣了寶珠。”

李華章輕輕嗤了聲，未置一辭。他道：“看來，封锟藏着不少事。”

“我也是這麽想的。”明華裳爬上床，打了個哈欠，淚眼婆娑說，“還有封铻，都得問問。今夜晚了，我一個女子去找他們，他們未必肯老實交代，等明天，你陪我去問話。”

李華章颔首，二話不說應下。他看了眼沙漏，折騰了這麽久，都快寅時了，李華章心疼明華裳，忙道：“這些事明天再想，快睡吧。”

“你也是。”明華裳可太了解李華章了，不容拒絕拉住李華章，說，“你陪我一起睡，要不然我也不睡。”

李華章猶豫，他本來想等她睡着後，自己再出去檢查的，但明華裳執拗地拉着他，頗有他不答應誓不罷休的架勢。李華章只能脫了鞋，上床陪她，但他才一躺下，明華裳就像樹袋熊一樣抱在他身上，一點縫隙都不留。

李華章無奈道：“睡好，還在別人家，要是被人看到不好。”

“我和我夫君睡覺，管別人怎麽看。”明華裳将臉埋在李華章肩膀，甕聲說，“晚安，二兄，明天見。”

明華裳睡眠本來就好，何況今日熬到這麽晚，幾乎才一說完，她就歪着頭睡着了。李華章靜靜感受着她的呼吸，擡起另一只手，極輕地摸了摸她的頭發：“晚安，裳裳。”