Chapter 183 House Thief
Because they were in someone else's house, Ming Huashang slept very lightly, and she woke up almost as soon as Li Huazhang moved. Li Huazhang was getting out of bed quietly, and when he heard her wake up, he lowered the curtains again and asked in a low voice: "Did I wake you up?"
Ming Huashang shook her head, rubbed her eyes vigorously and was about to get up: "No, I just can't sleep."
Ming Huashang stretched out her hand naturally. Without saying anything, Li Huazhang had already caught her skillfully. He lifted her up with a slight force on his wrist and said, "You slept late last night. Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
This was not Ming Huashang's normal time to get up. Her mind was dizzy, but she dared not sleep when she was thinking about the murder case. She leaned on Li Huazhang's shoulder, squinting for a while, and decided to get up: "No, I still need to question you later, I will go out with you."
After Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang finished washing up, Li Huazhang didn't ask the maids to come in, but helped Ming Huashang to comb her makeup, braid her hair, and put on jewelry himself.
Ming Huashang actually wanted to do it herself, but Li Huazhang saw Qingqing was cold and nonchalant, but he didn't allow her to take over at all, and he was obviously enjoying it. Seeing that she looked bad, Li Huazhang even used a pen to apply a light lip balm on her, and then he was finally satisfied.
By the time they were dressed and finished their breakfast, almost half an hour had passed. Ming Huashang felt anxious as she saw how long it had taken. Li Huazhang held her back and calmly straightened her collar: "Don't worry, I have ordered people to surround the Feng Mansion, no matter who comes, no one can get out. You can take as long as you want, take your time."
Ming Huashang thought so too. The more anxious you are to get results, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Ming Huashang held the heating stove in her arms and let Li Huazhang straighten and iron her belt. She discussed, "After the accident with Old Feng last night, I saw Feng Kun and Baozhu, but not Feng Lu. Feng Lu is in power and favored by Old Lady Feng. He should be the one who least wants Old Lady Feng to get into trouble. After all, when Old Lady Feng was alive, they were the head of the family. After Old Lady Feng died, according to etiquette, the huge family business should be inherited by the eldest son, and they will have to make a living under Feng Kun. He can't not be anxious. Let's go find Feng Lu first today?"
Li Huazhang nodded, took her hand, and said without objection: "Okay."
Ever since old lady Feng died suddenly in the middle of the night, Feng Jue has been busy. Although Ming Huashang didn't know that old lady Feng's body was still in the hands of the government and the Feng family couldn't hold a funeral, what exactly was Feng Jue busy with? Upon learning that Prince Yong had something to ask him, Feng Jue took time out of his busy schedule to run to the main hall and bowed as soon as he entered the door: "I am late, Prince Yong, Princess Yong, please forgive me!"
Li Huazhang stopped him pretentiously and said, "The Feng family must have a lot of things to deal with after such a big change. I understand. Feng Erlang, you don't need to worry about it. Sit down first. I have something to ask you."
Feng Luan said politely and sat down carefully in the lower seat. Li Huazhang scanned his movements and said, "The coroner is still investigating the cause of death of Mr. Feng. The body cannot be sent back now. I hope Feng Erlang will understand."
Resting in peace is the obsession of many people. Now they are holding onto the body of old lady Feng. Ming Huashang thought that the Feng family would have complaints about this, but unexpectedly Feng Lu nodded and was surprisingly reasonable: "This is natural. My father died in vain, and I also want to find out the truth as soon as possible and seek justice for my father."
Li Huazhang said, "Thank you for your understanding. We have some routine questions, and I hope Feng Erlang will cooperate. What did you do from 11:00 to 12:00 yesterday?"
Feng Erlang said, "After my father asked us to go downstairs, I have been guarding the Zhaixing Tower in the flower room. At midnight, the prince and the princess came. At 15:00, my elder brother brought back tea. The prince and I checked the guards at the door. After the prince and the princess returned to their room, I was afraid that something might go wrong, so I took people to check again. At 15:00, I returned to the flower room. Baozhu said she wanted to go to the kitchen to get cakes. I was a little hungry, so I waited in the flower room. After waiting for about an incense stick, I suddenly heard someone setting off fireworks. I thought the thief appeared, so I quickly took people to the garden, but I didn't see anything. The prince and the princess knew what happened later."
"Were you the first one to go upstairs?"
"The second one." Feng Lu said, "Baozhu was in front of me. At that time, Baozhu said that it was strange that father didn't move, and I panicked and ran upstairs without caring. When I went upstairs, I saw Baozhu pushing father hard and calling old lady. She pushed father several times but father didn't move, and we both knew something was wrong. I was shocked, Baozhu covered her face and cried, and then the prince and princess came up."
Feng Lu hung his head in frustration as he spoke, "It's all my fault. I was useless and someone took advantage of me."
Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang looked at each other, and Li Huazhang asked, "Who do you think killed Old Lady Feng?"
"It must be the thief who came up empty-handed." Feng Jue clenched his fist in anger and said, "He sent an invitation to father and had long coveted the Suihou Pearl. He must have sneaked into Zhaixing Tower to steal the treasure last night and was discovered by father. He was so angry that he killed father."
Ming Huashang tilted her head slightly, very confused: "But, the window on the third floor of Zhaixing Building is open. If someone breaks in, they will definitely be seen from outside."
"We could see it before, but at midnight, fireworks suddenly went off from behind and our attention was drawn to them, so no one was looking at the window. Maybe it was at this time that Miaoshou Kongkong entered the third floor, killed my father, and stole the Suizhu."
Ming Huashang nodded slowly: "It is possible. However, there is no external injury on Mr. Feng's body. How did Miaoshoukongkong kill the old lady?"
Feng Jue hesitated for a moment and said, "They are from the underworld, so they must have many tricks. We will know once we catch Miao Shou Kong Kong."
Li Huazhang had a pale complexion, cold eyes, and a serious look that made him look more like a jade sculpture, cold and elegant. He said solemnly, "As soon as the murder was discovered last night, I had people guard the Feng Mansion and the city gates, so that no one could leave. Now Miaoshoukongkong must still be in the mansion. Feng Erlang, can you give me a list of people in the mansion? I want to check them one by one. Even if I have to dig three feet underground, I will find the thief."
Feng Lu seemed a little hesitant, but when he met Li Huazhang's righteous, upright and majestic gaze, he tightened his cheeks and finally said, "Okay. Prince Yong, please wait a moment. I will go and count the number of people. Some of them were just recruited, and it may take some time to re-register them."
"That's fine." Li Huazhang was very easy to talk to and said generously, "There's no rush for this kind of thing. Take your time to count. I'll be waiting for you in Feng Mansion."
Feng Kun bowed and hurried out. Feng Kun needed a while to sort out the flower list, so Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang went to the next stop, Feng Kun's courtyard, to question them.
Feng Kun heard the maid report that Prince Yong and Princess Yong were coming to question him and had been waiting in the main hall. He had a blank look in his eyes and kept rubbing his hands, feeling a little restless. Suddenly he heard someone talking, got startled, stood up in a hurry, and almost knocked over the teacup on the table.
Li Huazhang helped Ming Huashang lift the curtain. Ming Huashang just entered the room and was startled by Feng Kun's actions. She hurriedly said, "Feng Dalang, be careful."
The maidservant beside him hurriedly caught the teacup. Feng Kun smiled in a panic and said, "I am so excited to have Prince Yong and Princess Yong visit my humble home. I am sorry to have embarrassed you two. Please take a seat, Prince and Princess."
Li Huazhang thanked him indifferently and took Ming Huashang to sit down. Feng Kun seemed to realize that he was entertaining a distinguished guest at this moment, and asked the maid to bring tea and water. Li Huazhang raised his hand, his thin and slender hand was like a jade carving, and every casual movement was full of indescribable nobility: "Don't bother, Feng Dalang. We are here for official business today. Just ask a few questions and answer truthfully. The coroner has examined the body of Mr. Feng and said that Mr. Feng died of poisoning. The specific poison is still being investigated. Feng Dalang, I am sorry. I wonder if you have ever seen poison in the Feng family?"
Speaking of this, Feng Kun shook his head without hesitation and said, "My second brother and his wife are in charge of the general affairs of the mansion. I don't know what exactly is handled at home."
Li Huazhang nodded and asked, "I heard from the servants in the mansion that before midnight last night, they talked to Mr. Feng when they were moving things to the third floor. window, and everyone downstairs could see that he had no contact with other people. So the only thing he had contact with should be the food and water upstairs. Feng Dalang, you brought the tea upstairs, and you were alone with him for a long time. I wonder if you noticed anything unusual upstairs?"
Feng Kun's eyes moved quickly, and he tensed up and said, "I didn't notice that. The things around father were all prepared by the maids and servants. The people around him should know better."
Seeing that Feng Kun was avoiding the question, Ming Huashang asked, "When Feng Dalang was making tea, did you ever encounter anyone suspicious? Or, did you ever let the tea out of your sight?"
Feng Kun's face turned pale. He blinked his eyes and suddenly said as if he remembered something, "I remember now. I went to the tea room to ask someone to make tea. Baozhu was worried and followed me. I stood outside and talked to Baozhu. When the tea was ready, I was afraid that my father would have to wait for a long time, so I took the tea and left without checking it. If someone had tampered with the tea room, I wouldn't have been able to tell."
Ming Huashang responded softly and took note of the teahouse. She was surprised and asked, "Baozhu also went to the teahouse? Didn't she go back to catch the parrot?"
Feng Kun shrugged and said nonchalantly, "She said she was afraid that I didn't know what kind of tea the old man liked to drink, so she had to go over and tell the waiter before she went back."
Ming Huashang seemed to be thinking about something. Li Huazhang took over the conversation and asked, "Besides the murder of Mr. Feng, there is another matter in the mansion. That is the disappearance of Sui Houzhu. Does Mr. Feng have any idea about the theft?"
When the Suihouzhu was mentioned, Feng Kun's face suddenly became lively, and his expression was much more excited than when he asked about the death of Old Lady Feng. Feng Kun cleared his throat and said, "I am not very knowledgeable and have no idea how to solve the case. I wonder what the King of Yong has to say?"
Li Huazhang said, "I don't deserve your advice. Miaoshou Kongkong left a letter to Master Feng, and everyone knew about this. At midnight last night, fireworks suddenly sounded in Feng's mansion, and when he returned, Suihouzhu was gone. Could it be that Miaoshou Kongkong stole the treasure and killed Master Feng to silence him?"
Li Huazhang looked calm and indifferent, and his tone was unhurried. Even if he said that the sun rises from the west, it would be very believable. Feng Kun did not expect that Prince Yong's "brilliant idea" would be like this. His expression froze, and he laughed: "Prince Yong is thoughtful, and this situation is possible. However, I think that the Zhaixing Tower has been surrounded by an iron barrel, and even a bird cannot fly out. How can an outsider be so familiar with the Zhaixing Tower, perfectly avoid all patrols, steal things and get away unscathed? Guard against day and night, but it is difficult to guard against thieves at home. Maybe Miaoshoukongkong is in Feng Mansion."
Li Huazhang looked at Feng Kun seriously and nodded slowly: "That makes sense. Feng Dalang means that Miaoshoukongkong is disguised as a guard and hiding in the patrol team?"
Feng Kun groaned, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Many of the servants were recruited into the mansion by my father before he received Miaoshoukongkong's letter. Even if Miaoshoukongkong is a thief, he can't know the future. Moreover, most guards have to patrol together. How could he break away from the team and climb up to the Zhaixing Tower in front of everyone?"
Li Huazhang raised his eyebrows and asked, "I don't understand what Feng Dalang said. Miaoshou Kongkong didn't break in from outside, nor was he hiding in the guard team, so how could he succeed?"
Feng Kun quickly revealed a trace of disdain and said vaguely: "I'm afraid there is no thief at all, but there is a traitor in the Feng Mansion."
Li Huazhang showed an expression of humility and asked earnestly: "Who do you think is the culprit?"
Feng Kun laughed dryly and said, "I don't manage the affairs of the palace, so how dare I speak nonsense. The affairs of the outer palace and the patrols are all managed by my second brother. Prince Yong may as well ask my second brother."
After Li Huazhang and Ming Huashang came out of Feng Kun's yard, they walked to a deserted place. Li Huazhang asked, "Did you see anything from these brothers?"
Ming Huashang was thinking, and shook her head when she heard what Li Huazhang said, saying, "We don't have enough clues, so we can't draw a portrait yet. But Feng Kun is greedy and selfish. In order to clear himself, he pushed all the responsibilities onto others. His attitude is inevitably biased, but some things must be true, otherwise he wouldn't dare to say so."
Li Huazhang asked: "Who do you want to ask next?"
Ming Huashang thought for a moment and said, "Only by knowing yourself and the enemy can you win every battle. Sometimes, if you think from a different perspective, you may get unexpected surprises. Let's go meet Feng Rong's wife, Mrs. Feng Er."
When Mrs. Feng heard that Prince Yong and Princess Yong were coming, she was shocked. It was very rude for a foreign guest to come without a visiting card, and Mrs. Feng could have ignored it, but they were Prince Yong and Princess Yong, so Mrs. Feng could only swallow her displeasure and hurriedly packed up to meet the guests.
It seems that what happened last night was a great blow to the Feng family. After just one night, Mrs. Feng's face turned yellow and she looked dazed. Her makeup was no longer as exquisite as before. It was obvious that she was in a bad mood. She forced a smile and greeted the visitor: "I am here to see Prince Yong and Princess Yong."
Ming Huashang stepped forward to support her and said, "Madam Feng, there's no need to be so polite. We are being rude to bother you so early in the morning."
Mrs. Feng Er dared not admit it, and quickly said "where". After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, the guests sat down. When facing Feng Rong and Feng Kun just now, it was mainly Li Huazhang who asked questions, but now it was Mrs. Feng Er's turn, and the two tacitly handed the initiative to Ming Huashang.
Ming Huashang took a sip of tea and slowly got to the point: "It's almost the New Year, but Mr. Feng has met with such an accident. It's because the government failed to protect him well, and the thieves took advantage of the loophole. I hope Second Madam will accept my condolences."
Mrs. Feng forced a smile, staring at the ground, unable to even utter a polite word. Ming Huashang looked at her and asked, "The coroner said that Mr. Feng was most likely poisoned. Mrs. Feng is in charge of the poison, do you know who in the mansion had the opportunity to come into contact with the poison?"
"Poison?" Madam Feng frowned and said, "There are special people in charge of purchasing in the mansion. The inner house is not in contact with outside merchants. Especially when there are elderly and children in the house, the things to be imported are strictly checked. There is no poisonous thing at all. I don't know, maybe it was brought in by someone outside."
Ming Huashang asked: "Is there anyone in the mansion who knows pharmacology and secretly prepared the poison?"
Madam Feng Er smiled disdainfully and said, "You don't know, Princess. The inner house is full of women, and one of them might be pregnant. They are especially cautious about these things. When people in the mansion are sick, they never use medicine from outside. Instead, the doctor prescribes the medicine, which is picked up from the pharmacy, boiled and delivered to everyone. The amount of medicine in the pharmacy and how much is taken out every day are all recorded. For those highly toxic medicines, even if someone comes with the right card, the pharmacy will not give them out easily."
Ming Huashang showed a look of learning: "I see. I wonder if you can show us the records of the pharmacy's prescription and decoction of medicine during this period?"
Mrs. Feng was a little hesitant. This was the privacy of the Feng family. How could it be shown to outsiders? Li Huazhang said, "Mrs. Feng, we are trying to solve the case as quickly as possible. After all, the murderer is still hiding in the Feng family. If we don't catch him as soon as possible, no one knows who he will harm next. Mrs. Feng, don't you agree?"
Madam Feng Er thought the same and said, "Please wait a moment, Prince and Princess. I will ask the maid to bring the account book."
Mrs. Feng stood up and whispered to the maid beside her, who left. Ming Huashang was afraid that the Feng family had secretly destroyed or exchanged the account books, so she quietly signaled Li Huazhang. Li Huazhang and her eyes met, and the two of them were in a silent stalemate. Finally, Ming Huashang glared at Li Huazhang, and Li Huazhang had no choice but to stand up and said, "I'll go and take a look too."
The maid was very nervous when she saw that Prince Yong was also going to the pharmacy, but Li Huazhang behaved calmly and kept a leisurely distance, acting like a gentleman. The maid and Mrs. Feng II were not sure what to say, so they could only let Li Huazhang go.
While waiting for the account book, Ming Huashang was bored anyway, so she chatted with Mrs. Feng II and asked her about her actions yesterday.
The activities of the women were much simpler than those of the men. Yesterday, Mrs. Feng was about to rest, but suddenly she heard that Old Lady Feng asked her to entertain Prince Yong and Princess Yong. She did not dare to be careless and quickly changed her clothes. After settling Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang, Mrs. Feng went back to her room to remove her makeup and go to bed. Unexpectedly, she was awakened by a burst of firecrackers not long after she fell asleep. Not long after, she heard the servants say that Old Lady Feng had died.
Mrs. Feng was so frightened that she could not sleep the whole night and only dozed off at dawn. However, Old Lady Feng passed away suddenly, and many things in the mansion were messed up. Mrs. Feng did not dare to sleep any more, so she got up early to arrange staff and has been busy until now.
There were people around Second Madam Feng the whole time, and the maids and old women could verify her whereabouts. Ming Huashang talked about all sorts of things for a while, and then asked calmly: "Alas, Master Feng was so wise all his life, but he left so suddenly, which is really a pity. I saw Master Feng carrying a sachet yesterday, and it seemed to smell like medicine. Does Second Madam know where this sachet came from?"
Madam Feng Er said indifferently, "That was made by Baozhu. She said it was a secret recipe from the previous dynasty that can strengthen the body, calm the mind and nourish the qi. The old lady carries it with her every day."
Ming Huashang asked with concern: "Is Mr. Feng feeling unwell? Why do you carry the prescription with you?"
"Not really." When it comes to her deceased father-in-law, Second Madam Feng spoke very carefully, and said, "The old lady is still in good health. For some reason, he has paid special attention to health preservation this year. It happened that Baozhu traveled around with the traffickers and saw several prescriptions. Baozhu asked the pharmacy to prescribe a prescription for strengthening the body every ten days, and she made it into medicine bags for the old lady. It has been half a year, and it has been like this all the time."
"So that's how it is." Ming Huashang said sincerely, "Baozhu is really capable. She can manage accounts, cook, do acupuncture, and raise birds. No wonder others say that without Baozhu, Old Lady Feng is like losing an arm and can't get by for a day."
Madam Feng II lowered her head and lifted her teacup, saying, "The servant was joking, and a little exaggerated, but the truth is not wrong. Otherwise, the eldest sister-in-law would not have changed her character and become a good woman, and would not have been so determined to give the pearl to the eldest uncle. Such a capable helper, the old lady should take her to the underworld, it's a pity, I don't know who will get the good thing in the future."
Ming Huashang heard that Mrs. Feng seemed to have something else in her words. She rolled her eyes and said innocently, "Why do I feel that the first wife doesn't like Baozhu very much? Last night, I vaguely heard Dalang scolding Baozhu and even yelling that he wanted to sell Baozhu. It sounds like she doesn't like her either."
Mrs. Feng sneered with disdain. Since Li Huazhang was not there and there was no man in the house, Mrs. Feng let go and commented: "Princess, you are still young, and the prince dotes on you. Your backyard is clean and you don't understand these evil tricks. When the old lady was alive, the eldest uncle was so afraid of the old lady that he couldn't help but flirt with Baozhu under the old lady's nose. Now that the old lady is gone, how much private property the old lady left behind, I'm afraid only Baozhu knows. Can a man let go? It's just a trick of playing hard to get. We don't know who is catching who."
From what Mrs. Feng said, it seemed that she was hostile to Baozhu. Ming Huashang pretended to be confused and defended Baozhu, "Second Madam, are you saying that it was actually Baozhu who seduced Feng Dalang and deliberately seduced him? But when she was on guard yesterday, Baozhu was always well-behaved. It was Feng Dalang who always made things difficult for her. With Baozhu's appearance and character, she should not have trouble finding a good family. She should not be that kind of person."
Madam Feng Er sneered and said with even more disdain: "A fly won't bite a flawless egg. If she was really a virtuous woman, why would uncle be obsessed with her? How can she complain if she is not bullied? Men just want to be pitiful."
Mrs. Feng Er's words were full of venom. If it was just the maid and the eldest uncle who were gossiping about the eunuch, why would she be so angry? Ming Huashang thought of Feng Erlang's unusual admiration and sympathy for Baozhu, and vaguely understood.
A greeting came from outside, and Li Huazhang came back with the pharmacy brochure. Ming Huashang and Mrs. Feng stopped talking about gossip and talked about other things. Soon Li Huazhang came in, and while Mrs. Feng and Li Huazhang were chatting, Ming Huashang quickly scanned the records of taking medicines for the past three months.
Except for some common medicines for recuperation and typhoid fever, there is indeed no highly toxic medicine leaking out. Every ten days, Grandma Feng's hospital withdraws a batch of medicinal materials, and the name left is Baozhu, which matches what Mrs. Feng said. Grandma Feng was poisoned to death, and no one in the female family could come into contact with the poison. It seems that the female family members can be cleared of suspicion.
Ming Huashang flipped through the book briefly, closed it, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Second Madam. Mr. Feng is a murder case, so this booklet needs to be sent to the coroner for examination. Is that convenient?"
What could Second Madam Feng say? Even if it was inconvenient, it was convenient. She smiled and said, "What are you talking about, Princess? You and Prince Yong are here for our old lady. It is my honor to be able to help. Just take it if you need it. The pharmacy is not in a hurry. You can use it as long as you want."
Ming Huashang was not polite and really put it away. She put the things into her sleeves, carefully arranged the hem of her clothes, and asked casually: "Second Madam, who do you think killed Old Lady Feng?"
Madam Feng pursed her lips, and then pursed them again, and then slowly said, "I have not experienced anything, so I dare not speak rashly. However, when the old lady died, the Suihou Pearl also disappeared. The Suihou Pearl is very valuable. Even if the old lady bought it at a low price, it is still worth half of the Feng family's wealth. Maybe someone went all out to murder the old man in order to embezzle the family property."
After Ming Huashang and Li Huazhang came out of Mrs. Feng's courtyard, Ming Huashang was very amused and said to Li Huazhang, "What a coincidence, the three people gave three different answers. Feng Lu thought it was the thief who caused the trouble, Feng Kun hinted that Feng Lu was the one who was stealing, and Feng Lu's wife thought that Feng Kun killed his father for the sake of property. These brothers are really not from the same family. They are not from the same family."
Li Huazhang didn't know the whole story, so he didn't comment. He looked at the time and said, "It's almost noon. You've been hungry all morning. Shall we go eat first?"
Ming Huashang shook her head: "No, let's finish asking the rest of the people in one go, and then we can go back and eat."
For the first time ever, Li Huazhang did not argue. He took out asking out an oil-paper bag from his bag, picked out a piece of cake, and put it into Ming Huashang's mouth: "Okay. You take a rest first, and we will go home after we finish questions."
Ming Huachang was very surprised to see Li Huazhang taking out the cakes and asked, "Hey, when did you put them there? Why are you carrying cakes with you?"
"I brought it with me a long time ago. I didn't expect it would come in handy today." Li Huazhang said in a light tone. After feeding her, he took out a handkerchief from somewhere and carefully wiped the crumbs from her lips. "Eat slowly. Be careful not to choke."
Ming Huachang's mouthed was with snacks, so full that she couldn't speak. Given Li Huazhang's personality, it would be reasonable for him to carry weapons, paper, pens, and even books with him, but he actually carried pastries with him. Ming Huachang thought that only she would do such a thing.
Ming Huashang swallowed the plum cake with great effort, thinking with a sigh, if it was three years ago, she would never believe that her cold and noble brother would hide food with him, but this scene really happened in front of her. Marriage can really change a man completely.
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