Chapter 35: No Good Banquet 14: The Second Death
Xun Shu hadn't expected to hear the name of Sitian Pavilion from Zheng Shu. Her pupils dilated, and her eyelashes trembled slightly. He Xuan, standing nearby, glanced at her thoughtfully, then echoed Zheng's sentiments, "It's indeed a little strange. After the pond was built, did County Magistrate Zheng visit it often?"
Zheng Shu nodded. "After the backyard pond was built, Father became increasingly busy with work, and occasionally he'd go to the pond late at night to relax. I once ran into him in the garden late at night, soaking wet. I asked him what happened, and he said he was thinking about the victims, and the pond was slippery due to the rain, so he accidentally fell in. Luckily, Father grew up near the water and is an excellent swimmer, otherwise who knows what would have happened..." Thinking of this, she felt sad, and tears welled up in her eyes again. "Father is truly a good official who is dedicated to the people. How could he embezzle disaster relief funds and disregard the lives of the victims?"
He Xuan's expression flickered slightly: "Do you think County Magistrate Zheng was wronged?"
"Of course! They said my father took the relief money for himself, but I've never seen so much gold and silver! What's more, after my father was imprisoned, the people from the Dali Temple sealed off the entire house and searched inside and out many times, but they couldn't find anything... The officials at the Dali Temple must be incompetent and needed someone to take the blame, so they convicted my father!" Zheng Shu wiped her tears with her sleeve. "It's been five years since the case was closed, but people are still looking for the whereabouts of that batch of relief money. Why don't they believe that this matter has nothing to do with my father..."
"Is there still someone looking for the whereabouts of the disaster relief money?" Xun Shu was surprised. "It's been five years. The money should have been spent long ago! Perhaps it has become a magnificent house, or the pearl hairpins and tiaras on the heads of the women in the family. How could it still be there?"
Zheng Shu sobbed silently. He Xuan softly explained to Xun Shu, "The disaster relief silver came from the national treasury. Each silver brick has a special official inscription on it, and it cannot be used directly. Over the years, the court has been tracking down this money. All the banks have received information. If anyone sees this batch of silver, they will report it to the government."
"Since it cannot be used, why would the thieves steal the money?" Xun Shu couldn't understand.
He Xuan wanted to rub Xun Shu's hair as usual. When his hand was hovering above her head, he paused for a moment, and finally did not let it fall, but quietly put it behind his back. He put his hands behind his back and continued to patiently explain to Xun Shu: "Just re-melt the silver ingots. For thieves, the biggest difficulty is not how to steal and use the money, but how to quietly transport several boxes of silver ingots out of Chaozhou and re-melt them in a deserted place. I think that in addition to the government, there are people who have been looking for this money over the years, but they have not been able to find any clues. So, they suspected that County Magistrate Zheng only had time to hide the money, but did not have time to transport the money out of Chaozhou City. Last month, Madam Zhao passed away, and Aunt Zheng's identity and hiding place were completely exposed. This group of people found Aunt Zheng and wanted to ask her about the hiding place of the disaster relief silver."
"Master He is right." Zheng Shu was sad, but still insisted, "Ever since my wife left, someone has secretly broken into the house looking for me, threatening to reveal my identity to the public and forcing me to tell the truth. Now that the master is gone, I have lost my protection. Even if the government doesn't want my life this time, I'm afraid I won't be able to live for many days. They will definitely kidnap me and torture me severely, but I really don't know..."
Five years ago, when the case happened, Xun Shu had just arrived at the coffin shop and was still young. She didn't know much, and now she only understood a little. She wanted to ask about the whole story, but when she saw Zheng Shu's grief-stricken face, her voice faltered and she said nothing.
The handkerchief in Zheng Shu's hand was already soaked. Xun Shu took it out from her bag, stepped forward, and was about to hand it to Zheng when He Xuan, who was standing beside her, grabbed her wrist. Xun Shu looked at He Xuan in confusion, but saw him wink at her, pull the handkerchief out of her hand, and shake it.
"Look at you, you're so sleepy all day. Don't you remember that this handkerchief was used to wrap something? How could you give a used handkerchief to someone else?"
This handkerchief was a new one she had asked the servants for yesterday. How could it be used? Xun Shu was stunned for a moment, then realized what he meant. After thinking for a moment, he came up with an answer that didn't seem to be a lie: "It's my fault. I forgot that this handkerchief was placed with the dagger used to cut the lamb leg at the banquet that day. But I haven't used that dagger, and this handkerchief is not stained with oil. I think it should be fine. Aunt Zheng won't mind it, right?"
Zheng's expression was calm. She was grateful for her mother's relics and didn't want to embarrass Xun Shu. She reached out and took the handkerchief: "It's okay."
The test was real, and the thought that the handkerchief might be contaminated with poison was also real. He Xuan took the handkerchief he had taken from Xun Shu back into his arms, took another handkerchief and handed it to Zheng, saying with a smile, "What a coincidence! I also brought a handkerchief, and it's something from your house. Aunt Zheng, please use mine."
Zheng Shu glanced at Xun Shu, and seeing that she had no reaction, she took it and said, "Thank you very much."
Zheng wiped the tears from her face with a handkerchief, and her mood gradually calmed down. Seeing that she had stopped sobbing, He Xuan spoke again and turned the topic to the case of County Magistrate Zhao.
"Auntie Zheng, do you have anything to say about Magistrate Zhao's death?"
Zheng paused, her eyes becoming increasingly evasive. She stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long moment. He Xuan lost his patience, his eyes sharp as a sword, pressing her. "Zheng, if Ah Shu hadn't pointed out the difference in the onset of the poison this morning, you would have been in jail. You should know that if you were in there, you would be like a piece of fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others. Now, we are the only ones who can help you, and the only ones willing to help you."
How could Zheng Shu not know that what he said was true? For a moment, she lowered her head, her straight back gradually hunched like a deflated sheepskin raft. She covered her face with her hands and began to sob again: "What do you want me to say? Although I have no intention of killing the master, the master may really die because of me... Please don't force me. My death is not a pity, but my son must live well..."
Xun Shu looked at her and was confused.
What does Zheng Shu's murder of Magistrate Zhao have to do with Zhao Yuanan's survival? Is there someone behind her?
Thinking of this, her heart moved slightly. She looked at Zheng Shu seriously and said, "What I said in the courtyard this morning was no joke. We have now found new evidence proving that Magistrate Zhao's death was not caused by the Baicao bee. Although there is still some connection with the bee, it does not necessarily mean that you will pay for Magistrate Zhao's life. Now you have to tell us everything, then we can work together to find a solution." She paused and softened her voice. "Don't you think your father was wronged? If you take everything on yourself now and bear the blame for others, how is that different from what your father did back then? Aunt Zheng, tell the truth, for Magistrate Zhao, for Zhao Yuanan, and for yourself."
Zheng Shu clenched her sleeves, as if persuaded by Xun Shu. Although she hesitated, she still whispered, "I transplanted the milo, and I also bought the Baicao bee from someone else. I withdrew the money from the account office just to buy this bee, but I didn't expect it to fail at the last minute... But you must believe me, I didn't prepare these to hurt the master..."
Xun Shu probed, "Your original target was General Yang?"
Zheng Shu bit her lip lightly, then released it and nodded gently. "Yes, ever since I knew Yang Yong had come to Chaozhou, I've been waiting for an opportunity to kill him. But Yang Yong is a brave warrior, and I'm just a woman living in a deep house. How can I succeed? I had no choice but to resort to this last resort. I thought that dinner would be a good opportunity, but I didn't expect... Well, it's just my bad luck. Even God doesn't help me."
Xun Shu asked again, "Why did you kill General Yang? Is there any grudge between you two?"
Zheng Shu didn't answer, her expression rather conflicted, as if she was in a difficult situation. He Xuan, who was standing by, saw this and said, "I guess it's related to the disaster relief money case five years ago."
Seeing that He Xuan had guessed it, Zheng Shu stopped hiding it. She took a deep breath, her voice squeezed out from between her teeth: "A few days ago, someone told me that the disaster relief money that year was lost, it was all done by Yang Yong. At first I didn't believe it, but when I think about it carefully, before the incident, I saw Yang Yong entering and leaving my house, and he seemed to have a very close relationship with my father. But after the incident, he seemed to have changed into a different person, without caring about our past friendship at all, and became a witness to correct my father's crime! Whether the disaster relief money can be found or not has nothing to do with me, and I don't care who stole it. But he did something wrong, and yet he framed and framed my father, making my father pay for his life. I can't let it go! I must avenge my father and mother!"
"Who told you this?"
Zheng Shu's chest heaved violently, and she turned her face away, her avoidance obvious. He Xuan almost laughed in anger when he saw her like this: "Five years ago, Yang Yong and another official from the capital were ordered to come to Chaozhou for disaster relief. Before that, he had never been here before and was unfamiliar with everything here. And your father, as the magistrate of Chaozhou County, had controlled Chaozhou for many years. No matter who was in Chaozhou City, he had to give him some respect. Not to mention, Yang Yong had not yet been promoted to General Ningyuan at that time, and was half a rank lower than your father. How could he have independently accomplished the theft of disaster relief funds and then pinned the blame on your father on his territory, bypassing your father? Yang Yong may have been involved in what happened back then, and he may be guilty, but he could not have done it all by himself!"
Zheng Shu was stunned.
Seeing that Zheng Shu had taken his words in, He Xuan slowed his voice and began to persuade her earnestly, "Zheng, you're not stupid. Think about it carefully. Even the Dali Temple couldn't find any clues about what happened back then and couldn't convict Yang Yong. How did that person know about it? You were hiding in the Zhao residence, just a weak woman in a difficult situation. If that person really wanted to do what was best for you, why would he take the initiative to tell you Yang Yong's name? Does he have other motives? Does he want to use you to get rid of Yang Yong and get rid of you in the process?"
One by one, Zheng Shu's most hidden suspicions surfaced again. Her mind grew increasingly chaotic, like a vast ocean, with surging waves, layer upon layer, threatening to overturn the world, and no matter what she did, she couldn't calm it down.
If she said nothing, without anyone to check and balance her, would that person really treat Yuan An well? If she spoke out and brought that person down, might that give Yuan An a better chance of survival?
She looked at the two young men in front of her, who had no background, and for some reason, she was willing to believe them. She finally made up her mind, and when she spoke again, her voice regained its strength.
"It was Feng Zhishu." She said the man's name. "He told me everything about Yang Yong and what happened back then."
It turned out to be County Magistrate Feng.
In the early morning in the main courtyard, Xun Shu noticed that this person was a little strange. He was eager to convict Zheng Shu and drove everyone out of the house. He even mentioned Zhao Yuanan, as if to threaten Zheng Shu not to talk nonsense.
But if it is County Magistrate Feng, he is very familiar with the government's case handling procedures, and we must collect all the evidence before him before we can convict him.
They need to move faster.
After leaving Zheng Shu's place, Xun Shu and the others first went to look for the maids who had served the roasted lamb leg that day. The maids testified to each other that they had not stopped walking from the kitchen to the table, and no one had approached them or approached the food. They then went to the kitchen in the front yard and found the servants. They learned that, in addition to Zheng Shu, who frequently visited the kitchen, two other people had been there on the day of the incident. One of them was County Magistrate Feng, who had been there after the banquet began. The other was County Lieutenant Bi, who had been there once before the banquet began and again halfway through.
The kitchen was short-staffed and it was the busiest time. The servants only remembered that County Captain Bi and County Magistrate Feng walked around casually and did not see what they did.
Xun Shu was a little frustrated, but he heard He Xuan beside him ask: "Did these two say anything?"
The servant replied without much thought, "Lieutenant Bi didn't say anything. When County Magistrate Feng first came, there were a lot of ingredients scattered around here. He asked what dishes they were and how they were prepared. Other than that, he didn't say anything else."
"County Magistrate Feng isn't from the Zhao residence, so why is he so concerned about the ingredients that day?"
"Your Excellency may not know that the mansion has been in turmoil since the death of the mistress. The menu for that day was decided with the help of County Magistrate Feng, so he naturally cared about it. My master trusted County Magistrate Feng the most during his lifetime, and he often consulted with him on important matters in the mansion. The servants have long been accustomed to this."
The menu was actually set by County Magistrate Feng? Xun Shu hurriedly asked, "It's hot in the summer, so we should eat less mutton. The roasted lamb leg at the banquet that day was delicious, but it was a bit inappropriate. Who decided on this dish?"
"Of course it was County Magistrate Feng who decided it. He said there was a distinguished guest at the banquet who grew up in the bitter cold of the northern frontier and loved freshly roasted lamb legs. I venture to guess that County Magistrate Feng was referring to General Yang."
Xun Shu's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at He Xuan, who was standing beside him. He saw him walking to the large table under the eaves of the entrance. He pointed at the dozen or so food boxes on the table and asked, "Are these lunches? Are they going to be delivered to the various courtyards soon?"
"Yes, we will place the prepared food boxes here so that when the messengers arrive, they can take them away directly. The same thing happened at the banquet that day. The prepared dishes were placed here and carried to the main hall by the maids and served to the guests' tables."
"Do you remember what dish was on the table when County Magistrate Feng came?"
"How could I remember? It was a very busy day, with people coming and going in the kitchen. These might be on the table at one moment, but they might be taken away and replaced with something else the next."
Seeing that lunch was almost here, the servants hurried away, seeing that the two had no more questions. Xun Shu and He Xuan looked at each other and prepared to return to the courtyard before making their next plan.
The sky, which had been clear all morning, now darkened, a thick cloud covering the sky, making it hard to breathe. The summer heat hadn't dissipated, and a mist seemed to hang in the air, landing on people, sticky and irritating.
Xun Shu used his hands as a fan, the wind barely ruffling the loose hair at his temples, the slightest bit of coolness melting into the summer heat before it even reached him. He Xuan broke off a few leaves from a small tree in the corner, layering them together to form a crude leaf fan, which he used to fan Xun Shu.
The house seemed different today than it had been yesterday. The sharp chirping of cicadas was mingled with other sounds. Xun Shu and He Xuan walked out of the courtyard side by side. Before they had taken a few steps, they saw servants and yamen runners scurrying about in a panic in the distance, many heading towards the back garden. At the end of the group, Fang Yan, with a serious expression and hurried steps, followed.
"Fang Yan!" Xun Shu shouted and waved his arms at Fang Yan.
Fang Yan stopped walking when he heard the voice. When he turned around, he saw Xun Shu and He Xuan, and looked surprised: "Why are you here?" Before they could answer, Fang Yan took a few quick steps and pulled Xun Shu's arm, "Hurry up, hurry up, something happened again!"
He Xuan quickly threw away the leaf fan, stepped forward and put his arm into Fang Yan's hand, raised an eyebrow and said, "What's the matter? Is there another death?"
The situation was too urgent, and Fang Yan no longer cared whose hand he held. He grabbed it and walked towards the back garden: "You guessed right, County Magistrate Feng is dead!"
County Magistrate Feng is dead?!
This news exploded like a firework in Xun Shu's mind, turning her thoughts, which she had finally sorted out, into a mess. She didn't know how to react.
I just got the name of County Magistrate Feng from Zheng Shu, and confirmed that he knew the banquet dishes in advance and had been to the kitchen. He had the opportunity to poison, but he died?
He Xuan turned around and tugged at Xun Shu's arm, reminding him, "Recover your senses and be careful on the road."
Xun Shu returned to his seat after deep thought, nodded, and trotted to keep up with them.
When the three of them arrived at the garden, quite a few people had already gathered. County Magistrate Feng's body lay behind a rockery built of unusual stones, resembling a grave mound. On the other side lay a forest, layer upon layer, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The yamen runners guarding outside saw Fang Yan and made way for him. The three of them passed through one by one and came to the side of the corpse.
Qu Zhubu arrived first and was standing beside the corpse, sighing and groaning with a very sad expression.
Within just a few days, the county magistrate and the county magistrate died one after another, and he became the highest-ranking official in the county government. It was really frustrating to deal with the aftermath of everything that had happened in the past few days.
At his feet, County Magistrate Feng lay faceup in the grass, his lips purple and face flushed, his eyes wide open, staring at the sky, a look of unresolved death. A shallow wound etched itself on his neck, its color dark and purple, a gruesome sight. His hair had long been undone, his clothes disheveled, his exposed skin scratched, and his hands stained with blood, suggesting a fierce struggle.
Although Xun Shu had lived in the coffin shop for many years, she still couldn't stand the sight of corpses, especially those with hideous faces. At this moment, she hid behind He Xuan, poking her head out for a few glances, then retreating for a moment, then poking her head out again, moving and stopping, like a alert little rabbit on guard.
He Xuan seemed to have eyes on his back. He leaned back slightly and said softly, "If you're scared, don't look."
"I'm not afraid." Xun Shu muttered, "I just don't like it."
He Xuan chuckled and stopped trying to dissuade her: "What did you see?"
Xun Shu took a deep breath and squinted his eyes as he examined the corpse. "His death is somewhat similar to County Magistrate Zhao's. Could he also have been poisoned by Yibu Jue?"
He Xuan nodded: "What a coincidence, Ah Shu and I thought the same thing."
On the other side, Fang Yan hurriedly walked to Qu Zhubu's side and asked, "Sir, who found the body?"
Bi Da and several others were squatting around, carefully searching for any suspicious signs. Upon hearing this, he stood up and walked over to Fang Yan, brushing the dirt and grass off his hands. He replied, "It's me. A moment ago, I was stuck on a case and came here to relax. Unexpectedly, as I walked around the rockery, I saw Lord Feng collapsed on the ground. No one else was around at the time, so after confirming that Lord Feng was dead, I quickly went to call everyone over."
"After the court hearing this morning, do you know where County Magistrate Feng went?"
Bi Da narrowed his eyes in thought. "At that time, County Magistrate Feng seemed to be in a bad mood and went straight back to his own courtyard. I left after that and don't know where he went afterwards." At this point, he suddenly remembered something. He glanced around and frowned. "Hey, why didn't General Yang come? He lives in the same courtyard with County Magistrate Feng. Maybe he knows something."
This matter was indeed strange. Chief Clerk Qu waved his hand to summon a yamen runner and said, "Invite General Yang here immediately."
Shortly after the man took the order and left, a cry of surprise came from the other side. A young yamen runner stood up, holding a bloody dagger, waving his hands, his face full of excitement at having discovered a clue: "Sir, there is a dagger here!"
Xun Shu looked in the direction of the sound, then opened his eyes wide and whispered, "Isn't that the dagger from the banquet?"
Lieutenant Bi saw his subordinate waving the weapon and quickly shouted, "Put it down!" As if sensing something was amiss, he added, "Be careful not to cut your hands. This might be the murder weapon."
Chief Clerk Qu also recognized the dagger and looked at County Magistrate Bi with a strange expression, "Do you remember this?"
"Your Excellency, of course I remember. This is the dagger that was used at the banquet on the night when County Magistrate Zhao got into trouble. It must have been used to cut the roasted leg of lamb." County Lieutenant Bi did not dare to hide it and answered respectfully.
"Since you remember, then go and find out why something that should have been locked away is here."
"I obey your command!" County Magistrate Bi lowered his head and hid his expression.
Xun Shu watched the two of them interacting from a distance, and for a moment he didn't know whether they were acting or really knew nothing about the matter.
According to the yamen runners guarding the banquet hall, only County Magistrate Feng, County Lieutenant Bi, and Chief Clerk Qu had entered the hall together yesterday, and the dagger had disappeared since then. Xun Shu and his companions had originally speculated that two, if not all, of the three who entered the hall had conspired to steal the dagger. Now that County Magistrate Feng is dead, at least one of the remaining Chief Clerk Qu and County Lieutenant Bi must have known about this. So who could be the one playing dumb?
County Lieutenant Bi stood aside, directing his men to wrap the daggers tightly with handkerchiefs. He looked up and met Xun Shu's thoughtful gaze. His brow furrowed, and just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching from a distance, like someone running. A moment later, the yamen runner who had gone looking for General Yang returned, sweating profusely. Before he even got close, he shouted, "Master Qu, General Yang is not in the yard!"
Qu Zhubu was also surprised: "Not in the courtyard?!"
The yamen runner ran up and panted, "Yes. I asked the servants nearby, and someone saw County Magistrate Feng and General Yang leave the courtyard together and head towards the back garden. They never returned!"
Fang Yan hurriedly asked, "Did the servant tell me when this happened?"
"My Lord, about half an hour ago."
Half an hour is enough to kill one person.
Could it be that the murderer of County Magistrate Feng was General Yang?
Everyone looked at each other, no one daring to speak first. In the silence, County Lieutenant Bi suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention. "Since County Magistrate Feng came to the garden with General Yang, and now that County Magistrate Feng is dead and General Yang is nowhere to be found, I believe it's highly likely that General Yang murdered someone and fled." He turned and clasped his fists towards Chief Clerk Qu. "Sir Qu, the Zhao residence has been sealed off for several days, with no one allowed to enter or leave freely. General Yang must not have left the house yet. Please order everyone in the residence to return to their respective courtyards and not leave. I will also lead a search of the Zhao residence to uncover the hidden individual!"
"This..." Qu Zhubu showed hesitation on his face and did not directly agree to Bi Xianwei's request.
He Xuan, standing nearby, yawned lazily and stretched, his movements so wide that he nearly hit the yamen runner beside him, as if he had done it on purpose. He scratched his head and said to the person beside him with a smile, "I'm sorry, I get sleepy whenever I hear opera, I really couldn't help it."
County Magistrate Bi glared at He Xuan, wondering how rude this young man from the coffin shop could be. He sneered and said, "What do you mean, Mr. He? Are you questioning my judgment?"
He Xuan raised his eyebrows and said with a smile: "What are you talking about, sir? I just feel that it is something that is not yet confirmed, but you are speaking so confidently, as if you have seen it with your own eyes."
County Magistrate Bi said sternly, "Two people traveled together, one died and the other escaped. What else could be possible?"
"Perhaps there's a third person?" He Xuan smiled brightly, seemingly oblivious to County Magistrate Bi's displeasure. "What if there's a third person in this garden who first kills County Magistrate Feng and then kidnaps General Yang? Although General Yang is a skilled martial artist, what if this third person brought drugs and General Yang was caught by surprise? If that happens, not only would General Yang not be the murderer, but the victim. County Magistrate Bi, what do you think?"
He Xuan's words were also what Qu Zhubu was thinking.
County Lieutenant Bi's idea was too arbitrary. If it were an ordinary person, it would be fine, but now the missing person is General Yang, how can he make such a hasty decision? He thought for a moment and said, "The most urgent task now is to find General Yang. What County Lieutenant Bi said is not entirely unreasonable. How about this? From now on, everyone returns to the temporary courtyard and is not allowed to go out. County Lieutenant Bi will lead a thorough search-"
"No!" Fang Yan interrupted. "Master Qu, everyone in this house could be the murderer of Magistrate Zhao and County Magistrate Feng. How can we imprison them all and leave Master Bi alone to roam freely?"
County Magistrate Bi was furious. He stepped forward and glared at him fiercely: "Fang Yan, are you saying that I'm the murderer?"
County Magistrate Bi was a tall and strong man, and Fang Yan was startled. He waved his hands hurriedly, "Master Bi, please don't misunderstand me. I just think that everyone could be the murderer, including you and me. As an official, I still have to be cautious and not give anyone any handle."
Qu Zhubu sighed, his round face filled with helplessness. "Well, what do you say we should do? Sending this one won't work, sending that one won't work either. How about you three form teams and go look for people separately?"
After these words were spoken, the surroundings fell silent again, and the expressions on everyone's faces were quite interesting.
Without exception, everyone in the scene thought of what happened a few days ago when County Magistrate Feng required three people to go together before entering the hall to search.
I thought that was to allow everyone to supervise each other and avoid destroying the crime scene, but I didn't expect that they could gather a few accomplices to act together, cover each other, and take the murder weapon away from the crime scene openly.
Now that Master Qu brought up the matter again, naturally no one dared to respond.
Several people in the field had their own ulterior motives and no one trusted anyone else.
Just as the situation was at a stalemate, Qiu Anping crossed a path through the woods and slowly approached the place. His posture was relaxed, as if he had just woken up. He reached the place surrounded by yamen runners, his face showing surprise, and asked, "What's going on?"
Chief Clerk Qu waved his hand, and the yamen runners made way for him. Qiu Anping passed through the opening, swaggering forward. He hadn't taken a few steps when he saw the body on the ground. His eyes widened in shock. "Is this... Brother Feng? What happened? Who hurt Brother Feng?"
Qu Zhubu's face was gloomy. He did not answer his question, but instead asked, "Where did you go just now?"
Qiu Anping looked innocent. "I've been sleeping in my room the whole time. I haven't been anywhere! There was quite a commotion outside early in the morning, and it woke me up. When I got dressed and went out, the courtyard was deserted. I couldn't find Brother Qu, Brother Bi, and Brother Fang, and I didn't want to cause trouble by going out. Since I didn't sleep well last night, I simply went back to my room to continue my conversation. So, what happened this morning?"
Xun Shu blinked and then remembered that he did not see Qiu Anping in the early morning.
Her eyes swept over Qiu Anping and saw that his expression was calm and his hair was neatly combed. However, there were a few dark marks on the hem of his black clothes, like accidental stains, and only the shapes could be vaguely seen.
Could it be that he didn't lie and really slept the whole morning?
But is he really as innocent as he says and has nothing to do with this matter?
Qiu Anping had been Magistrate Zhao's guest. Now that Magistrate Zhao was dead, no one in the house knew him well. For a moment, no one spoke to explain what had happened to him today. Fang Yan couldn't bear to see him standing alone in the distance. Just as he was about to speak, he saw figures flash by in the distance. It was a group of people approaching.
He was stunned and asked, "But they sent in more yamen runners? They came so quickly... No, their uniforms are different, they're not from the county yamen..."
At this moment, Ni Daqiang, who had been guarding the gate, hurried into the crowd. Without even a moment's greeting, he addressed Qu Zhubu and said, "Sir, the Dali Temple has suddenly arrived. They say they've found new clues in an old case from five years ago. They've sent people to surround this place, and they're not even allowing our people to leave."
Qu Zhubu hadn't seen the people in the distance yet and was a little surprised: "People from the Dali Temple? Coming here?"
He paused for a moment and suddenly remembered that half a year ago, Li Xuanhe, the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, was seriously injured.
The world only knew that Li Xuanhe was injured while investigating an old case, but no one knew where he was injured or why he went to that place. Coincidentally, the husband of his wife's cousin's cousin was a ninth-rank recorder in the Dali Temple. He had leaked a tip that Li Xuanhe was injured in the suburbs of Chaozhou and had asked him if he knew the inside story.
How could he know the inside story? He hadn't even heard a whisper...
Could it be that the group of people who came today are related to the case that Li Xuanhe investigated half a year ago?
Qu Zhubu's mind moved slightly, and he came up with a brilliant plan.
The house was in turmoil. The county magistrate and county magistrate were both dead, and the fifth-rank general was missing. They were in need of someone to take charge. If they were to throw this mess out...
He stroked his round chin and forced a fake distressed expression: "Why don't you quickly invite the adults from the Dali Temple in!"
The people from the Dali Temple were extremely fast. Before Qu Zhubu finished speaking, they had already passed through the woods and arrived in front of the few people.
There were more than a dozen people in the group, most of them wearing dark green official uniforms and silver belts. The leader was a man in his twenties, wearing a light crimson official robe and a gold belt. He was tall and handsome, his lips smiling, but the smile in his eyes was like mist, floating on the surface, obscuring his inner thoughts.
It was Li Song, the director of the Dali Temple.
Xun Shu watched from the side, his eyes moving back and forth between this man's face and He Xuan's face. He inexplicably felt that although the two men looked nothing alike, their temperament and demeanor were exactly the same, both looking cunning and full of evil intentions.
He Xuan noticed her gaze and tilted his head slightly, revealing a few big white teeth: "What are you looking at, Ah Shu?"
Xun Shu retracted his gaze and said slowly, "Look at this gentleman from the Dali Temple, he's so majestic and handsome."
He Xuan retracted his big white teeth, narrowed his eyes and glared at Li Song fiercely, snorting coldly: "Wait until we leave here, I will definitely ask a doctor to take a look at you. How can your eyes be so bad at such a young age?"
Xun Shu ignored him and continued to watch the excitement in the Dali Temple.
Li Song's eyes swept around and met He Xuan's sinister gaze for a moment. He shuddered and quickly looked away. He smiled and looked at Qu Zhubu: "Is this Zhao County Magistrate, the Chaozhou County Magistrate?"
Chief Clerk Qu shook his head awkwardly, "Your Excellency may not know, but something unexpected happened the other day. Master Zhao... passed away."
"Then you must be County Magistrate Feng." Li Song said with a matter-of-fact look on his face.
Sweat dripped from the corners of Qu Zhubu's forehead. He took a half step to the side, revealing the corpse he had been hiding. He said awkwardly, "This is County Magistrate Feng."
Li Song imitated someone else's expression, showing a regretful look, and said bitterly: "What an unfortunate timing... If I had arrived earlier, maybe I could have seen these two people one last time... Sigh, why couldn't I have arrived earlier..."
His words were suggestive, but He Xuan understood what he meant instantly.
The people from the Dali Temple had arrived in Chaozhou a long time ago and had been hiding in the dark. This time when they came to Zhao's house for a banquet, He Xuan anticipated that something big was going to happen, so he transferred Li Song from the capital to Chaozhou in advance and asked him to wait outside Zhao's house with everyone.
County Magistrate Zhao died suddenly, and his house was subsequently sealed off by County Magistrate Feng. In order not to alert the enemy, he did not find an opportunity to meet Li Song until the next night. However, he did not expect to run into Xun Shu and Qiu Anping when he returned to the room, exposing his whereabouts.
At the time, Li Song urged him to have the Dali Temple intervene as soon as possible, take over the entire Zhao residence, and investigate both the old and new cases simultaneously. However, He Xuan had concerns and did not immediately agree, showing a rare indecisiveness.
If Li Song and others were allowed to continue hiding, Zhao's house would not be completely under the control of the Dali Temple and danger might occur at any time. However, there was also an advantage, as they could continue to look for clues, confirm the hiding place of the silver and money, and identify the bandits from that year.
More importantly, he had been deceiving himself all the time, as if as long as the people from the Dali Temple didn't show up, he could continue to work as a clerk in the coffin shop.
Unexpectedly, his indecision that day led to another accident, which also caused Feng Zhishu to lose his life.
It was his negligence.
Li Song had no idea what He Xuan was thinking. After telling him his intention, he focused all his attention on arguing with Qu Zhubu.
Chief Clerk Qu's intentions were clear: he wanted the Dali Temple to investigate the old case and, while doing so, also investigate the cases of Magistrate Zhao, County Magistrate Feng, and General Yang. He simply wanted to get rid of this hot potato as quickly as possible. No matter who the murderer was, it would no longer be his business, and he could protect himself.
Li Song kept shirking his responsibilities, sometimes saying "it's not appropriate," sometimes "overstepping one's bounden duty," constantly refusing without saying anything final, like he was teasing a toy. The two of them went back and forth for half a day, until Chief Clerk Qu was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and wished he could reveal his true feelings. Only then did Li Song hypocritically accept the case.
At this point, everyone was happy.
County Magistrate Bi, standing nearby, looked uneasy, clearly having other thoughts on his mind. Beside him, Fang Yan seemed stunned, staring at Li Song intently, his mind racing. Rumor had it that everyone in the Dali Temple was a fierce, sinister, and stern-faced person, so why was this person he met today so different?
Li Song took over the case and immediately ordered everyone to return to their respective courtyards and not to leave. The Zhao residence was taken over by the Dali Temple, which arranged for a thorough search of the house, determined to find General Yang's whereabouts.
Xun Shu obediently followed the others out. After a few steps, she realized He Xuan hadn't followed. Turning back, she saw him glaring at the Dali Temple official named Li Song. She had a vague feeling something was amiss, but she stepped forward and gently tugged at his shirt, lowering her voice. "This is a high-ranking official from the capital. Don't look at him. If you anger him, he'll have you imprisoned and executed."
He Xuan only understood half of it: "...Why do you want to behead them?"
"Everyone says the people in the Dali Temple are very vicious. They might be joking with you one second, and then slash your throat with a knife the next. They're so scary." Xun Shu grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the yard. "We are both ordinary people - I mean, you are still a commoner, you can't afford to offend us. Let's go."
He Xuan's already irritable mood became even more depressed by Xun Shu's words. He lowered his eyes, looked at the back of Xun Shu's head, sighed in his heart, and squeezed out a sentence after a long while: "Okay, I'll listen to Ah Shu."
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The author has something to say: I finally killed the second person...
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