Chapter 14 Yaoer 14 Heavy Rain
Xun Shu and He Xuan did not stay in the cloth shop for long. They said a few more words to Su Mei and then said goodbye and left.
Su Mei insisted that she had not been in the back garden that night. Perhaps it was dark that night and Wang Fuwan had misjudged her. Xun Shu stared at her for a long while, feeling that she was still hiding something, but she did not seem to be lying about this matter.
After all, she and He Xuan were not from the government, so they could only put the matter aside for the time being and plan to meet with Fang Yan to discuss it before making a decision.
As we left the cloth shop, dark clouds obscured the sky, casting a shadow over everything, making it gloomy and dark, as if covered by a veil. The wind whipped the flags above the shop doors into a flutter, sweeping the dust from the ground into the air, making it look like rain was about to fall.
Xun Shu and He Xuan walked quickly towards the yamen without an umbrella. They saw the two stone lions at the gate not far away, but the clouds could no longer hold back the rain. First, there was a thunderous sound, and in an instant, bean-sized raindrops fell from the sky, crackling and breaking into water splashes on the ground.
He Xuan held Xun Shu in his sleeves and pulled her to the eaves nearby. Finally, before they got soaked, they found this small place to shelter from the rain.
The two stood side by side, pressed close to the wall, trying to keep their bodies within the eaves as much as possible to avoid getting wet by the rain.
Xun Shu looked up at the raindrops falling along the eaves, separating them from the downpour like a curtain of glass beads. She was stunned, not knowing what she was thinking. He Xuan thought she was worried about the passage of time and said soothingly, "This rain came quickly, it won't last long, maybe it will stop soon."
Xun Shu shook his head and said slowly, "It won't stop. This rain will last for half a month, sometimes heavy, sometimes light, and it will continue without stopping."
He Xuan paused, looking at her with an expression of disbelief: "If you knew, why didn't you remind me to bring an umbrella when you went out?"
"...I forgot." Xun Shu answered confidently.
He Xuan wailed, "Let's go to the government office when the rain stops. Fang Yan wouldn't be so stingy as to not even lend us two umbrellas."
"Whether it's rainy or sunny, it's the law of nature." Xun Shu wasn't as anxious as He Xuan. He just looked up at the lightning and thunder in the sky through the curtain of water. "Rainy days have their own beauty. You have to accept it and learn to appreciate it."
"...Yesterday in the yamen hall, I looked at you and thought you were really anxious to solve the case. Now it seems as if I'm the one being given a deadline by County Magistrate Zhao to solve the case."
"It's urgent." Xun Shu said slowly, "But it's raining now. There's nothing we can do no matter how anxious we are. It's better to stop for a while, enjoy the rain, and sort out our thoughts."
Seeing her like this, He Xuan sighed and relaxed his body. He imitated her and looked at the rain in front of him. He asked casually, "Just now in the cloth shop, did you see anything from Wang Fuwan's face?"
Xun Shu stretched out her hand, letting the rain pound into her palm. It was icy cold, a stinging sensation tingled with dampness. She stared at the rain on her palm, her thoughts gradually becoming clearer. "Nothing special. There's a hint of hostility between her eyebrows, but that doesn't necessarily mean she's the murderer. A murderer's actions are judged by their actions, not their hearts. There are many people who have the intention to kill, but there's only one murderer." She paused, as if doubtful. "I saw Wang Fuwan today, and she looked frank and spoke naturally. She didn't seem to be lying. Did she really see Su Mei commit murder?"
"The dark circles under her eyes are all covered up with makeup. At first glance, there's no problem, but the changing light and angle reveal them. She probably hasn't had enough rest these past few days. As for why, I don't know." He Xuan tilted his head and looked at Xun Shu beside him. "Don't you think she looks like someone?"
"Zhao Yuanming? Their bone structure is indeed similar."
"No, I'm not talking about bone structure, I'm referring to personality. They both appear one way on the surface, but are quite another behind the scenes. Zhao Yuanming appears gentle and easy to get along with in the eyes of outsiders, but in private he has a violent temper and often beats and scolds servants. Wang Fuwan is the same. When it comes to guests, she behaves appropriately, but when it comes to her parents, she is extremely willful, domineering, selfish, and cold. Let me ask you, if you saw Uncle Jiang kill someone, would you take the initiative to tell that bastard Fang Yan?"
Xun Shu thought for a moment and shook his head slightly: "No, Uncle Jiang is the person closest to me. I will definitely stand by him and help him keep it secret."
This sounded strange. He Xuan frowned for a moment, but then ignored it and brought the topic back to Wang Fuwan's father: "You and Uncle Jiang have only been together for a few years, and you have done this. Su Mei is Wang Fuwan's mother and raised her, but Wang Fuwan ruthlessly pushed her mother out and accused her of being the murderer. Regardless of whether she is telling the truth or not, this person has a cold heart and needs to be watched carefully. We should tell Fang Yan about this as soon as possible and have him bring Wang Fuwan and Su Mei back to the government office for a thorough interrogation."
The rain came quickly and dispersed quickly. In just half a cup of tea, cracks appeared in the dense bead curtain and gradually turned into raindrops as light as cow hair. Xun Shu and He Xuan took advantage of this gap and walked quickly towards the yamen. As soon as they arrived at the door, they met Fang Yan who was about to go out.
Fang Yan looked at the two people whose hair was half wet, and was surprised. "I was just about to go look for you, and you're here. You didn't bring an umbrella?"
He Xuan showed a few big white teeth: "Look at what you said, as if we have an umbrella but don't know how to use it."
Fang Yan: ...
Fang Yan took a deep breath, not bothering with the soaked man before him. He turned and led the two through the government hall, stepping on the dry ground under the eaves, to the west wing next to the second hall, and into a room on the left that was piled with files. Fang Yan introduced them, saying, "This is where I usually work." He picked up the document spread out on the desk and was about to hand it to Xun Shu, but as if he thought of something, he took it back and said apologetically, "Sorry, I forgot you're not a government official, so I can't let you read the document directly. I'll just pick out the key points and tell you."
"After you left yesterday, I sent someone to thoroughly inspect the crime scene. No new findings were made. It can be confirmed that the body was found where the murderer attacked Madam Zhao. I also sent someone to question the servants in the mansion. After nightfall, except for the two guards on patrol, the rest of the servants remained in their own courtyards and did not leave."
He Xuan keenly sensed the point he wanted to make: "Did the patrolling guards see anything?"
Fang Yan nodded. "The guards' night patrols were mainly concentrated around the courtyards where the owners of the Zhao residence lived. They never visited the back garden, so they didn't notice what happened to Madam Zhao. However, they mentioned that when they passed Zheng's courtyard, they vaguely saw a dark figure entering. They went up to inquire, and Zheng quickly opened the gate, saying that no one had entered and nothing had happened. So the matter was forgotten."
"Do you remember the time?"
"It was around midnight, but I can't remember the exact time."
Xun Shu narrowed his eyes. "It happened just before and after Madam Zhao's death. Could it be related to Madam Zhao's death?"
"I had the same suspicion. So, after hearing the news last night, I immediately went to question Zheng, but she insisted the guards were mistaken and no one had been to her place last night. County Magistrate Zhao believed Zheng's words, so I couldn't forcibly bring Zheng back to the county government office for questioning. I could only send someone to temporarily guard her courtyard and prevent anyone from entering or leaving."
"Does County Magistrate Zhao believe what Zheng said?" He Xuan raised an eyebrow. "In my impression, County Magistrate Zhao is a fairly honest official. He doesn't seem like the type to protect his concubine. Is there something else going on? Where is County Magistrate Zhao right now? Could you please let him know? We'd like to talk to him in person."
Fang Yan didn't answer immediately.
Yesterday at the county yamen, County Magistrate Zhao had given Xun Shu and the others a deadline to solve the case. Answering a few questions from these two men seemed reasonable for the sake of the case. After figuring this out, Fang Yan nodded and said, "The magistrate is currently at the yamen. I'll go and pass the message on for you."
"etc."
Xun Shu grabbed Fang Yan's arm, stopping him from leaving. Amidst the two men's puzzled looks, he spoke firmly and calmly, "Before I see the county magistrate, I want to find someone first. I'll need to trouble Brother Fang for this."
-
Chaozhou City faces mountains on one side and water on the other. Although small, its convenient transportation allows residents to live and work in peace and contentment. The city is divided into eight districts, arranged according to the Bagua diagram. The district in the west, located in the Zhen hexagram, is where County Magistrate Zhao once lived.
Xun Shu and the other two came here wearing straw hats in the rain. After asking around, they turned into several alleys before finding the place they wanted to go, the residence of a doctor named Gu.
It was an ordinary house, with the gate open, allowing nearby residents to enter at any time. The yard was bumpy, with many small mud pits created by the rain, and you had to be careful to avoid getting splashed with mud.
There was a mountain of medicinal herbs piled up on the eaves of the main house. A silver-haired old man was bending over to sort them out. Xun Shu took a look and saw that many of the herbs looked like they had been wet by the rain. He hurried forward, took off his wet hat and hung it aside, then helped to turn the herbs over.
He Xuan and Fang Yan followed closely behind, and the three of them helped together. In just a few moments, they had everything ready.
Doctor Gu was over fifty years old, his back hunched, but his legs and feet were still nimble. He leaned against the wall and slowly straightened himself. His eyes gleamed as he glanced at the three of them. He said confidently, "I see you three are all in good health. I don't think you're here for medical treatment. What do you want from me?"
Doctor Gu was the doctor who had treated the seriously ill Young Master Zhao over a decade earlier, and it took quite a while to track him down. County Magistrate Zhao had long forgotten this trivial incident, so Fang Yan had to send someone to ask several elderly servants in the Zhao residence before he learned Doctor Gu's name.
Hearing Doctor Gu's question, Xun Shu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, took a few breaths, and answered directly: "Doctor Gu, I'm taking the liberty to come here today because I want to ask you about something that happened more than ten years ago."
More than ten years ago...
Doctor Gu seemed to have expected this. His eyes swept over Fang Yan's official robes, and he said calmly, "Is it about the eldest son of County Magistrate Zhao?" He sighed, "This matter has been on my mind for many years. I didn't expect to hear about it before I die. Everyone, follow me into the house and let's talk."
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