Chapter 18 Yaoer 18 A Good Show
Xun Shu's mind moved slightly, and his eyes turned to He Xuan.
What Fang Yan said coincided with the doubts in her heart.
Ever since Mrs. Zhao was murdered and she was inexplicably involved in the case, He Xuan has been accompanying her and Fang Yan, visiting everywhere to solve the case.
Compared to her lack of organization, He Xuan seemed to be good at this, with clear organization, sometimes even better than Fang Yan.
Did he do this before? Was he also a lieutenant in some county?
He Xuan slowly wiped the grease off his fingers with a towel, raised his eyelids slightly, and said with a half-smile: "Of course I remember it."
His eyes were pitch black, appearing even darker in the gloomy room, as if hiding something. Fang Yan met his gaze, feeling a sudden panic in his heart, and frowned slightly: "Since you remember it, why didn't you tell us?"
You could hear a pin drop in the coffin shop. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at He Xuan without blinking.
He Xuan's eyes flickered across their faces, the thick ink in them gradually dissolving as he regained his usual playful smile. "I'm actually the Minister of Justice. I'm staying in Chaozhou under an assumed name to investigate a major case. When I return to the capital one day and take back everything that belongs to me, I'll reward each of you with a hundred taels of gold!"
After the words fell, the atmosphere became warm again. The stone hanging in Xun Shu's heart finally stopped shaking, and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief for a short time.
She suddenly realized that she actually didn't want He Xuan to think about the past.
If he can't remember, he can just stay in the coffin shop forever, right?
Fang Yan's lips twitched as a cold laugh escaped his lips. "Although Chaozhou is far from the capital, it's not isolated from the world. The Minister of Justice is nearly fifty years old, how could he look like this?"
He Xuan raised his eyebrows and laughed heartily, "I just said it casually, why take it so seriously?" He touched his chin, thoughtfully, "The Minister of Justice should be the highest official in the prison, right?"
"I guess so. But the Dali Temple isn't bad either. I heard the current Shaoqing of the Dali Temple is very young. He just came of age last year, but he has already solved many major cases." Fang Yan looked at the dark clouds outside the door, his expression full of longing. "It's great to be young and promising."
"Don't be jealous." He Xuan stood up with his clean bowl in hand, walked around behind Fang Yan, and patted his shoulder with his free hand, speaking earnestly like an elder, "Work hard. In thirty years, you'll be promoted to the Minister of Justice, and you'll be able to attend court with him."
“…”
-
After breakfast, the three of them took their oil-paper umbrellas and went straight to the yamen.
The coffin shop wasn't far from the government office. Halfway there, the rain started again, making the already muddy road even harder to navigate. The three of them trotted forward, their footsteps hitting puddles of mud that sent up droplets half a person's height. Xun Shu carefully dodged them, but his clothes still got stained. He Xuan and Fang Yan, standing nearby, seemed to find the fun in the situation, playfully joking along, their oil-paper umbrellas becoming weapons.
When they arrived at their destination, they were both in a mess, their hair was wet and messy, and their clothes looked like mud with messy patterns carved on them, looking like two half-grown punks.
When the doorman saw the three men's appearance, he looked very puzzled. He wanted to say something but swallowed it back and got clean towels for them.
Xun Shu was the least injured. He found a dry spot and carefully wiped the rain from his hair. He Xuan and Fang Yan went to the vacant room, changed into servants' clothes, combed their hair, and walked out of the room after tidying up, looking completely different.
Xun Shu looked at the two of them and smiled, "Where did these two little servants come from? They look quite polite."
At this moment, Ni Daqiang brought Su Mei back to the county government office and walked along the eaves to avoid the rain. Seeing that the few people were stunned for a moment, they saluted Fang Yan as if nothing had happened and said, "Sir, Li is back."
Fang Yan straightened his ill-fitting clothes, took a few steps forward, and said with a stern face, "Li, do you know why we brought you here?"
Su Mei was still wearing plain clothes today, with a white flower pinned to her temples. Her face looked very grim. Hearing this, she squeezed her sleeves tightly, a smile on her lips: "Is it still about Madam Zhao's case?"
Fang Yan nodded. "Yesterday, I received news that a drama had taken place at the Wang family's cloth shop. The eldest lady of the Wang family had identified her mother as the murderer of Madam Zhao. Now that I know this, I can't pretend nothing happened. I originally wanted to bring you and your daughter to the government office together, but considering Wang Fuwan's young age, I only invited you."
Su Mei's lips turned slightly pale. "Thank you, sir. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I will tell you everything I know."
Xun Shu stood at the innermost part of the corridor, avoiding the continuous rain under the eaves. He had been listening quietly to Fang Yan's questions, but now he couldn't help but mutter, "I asked you a few times before, but you didn't tell the truth. Now you are cooperating."
Fang Yan cleared his throat, suppressed Xun Shu's muttering, and stopped beating around the bush: "On the night that Madam Zhao died, when you went to the Zhao residence, did you know that Wang Fuwan had also gone there?"
"Of course I don't know. If I knew about this, I would definitely lock her up at home and not let her go out." Su Mei sighed and glanced at Xun Shu, "I told this girl that day that my husband and I don't approve of what's going on between Fu Wan and Yuan Ming. I thought they had broken up long ago, but I didn't expect Fu Wan to still secretly go to Zhao's house to meet Yuan Ming. How could I have known that she also went to Zhao's house that day..."
"When did you leave Zhao's house that day?"
Su Mei's face flickered with hesitation, and her voice softened considerably. "That day, Yuan Ming and I chatted for a while in the courtyard before leaving. I can't remember the exact time, maybe half an hour? Or maybe an hour?"
"Where did you go after you left?"
"Of course I went back to the cloth shop."
"Who is in the cloth shop?"
"My husband was out of town that day, so Fu Wan was the only one in the shop."
"You're lying again," Fang Yan interrupted calmly. "That day you said you arrived at the Zhao residence in the evening. Calculating the time, it was already curfew when you left. The cloth shop is not close to the Zhao residence. How could a woman like you avoid the patrols and return to the cloth shop in the middle of the night?"
Su Mei lowered her eyes, her lips trembling slightly. "Perhaps I've been too sad these past few days, so I can't remember clearly... Perhaps I arrived at the Zhao residence in the afternoon and returned to the cloth shop before curfew..."
Fang Yan sighed, as if he had lost the will to continue chatting with her. "Li, no matter how you returned to the cloth shop that night, you should know that there was no one guarding the shop that day. Your daughter, Wang Fuwan, was not there that night, but returned after dawn." Fang Yan waved his hand. "Since your whereabouts that night are unexplainable, then what Wang Fuwan said is very likely true. You are the murderer of Madam Zhao. Come, take her to the prison and await your punishment."
Su Mei opened her eyes wide with a dull expression. Before she could say anything, she was forced by the yamen runners towards the prison and disappeared soon.
The crowd dispersed and the corridor became empty.
The rain curtain hung down, continuous and uninterrupted, disturbing the small space. Fang Yan breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Xun Shu and He Xuan standing beside him, and his muscles instantly relaxed. "This is the first time I've ever been so confused and sent someone to prison."
He Xuan smiled and raised his eyebrows: "The first time is strange, the second time is familiar. Once you are familiar with it, it won't be long before you meet the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple whom you admire."
"What's the meaning?"
"The Censorate and the Supreme Court will work together to investigate and impeach corrupt officials." He Xuan stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and walked past him toward the door. "You've finished your performance, and we've watched it too. Now it's our turn to perform. Just wait and see!" He turned around and waved to Xun Shu, "Ah Shu, let's go!"
-
After coming out of the yamen, Xun Shu and He Xuan put on their hats again and rode towards Wang's cloth shop.
It was raining today, and the door to Wang's Cloth Shop was half-open, leaving only a crack for people to pass through. There were no customers inside. Wang Fuwan and her daughter were in two corners of the shop, one standing and taking inventory of the goods, while the other sat, lost in thought.
Xun Shu walked into the shop, took off his bamboo hat, and slightly brushed away the wet hair that was blocking his vision. He met Wang Fuwan's eyes and said with a smile, "Hello, Miss Wang. I came here today to take another look at the cloth I saw last time."
After all, she was doing business and couldn't catch up with the customers who came to her door. No matter how reluctant she was, Wang Fuwan stood up and searched for the cloth. She said with a hint of sarcasm: "You are here to buy cloth. I thought you were here to get information."
"That's certainly true." Xun Shu's face was serious, and he couldn't hear any other mixed words. "That day, when you accused your mother of pushing Madam Zhao into the water, that became the witness testimony that confirmed the murderer. Now that she's been arrested and imprisoned, you two, father and daughter, seem unfazed, sitting calmly in the shop. I really want to know what you two are thinking."
Wang Heshun turned around abruptly, his face filled with shock. "Didn't that yamen runner say he was just taking my wife in for questioning? How did she become the murderer? She can't be the murderer!" He quickly walked over to Wang Fuwan, grabbed her arm to stop her, his face filled with undisguised anxiety. "Fuwan, tell them quickly that you were just talking nonsense that day. Your mother didn't hurt anyone and isn't the murderer!"
Wang Fuwan stood there in a daze, looking at Xun Shu and He Xuan, her mind in a mess, and she didn't react for a long time.
What she said that day was all just a slur, blurted out in anger. She just wanted to escape her parents' suffocating control and be with her brother Yuanming. She might have had dark thoughts in her heart, but she didn't really want to frame her mother as a murderer and let her die in vain!
She opened her mouth, wanting to clarify, wanting to stop it, but her mouth felt like it was filled with stones, her lips and teeth couldn't move, her tongue was tightly clamped, and she couldn't utter a word.
She was sweating all over from anxiety.
Wang Heshun's heart sank when he saw her like this. He let go of her hand, hunched over, and cautiously stood in front of Xun Shu, his eyes red. "Sir, my wife has a very kind heart and would never kill anyone. My daughter is still young and naive. She's used to talking nonsense all day long. You can't be so mean to her!"
He Xuan raised an eyebrow, hinting, "We're not officials. We're just here to watch the fun and pass on a message." He glanced at Wang Fuwan, a smile that barely reached his eyes. "The officials said that since Miss Wang saw how the murderer killed Madam Zhao that day, she is a witness in this case. Whoever she identifies will be the murderer. If Miss Wang mistakenly saw someone in the dark, or if she remembers something else, Lord Fang will be waiting for her at the county government office at any time."
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