Filial piety, benevolence and righteousness are the primary criteria for selecting officials in this era. Zhao Taigong laid such a foundation for his son, presumably because he hoped that he would enter the officialdom in the future.
From the maids' conversation with their sincere praise and admiration for Mr. Zhao, Chu Nanzhi could already imagine that this man was indeed respected by others in the mansion.
He will not be jealous of others, he has a dignified character, and his relationship with his cousin and stepmother should be extremely good.
At least, Xiao Langjun will not think of taking the initiative to make enemies with others.
After checking the house for a while, I found that it was clean and tidy from inside to outside, and there was no suspicious trace left.
I'm afraid I won't get any useful clues.
Chu Nanzhi thought this, and when she came back to her senses, she found that Xiao Sibao was no longer around, which immediately made her panic.
I just told Lin Jinxiao frankly last night that if he lost his four treasures and returned home, this guy would definitely fight to the death with him.
She immediately walked out of the room and hurried to the courtyard to check carefully, but there was no sign of him.
Then he walked outside the courtyard, looked around, and saw Si Bao lying in a courtyard on the west side, looking intently inside.
Looking from a distance, the figure is so petite and thin that it really makes people pity her.
Chu Nanzhi ran over first. When Si Bao heard the sound, he turned around and saw that it was a bad woman. He was so frightened that he immediately sat on the ground with a look of fear on his face.
Chu Nanzhi gently helped her up and comforted her with a warm voice: "Sibao, what are you doing here?"
Little Si Bao pointed to the yard in aggrieved tone: "This house is so big. It seems like no one lives in it. What a pity."
Chu Nanzhi remembered that the maids had just said that this was the former residence of the old lady of the Zhao family, so she explained to Xiao Sibao:
"Rich people have too many houses to live in, but you can't run around. Look at how big it is here. I can't find you if you get lost."
After thinking about it, she deliberately frightened Xiao Si Bao:
"Didn't you just say that someone was watching you? The Zhao family's little brother was arrested and still can't be found. Don't you want to be arrested by the bad guys too?"
Si Bao shook his head in fear.
At this time, the maid and Sun Xiancheng both caught up.
When the maids saw the two hesitating here, their expressions became a little bad.
The eldest maid said: "This is my old lady's former residence. Very few people come here on weekdays. The mistress will only occasionally send people over to clean it. Madam Chu, don't go in. If you damage the furnishings inside, I'm afraid the mistress will punish you."
of."
Hearing what the maid said, Chu Nanzhi couldn't help but look inside curiously.
Although it is locked, you can still get a rough look at the scenery inside through the crack in the door.
Although this place is not the main courtyard, it seems to be much larger than Xiao Langjun's side courtyard.
I guess it's because the old lady lives there.
Sun Xiancheng was afraid that Taigong Zhao would scold him, so he quickly reminded Chu Nanzhi:
"The deceased's former residence. I have also heard that the grandpa had a very close relationship with this old lady during his lifetime. He was a well-known filial son. It would be better for us not to disturb you here and leave now."
Chu Nanzhi froze on the spot and suddenly fell into deep thought.
If it was a murder, the time between the incident and the report was so short that Zhao Xiaolangjun's body would not have time to move out of the house and could only be hidden in the house. The perfect place to bury the body would be in such a deserted place.
Therefore, she boldly suspected that the murderer might have hidden Xiao Langjun's body in this yard.
It's just that this courtyard is too big. Even if it is really hidden here, I'm afraid it won't be found for a while.
She faced the maid and asked calmly:
"Are there other places in these yards that are abandoned?"
"not at all."
The eldest maid replied: "In addition to the main courtyard in the east and the side courtyard of my young master and Erlang, the other two places are often visited by relatives and female family members."
Chu Nanzhi nodded and asked the maid: "I want to take a look in the old lady's yard, but I promise not to touch or damage anything in it."
The two maids looked at each other in confusion. Sun Xian Cheng didn't know what she wanted, so he said doubtfully:
"Ms. Chu, did you find any clues?"
Chu Nanzhi looked at the maid in deep thought, pulled Sun Xian Cheng aside, and whispered:
"My Lord County Magistrate, how do you feel when the case has developed to this point?"
"It was neither a rebellion by bandits nor a frame-up by the enemy. The young man disappeared without a trace in the house."
The two of them looked at each other, and Sun Xiancheng suddenly had an idea and almost shouted.
Looking around, he quickly lowered his voice: "Ms. Chu, do you suspect that the young man has been killed?"
Chu Nanzhi smiled lightly and said: "If this were not the case, how could people disappear out of thin air?"
"It's just that if it was a murder, you would have to see the dead body if you saw the person dead, but so far I haven't seen Xiao Langjun's body."
Sun Xiancheng pursed his lips in confusion.
After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said to Chu Nanzhi: "Is it possible that they took the body out of the house and secretly buried it somewhere?"
"There are so many people in the house, so how could the murderer move a body out under the eyes of everyone?"
Chu Nanzhi was also quite puzzled by the county magistrate's thoughts and said patiently:
"Besides, after the incident, the family immediately went to the government office to report the crime. Later, the county government intervened and caused uproar in the city. How could the murderer dare to move the body openly."
Sun County Prime Minister nodded suddenly, thinking the same thing.
While he was thinking hard about where to hide the body, he inadvertently noticed that Chu Nanzhi was still looking into the courtyard.
Sun Xian Cheng was suddenly enlightened, his thick eyebrows stood up, and he asked excitedly:
"Could it be that Mrs. Chu thinks that Xiao Langjun's body was hidden in this courtyard?"
"Most likely."
Chu Nanzhi naturally couldn't tell.
But based on her many years of investigative experience, this is the best place to hide the body.
"If the corpse was really hidden inside, it is the hot summer season, and the corpse cannot be stored for long. I am afraid it would have stunk by now."
Sun Xiancheng sniffed the air carefully and suddenly yawned greatly:
“What a strong sour taste.”
After that, he moved towards the place where the sour smell came from, which was in this courtyard.
He couldn't help but look at the two maids who were in a daze:
"There are people cooking in this yard, why is there such a strong vinegary smell?"
The maid watched and shook her head.
Chu Nanzhi couldn't help but begin to doubt Sun Xiancheng's IQ again.
Everyone has said that this is the former residence of the deceased, and outsiders are not allowed to enter at will on weekdays. How could anyone dare to cook in it?
"Why."
Chu Nanzhi also sighed and shook his head.
The eldest maid quickly explained: "The weather has been hot recently, and there was a heavy rain a few days ago. This courtyard has been uninhabited for a long time, and it has been in disrepair. A few days ago, the Mother Goddess ordered her servants to buy a lot of bamboo vinegar and sprinkle it on
Every corner of the courtyard to prevent mosquitoes and other dirt from damaging the structure of the house."
The little maid also said: "Our mistress is the best at understanding the lord's kindness. We know that the lord misses his late mother, so I came here to take care of it myself this time. I am afraid that the slaves will damage the old lady's belongings, but be careful."
After hearing what the maids said, Sun Xian Cheng immediately put aside his worries.
But Chu Nanzhi was more certain of his suspicions.
And she began to vaguely realize that this matter was closely related to the young lady.
Being so diligent at this time would inevitably seem to be trying to hide something.
If this is the case, then it may be difficult to enter this courtyard.
The woman could use any desperate means to get the old lady to drive them all out of the house.
Once the murderer becomes aware of it and gives her the opportunity to move the body, the case will probably become an unsolved mystery.
After thinking hard for a while, Chu Nanzhi suddenly had an idea, looked at Sun County Prime Minister and whispered to him:
"Lord County Magistrate, this woman wants to go inside and take a look. Do you have any ideas?"
"Mrs. Chu still thinks the body is inside?"
"I can't tell for sure."
???
The two began to whisper to each other:
"If no body is found here, the woman has no other choice but to go back and watch the two adults continue to fight fiercely with Mr. Zhao."
Sun Xian Cheng's mouth dropped.
He didn't want to suffer from this birdiness anymore.
"Don't you, the county magistrate, want to take advantage of this to get a promotion? If you can find the body, it will be considered a big success, and the women will not fight for it."
Sun Xian Cheng stared, ready to go.
He vaguely felt that this woman was his savior.
Suddenly there was a loud roar:
"Get out of the way, I'm here to investigate the case, and no one else can stop me."