Jiang Zhiyi's heart trembled and he wanted to speak. The old female Taoist priest next to him stepped forward: "We can't understand what this good man is talking about. It's common for Taoist priests to walk around outside..."
Having said this, I didn't want to say anything more, so I pulled Jiang Zhiyi and the two of them around Xu Qinghuan's master and servant and continued to move forward.
Xu Qinghuan turned around and looked at the backs of the two female Taoist priests, and couldn't help but shake her head.
"Miss, are they the murderers?" Feng Chu whispered.
"No, but they are going to be in trouble."
The girl's voice came, and Jiang Zhiyi stopped unconsciously. She always felt that the girl seemed to know something.
"Miss, we are indeed being targeted, please leave quickly!"
Hearing Mother Wu's urging voice, Jiang Zhiyi nodded, and the two of them kept walking forward. As soon as they walked out of this alley, their eyes flashed, and several people gathered around them. They were all dressed as government officials, headed by
That person was none other than the judge from Shuntian Prefecture who came to the Taoist temple yesterday to check on the situation.
Xu Qinghuan turned around and saw this scene.
Huang Qinghe, the general judge of Shuntian Prefecture today, naturally does not recognize her. In his previous life, he was a frequent visitor to her home. He often stayed up late discussing cases with Li Xu. His favorite food was fried fish, and his favorite drink was sweet-scented osmanthus brewed by women.
Three drinks will make you drunk. When Li Xu came to Beijing, Li Changyan introduced Huang Qinghe to Li Xu. Huang Qinghe helped Li Xu many times when he asked questions.
In his previous life, Huang Qinghe was promoted to the Ministry of Punishment and served as Minister of Punishment. After they went to Northern Xinjiang, Huang Qinghe and his wife would visit his home every year.
The last time was when the person Li Xu was tracking disappeared. Huang Qinghe came to ask for confirmation, but finally left in a state of dismay, and fell ill soon after returning to the capital.
On her way to Beijing, Huang Qinghe died of illness, and Huang Qinghe's eldest son died of acne. Mrs. Huang was despondent and followed her husband and son away. When she arrived at the Huang Mansion, she only saw three coffins.
We met old friends again. Huang Qinghe was still so young. Although his official position was still low, he looked full of energy and was determined to fulfill his ambitions.
"As expected, I found out," Huang Qinghe said, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Zhiyi lowered his eyes and tried to calm down his emotions: "We are monks with no fixed abode. Now that the weather is getting warmer, major Taoist temples have Dharma meetings. We also go to visit the masters. At the Dharma meetings
Chanting sutras and practicing.”
"In my opinion, this may not be the case," Huang Qinghe said. "When we came to the Taoist temple yesterday, the floor at the door was particularly clean, as if it had been scrubbed many times. Although nothing can be seen anymore, I have to say that this is an unwise move.
Sometimes evidence can not only prove a crime, but also exonerate someone. If you destroy the evidence at will, you will add more suspicion to yourself.
Just because I suspected you, I ordered people to continue searching for evidence around you, and I was not disappointed."
Huang Qinghe looked at the government official next to him, who brought a blood-stained Taoist robe: "This Taoist robe was buried on the river bank. It seems that the size of the Taoist robe should be worn by a woman. Can you two take out the Taoist robe from the baggage?"
, let me compare the size."
Jiang Zhiyi was startled and said for a moment: "Why not, but... we are not the perpetrators."
"Whether it is true or not, it doesn't matter what you say, nor does it matter what I say," Huang Qinghe said, "Only this evidence can convict someone."
The officer went up to get the baggage.
Jiang Zhiyi couldn't refuse, so she had to hand over the baggage, and her eyes fell on the bloody clothes. She knew at a glance that it was the Taoist robe she usually wore. She had sewn the Taoist robe herself, with an extra layer of fabric added to the collar and cuffs.
, to avoid excessive wear and tear in daily life.
After a while, the official came forward and said, "Sir, this blood-stained Taoist robe is the same as what this female Taoist priest wears on a daily basis."
Seeing this, the old Taoist nun hurriedly said: "Sir, we lost a Taoist robe yesterday. Someone must be trying to frame us."
Huang Qinghe raised his chin: "Yesterday, the official came to ask you if anything unusual happened in the past two days. Why didn't you tell me? If you were innocent, why did you leave in a hurry today? If I didn't find this robe in time,
Where can I find you again?"
After saying that, he refused to listen to the old Taoist nun's excuse and ordered the officer: "Take the people to prison for interrogation to see what else they are hiding."
Seeing the officer coming forward, Jiang Zhi recalled: "We are both female prostitutes and have not been convicted yet. We don't need to wear torture instruments. If you want to take us to the prison for questioning, we will just go with you."
Huang Qinghe nodded: "This is the best."
The Yamen left with the two Taoist nuns. Huang Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to go to the Taoist temple to look for evidence. However, he saw a girl put down the power fence on her head and walked out of the alley with others. Passing by his
At that moment, it was as if he breathed a sigh of relief.
There was a hint of disappointment.
Huang Qinghe's heart sank, and he immediately recalled what he had just said, as if there were no mistakes or omissions.
"My lord, my lord, do we still want to go to the Taoist temple?"
"Go," Huang Qinghe said immediately, "Of course I have to go." He would handle the case early, and he would have to serve my mother when he returned home in the evening. Now there is no one at home, and he doesn't know how my mother is doing.
Huang Qinghe put aside his distracting thoughts and led the people towards the Taoist temple.
…
"Miss, are we leaving like this?" Feng Chu looked at the clear river water with some reluctance. She had not yet gone to the water to take a picture of herself.
"Why don't you leave and stay here? The boss of the boat made it clear. Mr. Sun Er rented the boat at dusk the day before yesterday."
"so what?"
"So the murder happened when it was dark."
Feng Chu's eyes brightened when she heard this: "What do you mean, the eldest lady, want to go on a flower boat ride at night?"
"I won't come," Xu Qinghuan said, "I want my brother to come."
Feng Chu shouted in surprise: "Isn't the prince's legs going to be broken?"
…
It was late at night, the lanterns on both sides of the river were lit and hung up, and several large boats began to go down the river. The tunes of Hua Niang floated out from the boats, and the whole river was covered with a layer of sweet aroma, which made people intoxicated after just one breath.
.
The wine seller was holding a small boat and skillfully swam on the river. A jar of wine was delivered to the boat. With the aroma of wine, the prosperity of the Bishui River reached its peak, and then the music ended and everyone dispersed.
People who had had enough food and wine began to leave. Some were helped away by their family members, and there were also three or five friends who helped each other.
There are also some people who, after drinking to their heart's content, are still not satisfied, so they punt a boat to buy a few jugs of wine and float themselves on the river. Therefore, after the flower boat leaves, you can see several small boats parked there.
The lanterns began to go out one after another, and there were sounds of humming tunes coming from the boat. I guess the young master from which family was still immersed in the excitement just now, a gust of wind blew several empty wine bottles on the bow of the boat and blew them into the river, "
A "pop" sound startled people on the shore.
The girl waiting in the corner was worried and took a step forward, only to find a figure standing on the shore at some point.
When this person came over just now, Uncle Lei had already noticed him. However, this person was too skilled and disappeared in front of him in a blink of an eye. It was not easy for him to catch up.
"it's me."
Before Uncle Lei made a sound, Song Chengxuan turned his head. The moonlight reflected his clear eyes. His temples were as sharp as a knife, and his eyebrows were like ink paintings. He was naturally a handsome young man, but his whole body seemed to be immersed in frost, with a sense of rejection.
The cold air that travels thousands of miles away makes people feel shy when they see it.
"Master Song, what a coincidence." Xu Qing said with a smile.
Before Song Chengxuan spoke, the sweet voice sounded again: "Master Song, don't you also want to experience the beauty of this cruise ship for yourself? By the way, inferring what happened to Mr. Sun Er that day, Master Song may be disappointed.
"
He smelled faintly of alcohol, and he might have been on a flower boat. Unfortunately, his cold demeanor would scare people away wherever he went, and he really couldn't fit into the scene before him.
Unlike her brother, who was obviously putting on a show to attract people, but she felt that he was actually acting up and was already drunk, which made her worried.
Song Chengxuan didn't speak, just looked at her steadily. She seemed to be joking just now, but she had guessed everything he would do tonight.
Except, he would be standing in front of her.
"Here we come." Uncle Lei shouted.
Song Chengxuan and Qing Huan both looked into the river. They couldn't see anything on the river, but the waves on the river seemed to be bigger.
It is not difficult for people to guess that there is someone in the water, slowly approaching the small boat Xu Qingan is riding.