Chapter Five Hundred and Twenty-Three Fire Suspects
"Is this...all burned?"
It took Zhang Wu a long time to hold back a sentence. But Zhang Lu suddenly shouted loudly: "Then how could the snitch know that those colored cotton seeds are hidden here, and just come here by chance and steal them? Could it be that?
There must be a mole in this Haidian Qinyuan!"
When Zhang Wu woke up and wanted to stop him, Zhang Lu seemed to have noticed his gaffe and hurriedly explained to Zhang Chen: "Brother Chen, that's not what I meant. I just didn't expect the snitch to move so fast."
So accurate... Although this Haidian is not as good as the capital, each family has its own courtyard here, and not many people are left here. The defense is inevitably loose, but it is not..."
"Stop talking!" Zhang Chen said three words with a sullen face, and then said word by word, "If you feel that you have suffered a loss, I will pay you as much as you want! I can't give you one hundred and eighty thousand."
, my father can still take it out! This matter is not over yet, and you dare to offend me, the Duke of Qin, you are really brave!"
Zhang Wu quickly spoke to persuade: "Brother Chen, this is definitely not what Ah Lu meant. Now that the matter has come to this, it is crucial to find out who did it. These days, the streets of the capital are full of colorful cotton auspicious things. Let me tell you, people say
Maybe he deliberately created a publicity and then waited for the opportunity to make a desperate plan! Rather than burning the colored cotton and seeds stored here..."
Before Zhang Wu could finish his words, Zhang Chen interrupted: "Who said they were all burned?"
"Who said...it's not you, Brother Chen..." At this point, Zhang Lu suddenly stopped, and then asked dumbfounded, "Is it possible that it was you, Brother Chen, who spread suspicions, aroused the enemy, and started the fire yourself..."
"Let you go, you big-headed devil!" Zhang Chen was furious, cursed twice, and then said angrily, "I said that not all the things were burned, and I didn't say that the fire was fake! Can you trust me to put the things here?
, of course I want to be on the safe side and keep it at both ends. However, who knows, the things in this warehouse were burned rather than stolen?"
At this point, Zhang Chen, who has always had a bad temper and temper, picked up a small stone with his foot. He saw the stone rising into the sky and then landed somewhere. He suppressed his anger and said: "It's a pity that there is such a thing."
My family is made of colored cotton, and what I put here are seeds. I think my family has big goals, but this place is always remote, and maybe no one will pay attention... Damn it!"
Zhang Chen cursed again, and then he was circling around like a trapped animal, cursing again and again. Faced with his obviously out-of-control reaction, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu looked at each other, Zhang Wu chose to go up and comfort him in a low voice, and Zhang Lu
It is followed, and there may be an echo, but it is obviously absent -minded.
After walking around in the huge Qin Garden, the three of them saw that although there were messes left by the fire fighting last night, and even many flowers and plants had been trampled, most of the buildings were intact, that is,
He said that only the warehouse was burned. As Zhang Wu walked, he finally couldn't help but ask: "Brother Chen, what else is in that warehouse?"
"This is the Qin Garden, not the Duke's Palace of Qin. Apart from hoarding food, some local specialties and goods from the north and south, there is nothing stored. That's why I don't think anyone would think of it if I put it here. Who would take the risk and sneak into the Qin Garden?"
Stealing food?”
The more Zhang Chen talked, the more he felt chest tightness. In the end, he even pressed his chest, as if he was really angry. Zhang Wu was shocked when he saw this scene. He quickly went up to hold the person's arm and said repeatedly: "Chen
Brother, calm down! Money is something external to the body, and A Lu and I don’t care so much. Besides, the color of this brown colored cotton is not the most beautiful to begin with..."
Zhang Lu, who was watching with cold eyes, saw Zhang Wu trying to persuade Zhang Chen, and suddenly felt a little tight in his chest. The person who caused the big trouble was obviously Zhang Chen, but now he seemed to have become a victim, and he had to
They went to comfort him?
However, just when he was angry, he suddenly heard a commotion outside. When he turned around and looked, he saw Zhu Ying in a fiery red riding uniform striding towards him.
As soon as the eldest lady arrived in front of them, she asked angrily: "What's going on? I heard in the palace that there was a fire in Qinyuan, Haidian, and that all the colored cotton seeds were burned? And that there were burglars?"
Facing the furious Zhu Ying, Zhang Chen's anger suddenly disappeared, replaced by embarrassment and guilt. He wiped his forehead uneasily, but in front of Zhu Ying's sharp eyes, he had been frightened before, and now
He was even more frightened and could only briefly explain the situation he had learned in a low voice.
It was nothing more than a burglar sneaking into the Qin Garden in the middle of the night, and then because the defense was weak, he easily found the location of the warehouse. When he found that there was nothing, he set a fire...
Then, after discovering the fire, everyone in Qinyuan mobilized to put out the fire, and other surrounding houses came to help. They spread the information to the capital that the steward had planned to notify Zhang Chen secretly, causing a storm in the city.
Zhu Ying was so angry that her eyebrows stood up: "So, the only thing Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu brought back was cotton, and all the seeds were burned? The water bandits that the eldest brother killed alive on the canal were all in vain?"
Zhang Chen smiled bitterly and said: "Of course Master Zhu's contribution will not be wiped out. Didn't the Ministry of War also recognize that those are the remnants of the rebels from the Linhai camp? But I guess the auspiciousness that people outside said is completely ruined. You know
, there are no seeds, so others can insist that the colored cotton is dyed... Anyway, this time all the mistakes are my fault."
Always arrogant, he lowered his head deeply: "I thought that Qinyuan's tranquility would help it avoid being coveted by others. I will shoulder this responsibility..."
"Can you afford it?"
Zhu Ying was so angry that she glared at Zhang Chen, and then said angrily, "A Shou is still in Jiuzhangtang, so he probably doesn't know the news yet. I came directly from the palace! Everything has happened, what you want is
How to solve it? I didn’t hold you responsible! Besides, it’s a good thing that this matter hasn’t been formally reported to the emperor yet, otherwise Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu would have been deceived by you!”
Zhang Chen's face became more and more gloomy when Zhu Ying said that, and then he suddenly bowed to Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu and said: "Ah Wu, Ah Lu, I'm sorry for you this time. I know that your wedding is coming soon, and you will be separated again in the future.
If we go out to live alone together, I will compensate one of you later..."
Before Zhang Chen could finish speaking, Zhang Wu stepped forward, helped Zhang Chen up, and then said sincerely: "Brother Chen, I think you helped us so much back then. If it weren't for you,
, Xiao Lu and I are having an even harder time. In Xingtai, you were the one who deceived so many people by putting on a show, which allowed us to turn the corner. This time it’s not your fault, so how can I ask you to compensate?”
Zhang Lu seemed to have just woken up, and hurriedly stepped forward and said: "Yes, yes, if Brother Chen still regards us as brothers, don't say any words of apology..."
The two brothers said something to each other, and they were both determined not to make compensation to Zhang Chen, but Zhang Chen insisted on compensation. In the end, Zhu Ying couldn't help it anymore, and stood up angrily to stop their pushback. The four of them discussed for a while.
, saw the steward Qin Yuan at the entrance of the hospital looking around, but he felt that he was not in the mood to stay here any longer, so he immediately decided to leave and go back to Beijing, and directly find an expert to investigate the matter here.
As for who to look for, it was naturally recommended by Zhu Ying, his reliable and powerful Uncle Hua.
However, as soon as the four people left the gate of Qinyuan, they met Hua Qi who jumped off the horse. Zhu Ying, who was surprised and happy, rushed forward to greet him. Before he could speak, Hua Qi
He spat out the piece of grass root he was holding in his mouth, and said hello with a smile: "Miss, you are really walking in a hurry. I almost exhausted my mount all the way and didn't catch up."
Zhu Ying knew that if Hua Qi continued teasing like this, there would be no end. Without saying a word, she stepped forward, grabbed the person's sleeve and walked inside. And Zhang Chen knew how powerful this confidant of Duke Zhao was.
, and quickly turned around to catch up. Zhang Wu instinctively chased for a few steps, then suddenly realized something, turned around and saw Zhang Lu standing there blankly, and he hurried back again.
"Why are you still standing there? You should know how powerful Mr. Hua Qi is. Maybe you can find out the clues?"
Zhang Lu showed a forced smile, nodded and followed Zhang Wu. When he arrived at the charred warehouse again, he saw Hua Qi turning back and forth, and then easily jumped onto the roof next to him, looking eastward.
Looking to the west, he couldn't help but whisper: "After fighting the fire all night, there should be no trace left. Even if someone comes from a high place, they won't be able to see much."
As soon as he finished speaking, he received a look from the boss Zhu Ying: "How can you gain other people's ambition and destroy your own prestige! Uncle Hua has great eyes. He was invited to see the Qin Garden of the Duke of Qin's Palace before. He must be able to tell
what!"
While they were talking, Hua Qi had jumped from the big tree next to the yard to the roof, and then disappeared. Facing this scene, the four people who stayed there could only look at each other. No matter how anxious they were, they could only stay patiently where they were.
Waiting for a long time, they heard a "Hey" and turned around to look, only to see Hua Qi coming back from the opposite direction from where he disappeared before, like a wisp of smoke.
When the man jumped from the roof and landed lightly on the ground, Zhang Chen immediately stepped forward and asked: "Master Hua Qi, do you have any clues? Is there a secret passage in our Qin Garden... Oops!"
He casually gave Zhang Chen a violent blow, and Hua Qi laughed dryly and said: "Ahem, I'm used to beating the second young master, but my hands slipped for a moment... Where did there come from so many secret passages? Zhao Yuan originally had no one to go there for a long time.
, the servants were negligent in taking precautions, but after something like that happened, all the gardens in Haidian were inspected inside and out. This Qin Garden was the one that Duke Qin asked me to see, and there is no such thing."
Seeing Zhang Chen's sudden sarcasm, he said calmly: "However, the thief did not take a detour and went straight to the warehouse. If he did not get accurate information in advance, it is absolutely impossible. You know, the thief came all the way in
They all followed the shortest straight line, as if they already knew the topography of Qinyuan."
"Of course, the person who came here is not particularly powerful. Although he climbed over the backyard fence and used a few trees as cover to reach the warehouse without alerting anyone, he trampled on three tiles on three roofs along the way.
Of course, this is because your Qinyuan has a new roof, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see it.”
Zhang Chen's face suddenly turned the color of pig liver, and he cursed angrily: "If you let me know who is eating him inside and out, I will skin him!"
After scolding him, he asked impatiently: "Did Mr. Hua Qi find any other clues?"
"There is only a small fragment of night clothes hanging on a branch, but it is the most common fabric, and this kind of taboo stuff is made by people who bought the cloth and made it themselves. They definitely don't go to a tailor or a tailor shop.
, so this is not a clue. As for the little dried blood on the branch, it is even more difficult to investigate."
"There are tens of millions of people with broken skin and bleeding every day, and even if there is a deep wound, by the time the government officials find the family like a needle in a haystack and come to their door, it may have healed long ago, so..."
Hua Qi simply spread her hands and said: "So, I only know that the fire destroyed the corpse very thoroughly, and I can't even be sure whether the seeds were burned completely or were taken away."
Zhu Ying had just boasted that Hua Qi would be able to find out a lot of clues when she came to Haikou. Now that Hua Qi directly gave such an answer, she was immediately very angry. But before she could lose her temper, Hua Qi smiled indifferently.
Laughed.
"When you encounter water bandits on the canal, you should know that you have been targeted a long time ago. You should present your things when you enter the capital. When you get to the palace, if problems arise, it will have nothing to do with you. Anyway, you
We haven’t officially mentioned this matter in a letter yet. Although it is a little embarrassing, it is not a big deal...Okay, Miss, you ran out in such a hurry, you should go back, right?"
At this point, Hua Qi smiled and made a gesture of invitation to Zhu Ying. Seeing the eldest lady standing still and sullenly, he could only emphasize his tone and said: "Such a big thing, the eldest lady doesn't think it is better than
Is it best to let someone else report the news to Mr. Shou, or is it best for you to do it yourself? If you are willing to come forward and tell Mr. Zhang, the three Mr. Zhang will definitely thank you."
Zhu Ying immediately turned to look at Zhang Chen, Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu. Seeing that the three of them almost nodded in unison, she said dejectedly: "Okay, I'll just tell Ah Shou... But Zhang Chen, you Qin Yuan have to take care of yourself."
check!"
Zhang Chen responded without thinking: "That's right, I will carefully screen it from top to bottom!"
Seeing Zhu Ying leaving with Hua Qi, Zhang Chen wiped his forehead again, suddenly stepped forward and put his arms around the shoulders of Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, coughed dryly and said: "Okay, this troublesome young lady is finally here."
She is leaving now. We are not in a hurry to go back as long as she goes to talk to the young gentleman. I have something to tell you."
As he spoke, he forcefully took the two of them outside. After leaving the yard, he turned all the way to the west along the corridor. Not long after, he arrived at a pavilion on the water. However, unlike other places where most of the lotus ponds are filled with fish, here there are only
The pond is full of clear water, with a few koi swimming leisurely in it. It is so clear that you can see the bottom. Sitting in the pavilion, you can have an unobstructed view of the surroundings.
Until then, Zhang Chen smiled and said: "I just wanted others to spread the news, and it was not the place to talk, so I didn't tell you. The young gentleman told me a few days ago that if the colored cotton seeds
Planting it may not bring good results. So, if someone really steals it this time, hehe, the person who stole it might lose the rice instead of the chicken."