We had a conversation and asked a few random things, but it was of no help to the progress of the case.
Xiao Chen didn't come to chat with Shopkeeper Li. He seemed to be sitting there calmly, but in his heart he was thinking about whether the prince would be imprisoned in this luxurious and luxurious courtyard.
Otherwise, even if the materials used in this yard are extraordinary, the ultimate goal is nothing more than to show one's strength to the world.
As the magistrate of Gu'an County, Wei Liang's visit will definitely increase the courtyard's influence.
However, outside the gate, the two waiters politely refused Wei Liang's entry, which only meant that there was an ulterior secret in the courtyard.
I originally thought that as long as shopkeeper Li showed a slight flaw, I would capture him and then call the magic machine soldiers outside the city to come in and search for him.
However, this person spoke impeccably, and almost every word was spoken after careful consideration. It took a lot of time, but there was no gain.
In desperation, I had no choice but to rely on my status as a member of the imperial court and forcefully ask for a check.
Just when Xiao Chen and others walked out of the door and wanted to walk into the courtyard, shopkeeper Li looked at a servant next to him with a questioning look in his eyes.
The servant nodded.
Seeing this action, Shopkeeper Li picked up the tea bowl on the table and took a leisurely sip.
I checked in the yard for a long time, but found nothing.
"Xiao Chen, is it possible that shopkeeper Li has nothing to do with this case? His purpose of not wanting anyone to come in is just to keep his wealth private?" Duan Tianming said in a low voice following Xiao Chen.
"You wouldn't build such a luxurious courtyard without exposing your wealth. Let's take a closer look and use your hands to touch things that seem to be a little different. There shouldn't be any problems with the building on the outside. What we are looking for is,
It's his darkroom." Xiao Chen whispered.
There are four larger buildings in this courtyard. Except for the one on the east that Shopkeeper Li uses as a reception hall, there are three other buildings that no one has entered.
"Brother Xiao, should we go and take a look in other rooms?" Wei Qi looked at the tall house in the distance, glanced at the hall where Shopkeeper Li was sitting, and lowered his voice.
"Go in and check. Now that you're here, don't miss any suspicious place." Xiao Chen said.
"But, just now you told Shopkeeper Li that we were just checking in the yard. If we go to the room to check, should we just tell him?" Wei Qi asked again.
When the Hangzhou Guards were working, Wei Qi was directly controlled by the Hangzhou Prefecture. Although the name was Hangzhou City Guards, in fact, they were suppressed by the Hangzhou Prefecture and had no rights of their own.
To put it bluntly, it is similar to a watchdog.
Therefore, I have developed a habit. Whenever I take action, I must report it to my superiors and wait for instructions.
Like today, the owner of the courtyard only promised everyone to take a look in the courtyard, but did not mention the room. Looking at the luxury of the room, Wei Qi felt a little guilty, so he asked Xiao Chen in a low voice.
"Since you and I are here, it means that you are also representing Dongchang. Dongchang is handling the case. Except for the emperor, no one has to worry about it. Let's go in and check." Xiao Chen said loudly.
The loud voice echoed in the courtyard, as if it was deliberately spoken to Shopkeeper Li in the hall.
Indeed, shopkeeper Li also heard this voice.
However, he didn't seem to care, or he had already known about it. He just smiled lightly and didn't take it seriously. He continued to hold the tea bowl and taste it carefully.
In other houses, shopkeeper Li's family lived, as well as some accompanying servants.
Seeing everyone walking in, no one dared to say anything. They just stood there quietly and watched everyone search the room one by one.
When he came to a fire pit made of blue bricks, Xiao Chen was about to lift off the blanket when a woman's voice came from behind.
"Who are you, and who gave you the right to act so unscrupulously in my house?"
Xiao Chen turned his head, and a middle-aged woman in elegant clothes walked into the door of the room with the support of two young maids.
Outside the gate, there was a carriage parked.
Obviously, this woman had just come back from outside.
"This must be shopkeeper Li's wife?" Xiao Chen did not answer the other party's question, but asked directly.
The woman glared angrily: "I'm asking you, who are you?"
Seeing the other party's condescending attitude, Xiao Chen couldn't help but laugh. He didn't answer, but looked at the other party up and down.
In the Ming Dynasty, most women lived in seclusion, and even the wives of princes and nobles would not walk around casually.
Shopkeeper Li had the pavilions and pavilions in the courtyard scaled down and built to resemble the emperor's imperial garden. Even if he had not worked as a servant in the palace, he must have been to the imperial garden.
Coupled with this extremely luxurious courtyard, Shopkeeper Li's identity must not be simple.
Therefore, shopkeeper Li's wife must not be an ordinary person.
The more noble a woman is, the more she must pay attention to her words and deeds.
If there is nothing important, I will never go out to show off easily.
Looking at the carriage outside the door, it was obvious that this person had just returned.
Could it be that she had already transported some "things" in a carriage?
Seeing that Xiao Chen not only didn't answer, but also looked at her up and down with an unfriendly look, the woman couldn't help but get furious.
He tilted his head and looked at the people standing in the room with their heads down: "Where is the master? When will our Li family compound be able to allow outsiders to come in unscrupulously?"
"master..."
Before the servants could answer, the pale shopkeeper Li had already slowly walked into the door: "Madam, calm down, these are all officials from the imperial court, specially here to investigate the case of a sudden attack on Weizhi County."
With a flattering smile on his face, he walked to the woman's side.
"What does the investigation have to do with our Li family? It's all been found in our bedroom, and you won't stop it." The woman turned her head and looked at Shopkeeper Li with a dissatisfied look on her face, as if she was extremely aggrieved.
"Weizhi County is lying unconscious in the county office now. As long as we can find the murderer who attacked Weizhi County, let the officials check it out." Shopkeeper Li said in a low voice as if he was very afraid of his wife.
"Humph!" The woman turned her head and looked to the side.
Xiao Chen didn't bother to pay attention to this person's fuss, and directly hugged him with both fists: "Shopkeeper Li, since we are checking, we have to check the house thoroughly. We are offended."
"Your Majesty, please." With a smile on his face, Shopkeeper Li stretched out his hand to pull the woman next to him.
"Hmph." The woman flicked her sleeve and slapped Shopkeeper Li's extended right hand. She turned to look at Xiao Chen and said, "The things in this house are extremely valuable. Even if they are damaged, you will never be able to afford them in your lifetime.
"
After saying that, he turned his head sharply and walked towards the door.
Shopkeeper Li seemed to have lost his manliness. He nodded awkwardly towards Xiao Chen and quickly chased after him.
Xiao Chen shook his head and continued to look at the quilts on the kang.
In this life, Xiao Chen is most unwilling to deal with women. Firstly, they are unreasonable at all, and secondly, even if he is angry and wants to do something, he always feels like he can't do it when facing a woman.
In Xiao Chen's mind, this woman should stay at home and take care of her husband and raise children. It is more appropriate for men to do this kind of publicity.
Uncovering the quilt on the bed, there is a layer of black bluestone underneath.
Duan Tianming stretched out his hand and knocked on it. As if he found a problem, he put his ear against the stone and continued to knock a few times.
"Xiao Chen, it's empty down there." Duan Tianming said eagerly.
"Isn't your fire bed empty?" Xiao Chen said with contempt on his face, "Look around to see if there are any smoke gaps. If there are no smoke gaps, open it."
This kind of heated kang is heated by burning firewood inside the kang hole. Although a family like Shopkeeper Li does not use firewood for heating, even if it is heated with charcoal, after a long time, there will be smoke cracks on the kang surface.
The presence.
"Smoke cracks? Do you still need to look for smoke cracks? Look at this mattress, some places are yellowed, it must be smoke." Duan Tianming pointed to the mattress next to him and said.
"Let's go and have a look elsewhere. There's nothing wrong with this fire kang." Xiao Chen said, but looked at the carriage that suddenly appeared in the yard.
