The place Ji Yanran was going to was a low-rise house, which looked like the residence of Xu's handyman. At this time, the lights in each room had been lit one after another, and there were still people busy in the kitchen. The person I met in the garden a few days ago The little girl was also there, squatting in the yard picking up pickles, planning to let them bask in the moon for another night. She was humming a thin tune, her voice was tender and tender, which is unique to girls, and it was very pleasant, but she didn't sing a few words, and was scolded by the adults next to her, reminding her not to make any more noises - all the bad luck in Shiba Villa came to an end As for that scary nursery rhyme, how dare you sing another sentence now? In the future, it is better not to even talk.
The little girl agreed aggrievedly, and wanted to go back to her room with an empty dustpan in her hand, but when she saw two people standing at the door, her eyes lit up, and she ran over to say hello with joy and timidity: "Big brother."
Yun Yifeng looked at her and said with a smile, "Have you eaten yet?"
"Well, I've eaten." The little girl tugged at her water-red coat, trying to make herself look as beautiful and delicate as possible. She has not yet reached the age of first love, but she has learned to look forward to the beauty of the world, such as flowers wet with rain and dew, gurgling water, and a big brother in front of her who is as white as snow and as human as snow.
"Are you here to find someone?"
Ji Yanran nodded: "Does Aunt Zhong live here?"
"Yes, she is my mother." The little girl said happily, "Come in."
Yun Yifeng still remembered this name, when Zhang Ruirui's elder brother Zhang Shengsheng mentioned Aunt Zhong when he was talking about his sister's last disappearance.
It was a benevolent and kind-hearted aunt. After hearing the explanation of the two people's intentions, she was a little uneasy: "Is it Mr. Zhang who wants to interrogate me?"
"Auntie doesn't have to be afraid if Mr. Zhang wants to interrogate." Yun Yifeng comforted, "Just recall everything that happened that day."
Aunt Zhong agreed, and after thinking carefully for a while, she finally said: "That day was the fifth day of June, the old man had a newcomer in and was going to have a family banquet, so the kitchen was very busy. I was washing fish in the yard at noon, so I Seeing Rarity running in sweating profusely, she was sweet-tempered and sweet-natured, and greeted me with a smile, then went to the kitchen to drink several ladles of water, looking thirsty."
After drinking the water, Zhang Ruirui sharpened the knife for Aunt Zhong and cut up some vegetables before saying that he would go back to work.
Ji Yanran asked: "Continue to wash clothes?"
"Yes." Aunt Zhong nodded first, but then remembered another thing, "By the way, besides washing clothes, it seems that I have to deliver sachets."
Xu Qiuwang's new concubine room, although it has been more than ten times, it is not rare, but it is still a happy event, the four brothers naturally want to send gifts, so Yuan Shi ordered the embroiderers to rush to make a batch of expensive Shu brocade sachets , so that it can be distributed to each courtyard as a gift in return.
"Xiu Niang entrusted the job of delivering the sachets to Rui Rui out of good intentions, and wanted her to get a few more rewards to supplement the family." As she spoke, Aunt Zhong couldn't help but sigh again, "Then A girl who is loved by others, everyone likes her, it's a pity, alas."
The news of the bones being dug out of the dry well in the villa has long been spread. Although the government has not yet clearly stated who it is, there will always be various speculations. In addition, in the afternoon, Zhang Shengsheng was also arrested by the government officials. Is it not obvious enough to take away from the Xu family? In the past, I always regretted that the girl was obsessed with ghosts and eloped with a scoundrel, but now I feel that even if she really eloped, at least she is still alive and will come back one day.
Aunt Zhong wiped her tears with her skirt, wanted to ask a few more questions, but was flustered and didn't know where to start, until the two of them said goodbye and left, they still felt dizzy, so they just hugged their daughter and sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought. On the contrary, the little girl, leaning against her mother's arms, comforted her in a low voice: "It's going to be all right, big brother said that the villa is very dirty, and there's nothing to regret if it collapses."
She spoke innocently, but Aunt Zhong was startled when she heard it, thinking that Yun Yifeng taught her these words, so she quickly covered her daughter's mouth and told her not to say any more in the future.
It was completely dark outside.
In the room, Yun Yifeng turned on the lights, and there was a map on the table—the map of Shiba Villa. If Zhang Ruirui wanted to send a sachet that day, according to the rules, he had to start from Xu Qiusheng’s yard, the second shopkeeper, and then go down from family to family according to seniority. Aunt Zhong may not be the last person to see her, but Zhang Shengsheng’s status is not high. High, so I can't inquire about more things.
A basket of delicious steamed buns was handed to the eyes, the thin skin and big stuffing were crystal clear.
Yun Yifeng: "..."
"Eat something, don't be hungry." Ji Yanran smiled, "I know you despise this villa, so you sent someone to buy it outside. You love the Fudinglou Shrimp Soup Dumplings."
Yun Yifeng pushed the map aside, and washed his hands again: "After dinner, can the prince let me go back to the inn?"
"After the meal, the person sent to inquire about the news should be back." Ji Yanran prepared ginger vinegar for him, "Eat slowly."
Fuding Tower is not far from Shiba Mountain Villa, so the soup dumplings are still hot, just enough to warm an empty stomach in this cold and bleak night. Ji Yanran originally wanted to continue discussing the case, but when he saw that he was holding a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, eating with his head down, he was very serious and focused, and suddenly he didn't want to talk anymore.
Yun Yifeng rolled up his sleeves twice, revealing a slender white arm, first pierced a small hole in the puffy skin, and after the soup flowed out, he gently sucked and sipped it... His Royal Highness Xiao Wang I don't feel like a gangster at all, I still sit on the chair with my legs apart, looking unscrupulous and righteous, and from time to time I reach out to pull my cool black hair like brocade, just like a schoolgirl A five-year-old troublemaker, when he sees someone he likes and looks good, he will rush to harass him. If he can make the other person roll his eyes, he will be very happy.
Commonly known as hand owed, just give it a good beating.
Yun Yifeng put down his chopsticks: "What does the prince think of Xu Qiuyi's confession?"
"Huh?" Ji Yanran came back to her senses, "Xu Qiuyi... has a ghost."
If it is said that Li Cai and Yuan Shi, the young servants, can be said to have never seen the world, and they can rely on threats and deceit to ask the truth, then Xu Qiuyi is completely the opposite. He is the fourth shopkeeper of the Xu family. He has traveled all over the world for decades. He has never seen any scenes or experienced anything. He shouldn't just confess his crime because of Yuan's one word of identification, and he has no intention of covering it up. Besides, judging from old master Xu's reaction, he probably also wanted to protect his son. Perhaps the two had discussed in advance that the dead Xu Qiuwang should bear all the crimes. Then why did Xu Qiuyi suddenly backtrack
Most people would guess that he might be afraid of the prophecy of "blood flowing into rivers", so he wanted to simply hide in the government prison, so as not to be assassinated in a daze. Although it sounds reasonable, there is another possibility besides this, that is, behind Zhang Ruirui, there are still more secrets buried.
Xu Qiuyi didn't know what Yuan Shi had confessed in the hall, so she could only make plans based on the worst scenario - assuming she had already confessed all the murders and turned them into corpses, including all the roles she played in the middle. In this way, there are only two paths before him, to admit or not to admit.
If they admit it, then the government will be able to close the case smoothly and convict everyone according to the law.
And if they don't admit it, the government will continue to investigate, look for more evidence, and look for more witnesses, until they can completely piece together all the things that happened during the two days from the fifth to the sixth day of June.
Yun Yifeng said: "He was afraid that we would continue the investigation, so he simply accepted the crime and wanted to cut off the truth here."
"Xu Qiuyi is an old Jianghu, and he has always been impeccable in his work, but this time he made a mistake." Ji Yanran said, "However, it cannot be said that the chaos was caused by haste, and it is more likely that there is no other way but to risk everything."
The big ship roared and bumped in the huge waves, thunder and lightning roared, and the muddy water churned.
It is the time when people are most panicked.
It is also the time when you know that bad luck is coming, but you can no longer save it.
The secret guards of the palace sent to investigate also reported back and forth at this time, saying that Zhang Ruirui had indeed sent sachets to Xu Qiusheng and Xu Qiuru's courtyards on the afternoon of the fifth day of June. Girl, I didn't receive any sachet either.
Ji Yanran asked, "Where's Xu Qiuping?"
"No, only two families received the sachet." The dark guard said, "According to the memory of Xu Qiuru's wife, Mrs. Zhang, when Zhang Ruirui went to deliver the sachet that day, she was having dinner and it was already dark outside."
Yun Yifeng looked at the map: "Xu Qiuru's and Xu Qiuyi's houses are not far away. Zhang Ruirui has to go through this road to go back to her residence. According to common sense, she should drop by this third sachet no matter what."
But Youshi didn't receive it, and didn't even know it happened.
The hidden guard said from the side: "On the night of the fifth day of June, although there was a lot of people in the villa, most of the guests gathered in the front hall, and the other places were still dark and silent. Once Zhang Ruirui is a girl's house, once the gangsters target him, the possibility of escape is very high. Low."
"According to the order in which the sachets were delivered, she should indeed have been attacked on this road." Yun Yifeng clicked on the map, frowning, "But the time is wrong, and it doesn't make sense."
The person who raped Zhang Ruirui was Xu Qiuwang. That day was his big day. There were so many guests in the front hall, and everyone was congratulating the groom. Even if he drank two glasses of wine, he shouldn’t suddenly disappear in the middle of the banquet. Wait until it's over, otherwise the servants will have to go to the mansion to find someone? But if the banquet is over, but it's already late at night, even if Xu Qiuwang wandered here in a ghostly manner at that time, Zhang Ruirui would have been standing by the road and waiting? If not, where did she go during this period of time
The more Yun Yifeng thought about it, the more astonished he became: "Could it be that Xu Qiuwang didn't do it? Then why did Mrs. Yuan plead guilty to murder?"
"It's impossible to guess." Ji Yanran took the cloak for him, "Let's go to the government office."
…
After confessing to Xu Qiuyi that day, Yuan knew that the Xu family would never save her again, so she was disheartened, her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were wrinkled like dried pickles. The hall couldn't speak either, he just stared blankly ahead, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.
"The fifth day of June? The fifth day of June, I have been staying in the room." She recalled blankly, like a puppet without emotion.
Xu Qiuwang's newcomers accepted one after another. She was jealous and bitter in her heart, but she still pretended to be virtuous and generous, sitting alone on the bed, listening to the faint firecrackers and noise outside, and her headache was about to explode. She fell asleep, but was woken up before dawn. Pinger, who just entered the door yesterday, cried and complained, saying that the master didn't come back all night, and there is no shadow of him. How can there be such a reason in the world
She is the daughter of a butcher in the city, and she has a fierce personality. Yuan Shi was afraid that she would really make a scene, so after a few words of comfort, she went out to look for her. Originally thought that Xu Qiuwang was staying in his favorite Jiumei's room again, but when he walked to the woodshed in the backyard, he heard a few strange muffled groans from inside, opened the door and looked, and almost fainted from anger .
Yuan Shi said angrily: "I just saw that his clothes are disheveled, lying on that girl's body, like a living bastard, very romantic and happy!"
Seeing someone coming, Zhang Ruirui, who was already almost unconscious, struggled to call for help again. The cool breeze poured into the firewood room, and Xu Qiuwang, who was dizzy from the horse urine, regained consciousness a little bit, and realized that he had done something ridiculous. Immediately, he quickly got up, pulled up his pants, and ran away.
Ji Yanran said: "Then you beat that little maid to death?"
"Yes." Yuan slumped in the hall, murmured, "I was also short-tempered. After the fourth brother dragged her back, I hit her a few more times and hit her on the head, and she died."
"What time was it?"
"What time is it?" Yuan thought for a long time before saying, "I can't remember, it's very early, the sky is not bright yet, and it's not yet time."
"Is Xu Qiuyi usually looking for Xu Qiuwang so early?"
"No... no." After he mentioned it, Yuan Shi also became confused, and said to herself, "Yes, why did he come here in the dark that day?"
Yun Yifeng asked again: "After dealing with Zhang Ruirui's body, did you and Xu Qiuwang talk about it again?"
"I made a fuss, of course I'm going to make a fuss." Yuan Shi gritted her teeth, "Feng lost his life, he was honest this time, and explained to me in a low voice, saying that he drank too much at the banquet and wanted to go to the side hall first After sleeping for a while, I went to the backyard in a daze to relieve myself. Who would have thought that girl was waiting at the door of the firewood room, took off her clothes to seduce him, and said that the dead ghost was wronged later on. Pooh, it’s not a good thing !"
When this matter was mentioned, Yuan's anger could not be calmed down, and the more she scolded, the worse it sounded. Ji Yanran sent someone to take her back to the prison first, and then said to Yun Yifeng: "That dark path is not too close to Xu Qiuwang's backyard, even if he was attracted to it that night, according to common sense, he should just find a remote corner , rather than taking people back to their own backyard first."
"The rape and murder have all been done. There is no need for him to lie about the details. What he said is likely to be true." Yun Yifeng said, "I drank too much and wanted to rest in the side room for a while. It was almost dawn, and I was probably still drunk when I went to relieve my hand, so I walked all the way to the backyard, and then met Zhang Ruirui there."
According to his description, he was actively seduced by the other party, and thus became wild. But everyone in the Xu family said that Zhang Ruirui was obedient and honest, so obviously he shouldn't have done such a thing—it sounds inexplicable.
There is only one possible explanation for all this.
She escaped.
He was attacked on a dark path, escaped before dawn, and rushed to Xu Qiuwang's backyard in a panic. It happened that a large piece of the fence was missing there, so she could enter and exit smoothly.
Unexpectedly, I met Xu Qiuwang at the door of the firewood room.
A lustful man who was drunk and stunned, and when he saw the young girl in front of him with drunken eyes, he was afraid that he couldn't care about anything.
Only the poor girl of the Zhang family, although she tried her best, she just fled from one wolf den to another, and in the end she couldn't even save her life.
"Let's go back to Shiba Villa." Yun Yifeng put down the teacup in his hand, with a hint of anger in his voice, "I'm going to ask that shopkeeper Xu Si, why did he come out before dawn on the sixth day of June? Can’t wait to drop by everywhere.”