"Song Yu has been to the Taoist temple in the city during the day." Huo Weilou said with a stare.
Bo Ruoyou stood up slowly, swaying because her legs were numb from squatting, "I remember when I was in Qingzhou, before and after the cold food in the Qingming Festival, we used mugwort to make a lot of mugwort cakes for incense and People who worship ancestors will also donate merit to poor people, but I don’t know if there is such a custom in Beijing.”
"Yes." Huo Weilou stepped forward and pulled a chair beside her, "Sit down and rest."
Bo Ruoyou hesitated, Huo Weilou raised his eyebrows slightly, supported her waist, and sat her down. Her face became hot, and she quickly glanced at the door of the wing room. Can't help but darken the bottom of the pupil.
Bo Ruoyou didn't realize it, and said to herself: "Ai grass is used as medicine. Ordinary people seldom use it to make cakes. It's just that they don't know why. Now that Qingming is approaching, maybe they are going to worship ancestors?"
There are many believers in Buddhism in Beijing, and there are also many believers. Some people enshrine their ancestors tablets in Taoist temples, and they often go to worship. At this point, Bo Ruoyou asked again: "Is Mr. Song's wife and children not in the mansion?"
All the way into the mansion tonight was silent, as if there were not many living people in the mansion.
Huo Weilou said: "A month ago, when the Weicang incident in Qinshui County was exposed, he sent his wife and children back to his hometown, and also dismissed some servants. His family is in Yunzhou. It is said that the clan is quite large. Uncle is still here."
Bo Ruoyou frowned, "Did he send his wife and children away on purpose?"
Huo Weilou nodded, "Probably so."
Bo Ruoyou didn't ask any more questions, but turned her eyes to look at the corpse on the ground. The position of a servant is high, and this person is only in his infancy. In another three to five years, maybe he can go further. If he is not involved in right and wrong, How could he die
"After taking this poison, depending on the dose, you can die within one or two hours or a few days. You often have vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Lord Hou said that when he returned home, he had a pale face and collapsed, thinking that he had eaten his stomach badly. At that time, he was already suffering from poisoning, and his esophagus and stomach had congested and edematous lesions, which also showed that he had been poisoned for a long time, so even if there were visitors to the house later, it probably had nothing to do with his poisoning."
After finishing speaking, Bo Ruoyou looked at Huo Weilou, "He has no external injuries, but if he wanted to commit suicide, he would have committed suicide by taking poison without going outside. Besides, I see that his study and secret room are a bit messy, and the inkstone in the corner of the desk still has unfinished things. The dry Yu Mo, he should have started writing after returning to the mansion, and he didn’t stop the servants from brewing medicine for him, so it’s obviously not a sign of suicide by taking poison.”
"Master Hou wants to know where he has been and who he has met during the day, right?"
Bo Ruoyou's beautiful eyes looked at him clearly in black and white, Huo Weilou nodded, she squatted down again, Song Yu died before nightfall, according to the state of poisoning, he should have taken the poison within three hours, which was after noon, and this wormwood cake Maybe it was for lunch, Song Yu went out of the palace, probably went to the Taoist temple first, and then stayed in the Taoist temple all day
Bo Ruoyou was a little disappointed that the autopsy results were not much. While sewing up the corpse, she picked out rice vinegar and smeared it on the corpse, saying: "At present, I can only see that he went to the Taoist temple, and the poisoning should be between noon and Shenshi." During this time, Youshi felt unwell and met guests after returning home. In Xushi, he suffered from poison and died. Poison doesn’t have to be eaten with mugwort cake.”
Bo Ruoyou raised her eyes to look at him, "Find the Taoist temple Master Song has been to, most of the people in the temple will notice when he looks unwell, this poison is strong, if there is any discomfort, it is extremely difficult to hide, he may have used other It's just that I should have vomited before, and there is not much food left in my stomach, so I can't see anything else for a while."
Huo Weilou nodded and said: "This is very good. He didn't bring any entourage today, and he didn't order chariots and horses to follow. My people started to search outside from the palace gate, and they used a lot of people, but there was no trace. A little is enough."
After Huo Weilou finished speaking, he left the wing room. Everyone outside was dozing off. They all woke up when they heard the movement. Huo Weilou called Lu Ke and ordered: "After Song Yu disappeared today, he went to the Taoist temple and immediately went to question the servants in the mansion. , to see if he has any ancestral tablets enshrined in any Taoist temple."
Lu Ke came out in response, and everyone else stood up, Zhao Xi also asked: "Cousin, can we find out who poisoned you?"
Huo Weilou stared at him, "It hasn't been found yet, but it has been confirmed that he was poisoned before returning home. The poisoning has nothing to do with your uncle for the time being."
Zhao Xi's eyes lit up, "I knew it was impossible for uncle to get involved in these right and wrong!"
However, Huo Weilou said: "But he also doesn't want to say why he came to the Song residence in the afternoon. Song Yu has lost something in this study, and since he has concealed it, he becomes more suspicious. It is not easy to get rid of the crime."
Zhao Xi had a bitter face, "Then what should I do? Maybe let me see my uncle?"
Huo Weilou said coldly: "You might as well ask His Majesty if he will allow you to see Marquis Changning."
Zhao Xi's face collapsed, "How can the father agree." He looked at the few people around him, and couldn't help saying: "You asked me to go in and have a private opinion, and the father will not know anyway."
Huo Weilou shook his head helplessly, as if he felt that he was too old to carve, so he turned around and entered the wing room. Zhao Xi sighed, and Lin Huai coughed lightly and said: "His Royal Highness, please be careful, if this matter is too hasty, I will not be impatient for Marquis Changning." On the contrary, there is no benefit at all.”
In the wing room, Bo Ruoyou sewed up the corpse, and covered the corpse with her underwear. Her gauntlet was stained with blood, Huo Weilou ordered someone to bring water in, and after she cleaned her hands, she took off the gauntlet and went to the room again. Look at Song Yu's shoes, jacket and other things.
After Song Yu left the palace, she changed into casual clothes, and ordered her attendants to return home first. The robes that Bo Ruoyou saw were nothing more than ordinary lake silk, and the shoes were not expensive. Bo Ruoyou looked carefully at the lapel of the robe There are a few creases that are about to fade.
Nowadays, at the intersection of spring and summer, most of the gowns are thin and thin, and the thinner the silk and satin, the easier it is to leave creases. When Song Yu died, he left an indentation on the front of the lapel when he lay prone on the table, but it was as thin as thin The newly discovered traces were not caused by folding.
She lifted up the clothes and looked at the candles in the corner, only to feel that the marks were more like being held by someone. Seeing her staring at the clothes, Huo Weilou couldn't help but stepped forward, "Why?"
Bo Ruoyou said: "Lord Song, I'm afraid that he had an argument with someone today, and there are creases on his lapel..." She said and looked at Huo Weilou, "It's more like being grabbed by someone with a man. collar."
Huo Weilou couldn't understand it better. At this time Ning Xiao came back from the outside and stood at the door of the wing room and said, "Master Hou, I asked the servants, and the servants said that Song Yu didn't have the habit of going to Taoist temples. Only Mrs. Song believed in this at home, but she Believers do not believe in Buddhism.”
This made it even more weird, Huo Weilou ordered: "Then we can only check, all the Taoist temples in the city, check all of them, mainly to see which Taoist temples have wormwood cakes, Song Yu has eaten this thing during the day."
It wasn't a clueless search, which made Ning Xiao look refreshed, he turned and left, Huo Weilou turned his head, and saw Bo Ruoyou holding Song Yu's boots, looking at his dirty soles, he stepped forward Come, "It's getting late, I'll take you home."
Bo Ruoyou didn't answer, she stared carefully at Song Yu's boots, and quickly found a bamboo tweezers from the box, then scraped away the thin mud stains on the soles, and pulled out a needle from the dent The size of the black particles, this thing is very small, if you don't pay attention, it is mixed with the mud stains, it is difficult to distinguish the soles of the shoes. After the boots are left for another two days, the mud stains dry and fall off. Most of the things will disappear after being blown by the wind Fortunately, she found out.
She took the tweezers to look at the candle, with hesitation in her eyes, "Master Hou, are these boots worn by Mr. Song today?"
Huo Weilou nodded, "I asked his attendant earlier, and he said that after leaving the palace, he changed his official uniform and boots before leaving alone. The clothes and boots are all clean things that have been washed."
The boots of this pair of boots are brand new, and the soles are not worn out. They are new works and have not been worn twice. A thin layer of mud stains is not unusual, so this thing is left today.
Bo Ruoyou murmured: "Like a flower seed, but I don't know what kind of flower it is."
She quickly found a veil to wrap it up, "I have to figure out what it is." She looked at the sky outside again, she had been here for more than two hours, and it was almost midnight, she Standing up, I realized that my waist was sore and my back was sore and I was quite tired, "Master Hou is going home?"
Huo Weilou didn't answer, just said: "Send you back first."
Thinking that there are many people in the hall, Bo Ruoyou hesitated, "You don't have to follow me, why don't you send someone to take me back?"
Huo Weilou squinted his eyes, didn't bother to pay attention to her, turned around and went out and ordered: "It's late at night, we're going to leave for a while, there's no need to announce this matter, the direct envoy has a charter tomorrow, I'll let you know naturally."
Zhao Xi couldn't stand it anymore, and when he heard this, his face showed joy, and the others also relaxed their eyebrows. Seeing Bo Ruoyou followed Huo Weilou with lowered eyebrows, Lin Huai couldn't talk to her specifically, and the group of people went out together Let's go, Huo Weilou called the embroiderer to give some instructions while walking, and when he turned his head, he saw Bo Ruoyou standing on the porch waiting for her.
Feeling hot in his heart, he quickly stepped forward, and silently took the wooden box from her hand. The two of them separated as soon as they touched. The old days are very different.
When they arrived at the gate of the mansion, everyone was waiting, Huo Weilou ordered them to go home, and took Bao Ruoyou to the carriage, the few people looked at each other for a moment, and then felt something was wrong, but seeing Huo Weilou's serious expression If you don't reveal your abnormality, you dare not talk too much.
Zhao Xiben had already gotten into the carriage, but at this moment, he lifted the curtain and watched Bo Ruoyou get into Huo Weilou's carriage. He raised his brows and said to himself: "Is it a girl from the Bo family..."
The attendant asked outside: "Your Highness, do you want to go back to the palace?"
Zhao Xi put down the curtain, answered yes, then suddenly lifted the curtain again, and asked the attendants outside, "That girl just now, what do you think of her appearance?"
The two attendants with knives looked at each other for a moment, and one of them said: "You are very beautiful."
The other person also nodded hurriedly.
Zhao Xi narrowed his eyes, and then the carriage started to move.
As soon as Bo Ruoyou sat down, she showed worry, "There are too few clues, if you can't find anything in the Taoist temple, I'm afraid it will be difficult to determine the murderer."
Huo Weilou raised his lips and beckoned to make her sit closer to him. Bo Ruoyou moved closer to him, and he leaned forward, getting closer to her for a while, "It's so late, why don't you go and wait?" Is the house resting?"
Bo Ruoyou still thought that he was going to talk about the case, but she didn't want to say such words, her cheeks flushed slightly and she shrank back, "How can I do that?"
Huo Weilou looked at her, "What are you afraid of?"
Bo Ruoyou couldn't help but leaned back even further, "It's not suitable for etiquette, no, absolutely not—"
She was a little flustered, and Huo Weilou's words, and the two of them were in the carriage, inexplicably reminded her of the words of a lonely man and a widow living in the same room, Huo Weilou looked at her like a frightened bird, and was very ashamed, inexplicably With a chuckle, something moved in his heart, and he leaned forward and couldn't help getting closer to her.
The distance between the two of them was only two fists away. Seeing him getting closer and closer, Bo Ruoyou felt a rush of blood rushing towards her face, as if her cheeks were on fire. She raised her hand and pushed it on Huo Weilou's chest, afraid He hit himself.
Pushed by her, Huo Weilou grabbed her hand, his eyes were filled with a bit of persecution, and his tone became calmer, "What's wrong?"
Bo Ruoyou's hands were clenched, trying to break free but unable to do so, he said angrily, "Master Hou, be more careful."
Huo Weilou squeezed her hand and put it on his heart, "Where am I not stable?" He said, his knuckles moved slightly, and he squeezed her hand even tighter, inexplicably provoking people's hearts, as if he was restraining and suppressing something.
The heat spread from his cheeks to his neck, Bo Ruoyou couldn't laugh or cry, "Master Hou was not like this before—"
"What was I like before? Wouldn't it be weirder if I treated you the same way as before?"
Bo Ruoyou stared at him helplessly, the light in his eyes was dim, sparks seemed to be hidden in his eyes, she was a little scared to see, he was stuck to the car wall, not daring to move.
Huo Weilou stared at her for a while, finally moved away a little bit, but his eyes lingered on her, as if he wanted to see enough for this moment before he was reconciled, at this time the curtains were blown by the night wind, Bo Ruoyou's eyes went wrong, I saw that this was the way to Changxingfang.
She couldn't help but lift the curtain to look, the street scene outside the carriage was familiar, it really was going to Changxingfang!
She turned her eyes and looked at Huo Weilou reproachfully, and Huo Weilou's brows and eyes were filled with joy, "I know you will not go back to the Hou's Mansion."
She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he was teasing her, she shook her head for a while, and saw that although he was holding onto her hand, he was far away, so she whispered: "I am here to accompany you today." Master Hou is doing errands, but Master Hou always... I don't know what Master Hou is thinking all day long... "
Huo Weilou looked at her up and down, wanted to say something but held back, and turned his expression slightly straight, "I'm busy these days, it's hard to see you, I miss you consciously, when I'm on errands, I'm on errands, and when the errands are over, The one in front of you is not Wu Zhaohou, and you are not a master." He leaned over again, half sincerely, half deep, and said: "I am a man, if you don't want to get close to the person you like, you will really follow the rumors in the market—— "
Bo Ruoyou felt that Huo Weilou's body was covered with heat, and his skin was thicker than the city wall, and he would never behave in front of her again. She gritted her teeth and said, "Then I won't work with Lord Hou in the future!"
Huo Weilou smiled suddenly, "Okay, if you really don't have to do your job because of this, it means that you are thinking more about me now."
These words were helpless and shameless, Bo Ruoyou clenched her fists tightly, wishing she could slap him on his handsome face, her words were of course angry words, and the skill of doing things is the foundation of her career, no matter what, she will not let it go.
Huo Weilou just smiled and said nothing, seeing her look enough, he said kindly and tenderly, "Go back and have a rest, if the investigation goes well, you don't need to worry about this case, if there is anything wrong, I have to come to find Bo Wuzuo again." After a pause, she said again: "You are more focused than usual tonight, but is it because of listening to those words?"
Bo Ruoyou's eyes flickered, and Huo Weilou understood it while hesitating. His eyes were slightly dark, and the sparks were gone, showing a bit of solemnity, but he couldn't help it. He held her hand and rubbed his cheeks, then said softly: "Youyou, if you have this heart, you are sympathetic to me."
Bo Ruoyou felt his heart soften when he heard the words. At this moment, the carriage stopped slowly. It was Cheng Zhai who arrived. He didn't bother her anymore, but let her go and let her go back to rest. Bo Ruoyou looked at him, " Hou Ye also go back and rest, don't be too tired."
Huo Weilou's smile deepened, and she naturally complied, Bo Ruoyou took a deep breath, a little bit wanting to escape from this stuffy and cramped place, but also a little bit empty-handed, but she still picked up the suitcase and got out of the carriage neatly.
After entering the house, Bo Ruoyou felt her beating heart calm down. She didn't know whether Huo Weilou would really go back to the Hou's mansion to rest, but she only hoped that the current case would go smoothly so that he would not have to work hard.
At this time, it was not long before dawn, and Bo Ruoyou was very sleepy. After taking a bath, she took a rest. When she woke up the next morning, she remembered the flower seeds she had brought back. Carefully holding the seeds to Cheng Yunzhi.
"Father, take a quick look, what is this?"
Cheng Yunzhi frowned and looked at her palm, "Where did this come from?"
"Last night, with Lord Hou's autopsy, only one seed was found on the sole of the deceased's shoe. I looked like a seed of a flower, but I couldn't remember it. My step-mother planted many flowers and plants in the past, but such a small seed did not Many, you are well-informed, can you recognize it?"
Hearing that it was related to the case, Cheng Yun solemnly held it in the palm of his hand and examined it carefully. Then he picked it up, thought for a moment, turned and went into the study. There were quite a lot of medical books back, so a study room was also set up. Now that he entered the room, he went straight to a few pharmacology books.
Bo Ruoyou thought that Cheng Yunzhi really had some clues, so he waited by the side, and Cheng Yunzhi took out four or five herbal medicine collections at a time, flipping through them one by one, "It looks familiar, and the seeds of many herbs are also small. , but not necessarily flower seeds, but I didn't think clearly for a while, let me look for it."
These collections of medicinal materials are rare in the world, and many of them are orphan copies handed down by the Cheng family. Seeing that he searched meticulously, Bo Ruoyou also took a copy and searched carefully. The father and daughter searched for half a day like this. At a certain moment, Cheng Yunzhi He suddenly waved to her, "Girl, come over and have a look, is this something?"
Bo Ruoyou walked over, only seeing a medicinal herb named "Beauty's Smile".
Cheng Yunzhi said: "This thing is a medicinal material, and it is also a kind of wild flower. The sepals are green, the petals are purple red, the stems are pavilions, the flowers are gorgeous, fragrant, and there are fruits. Both the fruit and the husk can be used as medicine. Intestinal, cough, pain relief and hypnosis are equivalent, and it can also be used as a drug. Its seeds are such a small shape, but this thing does not grow in the capital, and it is quite rare in the mountains. It is very delicate. things."
Bo Ruoyou took the book and read it carefully. The more she looked at it, the more she felt that it was the seed of this thing, but it was also written on the book that this thing likes hot and humid places, and it is not easy to survive. She looked a little suspicious. The climate here is indeed not hot and humid. "If it is not easy to survive in an ordinary place, then... will someone take good care of this thing? My foster father said that this thing is beautiful in color and color, maybe someone has carefully cultivated it. After all, the rich and noble people in Beijing like rare and precious things." .”
Cheng Yunzhi pondered for a while, "This thing seems to be able to live with good red red soil—"
Hearing these words, Bo Ruoyou felt a sense of familiarity inexplicably flashed in her mind, but before she could figure it out, Zhou Liang walked in from the outside, "Master, miss, the young master is here—"
Bo Ruoyou looked up from the book, Bo Yixuan is here
Their father and daughter looked at each other, both a little surprised, when the two came out together, they saw Bo Yixuan waiting outside with some gifts, and when he saw Cheng Yunzhi, he was very polite, he bowed in a proper manner, and then After exchanging greetings with Cheng Yunzhi, I found out that it was Bo Jingli and his wife who asked him to come to visit.
Cheng Yunzhi is naturally quite tolerant and friendly towards the junior, and after talking to him for a while, he wants to keep him for dinner, but Bo Yixuan shirks the excuse and bluntly says that he has to go out of the city to study in Zhuangzi. , but when he left, he said to Bo Ruoyou: "Second sister, are you seeing me off? It just so happens that I also have something to say to you."
Bo Ruoyou didn't know why, but felt that Bo Yixuan didn't have much affection for her, and couldn't say anything good, but he still sent him out. When he arrived at the gate of Cheng's house, Bo Yixuan sighed, turned his eyes to look at Bo Ruoyou, "Are you serious? Do you want to continue working in the Yamen?"
Bo Ruoyou felt more and more ominous, but she nodded calmly, "What's wrong?"
Bo Yixuan smiled, with a mocking look on his face, "You know, many people in the capital already know that you are back, and that you have worked as an assistant to the Jingzhao Yin Yamen. Yesterday, I had a meeting with a few friends. Then they brought up this matter, you know that our Bo clan has a very strong family style, and you, a young lady from a family, actually do the work, it is a humiliation to our Bo family style."
Bo Ruoyou frowned, and felt like laughing for a while, seeing her disapproval, Bo Yixuan couldn't help being even more annoyed, "You can't do anything well, why do you want to do a job? It's so hard work, and it's a cheap job, you Why bother to spoil yourself like this?" He said in a good-for-her tone: "This story is getting more and more widely spread, and it will only have a great impact on you, won't you marry in the future?"
No matter how good-tempered Bo Ruoyou is, she can't tolerate him pointing and preaching to her like this, she smiled, "It's polite to call you cousin, but I don't know what qualifications you have to teach me like this ?”
Bo Yixuan was stunned, as if he didn't expect Bo Ruoyou to contradict him like this when he looked at the gentle and gentle person, he frowned, "I'm doing this for your own good too."
Bo Ruoyou blinked, "That's unnecessary. I'll be my boss, and Mr. Bo is still the same Mr. Bo. If you are upright, why are you afraid of those things? Could it be that a few rumors have ruined your reputation? What's more, I'm only half a member of the Bo family now, no matter if it's you or anyone else, there's really no need to bother."
Bo Yixuan's complexion turned blue and pale, and he was about to get angry when a fast horse came galloping from the corner of the street. It was Bo's servant. Bo Yixuan recognized him at a glance, and he couldn't help but be surprised. After getting off the horse, he said anxiously: "Young master, hurry back to the mansion, something happened at the mansion!"