"Xiao Bo, what's the matter? Is there something weird about this shop?"
Seeing Wu Xiang looking at him suspiciously, Bo Ruoyou asked without answering, "Is this shop still open?"
Wu Xiang nodded with some sighs, "It's open, their shop is imitating the example, after checking it this time, the shopkeeper handed over all the remaining gold ointment, and they are very cooperative in everything, as Hou Ye said earlier. It is important to be lenient, if it is only sold loose and the evidence is clear, there is no need to kill them all, so as not to scare the merchants."
Bo Ruoyou nodded thoughtfully, "Do you still remember the case of riding horses in the downtown area that day?"
Wu Xiang nodded naturally, and Bo Ruoyou continued: "The catcher said that after the young master of the Wei family arrived at the Yamen, his words and deeds were quite abnormal."
Wu Xiang recalled it carefully, and then frowned, "That's right, he didn't look noticeable, but when he was interrogated in prison, his words were quite unseemly." Wu Xiang raised his eyebrows slightly, "Are you suspecting that Wei The son of the family is also using that gold ointment?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded: "They are traveling with the second son of the loyal Bo family."
The gold ointment in Huo Qinghong's hand was given by Feng Ye. In comparison, Feng Ye is more likely to give the gold ointment to Wei Yan.
But Wu Xiang waved his hand, "No, no, the second son of Uncle Zhongyi came to the yamen the night before to plead guilty to Lord Hou. That night, Lord Hou ordered him to call out all the people he had been friends with who had touched the golden ointment." , but there is no young master of the Wei family among them."
Bo Ruoyou frowned, which surprised her.
Feng Ye is the son of Princess Anyang, and Wei Shu married the Xu family's daughter in the early years. The two families are related. After the accident that day, Feng Ye clearly wanted to protect Wei Yan. Their relationship , I'm afraid it's still above Feng Ye and Huo Qinghong, since that's the case, how could Feng Ye not give Wei Yan such a good thing as golden ointment
Bo Ruoyou subconsciously felt that Feng Ye was lying, so she couldn't help asking Wu Xiang, "Second Young Master, can you tell me where you got the gold ointment?"
Wu Xiang thought for a while, "Say... I saw it in the property of the Cao family under the name of Marquis of Changning, and then felt that this thing was very mysterious, so I took it home and used it several times."
"He is not addicted?"
Wu Xiang nodded, "He used it a few times in the past month, and then he stayed with his father out of the city for a few days, and then delayed it, saying that he was very sleepy and tired, and easily angry, but his addiction It doesn't count either."
At this point, Wu Xiang sighed, "From the investigations in the past few days, these people are all like this. After three or two times, they are not addicted, but at that time the body has been poisoned. If you don't use this thing, you will feel sleepy and unhappy. If you come and go like this, use it again and again. The more you use it, the more you rely on it, and sometimes it’s hard to detect when you’re addicted.”
Seeing Bo Ruoyou's face full of contemplation, Wu Xiang reacted for a moment and said, "Did you come to ask about the illness caused by the golden ointment in the city? Did you come because of the case of Mr. Song, the household servant?"
Seeing that he had already guessed, Bo Ruoyou nodded in agreement. Wu Xiang looked around and said in a low voice, "This matter was covered up very well at the beginning, but it was only leaked in the past few days, so Mr. Song was really caught. People poisoned?"
It has been several days since Song Yu was murdered, no matter how strict he was, the murder of a fourth-rank court official could not be concealed after all, Bo Ruoyou responded, glanced at the sky outside, and asked Wu Xiang, "Will Lord Hou come back to the yamen today? "
Wu Xiang slightly shook his head, "I'm afraid it won't happen. The south of the city has temporarily set up tents for the patients. The guards rely on the patrol camp, and the supplies in the camp are allocated by the yamen. The gold ointment sellers found every day The shop and the newly-increased patients will also be sent to the president of the yamen. Two days ago, Lord Hou will come to discuss with the adults how to arrange errands tomorrow, but today the imperial doctors of the imperial hospital will be in the camp for consultation. The Lord will make people send official documents to the Hou Mansion, and will not come here specially."
It was almost dusk, and Bo Ruoyou didn't wait any longer when she heard the words. She had a guess in her heart, and now she wanted to prove it herself, so she said goodbye and left the yamen, and ordered Zhou Liang to drive to Wei's tea shop.
Bo Ruoyou's idea was very simple, the golden ointment was made of Beauty's Smile, and there were no Beauty's Smiles in the city, so Song Yu might have gone to a place where there was Gold Ointment.
That day Wei Yan had red mud on his feet, and later Bo Ruoyou asked Cheng Yun about it, knowing that the red mud was not an ironclad proof, and when the direct envoy found out that Wei Shu hadn't seen any guests in the mansion that day, she once She dispelled her doubts about the Wei family, but when it was related to Wei Yan's arrival in prison that day, and Feng Ye's behavior of gifting gold paste to Huo Qinghong, her doubts inevitably arose again.
What was even more weird was that Feng Ye would not give Wei Yan the gold ointment.
And Song Yu came out of Sanqing Temple that day, even if he hadn't met Wei Shu, would he have met other Wei family members
After all, the turmoil in the government caused by the corruption case of the household department, Bo Jingqian, a member of the household department, Wailang, and his superior have prejudices in the Sanqing view, so Wei Shu, the secretary of the household department, cannot easily disagree with Song Yu, so as not to arouse suspicion.
The carriage was rumbling and moving in the afterglow of the setting sun, and Bo Ruoyou sat in the carriage and carefully calculated, from leaving Sanqing Temple to returning home at dusk, it took a full two hours, but Sanqing Temple was extremely remote, Song Yu didn't If he brought any servants and didn't have a mount, he only relied on footwork to go somewhere, and then he had to go back to his mansion in the east of the city, so the range he could go that day was actually very limited.
Bo Ruoyou calculated carefully, and he only went as far as the imperial city in the north, Pingningfang in the east of the city in the south, and West Market in the west. People, the two can still talk for less than half an hour. The direct envoy has also investigated in this way before, but only followed the clues of the beauty's smile, and finally found nothing. Now, following the traces of the golden ointment, I wonder if it will be possible. Get something.
Wei's tea shop is on Guang'an Street, north of Dongshi. Bo Ruoyou runs through half of the east of the city from Sanqing Temple to the government office in the southeast of the city, so he has a better understanding of the dotted pattern of Fangshi in the east of the city.
This time the gold ointment was spread in the city, because most of the rich and powerful lived in the east of the city, so there were many folk squares and few shops in the north of the east city. The rise of the lake, the entire east of the city, except for the many shops selling gold ointment in the East City, few shops in the northern and southern folk houses were affected by this.
In such a comparison, the Weijia tea shop with an excellent location seems a bit abrupt, and the distance to Sanqing Temple here is not too far, and the distance back to Song Yu's mansion is also considered moderate.
The Wei family tea shop that sells gold ointment, Wei Yan who used the gold ointment to lose his mind and then rode a horse in the downtown area to hurt people, and the people Song Yu met before his death all had businesses selling gold ointment...
Gold paste... Gold paste...
Although a seed brought out the beauty's smile, but the golden ointment is the ultimate answer, so where did Song Yu get poisoned that day? Could the people I saw be other members of the Wei family? At that time, because it was not an irrefutable evidence, there was no need to trace where Wei Yan went that day, and how did he get red mud on his feet, but now that he suspected that he used gold ointment, Bo Ruoyou especially wanted to know where he went that day.
When night fell, Bo Ruoyou stopped outside the Weijia teahouse. Guang'an Street is a famous Fugui Street in the east of the city. Although it is not as lively as Dongshi, it is not as noisy. The restaurants and teahouses along the street are all tall and spacious. As the saying goes, a lot of money is spent here, and ordinary people dare not set foot here. Bo Ruoyou lifted the curtain and looked at the door of the teahouse, and saw that the lights inside were just lit up, and the lights were shining brightly. The heavy curtains are swaying, very private. Although the sound of silk and bamboo surrounds the beams, there are few laughter and noise in ordinary tea shops. Just looking outside, it gives people a sense of elegance and elegance.
Did Song Yu come here that day? Why did Feng Ye use gold ointment to mention Wei Yan? Is there any relationship between the Wei family and the golden ointment? Is the reason for Song Yu's poisonous killing because of corruption in the household department, or because of the golden ointment
There are so many questions, seemingly unrelated, yet full of entanglements, Bo Ruoyou can't figure it out for a while, and she doesn't have the status of a yamen official, so it's even more inappropriate to go up and ask directly. She pondered for a while, and decided to tell her Huo Weilou knocked on the car door, and she ordered Zhou Liang to go to Wu Zhaohou's mansion.
The carriage moved slowly along the long street, and the dim lights were reflected in the carriage, and Bo Ruoyou, who was also attracted by the grotesque look, looked out. When she saw it, she suddenly saw a restaurant opposite the tea shop, with a display on the cornice Among the wine flags, there was the word "Yunzhou Shaojiu" written on one side, and Bo Ruoyou's heart moved, inexplicably feeling that the word "Yunzhou" was somewhat familiar.
Thinking about it carefully, Bo Ruoyou suddenly remembered that Song Yu's family land was in Yunzhou!
Not long after corruption was exposed in Weicang, Qinshui County, Song Yu sent his wife and children back to the Yunzhou tribe. He was so vigilant, as if he had foreseen that he was in danger. It was only the end of February at that time.
But Bo Ruoyou suddenly thought that at the end of February, the golden dog had been in the capital for more than two months, but it hadn't caused too much trouble, and no one had noticed that it was poisonous.
Bo Ruoyou's heart moved slightly, and she suddenly raised her hand and knocked on the wall of the car, "Uncle Liang, stop."
Zhou Liang parked the carriage on the side of the street, Bo Ruoyou got off the carriage, and went straight into the restaurant called Yunjianke. As soon as she entered, a waiter came up to meet her, seeing that she was coming alone with her servants, The boy was a little surprised, "The girl has to wait for someone first?"
Bo Ruoyou shook her head, "No, it's just me."
The layout of this store is elegant and quite interesting. Bo Ruoyou chose a private room by the window to sit down, and the servant hesitated and said, "What do you want to use? Our store is famous for Yunzhou wine, and you don't want a bar?"
"I want your Yunzhou shochu." Without hesitation, Bo Ruoyou ordered a few more side dishes, and seated Zhou Liang.
Almost all of her wine and dishes were ordered for Zhou Liang. Zhou Liang scratched his head, obeyed the order and sat down, and when the servants served the dishes, Bo Ruoyou asked, "I see that all the wines sold in your store are made of clouds." There are quite a lot of Yunzhou dishes in the state, but the owner is from Yunzhou?"
The little boy smiled and said, "Let the girl guess that our boss is from Yunzhou. Not only that, but many of our shop assistants are also from Yunzhou, such as villains. The entire capital city is just the people in our shop." Yunzhou’s food and drink are the most authentic, and many old Yunzhou people who have moved to the capital are regular customers of our restaurant, girl, are you also from Yunzhou?”
Yunzhou is to the north of the capital, and the shochu is the most spicy, and the dishes are also salty and fragrant, which can be regarded as very distinctive. There are many tourists from all over the city in the capital, and there are countless restaurants of various dishes. This Yunzhou wine and food is also considered unique.
Bo Ruoyou smiled and didn't answer this question, she suddenly felt that it was very right to come this time, she almost had a premonition that Song Yu must have been to this store, "All the customers who come to your store are distinguished customers, and most of them are from Yunzhou People, do you know Mr. Song, the servant of the household department? He is from Yunzhou."
The boy's eyes lighted up slightly, "Miss, do you recognize Mr. Song?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded with a smile, and the boy started talking, "Master Song is indeed a regular customer in our store. Because he comes here a lot and is familiar with our shopkeeper, every time he gets a good wine, he always goes to Mr. Song's house. I just sent some, but I haven't seen Mr. Song coming for several days. I think it's because the court is busy. Now, the adults in the court are not too many from Yunzhou. Mr. Song is in the fourth rank at a young age. Hou Baixiang is also just around the corner."
Bo Ruoyou couldn't help but sigh inwardly for this young servant looked so honorable. Song Yu's future is indeed bright. If he hadn't been poisoned this time, he would definitely have a place in the six halls in the future.
She looked slightly positive, "Master Song hasn't been here for a few days? I don't know when was the last time?"
The little servant hesitated for a while, turned around and walked to the door and called another person, first said that Bo Ruoyou and Song Yu knew each other, and then asked what Bo Ruoyou had asked, the other person thought back for a moment, "It was seven days ago, and that day Mr. Song was unwell, and later made a joke."
The boy said it easily, but Bo Ruoyou sat up straight, "Do you feel unwell?"
The little servant nodded firmly, "Remember clearly, that day, the villain was also on duty. When Mr. Song entered the door, he looked a little unwell, and Mr. Song made a joke when he left, which made the villain very impressed. .”
"What joke?"
The servant smiled embarrassedly and said: "It's not a joke, it's just that Mr. Song forgot to bring money that day. After ordering the food and wine, although he didn't use it much, when he left to check out, he found that he didn't bring the money bag. As an official, I was a little embarrassed, so I took off the jade pendant and gave it to our shopkeeper, saying that it will be held temporarily and redeemed when I come back within ten days. Well put it away, the jade pendant is very beautiful, it looks like Mr. Song's favorite thing, our shopkeeper is still thinking, saying Mr. Song will not really wait until ten days to get the jade pendant."
Bo Ruoyouwan didn't expect that there would be such a section, she hesitated to speak, she didn't say that Song Yu couldn't come anymore.
Little is known about his being poisoned, she had no reason to tell these things, she hurriedly asked: "Did he come after noon that day? How long did he stay here? Have you seen any friends?"
Seeing Bo Ruoyou's nervous expression and asking detailed questions, the two looked at each other and became a little suspicious. Bo Ruoyou quickly revealed the position of Song Yu's mansion, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Mr. Song's wife and I are the same. It's a bosom friend."
With this in mind, the two young servants also said that Bo Ruoyou was asking Mrs. Song, and when they realized it, the man said, "I didn't come after noon. Our store only opens at noon. When Mr. Song comes, We have been open for a while, but there are no customers in the store, it should be around Shenshi. He came from the teahouse opposite. Chopsticks, we all felt strange that day, only that he was unwell."
"He was alone, without even his entourage, but he sat here for a long time, and the sun was almost setting before he got up and left."
He came from the teahouse opposite, and his face was not good-looking, and he left only after the sun went down.
Bo Ruoyou's heart skipped a beat, "Why is your face so ugly?"
"It's a little bluish white, and the waist is also a little bent. It seems to be stomach discomfort, so I haven't touched alcohol."
After the servant finished answering, Bo Ruoyou couldn't help but turned around and looked at the opposite teahouse. Her heart was in a turmoil, and she wished to go to Huo Weilou right away, but she suppressed her temper, "Are there any other abnormalities besides these?"
The two servants looked at each other for a while, and one of them said: "Lord Song seems to have something to worry about. He poured himself a glass of wine, and sat alone in the private room, feeling a little dazed. The glass of wine was full when he left. Yes, the little people still think it's weird, but Mr. Song is a high official in the court, so it's normal to have some worries."
"Then he looks like he's sitting alone, as if he's waiting for someone?"
"No, Master Song said he was the only one when he came, and he only wanted a set of cups."
Bo Ruoyou thought for a moment, didn't ask any other questions, and only asked Zhou Liang to eat, but Zhou Liang had been in the south for many years, and he couldn't stand the spicy wine, so he only ate the food and brought the wine back go home.
While waiting, Bo Ruoyou asked Song Yu where he was sitting that day, and the young man pointed to the second floor, "I'm sitting on the second floor in the same position as you, and it's also by the street window."
Bo Ruoyou frowned, that day Song Yu sat in the hall for nearly an hour, but he was not feeling well, why didn't he go to see a doctor? And he clearly invited guests to the house, but why did he stay alone in this shop for so long
Thinking of Song Yu sitting by the window that day, thinking about something in front of the full wine cup, Bo Ruoyou couldn't help but feel a little heavy and desolate, and he came from the teahouse opposite, and when he entered this place, he looked uncomfortable , then it must be the poison in the teahouse opposite, and based on the testimony of these two people, can the people in the teahouse opposite be interrogated
Bo Ruoyou quickly took Zhou Liang away and got into the carriage. Bo Ruoyou ordered Zhou Liang to go straight to Wu Zhaohou's mansion.
The carriage was speeding all the way, and the small altar of Yunzhou shochu was placed beside Bo Ruoyou, and the faint smell of alcohol surrounded the carriage. Even if Bo Ruoyou didn't drink alcohol, she still felt that the wine was strong and mellow, but Song Yu didn't Take a sip.
Was he intimidated or made things difficult in the opposite teahouse? Then he got depressed and went to the restaurant he often went to, but he was already poisoned and unwell, so he didn't touch this Yunzhou shochu just now
Bo Ruoyou was a little confused, but at least she found the place where Song Yu went that day by accident. As for what happened to Song Yu in that teahouse, who he met, and who poisoned him to death , it was out of her reach.
The night was dark, and when the carriage arrived in front of the Hou's mansion, it was brightly lit inside the Hou's mansion. Bo Ruoyou was worried that Huo Weilou had not returned to the mansion, but when she asked the concierge, she found out that Huo Weilou had returned. As soon as he loosened, he hurried into the gate of the mansion.
When he arrived at the gate of the main courtyard, Huo Weilou, who had received the letter, had already come out to welcome him. Seeing Bo Ruoyou coming so late, his eyes were filled with worry, "Why are you coming so late?" He walked forward while speaking, As soon as he walked in front of Bo Ruoyou, his breath moved slightly, "Have you been drinking?"
Bo Ruoyou was startled, and quickly shook her head, "No, no, Lord Hou, I found out where Mr. Song went after he left Sanqing Temple that day."
Huo Weilou was surprised by what he heard, and asked her to enter the door before talking. After entering the hall door, Bo Ruoyou couldn't wait to tell her what she was thinking. He heard that she went to the Sanqing Temple alone today, and went to the east of the city to find a gold seller. In the plaster shop, his brows were slightly frowned.
When she was seated, Huo Weilou poured her a cup of hot tea, Bo Ruoyou held it in his palm, and said: "There are many shops in the east of the city, so I thought I might as well go to the yamen to have a look. For the situation of selling gold ointment in the city, it is always more convenient than me to look at the name of the yamen president, but fortunately, Wu Butou is here, so he showed it to me."
"I walked around the east of the city. I know where those shops are, so I quickly saw Wei's tea shop on Guang'an Street. After asking, I found out that they belong to Wei Shangshu's relatives."
"There is one more thing that the Marquis doesn't know. That day Wei Yan rode his horse in the street, and when he arrived at the yamen's cell, he felt strange. When Catcher Wu mentioned it that day, we thought he had some hidden disease or had been drinking, but looking back now, I think Wei Yan probably used the gold ointment that day, and his stamina was still there, so when he rode his horse in the busy market, he couldn't react in time when he bumped into someone, and trampled him to death."
Huo Weilou sharply frowned, "Feng Ye was also traveling that day, but I asked Feng Ye later, but he didn't mention Wei Yan's use of gold ointment."
"This is what puzzled me the most when I went to the yamen today. The more I thought about it, the more I was wrong, so I thought it would be better to go to Guang'an Street to have a look. When I got there, I didn't go into the teahouse. At that time, I found a Yunzhou restaurant opposite this tea shop—"
"Yunzhou?" Huo Weilou stared.
Bo Ruoyou nodded, "Yes, it is Yunzhou. I thought of what Lord Hou said, Mr. Song is from Yunzhou, so I wanted to try my luck to go in and have a look, but only after I went in did I find out that the Yunzhou wine and vegetables in the restaurant were from Yunzhou. It's a must in Beijing. I pretended to be close friends with Master Song's wife. After asking, I found out that Master Song really went to that restaurant that day! Not only that, before going to the restaurant, Master Song came out of Wei's teahouse. When he arrived at the restaurant, he was already unwell, and the food he ordered hadn’t moved at all, I guess he was already poisoned at that time, so now there are enough reasons to go to Wei’s teahouse to inquire about it.”
Bo Ruoyou finished speaking in one breath, still panting slightly, but her eyes were as bright as jade, Huo Weilou looked at it with pity and admiration.
Bo Ruoyou paused for a moment, and then said: "Master Hou, please send someone to the teahouse immediately to ask someone. If you are lucky, you may be able to ask who Mr. Song met with that day, and how he was poisoned and murdered."
Huo Weilou got up and went out to order, and soon there were servants from the Marquis Mansion to order the mobilization of manpower. When he came back again, he saw Bo Ruoyou sipping hot tea, Huo Weilou walked up to her, his eyes were deep for a moment Looking at her anxiously, thinking of her traveling so many ways alone today, I feel even more pity in my heart.
Soon after the attendants returned, they were all ready, Bo Ruoyou hurriedly put down the teacup, "Master Hou, may you let me go with you?"
Huo Weilou sighed, "Of course we will go together."