Bao Ruoyou looked at the cook, "How often do you pour your hogwash? How do you pour it?"
The cook listened to Bo Ruoyou's detailed question, and she felt uneasy on her face, "Usually, there will be a collector of sewage every morning, and we will pour it out through the back door, but there are not many of us, and sometimes we forget it in the morning."
"Then how many times has it been poured over the past two days?" Bo Ruoyou asked as she went to look at the bucket of soaked water. At the moment, the bucket was filled with half and half buckets of kitchen waste. Somewhat pungent.
"It has been reversed three or five times in the past few days, and it was only reversed once yesterday morning."
The cook answered cautiously, and Bo Ruoyou couldn't help frowning. These wild cats came in mostly to find food, but the bucket of slops here has been turned upside down several times, so why do the cats still die
She ordered the attendant to come over with a torch, and looked at the dead body of the cat, not too rotten. The dead body of the cat had been frozen for a long time, but there was no obvious corruption. It seemed that it died within today. They were all dirty, there was no obvious blood on the mouth and nose, and there were no obvious injuries on the body. It was difficult to judge how he died at the moment.
But at this moment, Bo Ruoyou caught sight of a pile of broken porcelain pieces piled up next to the hog bucket illuminated by the torch. This pile of broken porcelain pieces could vaguely be seen to be broken cups, bowls and plates, because they had been piled up for a long time. , not only mildew and moss, but also many sewage buckets of food and sewage condensed on it, which is quite disgusting when you look closely.
But Bo Ruoyou's eyes were focused on it, because she found that the top of the pile of broken porcelain pieces was a little far away from the soaking bucket, and there were actually a few pieces of white porcelain, which were similar to the cup she used to drink tea in the lobby just now. They were exactly the same, and she was almost sure they were the same style.
And although the broken porcelain under the pile of porcelain pieces is full of stains, the top pieces of white porcelain are very brand new. Except for some dust, there are almost no mold spots and slops, thanks to the past few days The weather was excellent, and apart from the porcelain pieces of the teacup, there was also a broken porcelain bowl that seemed to have been thrown here just a few days ago.
Bo Ruoyou asked the cook, "Aren't these pieces of porcelain cleaned up?"
The cook hurriedly said: "Although these things are broken, I still don't want to throw them away. This pile has been piled up for more than half a year."
Porcelain is a rare and precious thing for poor and lowly families, and all the teahouses here are of top-grade quality, so it is common sense not to be reluctant to throw it away. Bo Ruoyou picked up a piece of white porcelain from the ground and asked the boy who had been following him : "Look, is this style of cup designed for you to pair with Biluochun?"
The boy stepped forward to take a closer look, then nodded, "Young lady has good eyesight, which is just for brewing Biluochun."
"Then think about it carefully, when Mr. Song came, did you use the same cup? Was that cup ever broken that day?"
Bo Ruoyou's voice was gentle, not as forceful as the attendants, and the servant said without hesitation: "It is true that the same cups are used, and there is a fixed number of cups and cups for what kind of tea in our tea shop, and we will not change it casually." Yes, Mr. Song ordered tea that day, drank it alone for a while, and then went to the backyard with his host. After he left, we went to the private room to collect his tea set. The villain also brought it to the kitchen, but how did he break it? But the villain didn’t know that when the villain delivered it, the teapot and cup were still in good condition.” After speaking, he turned and asked the cook, “Aunt Zhang, do you know when this cup was broken?”
The cook came up to look carefully for a moment, and then her eyes lit up slightly, "Ah Gui broke it, it seems that it was broken seven days ago, and she was deducted half a month's wages for it." Turning around and walking towards the front yard, not long after, she brought a little girl over.
The girl was fifteen or sixteen years old, her face was yellow and thin, especially her hands were quite wrinkled, which looked like they were caused by soaking in water for a long time, and the cook said: "That's her, she broke it, she is We wash dishes here, so she also washes ordinary teacups, this teacup is precious, she broke one that day, and was scolded and cried for a long time."
Agui was quite nervous, and looked at Bo Ruoyou cautiously, as if afraid of being reprimanded again, Bo Ruoyou's voice slowed down a bit, making her approach before asking: "Look at this cup, but you broke it Yes? If so, do you remember what happened that day??"
Agui looked a little more relaxed, "I broke it, it was seven days ago, after noon, I was dozing off, and my reaction was a bit slow. As soon as it was delivered to my hand, an unstable cup slipped to the ground. The white porcelain was thinned and shattered immediately."
The afternoon of the 7th day ago was the time when Song Yu came to the teahouse.
The answer seemed to be getting closer and closer to what she suspected, and she asked again: "Apart from this teacup, is there a teapot?"
Ah Gui said: "Yes, there is still half a pot of tea soup in the teapot. At that time, I was scolded and felt very uncomfortable. I was too lazy to go far, so I poured the tea soup into the flower garden next to the well behind, and washed the teapot again. clean."
Bo Ruoyou frowned, and asked her to lead the way to the well. Agui led her around for a while, and Bo Ruoyou suddenly saw a well with a low platform. The ground beside the well was paved with bluestone slabs. The barrel is lying aside.
Ah Gui said: "On weekdays, the cups, bowls and dishes are washed by the well, and when I poured tea soup that day, that's where I poured it—"
She pointed to a small garden under the wall of the backyard not far away. It was a patch of gardenias. Now the branches and leaves are green, the buds are swaying, and there is a sweet fragrance of flowers. She walked up to her and took a closer look. Seeing the dry tea leaves in one place, she pointed to that place, "Did you splash the tea leaves here earlier?"
Ah Gui nodded hurriedly, "That's right there. Normally, I obey the rules and dare not mess with the tea and kitchen waste by the well. It's just that I was really regretful and uncomfortable that day, so I spilled it nearby."
This well is used by the entire tea shop, and it is indeed quite an idea on weekdays, but Bo Ruoyou is very glad that Ah Gui poured the tea soup here. She never expected that after these seven days, she could still find the well. The leftover tea that Song Yu drank that day.
She asked her attendants to help find the utensils, packed the dried-up tea leaves with a piece of soil below them, and took a closer look at the tea leaves. Although the tea had long lost its fragrance and its color had changed drastically, she could still tell it was Biluochun. When she returned, she asked the servant again, "When Master Song came, did anyone else in your tea shop order Biluochun?"
The servant hurriedly shook his head, "It was not long after noon, and not many people came to drink tea and have fun. Except for Mr. Song, there seemed to be only one or two tables of tea guests, and no one ordered the best Biluochun."
Bo Ruoyou was certain in his heart, so he could be sure that the leftover tea that was thrown in the flower garden and the broken white porcelain on the ground were exactly what Song Yu had used that day!
Arriving at the bucket of boiling water, Bo Ruoyou carefully picked out the pieces of porcelain from teacups and bowls, and then looked around the yard with some difficulty.
After a while, Bo Ruoyou asked the cook, "Are there any mice in your kitchen?"
The boy had just said that there were rats and cotton worms in the warehouse, and the cook immediately nodded when she heard that, "Yes, we are trying to catch mice every day!"
The corners of Bo Ruoyou's lips curved slightly, "Then please help me, catch a few mice, they will be alive." She looked at the servants of the Hou Mansion and asked them to help.
Although everyone was puzzled, her status was extraordinary at first glance. The servants of the Hou's mansion did not dare to disobey, and the cooks naturally agreed to come down. Several servants followed the cooks to the front yard to catch mice. Bo Ruoyou Then ask Agui to help bring some big bowls and fetch water.
She used two bowls to put the tiles in separately, and another bowl filled with dry tea soil from the flower garden, and poured water in each. These tiles were also covered with a lot of dust and dirt, and the water quickly turned into a bowl. Bo Ruoyou didn't mind that it was muddy, and then cleaned her hands carefully, and while she was busy, a group of people came over from the gate of the kitchen yard, and when Bo Ruoyou raised her eyes, she saw that Huo Weilou had brought someone.
Huo Weilou waited for her to disappear in the lobby for a long time, and then asked people to visit at the back, and when he learned that a cat corpse was found in the courtyard, he came over immediately.
"What is this doing?"
Huo Weilou walked up to Bo Ruoyou, saw two large bowls in front of her filled with muddy water, subconsciously wanted to reach out, but Bo Ruoyou hurriedly stopped him, "Master, don't move, it might be poisonous."
Huo Weilou frowned suddenly, and Bo Ruoyou pointed to the far corner, "I found the dead cat there, not far from the hog bucket in the kitchen, their hog bucket has been turned upside down several times, but I found the carcass next to the hog bucket. White porcelain shards were found on the pile, and upon questioning, they turned out to be the cups and cups Mr. Song used on the day Mr. Song came. The teapot used by Mr. Song had been cleaned, but the remaining tea soup was thrown away by the person in charge of washing the dishes. In the flower garden, I dug up the soil together."
Huo Weilou looked at her, and listened to her very seriously, she continued: "In addition to the porcelain pieces of the cup and the soil soaked in tea, there is also a big bowl here that is also broken, looking dirty, it seems It was also thrown over in the past two days, so I also picked up the tiles and poured water on them. No matter which one is poisonous, I can try it out. Ordinary cats steal food and like to sniff and lick. If they have licked poisonous tiles, It is not uncommon to die from poisoning."
As she spoke, she pointed to the buckets of water and the backyard wall, "It may also be that these buckets of water are poisonous, or that the poison came in after eating some poison from outside, but it is unlikely, try my first. guess."
Huo Weilou frowned, "How do I try?"
After asking this question, he found that there were a lot fewer attendants, Bo Ruoyou blinked, "Try it with a mouse."
Huo Weilou raised his eyebrows, at this moment, several attendants came out carrying a bamboo cage, "Master Hou, Miss, I caught five, is that enough?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded, and took a look into the bamboo cage, and she saw a few big rats about three to five inches long. Although she was not afraid of corpses, she still felt a little creepy looking at these filthy creatures. Huo Weilou saw that, He stepped forward and stood beside her and asked, "Feed the mice water?"
Bo Ruoyou felt that it was difficult to feed water, so she turned to the cook and said, "Is there porridge and rice here?"
The cook should have, turned around and found half a bowl, Bo Ruoyou mixed rice with water, and found more cages to separate the mice, and then put the mixed and divided meals into them, the mice immediately ate after smelling the smell.
Huo Weilou stood in front of the cage, Bo Ruoyou couldn't help getting closer to him, and said softly: "Although it hasn't rained these days, I don't know if there are poisonous substances left on it. If you can't find out, then this method is useless." help."
She looked up at Huo Weilou again, "What did Hou Ye say when he saw Wei Sanye?"
Huo Weilou's eyebrows were serious, "He said that Song Yu did come to the tea house that day, and they went to the backyard, and it was just that he wanted to send Song Yu some good tea and asked him to choose, but Song Yu didn't like it later. Yes, Song Yu left."
It's that simple? Bo Ruoyou frowned, and then turned her eyes to the bamboo cage containing the mouse, "There was no other witness back then, and now there is no way to prove whether what he said is true or not."
Huo Weilou frowned, "That's true, but I have ordered someone to take him back to the prison."
Bo Ruoyou was a little surprised, and when she turned her eyes, she saw Huo Weilou's brows and eyes showing a bit of sternness. She knew that Huo Weilou looked calm when he came, but she had already thought about it, but the third master Wei was Wei Shu Clan brother, this time Wei Shu is probably reluctant, and if the golden ointment appeared here, and it was related to Song Yu's death, what role did Wei Shu play in it
She thought wildly in her mind for a moment, but she didn't ask, she was sure that Huo Weilou had a plan in mind.
"If it can be found that there is poison in this cup, it will be considered an ironclad proof."
Bo Ruoyou spoke with some hope, and stared at the bamboo cage again, but the mixed meal was almost eaten by the mouse, and she didn't see anything unusual about the mouse, she frowned, "Mice are small, and they are more likely to die than wild cats." That's right, could I have guessed wrong, especially the soil in these gardens, if it hasn't rained, the poison should be all on the soil."
She muttered to herself, because Huo Weilou came, the others had already pushed her away, so she didn't dare to intervene easily at this time, waiting is always exhausting, and now the night is getting dark, the bustling lights around seem to be dimmed for two In the next minute, she looked at Huo Weilou worriedly, "Master Hou, I'm afraid I guessed wrong."
Seeing that she was a little annoyed, Huo Weilou's eyes flickered, "It doesn't matter if you can't find the poison, after all, after so many days, I just checked the other servants in the teahouse carefully, and confirmed that Song Yu was in the middle of noon. Calculated in this way, he walked here from Sanqingguan, which happened to be right there, and what you got from the restaurant opposite is enough to prove that this is where he was poisoned."
Based on this alone, it is enough to arrest people. As for whether some evidence can be interrogated, it is the method of the direct envoy.
Bo Ruoyou still sighed in her heart, and looked into the bamboo cage again, only to see that the mice inside were still scurrying around in the cage, she was completely disappointed, Huo Weilou glanced at the sky, "It's too late, I'll send you off first." You go home, you don't have to worry about other things."
Wei Quan was arrested, that's all she could do, she nodded dejectedly, thinking in her heart, if the tea that Song Yu drank outside was not poisonous, then it must be after Song Yu and Wei Quan entered the backyard The poison, but no one else was present at the time, and it was impossible to know whether Song Yu ate or drank anything after entering the backyard.
Bo Ruoyou followed Huo Weilou out of the courtyard, seeing her drooping eyes, Huo Weilou couldn't help holding her hand, Bo Ruoyou felt it was inappropriate, but Huo Weilou just held her hand Then let go, he said: "Even if there is no hard evidence, there are many ways to interrogate Wei Quan. At most three or two days, we can find out everything."
Bo Ruoyou couldn't help looking at him, "What if the third master Wei is a person with a particularly strong will?"
Huo Weilou looked at her puzzled look, and felt that she didn't know enough about Zhi Shi, but he didn't want to tell her this, he just said: "People have weaknesses, no matter how strong-willed a person is, If there is weakness, just prescribe the right medicine.”
Bo Ruoyou looked at Huo Weilou thoughtfully, in her eyes, Huo Weilou was a person with no weaknesses, but also a person with a strong will and an unshakable will, she kept this thought in her heart and did not say it out loud, but in her heart When the two were about to enter the lobby, someone suddenly chased them up from the path behind them.
"Master Hou, girl, a mouse has poisoned the hair and fell to the ground!"
The two stopped at the same time, turned around and saw that the servants of the Hou's mansion who were left to deal with the aftermath were chasing them out, Bo Ruoyou hurriedly asked, "Is there any rat poison?"
The attendant nodded yes, Bo Ruoyou's eyes suddenly brightened, she turned to look at Huo Weilou, "Hou Ye—"
Huo Weilou raised his lips, "You guessed right, go back and have a look."
Bo Ruoyou responded and almost trotted all the way back the same way, she was so happy, it's just a turnaround!
After returning to the kitchen yard, I saw a few cooks leaning over the cage to watch. It seemed that they didn't expect that after Bo Ruoyou's weird behavior, she would actually be poisoned by her. There was a mark on the cage, she thought, this time it must be two rats that got poisoned together, and the big bowl must be non-poisonous.
She first saw the cage where the bowl was tested, and sure enough, she saw the rats still squirming inside. She was certain in her heart, and then looked back. This time, the light in her eyes dimmed, and her brows frowned. up.
In the other two cages, only one mouse was lying on the ground without moving, and the other mouse was also scurrying around. Not only that, but when Bo Ruoyou saw the mark on it, he fell into hesitation.
Huo Weilou, with broad shoulders and long legs, strode like a meteor, not lagging behind her, so he watched her complexion change, and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong?"
Bo Ruoyou looked carefully for a few more moments, straightened up and said, "It's a little different from what I guessed, it should be non-toxic on the big bowl, but if it is poisonous, the other two mice should be poisoned. Or, one is severely poisoned and the other is slightly poisoned, but now, it is the opposite of what I think."
Huo Weilou stared, he understood Bo Ruoyou's meaning, "You guessed that the mouse that was splashed with tea soup was poisoned the fastest, but now the one that got poisoned is the one that tested the tea cup?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded, "Half of the pot of tea soup is in the soil, logically speaking, it retains the most toxicity, and there is only a thin layer of tea soup on the teacup, and after it is broken, it is thrown in the corner, even if it is poisonous. , there should be only some residues."
After she finished speaking, she went to look at the mouse cage, but saw that the one lying on the ground seemed to have died, while the other two were also alive and kicking.
Bo Ruoyou's eyes dimmed, "The person who poisons is the poison in the cup."
This is the only explanation, but Bo Ruoyou looked at Huo Weilou, "But the arsenic is in the form of white powder, and although the tea cup is made of white porcelain, it's too obvious to put the poison in the cup, Song Yu can't help it." I found out, could it be that the boy did it when he was pouring tea?"
Huo Weilou narrowed his eyes, "Song Yu said that he wanted to see Wei Quan when he was still drinking tea, Wei Quan came out to meet him first, and then the two of them left together to go to the backyard. The situation at that time is unknown, but the people who got along with Song Yu Besides the servant, there is also Wei Quan!"
The ordinary boy and Song Yu have no grievances, and it is impossible to kill people casually. The only suspicion is still on Wei Quan. After thinking about it, Bo Ruoyou thinks it makes sense, "Indeed, if you put poison in the teapot, The servants are still afraid of mistakes when picking them up, but if they are only in the teacup, the teacup will be cleaned, even to the people in the store, it can be regarded as silent."
She just felt that this made sense, she was certain in her heart, so she tentatively made this inference, after all, she found the poison. Bo Ruoyou no longer had the heaviness of a moment ago, and there was a relaxed and happy expression in her eyebrows and eyes. After waiting for a while, in the end, it was confirmed that only the teacup was poisonous. It was almost midnight, and Huo Weilou took her to the front yard.
Because of the discovery of the poison, although Wei Quan was the most suspected, the others couldn't pick it up cleanly. The shopkeeper who was waiting outside first saw Huo Weilou arresting Wei Quan without saying a word, and then heard that a highly poisonous thing was found in the backyard , Immediately cry for injustice.
"Hou Ye Mingjian, how could we poison the imperial court officials? No matter whether it is the boss or us servants, we dare not. This is the place we depend on for our livelihood. Even if we want to harm someone, we can't do it here. Harm here."
The shopkeeper knelt down and begged, Huo Weilou ordered others to continue searching and arresting people, and he wanted to send Bo Ruoyou home first. He ignored the shopkeeper, and when the two went out, he saw the shopkeeper chasing him out again. As soon as he reached the door, he was stopped, so he said bitterly: "Hou Ye Mingjian, we really did not poison, the poison must have been brought by someone else to frame us!"
In the carriage, Bo Ruoyou was moved when she heard the shopkeeper's roar in a crying voice. She frowned and thought about it for a moment. Huo Weilou looked at her expression and said, "Don't think about what he said, the poison has been tested, and any sophistry In vain."
The carriage started to move, but the shopkeeper's roar was still heard, Bo Ruoyou asked, "Are they all going to jail?"
Huo Weilou nodded, "When entering Beijing Zhaoyin's Yamen, everyone must testify and be charged before being arraigned. It is not ruled out that some people do not report their knowledge, or are accomplices. They should be interrogated carefully."
The person who died was a fourth-rank official of the imperial court, and his involvement was extensive. Of course, no one would let Huo Weilou go casually, but for some reason, the shopkeeper's cry lingered in Bo Ruoyou's mind, "Master Hou, I am now I was also thinking, why did they poison Mr. Song in the tea shop? Mr. Song is a nobleman, and he is acquainted with the Wei family, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, how dare they kill him like this in their own place... "
"Don't follow his words." Huo Weilou held her hand and stopped her from thinking about it, "How about the details of the truth, the Secretary will continue to investigate, you don't have to think that they won't act like this, the rich and powerful Stupidity and arrogance are sometimes beyond your imagination, and no one knows why Song Yu came here that day, what the two of them said, or what Song Yu did, which caused Wei Quan to do something. , Wouldn’t it be more convenient to be in his own place? And the poison didn’t break out on the spot, so he only needs to quibble to the end, and there’s nothing he can do about it.”
Huo Weilou's words convinced Bo Ruoyou, and she couldn't help but settle down. No matter what happened that day, Song Yu's murder case made great progress today. She was quite happy from the bottom of her heart. , but there is always a trace of uneasiness, as if she really missed something somewhere.