Liu Xu came very quickly. Seeing everyone standing at the door of Liu Yao's boudoir, there was no surprise on her face, and she asked calmly, "What's the matter? But the case of Seventh Sister has progressed?"
Wu Xiang stared and said: "The second son came to Miss Liu's boudoir yesterday? Did he take anything away?"
"It's true." Liu Xu glanced at the steward, "I took away a box of chess pieces from Seventh Sister's study."
He sighed, "Because the third brother said that the belongings of the seventh sister would be put away and buried with the funeral, I couldn't bear it, and wanted to keep the belongings of the seventh sister as a souvenir, so I asked for the key and came here. It seems that I still took the chess piece."
Wu Xiang raised his eyebrows and walked towards the Nuan Pavilion. After entering the door, he saw that the chess pieces that had been placed under the west window were gone, so he turned and walked out, "Second Young Master only took the chess pieces?"
Liu Xu nodded calmly, "Yes, I played chess with Seventh Sister earlier, and the chess pieces can also express my condolences."
Wu Xiang's thick eyebrows twisted into Sichuan characters, "Did the Second Young Master open the cage to see? There are also many Seventh Girl's relics in there."
"Looked at it, took a look, but they are all favorite things of my daughter's family. I think I should bury them with Seventh Sister."
"Has the Second Young Master ever seen a story book?" Wu Xiang asked again.
Liu Xu was puzzled, "No, what happened to the script?"
Wu Xiang and Bo Ruoyou looked at each other, both felt strange, Bo Ruoyou went to the door to look at the door lock, and saw that the door lock was very ordinary, if someone who is good at picking the door can easily open it, And if the murderer wants to get back the storybook, it is indeed impossible to go to the steward to find the key in a big way.
Bo Ruoyou couldn't help thinking, Wu Xiang looked Liu Xu up and down for a moment, seeing that his face was calm and undisguised, he couldn't help but feel depressed, the evidence that Bo Ruoyou finally found was lost, he gritted his teeth, "Look I'm here to search Liu's residence."
Liu Yan and Liu Xu looked at each other, Wu Xiang had ordered the servants to search all parts of the Liu residence, but the mansion of the Liu residence was vast, and the murderer had stolen the scriptures for a long time, how could they put it in a conspicuous place for the servants to find out
Bo Ruoyou thought this way, but didn't say anything, and followed Wu Xiang to the flower hall. Soon, the government officials searched the courtyards one by one. They all arrived in the hall, but Wu Xiang's expression remained unchanged, he was resolute and majestic, even though he was only a captor, it made them complain and dare not speak out.
Bo Ruoyou stood not far behind Wu Xiang, her eyes swept over everyone in the hall, no matter it was the second master or the third master, they all showed displeasure at the moment, but the fourth master was calm and relaxed, while the fourth son Liu Heng still looked unhappy today. Jia, it seems that the poison of the golden ointment made him suffer a lot.
She was observing carefully, when there was a sudden noise from the yard outside the flower hall, and a servant came quickly.
The second master took a look at the servant and walked towards the door. The man whispered something, the second master frowned and said: "I have to bring this small matter to the manor. If you really look down on my Liu manor or something, just go It’s enough to pay the money from the cashier, and when the elder brother comes back, I will naturally tell the elder brother—”
The servant left in response, the second master came back to sit with a sullen face, Bo Ruoyou frowned slightly, and walked a few steps outside, the courtyard outside the flower hall gathered servants of all sizes, Bo Ruoyou listened to them attentively whisper.
"It's time to collect the bill again..."
"Something happened in the house, and the outside world has already spread the word. Now it's all right, and the people in these flower houses dare to come to the house to ask for debts."
"At this juncture, the master and the young master are still not resting, and I don't know if there will be trouble."
Bo Ruoyou could barely hear a few words, but after careful identification, she guessed that it was the flower and wine bill left by the second master outside. She lowered her eyebrows and did not reveal anything, and soon went to search the courtyard. get.
The second master Liu Xian said: "What's the matter, the arresting head still suspects us? This case has been handed over to the Jingzhaoyi Yamen for a few days, and there has been no progress. Instead, the murderous name has fallen on our own family. "
Wu Xiang pulled his lips with a smirk, "It's not like there's no progress, isn't this just an investigation? Second Master, don't worry, I believe there will be results in a few days. Now the search is still a matter of business. If you don't search , on the contrary, the suspicion on you cannot be ruled out."
The second master hesitated to speak, but the third master came out to smooth things over in a friendly manner. His words were much smoother and more thoughtful than the second master, "You should search and search, but now there is no evidence that the matter has nothing to do with the people in our house. My niece died wronged. The nunnery is in the middle of the countryside, and I don't know what kind of villain happened to it, I hope Wu will work hard to find out the real culprit as soon as possible, so that my niece can rest in peace."
Naturally, it is not so easy to prove that it is irrelevant. Wu Xiang didn't say much, and since he couldn't arrest them and torture them severely, he thought of going to the library to see if he could find any clues from the library.
When he asked to leave, the Liu family naturally couldn't wait for it, so Liu Yan personally sent them out of the house, but just as they walked to the door, both Bo Ruoyou and Wu Xiang saw two people protruding from the door.
One of these two is in his thirties, with an old-fashioned demeanor and bright eyes, and the other is young like a servant. The two of them came out of the gatehouse when they heard the sound of footsteps, and they saw that they were officials. The fact that the rumors are true means a lot.
Seeing these two people, Liu Yan showed embarrassment, Wu Xiang looked at them without asking any further questions, but Bo Ruoyou stopped after crossing the threshold, and she asked Liu Yan, "Third Young Master, are these two—"
Liu Yan coughed lightly, "There is a rule in our house that when we have dinner and banquets in restaurants we are familiar with, we don't pay the money immediately. Every restaurant comes to the house to pay the bill after a while. Most of these two people come to collect the money. of."
This kind of habit is not uncommon in wealthy families, but Bo Ruoyou asked: "Which wine shop are they from?"
Liu Yan didn't know either, but when he turned around and saw the two people were still visiting at the door, he couldn't help beckoning them to come closer. The middle-aged man stepped forward first, and the interest on his face faded, he was quite respectful, "What do you want, my lord?"
"Which family are you from?"
"The little people belong to Changle Building."
The name sounds like an ordinary restaurant, at this time the middle-aged man said again: "There are some rumors about the house, and the villains didn't dare to come to the door at this time, but the fourth son of the house went there a few days ago. In the building, the villains thought that the matter in the house was over, so they dared to come to the door."
Liu Yan nodded, and waved him away, but Bo Ruoyou couldn't help but asked, "May I ask if there are any operas in the store?"
The middle-aged man had already taken a step, turned back at this moment, and replied with a smile: "For the singers, we sing all the operas of the Southern and Northern tunes in our building, as well as the most fashionable songs in the capital."
Bo Ruoyou didn't know what came to her mind, so she nodded and stopped talking. Liu Yan didn't know why she asked this question, and politely sent her to the side of the carriage. At this time, Huo Qinghong lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage. Liu Yan was startled.
Liu Yan didn't expect Huo Qinghong to follow him, and was a little panicked for a moment, Huo Qinghong looked him up and down for a moment, then asked Bo Ruoyou, "How is it? Have you found the clue you want?"
Bo Ruoyou shook his head, Huo Qinghong also showed disappointment, "Then what should I do?"
"It doesn't matter, the government office just continues to investigate. Originally, the investigation of the case was not accomplished overnight."
Huo Qinghong agreed, got on his horse again, and then the group of people left. Liu Yan looked at Bo Ruoyou and his party leaving and put it down thoughtfully, and stood at the door for a while before returning to the house.
After walking not far, Bo Ruoyou lifted the couplet and said, "Captain, I'm going to Changle Tower to have a look."
Wu Xiang raised her eyebrows, "Why did you go to Changle Building? I was talking about going to the Han Wen Library you mentioned."
Bo Ruoyou didn't understand her thoughts clearly, so she just said: "Then catch the head and go to the library. It's just that after such a long time, I'm afraid it's hard to find useful clues. I'll go to the Changle Building to have a look. If I get something, I'll talk to the catcher again." head report."
Wu Xiang gave up on going to the library, so she agreed, and when they left the long street, the two parted ways. Huo Qinghong asked on horseback, "What are you going to do in Changle Building?"
The corners of Bo Ruoyou's lips curved slightly, "Go to the theater."
Huo Qinghong suddenly thought of the case on the boat back to Beijing, after the death of the theater troupe, he lost interest in lively operas, Bo Ruoyou saw his expression and said: "I've been out for half a day, my son, go back to your residence. "
Huo Qinghong pursed his lips, raised his eyes and looked towards the direction of the slanting sun. The golden afterglow reflected on his face, but he no longer had the youthful spirit of half a year ago. He was silent for a moment, and suddenly said: "What do you think my big brother is?" come back in time"
Bo Ruoyou's heart was suffocated by this question, she closed her eyes for a moment, and said calmly: "Before winter, Lord Hou will definitely return."
Now that mid-autumn has passed, the weather has gradually turned cooler, and the yellow leaves of elm willows are falling on the street. The capital is no longer the verdant and hot scene when Huo Weilou left. The seasons have changed. Not only has Huo Weilou never returned, he is even in danger. Measurement.
Huo Qinghong looked at her with a kind of scrutiny, "Why are you calmer than me? Aren't you afraid?"
Bo Ruoyou clenched her knuckles tightly, but said calmly, "Even if you're afraid, Lord Hou can't get out of danger."
Huo Qinghong frowned, the scrutiny in his eyes became more and more intense, after staring at Bo Ruoyou for a long time, he finally looked away as if discouraged, "No wonder big brother treats you differently, sometimes, you and him are quite different Similar, you always know to do the right thing at the moment." After a pause, he said in a deep voice: "I don't know if there is one more person who misses elder brother, will God give elder brother a little more life."
He held the rein, "I'm going home."
With a whip whip, Huo Qinghong galloped away, two of the servants of the Marquis Mansion stayed behind and followed Bo Ruoyou, and the rest also left with Huo Qinghong, Bo Ruoyou lowered the curtain, and the light in the carriage suddenly went dark.
She was leaning on the half of Che Bi, her body was stiff, her hand unconsciously fell on her heart and pressed it, and she let out a long breath, which made Zhou Liang go to Changle Building.
The Changle Building is located in the south of the West Market. At dusk, the Changle Building is full of bustle and bustle. When Bo Ruoyou entered the door, the waiters immediately greeted her warmly. She chose a seat by the window and asked what is the good drama today. .
Waiting for the clerk to report a series of passages, Bo Ruoyou said: "Is there "Looking for the Hairpin"?"
The clerk immediately laughed when he heard it, "Miss always loves to listen to operas when she hears it. This script has not been compiled yet, and it will take at least a month to be on stage. Miss will come to the store to listen to it when the time comes."
"How many people have asked about this drama in the past few days?"
The man said, "There are, but not many—"
"Do you recognize the fourth son of the Liu family in Pingkangfang?"
"I recognize it, and the distinguished guests who come here often don't dare not to recognize it." At this point, the guy seemed to remember something and said: "When the fourth son came the day before yesterday, someone also asked about this play. There will be a new story in the future, and the fourth son also said that he will come to listen to it when the time comes."
Bo Ruoyou looked at the foaming buddy, his dark black pupils finally lit up.
It was already night when we left the Changle Building. Bo Ruoyou listened to a half-play in the building and got into the carriage, still a little dazed. After returning home, Bo Ruoyou greeted Cheng Yunzhi and asked him: "Yeah!" Father used to go to Xiangguo Temple often?"
Cheng Yunzhi was reading a medical book, and raised his eyes when he heard the words, "I've been there a few times, what's the matter?"
Bo Ruoyou stepped forward and picked out the lanterns in front of him, and the flames lit up immediately, "My daughter wants to offer two lanterns to my parents at Xiangguo Temple, although it's not very practical, but now that my daughter is back in the capital, it will be more convenient." Do your best."
Cheng Yunzhi put down the book, "Of course it's great. Since you have the heart, go there earlier."
"How about going tomorrow?" Bo Ruoyou hurriedly asked.
Cheng Yunzhi smiled, "Naturally, it just so happens that we don't have to go to the Hou's Mansion to give acupuncture tomorrow, so let's go back early."
Bo Ruoyou responded, and went to instruct Zhou Liang to go back to the room to rest after the explanation was finished.
This night, Bo Ruoyou also slept quite uneasy, her dreams were chaotic and noisy, her head was noisy all night, when she woke up the next day, it seemed that she was a stick of incense later than usual, she remembered what she was going to do today , but when he was still sleepy, he couldn't remember for a while, stared at the top of the tent for a while, and then heard Aunt Liang knocking on the door.
"Miss, are you awake? I'm going to Xiangguo Temple today—"
Bo Ruoyou blinked, sat up at once, washed and changed neatly, after two sticks of incense, the father and daughter went out of the city in a carriage, heading straight for Xiangguo Temple.
Xiangguo Temple is also among the peaks in the south of the city. It is almost the same as the path to Shuiyue Temple. Only at the foot of the mountain, one goes northeast and the other goes southwest. The carriage goes up the mountain along the wide road. There are many pilgrims on the road, and they have not yet reached the mountain gate. , I heard the bells in the temple echoing in the mountains, and when I got to the gate of the mountain, the father and daughter got out of the carriage and went up the stone steps.
The Xiangguo Temple was full of incense, and there were many pilgrims coming in and out before noon. When Cheng Yunzhi arrived at the temple gate, he looked up at the plaque on the eaves and sighed: "I haven't been here for more than ten years."
Speaking of the two entering the door, Bo Ruoyou found Zhike Monk and told him about offering Buddhist lamps. Zhike Monk led the two of them into the depths of the temple. With the atmosphere of Senhong, most of the pilgrims are also dressed in rich clothes, and they can tell that they are extraordinary at a glance.
Bo Ruoyou first went to add Buddhist lamps to his parents, then looked at the Buddhist hall and said, "Are all the Buddhist lamps added by the nobles in the capital here?"
The Buddhist hall is spacious, and hundreds of ever-burning lamps are enshrined in front of the Bodhisattva statue. The flames are like fireflies. During the New Year's Eve, sometimes no one comes for half a year, and the monks in the temple take care of it carefully, so the Buddha lamp will never go out."
Bo Ruoyou then asked about Liu Heng's coming to worship in the temple on the sixth day of the lunar new year. The Zhike monk was puzzled, so Bo Ruoyou simply revealed his identity. Deng, with an extraordinary demeanor, unlike those who play tricks on them, and dare not suspect that Bo Ruoyou is cheating, he was slightly surprised for a moment and counted the time, then called a little monk over, and said to Bo Ruoyou: "That's the sixth day! Minghui is on duty in the Buddhist hall here today, so the donor can ask him."
Bo Ruoyou asked the little monk, and the little monk said: "On that day, only Benefactor Liu worshiped here. He knelt in front of the Buddha and recited a volume of scriptures. The fast food was sent to the side hall, and he left after finishing it."
"I never left in the middle," Bo Ruoyou asked.
The little monk said: "I never left. At that time, I didn't dare to disturb you, so I stayed in the room on duty. The servant of Donor Liu told me to go to Element Zhai. The little monk saw that Donor Liu was still kneeling. When he came back, Donor Liu also knelt down." Waiting, Liu benefactor didn't get up until Su Zhai delivered it half an hour later."
Bo Ruoyou walked out of the door, looked into the Buddhist hall, and asked the little monk where Liu Heng was kneeling that day, the little monk pointed to the place, and Bo Ruoyou frowned, feeling a bit embarrassed for a while, standing outside the door, if Liu Heng Kneeling and chanting scriptures, you can see Liu Heng's entire back, and he never left, how could it be...
Bo Ruoyou's face was gloomy, which made Cheng Yunzhi a little worried, and the little monk was also a little at a loss, but suddenly, Bo Ruoyou looked up at him, "Did his two servants ever leave?"
The little monk frowned and recalled for a moment, "Benefactor Liu brought two servants with him, and one of them disappeared shortly after Master Liu recited the scriptures. Later, when Master Liu was mainly vegetarian, there was only one servant by his side. , Later, when Su Zhai was delivered, the two servants were there."
Bo Ruoyou's eyes lit up, and he looked around again, "How many temple gates are there here?"
The Zhike monk hurriedly said: "In addition to the main entrance, there are two mountain gates on the north-east and northwest corners, which are always open during the day. Some pilgrims come from the back mountain, and they can come in and out at will."
After Bo Ruoyou heard this, he went to look at the sun in the sky. At this moment, the sun was in the middle of the sky, and it was exactly noon, and the Buddhist hall here sat facing east from west. The light became even dimmer, and she felt confident in her heart, and she thanked her before leaving the Buddhist hall.
Cheng Yunzhi looked at her helplessly, "So you came here to investigate the case, how about it, is it the same as what you thought?"
Bo Ruoyou nodded, "My daughter already knows how the murderer did it."
Cheng Yunzhi didn't ask her in detail, "Then can we go back to Beijing?"
Unexpectedly, Bo Ruoyou shook her head, "My daughter has one more thing to do, foster father will wait for me for a while."
She left Cheng Yunzhi and went to the Buddhist scriptures on the west side of the Daxiong Palace in the front. After a while, she came out with a safety talisman in her hand, and handed it to Cheng Yunzhi: "This is for the foster father, and the foster father wears it on his body."
Cheng Yunzhi's eyes were full of smiles, and he would not take away her kindness. Bo Ruoyou squeezed another safety talisman in his sleeve, and followed Cheng Yunzhi down the mountain back to Beijing.